#hurricane theo

[akindofmagictoo]

Beneath the Waves

a continuation of the Hurricane x ARMV crossover Potions and Pirates, and a gift to my beloved @ashen-crest​ in return for her wonderful hurt-comfort

part 1, in which we answer the question of “what will Aella get up to with a potion of water breathing?”. part 2 coming tomorrow.

Word Count: 2697

TW/CW: drowning, claustrophobia, panic attack

Context: Ambrose and Eli washed up on the Hurricane, and as a thank you for saving them, Ambrose brewed a potion of water breathing and sent it to Aella, Tempest and Theo. The full thing can be found on my Wattpad, @/zcmitchell.

Breathing underwater was certainly a strange situation, but Aella could have lived in the feeling forever. She flipped over to look back up at the surface, already so far away, but not so far that she couldn’t see the sunlight on its surface. The water of Wavemeet’s bay was so clear. Clear and blue, just like Theo’s eyes. 

She could picture them now, actually. He’d tried not to show it when she dived, but she’d seen the worry in them. The little furrow of his brow as he clung resolutely to the other end of the rope now tied around her ankle, ready to help pull her out at a moment’s notice despite his hatred of deep water. If she squinted really hard at the surface, she could maybe see the dark smudge that marked the jetty. 

As much as she trusted him, she was also glad that he had his uncle and several of the Hurricane’s crew standing by to help as well. Not that she really needed help. The rope had been obtained at Tempest’s suggestion and Theo’s insistence, even though Aella had never needed to dive with a rope before, not in a clear deep area like this one. But Theo had asked her to take it, and she didn’t mind the slight extra tug on her ankle if it kept him from being too worried about her. 

This potion had a time limit on it, she recalled. She should keep going. 

She turned a slow flip backwards and kicked, forcing herself further down into the inky gloom below.

~

Since the sun was directly overhead, it pierced far into the darkness beneath the water, but eventually even its last soft rays had to give way to the embrace of the cold depths. She pressed on, stroke after stroke, feeling the deep satisfying burn in her muscles as she propelled herself deeper and deeper, letting the abyss wrap around her like a dark cloak. 

She liked it less when she couldn’t see. 

For a split second, she could hear the sound of a cell door locking behind her… but no, she was just diving. This was safe darkness. The sea was safe, she reminded herself; it always had been, ever since she was a tiny child too young to walk. 

Tempest, Aria, Marisa and Cai had held her while she learned to swim. Theo, Emmy and Victoire were holding onto her now, all of them ready to feel three tugs on the rope and pull her safely back to the surface. 

She could leave now if she wanted to, but she didn’t want to. Not with so much left to explore. She was Aella Onyeisi, veteran of the Hurricane, and she had survived horrors far greater than this. She would not be turned back because she was scared of the dark.

~

As she reached forward for another stroke, her fingers brushed something. She stopped mid-motion and extended her hand again. Whatever it was was smooth and cold, and strangely familiar. She kicked behind her so she could place her hand flat on the surface. Still oddly normal, but in the darkness it was difficult to tell what. 

Wood. It was wood, worn smooth by time and water. 

It felt like the wood of a ship. 

She felt along the surface in front of her until she reached an edge, then pulled herself along it, hand over hand. Alright, so that felt like it could be a railing, which meant that either she was on the deck or hanging off the side — at least as far as that description applied when she seemed to be more or less horizontal. She pulled her feet forward until they also met the wreck, gauging angles as best she could in her head. Off the side it was. With a gentle push against the hull, she hoisted herself up level with the rail. 

Was that light, or just her mind playing tricks on her? She screwed her eyes shut and waited a moment. Whatever it was she’d just seen was gone. When she opened her eyes again, it seemed to be back. Just a very faint glow somewhere in front of her, maybe one or two arm’s lengths away. 

Another gentle push sent her flipping over the rail and downwards towards the deck. The glow brightened as she moved forwards. It seemed there was a hole in the deck, and the light was coming from within. She kicked out behind her, pushing herself towards the gap.

~

The gap’s edges had once been jagged, but just like the rest of the ship, they had been rounded and smoothed by currents. She wrapped a hand around the edge and peered over. This gap seemed to lead into the ship’s hold, and that hold was covered in softly glowing algae. 

