#ch: (samuel 'smee' smiegal)

[captainjamesjoneshook]

Time's Up || Jolly Roger

@apirateslifefor--smee

Captain Hook, Mr. Smee, and the boy are finally ready to leave Swynlake behind and set out to find the crocodile responsible for Hook's moniker.

Triggers: gun, violence against animals, blood, loss of limb/amputation, gore, death

See all that and still want to read? You can read it here.

[captainjamesjoneshook]

@apirateslifefor--smee

The screaming had not ceased since the crocodile had wandered off into the water. It seemed it wouldn't until the pain stopped or he had gone hoarse, whichever came first.

James clutched his arm with the opposite hand, the only hand he had now, as if that would help...anything. The blood, the pain, time itself. His nails dug into his flesh, body unable to quit moving as it tried to deal with the onslaught of sensation. Somewhere he knew he shouldn't stay there, exposed and bleeding all over the place, but he couldn't really think of anything rational to do. So he remained there, doing what he had been. Wailing. Bleeding out.

That was until Smee's voice cut through. He blinked through the haze to focus on that familiar face, breathing labored and dramatic but one could perhaps forgive him for the moment.

"Smee!" he said, his own voice mangled. His hand clutched the other mans clothing, fingers curling so tightly into the fabric that his hand began to shake. "Smee, you're alive, you're alive."

He repeated this over and over until another guttural yell was pulled from him as the jacket touched the exposed nerves, his spine arching off the sand in an effort to get away from the source of pain. But he couldn't escape it. It was apart of him now, having replaced the hand that had once been there. He fell back to the ground and just felt...tired. He was so tired.

His skin was pale now, the blood that had once provided it with healthy color covering everything around them instead.

"Not like this, Smee, not like this." James had no idea what he was saying, what he was pleading, but say it he did. "Please, Sam, not like this. Don't let it get me...don't let it get me..."

Obviously he hadn't, since there James Jones sat across from him, decades older than he had been on that beach. Which was probably why he thought it was time to take on the monster of this story to give it a proper ending.

"What do you say, mate?" Hook smiled, lifting the glass of rum toward Smee. "Ready to get out of here once and for all?"

It's Time To Go | Jolly Roger

[captainjamesjoneshook]

Passenger Princess || Jolly Roger

@apirateslifefor--smee

Hook could not remember being more annoyed with anyone in his entire life than he was with Smee for the past week. Not only had the idiot gone to another one of those useless little parties the town wasted their budget on, but he had also gotten himself hurt while attending! And all in the name of that bloody rat of his.

More than that, it meant he had to be off his feet for sometime, which meant that Hook was picking up all of the slack. The boy helped, as he had been far more sympathetic to Mr. Smee's injury, but after Hook had cooled down a touch, he had taken control of the situation.

At least, that's what he thought.

In an effort to not let Smee's lapse of judgement slow them down in their leaving process, and to not have to keep stubbing his toe against a chair that was sitting by the door waiting to be dropped off with someone in NTO who'd decided to buy it, Hook had packed both chair and first mate up in the car that weekend.

They had managed to make it out of Swynlake and on the road when Hook asked, "I take it you know where we're going?"

[captainjamesjoneshook]

History Repeats Itself || Jolly Roger

@apirateslifefor--smee

Hook had been having a relatively fine day, as much as he could being stuck in this ridiculous little town with all of its ridiculous little people all going on about their ridiculous little problems.

Then he had gotten some news that had put him, and therefore everyone around him, into a horrible mood. All day he had grumbled to himself about it, working himself up until all he could feel was a hot tar like anger in his chest. Sticky in its unwillingness to leave him alone, be washed away.

His walk home was more like a rampage, people thinking it best to just cross the street instead of having to pass him by. And it was. He stomped up the walkway to the house, threw open the door only to slam it behind himself, and yelled, "Smee!"

Hook followed the inevitable response to where the other man was and threw up his hand and prosthetic up, "The nerve of those buttoned up barbecued blistering barnacles to show up here!"

