#Mr. Smiles | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

zillyeh · 1 year ago

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L'appel du L'eau

Characters: Miles, The Racketeer, The Oddsman (ancestors w/ no pages unfortunately soz) Pre Smiles Miles thing hi<3

Under the bright Alternian moons, the lower Delhon docks swayed. The trolls walking the uneasy planks grew sparser and sparser as sunrise grew closer- returning to their ships or the various other places sailors spent their time during the harsh daylight.

Rare was it that a certain pirate didn’t stay in the company of a particular jadeblood until the madame kicked him out. Rare as the weather being this nice in this season. Rare as that jadeblood choosing to be out on the docks rather than seeing clients.

His short mane of curls blew behind him at the speed he walked, striding as long as his little legs could muster. It would be a run if he didn’t want to look as desperate as he felt. The heels of his buckled boots clicked fast, his catlike eyes darting between ships until he found the one his companion had described. The Scull Kraken stood tall, proud and purple in the moonslight, the squid patterning carved into her hull shining a brilliant gold.

Amillo felt like he could burst into a desperate, desperate sprint. Domnik’s horns also shone under Alternia’s three moons, next to him the seadweller he could only assume was the “brother” he’d heard about.

“Domnik!” Milo shouted down the dock when he was just close enough. The both of them startled, the taller violet’s hand flicking to his side.

“Amillo?” Domnik asked, confused. He swatted his captain’s twitchy fingers away from his firearm.

“I thought I’d never find you before you left,” Milo said, breathless now that he’d stopped. “I was thinking about your offer. Also hello, you must be Rothan. Amillo Ariika.” Milo straightened himself, smoothing his coat before offering his hand.

The taller of the pair of highbloods eyed it with disdain. Milo faltered slightly, but he daintily switched the offer of the handshake to a loose hanging wrist- fingers to kiss if he were so inclined.

He was not.

“Amillo what are you doing here?” Domnik asked gruffly, lowering Milo’s hand with his own.

“I have been turning that offer you proposed to me around my head for nights, Dom,” he said, chin high in the air. The vertical feet between the jade and the other two trolls was almost laughable. The flowery fins of the seadweller shifted as he tilted his head.

“You’ve been proposing things to…” Rothan eyed Milo’s least frilly pair of puffy shirts and tight trousers with disdain, “Suckerfish?”

“Rottie-” The blueblood’s pale face darkened noticeably.

“Is that a problem, captain?” Amillo asked with a polite defiance.

“Milo-” Domnik attempted through gritted teeth. Rothan shut him up with a hand on his chest.

“What does my idiot brother offer you, eh? More money than your domineering lady takes from your affairs?” There was a joking tone to his voice that made Amillo’s ears twitch annoyedly.

“Something like that.” Milo cast his sharp gaze to Domnik, uncomfortable and bracing for impact. “Perhaps I’m a bit too romantic, Domnik? To think perhaps you had more intent with me than most?”

“Will you get on with it?” Rothan interjected before Domnik could take a breath in. “What do you bother me for, jade?”

“I am coming with you,” Milo said, as if that were an obvious fact. Those five words hung heavy in the air, Rothan seemingly waiting for a punchline. He did not receive one.

That didn’t stop him from laughing.

Cruel and cartoonish, doubling himself over to hold his knees, exaggeratedly wiping a tear from his eye. Domnik chuckled uncomfortably, but Milo remained unmoved. He crossed his arms over his chest, tapping his foot as he waited for him to be finished.

“Oh that is rich- oh.” Rothan paused, something in Amillo’s eyes giving him reason to you. “You think you’re serious.”

“I am serious,” Milo said firmly, tugging on Domnik’s sleeve to pull him to his side. Domnik, for some reason, allowed this. “My matesprit said he desperately wished I could come with him, and as it so happens, I’m free tonight.”

The violet looked between Domnik and the jadeblood, some bioluminescent anger pockmarking his neck around his bud shaped fins.

“Dom- fuck’s sake, idiot get your ass back over here.”

“Maybe we hear him out?” Domnik asked sheepishly, “Rottie-”

“Captain now. I sooner throw you off this dock before I take your dainty little screwtoy out on the water.”

“Don’t talk about him like-”

“Oh so it iiis more than that, da? Of course it is. You get softer every fucking time we dock this port.” He jutted his chin out to Milo. “You think that thing can survive my ship?”

A low hiss escaped Milo, Domnik’s hand instinctively moved to stop him going further.

“Shows what you know about this port, Lilyfin.” Milo shot, looking like a child being held back by Domnik’s trunk of an arm. “You would think that someone who’s name precedes him as far as it does would look into what role the suckerfish on these docks play.��

Milo kicked in the back one of Domnik’s knees, sending him down with a yelp. His head was just level with Amillo’s chest. The glint of his blade at Domnik’s throat was immediately preceded by the click of Rothan’s gun. Milo hardly blinked, keeping Domnik’s head in place by his horn.

“Could I survive this province were I not half as much a savage beast as you are, captain?”

“Let him go,” Rothan snarled, trigger discipline waning. Miles barked out a laugh, gripping Domnik’s horn tighter.

“Or what? You’ll shoot me? Like I have anything to lose? Like I won’t come back from it?” Milo’s skin rippled as he taunted, the undead alabaster glow sending a shiver down Rothan’s spine.

“I will shoot you in your head,” he said, a hitch to his voice that made Milo’s smile widen.

“I’ll make it his,” he said, jostling Dom around by the horn.

“Milo-”

“Quiet, Dommy.”

Rothan paused, weighing his options, but quickly came to his senses. Something in Milo’s eyes must have scared him.