In places, there were only small pinpricks of it, tiny blue stars in the dark. But one corner was completely covered, and it was that glow that had summoned her. 

The algae didn’t hold her attention for long, however, because its light gleamed off metal in the furthest, deepest corner of the hold. She wriggled through the gap — a tight fit, even for her — and into the hold.

~

Whatever had happened to the ship, the hole in the deck was the least of the damage. Support beams and all sorts of loose chunks of wood and metal stuck into the room at odd angles. It was hard to tell in the dim light, but off to one side, sticking up from the sea floor, was what might have been another ship’s ram. Two shipwrecks? 

Keeping an eye out in front of her for further debris, and both hands, she swam deeper into the room, heading for the metallic glimmer ahead. What could it be? Weapons? Treasure? Some further indication of what had sunk this ship? She didn’t know, but she needed to find out.

~

As she swam, she realised the algae wasn’t just blue. Patches were green and purple, and even one or two small specks of gold dappled the overlapping glows. On one wall, just at the edge of her peripheral vision, was something else gold. When she turned, it wasn’t algae, but a picture frame. Parts of it still shone, though parts were covered in algae or tarnish. She flipped over, avoiding a loosely floating crossbeam, and swam closer. The wall with the portrait was tilted such that it seemed more like a ceiling, so she floated underneath it on her back while she inspected it. It seemed to be some rich-looking white man, dressed like a merchant. Perhaps this wasn’t a hold. Maybe it was a cabin. Hard to know. She turned back over, surveying the dimly lit room. That could be a table in the far corner, a broken half-cabinet still attached to another wall. 

Time limit, she reminded herself. Time limit. She abandoned the portrait and dove for the gleam in the bottom corner. 

It was indeed metal that the algae had glinted off. A small chest, not much bigger than her two fists, the metal bands around it tarnished and aged, but not enough to dull their shine. And it didn’t seem to be locked. She drew her dagger and dug it under the latch. 

The latch sprang open to reveal… treasure. 

Pearl necklaces. Golden earrings. Shining jewels in every colour she could imagine and several she had never seen before. A golden ring set with an amber stone. Silver chains with delicate pendants attached. All of it reflecting the colours of the algae behind her, blue and green and purple and pink. All of it beautiful. 

She was probably running out of time on her potion. She shut the chest and gathered it into her arms, and let herself sink down into the corner, ready to kick off upwards. 

Was that a ram over there? Surely she could check quickly? She shifted direction, swimming in that direction instead. 

It was a ship’s ram, forced through the hull but not fitting tightly. Of course. The ship had likely sunk thanks to taking on water, which was harder to do if the ram remained to plug the hole. She hadn’t expected to find a shipwreck here, let alone one that had lost a battle. Rams were a pirate tactic, and Theo said they hadn’t been seen in Wavemeet for a very long time. 

TIME LIMIT. Perhaps she’d have to write to Ambrose to ask him for more of the potion. There were so many unanswered questions in her mind, answers to be found somewhere in this wreck. But she couldn’t stay to find them out, not without getting herself into significant trouble. Theo would be very worried about her if she pushed her limits on the potion. He’d be worried enough about her as it was. She should go.

~

Finding her way back to the hole in the deck was fairly easy. Manoeuvring through while keeping her hold on the chest was harder, but she managed it without catching her clothes on the edges of the gap or dropping her loot. Now all that was left to do was swim back to the surface, and let herself be reeled up like a beautiful fish if the potion started to wear off. Easy. She kicked off the deck. 

The rope around her ankle pulled her up short. 

Shit. 

She jerked her knee up to her chest to dislodge whatever it was caught on. Or rather, tried. The motion simply pulled her back down. 

What could it be tangled up in? It could be anything. But she might have time to fix it. She took a deep breath in, then let it go, and dived back down.

~

It seemed that in all her roaming of the room, the rope had gotten looped around some sort of metal apparatus on the wall. She braced her foot on the wall, tucked her jewel chest safely under her arm, and tugged. 

Nothing. Her hands just slid on the wet rope. 

She looped the rope around her hands and tried again. Still nothing. In frustration, she launched a kick at the wall. The shipwreck might be old, but it wasn’t that old. All she managed to do was send a jolt of pain through her heel. What could she do? She could cut the rope, but it was thick rope, and tying it securely back around her ankle underwater would be pretty difficult. She could hook the rope around something else and use that as leverage to pry the metal off the wall. That didn’t seem likely to work either. Shit. 

