#*dialogue : thread.

[lowetyde]

@exiled-eyes :: CLOSED STARTER !

the full moon's glow melted across the ocean's rippling surface, foam intertwining with its soft reflection. serene calm existed in that space between sky and sea. however, further down, creatures of fin and fang stirred. under the cover of dark, a serpent slithered. scales of sea-glass. milky skin. eyes like the ocean, cold and unforgiving. marlowe moved with a strength he'd not displayed in months. it had been only a few weeks since the return of divine ianthe, yet, in that short time, his power had been renewed. the merman was free to hunt, to lead, unflinchingly by her side.

his tail whipped impatiently as he circled the black waters in wait, when finally, patience taut, the target of his affairs tumbled onto his side of the chessboard. a rowboat's bow pierced the salty surface, followed by the hull and two feverish oars paddling with haste toward the grandiose pirate ship anchored less than half a mile from shore. marlowe shot forward with the swiftness of a harpoon. the muscles in his tail were tense with excitement.

however, marlowe had underestimated the strength of this single oarsman. the boat was nearly halfway between land and ship in the couple minutes it took him to reach its old, wooden underside. the creature wasted no more time. he spiraled downward into the deep; then, when not even arm's length from the sandy floor, he snapped his tail in one swift motion and flew back in direction of the stars. arms pinned to his side, marlowe rammed directly against the keel, sending the rowboat swaying dangerously. he threw himself against it again, but, lacking the momentum of his first assault, it still refused to capsize.

moving out from under the rocking rowboat, he slowly began to circle it with the virulence of a shark. rolling onto his back, a head of blonde curls emerged from the shaken waves, followed by a webbed hand curled against the capping's edge. " tsk tsk, someone's in such a hurry. won't you stay a while, my dear ? " he tugged with might and the boat rocked and rocked and rocked.

[lowetyde]

@fortunefavorcd​ :: continued from HERE.

pirates were a perplexing breed. some were so easy to twist around his fingers, melting their hearts like goo in his palm with the simplest of sweet words or empty promises. others, like this one, had far too much cleverness about them. a careful caution that’d surely been cultivated over years of disappointment or betrayal. 

“ oh, don’t go being a spoil-sport. “     , marlowe pouted. still, his tail snapped, pushing him a few feet from the shore. maybe some distance would ease her apprehension over his company.     “ i am a bit biased, but i believe merfolk make for the best company. just ask your nine-fingered friend . . . they linger these waters often enough to call the lagoon a second home. “     a bit of an exaggeration, but surely even she knew how often cecco found themselves where ( or with those ) they should not be.

“ what do your myths say of mermen ? hopefully they sing of our goodwill, for i am not like my conniving, cruel sisters. in fact, i pride myself as a collector of knowledge rather than souls. come closer, and i’ll share some. lost boys, pan, pirates. friend or foe. won’t you come swim with me ? dive into my chest of secrets. “

[wndybyrd]

@banditnate :: continued from HERE.

delicate hands planted firmly atop her hips—a far less commanding stance than the one bandit took, towering over her—the girl’s crescent-moon frown flipped upwards into a slight smirk. he was too easy to bait, maintaining an ego that rivaled peter’s at times. 

even as the lost boy tilted in, his imposing frame casting a shadow over her, she kept her feet flat upon the floor, unyielding. he did not frighten her, not really. not always. wendy had witnessed the way bandit frolicked around peter, hungry for the boy-king’s praise. he may have thought himself a wolf, grinning meanly at her to show off his sharp teeth, but all wendy saw was an eager puppy. eager to prove. eager to please. 

“ you don’t know how to behave. “     it was a blunt remark, playing into the motherly act he’d thrown at her mockingly. wendy had earnestly done her best to be a good caretaker for these lost boys ( as she had once before with the first boys ) but no amount of nurturing or affectionate could win them over. it seemed they’d outgrown the need for a mother.     “ do you remember what happens to naughty boys who don’t behave in the ‘other place’ ? they’re forced to take medicine. it’s sickly sweet yet vile all at once. a sticky stuff that clings to your tongue and clogs in your throat. “

“ but the worst part ? the naughtier a boy is, the worse it makes him; he’ll be sick, weak, bedridden. good boys, however, grow big and healthy from even the littlest bit ! peter takes his medicine, it’s how he stays so strong. i’d offer you some—to drink before battle—but i fear it’d do you no good. “

[lowetyde]

@littlenin​ :: continued from HERE.

a scowl was tossed back at the young mermaid, her words holding more truth than he refused to accept. even a nymph as fresh and new as herself could easily pose a threat to marlowe, who battled each day to maintain even the smallest fragment of power that was wielded so naturally by the rest of his kind.

marlowe skulked back, flicking his tail in annoyance. nin, in spite of her relatively short time in neverland, was still considered an outsider in his mind—a foreign friend who’d ventured there by some miracle ( or mistake ). he forced his grimace upwards into a mock grin, slithering closer.     “ now, now ! watch what you say. it’s far easier to make enemies than it is friends. “     his fingers lightly tugged at her ebony tresses, swimming circles around her like a snake coiling its prey. but only for a moment. just as quickly, he sidled away into the shadows once more.     “ and i have the greatest friend of all. how unimpressed ianthe would be by a bitter-mouthed, bickering child like yourself. “

[wndybyrd]

@t-horns​ :: continued from HERE !

