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[unmoor]

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[unmoor]

Striking for my age, aren't I? [ and all other ages too, he seems to add without voicing it. ] I spent a few years in a place called Neverland. No man ages there.

[nineteenfortyfive]

Peter Pan. I'm familiar, but--really? Three hundred years old?

[Terrifying. Claire scrubs a hand through her hair.]

[unmoor]

This is the part where you are welcome to call me lucky.

[ well, Neverland was hell, but he was indeed lucky to keep his handsome features. ]

[nineteenfortyfive]

I don't know if that's the word I'd use.

[Everything is just confusing.]

And you know about the stories, of Neverland? It's fiction. Where I'm from, at least.

[Vaguely, she remembers that a Scot wrote it. Of course.]

[unmoor]

Handsome, then?

[ oh she's not kidding now. okay. his smile fades a little. ]

I'm quite real, aren't I? You kissed me not too long ago, you should know it. [ heey. ]

Ah, to put it short there was a powerful curse and our lives in the Enchanted Forest became stories for this one. Other unpleasantries also took place, but what you should know is that I'm not alone in here.

Do the names Robin Hood or... [ he tries to come up with a good one. ] The Evil Queen mean anything to you?

[nineteenfortyfive]

I don't question whether you're real or not. And I know Robin. He's a friend of mine, but... I also know the story of Robin Hood and his merry men. [That crease in Claire's brow is likely to stay there with how pronounced it is.] And I'm sure this Evil Queen has something to do with Snow White?

[It sounds crazy, but so does traveling through time through magical stones and living in a city powered by intimacy.]

[unmoor]

Then what's the issue here?

[ said crazy stuff is everyday life for him. he nods. Snow White is very involved in all of this. ]

Surely discovering my age isn't the weirdest thing to take place here. The stories are quite real, love. Not all of them truthful to what actually happened, but I am a living proof.

[nineteenfortyfive]

[Here it comes. Now's the time.]

Please don't tell me it was a crocodile.

[unmoor]

[ ah... ]

In a manner of speaking.

[ there goes his fun. ]

[nineteenfortyfive]

[Oh, Christ. Claire sits there with her mouth open slightly for a heartbeat, then shakes her head.]

I apologize, Killian. It's none of my business.

[Claire Fraser. Code name: Debbie Downer.]

[unmoor]

I do call him a crocodile from time to time. After all he's as foul as any reptile. The misunderstanding is understandable.

[ :| ]

[nineteenfortyfive]

A man did this to you. [No question. Slowly, Claire reaches over to touch his sleeve, the one she tends to avoid. A hook is better than nothing, especially on a ship, but it's still rather crude.]

Did you kill him?

[unmoor]

[ well, yes, but he'd prefer to call him a monster. now Milah hasn't been brought up so he's just cold, not emotional like last time. ]

You already know the man I speak of.

[ so no. he's very much alive still. ]

[nineteenfortyfive]

What? [She looks up from where she's left her hand on his arm.]

[unmoor]

[ he bites his lower lip, wishing there was some way to explain this to her without words. he finds himself struggling with this story every time. ]

The same man who killed the woman I loved.

[ oh there we go. ]

[nineteenfortyfive]

[Oh. There we go indeed. He lost his lover and his hand all to the same man. Claire opens her mouth to say something, but what? What could be said?

Her lips press together. Maybe an apologetic silence will suffice.]

[unmoor]

[ enough has been said. enough sad silences has also been had. he gets up. ]

Next time I'll bring you the bottles.

[ sorry to ruin a fun cake tasting evening, he really is. ]

[nineteenfortyfive]

[Claire stands, getting in his way.]

Killian, wait. I'm sorry.

[Her hands wring together before she drops them at her sides. She felt pretty wretched the last time he made an abrupt exit, and she doesn't want him to leave like this, after she's opened up old wounds.]

Please. Let's not making this a regular happening.

[unmoor]

[ upsetting people who have been kind to him does put him in a bad mood. it's just sad that he's so terrible at dealing with said feelings. ]

Why?

[ he stops, staring down at her. a darker tone creeps to his voice and his smile doesn't reach his eyes anymore. ]

Was there something else you wanted from me?

[nineteenfortyfive]

I don't want anything from you. [Aside from reassurance that he's not going to crawl into a bottle and disappear for weeks on end. She presses a hand to his chest, a slight nudge back to the couch.] You're upset. The last time we... [had a deep talk] you disappeared without a word.

Stay a little longer.

[unmoor]

[ he's too much of a drama queen to calm down now. he only glances at the couch and then turns his attention back to her. ]

... Well, if you truly insist, [ here he pauses and leans in, something altogether threatening about the way he moves. ] I can help you with your contract, love.

[ his defend mechanism. shutting off all kind characteristics he might have once had and attacking those close to him. the result of countless years of desperation, anger and loneliness. awful, simply awful. ]

[nineteenfortyfive]

[To her, it's clear as day what's happening. Killian hasn't much height on her--and inch, maybe, making him several shorter than Jamie and not nearly as broad-shouldered or intimidating, yet her heart thumps loudly in her chest.

Claire could just as easily slap him, but she places her palm against his cheek, looking him in the eyes.]

Killian. I want your company, not your body. [He can't run, so he's trying to scare her off. She frowns.] I want to be sure you're all right. You're doing a good job of letting me know.

[unmoor]

[ the gentle touch seems to snap him out of it, at least for now. he frowns and glances to the side as he takes a small step back. usually people response with anger or disappointment, providing him with the means of an escape. that isn't happening now. ]

Your concern is greatly appreciated, but I'm all right.

[ he sounds super all right. maybe just a little brooding and bitter. ]

[nineteenfortyfive]

[There was a slap on the menu if he didn't check himself. Claire's relieved she didn't need to go that far, and a breath she didn't know she was holding is quietly released.]

Sit.

[unmoor]

We already finished the tart.

[ points it out as a half-hearted attempt at an excuse but in the end he sits down anyway. he almost looks like a sulking child waiting for a lecture. ]