She yanked on the rope a third time. The wall seemed to groan, a rough grating sound that echoed through the whole room. Something struck her shoulder and she bit back a yelp, letting go of the rope. 

The whole shipwreck was shifting. She glanced down; what she could see of the ‘floor’ was starting to rock and slide to one side. 

She had to get out. 

How could she get out? Could she still get to the deck gap safely? She should have enough slack in her rope still, but… she glanced up towards the gap and nearly shrieked. 

The shipwreck seemed to be falling towards her. 

She couldn’t breathe. 

Why couldn’t she breathe? The potion should still be in effect. Her hands flew to her throat, her heart beating erratically beneath her fingertips. The water pressed in around her, colder now, chilling her to the bone, the glow of the algae seeming to retreat to the corners of the room. 

No. No no no NO. Why was the algae fading? Was she dying? Was she going to be stuck down here until her air ran out, with Theo and her friends unable to pull her up because the bloody rope was bloody stuck and— 

She had to get out. She had to leave. She fumbled for the knife at her belt, her fingers slow and clumsy, barely able to feel anything. Knife. Knife. Where is it? Had she left it where the jewel chest had been? 

Around her, wood creaked and cracked. 

She still couldn’t breathe. She was running out of time. No time. No time. 

There! Her numb fingers closed on the handle. She squeezed it tightly, so tightly her nails dug into her palm, though she barely felt it. Then she grabbed the rope and began to saw at it, still gasping for breath in the cold water. Come on, come on… the rope was thick, but not that thick. She could do this. 

Deep breaths, she heard Theo say in her mind. With every scrap of reason she had left, she forced herself to listen. Deep breaths. One breath in as she drew the knife one way; one breath out with the next stroke. She could still breathe. The potion was still working. And slowly, slowly but surely, the rope fibres were splitting beneath her blade. 

Don’t look at the ship. Don’t think about how to get out. Cut the rope. One task at a time. One task at a time. Just one. It will be okay. It has to be. 

The rope snapped free so suddenly she could hardly believe it. In the same moment, the ship rocked beneath her again. A beam crashed hard into her back, sending pain firing like lightning through her chest. 

Time to go. 

She dodged another slowly falling piece of ship and dragged herself through the hole in the deck. Its edges caught on her shirt this time. She didn’t care. She barely noticed it past the throbbing in her back. She just had to leave.

~

Swimming up was harder than swimming down. She was tired, she was scared, and she had to work harder to pull herself towards the surface. 

One stroke at a time, she told herself. Theo would be waiting for her. She needed to get back to him. The only way to do that was to swim. 

Something scaled brushed past her bare foot. She shuddered and kicked harder. As with any bay, there were stories of creatures in the water. Some good, some bad. Theo’s parents’ friend, Nell, swore she’d seen several nasty-looking sea serpents in the bay. On the other hand, Theo’s father had told a story of going swimming in the bay and almost drowning, but waking on the shore with a single shimmering scale on the sand beside him. 

Neither story had been proven, but either could be true. The Hurricane had run afoul of a kraken far too recently for Aella to really doubt either story. Either way, she’d rather not take her chances with nasty sea serpents. She swam on. 

She could see the surface of the water, the rays of the sun spilling down, not quite reaching all the way to her yet, but close. So close. The muscles in her arms and legs burned; she shifted her treasure from one arm to the other. Her chest was burning too. Breathing was difficult now. Was it the potion wearing off? Was she just tired? She had to keep going. The rope would do nothing for her now; in her haste to swim back up, she hadn’t thought to follow it. She had to keep swimming.

~

The burning wasn’t going away. She was so close now, close enough to see the sun sparkling on tiny waves in the bay. Just as beautiful as before. No, even more beautiful, because it meant safety, and now she desperately needed that safety. 

Something brushed her foot again. She ignored it, still striving for the surface. 

As before, she breathed in and took in water, but this time it stung. This was wrong. This was bad. There was nothing in the water to help her anymore. She tried to breathe it out, but there was nowhere to send it. No. No no no. 