[captainjamesjoneshook]

@apirateslifefor--smee

James' eyes lit up at the sight of the phone, thought it had been lost along the way. Be it from when they were cutting his trousers off of him for surgery, when they were hauling him up into the ambulance, when Mr. Smee'd had to bring him ashore, or–

Or when he'd been hanging over the edge of the Jolly Roger.

He wasn't the sort of person who backed up his phone or saved his photos anywhere. So if the phone had sunk to the bottom of the ocean, all the things stored away in it would be there, too. All the photos of Squeaky. His folder of memes. The notes app filled to the brim with random thoughts that would come to mind, grocery lists he'd forget to delete.

Voice mails and his text conversation with his father.

"Couldn't forget it if I wanted to," he replied, like he always did when Mr. Smee would ask him that question. Though it was only said with half the sarcasm he usually put into it, the rest just sounded...tired.

"Thank you," James added. "For everything."

Déjà Vu || Jolly Roger II

[captainjamesjoneshook]

@apirateslifefor--smee

Hook barely registered what the woman had said, too preoccupied with the knowledge that his son was only so far away from him now. Only minutes ago he had been trying to prepare for the thought that he would never have gotten to see him, let alone hold him. Maybe in a few hours, when he was more tired and annoyed and taking all of this out on the staff, he would complain. Right now, just getting to look at the boy would be more than enough.

(And, not that Hook would admit this, but he was scared to hold the baby. Such a fragile thing they were, and with his already precarious state Hook did not want to tempt fate with only one hand to support him.)

He looked to Smee, uncertain, both because he hadn't really heard and because he needed that confirmation from his friend right then. Once he gave his nod, Hook echoed the movement in agreement.

The woman gestured and Hook stepped forward into the room. It was dim, the lights turned down so that only one above the door remained on, and quiet. Usually, quiet in a place like this meant only bad things. Here it felt...tentative. Hushed rather than a lack of sound altogether.

There was a clear bassinet situated among various machines, monitors keeping track of their respective vitals. There were tubes and wires laying over the high walls of the bassinet, all running toward a bundle of colorful cloth piled in the middle. Hook took a step, finding it incredible that his legs could feel like they were back aboard the Jolly Roger in the middle of a heavy storm while on land.

How, he wondered to himself as he continued forward, he felt more terrified now than he ever had when facing monsters that had quite literally torn him apart was baffling. But if he had survived them, he could survive this, too.

When he was close enough to see into the crib, his height affording him some distance, he could make out the tiny face of a baby. His head was covered in a beanie with white and blue stripes, but dark hair stuck out from under it. Instantly, he closed the distance until he was standing over the baby, intent on looking over every detail of him that he could see. The dark brows to match the hair, the skin complexion that reflected Avani's though it had a distinctly more pink tone to it.

It made punched a breath of disbelief out of him and he looked around until he found Smee, urging him over, once again in need of the man's corroboration to know that this was real. That he hadn't fallen asleep in the waiting room, his brain giving him false hope only to wake up and find reality to be a far worse place to be.

The Beginning Of The End || Jolly Roger

[captainjamesjoneshook]

@apirateslifefor--smee

"Obviously," he repeated with a large grin, mocking the other man as he knew that wasn't true. Though he wouldn't admit it here, in front of the non-captain and other men, even Hook had doubted himself for a while there. When the barrel of a gun had been pressed against his person, when they had stepped up onto the ship to find someone else manning it, he had thought maybe they had been bested. Maybe their luck had run out.

But, as had been proven to him by Mr. Smee's efforts in all of this, they'd never really had luck on their side. It had always ever been the pair of them making what they wanted happen.

Adrenaline from the fight was still pumping through his veins, anger and triumph and admiration all coming together in an overwhelming cocktail of emotion that he didn't have the tools to defuse properly.

He would deny what he did next, too.

Hook reached forward to take Mr. Smee's shoulder with his hand, turning him so that he could look the other man square in the eye before pulling him into Hook for a hug.

"Thank you, Sam."

Double Cross || Jolly Roger

[captainjamesjoneshook]

@apirateslifefor--smee

James had started to argue, hand gripping the handle of the fridge a bit tighter as he opened his mouth, but figured it was better not to. If Mr. Smee wanted to fuss he should probably just let him, right? It's what his father had always done.

