i remember kisses

@slightlymisled

James "Slightly" Zhao | 27 | Musician

33 posts

an appeased sparkle shone itself in the elder's eyes, tilting his head to the side as amusement encompassed his features. ❛ noted, ❜ hook replied, informing the other he understood what was being implied, opting not to push or comment further on it for the sake of not scaring him off. ❛ regardless of what you do for me, i do request you keep our partnership to yourself, ❜ hook said casually, shrugging his shoulders as if it wasn't a tall ask or a heavily loaded request. hook didn't want to risk loosing his eyes into pan's world due to the jabbering mouth of a frivolous lost boy. the captain wanted to use slightly, and the man was no use to him if he suddenly recalled their prior relationship.

❛ i don't offer products in exchange for favors often and i don't want word that i'm doing it for you getting out. a man still has to make a living outside of his partnerships, ❜ hook opted to inform him, wanting to provide somewhat of an explanation for his request so the other wouldn't go digging into the whys and how-comes of hook's request. nodding, hook reached into his back pocket and retrieved his wallet, pulling out one of the few business cards before extending it to the man. ❛ this is my business card. the number on there runs to a landline in my office — stop by and your earliest convenience and i'll have some things i need done ready for you. sound like a deal ?? ❜

Slightly nodded. He could definitely keep a secret. "Yeah, no biggie. I don't really have a lot of people to tell." And the people he could tell...would probably make fun of him for helping out an old guy in an old shop. No, this would be a secret for as long as he could keep it one, that was for sure. Besides, when he turned up with better instruments out of nowhere, it would be fun to see them wonder why and not get to know. Just like he didn't get to know.

"Oh, for sure. Plus I can't have the stuff I want sniped." He spoke like he was confident, like this was something he'd done before, even though that was so far from the truth it was going to make his head spin later. Oh well. People loved to say 'fake it till you make it', so he might as well start faking. As long as a Wendy didn't wander in to tell everyone how much he was actually faking, he'd be fine. So when the man offered his card, Slightly took it, flipping it over like he'd seen people do before. "A landline? Old school," he remarked, without malice. "But uh, yeah. For sure...And thank you." Had to remember his manners, when a job was on the line.

Her eyes softened a bit at his response. There was something about his behavior that was new and yet all too familiar. Zarina sighed, internally coaxing herself to push the breaks on her standoffish habits. Besides, she wasn't aligned with James and the pirates anymore... so she didn't really have to project the crew's rage they had towards the lost boys anymore. Hell, if anyone was lost here it was her. She was practically just a spare piece of driftwood floating off to nowhere at this point.

"No..? Not particularly. Not since your usual ruckus in Neverland, I guess. Although even then I wouldn't say any of you were intentionally trying to piss me off, right?" Zarina offered a half-hearted chuckle as her tone of voice began to change, dropping the edge it had before. She subconsciously fidgeted with her fingertips, her eyes flickering around his form as she tried to place what felt off with this conversation.

Usual ruckus in Neverland....He couldn't think of anything they'd done there that was worse than normal. Had they had a rager at the karaoke bar without him? Damn. Go figure. Slightly sighed, unable to help himself on that particular front at the moment.

"Oh, no. I think Hook's the only one we'd try with," he replied confidently. Or at least, that was the case with him. "I'm apparently really good at pissing people off without trying, though. One of my many talents." It was a joke and it wasn't. "Sorry for them, though. Whatever they did. And sorry for whatever I did, since I'm apologizing." And maybe now things were sort of on an even ground, or at least she wouldn't get mad at him for something he didn't remember doing.

"Is that all?" Deciding at once to put it to the test, Dennis attempted this but, much to his surprise, he actually started to walk the way he was pretending to go. Stopping, he started again, but his legs then just led him backwards, which also was not quite what he was attempting to do. Freezing again, he looked down at his feet. "Uh... more practice!" He decided with a nod.

Slightly slapped a hand over his mouth to hold back a laugh. That would've been mean, and he wasn't being mean right now. He didn't know this guy well enough. "I mean, that wasn't bad? Legs are weird man, it's definitely all about practice. That's why dancers are so cranky all the time. It's from all the practice." And the ballet shoes squeezing their toes. At least, that's what he figured. He'd be cranky in those stupid shoes, too.

