open ♔ september castle socialization

[wynn]

WHO || Everyone! [ota]
WHAT || Shenanigans.
WHERE || Anywhere in the castle, surrounding environs, London, etc!
WHEN || First half of September, any time between the September squiring ceremony and the War announcement on September 18th
HOW || Actionspam

[ The castle can be a happening place, even on more mundane days. This log is for random interactions over the course of the first half of the month.    Because not everyone is into parties, ok.

You are encouraged to start your own threads and tag around, and feel free to threadjack into any on-going threads that aren't specified as 'closed' in the subject lines since people can enter into rooms even in the middle of what's going on. WE ARE BIG ON THREAD-JACKING HERE. You can also specify 'single thread', meaning you want only one response for all participants, rather than multi-thread, where a number of different scenes/threads can be done as replies to the top prompt.]

On this log:
Drax @ the desk
Kate Bishop @ the desk
Sam @ the desk
Henry @ the desk
Kate Bishop @  roof/dining hall/library/grounds/bathrooms/desk/Dragon's Hoard/etc
Abigail @ Movie theater / library /firing range / training room
Francesca & Val'drin | closed
Penelope & Sam @ the woods
Emma Frost @ the library
Spike @ rec room
Lydia, Stiles, Astrid, Adam | closed

Comments

[uncurse]

Yeah.

[ The answer comes before she realizes what he’s playing at. Her gaze flickers over to him, and she rolls her eyes slightly, a nonverbal don’t coming across well before she offers him any real scorn. ]

And what cursed Amara. And what brought us here. You're the magic expert: you tell me when it's ever done you any good.

[unhand]

I'm hardly an expert.

[Or... at all. He doesn't use it. He's just a pirate who lives in a world surrounded in it.]

It protected you from Cora when you didn't even know you had it.

[uncurse]

Yeah. Protected me from Cora's magic.

[ a.k.a the problem it started ok. ]

[unhand]

Well, yeah. Lots of magic goes into fixing the problems it creates. That's the problem with a tool so powerful. It has a dark side. Doesn't mean you can ignore the light.

[He looks over at her, expression soft.]

But there's one thing magic's given me that I'll never regret.

[uncurse]

Like what?

[ She honestly can't imagine what he means. Her eyes remain riveted to the road, oblivious to the look he gives her. ]

[unhand]

I'd never have met you without it.

[uncurse]

[ Her jaw slackens a little, at a loss for words. Shoulders hunching, she straightens in her seat, shooting straight from number to vaguely defensive. A part of her wants to argue: he’d never have lost Milah if Gold didn’t have magic, presumably. He’d never have known Emma would exist. He’d have grown old with her, happily.

By the same token, though, that doesn’t take away what he’s saying right now, and Hook doesn’t remember any of that. The person he is here, without those memories, isn’t the person that she keeps trying to hold him up against as if it’s some equal comparison. ]

I—

[ She fires off a shifty glance in his direction, whipping her head over that way only briefly. She pulls off to hang a left. ]

We’re here.

[ Putting the car in park, she gestures up in front of them. ]

Pizza.

[unhand]

Right, pizza.

[He flashes a small smile, unbuckling his seatbelt, then opening the door with his good hand.]

Not just you, either. Lila and Faye, too. Thoster. David. Even... my new squire.

[He manages to keep a very straight face as he says it (bluff 28). Most people wouldn't even be able to tell that he's being anything less than casual.]

[uncurse]

[ She’s not even fooled by his attempts to bury the sentiment under mitigating factors. Other names. She doesn’t doubt he’s glad to have them, but it’s not what he meant (sense motive 38). On the other hand, that’s probably just optimism. She doesn’t trust herself, doesn’t trust her superpower when her feelings are involved. She’d probably just wind up disappointed again. ]

You’ve got a new squire? Who let that happen?

[ She climbs out of the car, slamming it shut and clicking the lock on the remote. ]

[unhand]

Wynn's got poor judgment, apparently. [He heads towards the pizza place and pushes open the door, holding it and looking back towards Emma. He needs to tell her who exactly the squire is, but it's better to wait. When they're sitting down, when they have their pizza... he'll tell her.]

[uncurse]

No kidding.

