"-swords," He finishes as the door bangs behind Deez before he snorts.

"Didn't ya just send that ol' man to bed a couple hours ago?" Beam questions as he looks up from the list he was working on.

"Damn it," Uma sighs with a shake of her head.

"Eh," He shrugs, "He'll be upset if he missed a-" He turns to Uma, "The fuck are we callin' these? Jus' meetings or like- Something? Is there a pirate name for this bull shit?"

Uma shrugs, "Yensid said something about holding council, so maybe that's what we should call it. A council meeting?"

"Lame," He shakes his head before he goes back to perching on the back of Harry's seat watching the pirate curiously.

I told you not to drop it.

He drops his head.

Damn it.

He'd just been excited to have something to help.

He frowns as he watches Harry glare at the pile with an intensity dark enough to put Beam on edge. intensity.

And he'd never thought a pile of gold-

He grimaces as a glint of candle light dances over a cross.

Shit.

He hadn't thought about-

That's exactly my point, you didn't- Sorry, don't think. You just do. Would it kill you to listen to me?

Depends on the situation.

Excuse me?

Uh-

He nudges Harry with his knee, hoping it was enough to get Faustina's attention off him.

He swallows a sigh when Harry doesn't acknowledge the silent 'yo, attention please'.

T! Don't you dare-

"Oy!" Harry turns after a sharp tug on his hair, "what I be ah sayin' 'bout pullin' me hair?"

He grins, "don't."

Beam rolls his eyes, "are ya five? Cause most the young'uns know better than that."

"Five year olds might know better but-" Gil gestures to him, "T's a cat."

Uma snorts, "shit Sweet boy, I never- Yes."

"No I'm not." He glares at Gil.

"See, even spits and hisses like one."

Harry's glare softens to a smirk before he tilts his head thoughtfully, "ya do be gettin' the look Shrimpy be gettin' when she be ah catchin' ah mouse,"

"An ya take a strange enjoyment in bitin' the hand that feeds ya." James grins.

"And come an' go as ya damn well fuckin' please." Beam adds mirthfully.

"An' ya get so cranky when ya get wet." Uma adds in amusement.

Gil snickers, "or touched."

"An' forget tryin' ta pick ya up." Harry snorts.

He scowls when raucous laughter echoes in his ears.

You sound like a pitchy witch cackling.

You're a kit-T!

He growls when she just continues laughing.

"And-" Beam beam's, "there's his patented purr."

"All of you can go fuck yourselves." He glares as heat floods his cheeks and he looks away.

"Note ya ain't really arguin'."

His cheeks burn as he yanks his hood back up and pulls the strings tight.

"Hides like one too." Beam snorts.

"I will stab one of you." He threatens.

"Liar," James ruffles his hood.

"Hey!" He snaps as he swats his hand away.

"Yeah, so not a cat-"

He glares as he slips his hand into his bag and starts rummaging.

T don't-

"Hey-"

"Mate-"

"Woah-"

Beam looks between the others before they land on him in concern.

He tenses when someone grabs his chin and forces him to look up.

"Bad T," Gil says as something thumps him on the nose, "that's a bad kitty."

He blinks up at the looming figure that was his friend.

Did he seriously just-

Gil baps his nose again, "no claws."

"Or darts," Uma adds, her usual sternness negated by the fact she was barely keeping her face straight.

"I be swearin' Senior only be ah givin' that thing up so he could be entertainin' the god with our misery." Harry rolls his eyes before he yanks the bag away to close it.

He glares down at Harry, "heard."

"Ya know, putin' people yer arguin' with ta sleep ain't winnin', it's admitin' ya ain't got anything else." James explains as he slouches in his chair and shrugs.

He turns to him with a raised eye brow, "That's not why I-" He stops short at Gil's glare.

Gil tilts his head to the side as he crosses his arms over his chest, "oh?"

He rolls his eyes, "ain't gonna say it ain't a bonus. Jus' sayin' it's quicker than tryin' to explain why I'm right."

"About bein' ah cat?" Beam slaps his hand against the table, "was you seriously about ta- wait, sleep? Darts can put people ta sleep?"

He rolls his eyes as four accusing fingers point in his direction along with a chorus of, "his does."

Beam frowns before he turns to him with wide eyes, "heard."

"Damn right heard." He mumbles under his breath.

"An' watchin' ya." Beam adds with his own grumble, "like ya weren't bad enough before."

"Takin' that as a challenge."

"What challenge? He said you were already bad," Uma cuffs him lightly on the back of his head, "now it's worse."

"Well, yeah, but if he's going to be all eyes on T he can play surprise."

