2/2 as promised
The surprise over the bruise on Faustina's face passed quicker than she'd expected.
Harry glared at Deez until Faustina assured him T deserved it.
Beam and James asked if she was the one who felt it, and then subsequently dropped it upon her response.
Which was pretty much Gil's reaction as well.
'If Treasure was actually offended enough ta slap him, then yeah, he deserved it.'
Deez briefly tried to slide out of Gil's lap and onto the floor, but he'd quickly put a stop to that.
Her eye was still twitching from Faustina's attempt at soothing her.
'StarGazer he laughed in your face, there's no need to tear yourself apart, he was out of line.'
But then Freddie, Celia, Sam, and his brothers brought in the food, and the energy had done a one-eighty.
"Ta Uma, the kick ass huntress of this huge ass feast!" Beam cheers as he lifts his glass.
She grins as everyone raises their glasses and knocks them together in the middle of the table.
"Thank you, thank you," she grins as she raises her glass as well, "but, Faustina is the instigator of this feast. Without her, this," she gestures to the pile of roasted shark meat and the huge pot of shark and seaweed stew, "would not be possible. So, thank you for our future full and quiet bellies."
"Yeah," Gil nods as he gazes longingly at the spread, "An' Deez, I haven't eaten anything sweet in forever."
"Tch," Beam's eyes the apple stew, "I've never had sweets- or shark, this is gonna be sick." He pumps his fist victoriously.
"We gonna just stare? Or we gonna eat it?" Harry asks as he taps the blunted ends of his fork and spoon against the table.
"Food!" Gil and Beam cry as they nearly stab each other in their exuberance for the seared shark before Harry finishes.
She snorts, those two made it seem like she'd been starving them, instead of just rationing it.
She turns to Faustina curiously, wanting to know how difficult Rush was to brew, but the question dies on her lips as she rolls her eyes.
Of course her nose was stuck in a book.
She frowns as she reads the title on the spine of the book.
'Firearms; Safety and Precautions'
Weird.
Either way, "Beauty Girl," she snaps her fingers in Faustina's ear, "time to eat."
Faustina's glare quickly shifts into a blush, "my apologies, Captain." She mumbles as she places the book down on her knee.
Beam snorts, "wouldn't o' pegged any relation of Shadow's ta be such a nerd- But you're almost as bad as Killer-"
She frowns, she hadn't heard that nickname yet-
Nerdy but had earned the moniker Killer?
Harry shakes his head, clearly giving up trying to puzzle it out, "who be Killer?"
Faustina turns to him, once more speaking too quietly to be heard before Harry startles everyone with an abrupt guffaw before he turns to Beam, "ya be kiddin' me. The Pup?"
Gil snorts, "what?"
Beam beams, "What? Kid's a killer with them puppy eyes. I'm proud o' it."
She can't stop the snort.
"Wait-" Gil frowns, "but you hate us."
"Past. And not all. Clearly-" Beam gestures to Deez, "but Killer was real good to us on the low."
She smiles, of course Mal's pup would've been nice to the urchins.
The kid didn't have a mean bone in his body.
Her eyes shift to Gil.
That's why she had always told Gil to go after him when they fought. Neither would go in for the kill.
It was the one thing she could trust about the Core-
And that was before the founding of Book Club.
"T's kinda nerdy too, ya know. He just prefers stories about spies." Deez states before she bites into a large piece of shark.
Beam shoves another piece of shark steak in his mouth, "spies ain't nerd shit."
"Neither are guns." Deez struggles to say around a mouthful.
"Deez, you know better." she chastises, "an' Beam, we're Isle Born not animals, swallow your food then speak," She glares.
Beam grins sheepishly, waiting to swallow before he nods, "got it, Kraken."
Yensid chuckles before he covers his mouth with one hand and coughs, a poor attempt to hide his amusement.
Gil grins, "this is so good." He chuckles as he takes another steak. "I can't remember the last time we got to eat like this."
"I can't recall a time I ever got to eat like this," Beam grins as he pours a bowl of stew before he looks up, "the fuck did ya manage it?"
"What? Catching two sharks?" She shimmies her shoulders.
"Uh, yeah." Beam nods.
"Was a might curious meself, Captain," James agrees sheepishly.
Her gaze drifts to Faustina, but when she doesn't appear interested in explaining, she shrugs and continues, "well, I volunteered to test out one o' Beauty Girl's tonics."