[ Inside they go. She lets him hold the door without complaint, offering her name to the hostess and yay surprise no wait time. They go right to a table. ]

[unhand]

[Hook's looking at the menu but he's not really reading it. He's thinking about Henry. Anyway, there are so many options how does he even start to narrow it down?]

What sort of pizza do you like, love?

[uncurse]

Pretty much the pizza kind.

[ So whatever. She shrugs, skimming the menu, then leans over the table to point at something on Hook’s, indicating. ]

How’s that?

[ The waiter approaches, and she glances up, asking for a pint of whatever’s on tap to drink. ]

[unhand]

There are so many of them... and is that pineapple and ham? [He prods at the Hawaiian looking mildly offended at the idea of the combination.] Who thought up that idea?

[This might be his first time actually going to a pizza place. Actually, it probably is. He smiles at the waiter and seconds Emma's request, adding the pizza Emma selected to their order. They'll need the beer once he breaks the news.]

[uncurse]

She said she didn't sleep.

[ Emma's done talking about pizza. She slides her menu aside, resting her forearms on the table and giving Hook a suddenly serious look once the waiter's gone. ]

Lila. Not that she didn't get much sleep: she didn't sleep while we were gone. Three months.

[unhand]

She... [Hook's expression clouds a little and he sits back, letting his menu drop.] She didn't tell me it had gotten that bad.

[But he should have known. He was supposed to look out for her.]

[uncurse]

Yeah, welcome to Lila Zacharov. Have you met her?

[ At least she seems to realize she's being a little unfair. Sighing, she hunches her shoulders in a shrug, then straightens up. ]

It's not your fault. She's a good liar: if she didn't want you to know, you wouldn't have known. I just ... I should have been here. Through everything that happened, she had no one.

[unhand]

I was there, you know. But the quickest way to get her to shut me out is to mention the sleep thing, even in jest.

[His expression softens, his eyes lingering on the scar on her neck for a moment.]

And we were both more worried about you and Faye than anything happening here. Her especially. She's not used to going so long without word.

[uncurse]

I know. I know. I shouldn't have—[ What? Shouldn't have gone on a mission to save a life? She can't be sorry for that. It's not in Emma's programming to apologize for anything she does in the pursuit of trying to help Amara. Unfortunately, helping Amara had resulted in Lila suffering this time. ] I can't believe it's been three months.

[unhand]

I'm just glad you're back. And in one piece. And made of flesh. [That so many of those things almost didn't happen is still terrifying to him. He swallows, his throat suddenly dry.] Faye tried to help you, you know. Not that there was anything she could do, of course.

[And then she broke down sobbing on Hook, but that part he won't tell Emma. If she knows how hard Faye tried, that's enough.]

[uncurse]

Did she?

[ More interesting, perhaps, is that Faye told Hook as much. Hearing that from Gold or Astrid would be one thing: they’d been there. Hell, even Mars. He’d come back somehow, after all. But Faye would have needed to tell Hook.

Looking up, Emma catches his gaze. Everything there frightens her, but she holds steady, refusing to look away. Drinking it in. ]

[unhand]

She seemed to think you wouldn't know. Since you weren't... awake for most of the mission.

[He holds her gaze, tongue slipping out for a moment to wet his lips.]

I think it may've scared her more than she let on, seeing you like that.

[It scared Hook, and he hadn't seen half as much as Faye did.]

[uncurse]

[ Well, every kid’s gotta figure out that their parents aren’t invincible superheroes someday.

Wait.

Emma never had to figure that out because Emma never had parents. She has no point of reference for this moment. In fact, she looks entirely at odds with it, brow furrowing because she’s so wholly incapable of understanding why it was so jarring to Faye.

Because Emma’s never had a mother. ]

Why would she be worried about me? I’m not the one who wound up in some monster’s mouth in Cuba. If anything scared her, it was that!

[unhand]

Monster's mouth? [Faye didn't mention that part. Hook sits up straighter, looking alarmed. Why exactly didn't he know about this?] A monster bit her in Cuba?

[uncurse]

No, not bit her, just—That's where she was teleported. Into some giant monster's mouth.

[ Confused shrug?? ]