fresh spring flowers.

eirawen  doesn't  think  too  much  of  the  rain,  not  at  first.  even  when  it  begins  to  pour  she  doesn't  question  it.  nature  can  be  unpredictable,  after  all.  it's  only  when  the  barista  is  handing  her  coffee  over  and  she  overhears  a  familiar  voice  muttering  that  she  takes  pause.  she  stays  under  the  awning  as  to  not  get  wet  when  she  says,  ❝  a  little  rain  isn't  going  to  hurt  anyone.  ❞  she  takes  a  long  sip  of  her  coffee.  ❝  unless  you  know  something  i  don't,  mr  cogsworth.  ❞

" sorry--i didn't notice you there. "

when  their  hand  touches  another,  they  don't  pull  back,  but  do  raise  their  other  hand  in  a  placating  gesture.  ❝  relax,  i'm  not  going  to  bite.  i  didn't  notice  you  either,  so  that's  my  bad.  ❞

❝  i  think  their  main  concern  is  that,  according  to  most  in  auradon,  things  like  this  don't  happen,  ❞  eirawen  says.  ❝  or  so  they  say.  if  it's  happened  before,  they  haven't  made  it  public.  that's  why  it's  so  newsworthy.  i'm  of  the  same  opinion  as  you.  it  all  seems  like  a  prank  to  me.  ❞  though  she  won't  lie  -  it's  entertaining  seeing  those  at  the  castle  run  around  trying  to  make  sense  of  it  after  not  being  equipped  to  handle  any  kind  of  threat.  years  of  'peace'  will  do  that.

" cool, i'll make it happen since i invited you. i'm free tomorrow and i promise not to smell like sea salt and fish." he joked, reminding himself that he needed to get home and clean up since his shift had ended. at least now he would have something to look forward to on his day off. "just let me know what time will work best for you."

❝  oh,  good,  so  am  i.  ❞  even  stars  need  to  rest.  ❝  tell  me  if  i  should  bring  anything.  and  even  if  you  say  not  to  bring  anything  i'm  going  to  bring  snacks.  lots  of  snacks,  ❞  she  says.  ❝  i'm  free  anytime,  maybe  sometime  in  the  late  afternoon  ??  ❞

the  familiar  voice  brings  a  cheeky  smile  to  her  face.  ❝  that's  because  it's  definitely  been  forever.  i  guess  things  are  like  that  when  we're  constantly  keeping  busy,  ❞  she  says.  ❝  i'm  good,  i'm  good,  as  always,  and  you  ??  ❞

luciana was crouching down in an alleyway, looking like she was speaking to a couple of cardboard boxes. truthfully, she was holding out a biscuit and gently calling out to the creature hiding behind the boxes. soft growls and whimpers could be heard as she patiently talked to whatever creature was hiding. "it's okay, it's just food. i want to make sure you're okay," she spoke softly, careful to not move any closer for fear of making the animal feel too cornered.

eirawen  is  about  to  call  out  to  her  friend  when  she  realizes  exactly  what  luciana  is  trying  to  do.  she  keeps  her  footsteps  light  as  she  approaches,  moving  slowly  and  with  purpose  as  to  not  scare  the  poor  creature  hiding  away  from  them.  once  she's  close  enough,  she  crouches  down  and  says  in  a  soft  voice,  ❝  what  is  it  ??  a  cat,  dog,  or  something  else  ??  ❞

harry toyed with the end of his hook as he tilted his head in thought before offering an unsatisfying shrug as an answer. he had no intention of being her teacher unless there was something in it for him. " oh ye never know. me captain is resourceful." it could be anything from information, usually a favor owed, or a physical object on the rare occasion. "but ah won't make any promises on her behalf." he grinned as an idea popped into his head. "however, ah do like yer curiosity. what do ye know about pirates?"

