ᴡᴇ ʀɪᴅᴇ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴛʜᴇ ᴛɪᴅᴇ

“ QUITE THE STORM WE HAD LAST NIGHT, wasn’t it? ”  maleficent soothes. speaking up in tandem with high heeled footfall upon the deck. a large woven basket, one that usually accompanied her on journeys to visit the kids, rested upon her arm.   “ I hope there wasn’t much DAMAGE to your vessel, lad. ”

 right. she had been aware of his situation. or, at least, she thought she had been. it all sounded very familiar. with her being close with the king, and making accommodations for the villain kids coming over, she had some say when it came to harry hook and his limitations. unfortunately, there was only so much she could do. he complained of a list as long as his arm, it was nearly twice as long and so much more strict. “ so you just want a fish? like one … just a fish? ” odd request, but okay. there was a market, though, it probably wasn’t as fresh as right out of the water. she sighed a little bit when he mentioned going on, she hardly had the time. but if it was enough to make him show up here — “ well maybe i can help you. ” she licked at her lips and took a step aside. “ you’re going to have to give me at least fifteen minutes though. ” she could go out slightly less done up, but the way she was looking now? unacceptable. 

          ❝   hey, stranger.   ❞   eyes smile as they lock on to her first mate. she couldn’t say she was expecting to find him in the library, but honestly, this was the best surprise she could ask for right now. of course she could see the wear of auradon on harry — they could read each other like a book. yes, uma felt it too, only on a much lesser scale than her best friend. sure, not having a sword at her side for the first time in years was certainly an odd feeling, but the brand new marine bio textbook in her arms filled the hole quite nicely. but even weirder was not having harry next to her every waking moment, but they didn’t HAVE to protect each other here like on the isle, did they ? 

          in fact, auradon was treating her well. all the anger filling her veins dissipated & a lively glow no one had seen in forever returned to her face. she proved herself among the ranks of the vk geniuses, evie & carlos. even the mermaids accepted her as family ( from both atlantica & other places ). creatures of the infinite sea knew how torturous being confined could be. but harry didn’t have that here, as far as she knew.

          ❝   uh huh,   ❞   giving a know - it - all look toward him, flipping teal strands over her shoulder.   ❝   something like what ? getting into trouble ?   ❞   all that aside, she’d still do anything for him.

               HE HAD, WITHIN himself, an irascible energy. He hadn’t even WANTED to come to Auradon, but he couldn’t very well abandon Uma and Gil to the echelons of high society. Honestly, he just wanted to sail: he wanted to get on a boat and never come back. He wanted to ride with the tide, but he’d been told in no uncertain terms that, for the time being, he couldn’t even join the crew team if he wanted to. It’s only until we’re certain you’re acclimated, he’d been told. Translation: he was a flight risk. He knew it, they knew it. He wasn’t settling like the other kids who’d grown on the island; he wasn’t thriving the same way Uma was. She seemed so much LIGHTER, and he could have stood in the glow of her smile for days, had his nervous energy already reached an alarming level. 

                       she fidgeted with the hem of her shirt a little before leaning against the doorway. he made sure he wasn’t mal, and that was amusing, in and of itself. a brow raised at his words. “ a fish? ” now she was confused. she was confused and so very busy. but the fact that he had come and sought her out, well she wasn’t about the slam the door in his face. she wasn’t cruel, wicked sure, but she had her limits. limits being, not slamming the door in the face of any one who showed up. unless it had been mal. or jay. or carlos. because they all knew just how stressful the last two weeks were. “ does that require you coming inside? ” the place really was a disaster area, but at least if he was inside, she might be able to work a little. 

“Insult, certainly, but thereat, well”  Aurora’s words trailed off into a giggle at his bravado.  How large his britches had grown since Mal and the other VK’s were no longer on the Isle.  “Though perhaps I ought to take it up with her.”  Aurora stepped forward, still smiling.  “Tell me: if I were to cut off one of those tentacles that Ursula calls arms, do you think she’d fry it and serve it up?”   The sea witch wasn’t much on this side of the barrier where there was no magic after all, and Aurora’s skills with the sword were quite good.  

            her own brow hitched at his words. he hardly seemed like the type to listen to the word about, but then, everyone knew what she was up to. “ if i choose to have a free afternoon, i have a free afternoon. ” in reality, it might not be the best time to take the afternoon off, but she needed it. she was starting to go mad cooped up in her room all alone with nothing but the sounds of her sewing machine, and her thoughts. and those were just the most fun. the fresh air was definitely needed, running in to harry was surprising, and not at all unpleasant. he was always the prickly sort, but who in the isle wasn’t? she bit her bottom lip to keep from smirking as he rambled on about the hardships of being poked at for a fitting. and while he wasn’t entirely wrong about the whole ordeal, he had no idea of it either. no offense. and she smiles. “ none taken. though, i wouldn’t knock it if i were you. ” some rather enjoyed getting fitted, it was exciting for them. it excited her most days, when someone got so giddily happy about something she had designed specifically for them. “ i don’t think you’d hate it as much as you think. the ball i mean, not the fitting. ” she couldn’t see him willingly standing still for any longer than five minutes, if she were being honest. “ and no one said you only wore it once. there are many ways to slightly alter things to make them look new without them being so. ” she’d done it a few times when she ran out of time for her own dresses for events. it happened often enough, but no one noticed, the girl was quick with a sewing machine, and making something old look brand new. she tucked hair behind her ear and with a quick glance about, got back on topic. “ you never did tell me where you were going. ”

“What are you taking that to drum up business for Ursula then?”  she asked, utterly ignoring his explanation.  The truth was that this time, he father had actually given her coin for the fish, but Aurora wasn’t going to tell Harry that; if she did, she was likely to end up with no fish and no coin.  “  Well, I suppose he’s just as likely to be poisoned there as he would be if I were to prepare the feast.  Really, it’s a shame.  I would have thought Ursula wouldn’t want to deal with the trouble of a dead body, but, well, when she had lackeys like you…”  Aurora trailed off with a deliberately strained smile and a shrug.  

              she’d been so deep in work that nothing was registering. she hasn’t left her place in — days, at least. the place was a disaster, fabric and scrawled papers, drawings, measurements thrown about. she had seven dresses and three suits to finish. that didn’t include her own. and she had two weeks to do it all. so, a few days cooped up was nothing new when one was drowning in tulle and organza. what was new, and rather startling was the knock at the door. she stopped the machine and tried to salvage her appearance. usually, when she was expecting company she’d be far more done up, properly presentable. with how close to the deadline it was, she could only assume it was mal. she huffed over to the door. “ mal! for the billionth time i don’t know where your— ” the door was tugged open and her best friend was not on the other side. “ you’re not mal. ” she said, her tone some what confused. “ what can i do for you harry? ”

Aurora shot Harry a wide grin as she seemed to have caught his attention for once.  “Father wishes for a fish feast.  He says we’re coming up on Lent.”  Whatever that was.  Naturally, he expected Aurora to prepare the meal.  Rotted fish seemed just the ticket to get her father what he wished, and Aurora a few days, or more, without her father carefully watching her every move.  “If you caught it, it must be terribly rotten.  I doubt you could manage to snag something live on your line.  How big of a net did you need to scoop up this one Harry?”  Aurora asked, holding up a positively rancid fish.  “No hook marks.  I take it you and Gil put your heads together?”