𝙽𝚄𝙼𝙱𝙴𝚁 𝙾𝙽𝙴 𝙵𝙰𝙽.

Killian forgot that others found him being a pirate unusual. It wasn’t completely unheard of in the Enchanted Forest, but here, it didn’t seem like a very common occupation. “Aye, I did,” he nodded. “The Jolly Roger. We sailed the realms,” he said, missing his ship and the adventure a bit. This was a new adventure, but not one that he had been expecting or planning on at all. 

"The Jolly Roger..." She repeated, voice low (as she was saying it mostly to herself), blinking a bit. Though... yep. There was a tiny smile on her lips. She couldn't believe she was talking to a freaking pirate. "That's so cool!" She exclaimed, giggling a bit. Though, realizing it might come off as annoying, she presses her lips together, staying like that for a moment before talking again. "So, uh... you were teaching me how to swing the bat. Any... fighting... moves I should know?"

“i’m sorry, i know we don’t know each other, but could i ask for your help for a moment?” eliza spoke to the other woman in the coffee shop, taking another sip of her drink, “i’m in the middle of writing something and i’m not sure whether or not this sentence comes across too formal,” the way people spoke where she was from was somewhat different, so she sometimes worried. 

( @spngroupie​ )

She was JUST on her way out, a hand clutching TIGHTLY into her cup of coffee, when the woman's voice stopped her right in her tracks. She looked around for a moment, as if checking to see if she'd adressed someone else, but... nope. It was her, alright. "Uh... sure!" She replied, moving to sit across from her (assuming that the question was an invitation to do so), a friendly smile on her lips. "Throw it at me."

Becky looked at him with her wide eyes, and Chuck felt himself weaken. It was crazy, what she did to him. He’d seen so much human suffering, so much death and agony and the unbelievable evil that his creation was capable of. But just looking at Becky, with her big, sad, eyes – just seeing her upset? It made his chest ache and his body physically feel weak. It made no sense. She was just one, tiny, human. But he looked right at her, and he wanted to make her feel better. He knew she was beating herself up about not hitting all the cans, so he just waited for her to speak. And, when she started, pausing and stuttering over her words, he didn’t interrupt, or get impatient with her. He just listened.

“You’re not being silly, baby girl,” he said, softly. He ignored her insistence to not listen to her – of course she’d say that – and kept holding her shoulders. “You can go back to shooting in a minute, okay? I just… I wanna talk about this.” He hated that she was so hard on herself. She was just training, for crying out loud! “You did do really well. You got most of them down! That’s really great. And next time, you’ll do even better, and the time after that?” He stopped, because she got the idea. “Don’t feel like you’ve gotta do better just ‘cause I’m here. I’m proud of you if you get one can down, or all five.” He gave her a quick, encouraging, smile, and finally let go of her shoulders. “Now, d’you wanna shoot the ones left standing? I think you should finish what you started.”

He doesn't move, and his grip on her shoulders doesn't waver. Both signs that he's not buying her words. So, before he even says it, she already knows he's gonna want to talk about it. And, even if she DOESN’T want to AT ALL, she's gonna hear him out. Chuck's not the type to back down, anyways. She sighs, presses her lips together, reaches up to rest a hand over his and nods. All as if to say 'go ahead, I'm listening'.

'I’m proud of you if you get one can down, or all five', he says. When Becky gets in a mood and down on herself, it's hard to get out of it. But... that part of his whole speech to make her feel better? Kind of did it. It's weird to have someone care this much about her. Heck, it's weird to have someone care about her at all. She's not used to it. And, to this day (almost a year into the relationship), she still looks at him and wonders why he does. Regardless, she's glad. Glad that he's in her life. "Well, first I wanna do this-" if he wanted a warning, that's his ONLY one. But she doesn't give him enough time to think on it! Oh no. She leans in soon after, presses her hands against his cheeks, and pulls him into a kiss. Merely a peck, really. But she had to. Then, she pulls away, smiling real wide. "... and now I wanna shoot the ones left standing." Becky, you kinda need to let go of him to do that! She will, though. In a second. She's more motivated to do it now, anyways. "Thanks, Chuck."

“Where do you work?” Dolores knew all too well about the fact that they couldn’t leave, which sounded a lot like the world she came from; somewhat unsettling, to her. “Well, I think exploring would be much more fun with someone by my side,” She replies, smiling softly. “I work for the president.”

