text ; anonymous

[assailed]

[ Gathering information will help him in the long run. Especially knowing what sort of darkness or magic is swirling about in this place. Eudio was vastly different. No tolerance for certain things. This place seems to be a bit different. Still the same consequences if one were to step out of line, but a different sort of reaction you could say. Easier to hide in the nooks and the crannies about. ]

I've a question for the wonderful citizens of this cuddly city? What sort of familiarity do you have with magic? Light and dark. Good or bad. I'm curious as to what you lot know?

[ If they know about the Dark One and his weakness. He'd prefer to keep that bit under wraps. Excalibur isn't here and he'd rather it stay away. He's here to cut himself away from the bloody sword. ]

Comments

[assailed]

[ Druids. Now there's something he's not familiar with. Apparently they're the ones responsible for the magic in this one's world. ]

Do these druids possess different types of magic?

Trolls. Beasts. Giants. Witches. Just a few examples.

[duelo]

I'll be honest, I don't know a whole lot about their magic. They're a very secretive people, but they can do some pretty incredible things. I know that much.

[ The Nemeton becoming a literal beacon for the supernatural being one of those things. Never mind what it did for Jennifer. That magic had come with a hefty price she hadn't minded paying, since the blood spilled hadn't had to be her own. ]

Beasts sounds fairly generalized but the rest are real where you come from, huh?
That's interesting. I'm used to the supernatural but those seem more stuff of legends and teenage girls with tarot cards and too much time on their hands, where I come from.

[assailed]

[ Incredible things. That doesn't sound comforting. He's just hoping they aren't too familiar with the Dark One and how they work. That wouldn't be very fun for him. ]

Many different kinds. Simpler to use a broader term rather then list them all.

I can assure you they aren't just of legends. They're quite real. Dragons as well. Well, dragon, but I don't want to be nitpicky.

[duelo]

Fair enough.

I guess even I can learn new things every day. I'm used to being the person who breaks someone's brain with reality. It's weird being on the other end of that, actually. Not in a bad way, but just saying.

I'm Derek, by the way. I don't think I ever actually said.

[assailed]

Believe me I'm growing used to it. You tell one person that Peter Pan is a devil and all of a sudden people start to assume the worst.

[ After all this time he's still really mad about that. ]

You can call me Hook.

[ Killian Jones died in that field of flowers while begging Emma not to do this to him. Hook it is. ]

[duelo]

You know, my sister used to get mad at me because I always thought Peter was kind of a selfish little shithead when we watched the cartoon when we were kids. I always felt kind of bad for the Lost Boys and Wendy and Tinkerbell and everyone; what a crappy leader.

[ Derek's always had leadership from Alphas who cared about the pack before themselves. Peter Pan always smacked too heavily of the exact opposite for Derek's taste; served as more proof in the back of Derek's young mind that men shouldn't be leaders. They're not good at it.

...and then the rest of the conversation processes and he realizes he's said entirely too much and probably just made this super weird. ]

Hook it is. Nice to meet you.

[ That will probably never not be awkward, but all right. He'll take it. ]

[assailed]

[ He's a perceptive young lad at least. That's good enough. Most tend to take what they've read or seen at face value. Believing the boy who never wanted to grow up to be wonderful and grand. He was just a man who abandoned his child in reality. Abandoned him because he didn't want reality. He wanted magic. Ironic given what Rumpelstiltskin eventually became. ]

Don't feel sorry for Tink. She could hold her own just fine. Loathed that villain with every fiber of her being. Feeling sorry is the first mistake. The second is not assuming she's got a blade pointed at some part of your body.

[ As for the Lost Boys they're exactly that. Lost. Some salvageable and others too far gone to Peter's madness. ]

Aye. And you Derek.

[duelo]

[ Okay, not what he was expecting to hear in response. ]

...okay, but she's like...the size of a small rodent. A blade that big would be like getting stuck with a thumbtack, I mean, right?

