paixaorpg | Time for Shenanigans [Complete]

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Time for Shenanigans [Complete]

Character(s): Captain Hook and NiGHTS
Content: A bored NiGHTS decides to finally do something about Hook's fear of crocodiles. Unfortunately for Hook, it's not helping him.
Setting: The river outside of Paixao
Time: Nighttime, week 18
Warnings: NiGHTS and Hook in the same space together.

NiGHTS, unfortunately for Paixao, was bored. He'd heard of this odd new world opening up, and fully intended to explore it - and indeed, those had been his intentions on this particular night. Once NiGHTS got out of the city, however (pulling faces at the guards as he went), he changed his ever-fickle mind. What was there to do? He'd already explored Destiny Islands, of course... but something about the whispers he'd heard about Halloween Town had made it sound rather uncomfortably like Nightmare, and NiGHTS wasn't in the mood to go there after all. What if it was a part of Nightmare? It would be so boring, and NiGHTS had had enough of that.

The maren hovered above the water, arms crossed, a slight frown on his face. What to do, what to do... Oh, well. He'd figure it out. For now, NiGHTS impulsively dove into the water, his feet instantly merging into a tail, and began to swim along the bottom. He'd figure something out.

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“Come on, yeah filthy bilge rat! Put your back into it.”

Caught between a rock and a hard place, the citizen had no other choice but to obey the pirate. One wrong move and Hook would not hesitate to drive his already drawn sword straight through the man’s heart. What did the loss of this man matter to him? He was of no worth and easily replaceable. Not only that, but he had already accomplished half the job the pirate required him for. If needed, he could finish the route himself... Though, using the citizen was so must easier. Not to mention convenient.

A wicked smile crept across the captain’s face as gestured to the small rowboat along the shore. Obediently, the citizen loaded the last bundled sack onto it and climbed in. Pushing the boat out, Hook quickly followed. As the citizen began to row out to sea, the pirate took his proper position at the bow. The sooner they got to their location, the sooner Hook could dispose of this fool.

NiGHTS paused in his exploration of the riverbed, cocking his head to listen to a familiar voice. Hook. From the sounds of it, he was giving someone orders - and not very nicely, at that. NiGHTS hated bullies; he always had, and it had been that (combined with boredom, of course) that had led NiGHTS to abandon Wizeman and his cause. Well, it looked like NiGHTS wouldn't be so bored tonight, after all... but what to do about it?

The nightmaren thought for a few moments. Hook had mentioned a crocodile, hadn't he? And a ticking one at that. Perhaps it was time to put that knowledge to good use. Concentrating for a moment, NiGHTS shifted his form into a rather large crocodile and swam just under the boat (hopefully, the darkness would disguise the fact that NiGHTS couldn't change his coloration). Firmly repressing a mischievous giggle, NiGHTS began to imitate a ticking clock.

His more than serious concentrated expression showed nothing of it but, admittedly, Hook was pleased to be out to sea again. Sitting inside Town Hall all day may have worked well for the others but for him? He would have none of it. He had led such a healthy, normal life before he had arrived in this absurd place: scuttling ships, cutting throats… Why, he had forgotten why he had been hiding in City Hall to begin with. Perhaps it was all the rum that fool, Oturo Heirwidthal, had unwittingly left there before his ‘untimely’ death.

“Steady on course.” The captain muttered. “We wouldn’t want for any accidents to occur, would we, Mr. Starkey?” The citizen’s silence spoke louder than words as he began to row faster toward their destination. With his back turned to the citizen, Hook revealed his enjoyment with a laugh. Oh, this little expedition had proved itself a most excellent idea indeed. At least, before an alarmingly familiar ticking sound divulged itself.