"I work at a bookstore. I have my own little personal library at home with probably over a thousand stories, so... it seemed meant to be." She shared, laughing a bit. "If you ever wanna explore the town, you can give me a call! I'll be your... adventure buddy." Adventure buddy? Sounds weird, but she's sticking with it. It’s, technically ,accurate. At the other's last words, she grimaces, recognition washing over her face. "... oh, I know how you met Chuck now. Did it involve... breaking into... stuff?"

dean nodded his head at that. he’d certainly seen it himself, people here that weren’t supposed to be, mixing with people he hoped they’d never have to meet. he gave a half hearted smile, “i would too, ‘cept that i had no choice in comin’ here. and this place took my memories for a while.” he frowned at the thought. “you’re safe here though?” because uncomfortable as he had found her, he still did care. it was sort of his thing.

"... yeah. Yeah, I am. I'm kinda waiting for the other shoe to drop, but... apart from the whole magic thing... this place seems normal? As in... nothing really happens. Which is good." Too good to be truth, some may say. Creatures are still out there, so there's that to watch out for.. But it's mostly nothing. "Are you?" A pause. "... safe, I mean? Especially after what happened with your memories."

“ah, see, alcohol is always the best company if you ask me,” she said as a laugh rolled off of her lips. she didn’t want to make the other fee bad by telling her that she actually had a pretty great time, so she nodded, “it was nice, yeah,” she said with a smile. “daphne,” she held out her hand to the other, “it’s nice to meet you as well.”

"It can be when you need a mood lift." She reached out when the hand was offered, holding it and giving it a gentle SHAKE before letting go with a smile. "Nice to meet you." She said, before squinting for a moment at her --- as if in thought. "Wait... Daphne?" She asked. "Do... you know anyone named Chuck, by any chance?" If she didn't, then it was the wrong Daphne. But she had to check, at least!

“Thank you, I appreciate your kindness.” Dolores replies. She truly thought this other woman was sweet, based on first impression. She was glad she got the chance to run into the other, especially after not getting the chance to talk to her at the masquerade. Now, she was further saddened by the fact that she hadn’t met Becky then. “Wow, nearly a year? This place must feel like home to you by now, I reckon?” She asks, smiling softly. “I’ve only been here for three months, not very long at all. I’m usually working, so I don’t have a lot of time to explore the city.” 

"I mean, yeah. I have a cozy house, a job... and I'm not leaving this place anytime soon, so." For obvious reasons (that being that she can't). But, even if she could, she's not sure she would actually go for it. She likes her life here. It's really not that bad despite the circumstances. "Three months, and you haven't explored it yet? We have to fix that!" She offered, smiling brightly. "What do you work as?"

When Becky snapped his name, Chuck blinked in surprise, and looked at her. If it had been anyone else, he would’ve smote them. But it wasn’t anyone else. It was his Becky, and she could get away with anything. He smiled fondly at her. “Sorry, babe,” he said in a stage whisper. “I’ll be quiet.” And he mimed zipping his lips shut, and then rested his elbows on his knees, looking up at her from where he was sitting on the ground. It was amazing, really, how much she could get away with. He just… didn’t get angry with her. It was like he couldn’t. So, he fell silent, and let her concentrate on shooting.

She fired several times in a row, and Chuck stared as the cans fell. She hit three out of the five, and Chuck stood up quickly, already clapping for her. “Well done, babe! That was awesome! Look at you –” But he cut himself off when she lowered the gun. He could tell by her expression that she wasn’t happy, even before she turned away. Her shoulders were slumped, and she was totally silent, which was weird, for Becky. Chuck sighed to himself, and walked over to her, putting his hands on her shoulders, gently. “Babe? What’s wrong? Three out of two isn’t bad.”

All of sudden his hands are on her shoulders, startling her and forcing her to look up at him, eyes wide, the girl looking more like a deer in headlights than anything else. He'd noticed. Of course he did. It's not like she had put a lot of effort into hiding it. Plus, she's always had trouble keeping things from Chuck. She could tell him she's 'fine' with a completely straight face after a bad day at work, and he'd see right through it. So, she sighs and tries to prepare herself for this conversation. "It's nothing. I just..." She started, head turning to the side as she focused on a nearby tree instead of his face. "I.. I wanted to do really well. Especially now that you're... well... watching." She confessed, and then immediately rushed to talk again, not even giving him time to respond (she didn't want him to as she she'd just told him she wanted to impress him, which was pathetic). "... anyways! Don't listen to me. I'm... I'm being silly. Hey, what... what do you think? Should I... uh... try to shoot the cans left standing, or start over?"

Killian raised an eyebrow at her with an amused look on his face. “I still consider myself to be a pirate, lass. Even if I own a tavern here,” he said. “What some consider fairytales, I consider to be a very real part of my life. Adventures, sailing. Pillaging. plundering,” he nodded. “I used to do it all.” 

"Oh..." She murmured in response, blinking a bit, finding the fact that she was in front of a pirate... well, unbelievable! But, hey... after running into a demon and a ghost, this doesn't seem THAT crazy. Plus, it was actually kinda cool. "Really? Did you have like... a ship and everything?" She asked, unable to help herself despite the fact that he was supposed to be helping her TRAIN.

