Starlight

03

"First question." Hook gestured his hand at her and waited, he watched her face turn serious as she tried to remember what it was, or just to start again. They made their way away from the wheel and towards his quarters, his office as it were where no doubt they'd get more privacy to converse and he could better asses whether this woman truly was someone to be trusted, or not.

"Why do you all look so serious?"

"New place. We've never been to Neverland before. Wouldn't you be serious looking too if you were in an unknown place?"

"I would." Aoife agreed with a nod, she couldn't really disagree there, she guessed. Not that she knew what that was like, she had been here for...how long now?

"Second question."

"What did Felix want?" This one caused her to frown, she was well adversed in how blunt and what Felix really meant by his words and actions. He was not a friend. He was a spy, someone to not be trusted who spoke with veiled words and half-truths.

"Oh, that fine young man?" Hook asked sarcastically, Aoife nodded. "What are we doing here? Are we going to be here long? Had the Shadow popped by yet? He's a very interesting albeit annoying boy. Very intruding, came aboard swanning about like he owned the place."

"Perish the thought of someone upstaging you in eccentrics."

"I am not eccentric." Hook commented with a sidelong look and a raised eyebrow.

"Why are you here?" Aoife asked sounding tired. "I mean," she rubbed her hands up and down her arms. "You're pirates. You can go wherever you want, you're not bound by limits, or rules and regulations. So why come here?" She didn't understand what could bring anyone here, well, she supposed she couldn't comment because here she was. Something clearly bought her here. But to come here willingly, odd, to her it was odd, yet again, she couldn't comment, could she?

"So much for not knowing about pirates, eh?" Hook kicked back in the chair he was sitting in. Through the open door a few crew members could be seen busying around doing their own thing. A few times Smee popped his head around the door frame to make sure they were both okay.

"But it's true, is it not?" Aoife crossed her legs in the chair she was sitting in. "Set sail and go wherever the wind takes you? So, how did your sails catch wind and you come sailing into Neverland?"

Hook admittedly had lied when he answered Felix. Thinking over it he looked at Aoife. "New beginnings." He answered simply. "How'd you come to be here?"

"I don't know." She rubbed her eyes, a quiet yawn coming from her lips again as she blinked rapidly to get her eyes to focus again.

Hook raised an eyebrow. "You don't know?" That seemed odd to him, he didn't understand how someone could go somewhere, appear in a destination and not understand or why they were there. Not unless they were blind stinking drunk, and somehow he got the feeling Aoife was definitely not that when coming here. It was a mystery, an uncertainty and Hook wasn't sure how he felt about that. Did she have memory loss? Was it something that crept in after being here for so long? Was him and his crew likely to suffer the same fate?

Aoife looked at him, her hands twiddling with ruined pieces of skirt as she shrugged loosely. "The Shadow takes people away from their homes. These people interest it, and it brings them here. It's ideal to begin with, you know? But it's a nightmare. Do you know what it is like to never grow old? Or to get sick? It's endless, Killian. I have very little memories of my previous life. From what I can remember, it isn't very nice. I was a neglected sickly child, my parents barely interacted with me. They feared whatever I had, they would get too. All I wanted was my mother, and she would not come near. And that will forever be one few memories which haunt me. The fear my own mother had. But I was left in a room, I do not know if they believed I would come out of there walking, or in a blanket to be prepared for my funeral. I never had the Shadow come after me. I ran away, and just when hope was lost I ended up here. Not sure how it happened, but it happened. I was no longer sick, I was healed and better." Aoife explained, her tone varying from heartbroken to serious. Once she had finished she stretched her arms and legs. "It's funny, in a pathetic way. I spent most of my life being ill. And now I'm all healed all I want to know is what it is like to feel...not ill, vulnerable? Not so healthy?" She frowned and scratched her head in thought. "Oh well! You'll know what I mean if you're here long enough." She stood and trotted towards the door. "One thing I do commend Neverland for though, is the night sky." Aoife looked over her shoulder as he walked slowly and joined her side. The look on his face was blank, for the most part apart from his eyes looking at her with new found respect, maybe? Even sympathy.

The dark sky had grown ever darker, the blanket of black seemed to shroud the rest of the surroundings in an eerie shadow. Small pinpricks in the sky glowed brightly. The stars in Neverland were different than the stars anywhere else. The layout pattern of them was different, they glowed with a bright intensity too. Every now and then one would shoot across the vast blackness of sky and leave a silvery streak in its wake. It was beautiful, silver streaks painting the sky with fleeting traces of bright light. Mesmerising in a way too.

Aoife grinned and darted out from the doorway. She seemed happy running about the deck twirling and looking up at the sky. She was odd, Hook was rather sure of that. Maybe even a little insane, but especially she came off lonely. Smee was sitting on a barrel looking up at the sky too before Aoife swamped him. "Please, Miss Aoife. Let me go." Smee pleaded while she pulled him to twirl around with her.

"Oh come on, Smee! At least look like you're trying." Hook called out to the smaller man. He couldn't help but lean against the door frame and smile at the sight. Poor Smee truly looked out of sorts while Aoife giggled and laughed, having a whale of a time.

Smee shot him a look before wriggling free from Aoife. She looked up at the sky. "Running with the stars is much better done on land. Your ship is too confining," she gave Hook a sidelong glance.

"I'm sorry for the inconvenience." He bowed slightly. Standing back up he leaned back against the door frame.

Aoife reached up and extended her fingers to the stars. Clenching her fist she smiled. "Gotcha." Slowly her arm fell back to her side. "You have the best view of the stars. On land visibility is pretty poor." Aoife said while pulling her cloak back on. It was just hanging on the rigging but she swiftly plucked it down.

"And where exactly do you call home, hm?"

"Are you thinking of dropping by for a house visit?" She commented with a smile while securing the cloak about her shoulders, she spared him a glance while she did so.

"Maybe, maybe I might just do that." Hook said while walking over to where Smee and Aoife stood.

She tied the thin cord of the cloak around her neck and shook her head slowly. "You going on land may not be wise." Aoife looked up at him. "For visits, it's easier for me to come here."

"Oh," Hook smiled and draped an arm around her shoulder while they walked to the side of the ship. "You planning on dropping by more often? You don't have to feel like you should. But if you want to, I will welcome you with open arms."

"I'm sure you shall." Aoife jumped up to sit on the wood. Crouching down she frowned lightly. "If the mermaids do reappear, please ignore them." She reaffirmed with a frown and a serious look.

"I give you my word, we shall ignore them." Hook smiled, speaking honestly and watching as she sighed, her shoulders slumping from the action.

Aoife tilted her head to the side and slowly jumped down. Hook frowned and leaned forwards, Aoife landed quietly in a small rowing boat. "What worth is a pirate's word?" She called up to him.

"It's whatever worth you want it to be, love!" Hook called back. Frowning lightly he watched as she slowly began to move away from the anchored ship. "Why didn't the mermaids try and get you? They hated you so much yet they let you be." He called out with a curious look accompanied with a frown as he leaned there watching her secure her oars and start to row.

Aoife pouted good-naturedly. "I'm not their type, remember? They're more into the leather clad pirate types!" She laughed as she drew further away, Hook laughed too. Shaking his head he moved away and back towards his cabin.

——

(Edited: 20/August/2020)