Fuck, she hated this.

Hated the waiting.

Hated watching with trepidation as she waited, painfully so, for each crude mark to appear on the map.

She'd given up on her other tasks, entrusting her new crew to see to them.

An hour.

It had taken an hour for T to add anything.

She'd have thought the damned book was broken if she weren't carefully flipping the page to watch Harry's rushed script as he placated Beam and James.

And her, if she was being honest.

She glances towards the forge, not sure when the sound of metal against metal had become so comforting.

It would seem her Sweet Boy was rather keen on either trusting T.

Or was refusing to think about it.

It was a toss up.

She sighs before she turns back to the map as her fingers tap out an erratic beat-

She could just feel the gray hair coming, sure that before this ended her hair would be just as white as her mother's.

She grimaces.

Another subject she'd been worried about since things went to shit.

She glances towards Deez and spares her a brief, weak smile.

Come hell or high water-

She'd be damned if any of them thought to brush off her looking them over when they got back.

She glares at the map when nothing new appears on the pages.

This.

This is what was going to be the death of her.

Not a weapon.

Not an enemy.

Not her stupid fucking mother.

Or uncle.

This.

"Breathing may not make things feel better, but not breathing quickly becomes a problem."

She glowers at the old man, "I'm breathin'."

Admittedly poorly, but she was still managing to get air into her lungs.

"Of course Captain, my apologies."

She looks back suspiciously, "are you-" Her eyes narrow, "no. I have enough T's to worry about, thanks."

"My apologies."

And fucking Faustina's to be skeptical of.

Deez snorts without looking up from the glass she was playing with.

She groans.

Was everyone amused but her?

"Captain," Yensid draws her attention calmly, "I understand the difficulty of your position, however, I'd take the pace this is going as a good sign."

She scowls, "how?"

"T isn't usually this methodical," Deez points out, "I'm proud of him."

Yensid nods, "and though I'm wary to say it at the moment, this is not the first time I've worked with T in this manner."

Her eyes narrow.

Was he talking about the cave?

"I forgot he was spying on you for Maleficent." Deez chuckles as she sets another globe of glass to the side.

"Much has happened since then, unfortunately, and it is something easily overlooked upon reflection."

"Gil's about to need me, be right back."

Yensid watches as Deez disappears, "it's fascinating how in tune they are with each other."

"It makes me happy," she admits before she frowns, "wait. T was spying on you?"

"Several times at varying stages in our relationship. It was quite endearing, actually. Both him shoving his face in the window, and then realizing I had seen it every time. He was rather concerned for Carlos and Deez, which dare I say, I found-" He glances at the entrance, "thoroughly adorable."

"That checks, he loved to worry over the Pup as much as he loves to worry over my Baby Girl and Sweet Boy," she snorts, "though I dare you to tell T you find him adorable."

Yensid laughs, "tempting as that may be, I do rather enjoy my relationship with your Problem Child."

"Same." She sighs as her gaze dips to the notebook again.

Yensid meets her at the table, "but the time to which Deez was referring was altogether different. I, too, was concerned for the boy's safety when I found what he'd agreed to do- Even if it were for the sake of my beloved student."

"I imagine finding out T was spying on you for Maleficent would be concerning." She frowns at her own memories of that time.

When T promised her, he would give Deez back to her.

And she let him promise it, despite knowing something was wrong.

Yensid tugs his beard as he takes a seat on the stone bench, "T did not obfuscate his deal when it came to me. In fact, I quite enjoyed conspiring with him."

She shakes her head, "that does nothing to take you out of the T like category."

Yensid school's his expression, "no, I suppose it wouldn't, but rest assured Captain-"

"Mm-hmm."

"I see," Yensid nods.

One finger trails over the newest addition to the pages before she looks up again, "continue, please."

She couldn't deny Yensid was a captivating storyteller, and right now she very much wanted the distraction.

"Quite right," Yensid clears his throat, "at the time I too had many concerns, T had very much endeared himself to me. I never expected an unfamiliar child to appear on my doorstep, and ever so awkwardly request books."

She smiles.