"Weren't the point o' this ta be workin' together?" Harry rolls his eyes.

He tilts his head, "true." He grins.

"No." Gil baps his nose again, "whatever that is- No."

"What- I didn't even-"

"No."

He pouts as he rubs his nose. "Alright, alright, alright. I get it."

"Do you though?" James eyes him skeptically.

His grin falters when Gil tsks disapprovingly, waggling the rolled paper.

A new round of obnoxious giggles echo in his head.

Will you please shut up?

His eye twitches when she just laughs harder.

"Okay now," Uma chuckles as she settles back against her chair, "that was fun an' all-"

"Not a cat." He grumbles.

"Fine. Like a cat," Uma amends with a grin.

"N-"

Where's the lie?

He frowns as he goes through their lists-

"Whatever." He rolls his eyes.

There's my Kit-T.

I will hurt you.

Little liar.

He turns to Beam when he snorts but falls silent when the door opens.

"Welcome back," Uma chuckles.

"I got excited," Deez pouts as she walks in ahead of Yensid, "and woke him up."

"Happily." Yensid adds, "I would have hated to miss this." He joins the table with a weary smile.

"Uh," Beam looks around the table, "seriously? Shouldn't ya be sleepin'? Yer like, ancient."

Deez snorts, but quickly turns away from Beam as Gil pulls her back into his lap..

Yensid chuckles, "I'm not so worn and ancient that I can't contribute my thoughts," His eyes sparkle with mirth. "Though I do appreciate your concern about my age and well being."

Beam shrugs, "s'what I do."

Yensid smiles as he looks between him and Deez, "of that I have no question." He turns to Uma and steeples his fingers, "How would you like to proceed, Captain?"

Uma slowly nods as she rolls her lips together, the thumb of one hand taping out a rhythm against the table before she sighs and sits up straighter, "So, we all know shit is different out there, question is, what do we think our next steps," she shoots him a pointed look, "should be."

"I'm with Shadow," Beam shrugs, "We should keep lookin' for other kids."

Uma nods as she starts writing on a new sheet of paper.

"Weapons are high on my list too." He adds. "An' ya mentioned findin' their forgin' shit so…"

Beam perks up at the reminder, "That-" He points to him. "I vote that too."

"And I'll be working on the cove again." Deez adds without looking up from the tightly gripped pages in her hands, "So pool and forging area."

She sounded so resigned. And so very much done.

He couldn't blame her.

They were gonna have so much work getting her back to where she'd been-

"An' I'll be with her," Gil adds firmly as he hugs her to his chest.

"Unless he's needed elsewhere."

He hides his amusement at Deez's quick amendment and Gil's look of 'try me'.

"Package deal, got it." He nods.

As if they didn't already know those two wouldn't be separating any time soon.

They did almost perish together.

His eyes narrow at her tone.

The fuck was that?

What?

Don't- The tone. What was the tone-

Well-

She pauses.

Shouldn't you be paying attention?

Uma's eye dart up from her writing before she shrugs, "I'm sure you'll find plenty of tasks you can work on at the cove. But, if we are short handed, I'll keep it in mind."

"So never then," He snorts, "we have like forty-ish kids to arm."

"Does that mean smithing tools are a priority?" Gil asks, clearly struggling to contain his hope.

"Aye," Uma nods with a small smile, "T ain't wrong."

He raises his brow at the acknowledgement before he dismisses it. Sure, he wasn't wrong but it was rare someone admitted it-

At least so openly.

"I be makin' ah list o' the things we be needin' ta rebuild the work room." Harry says before he passes the list he'd been working on, "I be thinkin' that be important like too. I ain'nah rememberin' it all, so them that knows herbs an' shit might be wantin' ta look it over."

T-

"I got'chu." He shrugs before she could continue whining.

He smirks at her indignant sniff.

I don't whine.

Since when?

"We're gonna need hands, I'm thinkin' those old enough ta handle ropes but young 'nough they won't be needed on the Isle," James volunteers.

Uma nods before she makes another note, "Yensid?"

"I believe the more information we have the better we'll be able to navigate these unknown waters. I have a few concerns about those who've been brought aboard versus those who haven't. So at the earliest convenience, I would like to take a trip to the Isle with T."

He tilts his head as he looks at him in confusion.

Why?

Because you know the Isle, idiot.

"That being said, I also believe once our meeting adjourns, I would like to make several books for us to pass messages while we are separated." He adds as he strokes his beard.

"Like that box thing the pup be showin' us?" Harry asks with a slight grin, "he were sayin' they be sendin' messages with 'em."

"Something like it, I believe, just a lot more rudimentary." Yensid nods. "I'd appreciate Deez's and Gil's assistance on the matter as well if at all possible."