The surface seemed to dim. She wanted to scream, but she had no air left to do it. She wanted to keep swimming, but she had no more strength for it. Nothing she could do but watch her vision fade to nothing.

Potions and Pirates Taglist: @copper-dragon-in-disguise @diphthongsfordays @pepperdee @zmwrites @the-orangeauthor @quilloftheclouds

Hurricane Taglist: @writingbyjillian @oddsandinks @ahowlinwolf @aziz-writes @juls-writes @lookinpeach @zmwrites @quilloftheclouds @lowslore @isherwoodj @katnapped @thepsycheofbrokenthings @happyorogeny @magicalwriting @ettawritesnstudies @florraisons @tea-and-pirates @writtendevastation @talesofsorrowandofruin @lilmissravingwriter @zielenbloesem @metanoiamorii @little-boats-on-a-lake @lottieiswriting @violetwrites @the-unwrittenwriter @ink-fireplace-coffee @iparisaltanwing @tragedieds @pamsdrabbles @waysofink @hekat-ie @thehellinsideyourhead @starryeve88 @trans1ence @vellichor-virgo @the-orangeauthor @google-plexed @literary-lavender @crystallized-ink @ellatholmes @seamajorshanties @crowewritesstuff @ashen-crest @astridmayewrites @wannabeauthorzofija @mel-writes-with-her-dragons @waterfallwritings @enchanted-lightning-aes @wizardfromthesea @huloglangit @diphthongsfordays​ @ruby-overlock @copper-dragon-in-disguise​ @mr-writes​ @josephinegerardywriter​ @teardropsandtherain​ @emilyoracle​ @matcha-chai​ @fablewritten @autie-auden-writes​ @innocentreticent

ID: a banner with a brown pirate hat in the middle. the hat has two fluffy feathers sticking out of it, one blue and one yellow. the banner is placed above and below the main text. /end ID.

[akindofmagictoo]

the first answer is a spoiler. Isi and Theo for my respective WIPs are probably the least likely, though the entire crew of the Hurricane are fiercely loyal to each other.

a question I shall pass on is which OC do you want to have dinner with?

OKAY!

WRITEBLRS if you're seeing this, you're legally obligated to reblog with an answer, and then a new question for the next person!

Here's the start:

Which of your OCs is most likely to punch somebody in the face?

[spc-rambles]

I adore the steelworks gang, like more than I've seen other people express online.

First of all...

My little icon Lexi.

They have been known and initially regarded for their silly voices and jolly nature but I don't often see people looking into why they do it. Like their voices make them more wild than Marion who's generally loved by some fans but they also do it in spite of themselves. They and Theo did an entire upbeat song about how much they are failures to railway engineering with lyrics like:

"We're experiments gone bad

in other words whoever designed us must be mad."

These are not the words of someone with self esteem in how funny they are! They even showed them actually depressed when saying 'We can't do anything.' for the final time in the special.

And anyone who knew how long it took for more in-your-face LGBT+ representation in 2018 She-Ra will know that if this special just came out three or four years later, we might've had proper gender-fluid Lexi representation.

As for Theo...

He is still a pure little bean and I feel the ambiguity of his design makes it all the more reason for him to feel bad about his design. I don't know what about his design warranted gigantic cogs on his sides but we don't know what went on in whatever workshop he was built at. For all we know he could've had the Henry treatment, having been dumped on the doorstep on the first desperate railway executive needed an engine, as a last ditch effort for a dying manufacturer.

As for him being on the spectrum, I can still see it in his behaviour. Lexi was truly not gender fluid but once you've met one autistic person, you've met one autistic person.

And some characteristics are visible in him.

His unintentional bluntness. "Are you being scrapped?"

His tics and stutters.

His shakes in excitement, if you were to count it as stimming.

And who's to say he's not limited to physical disabilities? He and Lexi, depending on how successful you can view it having designs as unique as them on British rails, are the perfect ones to have given the body language they were adamant on giving all the engines back then.

Him being so gentle and anxious is generally adorable, so yeah, not so much to say about his actual personality.

Speaking of not much to say, not much to say on Merlin either, at least nothing that people haven't said already. We all know how awesome he is.

Beresford is MY MAN!