hook's lips tilted upwards at the other's inquiry, a soft chuckle sounding from him as his hands found refuge in the front pockets of his pants; ❛ no need to concern yourself with specifics, it's nothing of the illegal sort if that's your hesitation. ❜ the information may be shady, almost threatening, but nothing illegal. not at first, at least. hook was pleased at the statement of certainty that came from slightly after a moment of doubt, nodding his head, evidently pleased. ❛ wonderful. i may also take you up on sweeping if one of the pricier pieces i have catches your eye, ❜ hook offered, figuring it would be useful to have slightly as nearby as possible. the more time the younger spent with him, the less time that could be spent figuring out who hook truly was. slightly's naivety was going to prove itself to be far more useful than hook had anticipated. ❛ now, are you familiar with my antique shop across town ?? you know where it is ?? ❜

Slightly hummed quietly to himself, thinking. Honestly, legal and illegal didn't matter to him much, as long as he wasn't caught doing anything illegal, but...illegal would mean he'd be more likely to get drawn into things. Oh well. It wasn't like he had anything else to do, and maybe this would be more fun than just sort of being useless. "No, it's just...That's not a deep end I should jump into," he finally said. And that should make it clear that he could get to the deep end eventually. Just not at first.

"Oh, yeah. Cool. I mean, I could do other stuff, too, not just sweeping." He'd run through enough odd jobs that he could slog his way through just about any boring work task, even if he never wanted to. Sweeping had just been his first thought. "And uh...yeah. I'm familiar." Slightly usually gave that part of town a wide berth because of Hook, but...surely he wouldn't bother with just one guy going into a store with a bunch of old junk.

Crossing her arms and raising a brow, Zarina studied his reaction. She was bracing herself for some sort of childish wisecrack she had grown accustomed to whenever the pirates clashed with the lost boys back in Neverland; but it never came. Instead, his body language seemed to close and his eyes looked like they were searching his mind for something. When an apology fell from his lips, surprise bloomed on her features followed by a look of confusion. Did she hear him right?

His response was definitely not what Zarina was expecting. For a moment she wondered if she had mistaken him for someone else... but it was definitely Slightly. Even if it was weird seeing him in such normal attire, he still responded to the name. Confirmed it even. Her eyes narrowed as she shifted her weight to her hip. "Are you okay? Why are you acting strange?" Choosing to ignore his comment about her book, Zarina's questions started the pour before she could stop herself. Taking a look over her shoulder, she didn't see any other lost boys around. They were always together in Neverland. "Where's the rest of your usual suspects?"

Strange? Was he acting strange? Well, that was just great to know... Slightly sighed, running a hand through his hair and trying to correct himself to start acting 'right' again, whatever that was. And no, he wasn't okay, that's why he was out here playing music alone, but he wasn't about to say that to some...well, not this stranger. She was kind of scary. "I'm fine," he grumbled, suddenly feeling very defensive and well...lost.

His brows furrowed when she asked about 'the usual suspects', and assumed she could only mean the other guys he was hanging around with. "Not here, clearly," he replied, and though it was supposed to have some venom in it, Slightly thought he just sounded sort of sad. Yeah, so there was this lady and she was angry with him for some reason and now she was reminding him all his friends were too busy for him. Lovely. "Why, did one of them piss you off, or something? I don't know where they are."

goob drummed his fingers on the respective covers of his book, drawing the skin of his inner cheek between his teeth to bite back some rude, misplaced, moody comment that the stranger did close to nothing to deserve. ❛ this girl that likes to.... yell at you ?? ❜ goob repeated, eyes flickering around the library, half expecting to see the likes of vidia but then reminding himself she likely wouldn't be caught dead here. or maybe she would, that woman was ... a mystery to him. goob stiffened at the small talk, clearing his throat. ❛ classics, ❜ he replied, mourning the loss of his alone-ness, shifting his weight in his chair uncomfortably. ❛ complicated is certainly a word for them. ❜

Slightly saw the signs of irritation and felt his throat close up a little. He hadn't meant to be that annoying, especially not right off the bat. That figured, though. "Uh-huh. One of them," he confirmed, looking away from the guy and back at the book, biting his lip. "Lots of people like to yell at me, I think," he confessed over the top of the bit of classic literature in his hands, now feeling a little awkward. Honestly, this guy probably wanted to yell at him, too. "Oh, right that's...that would explain the language. And tiny font." Well, this was almost as embarrassing as being yelled at in a quiet public library. "Um...sorry for bugging you, dude. I really will leave you alone soon."