Uma nods, "That sounds super helpful," She turns a glare on him, "so long as they're used."

"I didn't even get the chance to not yet." He defends weakly.

"Because there ain't bein' ah not yet," Uma glares, "an' it ain't gonna be ah free pass to the Isle either."

"But-"

"No but." Beam interrupts. "She's your Captain ain't she?"

Uma crosses her arms over her chest as she stares at him.

"Didn't say she-"

"Yes or no?" Beam glares.

He sighs, "yes."

"Then don't be a twat."

"Do he be havin' that ability?" James snorts.

Gil snickers before Deez swats his chest.

"He can be behavin' himself," Harry holds his hands up.

"Yeah," He nods, "what Hook said."

"Tch," Beam snorts, "I ain't trustin' that."

Uma shrugs, "sounds like ya have ta earn it back Problem Child."

"Ugh," he groans. "Ya'll need ta let shit go."

"Lettin' that go be 'bout as safe as forgettin' how ta use a sword." James rolls his eyes.

"That," Beam thrusts his thumb at James. "Ding-dong-ditcher."

Before you open your mouth and embarrass yourself, look deep inside- Where is the lie?

"Right-" He turns to Yensid, "books sound cool."

Yensid covers his lips with one hand before he nods, "and with the sheer amount of projects and assignments, I can only imagine they will be well worth the magical energy."

Uma joins his gaze, "worth what exactly?" She crosses her arms, "cause if it's gonna make ya keel over we'll figure somethin' else out."

"Nothing of the sort, I assure you Captain."

She studies him for a moment before she nods, "So, supplies, searching for more survivors, pool, weapons-"

T-

Ugh. Don't play innocent, you never are and I hate when you use that tone- What?

I think it might behoove us to also involve Hades in the communication-

Then you fuckin' say it- I don't have that big of a death wish.

Coward.

Ha. No. That's all you. I'm already on the shit list.

Spoilsport.

Is my life a game to you?

Silence.

Seri-

I mean you are entertaining to watch-

I. Hate. You.

Little liar, but fine if you're going to be a codfish about it, surveying Yu territory.

Are you trying ta get me killed tonight?

Captain's trying to compile a list of importance. Are you trying to say-

"Also, hittin' up Yu territory. That's big one." He spits out.

"The fuck we tryin' to poke that monster?" Beam shakes his head.

Deez sighs, "because we need to know how bad they were hit."

"Thank you," He gestures to Deez.

Beam looks between the two of them, "Yeah," he turns to Uma, "can we not team those two up?"

"Why does everyone hate our dynamic?" Deez pouts as she turns to him.

"Cause they're-"

I swear to god T-

"Lame."

Good Kit-T.

I loathe you.

Now that seems extreme.

"Uh-huh." James crosses his arms, "or you two sniff out trouble like a shark with blood."

"Harsh yo." He shakes his head, "D ain't done shit to you."

He grins when Deez gestures to him, "I haven't and that was unnecessary."

"Yeah man, not-"

"Anyways-" Uma interrupts him, "why the fuck do ya need to check Yu territory?"

He frowns, "cause it was bad last time an' it'd be dumb not to check?"

"Dude-" Beam facepalms, "last time?" He groans, "Do you need like a constant fuckin' sitter?"

"Jay an' I be ah thinkin' so." Harry sighs as he props his cheek into his hand.

Beam turns to Harry in confusion, "Like the Dragon's second?"

"Aye." Harry nods, "We be havin' an understandin' when it be comin' to the Shadow and our Fire Princess."

Beam blinks as he stares at Harry for a long moment, "Huh." He murmurs before his eyes sweep the table again.

"So, aye, I get we need the information, but that doesn't mean ya can be headin' off on yer own like." Harry says as he tilts his head back to look up at him, "we can be movin' in that direction durin' ah search, but we be goin' together or not at all."

"Kay."

Most of the table groans sans Deez who covers her face and Yensid who was looking at him with amusement.

Uma shakes her head, "I guess we'll fight that battle when we get to it."

Wasn't going to be much of a battle.

Either they agreed or he'd be eating a fuck ton of disappointment.

Don't you dare even think about it! Now so isn't the time to go gallivanting off on our own.

And?

I'll tell on you.

You wouldn't.

Try me.

Seriously?

You- We owe them so much, and they're stressed enough. You give Captain a heart attack and I'll be the one on the Isle.

Fuck.

That was a threat.

One she'd never thrown at him.

And bluff or not-

He sighs, "Got it. S'not gonna matter for a minute anyways." He shrugs.

