blast good form!

INTRODUCING JAMES HOOK. A HUMAN FROM ECHO CREEK.

Wendy was shocked to hear an affirmative answer to her offer, not expecting much out of her feeble attempt to make peace. As they both stepped ahead to their respective cashiers, Wendy placed her order and took a table number, stepping aside to find a table as she waited for him to finish. Sliding into one side of the booth, she folded her hands on the table, already sensing the thick tension between the two. “I hope everything’s going well at Neverland. Billy actually convinced me to finally take a trip myself,” she admitted, breaking the silence. “Not with, um, you-know-who, I promise. I wouldn’t want to cause any havoc on my account, of course,” Wendy added quickly, feeling the caveat a necessary one.

~

Once the young woman paid and found a table James finished up at the register he was at. After finishing he glanced around the restaurant for her and when he spotted her he made his way over to her, sliding in the booth across from her. Mentioning Billy made him curious. What the hell sort of business did she have talking to Billy? It didn’t add up in his head and he would be sure to have a talk with his friend later. “Is that so?” he asked, brows raised. “And did you enjoy yourself? You don’t seem like the type of girls that would hang around at clubs.” The mention of Peter made his blood boil and his heart sting. Peter was a constant reminder of Chrissie, but he was also the reason his hand was gone. James could not stand even the thought of Peter so he grunted as Wendy talked about him for a brief moment. “You don’t really like trouble do you, girl?” he questioned. He wanted to pick at her brain, see if he could get anything useful from her. “Why hang around with a crowd like that? You seem better than that.” James had seen the gossip posts though. He didn’t take anything it said to heart though as he figured it was a bunch of bullshit despite if there was some truth to it or not. Wendy seemed decent enough but James didn’t trust her. She puzzled him sometimes. “I hear there’s trouble in paradise though.”

The moment Wendy stepped into the restaurant, she knew the man who was standing behind her. It was easy to tell when for years she and the rest of Peter’s crew had been conditioned to spot him from a mile away. She’d planned on not even engaging, ignoring the man the same way he’d given her so much as a grumble of a hello in public like he usually did, but it then became his turn to order, and he seemed apparently busy with other things on his phone. Leaning forward to give his shoulder a small tap, Wendy recoiled immediately, waving her hands in truce. “No! No, sir,” she clarified, pointing to the register, “you’re next, and I didn’t think you heard the lady call you. That, and I was, um, going to grab that table over there, if you didn’t have anyone to sit with. Just thought I’d offer.”

~

James had grown tired of waiting and decided to check his phone for a quick moment, causing him to miss when he’d been called up to the counter next. Huffing and shoving his phone in his pocket he shook his head. “Well, I didn’t realize,” he mumbled. Her offer to sit together did not seem enticing at all. At this point he’d thought about getting his food to-go and eating in his car or at home. This could be an opportunity though, the thought to himself. The girl in front of him had been talked about on some blog. The same one that talked about Billy in the past. James figured he’d give in this time. Besides, there weren’t many tables left. “Fine,” was all he said with a shrug.

Every so often James found himself doing leisure activities alone. This time it was just lunch at a semi-popular spot and James was not looking forward to the wait he might have to endure if the line was long. He had tried to get there early enough to beat the annoyance but of course he didn’t make it in time. Annoyed he got to the back of the line and waited, only taking a few steps forward every five minutes or so. He was last in line for a few minutes when someone got behind him. He didn’t bother to look so he hadn’t anticipated the tap on his back. Turning around he came face to face with Wendy then sighed. “Are you here to antagonize me in public?” he grumbled. “Because I’m not in the mood.”

Sally might’ve been one of the rarer few who wasn’t frightened of Hook. She had seen the softer softer side of him and though at times he could be cruel she felt he was more misunderstood than anything. She felt the two of them were outcasts that understood each other. Sometimes she visited Neverland for the drinks and sometimes she did it to check up on James. Despite their ending she cared about him, and just like everything else Sally cared deeply. She moved besides him carefully, smiling as she looked at him. “I know where the bathroom is, I’m here to see you instead.”

~

Sally was one of the few people James had ever let close in his life. Despite everything that had happened between them he still had a soft spot for her. No matter how hard he tried to keep up a steel demeanor she knew the truth. “Why?” he asked her, already very well knowing the answer. The way she smiled at him was still so soft and caring. “I’m alive if that’s what you were concerned about. Did you want a drink or something?”

As he was in most moments, Mater was completely oblivious. He didn’t know he was supposed to be afraid of James, and even if he did, he wouldn’t treat him any differently. Look at Logan, after all. Big shot race car driver, but he was his very best friend, and he saw him for who he really was, not for the front he put on for cameras, not for the person that everyone imagined him to be. “Naw, I don’t need those yet,” Mater shook his head, “just wonderin’ if you had any drink suggestions. I’m usually a whiskey on ice kind’a guy, you know, but I can’t say I’m feelin’ that tonight.”

~

James didn’t have the patience for people who were indecisive. He always knew what he wanted and tried to always be on top of how he was going to achieve things. Currently that was just to sit by himself for a few minutes while the night died down. Sighing, he held his drink up to the guy. “Can’t go wrong with rum and coke. Though whiskey on ice is never a bad way to go either.” He glanced over at the other man before flagging over one of the bartenders on duty. “Do your job and get this man a drink,” he demanded.

Billy looked over his shoulder for a moment. Maybe someone else was trying to talk to James, cause he most certainly did know where the restroom was. Shoving his hands in his pockets he shook his head. “Yeah, no I know where that’s at Boss. I was just seeing how we were doing at the bar portion of things. I mean everything tonight seems pretty tame compared to most nights. That, and if you just wanted me to step in or something.” 

~

James rolled his eyes at Billy. As much as he appreciated the man’s presence as far as the bar went he wasn’t going to voice that out loud. Not often at least. “It’s fine. It’s almost the end of the night so I guess you could start wrapping things up.” He takes a sip of his drink. “Go ahead and step in. I’m over tonight.”

@capncodfish​

Meg was up late again, sleeping wasn’t her strong suit. That’s when she found herself in some of the most frowned upon parts of town. Her favorites were up late and that’s why she usually ended up at Neverland. Things were slowing down a little by that time so she could get a spot at the bar and slunk for a few drinks. Tonight the man himself was in. The nights when James was in were the best ones. Meg was already on her way behind the bar when she saw him walking up. “What can I get you, sir?” She said with a cheeky smile as she got to the rows of liquor. “I’ll treat you and make it strong, on the house.” 

~

James had decided to stay until close that night to make sure everything was in order. It was that time of night when things were dying down but there was still a small crowd lingering. When he spotted Meg walking behind the bar he made his way over to her. “On the house?” he questioned with a raised brow. “Is that so? Well, then. Make it a double shot rum and coke, obviously.” He rolled his eyes to indicated he wasn’t being serious. “Why are you here so late?”

James Hook has always been a feared presence. He knew the sight of him often made the patrons at Neverland nervous but he was the owner so he did not give a single shit. He was the boss and in his eyes that made him able to do whatever he pleased. He didn’t care if people thought he was unsettling because he was cruel. He was behind the bar that night, managing more than anything and after a while he took a moment to sit and have a drink for himself. He was enjoying his small break, drinking his rum and coke, when someone interrupted him. “What?” he asked, irritated someone was talking to him. “If you’re looking for the bathroom it’s towards the right and then take a sharp turn left.”