"Ya be doin' what now?" Harry balks as he pulls Faustina closer.
She nods, "last we spoke I asked her not to test her experiments on herself," she tilts her head to the side, "though, thinking back on it, I guess I wasn't the first to test your Rush, was I?"
Faustina pauses as she lowers her spoon back to her bowl, "no."
"Sneaky." She chuckles at the blush.
"Pirate." Faustina mumbles.
"They have to find it amusing when we use it on them." Deez grins as she pats Faustina's arm.
Faustina's lips twitch, "it just seemed like the goldest of opportunities."
"And we all love shiny things." She chuckles again, "anyways. So I down this weird shot of ick, and then, next thing I know, I have all this energy and drive to get shit done."
It had been a wonderful feeling. Like she could take on the world instead of just survive it.
"Feeding my people obviously was at the top of the list. So I went out and punched a couple of sharks. Had to leave one behind for the others to eat, though."
The table goes silent as everyone turns to her, speechless.
"You be gettin' three?" Jame chokes as his eyes sweep over her in awe.
Beam snorts, "you punched fuckin' sharks? Multiple? Knew ya were a scary bitch-Ow!" Beam rubs his head as he looks at Gil warily.
"It's wrong to call girls that." Gil humphs.
"Got it," Beam nods, "right, I'll keep that in mind ham hands, way to fuckin' go Kraken!"
She snorts, "punching can daze 'em if ya can hit their noses. Makes it easier to slice 'em up."
Beam nods, "good ta know." He says slowly as his gaze trails to Faustina with a similar glint to the way Gil had looked over their meal.
Ha. He was going to pester the shit out of Faustina to get his hands on a couple vials.
She eyes the rest of the table and chuckles; he wasn't the only one.
Everyone but Deez looked interested, and even then her Baby Girl was pouting.
"Do you think it would work on me?" Deez finally prods.
Faustina looks towards Deez, only for her face to turn bright red before she drops her eyes and shifts in Harry's lap.
"Yay." Deez dances in Gil's lap before she tears another strip of meat off her shark steak and chews happily.
"That be a yes then?" James chuckles.
Deez opens her mouth, but before she can speak she catches her gaze and finishes chewing, "she pointed out it might not last as long, but she'd look into it."
Gil chuckles as he kisses the top of her head, "I'm excited to try it too."
"Dibs!" Beam calls out, "totes call dibs on first batch."
"Just be careful. I knocked out after I dropped the sharks off and slept for what," she turns, "at least eight hours."
Faustina nods, "It seemed to be a one to two ratio. Four hours of energy, eight hours of incapacitation. It might be wise for only one partner to take it, and trade off every other mission unless under duress."
Beam glares at her, "English, Shydow."
"It'd be best if we only took it in an emergency," she explains, "at least while on dangerous missions on the Isle. Or if needed, for only one member of the party to drink it at a time, and alter who gets it." She rubs her temple, "oh, it also gives you a killer fuckin' headache when ya wake up, but usin' the goop for massaging your head takes the brunt of it."
"Drinking water might also help with that side effect." Yensid adds.
"Good to know," Uma nods, "then we'll make sure everyone on the Isle has a water skin or something."
"We have a bunch of plastic bottles we can fill," Deez offers, "I saw them in the hold last time I was looking for stuff for the kids to play with."
"Checks," Beam nods, "your store room is killer."
"Yeah, Problem Child is a hoarder in all the best ways." She smiles.
She still couldn't believe he thought she'd be mad about it.
It was like he was preparing them for something like this.
Them and the Core.
And yeah, it didn't have everything they needed-
But it had more than she ever had time to collect.
She bites her lip.
It was so much easier to show you guys I cared before.
Those had been T's words.
Words that had been eating at her-
But, thinking back-
T had always gone above and beyond when it came to supplying and providing them.
Warmth bubbles in her chest despite her sadness as the sentiment settles over her.
T and- Her eyes flick to Faustina-
Had clearly loved them much longer than she'd believed.
"I um," Deez frowns as she looks down at the table, "speaking of water. After I added the last room, I started hearing this really faint noise. I think there's water running somewhere around there. I was hoping you'd be okay with me trying to find it."
She turns to Deez curiously, "you think there's running water somewhere in the cove?"
Deez hesitantly nods, "I'm not sure it's fresh-"
"It'd be dope if it was, though-" Beam beams as he raises his hand, "I say melt that shit 'til you find it."