Beresford just wants a friend guys. He said in his own song that he was always ignored by engines who just want to get a job done. No time to chat with him. Loneliness can drive him mad. It is kinda sad that his appearance in Royal Engine was not only a sign of the further appearances these characters could've had but how it was also kinda a rehash of the scene we got in his last appearance, so maybe an episode of his own where he learnt to make friends properly would've been fun.

Ah well, at least he got some friends in another life.

And what can I say about Hurricane?

Keeping it real, working with steel.

Since 1902

He is such a chill guy, that while his companion might've had a lot of hard labour in mind for Thomas, he seems so genuine in wanting to take Thomas in while still acknowledging his terrible position. He could've done with standing up to Frankie though. But whatever, that's meant to be a part of his character, and he was voiced by the chad Jim Howick no less.

It's so funny when people say he sounded like a member of the royal family when he's played kings before.

And then there's Frankie.

Oh my god I adore her so much. Her manipulation being legitimately intimidating at the best times, especially when she's actually chasing Thomas down in the dead of night, her musical style bribing him into working for her, her VA's performance capturing all of her personality through line delivery perfectly.

Everything about her class, her demeanour, most of her lines makes me so curious about her whole life.

How is she running this steelworks better than the human manager of the works if there even is one? How are the human workmen so ok with her doing this? How did the other engines before Thomas get into doing her work? How did they get out? How did Hurricane stay with her for this long, let alone not encourage some potential friends of his to work with her? Was she indirectly responsible for Hurricane surviving as long as he did to still be a tank engine after she was built? Why didn't the railways surrounding this fictional steelworks not agree with this most likely non-existent human manager not just agree to get a lot of their engines to transport steel from their works? What did Frankie do? What are you hiding from us!?

The whole mystery surrounding her and her apparently feeling put-down and apparently not evil at heart according to her character profile and her role in the book 'Delivery at the Docks' makes her potential crimes such a goldmine for story potential that I really want to delve into very soon.

And yeah, that's what I have to say on them in canon. All beautiful characters that I feel need more recognition on a regular basis.

[uselessalexis165]

tried making some ttte memes (284)

[dragons-and-magic]

Okay, another Journey Beyond Sodor idea. This time, it's a rewrite.

Instead of James going to rescue Thomas, it's a buddy film with the two of them getting lost on the mainland, getting kidnapped, and working through their personal issues and fears together. (Especially James, my poor messed up dude.😂😭 Insecurities! Yay! Lol.) And they come out of the adventure closer and stronger than before.

Also, the dynamics would be incredible. James and Thomas's verbal warfare is always hilarious.🤣 You get to see James interact with the experimental engines more. And come to terms with the fact he is one as well, through being with them.

Oh, and Percy and Emily are the ones sent on the rescue mission. :)

I'm totally writing this someday. Not anytime soon, but I will. It will be awesome.

[akindofmagictoo]

Theo approaches this with mathematical precision (despite being mostly a books person and not a maths person, he has Opinions). Tempest brings a weird amount of actual architectural/structural advice. Aella is stealing as many lollies as she can, and also putting as many as physically possible on her/the house.

Happy Storyteller Saturday

I sent someone this ask and I thought it was cute, so I'm also throwing it out to the general group to nibble on this Saturday:

Your OCs are building a gingerbread house! How does it turn out- masterpiece or disaster? Who ate all the candy and is now running around with a sugar high?

Hope your weekend is cozy and warm today!

[jasminesanriofan]

Journey Beyond Sodor Frankie Crying

Grayson if she is in Journey Beyond Sodor be like...

[bruhstation]

What's your favorite and least favorite TTTE movie?

hope this helps (glances behind my back and sees men in black suits and sunglasses rapidly approaching me) ahahahhhhh hope this helps

[lunarfeat21]

Clips of Frankie & Hurricane (5)

(1) / (2) / (3) / (4)

[daikenkki]

X

[thechaddyengine]

What happened to the experimental and steelworks engines in my AU?

Well, I'll tell yall.

Merlin became an Ulfstead engine, taking special trains around the island and then back to Ulfstead.

Theo and Lexi just do odd jobs around Sodor. Theo only doing smaller jobs due to his small size and Lexi doing more heavier, bigger jobs.

Hurricane works at the Ironworks, he did make friends with Arry, Bert and 16. He does other jobs too, just mostly get's scrap and takes iron.