"We also need ta be thinkin' o' the trainin' we need ta be givin' the new crew members," Harry points out.

He nods, "What he said. Ain't no guarantee jus' cause we're on the ship people won't try to fuck with us."

"So addin' weapons training to the list of things we need to train our new crew on." Uma takes a deep breath.

"I would also like to take some time to train those who are magically inclined." Yensid volunteers.

Uma nods as she adds another note, "That's a good idea. I'd be glad to take you up on that one."

Yensid nods sagely.

"I'd like it if we could form groups dedicated to gathering the list of herbs you've been workin' on Pretty Boy."

"Aye, an' some o' it can be pretty dangerous to collect, so that be somethin' that would need educatin' on."

Uma nods, "Faustina can handle that."

Hahahahahaha. No.

Don't piss the Captain off Faus-ti-na.

No.

But you said-

Freddie can do it! Tell her Freddie can do it!

He groans, "Can't Freddie do it?"

James looks at him with a raised brow.

The fuck is that about?

Nothing.

His eyes narrow at the speedy response.

That doesn't sound like nothing.

Or, he glances over at James, look like nothing.

"Can she?" Uma lifts a brow.

Deez bites her lip as she watches him, "She knows almost as much as Faustina-"

Don't! Don't! Don't! Nonononononono.

His eye twitches at the pitch.

"And it would probably help Freddie to have something to focus on once we get her here. Anything she's not sure on, we can talk to Faustina about."

Beam looks around the table, "Kay that's like the fourth time that name's been mentioned- Who is that?"

"No one important." He shrugs.

Uma glares at him, "Be nice to your sister."

"Like she's ever fuckin' nice to me." He groans.

"Yeah…" Beam clicks his tongue, "You have a sister?"

James looks away.

Mother fucker!

Notmyfault!

Oh, we are so talkin' bout this later.

"Unfortunately." He sighs.

"Don't listen to him, Faustina is awesome." Deez grins, "Just a little sheltered because T is overprotective."

"Well, that checks…" Beam studies him closely.

James snorts.

He wipes a hand down his face. "Moving on." He states through gritted teeth.

"But I have so many questions." Beam studies him.

"Anyway, back to the weapons. How the fuck are you gonna get the equiptment back to the cove if ya can find them?" He pointedly ignores Beam.

"I've got magic now." Uma chuckles.

"That you don't know how to use."

"And Yensid."

"We need the shit now."

"Actually, we can't use the shit until after the cove is fixed." Deez points out with a groan.

"Ugh." He sighs. "Fair."

"So, back to that sister thing-"

Uma clears her throat, "We really need to prioritize first."

"We need the communication books and the rest of the talismans," Deez ticks against two fingers, "before anyone should be back on the Isle."

"I concur." Yensid nods. "It would be the safest way to proceed."

If we have ways to communicate, maybe we should have codes in case of emergencies.

Huh.

"An' while they're workin' on that we should come up with like codes an' shit." He adds with a shrug.

Uma's eyes brighten, "That's a great idea. It would make things so much easier if we had signals, especially in situations where taking the time for a full report could be dangerous."

Ha! She liked it!

"Isn't it just." He rolls his eyes as he rests his chin in his hand.

James tilts his head slightly, brows furrowed thoughtfully.

"Well, since we can't proceed without your assistance, why don't you three go get started on the magic end?" Uma says as she looks over to Yensid, Gil, and Deez.

"Very well," Yensid nods. "If you two would like to follow me, I think it would be easiest to continue in my quarters."

Gil nods as Deez hurries to collect the bits they'd been working with from the table before he stands.

"T," He turns to Uma, "You look like shit, why don't you go get some rest and send Faustina up. I think she'd enjoy helping me with the codes."

No. T, please?

"You're jokin' right?" He lifts a brow.

"Harry, get some rest too," Uma continues before she turns to Beam, "Would you mind helping James meet everyone?"

"A'ight," Beam pulls his eyes off of him and shrugs, "No prob." He nods. "We done then?"

"Unless anyone else has anything else to add?"

It's silent before everyone shakes their heads.

"Then let's call it and get back ta this after everyone's gotten some rest." She turns to Deez, Gil, and Yensid, "And we have something to work with tomorrow." She smiles gratefully.

"Of course Captain," Yensid tips his head before he opens the door, waiting for everyone to file out.

He stands with a sigh.

T?

He sighs at the pout.

Chill. Ya heard Uma, it'll just be the two of you.

But- there are so many people-

You've gotta be-

He lets out a long sigh.

It's not like he wanted her involved.

I'll try to figure something out.

Thank you.

"Actually-" She grips T by his sleeve before he can follow the others from the room, "I'll go with you."