She chuckles, "Aye, if you're willing, it would be very helpful."
Yensid nods, "and when on the Isle, my home is charmed with an endless supply-though I would prefer to not have to transfer it from there to here, the vessels needed to carry it in any capacity that would be useful would likely draw too much attention. But-it's a good point for recuperation and rest if caught on the Isle."
"Aye," Harry nods, "an' the Rotten's ol' place."
"I know where a few drinkin' holes that might'ah held up are, too." Beam offers.
"Good," She nods before she turns to Deez, "so no pressure, but it would be awesome to have some fresh water at our base."
Deez brightens before she turns to her, "Can I, please?"
Her brow furrows, "I just said no pressure."
Deez shoots a pout at Faustina before she turns back, "Faustina suggested I try Rush tonight to get a base on how it works on me since we'll have time to rest before early morning tomorrow. When we'll see the group off."
She nods.
Deciding when to head out had been a long discussion, but they'd eventually agreed three am would be as good a time as any.
It still gave them the cover of darkness-
But was too late to be aware, and too early to be alert.
Faustina blushes as she sinks further into Harry's lap, "and due to you being a mermaid, it might have differing effects on whole humans…"
Yensid nods, "quite right."
"Ah, ya be wantin' ah wider range o' test piggies." Harry snickers.
Faustina's face goes scarlet as she shrinks and drops her head.
Beam snorts like a pig, "me!" He pauses, "that's a pig noise, right?" He shakes his head, "I'll be a test pig, wrong noise or not."
Everyone at the table laughs, except Faustina.
"But, please?" Deez continues to beg once the table settles again, "I'd really like to get started as soon as possible."
She sighs as she taps her fingers against the table, "I guess we do have some time… But no arguin' tomorrow 'bout takin' care of yourself."
"If I may," Yensid wipes a hand over his lips, "if it would help ease your mind, Captain, I can watch over Deez as she works."
She nods, "I'd appreciate that."
Gil pouts.
"An' two sets of eyes are better than one, so I guess that means Sweet Boy's joinin' ya."
Gil's mood shifts as quickly as it had set, "yes!"
James snorts as Beam chuckles.
"A bit excited there, mate?" James jests.
It's Gil's turn to blush, "I'm workin' on a surprise for the four o' ya…"
Beam's eyes light up, "that so?"
Gil nods. "It'd be cool to get 'em made before we start-" He pauses, "everything, I guess."
Deez grins, "you are all going to lose your shit when you see them."
A smile curves her lips, "I have little doubt of that. You two always go above and beyond."
He couldn't remember the last time he'd been so full-
Or recall if he'd ever been so conflicted over food.
Of course, he was happy that everyone could eat their fill the next few days, but-
He glances at Uma.
His petite Captain had taken out three sharks.
On her own.
With no one's knowledge.
His eyes drift to Faustina-
Hopefully.
He never would have guessed his Angel's true nature, not with how demure and complacent she'd been.
He'd thought T was the chaotic one-
But he was starting to question that.
Faustina was busying herself with explosives and poisons, while also producing her goop and sleep concoctions along with Rush- and sea gods only knew what else-
All in the same lab.
It's why he avoided it so avidly.
He wasn't going to be the reason something got crossed with something else-
Not with his curiosity and attention span.
He smiles when Faustina catches him staring and almost instantly blushes and drops her head.
And then there were times like these-
Where his Angel was every bit the timid and frightened girl they had met.
And yet another similarity she shared with her brother.
They were both so-
Dark or light.
The darkness of past failures, self loathing and doubt that occasionally consumed T.
Faustina's lack of self-worth and biddable behavior that left her feeling like an outsider-
But then, like a flick of a match-
They could blind you.
It had taken him a while to put it all together, but he was pretty sure whether they were light or dark, or even blinding, all depended on where they were.
Who they were with.
What was being talked about.
And, of course, what was going on.
It had taken years with T.
Months with Faustina.
And more than a few conversations with Deez to fully piece it all together, but now?
Comfort level.
He was pretty sure that was the biggest reason for the difference.
He grins, glad he'd figured at least one thing out
He rubs his chin against Deez's silky strands, pulling her tighter to him as his eyes sweep over Harry.
Poor bastard.
He catches Faustina tapping Harry's shoulder before he sighs, kisses her head and lets her go as she starts collecting their empty plates.