the  vagueness  isn't  surprising.  after  all,  what  reason  would  a  person  from  the  isle  have  to  be  kind  to  her  ??  to  trust  her  ??  but  she  always  has  liked  a  challenge.  ❝  i  would  assume  so,  considering  they're  the  captain.  ❞  she  lets  out  a  slight  hum  at  the  question.  ❝  not  much.  there  aren't  many  pirates  in  auradon  and  pirates  as  a  concept  don't  have  the  best  reputation  around  here,  considering  our  history  books.  however,  that  history  is  written  by  the  winners,  which  is  why  i'm  so  eager  to  learn  from  another  perspective.  what  better  way  to  learn  about  a  pirate  than  from  a  pirate  themself  ??  ❞

kyo shook his head, deciding he would pass on the horror movie genre. if he really wanted a good scare, he would just go back to the isle or halloween town. he had heard the latter was a scarily fun place, which seemed contradicting but also intriguing. "lord of the rings," he hummed in thought before getting an idea. "want to watch it together sometime? i think movies are usually enjoyed more with company... and popcorn," he added as an afterthought.

while  lucinda  isn't  the  biggest  fan  of  horror  films,  if  only  because  they  aren't  exactly  realistic  compared  to  the  real  horrors  out  there,  she  can  appreciate  a  good  jump  scare.  it's  what  people  from  halloween  town  are  good  at,  after  all.  at  his  suggestion,  she  can't  help  but  grin.  ❝  sounds  like  a  plan,  ❞  she  says.  ❝  as  long  as  the  popcorn  is  buttered.  i  can't  watch  a  movie  without  it  nowadays. ❞

" et's more than sea salt but ye will have a chance to figure it out. " more of the crew was settling into auradon every day and they would be hard to miss. " et's uma's ship but i'm the first mate. " and he took his job very seriously. " uma is ah busy person but she's never one tae turn down ah good deal. ah fair deal. " the woman had a royal aura to her but so did most auradon women. it was a land of princes and princesses, after all. but royalty or not, he was sure that sending an opportunity uma's way would make her happy. he hoped so since he was still unsure about his captain's next move.

eirawen  raises  an  eyebrow.  ❝  will  i  ??  ❞  the  idea  of  learning  more  about  pirates  is  an  exciting  prospect  to  her.  it's  rare  to  find  a  pirate  anywhere  in  auradon  these  days,  let  alone  right  in  front  of  her.  ❝  you'll  know  your  stuff  then.  ❞  she  tilts  her  head  slightly.  ❝  a  deal  ??  what  kind  of  deal  ??  i'm  interested  either  way,  but  i'm  honestly  not  sure  if  i  have  anything  a  pirate  would  want.  ❞  if  that  was  the  type  of  deal  he  was  talking  about,  that  is.

kyo chuckled at her remark. "i can't fault you for that," he admitted. "they have horror movies here? are they actually scary?" now he was intruiged to know what people of auradon found so horrifying. some could argue even a day on the isle could be considered something straight out of a horror movie. "i think i'd like anything with a good adventure."

lucinda  thinks  of  the  horror  movies  she's  watched  since  coming  to  auradon.  quite  a  few,  if  she's  being  honest.  ❝  i  personally  don't  think  so,  but  i  can  understand  why  someone  might  think  so.  and  there  are  different  types  of  horror  films  too.  some  rely  on  jump  scares  to  affect  the  audience  while  others  try  and  get  into  your  head.  ❞  she  taps  her  temple.  ❝  an  adventure,  huh  ??  try  lord  of  the  rings.  i  haven't  actually  watched  it  yet,  but  everyone  keeps  recommending  it  to  me.  apparently  it's  a  big  magical  adventure  or  something.  ❞

" harry hook. " he gave a playful bow, providing his full name since he had already given away his lineage. the hook itself would have given it away before he even spoke. "if ye want tae see real pirates take ah peak at the lost revenge. only tae captain can invite ye aboard but she is ah beauty."