She bites her lip as a knot twists her stomach.

T was going to hate this.

Fuck, she wasn't sure how she felt about it-

But after that conversation; after seeing Beam press for more?

This new relationship or whatever it was had to be based on trust.

Full disclosure.

And since T and Beam seemed so-

Close?

Respectful of each other?

She drops her hand from the coarse fabric, only to press her fingers to her temples.

T hated secrets.

Went out of his way to figure shit out about all of them.

And Beam seemed to share that.

So what would he do if he thought she was hiding a secret about T?

He was already smarting from finding out T was 'part of the crew'.

What about when he figured out it was more than that?

And Faustina?

She needed this to work.

They all needed this to work.

They needed to trust each other.

A clearing throat makes her look up.

"Are we goin'?" T rubs the back of his head. "Cause like not complainin' if ya changed your mind."

She takes a deep breath before she walks past him.

Yeah, he would want her to change her mind.

They walk silently down the stairs until T halts mid-step.

"What the-" He looks around in confusion. "The fuck?" He mutters as he splits from her.

She blinks at his confusion before she looks around.

"Oh, right."

She'd been so lost in her thoughts.

"Yensid magicked it so we'd have more space." She quickly explains, shrugging as she opens the double doors to give him a better idea of the improvements, "Seems he knew we'd be successful in recruiting."

"Like there was ever a doubt." He responds absently as he continues to explore the room. Knocking on the tables and tapping the benches with his foot curiously.

She can't help the smile as she watches him inspect Yensid's work.

T had a hard time trusting things he didn't understand.

And magic definitely fell into that category.

Her eyes drift to Yensid's door.

Well, for most of them anyway.

It was going to take a while to wrap her head around the fact those two could use magic.

T frowns as he looks up, "Did he do this to the whole ship?"

"Part of her. More space in here, a better kitchen area, sleeping quarters, a larger hold."

His eyes light up as he dashes past her.

He would be excited about the hold.

She grins as she turns, following several steps behind as they descend into the well-lit stairwell and corridors.

Yensid must have added a light spell after her and Beam's tour.

"Dumb."

Her brow furrows as she finds T trying to put out one of the lanterns.

She snorts.

"With how many new people we have, I'm not going to miss fire-lit lanterns."

He turns to her with a pout, "But this is like, an invitation for people to come down here."

"Where the hold is?" She tilts her head to the side.

No.

That's not what was bothering him.

She looks up at the last door after the hold opening.

He didn't want people coming down to the workroom.

He turns to the hold with a frown, "We're gonna have to get a lock for it."

She sighs as she leans against the wall, "It'll have to be a lock with enough keys for all the leaders of this new school of fish."

"Makes sense," He nods. "But might have ta deal til' we figure somethin' out. Beam'll get it."

"I-" She bites her lip before she crosses her arms over her chest and looks away.

Would he get it?

Or would he suspect her of lording her elitist status over him?

Such a fragile relationship.

He turns to her with a frown, "Urchin's aren't used ta a safe place. Or stable environment. It's survival. As long as he knows he can have access, he'll understand."

She rolls her lips together.

T's explanation made sense.

It would take time to prove to Beam the lock wasn't a power play-

"I'll tell him we're looking into locking it up and see what he says, how's that?"

"You're the Cap'n." He shrugs.

"And you're my go to on this subject."

She couldn't bring herself to say ambassador.

He shrugs, "I ain't sayin' don't let him know, jus' sayin' I'm puttin' a lock on it before I head back."

She rolls her eyes.

From 'your the captain' to 'I'm doing this' in one breath.

Fucking T.

She sighs before she raps her knuckles against the workroom door, "So, you letting me in or?"

She really didn't want to have this conversation out in the open.

He tilts his head to the side before he digs in one of his pants pockets and hands her a lock pick set.

"Really?"

"I'm not the one who wants to talk."

"So me, the Captain, has to work for the pleasure of your conversation?"

"I guess when you say it like that…" He grins, "yes."

A single chuckle escapes her deadpan face before she kneels in front of the lock.

He would want her to give up and walk away.

Probably trying to protect Faustina from coming out in the open with her.

But…

Now that the adults were gone, what was the point of staying hidden?

What was the point of a self-imposed cage?

She grimaces as she works the lock tumblers, knowing those thoughts were nothing more than her attempt to justify what she was about to talk to T about.

She's surprised when T's hand drops to her head, clearly summoned by the clicking of the lock.

"Nice." He drops his hand, "An' here I thought you'd be outta practice."

"It hasn't been that long since your last lesson."

"Feels like it." He offers her his hand. "Let's get this over with."

She sighs as she lets him pull her to her feet.