"Right," James nod's "let me be helpin' with that."
Beam pats his stomach once before he stands with a groan and pitches in. "thanks 'gain Kraken, I've never felt so full."
"Group effort." Uma nods as she stands, "if we're gonna head out to the cove for the rest of today, I better get my rounds done."
"Aye," Harry nods, "I can be ah helpin' with that."
"I must retrieve a few things from my room," Yensid stands up and helps collect dishes, "let me help carry."
Beam snorts, "no way, old man, we've got it." He bumps shoulders with James.
"Aye," James nods, "be givin' us time ta be payin' our compliments to the Voodoo Princesses anyways."
Yensid chuckles as he relents, allowing beam to snatch his pile away, "I see you insist."
Beam beams, "yep." Though he does allow Yensid to open the door.
"See ya soon, Cap'n." James tips his head.
Deez chuckles as she slips from his lap to stand on her tip toes as she stretches one arm in the air and clenches her necklace in the other, "they were eager to keep moving."
"Aye," Uma chuckles, "and I think I have an idea as to why."
"Ah. Guess they'll be back soon then." Deez snorts before she pats Faustina's shoulder, "no rest for you, it seems."
Faustina turns to her thoughtfully, "I do have a lot to do before we rest, but it seems you were being more specific?"
Uma snorts, "those two are fiending for Rush so bad you'd swear it was prey."'
"Oh," Faustina nods with a smile, "It only takes a few hours, I can brew another batch while Deez and Gil work."
"Question." Deez purses her lips to the side as she looks over Faustina's shoulder at the book.
"I'm looking into how to sabotage muskets, blunderbusses, and with any luck discover a way to ruin black powder."
"That makes sense." Deez shrugs before she hesitates and leans in closer to Faustina's ear.
If he wasn't sitting so close, he wouldn't have been able to hear with how quietly she was whispering, "you're not mad at me about earlier, are you?"
He sighs when all he catches in return is the glimmer of amusement in Faustina's eyes.
Deez pouts as she stands straight again, her arms crossing over her chest as she scrunches her nose thoughtfully, "fair," she eventually says before she shrugs, "I didn't give details, just so you know."
If Faustina could speak, so softly he couldn't hear, why wasn't Deez?
"I was worried." Deez chuckles, "and I know I appreciate his insight."
After Faustina's mumbled response, Deez nods, "good, same page."
Uma clears her throat, "that we'd all like to be on."
He schools his face, hoping that neither would pick up on his satisfaction.
"Aye," Harry crosses his arms as he looks between the two skeptically.
Deez turns to look at them in confusion before she sighs, "no fair, Faustina."
Faustina clears her throat as her cheeks burn crimson, "we were merely discussing our boundaries when it comes to disclosure on matters in dealing with Yensid, in this case," She bites her lip, "StarGazer was concerned about one of my experiments, and sought Yensid's thoughts on the matter as I was hesitant to speak with her on the topic."
"That." Deez gestures with her thumb before she dances over to the door, "don't you two have rounds to do so we can get to the cove?" She asks as she opens it.
Harry's eyes narrow before he exhales and throws his arms in the air, "I ain'nah likin' this alliance, not ah bit."
Uma groans, "an' I thought it was bad 'tween you an' Problem Child."
"Not an alliance," Deez shakes her head, "just a want to find the water and test out Rush. Apparently I'm no better than James and Beam."
Faustina frowns, "you act as if we are in some nefarious league with one another, do you truly think we would do something so heinous as to conspire against our family?"
He closes his mouth.
That was-
A spin to put on this.
Uma sighs before she takes Harry by the arm, "we'll do the rounds, but we're talking about that when we get back."
Faustina ducks her head, "of course, Captain."
"Also, ouch." Deez frowns as they walk past her.
He shakes his head as Deez closes the door behind them before walking to Uma's desk.
Faustina settles back on the table with her book and several open notebooks surrounding her.
He leans against it as he looks between the two curiously, "so, what boundaries were you two discussin'-" he hesitates when his gaze settles on Deez, "Treasure?"
Deez tilts her head, a clear indication that she was listening, but doesn't look up from the paper she was writing on, "what was that, Night?"
"Uh huh," He shakes his head, "I asked what boundaries were you two discussin'?"
"I just wanted to make sure she wasn't upset that I asked Yensid if he would check on her. I wasn't sure what was going on, but she seemed a little puzzled over something and I thought he'd be able to help," her pen pauses on the page as she winces, "I probably should have asked first, but I was worried."
