I sigh in frustration and annoyance. Shortly after Peter and the horde left my ship I retired to my cabin and only had a moment of peace before little miss princess came barging in demanding we strategize further. And so here I was for the past hour, listening to her prattle on and on. Honestly it sounds more like she's complaining than actually wanting to strategize about anything. I am not here to be listen to her complain about how unfair the world is. That is not my job. My annoyance is building with every sentence she says.
My head pounds with a dull but persistent headache. Why is this my life again? Oh yeah, right. I'm Captain Hook in Neverland. If I thought I was going to have a normal life, I was clearly delusional. But still, this situation and the snooty princess in front of me is very annoying. They both are.
I roll my neck, trying to release some of the tension so I can focus on to her words better. After all, she may actually be saying something important in all her complaining. If only she would stop complaining and get to the point. That would be so much easier.
I hold a hand up to try to stop her talking for a moment. "I'm sorry, princess, but what exactly do you expect me to do?" Traces of my annoyance make its way into my weary voice.
She stutters to a stop at my words and looks at me dumbstruck. "I want you to do your job!"
I raise a brow at her response. "My job? And what is that exactly?"
She huffs and scoffs as if I should know this. As if it's obvious. "Your job is to protect Neverland."
I roll my head to the side and give her a bored look. "I thought that was your job. I'm just another lost soul brought here by Pan, remember?"
Her eyes darken and narrow as she fixes me with a hard stare. "No. My job is too protect the secrets. When you branched off from his wild band of children you signed on to a new role. Your job is to protect the island."
I whistle lazily and glance around my cabin. "Well, it would have been nice if someone had told me that when I built my ship and gained my freedom there was a job attached to it. I don't remember signing up for that."
"Don't joke pirate. Take this seriously."
"The only thing I don't take seriously right now, is you." I state bluntly. "Don't test me child."
Before she can answer with what I'm sure she considers to be a sharp witted reply my cabin door flies open again and Tink floats inside. Great, more uninvited guests. I roll my eyes as she closes the door behind her and sits delicately on a chair. "Yes Tink, come on in. I do so love uninvited guests."
"She's going to the lagoon tomorrow." Tink ignores my sarcasm and gets straight to business.
My eyes widen as I look at her, suddenly serious. "You're joking right?"
"I do not joke. I do not know how."
I nod once. "Right." I sigh, suddenly tired. "You know what could happen if she goes there. I'm assuming you tried to warn her against it?" Tink nods. "Then she's crazy. No one goes near those scaly tailed crazies. Even Pan keeps his distance for the most part."
"If she insists on going, what are you going to do about it?" Tiger Lily inserts herself into the conversation.
"Me?" I look between them for a moment.
She nods. "Yes, you."
"Why me? My place is on my ship. I can't go to the lagoon and save some idiot tourists from drowning just because she wanted to see some real life mermaids." I pull my feet off my desk and adjust in my seat, getting irritated.
Tink looks on in interest as we go back and forth. Tiger Lily doesn't even blink. "As I said, it is your job."
I shake my head. "No you said my job is to protect the island. Not the idiot tourists on it. Besides, I have a ship and crew to run. That's my job. You know, as captain." My tone gets louder and more aggressive with each word.
"And I have my people to lead. We have been here for far longer. And this is not something that falls under our concern." Tiger Lily's voice starts to climb in volume, wanting to match my aggressive tone.
"If I may," Tink interrupts out bickering. "Who says you have to save her? She may not even get killed there. Just go and observe. It will probably be in our best interest to know what happens and how she reacts to what they will inevitably do. It could be the catalyst we were hoping never comes."
There's a stunned moment of silence at her words. I blink a few times to pull myself out of my shock. "And if she does drown?"
Tink doesn't even blink, doesn't flinch, doesn't move a muscle except to reply in her steady voice. "Then perhaps our worries will be over."
I struggle to keep the surprise off my face. I'm a pirate, I've never denied that. And I was raised on a pirate ship by my father so this is not the first time death was discussed in front of me, or that I have been involved in the conversation of it. That is not what is shocking me. And Tiger Lily's clear and utter indifference to the topic doesn't shock me either, I expect that sort of cold demeanor from her. But Tink? She's always been a distant individual, it comes with being a Fae. But I've never seen her speak so openly and bluntly about such a dark topic.
"That is your advice then? Observe. And plan from the results." I clarify.
She nods simply. I nod slowly in return. "Okay, fine. But you're going with me."
Tink tilts her head in question.
"She will be more at ease if she think it's just her and Peter. We'll get a glimpse of her when she's not putting on a show for our benefit if she thinks you're not there." I explain.
To my surprise Tiger Lily nods in approval. "That is wise. Let me know what you discover." She gets up from her seat and prepares to leave. "I must return to my people. We will meet soon to continue to strategize." I hope by this she means we will actually strategize and she won't use me as a sounding board for her uninteresting troubles.
"I look forward to it." I respond sarcastically, though I'm sure she doesn't notice the tone. She continues to leave the cabin, the door shutting with a snap behind her. I look at Tink with a small satisfied smile.
"Do you have to do that?" She questions me.
"Do what?" I asks innocently even though I know exactly what she's talking about.
"Antagonize her. We do not need more conflict."
I grin mischievously. "But it's so much fun!" I laugh a little, suddenly feeling more lighthearted now that it's just me and my friend. "She's so uptight and it's just so easy to rile her up."
Tink rolls her eyes at my words. My grin widens and I lean forwards, resting my arms on my desk. She adjusts her sitting position so she's more curled up in the chair, a much more casual position that she tends to take when it's just us. "You realize she feels the same about you." She points out.
I nod. "I know. It's turned into a thing with us. I annoy her. She annoys me. We see who flinches first."
Tink shakes her head, confused. "I will never understand you humans."
I laugh. "That's fine. We won't understand you completely either."
Tink gestures to my bed. "You should get some rest."
I nod in agreement and get ready for bed. Changing and then blowing out the lanterns. I don't feel awkward changing in front of her. I got used to her having no sense of privacy a long time ago.
I know she plans on staying here for the night so I don't bother to ask her if she is or where she plans on sleeping. I never bother with such things. Tink will do whatever she does. I don't question it. It's better that way. I crawl under the covers and get ready for bed. I close my eyes and try to relax and sleep, doing my best to ignore the Fae watching me.
You'd think after all the times she's done this I'd be used to it. But it's still al little creepy. Finally I start to relax. Tomorrow will be interesting, but tonight I rest.