She hadn't expected T to show up at the chip shop every so often, awkwardly asking for scraps, so he could feed others.

Always awkward.

So much so, it could make someone as confident as her, uncomfortable.

And yet, he did it because he was always trying to do things for others.

"Oh?" She looks from the map, "what drove him to that point?"

Surely it had to be something incentivizing for T to knock on someone's door, and not play ding-dong ditch.

"He was interested in metallurgy, glassmaking, musical instruments, and blacksmithing."

Her lips twitch, "of course."

Why else would T have the nerve to do something so out of character if not to help others.

Her eyes narrow, "wait, so it's your fault he disappeared for three weeks?" She crosses her arms and juts her hip, "I had Harry intercept Jay over that shit, and even the Rotten's had no clue where he fucked off."

"He told me he lost track of time and got Deez in trouble over it, but he failed to mention how long he lost track of. But now that I'm thinking back to it, he refused to take more than a book at a time, so I was seeing him quite regularly."

She takes a deep breath before she sighs, "you were the only one."

Yensid clears his throat, "if I had known it was a concern, I would have informed Carlos and Deez of his doings, Captain."

"Oh," she snorts, "after the first week of him missing, Deez hid herself away too."

"I see," Yensid nods, "she did rather enjoy doing so before joining your family-" He glances to where she'd run off, "which I'm grateful for. She is, in most respects, much happier now."

It never failed to make her smile, hearing that Deez was happier being with them than she'd been before.

Even if it were only in most respects.

"So, awkward child begging for books eventually tells you he's also spying on you for the leader of the Isle?"

Yensid smiles, "despite many beliefs, mostly his own, T is quite honorable, and I had, at that point, earned at least some of his respect."

"Did you know he was also spying on the Yu's?"

"I did in fact, but who was I to stop him after the ink had already dried?"

"I guess that's fair." She frowns, "Hades was the one who wrote it up, so there really wasn't any backin' outta it."

He nods, "though I would be quite fascinated to get my hands on that contract."

"Why?"

"If I'm remembering it properly, I do believe that was around the time the God of Death took interest in T."

It had been right after he'd ordered her mother to kill T.

That had probably caught his interest.

Her mother had always done his bidding without question in the past.

She turns to glare at the sea.

Bitch.

She was still torn over, and honestly tried not to think about, T's relationship with her mother.

She grimaces.

Poor Deez.

If she was at a loss at what to do with T and Ursula-

She had no idea how her Baby Girl was coping with T and her father.

It just bothered her how-

Her brow furrows.

-subdued and obedient he'd been with her mother.

That had always been one of her bigger frustrations.

What the fuck had made Ursula so damned special? Why had he done everything she said-

Jumped to complete every order without question.

Subdued and obedient.

Two words she hardly associated with T-

Her eyes narrow.

But she would with his other half.

Had it been Faustina?

Is that what they meant when they mentioned coming to the surface?

Because, she'd never questioned it was T-

Heat licks her cheeks.

-but she had spent more time than she wanted to admit trying to figure out the on and off switch her mother had stumbled upon.

She taps her fingers rhythmically against the table-

Faustina had acted familiar with them from the beginning. It had been slightly unnerving at the time but-

How often had Faustina been close to the surface around her? Their family?

Deez had known that there was something off with T-

But not the whole of it.

She studies the map, something about it niggling.

"Captain?"

"Aye," She tears her eyes off the map that labeled their locations.

"Is there an update that is troubling you?"

"No," She frowns, "not about this anyways," she gestures to the notebook.

"But you are troubled."

She nods with a sigh, "kinda, but it's more curiosity than concern."

Yensid nods solemnly before he looks down at the map in front of her, "I find when I'm faced with situations that are worrisome, but not something I can control at the moment, that my mind is superb at coming up with other curiosities for me to puzzle out. Perhaps we think similarly?"

"Seems like," She smiles, "cause I'm stuck on why-" she pauses as another mark appears in the notebook.

"X marks the spot." She murmurs as the memory of T bounding into her mother's shop with his smug ass grin, demanding they go play a game.