hook offered the man a half-smile in response to the joke that fell flat, a sound resembling a laugh coming as he pushed air through his nostrils and forced it out. hook let the weight of his offer linger between them, wondering just how much he could get out of the truly lost boy before they went crying back to their loyal puppet-master. which strings could hook cut to lessen peter's control on him ?? clearly, the magic of this town had tampered with his memory... or he really was just a foolish as hook always found the gaggle of boys peter kept to be. ❛ your money holds no value to me, slightly,❜ hook assured with a tilt of the head, predator inspecting prey, and almost wicked gleam in his eyes as he smiled. ❛ errands... now that's an offer. i'm looking to branch out my business ventures, but many people in this town find me to be... ❜ hook grabbed at the air, searching for the word. ❛ — intimidating. it'd be much easier to get information if there was a.... friendlier, more approachable face requesting it, don't you think ?? ❜

Slightly held his guitar to his chest, seeking out any little bit of comfort in a very new situation. He was very aware that he didn't know how to act, and didn't want James to decide that Slightly was just...nothing. He was already so close to nothing that he was surprised the conversation had even gone so long, and ended with an interesting offer. Information... Well, he'd always been one to learn, even if he was very bad at it. As bad as he was at almost everything else. Almost shyly, he forced himself to sit up straight again. "What, uh...kind of information?" he asked quietly, hoping it wasn't too complicated or he'd just mess it up and be nowhere and with no new guitar. "I might be able to do that..." And he knew it was going to be something weird, because knowledge never bought him comfort before. He would just have to put up with it. He was just realizing how few options he felt that he had. No way Peter was going to get him something. He was on his own again. Maybe he'd always end up being on his own. "I mean. Yeah, I can do that."

"Parents," Dennis spoke in agreement, assuming they were on the same page with the face the other guy made. Though he loved his parents and he did miss them being here, so far away from home, he was... relieved, to not have to put on a facade for them or any of his family any longer. His cousin was the only person he never felt he had to be human or vampire enough for, he could just be Dennis. "You got me there. If I even thought about trying to moonwalk, I'd probably land on my ass."

Absently, Slightly hoped that this guy managed to get through whatever was going on with his parents. He was sure it was complicated, because everything he'd ever heard about parents was complicated, but...he hoped things would be okay. Even if he couldn't have a family, he always hoped that people who did would turn out alright. "Ahh, moonwalking isn't actually as hard as everyone thinks. It's just pretending to walk one way and actually going the other." Slightly said it with such confidence that anyone walking by might think he could actually moonwalk. He couldn't.

open starter: @evermorehqsstart !! location: the library

goob was slouched down in his seat, book propped up on the table, though his eyes were making no sense of the words. his head felt so god damn clouded lately he couldn't seem to be making much sense of anything. even his own company was exhausting because who the hell was he anyways ?? goob was knocked out of his trance when the chair across from him was pulled back, and he looked up, scrunching his brows; ❛ oh, actually that seat is — ❜ he started, a well rehearsed lie on the tip of his tongue, but then they were sitting down and he sighed, slouching back down once more. ❛ — taken by you, apparently. ❜

Slightly shot the guy a toothy smile as he plopped down in the chair, more of a chimpanzee warning smile than an actual one. "Yeah, hey, sorry, I know, so annoying," he said as a sort of apology, grabbing one of the stranger's books off the table and holding it in front of his face, slouching down. "I think I saw this girl that likes to yell at me, so just. I'll be gone soon." After he was done explaining himself, Slightly actually took in what he was using as a shield. "Oh, damn, this looks complicated, what are we reading?" he asked, peeking over the top at the sloucher, and then looking around for safety measures.

#chat: goob #hello hope this is acceptable

kristoff, without turning fully around, turned his head so he could just barely catch the other in his peripheral, offering a light hearted laugh. ❛ uh-huh, super easy though. see those silver notches on either side of the boot?? you cross the laces then hook them through there, cross them again and hook 'em, so on and so forth til you reach the top.❜ the man offered as guidance, waiting until the other announced they were finished to turn around. holding out his hands, the man grinned; ❛ — look at that !! they look great.❜

Slightly looked at the hand he was offered, and only took it after a moment of hesitation. "Thanks," he said with a bright smile. Not only had the guy been nice in the first place, but he'd also even helped Slightly up. Not even a single 'psych'. That was refreshing. Except then he remembered what he was supposed to be doing. "Uh. Hm. Guess I gotta actually get on the ice now, huh." He honestly hadn't been expecting to get this far. Or maybe he thought he'd get this far and just be a prodigy, which...clearly wasn't happening. "Sorry in advance if I like...smash my nose on your ground or whatever," he offered.