F̵̡͇̎̽͊̔r̵̡͕͝a̶̼̋̃͑n̷̠̽̎͊k̸̗̥̉̍i̷̻͓͒̅̚ḛ̵͓̈ ̶͎́̀͐̚ỉ̵̞̔̀̋s̵̥̗̹͛̄́ ̷͔́̿͠a̶̧̖̺̬͗̔̃ ̷̺͎̌̃̓͠d̴̯̗̰͑̈́̍i̶̪͔͋͊͠f̸̙͐̋͠ḟ̵͇̱̜̹́̈̚ę̶̛̯̭̊̕r̶̡̬̥͛̆̏e̷̦͈͓̟̿̀n̵̡̦͋̕͝t̶̨͊ ̴̙̜̤͎̂͘s̵̢̜̠̊̓t̸͔̮͓̿̀o̷̱̠͙̿͘͝ͅr̸̊ͅy̴͙͎̋̑̀,̸͙͝ͅ ̷̨̥̱̓̒͂̈́ș̷̌h̵̛̪͍͍͉͆̐ě̷͖̙̤̰̈̚͘ ̷̫̙̙̊w̷̰̺͔͊a̸̰̼̐͊s̷͓̣̦̉̎̂ͅ ̶̩͑̌́̒n̶̖͉̊e̸͇̬̤̪͒̊͘v̸̭̙̫̈́̋̈́ẹ̵̢̬͓͒r̶͎̈̉̈ ̶̳͐ṱ̵̈́̋͘͝ḩ̵͈͙͛͐͠è̵͚̱̃̽͝ ̵̘̯͈͘͜ś̴̥̣̽͑͝ã̵̖m̸̞͎͂̌̇̚e̶̲̐ ̵̡̹̤̇͘a̴̗̙̋̆g̴̳͎͔̹̑â̸͉͓̊i̷͕̠̳͠ͅn̶̨͎͖͔͛̽̃̄ Š̸̠̪̱̪͌h̸͈̉͑́͂e̷̓̈́͊ͅ'̶̻̫̱͛̚ͅs̵̰͆͝ ̴͔͍͕̼̉͑ẗ̸̜̳̚h̷͔́̿̈e̶͕̹̥̎͌ ̴̨̯͙̥̒̉r̴̲̹͉͇̅͂ë̷̮a̸͔̤͔͌̒̋s̵͕̪͓̲̈́͊̿̃o̵͚͋ṇ̶̡̒̋̓͠ ̵̡͎̙̠̑͂͘ẃ̶̲̻̟̼̏͐h̵̪͈̏y̴͉̲͈̤̍̚ ̸̛͎̞͝ṭ̷̤̀ḧ̸̡̡̥̮́͗e̴̳̼͎̋͜ỷ̵̞ ̵͇̎̐͠r̶��̨̨̥̗̈a̵̭̿̍͗ͅn̸̪͒͝.̴̱͒͊̋.̵̳͛͗̆͘.̴̭̦̙̳͛͌̀ T̶̢̟̫͕̀ḫ̷̛̙͈̋̽e̵̗͉̖̿̊̊r̸̪̅̅è̴̘̑͝ ̷̣̇͊̄̀ẅ̶̨͛͝ͅa̸̖̠͍͌̆͑s̷͍͊̋ ̵̛͎̯̑͘͜ṉ̵͖̃̅͝͝ǫ̴̡̖̈̾̄͠ͅ ̶̣͇͑̋͝h̵̙̓̊ȏ̵̡͈̗͉p̵̳̝͔͍̀ë̷͇̰̓́ ̸̯̑f̴̡͕̉͛̋̍o̷̖̜̊͗̚r̴̤͊ ̴̣̊h̷̛͓̯͐e̸͍͔̽̀̈r̶̖̜̍̽͋ ̴̧̟͕̳̐́͐w̸͈̹͕̿̊͗̈́h̸̖̩̊ĕ̶͇͈͖͚̉͘n̶̼͒͑̿ ̵̭̉̐s̸͙̟̭̖̏̚͝h̵͚́̿ě̸̺̀͘͝ ̵̛͎̲̬̉ͅg̷͖̍̂̇o̷͍͋̊̓͝ṱ̵̛̣͔̗͠ ̶̧̳̀̅ẗ̴̩̤́̌̾̚h̷͉̣̩̏ẹ̴͉̣͆͊̐ ̸̧̩̤̠̀͊̄͘p̴̧̼͕̉̽a̵̽̕͝ͅr̶͔̦̬̒̕a̸̖͇͓̠̔s̸͖̬̊i̴̮̅̈͊͂t̸̮̫̅î̵̼̱͘͝ͅc̵̝̅̄ ̸͉͎̍͑͌v̷͎͖̏̅͐͜į̸͍͊̎r̴̤̜̈́͊̀u̵͔̞͛s̵̖͇͈̪͊͛̚͝