[ Sorry, he can't help himself. Captain Hook was always the villain in that story, but even as a kid, Derek had known that Captain Hook was just the Neverland representation of Mr. Darling and he hadn't actually ever thought Mr. Darling was that bad. He'd been a little stuffy, but he was a dad. At least he'd cared about his kids enough to yell at them for not following the rules. That's more than Derek could say for his own dad. ]

Anyway yeah. So circling back, I think "magic" is a subjective word, in this place.

[assailed]

Stories aren't correct in that, lad, she's the size of a very real woman. Though fairies can indeed shrink down if they desire. They're human sized. Be a bit weird if she wasn't.

[ Given their very "close" Neverland relationship. But he knows that she carries a blade on her anywhere. ]

I suppose it might be. Though it's rather broad as well in my lands.

[duelo]

[ Derek almost asks what exactly is a "bit weird" but then decides against it. It's probably better left unsaid, he's guessing, in the context of the conversation. Childhood ruining stuff, he'd be willing to bet. ]

The more you know, I guess...

The supernatural is broad where I came from, so I get that to some degree.

[assailed]

[ He could completely ruin his entire childhood setting half those fairytales straight. Specifically his own. ]

If you are to ever meet her I would suggest never mentioning that bit to her. She's a testy little one.

Transportational magic. Typically just realm hoping. Takes some effort. Conjuring magic. Telekinesis. All sorts.

[duelo]

Duly noted. I'll keep that in mind.

[ Although, he imagines he'll almost immediately forget this suggestion upon meeting her, because...Tinker Bell. Come on. Tinker Bell. ]

Interesting. Most of our "magic" is more about physical changes and abilities. Strength, speed, healing; stuff like that.

[assailed]

Aye we have that as well. There's healing magic as well. Offensive tactics as well. There are beings that cannot be killed either.

[duelo]

Yeah we've got the beings that can't be killed, too, and the ones that are damn near impossible but not quite, and then the ones that are just impossible to kill if you don't know exactly how to do it, and so on and so forth.

I guess our worlds have more in common than I would've thought. Interesting.

[assailed]

Aye. Perhaps those story books you all know and love weren't just telling tall tales? Perhaps they were just spinning truths? Things you could learn a lesson or two from.

[ Like don't fly off to magical islands with a bloody shadow. ]

[duelo]

Perhaps. I've always known there was a lot more to my world than most people thought, considering I'm one of the things people don't think are real, but I guess I never really thought about the bigger scope in that way.

The more you know, I guess.

[assailed]

I certainly know that feeling. What are you then?

[ He's never been a shy man. Beating around the bush serves no purpose. ]

[duelo]

Shapeshifter.

[ Derek's still really new at this whole being able to tell people without fear of being hunted thing. Give him a minute. ]

Have you ever heard of a werewolf?

[assailed]

Ah. I have. I know one.

[ Sort of. He knows Ruby. Though he's seen very little of her. ]

Quite a lovely lady.

[duelo]

[ That actually surprises him. It's not the typical answer he gets to that particular question. ]

Oh yeah? Well that's one step ahead of most people I meet. Maybe two if I count the fact that you just called her lovely instead of implying she deserves to die just because she's a werewolf. Good on you.
You're just full of surprises.

[assailed]

[ He's clearly never met Ruby's grandmother. She'd be very cross with anyone who bad mouthed her granddaughter. ]

I imagine her Granny would be likely have my head if I were to ever say such a thing about her. Probably the girl as well. And her best mate.

[ Snow is clearly a very threatening figure. ]

Not sure why most would say they need to die.

[duelo]

Regardless, it's cool that you don't jump to ranting about how she's a monster. It's refreshing for me.

[ No world is perfect, Derek's sure, but already wherever Captain Hook comes from sounds like less of a hassle for Derek's kind. ]

[assailed]

I don't rant.

She's only a wolf a small fraction of a time. She's a nice woman with a strong love of the color red the rest of her time.