Over with.

It sounded so resigned.

"The fuck?" T pauses once the door opens.

She lifts onto her toes to stare into the room, "what's wrong?"

"Are we in the right room?" He questions as he moves to let her in and shut the door behind them.

She tilts her head in confusion until she sees the small tub in the corner of the room where Faustina's work table once stood.

"Oh, I guess I didn't get to ask what all Yensid did." She smiles as she looks around the room.

It was still small, barely more than a storage room. But now it was laid out much like a room would be.

The small bath. A small chest beside it.

And where the bed would be, there was a small pile of brightly colored blankets and pillows.

It wasn't lost on her that beside that there were shelves of books.

He frowns as he walks over to the tub and kicks the side before he bends over it curiously. "Huh." He pokes the water, "huh," before he straightens and turns to her.

"I guess he wanted to make sure the two of you had a private area to clean up."

A small smile crosses his lips as he turns to the direction of Yensid's room before turns back to her, "this bother you?"

Her brow furrows, "no? I get you guys are private about bathing. I'm not forcing anyone to get naked when they ain't comfortable."

T's smile widens to a grin, "cool."

"I still like it more when you sleep in the same room as us."

He pouts for a second before he sighs, "got it. But when I want to, I can opt for this, right?"

Was he pulling away?

Or was he just hoping to have space when he needed it?

It was so hard to read him sometimes.

"Please?" He adds, "I swear I won't like, live in it. S'not like I like ya'll grouped together like fish in a barrel when ya sleep. I feel better sleepin' to the side."

A small smile turns her lips, "you like it better when you sleep in there?"

He shrugs, "I like bein' able ta make sure ya'll are safe."

She'd take it. Happily.

"Then, I guess when you need space, yeah, you can come down here."

"Oh thank god." He breathes out. "Hook can get clingy."

She snorts without even trying to hide it.

Of course that was the reason.

"True. He gets creative when looking for attention."

He snorts before he falls silent and sighs and turns to her. "So, sup?"

"I just need to talk to you," she says as she leans against the wall beside the closed door..

"Figured. Also figured I ain't gonna like it."

"Fair, you never seem to enjoy any of our talks."

He leans against the wall before he pulls down his hood and studies her for a long moment with a furrowed brow.

"Wait-" she pinches the bridge of her nose, "that came out wrong."

"I mean, if that's how you feel, it's how you feel…" He drops his eyes as he studies the floor. "I haven't exactly been a thrill to be 'round since…" He grimaces, "The four were taken." He breathes out.

"I know it hurt to lose them. And other things-" She takes a deep breath before her head falls back to the wall behind her with a thud.

She sighs as she stares at the ceiling.

"Look, I saw your reaction when I mentioned Faustina's name. And if you're pissed at me I get it, but there's no way Beam and the others were never going to hear her name, and getting that out there in the very beginning will hopefully be less suspicious to Beam." The admission pours from her lips, every word coming faster and faster as if she were afraid T would shut her down.

Maybe she was afraid of that.

"Thing is, I need both of you. For two very different reasons. We have a responsibility to everyone on this ship, and we all have to do what we can to make this new alliance work."

She takes a deep breath to force herself into silence.

"S'not like we have a choice at this point," His head hits the wall with a solid thud as he shoves his hands in his pockets.

She'd taken that away.

She hadn't meant to. It had been automatic.

She'd been working so hard to show Faustina how much she meant to them.

Convince her she was needed and wanted.

So seeing the problem of needing to educate any who were willing to collect herbs.

She'd assigned her to the role before she could stop herself.

"Fuck," He growls as the back of his head hits the wall again before he stands up straighter and levels a stare at her. "But, the fuck ever, right?" He states sourly as his eyes sweep away from her to glare at the wall as he snaps his mouth shut.

"I am sorry. I never- If I'd thought about it beforehand-"

"Don't." He growls. "Jus' don't." He closes his eyes as he tilts his head back with another hard thud and takes a shaky breath. "It's fuckin' done." He swallows as he takes several more breaths before he picks his head back up, "The fucks it matter," He states darkly with a shrug as he stares at the wall across from him blankly.

"It does matter. Because claim us officially or not, you are my family." She closes her eyes on the darkness that brought.

It wasn't the point.

"I wish I had thought ahead. But I didn't. And it's a betrayal." She bites her lip, only realizing how she viewed it as she said it.

Her breath hitches as her eyes fall to the floor between them.

She'd betrayed him.

That's all this came down to.

Her promise to help protect his secret, and then her stupid, absent minded betrayal.

Her heart hurt.

Knowing she'd once again, even accidentally, put others ahead of T and Faustina.