Yensid's brow furrows as he leans closer to look over the map, "perhaps my eyes aren't what they used to be since I can not find the x."

"Sorry," She shakes her head, "I just figured out what was bothering me."

"Oh?" Yensid inquires with a smile as he taps the tips of his steepled fingers together.

She snorts.

She'd never expect someone like Yensid to be interested in something trivial, but-

He didn't seem to be humoring her.

Just intensely curious about what her question and the answer she'd figured out.

She taps the notebook before she gestures to the map. "T wouldn't map shit out with a dagger to his throat."

Yensid's head tilts to the side as his eyes drop back to the map, "because that would require him to stop." He says, almost as if attempting to follow her logic.

"And to sit still long enough to put anything of use on it." She rolls her eyes.

"I do remember how difficult it was to get information out of him during our conspiracy against Maleficent."

"How?" She snorts, "even now after joining us, it'd be easier to pull out my own teeth than get him to talk."

"A troubling image." Yensid slivers.

"And an apt one."

Yensid chuckles, "please, continue this journey of discovery."

Another snort leaves her, "T has given us maps pretty much from the time he an' Deez became friends."

"But since it is unlikely that T would be able to focus long enough to draw a map," Yensid taps a finger to the tabletop before he looks up, "you are possibly concluding that Faustina, who has in fact sat still long enough to write reports and is a known artist, has always been the one behind the maps."

Her lips twitch, "quite."

Yensid's eyes brighten along with his smile, "an interesting course to travel indeed, since all implications have led us to believe that they didn't realize they shared a body, or infer that Faustina ever left the tower. An interesting quandary indeed."

Interesting?

"More of a frustrating one," she braces against the table.

She'd known T for years-

And the more she'd learned, the larger the contradictions. "I just-" she frowns at the notebook. "I don't know, it just bothers me, it took me so long to realize it."

Yenid frowns before he reaches over to cover her hand with his, "I find those two often intersect."

"Yeah," she looks at his large hand dwarfing her hand.

But why-

Or maybe what?

-was frustrating her?

Yensid pats her hand before he pulls away.

"If it helps, Faustina came out during book club, that's when I started seeing her more."

"Huh," she turns as Deez walks up beside her.

That made sense.

If nothing else, she knew for a fact Faustina loved figuring out solutions.

"And it was Faustina who drew the map to the cove." Deez continues, "I'm not sure how it worked, but she said she drew it after T talked to her. How she drew most things she wasn't present for." She tilts her head thoughtfully, "though I guess she had to have been some kind of present to be able to draw it that well."

"And with only a T-like description," she rolls her eyes.

"He's just impatient," Deez sighs, "at least I'm pretty sure that's what it is. And why he prefers to work alone."

"Oh, the last one for fucking sure," she grumbles before she sighs and pushes her-

Concern?

Question?

Her eyes narrow.

Feeling?

Whatever it was to the side.

"How's Gil?"

"Channeling his worry into more weapons. He's really excited about them," Deez shrugs her shoulders as she tips her head to the side and back, "but also nervous."

She shakes her head, "like them that need 'em aren't going to love them. Unless the worry is over this," she gestures to the slowly forming map in the notebook, "because yeah, same."

"Two things can be true." Deez smiles, though she could see the tightness in it now that she was closer.

"Two seems a bit low." She sighs as she rests one fist against her hip.

"Many things can be true?" Deez amends with a scrunched nose.

She smiles, "seems more accurate-At least with this situation."

"Indeed." Yensid nods as he slowly taps his fingers together.

What can I say, I know a lot didn't happen but loved the convo between Yensid, Uma, and Deez.

We hope it showcased Uma's frustration and concern-

(Please let us know? Like pwetty pwease?) (Ugh, I loathe myself sometimes.)

Anyways-

Uma just has so much weighing on her. Like a fucking lot.

Poor bitch, so many burdens weighing on her shoulders…

But what do you think of Yensid's distraction?

Do you agree that it's Tina out doing the maps?

Or do you think it's T?

And fuck, which one was out with Ursula?

God it's a headache to think about it, ain't it?

Much love

-Twisted