Tension leaves him as he nods his head.
That sounded like both of them.
Faustina was as hesitant as the rest of them to ask for help, and Deez would be worried that asking on her behalf would upset her.
"She just wanted me to know she would have done the same thing in my position." She adds before she resumes writing.
He nods, he could live with that.
He pushes off the table before he squeezes Deez's shoulder and places a kiss to the top of her head, "try not to stress yourself out."
"I'm just writing a letter."
"I know." He strokes her shoulder with his thumb, "just don't feel like it needs to be perfect. From everything Harry n' T said, and from his letter, Prince Ben seems to really like you."
A point that would have been a contention if it wasn't for Mal.
Which, thank god, was a thing.
The last thing he wanted was to follow in his father's steps.
Prince Ben's admiration, however?
That he could handle.
Honestly, he'd be upset if the Prince didn't have respect for her after collecting and reading all her hard work.
"Oh, it's not that kind of letter." Deez frowns as she folds the paper in half and writes 'Auradon Prep, Prince Benjamin, Mal, Jay, Evie, Carlos' on it, "it's for something I'm going to try eventually."
"Oh," He tilts his head, "is that why ya wanted to talk to Yensid?"
He frowns when Deez stiffens under his hand.
That was a yes then.
"Until I figure this out," Deez rolls her lips together as she turns to look up at him, "is it okay if I don't want to talk about it?"
His eyes narrow.
How many times had he forced her to talk?
He couldn't really recall any times-
But from that reaction?
He nods firmly, "yeah." He frowns, "least' I can do is give you space in that area."
Deez lets out a breath she'd been holding as she smiles, "thanks."
"O'course Treasure." He places another kiss on her head.
"I promise it's nothing bad, and Yensid is helping me with it, so I'm okay."
He nods, "I believe you Treasure, and more than that I trust you. Just know when the time comes, I'm here to help with whatever ya need."
Deez smiles as she lifts onto her toes and tugs the front of his shirt, waiting for him to come down to her level before she kisses him.
"Thanks," he whispers against her lips, "vague responses are alarming." He tips his chin towards Faustina, "Especially from Angel, an' Problem Child."
"Vague-" her eyes widen, "oh. Yeah, I guess when you stop admiring how pretty she said it, you can see how little it explained things." She grimaces, though she doesn't stop smiling, "whoops."
He boops her nose, "so maybe it would be best to fill in the details before we all become on edge? I mean, we love you both so much, but c'mon Deez-" He kisses her forehead, "you're both secretive and tend to leave things out."
Deez pouts as she drops her gaze to the folded paper in her hands that she was rolling into a small tube, "I wasn't trying to be secretive, I just had an idea and wanted to write it down."
"I'm talkin' bout 'fore Captian an' Harry left to dive into that lack of an explanation."
"Mmhmm," Deez nods as she turns and begins to search through Uma's desk.
"Uh-huh," He snorts as he rubs her back, "Speakin' of, I'mma go catch up with 'em an' fill them in on the details."
"Found it!" Deez holds a piece of string up triumphantly.
He pauses, "found what?"
"I need to tie this tight, so I can put it in a bottle." She smiles as she turns to him, "you're gonna catch up with them? Would you mind asking for the bottles in the hold to be brought to the cove."
"Well, first, I kinda wanna know why you're putting messages in a bottle…"
"To keep the letter from getting wet." She explains as she wraps the string around the small paper tube.
He raises an eyebrow expectantly, "you could jus' say you didn't want to talk about it."
"I did say that," she gestures to the scroll hanging from the string pinched between her fingers, "but I could explain why I was doing this part."
"Could'ah mentioned they were related." He shakes his head as he runs a hand over his cap, "can you jus' do me a favor, please?"
Deez bites her lip as she slips her project into a pocket, "yes?"
"Can you swear to me that whatever this is, whatever it's for, you won't hurt yourself in the process?"
He sighs when he sees the struggle on her face, "yeah, I didn't think so." He sighs, "then can you at least promise me that-" Sea Gods help him, "you put Angel in Yensid's loop? I doubt she'll stop you until you push your limits, but c'mon Deez even you have to admit you don't know where those lines are. None of us know where those lines are. An' she can at least track your progress to remind you you're gettin' places."