#chat: kristoff

Once the second ear plug went in though, her feeling about the whole situation shifted. She couldn't annoy him and assert her dominance with cutting words if he couldn't hear her. What was the point? This whole thing was spiraling into pieces and Vidia didn't have the energy to make it worth her time, taking a step back towards the door as he moved closer. "Duct tape? Do I look like a handyman? You're so fucking weird. I'd say good luck with all that but I really don't care." Rolling her eyes, the brunette gave him one last look before heading out the door, already trying to forget the unfortunate interaction. Even more unfortunate was that the guy was kind of hot but he was way too weird.

Slightly couldn't help but laugh when he saw the devastation on her face that his second ear plug had brought. "Huh?" he said, way too loudly one last time before she started walking away. Unable to help himself, he burst into a laughing fit, sitting on the ground to fix his shoe. "Oh man," he giggled, "bye I guess." He waved a goodbye, and took out one of his ear plugs, assuming she was done for now. Well, it was good to know that he hadn't completely lost his 'annoy girls' ability. It came in so much handy when they were mean. Maybe it would work the next time he needed it to.

hook raised his brows at the moniker's explanation, but nodded his head, opting not to comment in a critical manner that may turn off the other's honesty. ❛ peculiar, but intriguing, ❜ the man offered with a shrug of his shoulders. hook didn't dare give up his nickname, which he just so happened to adopt as his surname; one thath ad been bestowed upon him by his crew for the hooked knife he was known to carry around and use as a means of ... persuasion.

upon seeing the other's features light up at the instruments, hook allowed a knowing smile to grace his features; ❛ really, and they're quite beautiful. a shame i still have them in stock. ❜ an idea began to whirl in the man's head, and he tilted it, weighing the options in his mind. ❛ i will admit, i do have them marked rather high... but, perhaps we can negotiate something. i am a business man, after all, and i'd much rather they find a home where they will be appreciated. ❜

Slightly looked away for a moment, just to give himself something to do. "Yeah, very peculiar," he admitted. Not like the others didn't have stupid nicknames, too, but...well, at least some of theirs made more sense than his. Trying not to think about it too hard, he turned back to the other James. "I would probably just be James, but. It's usually already taken," he joked, even though it sounded a little lame to even his ears.

He bit his lip thinking about a new guitar. Slightly really would like a new one, considering this one was not just old, but getting worn. "Uh...yeah, I mean. Even if you can't mark them down I could...save up somehow? It might take a while, but I wouldn't get one from someone else, at least?" That was the best he could offer at the moment. He was barely paying his bills as it was. "Or maybe. I dunno, I could run some errands or something? Sweep the floor at your shop? Nobody likes sweeping."

hook, scrunching his brows, looked down at his hands — splaying his fingers out to observe them before tucking them back into his coat pockets. longer fingers, huh ?? a lilt of a smirk showcased itself on his lips, and he nodded his head; ❛ a good name for, no doubt, a good man... though, i must say, slightly is quite the nickname. tell me, how'd you get a moniker like that ?? ❜ oh, this was too fun. hook had heard whispers of evermore's boarders wiping memories but...to have a victim of such a curse be one of peter's most loyal pets ?? this all was proving itself to be too easy. ❛ pleasure is mine. you know, i actually think i've got a few guitars like that in stock at my shop — some of them are collectables, if i'm not mistaken. ❜ hook mused, taking a hand out of his pocket to scratch at his chin, as if considering something. ❛ they've been on the shelf for a while. can't seem to find them a proper home... ❜

Slightly felt himself flush. The real reason he was called Slightly was stupid, and he wasn't going admit to it, so he was just going to go with his tried and true backup lie. "It's just what my friends decided. Probably because I'm always slightly something," he replied with a shrug. "Slightly wrong, slightly stupid, slightly...short. Whatever applies." Honestly, they probably did think all that, so it was most likely just as true as the tag on his baby clothes that said 'slightly soiled'. Stupid, stupid, accurate nickname.

Luckily, his thoughts were drawn away by the image of shiny new guitars. His was...a good little guitar, but not anything fancy. "Oh, really?" he asked, fully interested. "I'd offer to take them but uh...pretty sure they'd be out of my price range." Once upon a time he'd think about stealing them, but he wasn't good at anything like that anymore.

Honestly, Vidia hated him for that but at the same time there was a small part of her that respected him so overtly putting an ear plug in his ear right in front of her. That was bold. But the confidence of the move hardly matched the - whatever this was in front of her. There was no clear answer as to why she was still hanging around in here, boredom maybe? That always got the best of her, hell, it was the reason she'd gotten trapped in Evermore to begin with. Eyes fell to his grin before falling further to watch as he went for his shoe. "Ew, what the hell? You know, if you were actually talented at the guitar, you wouldn't have to fall back on being disgusting for attention."

