nibsnavarro

[nibsnavarro]

Nico couldn't wrap his head around it, but he believed her. The fear was evident enough on her features, the way her voice had sounded hoarse. Her eyes sunken in as if she had lost hope altogether, even in such a state she was still strikingly beautiful. His heart ached for a pain he couldn't fix. There was no cure, no band-aid, or treatment the lost boy could offer to mend her suffering. All he could do now was be there for her in any way she needed. "I believe you." He whispered, biting the inside of his cheek. With the amount of people that gone missing, surely she wasn't the only one who experienced this? He wanted answers, mainly for her, but all that could wait. "It' won't. It can't, not again. I will do anything and everything to protect you this time Whitney. Just say the word, whatever you need is yours." He reached for her hand and lifted it up between them and squeezed softly. "I'm so sorry I wasn't there, but it won't happen again. I swear by it." and a lost boy always kept their promises.

"I know...and I was here every day." Whitney could feel the familiar prickling in her eyes, the tingling in her nose that meant tears were moments away. Her vision started to blur slightly as she stared up at him. "I was here, I could see you, I could hear you but I couldn't - no one could see me or hear me or...help me." Her voice cracked at the memory of it. Of wandering around the streets, unable to sleep as she watched everyone else around her. She'd realized other people were missing too but she couldn't see any of them either, she was utterly alone while being surrounded by everyone she loved. Early on, she had tried to fight it but near the end of the third week, it was hard not to lose hope and that's when the screaming had started, the desperation for anyone to hear her. "I'm scared." She whispered back, letting a tear fall as she stood there among the bustle of the town, knowing but still doubting that she was visible. "What if it happens again."

[nibsnavarro]

"Says the girl that's been missing for two months." Nib retorted, but the words came out more playfully than serious. He sucked in a breath at her question, holding it for a moment before he answered. "I don't know what to believe." He offered, biting the inside of his cheek. "I'm not saying what happened wasn't real. I'm just--confused I guess? Worried, more frankly. Obviously something happened, and everyone's recollection is different. This town is no stranger to magic but I find it so hard to believe and I've seen pixies fly." Nibs offered a humorless laugh before taking a sip of his flat soda suddenly wishing he'd chosen a place that served alcohol instead. "I have a friend, her name's Whitney. she disappeared too. she said she never left...that she walked around town like a ghost."

Lilo was definitely a bottle-it-up-until-it-comes-out kind of person, so she could understand why he seemed to think she was secretly bothered. Truthfully, Lilo was just in shock. And she knew that no one would believe her if she told them what had happened. She didn't want to hear that it wasn't real. She wanted more than anything for it to have been real. "There's not much to talk about," she said after a moment, plucking a piece of pineapple from her pizza and placing it on her tongue. "Do you think it's true? That some people don't remember anything at all."

[nibsnavarro]

location: pizza planet.

starter for: @pudgefeeder

"Look, you can avoid the subject all night. I just think it'd be better if you...you know talked about it." Nico stated, an edge of seriousness to his tone. Truth be told he wanted to get to the bottom of this mess, and perhaps was a little curious. What happened to them? Why was everyone's accounts so different? He just wanted to know what happened to his friends. He wanted to be more equipped, that way if anything like this happened again he'd be prepared. Instead of sitting on the sidelines like some fool waiting for a miracle.

[nibsnavarro]

Nico was silent, eyes drinking in her features. Blinking slowly as he was digesting each and every single word carefully. He was confused, and maybe less so than Whitney at the moment. It was obvious she had been through something traumatic, but it didn't make sense. If she was here, he would've known. Others would've known, right? "T-That's impossible." He blinked again, shaking his head as if he was coming down from a bad dream. "Whitney, you've been gone for two months." He stated gently, not wanting to frighten her more than she probably already was. He nodded to reassure her, which didn't seem to be helping. "It's real. I'm real. You're back. Things are going to be okay." He whispered, meeting her eyes. Not sure if he even believed the validity of his own words, but he needed to for her sake.

It felt unreal, like this was the dream now and she was finally losing her mind. Not that she hadn't thought she'd done that already, but it was more cruel than usual. That people could see her, that they could hear her - she squeezed her eyes shut as though that would wake her up, like everything would disappear the moment she reopened them. But... it didn't. Wide, dark brown eyes fluttered open and he was still there, still looking directly at her. Then he touched her and she couldn't bring herself to move at all, still not convinced that any of this was real. "I - I was always here. I didn't go anywhere, Nico...I was here, walking around but no one could see me or hear me. I was here the whole time." Slowly, the realization was processing that she was back, people could see her and being in shock didn't even begin to cover it. "Am I - this is real? This is all real?"