Deez looks down, shifting awkwardly from foot to foot as she fidgets with her necklace, "I- I just don't want to disappoint anyone if it doesn't work. And, yeah, you guys all worry when you think I'm working too hard, so I didn't-" she shakes her head as her words begin to tumble from her lips faster and faster, "there's already so much going on. And the only way I have a chance of getting this to work is pushing myself, and why are you so hard to keep things from, even when I'm just trying to protect you? I just, I don't want to get anyone's hopes up-"
He closes the distance between them again, interrupting her as he cups her chin gently before forcing her to look at him, "Treasure, it makes me so happy to hear you have a hard time keepin' secrets from me. It feels amazing to know you trust me like that, but Angel's not your dad-"
Though for whatever ungodly reason was-
Nope, no way his Angel was friends with the devil.
"None of us are. We're not going to be disappointed with you for doing your best but not being able to succeed-Which, Deez, whatever you're working on- Whatever you're attempting to do to protect us- I know that you won't rest until you end up where ya wanna be with it. You've managed the impossible once, the Core would still be here if it weren't for you- If you've figured out some type of loophole, you've got this Treasure."
Her eyes shimmer before she breaks out of his hold and hugs him.
He smiles as he holds her to him tightly, "that doesn't change the fact that I'd feel better if more than just Yensid was allowed in on whatever you're trying to do. Not because I don't trust you, but because I know you. And you're hella scary when you're determined to do the right thing. That's just who you are. Why we love you so much-" He picks her up and hugs her tighter.
"But you're not gonna be able to figure it out if you're doubting yourself this much. I have faith in whatever your goal is. More faith than I've ever put in any god. If there's a way to get us out of here-You're going to be one of the first to it."
He frowns when he feels her first sob-
"It's the truth, Treasure." He cradles her to his chest before he settles his back against the headboard. "You are so much more than you give yourself credit for." His eyes narrow, "an' in case the stupid thought's back in your head, this ain't your responsibility, it's your contribution. Fuck your dad and his disappointment. You're a Treasure to be unlocked and admired by those who covet you, not the key to pop it open."
Her fingers slip through his hair, escaping his cap, as if she were finger-combing his tangled curls.
He smiles at the familiarity. At the comfort.
How often did she do that when she felt overwhelmed?
He shifts just enough to be able to put his forehead to her's.
"He's right, you know, key's can be broken and replaced with something as simple as picks. But you are invaluable; a true Treasure, glinting beautifully in the light of the love of those you've touched." Faustina adds softly. "Don't let his bitterness and self-hatred tarnish the wonderful fortune that you are, don't let him win, just because he doesn't know how to love."
He smiles gratefully when Deez nods against his chest, "Harry, Uma, Carlos, Jay, Evie, Dizzy- And so many others would all agree Deez. Even Mal-" His nose scrunches, "through her art, anyways. You are so loved and cherished, and I can't think of one time you've disappointed me because you weren't able to perform to your standard."
"I know." Deez whispers, her lips moving against his vest, "I know. I just, Yensid was right. I do need to- I have a hard time, but I know." She takes a deep breath before she pulls back to look up at him, "I hate that I need the reminder all the time, but I do."
He smiles at her hair stuck to her face, the tears she was shedding over hearing how much she belonged.
"We all need reminders," He points out, "even Uma can get insecure. I'm sorry that I didn't poke sooner, I hadn't realized it had gotten this bad. And for that, I'm sorry, Treasure."
She shakes her head violently, nearly falling to his side before he catches her waist.
"I hide it. I ignore it. It's not your fault if I don't say anything."
"Yeah," He nods, "and as much as I wish ya wouldn't, I get it." He gently places stray hair behind her ear, "I've been there too, so has Harry. Even Uma, and don't get me started on T-"
"But me, you, and T are all still so new to this Deez." Faustina interrupts him, "It's not easy, and is incredibly uncomfortable-" She pauses, "and something we might feel unworthy of, but I know in my heart that if everyone in this family is worthy of love and praise-Then perhaps I am too, despite my many flaws and failings. Why else accept me into something so special, or in your words, magical? Why else would they be so vulnerable? Logically speaking, it's obvious, but when it comes to thoughts and feelings? It's a constant battle of doubt and uncertainty."
Huh. He stares at Faustina as a grin tugs at his lips.
As much as it made his chest ache, he couldn't stop the warmth from filling it.
It had been years since he'd felt uncomfortable with his family-
He pauses.