This thought made his chest ache with a furiosity because dammit. If the old man was here, he would know what to do. He would know what to say to Mr. Smee to...well comfort wasn't exactly in his father's vocabulary, but he'd know how to make him feel a bit better at least. James, on the other hand, didn't have a clue.

So he conceded and went over to the kitchen table to settle down there. Both because the table would make it easier and, well, because it was just closer than the living room was now.

When his mug was placed in front of him he pulled it between his hands, greedily taking the warmth it had to offer. James waited until Mr. Smee had sat down and taken his first sip before venturing to break the silence.

"Ironic that the man everyone said accused of being hateful toward others was the one they had burned at the stake."

Up in Smoke | Jolly Roger II

[captainjamesjoneshook]

@apirateslifefor--smee

Hook nodded, though he did roll his eyes a bit at Mr. Smee stating the obvious. Of course they weren't going to march in to the Deer and announce to the owner who they were, who they really were, without garnering some sort of understanding of where the lad's mind was on the important matters. That was a one way ticket to jail in this town.

Well, anywhere, probably, since what they didn't wasn't exactly a legal practice. But the likes of this town, that liked to pretend they were a refuge for Magicks rather than a place the government deemed a necessary evil as it collected the lot of them rather than having them roaming about, they would have them punished for the sake of causing a scene for whatever plight they were pushing that week.

"Very well," he said, easily agreeable when it came to handing over the duties of such boring and trivial things such as this. "And very true. We'll need to know that he is capable of being in a crew. You know how the young ones are these days, all so vain. Selfish. If he has any loyalty, it will be a start."

Come Sail Away With Me | Jolly Roger

[captainjamesjoneshook]

@apirateslifefor--smee

Hook gave a hardy bark of laughter, "You better not require it!"

Because that would mean another failure in the books. Another delay to getting out of this town. Another disappointment that Hook didn't know if he would be able to swallow.

His confidence in Mr. Smee didn't waiver, though. Despite the omens that had been given these past few months, what with the boy failing to so much as bring them one scale back from that mermaid, all the way back to Mr. Smee going and getting his leg hurt, Hook was optimistic.

The girl did not sound like she posed a threat. Mr. Smee had a plan already mapped out. All that needed to happen now was that he execute it.

"Alright. God speed, then," Hook said, though he did not put any real encouragement about it. He raised his prosthetic, "Don't drag your feet on this, Mr. Smee. We need to be back out there and settled before winter."

Bound For Better Weather || Jolly Roger

[captainjamesjoneshook]

@apirateslifefor--smee @biceps--to-spare

"You're not going to find anyone on short notice who'll be able to navigate those woods like he can, anyway," Hook said, tone nonchalant, like this did not matter in the slightest despite it being probably the very reason D'Avenant was the man for this job. But the deal was already sealed at the younger man's word. It wasn't an official agreement but in his mind no one would deny an opportunity like this. Not when Hook was the one making it all happen.

Despite it being Smee who Morris had contacted, and Smee who had put D'Avenant's name on the table when it came to finding anyone who might be a good recruit. But what was Smee's was Hook's and what was Hook's was nothing short of brilliant.

"What do we say, gentlemen?" Hook asked, having had enough of this back and forth. It was time to make the deal official so that D'Avenant could go out there, succeed, and find that this was actually his true calling in life instead of wasting it away in this town of good-for-nothing's. "Are we set on the arrangement?"

Opportunities Ho! || Popeye

[captainjamesjoneshook]

@biceps--to-spare @apirateslifefor--smee

Hook would have felt no guilt or remorse in telling Morris that he wasn't going to be getting his fairy-sorcerer blood from him and Smee. It had not been his idea, he had not accepted the task, and he had not been the one to fail in obtaining it. Even though he had been apart of the failure, he was going to point the hook at Smee for being the guilty party.

Unfortunately he was a good man. And he couldn't see a friend and good associate be without hope. Or left without help. Nor did want to have Smee harping on this while they were meant to be leaving Swynlake behind them! They had better things to be thinking of ahead!

