a crocodile clinks doubloons on a sandy beach [[Runa]]
Mar 18, 2021 13:13:14 GMT -5
Post by hoodwink on Mar 18, 2021 13:13:14 GMT -5
Seeing Tori pat over her belongings caused Henoke to raise an eyebrow for a moment, standing with his Keyblade raised to allow them sight in the dark cavern they paused in. ”Ah…I guess Izzy did hand me over a bit…” Hearing how Tori hadn’t been pulling his leg, but had totally forgotten the fact that she was even the reason they had had the dust to get to Skull Rock in the first place caused Henoke to visibly stagger and fall over from sheer surprise and disbelief. "WHAT?!” The Keyblade’s light waned and faltered as the weapon clattered, quick to reappear in the teens hand as he recollected himself and got back to his feet. ”Tch—how hard’d that shadow hit ya?” With a tone mixed with exasperation, annoyance and concern, Henoke shook his head before rolling his eyes, stomping down the messy pathways lined between the treasure horde while Tori prepared the dust.
Once making their way through the dark cavern and treasure horde labyrinth (aided by Tori’s guidance and Henoke’s ‘light’ trick), the two would emerge at the mouth of Skull Rock, bright sunlight and clear skies shining from above. The heavy clouds and thunder from before were gone—though it seemed the spiky and dangerous cragged rocks were just part of the natural scenery—as was the massive skull-shape rock that formed the cavern within. Squinting in the sudden daylight, Henoke grinned as he noticed the change, his heart feeling lighter than before—though he hadn’t realized a weight had been on it. While Tori showered them each in enough Fairy Dust to allow them to hover and fly, both teens would slowly raise from the sandy and rocky shores into the sky, preparing to venture back towards the Swamps where they had sent the pirates beforehand. ”Huh? What’s that?”
In the distance, blurred by the bright sun and horizon line of the sea, was something coming towards them. Capping a hand over his eyes to shadow his vision, Henoke’s gaze widened in surprise as he staggered in the air. ”Wait, is that—?!” Sure enough, though it was further out in the water, Bucky’s sails flapped in the gentle ocean breeze, a flapping green parrot visible as their faint squawk could be heard even at this distance. It seemed the pirates had finished talking with the Crocodiles, having come out to check in on the situation. Flying higher above the jagged rocks littering the shoreline, Henoke shouted out and waved a hand—unsure if they’d be able to hear over the ocean waves and the breeze. ”Yooo, over here! We did it!” Turning towards Tori, the teen grinned. ”Let’s go meet up with ‘em!” Clearly, Henoke was eager to fly—though truthfully it was a sound idea, considering the fact there was no way Jake would be able to dock Bucky close to the island with all of the natural obstacles in the water.
In the distance, blurred by the bright sun and horizon line of the sea, was something coming towards them. Capping a hand over his eyes to shadow his vision, Henoke’s gaze widened in surprise as he staggered in the air. ”Wait, is that—?!” Sure enough, though it was further out in the water, Bucky’s sails flapped in the gentle ocean breeze, a flapping green parrot visible as their faint squawk could be heard even at this distance. It seemed the pirates had finished talking with the Crocodiles, having come out to check in on the situation. Flying higher above the jagged rocks littering the shoreline, Henoke shouted out and waved a hand—unsure if they’d be able to hear over the ocean waves and the breeze. ”Yooo, over here! We did it!” Turning towards Tori, the teen grinned. ”Let’s go meet up with ‘em!” Clearly, Henoke was eager to fly—though truthfully it was a sound idea, considering the fact there was no way Jake would be able to dock Bucky close to the island with all of the natural obstacles in the water.
As the two would close the distance over the ocean, flying over calm and relaxing waves in clear skies, Bucky and Skully’s voice would be the first to greet them. ”SQUAWK! It’s Tori and the trouble-maker!” The parrot’s jab caused Henoke to zig-zag temporarily, making an indignant face while shouting a curse at the bird and shaking a fist. ”Oh, both of you are okay!” Bucky’s face, visible from the front of the ship, was beaming with a wide smile and bright eyes. Though one might find it weird to see a face on a ship, it hardly gave Henoke any discomfort, after his time with Chip and the others. ”Ahoy, mateys!” Having run over to the bow of the ship, Jake waved their captain’s hat with a broad grin. Surprisingly, a young boy wearing rabbit furs popped out from behind him, followed suit by one in fox furs and skunk furs as well. It seemed some of the Lost Boys had come with them! Heh—they’re gettin’ along fine, now… Flying with Tori down to the deck of the ship and landing on the hardwood, the two would be greeted by the rest of the crew.
”Welcome back!” Izzy shouted out in relief, clearly having been worried as she ran forward to wrap Tori and Henoke into a quick yet surprisingly powerful hug for a girl her age and size. ”We handled the Crocs easy enough, so we figured we’d come check up on ya.” Jake walked to the main deck from the bow, followed suit by energetic and bounding Lost Boys, who were quick to surround Henoke and pelt him with questions. ”What was Skull Rock like?!” “Did you fight crazy monsters?!" "Is everything done now?!” It seemed only Fox, Skunk and Rabbit had come with the pirates, the rest of the Lost Boys returning home finally. Henoke was quick to push them away, shouting over their questions with a look of irritation—though the bond he’d formed with the boys was clear on all of their hearts. ”Back off! Quit botherin’ me! If ya wanted ta know, ya shoulda came!” Groaning and yelling in protest, the boys began to push at the teen, threatening to throw them overboard if he didn’t answer. It was clear that they knew about Henoke’s disliking of water.
”Tch—that’s it!” With a yell, Henoke lunged forward, causing the Lost Boys to scatter and shout before laughing out and running all over the ship—the hotheaded teen in pursuit with shaking fists. ”Ha ha! Everyone’s feeling better, by the looks of it~” Cubby chimed in, having watched the scene from a short distance, smiling happily. Clearly, the navigator was also one of the more calm young ones in Neverland. ”Heh—so, ya both did it, huh?” Jake crossed their arms, giving Tori a knowing look. ”We didn’t get bothered by any monsters on our way here.” It seemed the young captain had already pieced the events together, having brought them all here to say goodbyes, rather than making Tori and Henoke deal with the crowd that would await them if they went to the Swamps. Something told Jake that the two teens wouldn’t appreciate the ‘feast’ waiting for them like the Crocodiles thought they would (I mean, have you seen what crocodiles eat?).
”So, now you can really enjoy Neverland!” Izzy beamed, seemingly oblivious to the things her captain had picked up on already. ”SQUAWK! We’ve got our own adventures to go on now, kiddo!” Skully swooped in, landing on Tori’s shoulder while chastising Izzy. ”Y’know, we didn’t get a single doubloon from any o’ this! We got catchin’ up to do, SQUAWK!” Despite their outer portrayal, it was clear that Skully was working to prepare Izzy and Cubby for the inevitable goodbye that he and Jake foresaw. "That's right, Izzy." Jake winked at Tori, resting his hands on his hips before flashing his crew-mate a stern look. "She may be a friend, and a pro at slaying monsters—but she's not a pirate." Grinning, Jake tipped his hat at the spirit with a teasing look in his eye. "'Sides, landlubbers get sick at sea."