“Yes, of course he has! I don’t see why he wouldn’t, you seem lovely.” Clearly, Chuck wasn’t the type to keep bad company. Dolores was sure that any friend of Chuck’s could be a friend of hers by extension. She shakes the other woman’s hand, still offering a kind smile. “He seems like the kind of person that often gets into strange situations,” She says, meaning no offense, and shrugs her shoulders. “It’s great to meet you, too. How long have you lived in D.C.?”

"Oh-" Her blush deepens, but this time for DIFFERENT reasons. Her? Lovely? Pshhh! She just met this lady, but... so far? She likes her. "Thank you. Uh... you too!" She murmured, giggling a bit. She'd been on her way back home from work, but... she doesn't mind hanging around to chat. 8 hours, what's a few more minutes? "A few months, I think. Almost a year by now." Jeez. That much? "... how about you? I don't think I've seen you before.”

It’s easy for Killian to revert back into his swash-buckling days. The adventure had been such a huge part of his life for so long, he wasn’t likely to erase it any time soon. He stopped and turned more towards her when she asked him where he had learned all of it. “Oh well I used to be in the Royal Navy,” he said. “And after that didn’t go as planned, I was a pirate for some time. Both professions like the use of a sword.” 

 "You used to be a pirate?" She exclaimed, unable to help herself, voice loud and high-pitched, eyes wide with surprise. Jeez, Becky! Easy! Thank goodness they're in the freaking woods, where no one else is around to hear her basically announce it to anyone with a ear. "... sorry. I just... I've never met..." She cuts herself off. "I thought... they were a thing of the past, and of... fairytales."

dean blinked at her, reminded vividly of how he had gotten to know her in the first place. how she had been towards him and, more specifically, sam. his jaw clenched for a moment, before he put on another polite smile. “yep,” he answered calmly enough, folding his arms across his chest. “what sorts of good things?” he asked, interested.

"Uh... the 'bringing people back from the dead' thing." She said in response to his question, voice just loud enough for him to be able to hear her. But, y' know, just him. They were still surrounded by people. "Cause that just seems to be... a thing that happens here. That, and the whole 'dragging people from different worlds in randomly'." She sighs, shaking her head. "I don't know. This town is pretty weird. If I didn't know any better, I'd figure you're here to check up on it."

she laughed along with the other, “no, hellish sounds accurate,” she joked. she frowned, “sounds like a pretty crappy date if you ask me,” she said with a shrug. “i hope you’re feeling a bit better now, though,” she smiled. “definitely not,” she emphasized, “sums it up pretty well, though.”

"Eh, I've gotten over it. Plus, something that goes by the name of 'alcohol' kept me company." She replied with a shrug of her shoulders, a small laugh falling from her lips soon after. "I hope your experience was a little better than mine." Cue a pause in which she realizes an introduction is probably in order. "Name's Becky, by the way. Nice to meet you."

“He’s mentioned you quite a few times,” Dolores tells the other woman kindly, “It’s very sweet.” Chuck seemed like a very genuine guy, even though she knew he wasn’t human, so maybe guy wasn’t the right word. Whatever he was, she admired his love for his girlfriend. “I’m Dolores.” She smiles, “Chuck and I met under very… strange circumstances. We’ve only ran into one another twice, but I believe he’s spoken of you both times. Naturally, it made me want to meet you.”

"He's... mentioned me?" She murmured, blinking a bit, clearly perplexed by the notion. And... yep. Her cheeks are getting redder by the second the more Dolores talks. The idea that he's talking about her with other people, and in a nice way? Jeez! Shaking herself out of her flustered state, she reaches out, offering the other her hand. "Oh, yeah. Chuck just seems to be able to get himself into strange situations." She said, rolling her eyes with an amused smile. "Nice to meet you!"

Killian accepted the bat, testing the weight of it in his hand. “Okay, so a little heavier than a sword but still swings like one,” he said, swinging it in front of his a bit. “Focus. Anticipation,” he nodded. “Everyone, everything has a weakness. It was take you a couple moments to figure out, but know it’s there. Stay quick on your feet, don’t let them get comfortable or think they have the upper hand.” 

For a while, she just looks at the bat and the way he swings it, focused.  If someone's gonna help her for free after she almost whacked them, she has to pay attention! And wants to, anyways. "Everyone has a weakness..." She whispered to herself, nodding. "Right." That's true, isn't it? Holy water for demons, salt and irons for ghosts... she can figure that out before even getting into a fight. "Hey, uh, can I ask you a question?" She asked, unable to help herself any longer. "... where did you learn all this? Did you use to... sword fight or something?"