An Isle's Advocate

Chapter 3

Meanwhile, miles away on the Isle of the Lost, Harry Hook strolls through the crooked doors of Ursula's Fish and Chips. He stops only long enough to drop his sword in the sword-check barrel then makes his way over to the front counter.

He crosses around to the employee's side without a care or ounce of shame, groping blindly underneath until his hand closes around the neck of a rum bottle.

He grins in triumph and turns it up, taking a swig just in time for Uma to come by and smack him over the back of the head. He promptly chokes on the swallow, glowering at his captain when she just gives him an unimpressed look.

"Stop stealing drinks from behind the bar, Harry," she tells him for the umpteenth time.

"Ah, but I needed it," he claims. "Yeh see, my own bottle has, regre'ably an' unstoppably, somehow, someway, gone empty."

Uma is still not impressed. "That's because you drank it," she says flatly as Gil makes his way over, leaning against the counter beside them.

"Yeh have no proof," Harry declares with a dramatic point.

"Hey!" Uma calls over her shoulder. Every member of her crew and most of the other customers immediately give her their attention. "Who here's seen Hook with a bottle today?" she asks.

"Which one?" someone calls back.

"Either," she shrugs. "Doesn't matter." Both Captain Hook and his son are known to have a certain affinity for rum that surpasses even most other pirates.

"I seen 'em both," a different voice answers. There's a scattered mutter of agreement throughout the restaurant.

Uma gives Harry a pointed look, one eyebrow raised. Rather than actually respond, he chooses to simply scrunch up his face and stick his tongue out in her direction, holding one middle finger up toward the customers as he does.

"You do drink a lot, Harry," Gil tells him. "Especially lately."

"He's not wrong," Uma admits.

"Actually, I think it really started a few months ago," Gil continues. Harry can't help but tense, knowing exactly where the conversation is going.

"Gil," Uma warns as she notices.

The blond keeps talking, oblivious as usual. "You know, after Hayden left for Auradon."

He's lucky Uma's reflexes are so fast as she reaches out and grabs Harry's wrist before he can swing the bottle.

"Cool it," she barks. He opens his mouth to argue and she just sends him a glare, silently reminding him not to question his captain's orders. Once she sees that her first mate is well and truly settled, at least as much as he ever is, she drops his arm and turns her attention back to Gil.

"Gil," she says sharply. He looks at her with big apologetic eyes. "You know you can't just go talking about you-know-who leaving," she continues.

He nods. "Right. Sorry, Uma." He looks sheepishly back at Harry. "Sorry, Harry," he adds.

Uma rolls her eyes at the two of them and turns around. She grabs a tray of food off the nearest table, glaring at the customer when he looks like he might actually protest, and drops it on the counter in front of Gil. "Here," she says. "Eat up."

With Gil sufficiently distracted, she looks at Harry, watching as he just mutters something incomprehensible under his breath and takes another drink.

She knows they probably need to talk about this, but she also knows there's almost no way that conversation can end well. "Harry..."

"I don' wanna talk 'bout it," he tells her. "'Sides, it don' matter anyway. My godling will be back 'fore we know it."