“ am not ! “     wendy retorted defensively. when it came to the caprice of tink, any number of outcomes was possible and none of them played in the human girl’s favor. the relationship they shared was as complicated as it was infamous, and showed no sign of improving anytime soon. after all, neither liked to share.     “ you do know what she’s like. i mean, i’m sure you’ve seen how she can be, but it’s not the same. “

she barely noticed as thorn settled upon her shoulder, feeling no heavier than the weight of a small stone. her attention was too enraptured by all the awful scenarios she’d surely be forced to endure at the hands of peter’s tinkling little bell. a whine escaped quivering lips as azure eyes turned towards the other as he teased at her theatrics.     “ never let me live it down ? that’ll be easy considering she won’t let me live at all. oh, thorn, she’s just been itching for an excuse and now she’ll have one. “     opening her eyes wide like a puppy-dog’s, wendy pleaded with him :     “ you’ve been such a good friend to me. you’ll take the blame, won’t you ? i’ll repay you . . . somehow . . . eventually. “

[lowetyde]

@ifyouwaltzwiththewildthings​ :: continued from HERE.

lips curled upward, revealing dangerously perfect fangs that sparkled as if carved from akoya pearls. smallfolk were, in his mind, simple and inconsequential creatures. while each possessed their own artillery of trickery—otherworldly abilities inherited only through fae-blood—even they could fall victim to a siren’s song. beauty was a formidable yet easily underestimated power. aside from his own cleverness, it was the only thing marlowe could dare claim to rival his fellow merfolk.

“ my skin has grown dull and my bones brittle as i waste away from the inside out. “     he moaned, trailing a hand along the lackluster shine of his sea-green tail ( which had mournfully begun to grey from malnutrition ). if fletcher were not such a loyal servant to his beck and call, he’d have simply reached out and crushed their microscopic bones in a greedy fist before inhaling them whole.     “ you’re such a sweet thing, little bug. won’t you bring me a treat ? something fresh and bloody to warm this growling beast in my stomach. in return i’ll grant you a singular request : a treasure from some sunken ship, or shells and bones off the seafloor ? anything you’d like in return for a hearty, meaty meal. the bigger—the fresher—my dinner, the mightier your reward. “

[wndybyrd]

@ragelost :: continued from HERE !

her boldness waived. eyes blinked in surprise as she stumbled back just a step or two—a subconscious decision to distance her from the weapon that rufio was. the whites of his tightened knuckles looked akin to little stones, ready to bruise and break whatever they were thrown against. wendy's sugar-dusted smile fell into a flat frown as sharp eyes, emptied of their joviality, followed the boy’s brutish movements.

this time, as he quickly shrunk the gap separating them with long strides, she did not flinch back. yet she clung to the tree like it was some mighty wall that would protect her from his unreasonable animosity. rufio’s words sunk into wendy’s skin, blooming a garden of goosebumps. this boy did not frighten her ( not really ); nevertheless, such a threat was quite upsetting to imagine. still, his comment, lest the boy was a complete cretin, seemed to be nothing but that : a threat.

“ there’s no need to masquerade as some big, bad wolf. you're not all that big or bad, are you ? after all it took was a little girl to spook you into tantrum. “     , the darling regarded as an expression of passivity, the picture of stoicism, rested upon her soft features. rufio wouldn't dare . . . would he ? as wild as the lost boys were, they still had rules.     " i wonder if peter knows he has a toddler hiding in his band ? i suppose that’s why he brought me back to play mother . . . most likely got tired of babysitting your temper himself. “

[wndybyrd]

@justsomelostboys​ :: continued from HERE !

she watched in fascination as hook wobbled around certain death, skipping around the edges of the water where a dreaded crocodile always slept with one eye open. the stories of hook’s dark history with the creature ranged from wildly absurd to nightmarishly gruesome, and wendy knew them all.in fact, she’d devised many of them herself; campfire stories to spook peter’s boys away from the treacherous pond.

still, despite the defiance in her puffed-out chest and a face of masked strength, wendy shivered beneath her outer-shell of soft skin. the girl couldn’t help but take a few careful steps back, letting the shadows of midnight encase her like armor, as he ( barely ) lessened the distance between them. hook’s mocking shout made her cringe, azure eyes darting to the smooth water’s surface in search of any nefarious movement, in search of something to be feared other than this loathsome pirate-captain.

surely the hulking monster — it’s skin an impenetrable thickness and teeth more deadly than any weapon in the lost boys’ armory — would pounce upon its greatest enemy before turning a hungry eye on little ol’ wendy, who faded further into sickly skin and bone with every passing week.     “ tease me all you like ! i’m not the one that was fool enough to nearly go for a late-night swim with the thing. “     , she bit back, blue eyes turning as red as her cheeks.     “ i should have let you, too. it would’ve made for one less pirate to worry about, and one more story to tell. “

in spite of her tone, and the way her hands boldly fisted atop her hips, wendy feared captain hook. in the dark of night, with no one to hear her cry but the hollow ears of a crocodile, the darling had found herself in a rather precarious position. she could outrun him, maybe, but in a fight, the girl wielded weapons like toys.     “ peter doesn’t need me to spy for him. he has eyes in the trees, in the grass, in everything that walks the island. “     two more steps were taken backwards, her silhouette sliding behind the thick trunk of a tree so that only her head still peaked out at the pirate. an impish grin, all mischief and no teeth, drew at her lips.     “ rumor has it, he even has eyes on your own ship. i wonder, is it hard to always be on the losing side of the story ? to never stand a chance against the hero ? “