the  surname  is  not  a  surprise  in  the  slightest.  ❝  real  pirates  ??  what  makes  a  real  pirate  ??  ❞  the  idea  of  real  pirates  and  not-so-real  pirates  has  piqued  her  interest.  ❝  the  lost  revenge  ??  is  that  the  name  of  your  ship  ??  ❞  perhaps  a  ship  from  the  isle  having  ❛  revenge  ❜  in  the  name  should  concern  her,  but  all  it  does  is  continue  to  intrigue  her.  ❝  is  there  a  way  of  asking  the  captain  ??  though  i  wouldn't  want  to  impose  if  they  and  the  crew  are  busy.  ❞

"i actually miss the crocodiles," he admitted. kyo used to feed them since they were happy to eat anything he had to offer. it also kept them from taking a bite out of him when he was near the water. "not really. there's too many to choose from here, so i've only seen what i had on the isle." which consisted of two fully working movies his dad had somehow gotten his hands on. "um, are there any you recommend i watch?"

lucinda  makes  a  face.  ❝  i  tend  to  not  like  things  that  are  tempted  to  bite  my  arm  off,  i  won't  lie,  ❞  she  says  with  a  shudder.  ❝  fair,  there's  so  many  that  it's  overwhelming.  my  coworkers  at  the  theatre  have  movie  nights  sometimes,  so  that's  how  i  know.  ❞  she  swings  her  legs  back  and  forth  in  the  water.  ❝  depends  what  you're  into,  i  guess.  i'm  more  of  a  rom-com  girly  myself.  oh,  and  horror  movies  because  it's  fun  laughing  at  the  characters'  shitty  decisions.  ❞

his eyes squinted curiously at the young lass. "ah meant this." he held up the intimidating hook with a slight grin as he nodded to the very realistic looking fake held by his father's figure. "me pa is plenty creepy in the flesh as well. best not to meet 'im either." he chuckled, happy to be taking a dig at the old pirate. "you are?"

❝  oh,  that's  my  mistake,  then,  ❞  she  says,  making  a  conscious  effort  not  to  let  her  embarrassment  show.  ❝  i'll  make  a  note  of  that,  though.  i  don't  fancy  meeting  any  creepy  pirates  anyway.  ❞  she  adjusts  her  grip  on  the  books  she's  holding  as  she  contemplates  how  formal  she  should  make  her  introduction.  ❝  i'm  eirawen.  ❞  informal  it  is.  ❝  and  you  ??  ❞

he rolls his eyes, but the gesture lacks any genuine annoyance. "the water, the sky... the clouds, all of it." his gaze shifts back to the ocean as he lets the sea breeze wash over his face. "it's all... really bright," he sighs, trying to find the right words. "like a movie, i guess."

lucinda  hums,  taking  in  the  view.  ❝  well,  the  sky  definitely  looks  better  when  it  isn't  constantly  cloudy.  and  the  ocean  looks  way  more  inviting  without  the  crocodiles.  "  not  that  she  would  go  swimming  anyway.  she'd  never  learned.  this  doesn't  stop  her  from  taking  her  shoes  off  and  dipping  her  toes  in  the  water.  ❝  and  not  all  movies  are  bright.  have  you  seen  the  turquoise  filter  on  those  vampire  movies  ??  ❞

❝  i  would  hope  so.  it'd  be  very  uncomfortable  to  stand  there  in  the  one  position  all  day,  ❞  eirawen  says.  she'd  been  walking  by  when  she  heard  his  comment,  several  books  in  her  arms  on  their  way  towards  the  archives.  ❝  i  never  like  looking  at  them  too  hard.  they're  realistic  enough  to  be  very  creepy. ❞

lucinda  laughs,  shaking  her  now  wet  hands  in  his  direction.  ❝  sorry,  ❞  she  says,  not  sounding  sorry  at  all.  ❝  you  just  make  it  so  easy.  ❞  she  closes  the  distance  between  them,  sitting  beside  him  on  the  dock.  her  hands  find  the  water  once  again,  but  this  time  she  simply  drags  her  fingers  through  it,  causing  ripples.  ❝  what  are  you  looking  at  ??  ❞