[nibsnavarro]

Nico was on his way to work when he got an alert on his phone from the news that it seemed the missing persons were dumped off by the river like a herd of cattle. His eyes frantically skimmed over the article--unharmed, whitney was unharmed. The lost boy found his feet running before his thoughts, needing to know if this was real and not some hoax. He had been named the bravest amongst his friends in Neverland but at the moment he couldn't help the trembling of his hands as he searched the area. So many people were out, reuniting with loved ones. The air filled with laughter and a mixture of crying. Nico budged his way through the crowd, trying not shoulder check anyone on his way through. That's when he saw her, and for a second he almost couldn't believe it. "Whitney?" He called out, an edge of desperation lined his voice when her frame came closer into view. Wobbly legs carrying him the rest of the way. "Of course I can see you." His laughter fumbled off his lips like a bubbling brook. For the first time since the news dropped he finally felt like he could breathe, calloused palms gripping her shoulders tightly, not being able to control his strength. needing the physical reminder that she was real, that she was here. "are you okay?---they said no one was hurt-- I holy shit, Whit. I can't believe you're here."

location: main square @evermorehqsstart

She was frozen, she had been for what felt like minutes and months all at the same time. The first day, she had thought she was trapped in a dream which slowly turned into a living nightmare. Whitney had been, it was hard to say for sure, but invisible maybe? She could see and hear everyone around her but no one could see her. Even when she started screaming until her throat felt like it was going to rip itself into shreds, no one heard a sound. And she'd hit a point where this was never going to change. Which was why, when someone started speaking, Whitney assumed it was to someone else, until she glanced up and saw that they were staring right at her. "Wait...you can see me?"

[nibsnavarro]

Nico wasn't sure why but hearing Whitney's name said aloud by someone else felt surreal. It was one thing to read her name among the list of missing persons, but hearing the grievances from someone else was a completely different kind of heartache. "No, I haven't. I hope she is--I think she is. She's tougher than most people give her credit for." Hope in Evermore seemed to be a luxury at the moment, but the lost boy felt if he didn't keep hope that things would only turn for the worse. "Hey, slow down. It'll be alright." He responded, offering a comforting hand on her shoulder. Not sure if she could believe his words when he could barely believe them himself. "If it helps, I'll join you in your search. Two set of eyes is better than one, yeah?"

open starter location: outside wonderland

"Have you seen my friend Whit?" Alice asked, her voice strangely calm as she held the missing poster in front of her. "She's late for a very important date and I...I need to know she's okay. She has to be okay, right?" Ever since the news hit her mind had been moving a million miles a minute and her coping skills were not...the best. She couldn't focus or think right and after crying about it in solitude her mind just went into straight denial. "She has to be here somewhere....she has to be alright. So I'm checking work first and then her favorite spots and...it's going to be just fine! Right?"

[nibsnavarro]

"I'll have to show you it some time, my apartment is covered in them. I don't think there's a bare wall left." It had been a culmination of old photos from Neverland and a bunch of new ones. Like hundreds of new ones. It's not like they could leave, so he had to work with what he had. He hadn't explored all of Evermore yet but he was scared that the reality would sink in a little too hard the moment he did. So he avoided that, for now. "Don't have to worry about that with me, I don't think this mug is worth a shrine." He chuckled, as he placed the envelope back between them and stored the picture carefully into his bag. "Awh, that's too bad. I was thinking more of front and center." Nico wasn't sure if he was genuinely teasing her at this point or being serious, he just hoped that it would make her laugh. "Or how about off-centered from the middle, is that a good compromise?"

"I think that's normal! Having a bunch of pictures up of all sorts of people makes sense. It's when it starts looking like a shrine of yourself that I get worried." Or if you commissioned a giant portrait of yourself to make you look like a queen - that was also questionable. Whitney wasn't sure how it was possible, but her cheeks got even warmer at the compliment, not having any idea what to do with her hands or where to look when someone's complete attention was on her. Oh God, she felt like she was going to combust on the spot. Or, even worse, she'd suddenly disappear and end up a few miles away after sprinting out of here. She forced herself to focus on her ice cream as he took the envelope back from her, searching until he found one particular photo. "Alright, deal. But you have to promise to put it in the back of the collage, okay?" She didn't want to presume to know what would look best but the lack of confidence made her pretty sure that it did not involve her being front and center. Ever.