Actually, that wasn't entirely true. It had been kind of uncomfortable during family time.
Her gaze was always so penetrating, it was hard to completely forget she was in the room, until senses dulled anyways.
Then he'd alert to the eerie sensation that someone was watching-
Which, duh. He knew that, agreed to it.
But it was more discomfort than he'd been expecting.
Until he finally learned why-
No.
Not the time.
He shoves the images of Faustina's art away.
But, seriously? Perspective shift.
He frowns, he did remember feeling unworthy, though.
Something he hadn't had a second thought about in years.
And how difficult had it been for him to accept Uma's persistent demands that he join her crew.
Despite getting pissed at her time and time again.
Fuck, he didn't miss that lingering guilt.
He blinks.
This.
This is why Uma wanted Faustina at her side during the meetings.
Who knew she could speak so much at once?
Huh.
He looks between Deez and her.
Apparently, size really did matter when it came to Faustina's boldness.
He nods, "Angel's right. I know it ain't easy, but c'mon Deez, besides T are any of us liars?"
Faustina lifts an eyebrow, "T rarely lies except at the behest of others, he'd rather just hope for forgiveness or take his beatings than wait for permission. Though if you are referring to my existence, then let me assure you it was his way of protecting me."
He opens his mouth to explain, but stops when Deez puts a hand over his lips.
"I hear you. Both of you." Deez looks over her shoulder and back, "and, I'll try to reach out more when I start to doubt myself or forget who I am. Deal?"
Faustina's eyes turn shrewd, "best if we just remind you," she turns to him, "don't you think my Lion?"
"Yeah," He nods after a moment, "Yeah, that's a much better idea an' takes the pressure off you when you're already questionin' yourself."
"I'll still try to be better." Deez pouts.
"Thank you," he hugs her to him tightly as he peppers the top of her hair with kisses before he reluctantly pulls back, "feelin' any better?"
"Duh, hard not to when you're you, and she's her."
He chuckles as he hugs her tightly, secretly happy to be put in the same category as Faustina. "Good."
"And, if it makes you feel better," Deez sighs as she looks between him and Faustina, "though I don't want to talk about it or let it get out to the whole ship, my father talks about missing being able to instantly pop wherever he wants, so, since he says it's a god thing, I'm trying to see if I can also do something like that."
His brow furrows.
That sounded terrifying.
Senior, just popping up at his leisure.
Like it wasn't bad enough when he came to them as is.
"I doubt I'll be able to do exactly what he can do, but I'm hoping I can get a message out of the barrier."
"Star Gazer, I admire your ambition, but have you considered sending something a bit smaller and working up from there?"
Deez frowns as she pulls the small scroll from her pocket, "smaller than this?"
Faustina nods, before she pauses and slips from her seat and across the room.
His brow furrows, "Angel?"
"One moment please, My Lion." Faustina responds as she flips through the front of a book.
Deez shrugs before she slips off the bed and offers him her hand.
He smiles as he lets her help him up, "Thank you for sharin'." He offers softly, "sorry if I guilted ya into it." He adds sheepishly.
"It was hard to justify the fear after hearing you say you've never been disappointed in me."
"Harry an' Uma feel the same ya know, an Yensid." He adds, "jus' so you know."
"I do." She nods slowly, "and, when they have time, I'll tell them. But," she bites her lip, "you know I will have to push myself, right?"
He nods as he caresses her face, "I'm just happy to know the why."
Deez furrows her brow, "that easy?"
"Kinda," He nods, "it just gives me an understanding of the lengths you're willing to go, and gives me an idea of how often to check on you."
"That's-" she smiles before she laces her fingers with his, "that's fine. I don't mind being checked on."
He bends to brush his lips over her knuckles, "well, as long as it's acceptable to you, Treasure." He grins.
She pouts as she narrows her eyes, "I feel like you're teasing me right now, but I'm also too relieved and happy to care."
"Well, that's convenient for me." He picks her up and places her on his hip, "jus' like your new toga." He grins boyishly. .
He loved the way she giggled and put her cheek to her shoulder every time he did that.
The way her face would flare with the softest pink.
"Ah-ha!" Faustina murmurs triumphantly as she pulls a velvet bag from her trunk and searches the contents, before she turns to them with a delighted smile, "you're going to love this," she all but skips over to hold out her hand.
Ah. That's what she'd run off to gather.