"You think I'll let you on my ship one step after this?" He straightened himself, lowering his gun. "I say yes, you let him go, I shove you in with the sharks to play chew toy."

"Rottie‐?!"

"Shut up, Domnik," said both Milo and Rothan at once.

"I would never hurt Domnik if I get what I want, captain," Milo reassured, keeping pressure on the blade at the blueblood's throat. "I can be a model addition to your crew if you let me."

"Right."

"I think we should give him a chance, Rottie," Domnik strained, trying to keep his throat unopened. Rothan swore in his upper province tongue, swinging his gun around as he spoke.

"Still, dipshit? How often does he have you on your knees that you want to bring him with us?"

"If he disarmed me, couldn't he-"

"He disarmed you because you're stupid." Rothan raised his gun again. "Get up, Domnik. Get back over here."

Dom didn't move. Amillo wouldn't let him, or perhaps he was on his side after all. Rothan let out a frustrated growl and stomped. He holstered his gun, but Milo's hand was steady.

"You actually know how to fight?" he asked exasperatedly. "Not just this little trick?"

"It's a miracle none of us got hired for your head, Lilyfin. Yes I can fight. I can shoot, run, and steer if need be." The breeze brushed Milo's hair back for him. The smell of the ocean was nothing new, but tonight it smelled like freedom. He was so close to leaving this place behind. For good.

"I know you're down a crewmate as well," Milo continued. Rothan swore again, staring daggers through Domnik.

"How much did you fucking tell him you gulper-mouthed moron?!"

"A little- I- You know how it is when you're-"

"No I don't because I don't need to pay for port whores every time we dock!" Captain Lilyfin stomped again to exaggerate his anger. Or maybe he was just that dramatic. “I can keep my mouth shut.”

“Oh I've heard that,” Milo said, tapping on Domnik's horn. “Daylight is approaching, captain. I'm offering myself for nothing more than the ability to get away from Delhon. I want nothing more, I want nothing less.”

“Kitten,” Dom whispered, “Could you, perhaps, let the knife down a little, I'm-”

“Shut up, Dom,” Milo and Rothan said at the same time. Dom did as he was ordered. Rothan paced at the end of the dock, then stopped with a heavy sigh.

“Fine,” he growled, “Persistent little he-wench… I have three conditions.”

“List them.” Milo's undead heart could be mistaken for alive at the pace his pulse was thrumming.

“Release the idiot.” Milo did so, keeping his dagger raised. Domnik scrambled to Rothan’s side. He received a hard slap across the face before the captain continued.

“Your fangs don't touch me. My crew will not be weakened by your diet either.”

“Understood, captain.” Rothan rolled his eyes. Domnik rubbed his cheek. Captain Lilyfin paced closer, enough to make Milo tense.

“I need you to prove you want this, kitten,” he sneered. “Not enough to yes yes yes me- I need a display of loyalty.”

Rothan got close enough to touch, if not for the blade in Milo's hand. He leaned down anyway, baring his sharp teeth.

“I want your finger.”

“Rotti-”

Captain Lilyfin shot his first mate a deadly look over his shoulder. Milo bristled, briefly looking back to the docks, then to the waiting black of the ocean.

“Which. One?” he asked through gritted teeth. Rothan barked out a laugh.

“Forefinger. I'll let you pick the hand.” He pinched Milo's nose, despite the threat of the dagger. “And since you so kindly brought your own blade… do it yourself.”

Domnik made some noise of protest, but Rothan shut him up with another stomp on the pier. Amillo hesitated, eying the dagger in his left hand. It would be such a small price… they can make new ones, right?

“Well, koshka? Or do you not want boarding before the sunrise?”

“Of course, captain,” Milo said with hostile grace, switching his blade to the right. The jadeblood felt the knuckle on his left hand. Bone or joint… Bone would be more difficult, but joint could take more hand with it.

Good thing his blade was sharp.

He positioned his dagger against his forefinger, holding it in place with his teeth.

His new captain let out a low hum, holding Domnik back by the jacket. Milo was eerily silent as he turned his head like a predator shaking its prey's neck to death. Barely a grunt of pain when steel sliced through solid. The loudest noise any part of him made was when digit hit dock. His skin rippled white again. Most unsettlingly, so did his finger, until it couldn't and lay there dead on the planks. He bled surprisingly little, but what could one expect from something undead? That wasn’t to say no blood stained the dock, his dagger, or his face, but not nearly as much green as one would think.

“Satisfied?” he snarled, sounding more like a wounded animal than a troll. Rothan still held Domnik back from him. Though, his efforts to get to him paused when he licked his own blood off his blade. All without breaking eye contact with Captain Lilyfin.

“Fucked up little thing, aren't you?” Rothan leaned down to pick up his severed digit as if it were a dull coin on the ground. “Satisfied enough. Get whatever shit you’re bringing, ninefingers.” He wiggled it at him as if to beckon him. “Unless they don’t let suckerfish keep more possessions than the frills that cover your asses.”

Milo let out a low hiss and grabbed Domnik’s arm to tug him back to his side. Without a word he sheathed his dagger, wrenching a handkerchief out of Dom’s pocket to wrap his hand with.

“Uh, Milo-”

“Show me around the ship, won’t you, first mate Abroka?” he said with a far too wide grin and far too sweet a tone. “I am here on your offer, aren’t I? Plus, it’s almost daybreak.”

#Zilly drabbles #Smiles tag #Mr. Smiles #Racketeer tag #Oddsman tag #L'appel du L'eau #this ones kinda long lol #siiigh ninefingers siiigh

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