[nibsnavarro]

"Think of it as a collage, not just me... but the people I love too. Well, maybe a stranger or two sometimes. I just like beautiful people, what can I say?" Nibs chuckled at the thought of his walls being only covered in himself, that felt more like a hook thing than anything. "If I only saw pictures of myself all the time I'd probably go crazy." He took a bite of his ice cream, realizing some of it had melted off the sides. He had been far too busy looking at something-someone else. "I don't see how, you're the perfect subject." He flashed a genuine smile, but his words rang true. Whitney was unbelievably gorgeous, and if she wanted too she could really find work as a model. Though part of him was selfish, like he had discovered a precious gemstone. He wanted to keep it for himself. "You're right, I almost forgot." He picked up the envelop and skimmed through the photos to find the one he had mentioned earlier. Sliding it out and showing her. "How about I keep this one, and you can keep the rest. Deal?"

"I - is it weird to have a bunch of pictures of yourself in your apartment? It seems kind of narcissistic." But she knew there were people out there that did it. Reina being one of them but maybe she wasn't the best example considering... how narcissistic she was. "It's not that I mind I'm just not entirely used to anyone wanting to take pictures of me. Like as the subject of it." She was much more comfortable, or maybe comfortable wasn't the right word. Rather, she was way more used to being in the background. So much so, she felt that was her place, hiding into the background while someone else was center stage. "I don't want to take them if you need them for a portfolio, that's what photographers do, isn't it?" Also, she didn't entirely hate the idea of him having them. The old her would have snatched them and hidden them away - this was progress.

[nibsnavarro]

Nibs hesitated for a moment, wondering if the illusion of what seemed to be Wendy was really in front of him. It wasn't until he heard the soft exhale of her breath did his spirits begin to lift. Arms tightening around her frame as she went in for a hug. Lifting her off the ground as if he had just won a silent victory. He chuckled, setting her feet back atop the pavement, grin ever present as he met her eyes. "I don't know you'll have to pinch me first to find out."

Nico felt relieved, and almost dumbfounded. She hadn't seem hurt or necessarily lost. Definitely not held hostage by pirates, which is what the lost boy had initially assumed. It all felt a little too easy. "I-I can't believe you're here--that I found you! Peter and I set off to find you. It's not an adventure without the darlings you know."

Wendy was....conflicted all the time it seemed as of late. After her time with Hook she found herself busying herself so she didn't have to deal with the wide variety of emotions that came with it. She hadn't seen Peter since and that guilt was gnawing at her, so she tried to poor all of it into her current novel she was trying to finish. Her deadline was approaching and that should have been enough to get her going but every time she tried to write....blocked. So she went out a lot to clear her head. If she knew that trying to clear her thoughts was only going to bring her more complications, she probably would have stayed at home.

At least, she thought that was the case before she realized who had called out to her. Seeing Nico in front of her, she let out a small gasp before pulling him into the tightest hug she could give. "Is it really you?" she whispered, almost in disbelief. She had seen Peter and Hook, yet the idea of Nico being here too felt too good to be true. "Please tell me I'm not dreaming...."

[nibsnavarro]

location: physical.

starter for: @sewingshadowsx

Nico had just finished his shift. Muscles aching and screaming with every movement he made, as he threw his duffel bag over his shoulder and made his way out the door. He'd usually walk home, slam on his headphones and decompress. That was until the sight of someone familiar caught his eyes, removing his headphones slowly and then all at once and let them cradle lifelessly around his neck. He found himself running--before he could even think. Hand reaching out to tug the shoulder of the stranger back, for them to meet their eyes. "Wendy?" If this was her, he could tell Peter, they could start concocting a plan to get home.

[nibsnavarro]

Nibs knew he was a lot, a handful of the lost boys were. Sometimes he could come off too strong, but he hadn't known any another way. He had always been authentically himself, and to be anything other than that was a task. The grin keeping tightly tugged at his lips as he watched the flush brighten her cheeks. It was hard not to smile further, if he did he was sure his lips might've fallen off. "It is." He reassured, a raspy chuckle falling from his lips. "Of course, they are yours to keep if you wish." He reassured, nodding his head towards the envelope that sat between them both. "I probably should've asked you before--if you minded, the pictures I mean. I know it's probably a lot. Overwhelming even." He wasn't familiar with that feeling but he had to remind himself that other people still did.