She swallows hard as she slides to the floor, as if the weight of this reality was too much for her legs.

"That seems a bit much."

And here T was, trying to brush it off like it was no big deal.

But only because he was thinking he was no big deal.

Thinking he didn't matter to them.

"Don't. I- It was. So I-"

She winces at the crack in her voice.

At the pain lodged in her throat.

"I'll do everything I can to make it up to you." She continues, ignoring the tremble, "To both of you. But please, don't leave. Be mad at me," She presses a hand to her chest, but she still couldn't look up, "you can hate me for this. I wouldn't blame you. But don't- please, don't leave. We need you."

She grimaces when after a terrifying amount of heartbeats later, she hears him push off the wall.

She slowly shifts to her knees, all without lifting her head.

He could punch her.

He never had before, but maybe he was just finally done with this stupid cycle.

Maybe betrayal was his final line.

His soft footsteps were sporadic.

One step.

Five heart beats.

Another step.

Two beats.

Step.

Her blood pounded in her ears.

Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump.

With a sudden burst of speed his feet pass her.

"Please T, don't-"

She chokes back a scream when she's roughly pulled backwards, her legs kicking out in surprise before she finds herself in T's arms, her face pressed to his chest as he adjusts her in his lap.

What?

Her heart skips a beat as she looks up to find him looking anxiously around the room.

Anywhere but down.

At her.

"T?"

She'd been ready for him to yell.

She'd heard stories from Harry about his spar and battle abilities.

How vicious he could be.

She'd thought she was ready for his retaliation.

But she wasn't prepared for the tears in his eyes, or the patches of red flowering on his face and throat.

T pulls her closer as he leans back and lets his head hit the wall roughly, he closes his eyes tightly. "I fuckin' hate it when you cry." He breathes out.

She blinks in surprise.

Was she crying?

She puts a hand to her face as she watches a tear spill from T's eye.

Was he projecting?

She pulls her fingers back when she feels the moisture on her face.

She hadn't realized.

The room didn't have time to blur with how quickly her tears were falling.

She drops her hand to his shoulder and grips the fabric tightly, "Sorry."

He takes a deep breath before he opens one eye to glance at her before he sighs. "I…" He bites his lip as he grimaces and looks away. "I get it." He sighs. "That it was an accident." He frowns. "Or at least, not malicious." His eyes drop to her. "So, just like…" His brow furrows. "Stop." He breathes as he curls around her.

She nods, the flutter in her stomach somewhere between relief and dread.

Stop.

All he wanted, right now at least, was for her to stop crying.

Why did he always want the one thing she couldn't figure out how to give him?

Her fingers tangle in the layers of loose fabric obscuring him.

Her nose presses deeper into his chest, part of her happily breathing in Harry's assigned scent as it mingled with the ointment Faustina crafted for pain.

She'd thought she'd lost him and Faustina the day she saw the cove.

Thought she'd never smell this mix again.

Her arms tighten around him as she holds him like she might never let go again.

How many times was she going to believe she'd lost him?

How many times was she going to live through the agony of what she could have done differently?

And when was she going to stop risking him?

Or holding him too tight?

Or scaring him with her tears?

Her throat burns as she hides from the answers she desperately needed, but couldn't find.

As she lets herself get lost in the shadows of T.

T sighs heavily as he pulls her closer, "I'm sorry. It was inevitable."

"But it was me."

Oh shit.

She'd never heard herself sob.

Scream in agony?

Her cries at the cove ring in her ears.

But she had no name for what that sound was.

"Umes," He whispers tightly as he squeezes her to his chest, "Ya were jus' doin' your job." He rests his forehead against her head. "An, I can deal with it." He sighs in resignation. "I… I'm sorry I got pissy an' am bein' a pussy 'bout it."

"You trusted me." She forces herself to take a deep breath, "And I messed up."

He shrugs, "I mess up all the fuckin' time." He nudges her with his head, "an' I still trust you."

A strange garble of relief bubbles up over her lips.

T's hands come to her shoulders as he pulls back and eyes her in concern.

"Sorry." She chuckles at the look, "I didn't expect- I expected a lot of things, but not that."

He tilts his head to the side as he studies her before he lets out a sigh. "I-" A pained expression crosses his face. "I-" His eyes darted away from her as he sags slightly. "I-" His voice grows tighter as it grows smaller. Softer. "I don't want to stop existing."

Existing?

Why would he be afraid of dying-

No.

Existing.

He was afraid he wasn't real.

An intruder in Faustina's body.

"Why would-"

She shakes her head as she shifts to stare directly into his impossibly deep green eyes.

