Heart of the Sea

Chapter 10 - Coal and Stories

It was morning when Emma tapped gently on the bathroom door. "Hey kid, you in here?" she asked quietly, cracking the door open, peeking her head around the corner.

Lili was fast asleep, legs crossed, chin near-resting on her chest, stick of charcoal limp in her fingers, drawing partially begun, the sketchbook open on her lap. Gentle faint lines outlined two figures dancing together on the right page, another two standing far back on the left, lines creating tiles on the floor beneath the dancers.

The blonde jostled her shoulder lightly and Lili woke with a start. "Hm? Wot?"

Emma barely kept from snorting at the goatee of charcoal on Lili's chin. "It's morning, kid."

Her brow furrowed a little; she looked at the book in her lap, then up at Emma, her mind quickly catching up with events. The image in her head, she'd started drawing, fell asleep, and Emma woke her up. "Oh, good morning." She closed the book and set it against the wall, carefully unwrapping her legs, groaning quiet curses as they straightened. "Please remind me never to sleep with my legs crossed again," she muttered.

"Don't fall asleep with your legs crossed," Emma said, a small smile on her face as she held out a hand.

Lili rolled her eyes, taking the sheriff's hand, and together they managed to get her up off the floor. She rolled her head back and to the sides as Emma left; Lili's eyes closed, a small breath of relief eased out of her lungs, various pops and cracks sounding in the bathroom. She rolled her shoulders and stretched her arms up, flexing the muscles in her legs before bowing over to touch her toes, finishing up her stretches by leaning back as far as she could, a couple more pops easing her spine. She sighed as she straightened, picking up her book. "That's a bit better, anyway." Her shoulders and neck were still complaining; their aches would fade as the day went on. (She hoped.) She followed Emma out of the bathroom, feet scuffing slowly on the wood flooring as she turned out the light and set her book on the couch, taking her place between Killian and David.

"Get some good sleep?" Killian asked, spearing a piece of bacon with his hook before stuffing it into his mouth.

"Aye; you?"

"Lovely."

David cleared his throat, and Snow hid a smile as Lili greeted them. Her gaze flicked between them, and Killian, who always met her eyes steadfastly. ..A little too steadfastly. Emma took a sip of her water, eyes flicking to Lili and then the table. "Wot? Wot is it? Something on my face this morning?"

"You might wanna go check the mirror, love," Killian advised quietly.

She narrowed her eyes at him before getting up and pacing into the bathroom. How bloody outrageous! And no one had said anything. "Bahstards!" she called, and Killian choked on his coffee.

She slammed the door and grinned at her goateed reflection. She'd show them. She took out a charcoal stick that had been hiding in her pocket and drew in a fuller triangle on her chin, pulling her lips into her mouth as she drew on a mustache as well, the tips just touching the rounds of her cheeks. She grinned. Oh yes. This would show them.

She stuck the stick back in her pocket and washed her hands, regaining control of her mischievous glee, pulling on a serious expression, closing her eyes as she got into the mood she wanted before opening the door, letting it slam back against the wall. "Honestly, I know pirates who've better manners than you lot, not telling me when I've got something on my face! You ought to be ashamed of yourselves," she reprimanded, sitting down forcefully in her chair. Snorts and chokes spread around the table.

"Wot? Wot is it?? I demand to know why you all keep laughing at me, I cleaned off my face, I swear!"

Emma was laughing helplessly in her chair, tears running down her face. "You-you look just like 'im! In the movie!" she managed to get out.