Heart of the Sea

Chapter 3 - Something New

Lili woke to the gentle swaying of the ship beneath her, her jaw cracked wide in a yawn. Her eyes snapped open. Someone had just come aboard. He was knocking on the hatch above. Well, more like banging.

"You up lass??" came the call.

"Go 'way!!" she hollered, turning over. Just five more minutes. Please. That's all she'd ever wanted. "C'you not give me five more minutes?? This once??" she called up.

"My apologies, lass. I was to inform you that Snow wanted to take you shopping! I'll be going now!"

She growled in irritation. Sleep. Or free clothes. ....She sighed. "Hold on a bloody minute." She groaned again before she flicked the covers back and slipped into her pants, pulling her overshirt on and then her boots, not bothering with socks. Or a jacket. She didn't care this morning. Hairband? She'd carry it with her, just in case. She tromped up the stairs.

"I apologize for waking you, lass. I thought you were up."

"Yeah, well, I've taken to later hours now that I don't have to be up at the bloody arsecrack of dawn." She noticed the sincerity in his eyes, the twinge of pain at the accusation. (He knew he'd been a strict captain, but he hadn't thought he'd been that bad.)

She hopped up onto the pier, scratching at the back of her head. "Lead the way, Captain." Lead the way he did, and the silence between them was just a wee bit hostile.

"I really am sorry, lass."

"Don't apologize, you didn't know," she sighed. "I dunno if you ever noticed, but I'm not exactly the morning type. I'm near always grumpy when I first get up."

"Duly noted, lass. I shall be sure to soften my wake-up calls then, if there are to be any in the future." A smile flickered over his lips, and she was struck with the interest, the curiosity at what being woken up gently was like. It had always been yells or banging, or she'd started awake herself, whether out of self-defense (later in life), or from a nightmare, or a sixth sense that he was in need of her assistance. (After a few decades, she'd begun to sense it from his mood before he went to bed, and her ears had grown accustomed to the creaking of his cabin through the thin boards that separated it and the galley where she'd slept; she would wake when she heard him move.)  They climbed the stairs to the loft at the same pace, and Killian knocked before opening the door for her. She nodded to him before stepping in, taking in her surroundings. The table and chairs, the stairs, the bookshelves. "Bit of a downgrade from a cahstle, eh?" she commented.

"Better suited for a family," Snow replied, picking Neal up out of his bassinet.

"That's debatable," David muttered.

Lili's eyebrow rose, smirking a little at the disagreement. Apparently it wasn't always happily ever after with royalty. "While I am flattered that you thought it necessary to buy my clothes, I'm not quite sure I understand your reasoning, love."

"Well, you're Killian's daughter, aren't you? That practically makes you family, and members of this family ought to own at least more than one outfit."

Snow handed the boy to his father while Lili tried to formulate a response. One outfit had done her quite well over the years! Much easier than carrying around a bunch of extra clothing. She opened her mouth to argue, but Snow held up a finger. "Nono. You don't get to argue this time," she decided, grabbing her purse. "I know it's different in our world, and one outfit is great for travelling, but in this world, fashion is key."

Lili's eyebrow shot up and she looked at her father, wondering if a bloody queen was actually trying to boss her around, or if she was just dreaming.