S̷̭͕̃ ̵̟̼͑̕H̶̲͗͛̂ͅ ̸̜͙͖͙̽É̷̝̊̕ ̸̨͍̿ ̶̤͍̎̎̀̐I̸̙͈͊͗͆͘ͅ ̷̛̳͌̆S̷͓̘̈ ̶̛͙̓̓̿ ̷͉͗G̷̠̃ͅ ̵̲̘̞̈́̈́̿O̶͇̘̦͝ ̸͉̳̀̀̋̿Ṇ̸̇̎ ̷̰̅̎͝Ȩ̸̯͗̂ͅͅ

[akindofmagictoo]

Where the Heart Is

part 2 of my gift to @ashen-crest​ <3

sorry for the cliffhanger last time :) this is fluffier i promise

Word Count: 958

TW/CW: romance

Context: part 1 here

The rope shouldn’t still be taut. Theo had been keeping a very careful measure of the time, and Aella was about to run out. The rope should be slackening. Should have started slackening some time ago. He glanced over to Emmy. “Should we—?” 

He watched Emmy do the mental calculations, saw her eyes go wide. She nodded. “Yes.” 

She and Victoire refreshed their grip on the rope’s loose end; Theo settled his hands more firmly on it as well. Emmy counted down, and the three of them pulled. 

The rope didn’t budge.

“Shit,” said Emmy through gritted teeth, straining harder. “What is she doing?” 

“Is it—is it caught on something?” Victoire asked. 

“Maybe.” Emmy growled, relaxed her grip for a moment, then hauled with renewed vigour. 

Did that mean Aella was trapped down there? Theo’s stomach turned over. Panic gripped his chest. Trapped down there with no way to come up and very little time left on her potion… he should never have let her do this. It wasn’t his place to let her do anything, but when discussing the idea he’d done his very best to quell his fears and not stop her from something that so excited her. Maybe he should have tried harder to dissuade her. 

It seemed he’d only just found her. He couldn’t lose her. Not like this. Not now. Not now. Hot tears stung his eyes. 

“Wait—” said Victoire. “Look.” 

Theo blinked hurriedly and turned to follow her pointing finger. 

A flash of iridescent scales, just under the water’s surface. And beside it, a glimpse of yellow fabric. Aella. 

The scaled creature arced over the jetty, but Theo could barely spare it a glance, because as it did so, a waterlogged Aella crumpled onto the boards beside him, and he could have sobbed in relief. 

Was she breathing? He scrambled to her side, one hand reaching gently for her shoulder, the other going instinctually to her throat to find her pulse. Please… 

She coughed, seawater spewing from her mouth. Theo breathed a sigh of relief; though there wasn’t much he could do, he held onto her shoulder until her coughing had stopped. 

Aella rolled onto her back, her gaze unfocused and searching in front of her. Then her eyes met his and she grinned. “Hello, handsome.” 

As the tears welled in his eyes again, all he could think of to say was, “Hello.” 

~

Once he was sure Aella was sleeping soundly, and that his father would be watching over her, Theo went for a walk to try and settle his nerves. 

This had been a terrible idea. He’d known that. Whatever had gone wrong for Aella down there, it was just one of many possibilities. So many ways she might not have come back. If only he could have convinced her out of it. He’d been so scared. Every time the rope had so much as twitched, he’d felt his heart in his throat, his breathing choked for a moment. 

The worry was his problem, but he wished she’d stop scaring him like this. 

Did he? 

He thought of the delight on her face when she’d discussed her plan with him and Tempest, the utter excitement at the idea of what she might discover. He thought of her gleeful laughter as the potion’s effect took hold, the joy in her eyes when she broke the surface after her first brief test of it. She loved this. She loved the adventure and the risk. If she were to stop doing these things, she wouldn’t be happy. And she wouldn’t be her. She wouldn’t be the girl he loved. 