"You are mine, and I don't let go of mine." She sniffs as she cups his face in her palms, "I don't know how this works, but you and Faustina are both mine. Mine. This Family's. Each others."

Her eyes narrow as sheer conviction makes her sit up straighter.

If nothing else, she would die to make sure these words were never false.

"If I can be a fucking human and a mermaid, then you can sea gods damn well be T and Faustina." Her grip on his face tightens, his lips pouting out much like a fish's, "Do you hear me? She may have made you, I know we've talked about that, but she made you for a purpose. And you've taken that purpose and you fucking made it yours. And even if the Isle didn't need you, we still do. I will always need you. So you are not going anywhere."

His eyes search her face with a desperation she'd never seen in him.

"I love you." She admits before she presses her lips to his.

T doesn't move away from her kiss. To her surprise, he leans in closer, pressing their foreheads together as his eyes close.

Just a kiss.

Lips still against each other.

Not a desperate kiss.

Or a needy kiss.

Just softness and acceptance.

"I love you," She continues in a whisper when she finally pulls away, "and I love Faustina. And I love that you're the same person but not the same person. That you are so different from each other. I love that you're both willing to share your talents with me. That you support me, us, all of us." She chuckles wetly as she rubs a hand over her face in a weak attempt to remove the evidence, "I love that you hate seeing me cry, but that you'll forgive my stupid ass and hug me even when it's the last fucking thing you want to do. And I love that you care so much it confuses you. I love that you want to help everyone."

She takes another deep breath before she shakes her head.

"You're real." She promises as she takes his hands and squeezes, "You're too complicated to be fake."

His eyes soften as he takes in a shaky breath before he looks away, "Thank you." He whispers, his cheeks so red she could feel the heat radiating from them.

She frowns as she watches him, feeling the way he squirmed in discomfort beneath her.

"Is this because of what happened earlier, or have you been stuffing this down without talking to me about it?"

He drops his eyes as he shifts. "I-" He sighs, "I get it. Don't like it. But- Good luck gettin' her out."

"I'll talk to her about it." She sighs before she pulls him into a hug, "look, I know we have been dealing with a lot of shit, I understand if you haven't had time." She presses her lips to his hair, "But I mean it when I say you are worth any amount of time, any time."

"I-" He closes his mouth and drops his head to her shoulder, "Sorry."

"Me too."

How many times in the past-

Ugh, she hated how that realization always snuck up on her.

How many times since the stupid storm-

She knew something had been off.

She'd been so wrong about what though.

What made T believe he could disappear?

Just the thought of losing him was enough to make her stomach churn.

She gently runs her fingers through his hair.

Traces patterns on his back.

Hugs him.

Holds him.

Sits with him in the silence, or relative silence.

Outside the ship she could still hear the storm raging on.

The waves slapping the sides of her ship.

But for the first time, that storm seemed small.

Small when compared to the storm inside T.

Ooh.

I don't know who's in more of a mood, T or Faustina.

Love this scene though.

Love how bewildered Beam is about Faustina. Like WTF Shadow. I knew you had secrets, but fuck-

And James subtly outing himself to T?

Delicious.

Uma is definitely kicking ass in that meeting.

Getting lists and taking names.

Speaking of-

Oof.

That whole scene between Uma and T was rough.

Uma's really raking herself over the coals about everything that happened.

Like she doesn't have enough to deal with-

Gods, we're fucking dicks to her.

Well, all of them.

But Uma's in over her head in stress. Fucking leadership sucks bro. I barely want to be responsible for myself.

Anyone expecting a different reaction from T?

-Cause seriously, no hyperbole, we wrote this chapter over six times, and every time we ended up with drastically different scenarios.

In the end this one wound up being our favorite so it's what we went with.

So, that being said, throw me a freaking bone here, how do you think T should have reacted? Or if it was par for course.

Seriously though…

If you think it's been bad so far-

It's gonna be a fuck fest for all of them.

Separating like that. So soon, but when the apocalypse hits, what the fuck other choice do you have?

I know. I know.

It's a fucking lot.

We get that this is gonna get intense.

And we're only at the beginning.

Fuck if I don't miss all the LoLz.

Ain't sayin' there isn't any, but still, our other books were a lot more balanced. This ones just gonna be one shit show after the other, so buckle up bitches.

You're either gonna like or loathe it.

Hopefully the former.

But, seriously let us know if this isn't your cup of T.

I feel like this book took the Mask from a Young Adult story to a mature one.

Don't worry though, we'll get back to that in a book or two.

For right now, shit is just supes serial.

Seriously tho, super worried with how different the tone of this book is. Fingers crossed y'all like it.

Much love and shit

-Twisted