The pirate furrowed his brow at the first sign of the peculiar noise while his narrowed eyes shifted across the water suspiciously. Where was it coming from? There couldn’t possibly be anyone out on the water with them, at least as far as he could see. And that sound… What in blazes was it? It sounded… Almost like a clock. A relentlessly ticking analog clock that’s seconds hand played an alarmingly familiar rhythm with its tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock …

Hook’s eyes gradually widened in time with the beat, realization quickly creping over him. Lips trembling, he slowly turned his head to look at the citizen aboard the boat, who at this point looked more than confused. However, there was no doubt that they could not hear it as well, their eyes wandering down at the water. If this wasn’t his imagination, did this mean…? No, it couldn’t, it couldn’t be. It was impossible! That sound… Was it… Could it really…?

NiGHTS remained underwater, ever so slowly approaching the boat. Maybe he'd snap at Hook a few times, for good measure. The Nightmaren remained silent, save for the tick-tick-ticking of the clock he had shifted onto his form. It was tempting to laugh, sure, to call Hook a codfish (he didn't know why, but Hook's reaction upon being called such a thing was hilarious), but that would ruin the game - and then who'd teach Hook a lesson about bullying? Normally, NiGHTS didn't particularly care what people did, including the bad guys (as long as they didn't get in his way), but when he saw a bully, all bets were off.

NiGHTS drew closer to the boat, ticking more loudly than before. Maybe a few scares would be exactly what Hook needed - and besides, it was fun to tease others.

“No…” The pirate whispered, shuffling away from the bow. No, this could not be! There was no way that beast could have possibly followed him here. Impossible! He told himself. Absolutely impossible! The thought itself was just absurd! But if it was not him, what could possibly have produced such a sound, especially underwater? The thought of a mermaid with an alarm clock was ridiculous. What possible use could they have for such a device? It was not as though such creatures could tell time.

Speaking of the clock, was it getting louder?

“No, it cannot be!” he cried out in horror. That sound… Yes, it most definitely was getting louder! His eyes followed the citizens down to the water. He stumbled back and tripped over his feet causing him to fall into the boat. Immediately he drew his pistol and aimed it at the water. “Show yourself, you miserable c-coward!” The pirate shouted.

To reveal himself, or not to reveal himself; which would be more fun? WHile the nightmaren pondered, he playfully head-butted the boat, causing it to rock. It wouldn't tip over from that alone, but that would scare Hook, which was really the entire point of this, anyway. (That, and saving the citizen from Hook, not to mention stopping Hook's bullying.) NiGHTS slowed in order to drift behind the boat, rising to the surface, and let loose a growl, imitating a crocodile from the human world.

Nightmarish creatures might be similar to beings from the waking world in some aspects, but NiGHTS still had to remember which was which, and how to imitate them. It was not challenge by now, after centuries of doing so, but it did make things that much more interesting.

At the sound of the bump against the boat, Hook fired his pistol at the boats floor. Water immediately began to pour into the boat through the hole the captain had made, startling both him and the citizen. “Cursed beast!” the pirate cried when he realized the damaged he had caused to his vessel. He dropped his weapon and turned to the citizen. “Don’t just sit there you fool, do something!”

Scrambling to fix the hole, the citizen stuffed an empty sack in it while the pirate’s eyes drifted back to the water. It was here. It had to be here. He could hear it. Why, he could almost even see it in the water. Hook paused and squinted in order to focus better. Yes, there was definitely something there. The all too familiar shape and sound made it look like it was…!

“Smee…” he whimpered. The citizen looked up puzzled. “Smee... SMEEEEEE!” Suddenly the captain flew back and into the clueless citizens arms, pleading for his life. “OH, SAVE ME! SAVE ME!” The pirate cried, childishly climbing behind the man to hide from the crocodile. “Don’t let him get me! Don’t let him get me, oh please, oh please, oh please! Keep him away!”

Before the citizen could react, the bag he had stuffed into the hole the pirate had made suddenly shot out and water began to fill the boat again. Hook cried out in horror, immediately rising to his feet. “ROW FOR THE SHORE! ROW FOR THE SH-“ In an effort to follow the pirates orders, the citizen began rowing for the shore on command. However, in doing so he accidentally smacked Hook in the face with one of the oars. As a result he fell straight into the water.