No, he couldn’t really see any other version of his future. If the occasional worry for her was the price he had to pay to be hers, he would pay it. He couldn’t imagine anything else. 

His walk had taken him back to the dock without realising it. In the darkness, the water was barely visible but for the occasional glint of moonlight on the crest of a wave. The sea might not be the place he belonged, but he could see why Aella looked at it with such love. He understood it, because it was the way she looked at him too, and he at her. A thing could be dangerous, but no less beautiful for it. Perhaps more beautiful for its danger; the water’s depth was what gave it its amazing blue colour in the daytime. And try as he might, he only loved Aella more when she got into scrapes like this. 

His foot nudged something. He crouched down. The moon’s glow faintly illuminated a small box reinforced with metal. 

Aella had been carrying it, he vaguely recalled. 

It looked like a chest of some sort; too curious to resist, he nudged the latch gently open. The box was filled to the brim with jewellery, gleaming in all colours. Of course Aella had found treasure. She was, after all, a pirate, and a lover of shiny things. 

His attention was drawn to one particular piece on the top. A gold ring with a beautiful orange stone set in it. Perhaps a citrine or topaz. 

It reminded him of Aella, and he couldn’t help but smile. He ought to make sure her spoils made their way back to her. She would want to appreciate them properly, that was for sure, even if she was unlikely to wear most of them; she had complained on many occasions about lost necklaces, so the pearl necklace he could see in the corner might be something she preferred to look at than wear. Regardless, though, she’d want to have her loot back in her possession as soon as possible. 

Well, except the ring. That one he pocketed.

Potions and Pirates Taglist: @copper-dragon-in-disguise @diphthongsfordays @pepperdee @zmwrites​ @the-orangeauthor​ @quilloftheclouds​

Hurricane Taglist: @writingbyjillian​ @oddsandinks​ @ahowlinwolf​ @aziz-writes​ @juls-writes​ @lookinpeach​ @zmwrites​ @quilloftheclouds​ @lowslore​ @isherwoodj​ @katnapped​ @thepsycheofbrokenthings​ @happyorogeny​ @magicalwriting​ @ettawritesnstudies​ @florraisons​ @tea-and-pirates @writtendevastation @talesofsorrowandofruin​ @lilmissravingwriter​ @zielenbloesem @metanoiamorii​ @little-boats-on-a-lake​ @lottieiswriting​ @violetwrites​ @the-unwrittenwriter​ @ink-fireplace-coffee​ @iparisaltanwing​ @tragedieds​ @pamsdrabbles @waysofink​ @hekat-ie​ @thehellinsideyourhead​ @starryeve88​ @trans1ence @vellichor-virgo​ @the-orangeauthor​ @google-plexed​ @literary-lavender @crystallized-ink @ellatholmes​ @seamajorshanties​ @crowewritesstuff @ashen-crest​ @astridmayewrites​ @wannabeauthorzofija @mel-writes-with-her-dragons​ @waterfallwritings​ @enchanted-lightning-aes​ @wizardfromthesea​ @huloglangit @diphthongsfordays​ @ruby-overlock @copper-dragon-in-disguise​ @mr-writes​ @josephinegerardywriter​ @teardropsandtherain​ @emilyoracle​ @matcha-chai​ @fablewritten @autie-auden-writes​ @innocentreticent

ID: a banner with a brown pirate hat in the middle. the hat has two fluffy feathers sticking out of it, one blue and one yellow. the banner is placed above and below the main text. /end ID.

[djs-sideblog-for-pog-trains]

ok. i finally caved and watched journey beyond sodor. so many questions but many things i liked. mostly being thomas and james. i adore them.

[akindofmagictoo]

🤝 Theo

sorry everyone, thanks to Jane Austen media adaptations, I’m back on my waistcoat-loving bullshit

good thing that’s the only thing I make Emry Karic wear

[bladexjester]

It’s My Birthday!!! 🎈🎁🎉

I’m 19 Years Old Now!!!

[urlocalthomasfan]

I FORGOT TO POST DAY 4 AND 5, so I will post those two days alongside day 6!