So he had agreed that they should give the task of getting the girl's blood to someone else. Someone who would be in Swynlake while they were gone. Someone they could trust.

Someone like Gaston D'Avanent.

He had asked the tavern owner if they could have a meeting with him and been invited into the back, away from the pub's usual crowd, to discuss.

"I'm going to get right to the point, lad," Hook said once they had settled. "We have another job for you, courtesy of Morris. It would pay very well. Far better than the last job, and you would only be looking for one very easy subject. Interested?"

Faith Trust And Pixie Blood || Popeye

[captainjamesjoneshook]

@apirateslifefor--smee @biceps--to-spare

"Oh, for pity's sake," Hook mumbled to himself, head turned, as if that would do anything to help the words not be heard. He inhaled and turned back, having had enough.

He lacked patience. He also lacked tolerance for people with skulls as thick as bricks.

"So you're saying you want to stay here in this town to rot for the rest of your life?" he asked, no longer willing to play the game of words and subtleties. "If you think this is all the world has to offer then, ha, be my guest! Stay here. Live here. Die here. Let the only thing people remember you for be a pint before you've passed it onto whatever offspring you produce so that it's no longer your own legacy."

We Saw You Across the Bar and We Really Liked Your Vibe | Popeye

[captainjamesjoneshook]

@biceps--to-spare @apirateslifefor--smee

It had seemed that the D'Avenant had not only gone through with the job they had secured for him through Morris, but he had done it well! Morris had seemed thoroughly pleased with the bounty he had collected for him.

It was a cause for a celebration of sorts! Because it meant that the young lad had gotten a taste for their work and, hopefully, would be agreeable to doing more of it. Hook couldn't see why he wouldn't! The pay was good, the work usually easy and when it was not easy then a good challenge for both the mind and body, which was good for one's soul.

Hook and Mr. Smee had arrived at the Deer, flagging D'Avenant down to have a drink with them in honor of the job well done. Hook lifted his glass of the table a few inches toward D'Avenant in a toast before taking a drink. "Tell us how it went, eh? We want to hear all about it."

And, no, he was not thinking of his own son, who should of had a moment just like this one. Who should have been sitting at the table with them but who was, instead, practicing how to make fire on his own somewhere in the woods as he had been tasked to do for the past week.

Big Bucks || Popeye

[captainjamesjoneshook]

@apirateslifefor--smee @biceps--to-spare

This made Hook smile, feeling pleased to hear that D'Avenant had not been deterred by the little set back. That was just the way of this life went.

"Exactly, lad, exactly. They think they're the ones at a disadvantage? Ridiculous! When they've got the power to bleed us dry and curse us to their hearts content?" he shook his head. "That is good to hear! Because this will most likely be our last meeting, as we're set to get out of here soon! We'll give your name out to those that usually come to us for jobs around here. They'll be happy to have someone trustworthy whose in business around here."

Even if Hook would have rather D'Avenant come along with them instead.

"I will miss these chats of ours, though," he said. Then picked up his glass, "And the good supply."

My, What A Guy That Gaston! | Popeye

[captainjamesjoneshook]

@apirateslifefor--smee

Both Jones' looked over at Mr. Smee before finding one another's eye. The elder of the two made a face, pinched and bemused at his first mate, communicating a great many of things but mostly I never know what to do with him. It made the younger find his smile again.

If anything could, it was the pair of them. As much as he had dreaded coming home that night, knowing he would be met with anger and disappointment and, he too had thought of the possibility of being disowned, there was always love there, too. Even if his father had a funny way of showing it. He was his son, he knew better than anyone how to find it by reading between the angry lines.

He was still trying to understand why no one else could be afforded such graces, too.

The boy sighed, standing back up and silently making his way out of the kitchen toward his room. Hook watched him go, listening for the sound of his door falling shut before he stood, too. He started to head toward his room before he paused, turned back to Mr. Smee, and pointed to the balloons still hovering in the air.

"Pop those before you go anywhere, eh?" he said and then continued on his way, as he had no intention of sticking around to help.

The Fisherman's Tale | Jolly Roger