This was too easy. A little shapeshifting, a few vaguely menacing sounds and Hook was practically on his knees. NiGHTS might have to save the citizen, thanks to the pirate captain's idiocy, but it wouldn't be any trouble if that were the case. The maren chuckled inwardly, sinking into the water and making for the boat... at least until Hook nearly crashed into him. NiGHTS instantly backed away, his eyes on the boat - maybe the citizen would be alright after all. Now to deal with Hook.

The maren allowed the ticking noise to grow louder and circled around the pirate, intending to chase him away from the citizen's boat. He'd allow Hook to escape, but NiGHTS would scare him at least a little more first.

The pirate gasped for breath when emerged from the water, blindly splashing about like a child. His soaking long hair completely covered his face, obstructing his vision for the longest time before he finally stopped to part it. When Hook did so, he immediately regretted the action. Now he could truly see how close the crocodile had gotten to him and my, had it ever come close. In fact, it was circling around him, like a vulture to its pray above. Captain Hook gave out another cry in horror at the sight and scrambled to draw his weapon. Unfortunately for Hook his pistol would no longer fired due to water which had gotten to his gunpowder. He squeezed down on the trigger multiple times to shoot or at least startle the crocodile but in the end he was forced to toss the firearm aside and attempted to make a swim for the shore.

“COME BACK YOU IMBECILE!” he screamed at the citizen who was now a considerable distance from him. They stopped to look at him, mostly confused but perhaps, just a little, amused as well. “SAVE ME, SAVE ME, SAVE ME FROM THIS BEAST!”

Edited 2010-04-12 02:07 (UTC)

At this point, it was all NiGHTS could do to stop himself from laughing aloud at Hook's cowardice. Sure, it was a little mean to do this to a defenseless pirate captain, but on the other hand, Hook had had no problem with bullying someone else (and besides, NiGHTS had been sure Hook meant to kill that poor citizen as soon as he'd gotten what he wanted). NiGHTS swam closer to Hook, playfully snapping at his heels as though he meant to drag the captain under before ramming into him. NiGHTS knew he was playing it close, but considering how dark it was, he doubted Hook would be able to see it wasn't the same crocodile.

Come on, he thought, just get to the shore already so I can laugh at you.

Oh, the simple snap at his heels was more than enough to get Hook moving again. Under the nightfall, surely to NiGHTS relief, the pirate failed to find anything particularly funny about this crocodile. It ticked, it tocked, and it had its sights set on him. That was proof enough for him that this was the very crocodile which brought him so much agony in Neverland. And even if it wasn’t, the pirate captain had no intention of sticking around to find out, not as long as it wanted to eat him! He turned to begin swimming again, another cry of surprise escaping him when the crocodile bumped into him. Had this beast no decency? Trying to knock him over like that… The dirty scoundrel! One day he would have this horrid creature shot and stuffed! Hook swore his other hand on it.

From the force used when NiGHTS rammed into the pirate captain, as well as the speed of his kicking feet, Hook completely submerged from the water and ran across its surface to the shore. He sped past the citizen in the rowboat and continued to run even after he had reached the shore. Hook would not stop until he reached the safety of City Hall once again.

NiGHTS waited until Hook was well out of sight and sound before resuming his true form, rising out of the water. He couldn't help but double over laughing at Hook's incompetence. What kind of pirate captain acted that way? The nightmaren chuckled a little more before he noticed the citizen, still rowing the leaky boat, and flew to him, picking him up and carrying him to shore. He giggled again, more to himself than anyone else, and swept into a graceful bow before winking and mischievously putting a finger against his lips in a gesture of silence.

As he flew off, all he could think about was how fun the whole thing had been and how to give Hook a good scare again.

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Time for Shenanigans [Complete]

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