He studies the small, smooth stone in her hand, "that is cool lookin'." He smiles, "what's it do?"
Faustina smiles in kind, "Labradorite is considered a tremendously spiritual stone, especially helpful for people who tend to overwork. It helps an individual regain energy while aiding the body and spirit in healing itself. In the metaphysical world, labradorite is considered one of the most powerful protectors. Not only that, but it's also a stone of transformation, and is a useful companion through change, imparting strength and perseverance."
"Who knew stones had so many cool uses." Deez grins as she accepts the stone, turning it over and over as if the brilliant melding of blues, greens, purples, and oranges mesmerized her.
Faustina nods, "according to Yensid everything that comes from the earth has energy, it's just easier for me to associate it with plants."
"Like the metals," he adds.
Faustina nods again, "apparently every living being puts off energy too. It's why you can sometimes get hit by someone else's sadness when you walk into a room-Or get a bad feeling. The more I research it, the more fascinating it becomes."
"Huh, maybe that's how my connections thing works." Deez muses as she continues to play with the stone.
Faustina smiles, "I was happy to find a stone that suits you so well. It's one of the more metallic ones- I imagine it's what a dragon's egg might look like, but then I picture Maleficent hatching and it gets, well, rather strange."
"Yeah," he nods, "The first part, yes though." He adds as he turns his attention back to the stone that looked as if it had been scarred.
Admiring the metallic glint that flickered in the candlelight.
And the strange orange pattern that almost looked like a phoenix rising.
"This is what you want me to practice with?"
Faustina nods, "or if you're reluctant to do so, at least keep it as a focal point. Yensid said that it helps to focus his energies whilst casting. I'm hoping that its properties will serve you in a similar fashion."
"Cool." Deez narrows her eyes as she focuses on the stone, but quickly shakes her head and looks up again.
Faustina smiles encouragingly, "perhaps seeking Yensid's guidance on how to best utilize it would save you time and prevent any nasty headaches."
"Good idea!" She slides down his side before she runs for the door, hesitating as she cracks it open, "um, can we, I know you talk to him, but can you not tell him."
Faustina nods, "I see no reason to inform him of an ability you're fostering, and as long as T doesn't learn of it, no deals will have been broken."
"So then, can we just keep it between us and Yensid?" She asks as she turns wide eyes on him.
"With that being the alternative? Yeah," he nods. Secretly just happy he was in the know, even if the others couldn't.
"Of course," Faustina nods.
He turns to Faustina, "concerned about how quickly you agreed to that."
"Be careful where you tread, my self-righteous Lion."
Deez frowns as she holds her hands up and backs out of the room, "gonna talk to Yensid, bye!"
"Wait!" Faustina rushes forward, "may I accompany you, I won't stay, I just need to retrieve a few items from the hold and would feel better with you by my side."
He blinks as the two leave him alone in the cabin.
What the hell had just happened?
And why was he self-righteous?
He frowns, and why did he need to tread lightly?
Well, this was an interesting chapter to go over-
It's not often Tina/T are in a scene with Gil, and that's my fault. I main the three of them and it get's overwhelming to do both.
Not gonna lie, I need Dark's constant affirmations when it happens.
I don't know what my hang up is, it ain't like normal writers (ppl who write by themselves) don't do it all the time.
Ugh. I hate me sometimes…
Another cute meeting.
Another pile of responsibility-
Which seriously? How much can Uma do before she can't handle it anymore? She's only like 16 years old-
What a fucking burden. *Snickers* see what I did there?
Mmm… Snickers. Damn that sounds so fucking dank right now.
Annnnnnnnnnnnnnyways-
It was cute, and fucking bad ass that Uma was able to slay not 1, not 2, but 3 fucking sharks. On her own. Talk about fucking intense, amIright or amIright?
Man, I would down rush in a fucking heart beat-
Being old sucks donkey dick.
But being a kid and having the like, literal weight of your world on your shoulders? Pfft, fuck that shit.
But still D is keeping her head up and doing what she does best; facing a task where all the odds are against her-
Lucky for the fam D is tenacious as fuck-
So much so I even looked up a quote that I can't name the quotee from-
"Real courage is when you know you're licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and see it through no matter what."
If that doesn't sum up D does anything really?
She's faced adversity for years trying to reach the king, and persevered despite the snark and forces against her.
It's pretty damn remarkable, to have that kind of patience and dedication and shit, and D has it in spades.
Much love
-Twisted