Oh, so she was gonna continue her sass, then. Well, two could play that game. Still untying his shoe with one hand, he fished out a second earplug and put it in. "Huh? What was that? You're gonna have to speak up if you don't want a sock in your mouth!" Slightly warned, much louder than was strictly necessary as he yanked his shoe off. The benefits of matching energy apparently included allowing himself to be a nuisance. This was fun! Smirking, he stood, and took a step towards her. "For real, hold still, I'll fix our problems! Do you have duct tape on you?"

#chat: vidia #unfortunately she has triggered the annoying reflex

"Parents should let their kids decide," he spoke softly, not at all projecting his own experiences into his comment. Well, okay, maybe a little. But he knew what it was like to feel like he was disappointing the people that raised him, and it wasn't really... fair, to put that pressure on kids. Even if choosing an instrument wasn't that deep. He didn't mind scary himself, but he supposed Slightly was right; not everyone grew up surrounded by the things that went bump in the night. "Play or win?" Dennis clarified, though he was mostly joking. He could pull a medium. As long as he had time to practice. He was quick at learning. "I've never tried DJ Hero, who knows, maybe it's my hidden talent."

Slightly wasn't sure if he was supposed to hear that bit about parents, but he definitely heard it and definitely agreed, so he nodded. "Yeah. Parents are..." Slightly cut himself off, making a face. He didn't actually know what parents were, did he? No. No he did not. The closest he'd ever gotten to having one was a bossy girl, and he didn't care much for that at all. "Parents," he finished half-heartedly, before forcing himself to make the conversation fun again. "Oh, just play. You can't win music...unless you're like...Michael Jackson or something. But you don't look like you're Michael, so you don't have to worry about winning." There. Back to the jokes, that was much better.

the pirate captain looked down upon the other with a gleam in his eye, amusement painted on features as the other continued to observe him — no gleam of familiarity seeming to cross their face. the reassurance was amusing, causing the corner of his lips to tilt upwards, not saying much in reply. how fascinating this was !! peter was truly doing an impeccable job of keeping his obedient mutts on their leashes, now wasn't he ??

❛ piano hands... ❜ the man mused, a dry chuckle coming in response, a limp shrug of the shoulders coming shortly after. ❛ —perhaps i might. ❜ his tongue slid along his lower lip, like a wild beast licking it's jowls, and his gaze seemed to flash with potential; ❛ my name is james, ❜ he introduced, leaving out his last name entirely. the surname had become almost a moniker, and testing the other's memory would come in time. for now, james knew his first name was safer, and having a name established some social means of connection— the more information he could get before his identity was made known, the better. ❛ — are you new to the town ?? ❜

Again, Slightly had to wonder what exactly seemed to be making this guy so...pleased? Was that the word? It couldn't possibly be meeting him, because...well, nobody was ever that pleased to know Slightly. It just didn't happen. Slightly just hoped nothing happened to his guitar, if things got weird.

"Mmhm, like...longer fingers." He glanced at the guys hands. Yeah, piano hands. Though, now that he thought about it, Slightly was sure some piano player out there must have tiny hands. He was brought back from his distracted thoughts by the name, catching his attention. James. Huh. What a coincidence. "Oh, I'm James, too! But everyone calls me Slightly," he replied with a smile. "And nah, I've been around for a while, but uh..." He shrugged, his grin dropping for just a moment. "I'm not exactly a stand out, so..." Slightly shook his head minutely, trying to get his stupid thoughts in order. "It's nice to meet you, though."

"Me? Oh gosh no. Wait that is a lie. I play a mean harmonica. Don't ask me the origin story though, because it's a little pathetic." In Anna that normally meant that she picked up one too many weird habits while living in isolation since her sister had shut her out for most of her life, but that wasn't really something to just tell to a stranger. She was sort of picking up that her childhood was a little bit traumatic. "I've always wanted to learn guitar though! I just...really love music. And the arts in general! My gosh I'm like a kid at a candy store when I can get myself near some art."

If he hadn't been smiling already, he would've started when she mentioned the harmonica. Sure, he mostly kept one on him as a joke, but it was always fun to find someone who played a more offbeat instrument, no matter the reason. "Oh, I can play harmonica a little, too! Mostly just for like...joke reasons, but. That's cool!" And he meant it. "Ah, yeah, I'm trying to get to where I can make some money playing stuff. I'll be honest, all the ones that I'm the best at aren't exactly...marketable. So I'm trying to get better at guitars. I figure once I can figure this one out, I'll be ready to ask people to pay me." Slightly took a second to shake his fingers out, thinking. "D'you wanna try playing something? I can show you something basic, then you can say you can play."

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