Next time? Whitney could barely register that Nibs had gotten close enough to know what she was like and still wanted to hang out. Maybe that was something she should have realized by the third time he'd asked, on purpose, to hang out, but it still came as some kind of surprise. Something she had to get over and sooner rather than later if she didn't want him to realize how neurotic she was. If his comment about her being the best model in town didn't make a flush start to crawl up her neck, him saying one of the pictures was his favorite? Whitney was shocked she didn't combust on the spot. "Oh? Oh, okay, yeah...that one's your favorite. Of course, sure." There was absolutely no chill behind her words, there never was, but this was somehow worse than usual. The attention being on her, the proverbial spotlight making her feel so on the spot ( which was the point after all ). "Should I - can I look at them?"

[nibsnavarro]

"If you like it, I can teach you how to make one. It's not all that hard, we could probably find the material right now around us." He beamed, knowing it wouldn't be a bother either. Nico always took great pride in his weaponry--even if all it really was some wood and a string. He observed in quiet anticipation, eyes slightly narrowing in amusement when the rock didn't land too far off from their feet. "Of course, how could I say not to a lady wielding a weapon? I don't have a death wish you know." He chuckled, before shifting again so that his hands were now in his lap. "Don't overthink it, you got this."

"It's so cool," Lilo breathed, wishing she had made one for herself when she was younger. Okay, maybe she would've gotten in trouble by using it against Mertle Edmonds. But for the most part, she would have just had a little extra entertainment when skipping pebbles down by the ocean, when it was just chilly enough to not dip her toes in the water. Selecting her rock with care, she took a deep breath, pulled back and... watched it fall to the ground right in front of them. "I get a second turn," she insisted, glancing back to Nibs. She had to figure it out, and she would. She couldn't fail, not at something like this. Practice makes perfect.

[nibsnavarro]

Nico hadn't really latched onto anyone since coming to Evermore, until he met Whitney. Sure he made his fun, but back in the back of his mind he still had his goal. Find Wendy, and bring her back home. Of course this stupid cursed town put a wrench in those plans, but he still couldn't accept that he was stuck here. Whitney however, she was fun--even if he had to pull it out of her sometimes. She had that spark though, that same spark that adults let die. It reminded him of home. "Yeah-Yeah, whatever. Just know next time we're out I'll be paying for the both of us." He snickered, waving his hand in dismissal. "Oh stop, you're the best model in town. Whatdayamean? I just wanted to see if you wanted to keep some, I think they all came out really good. Your smile, in the moment when you're not caring about the world is thinking of you...it's my favorite." Nibs had always been very blunt, he was the second in command to the lost boys after all. and honesty was something you needed to strategically fight off pirates or whatever danger awaited them. Besides, there was no reason to lie. Whitney was gorgeous, and he'd spend forever conveying that to her until she truly believed it.

Whitney was still wrapping her head around the fact that someone like Nico liked hanging out with her as much as he did. It wasn't that there was something bizarre with him, it was always her she assumed was the weird one and, considering her track record, it made sense for her to get to that conclusion. "But it was my idea to get ice cream so that feels like something I should be paying for." Whit pointed out, sliding into the opposite booth and taking a bite of her peanut butter chocolate. "What? What do you mean you have -" She could already feel herself getting a little flustered until he explained what it was, immediately remembering that day. She had been so awkward, not one to ever want attention on herself. "Oh god, really? I still don't know why you want ones of me, there are way better people in town to be in photos."

[nibsnavarro]

location: scoop a doop.

starter for: @faiirytalcs (whitney)

"Whit, I was willing to pay for your ice cream y'know. Let someone treat you to something nice for once, yeah?" He was teasing her mainly, but still the offer still stood. Finding a booth for them to sit at as he stuck his spoon in his pistachio ice cream straight up before digging into his bag next to him. "Which reminds me I have something for you." Pulling out a golden envelope and sliding it across the table for her to take. "It's the recent pictures I took of you, I think this batch is my favorite yet. You have this big goofy grin in one of them, I love it."

[nibsnavarro]

location: idk the river that runs through evermore.

starter for: @pudgefeeder

"Your turn." Nico gave a mischievous grin before handing over one of his most prized possessions to Lilo. Leaning back on his forearms as his fingers curled around the grass beneath him. "Just pick a sturdy rock any of them will do nicely. Though the heftier ones will do more damage. Just remember that when you're in a bind, okay? Pull back, aim and then shoot." He gestured over the river bank and towards the trees he had been aiming at moments ago. "It's my favorite because it packs and punch and its a weapon people less expect." a child like laughter fell from his lips as he gave a reassuring nod. "Go ahead."