WHO: Maddie Rooney & Harry Hook WHAT: Trying out Maddie's new hoop WHEN: Wibbly-wobbly, before Liv left WHERE: Near the Normandy, outside WARNINGS: Maybe some language? STATUS: Complete SONG:Shark in the Water
Not really having anyone to geek out over one of her favorite things in the world with wasn’t really anything new for her. She had her dad, sure, and the girls on the basketball team back home but when it came to all things bam! what? she was pretty used to being the only one excited about it and no one else really understanding. She’d been good at comparing it to things that other people were interested in - like shopping and shoes, general...well, nerdy stuff, and science for her siblings and she figured that she could do the same thing with Harry as well. Compare it to something he liked and was passionate about. Maybe water or something like that. Sailing the seven seas to him probably felt as good as sinking a nothing-but-net three pointer did to her.
It had gotten old (and wasteful) crinkling up pieces of paper and tossing them into garbage cans on the Normandy. Maddie desperately missed having a real hoop, a real chance to play the game that she loved so much. Once the rains had eased up and the ground was slightly less muddy - not a whole lot less muddy, because she’d missed the days of running in the mud for practice after school and having to come home and scrape off the caked stuff off from her shoes before walking into the kitchen - but enough that she wouldn’t look like the Creature From the Black Lagoon by the end of it all.
Luckily there were supplies readily available and there was a bit of guilt in her momentarily for taking them for something so frivolous. If it came down to them needing the supplies versus her having her hoop, she would take the whole thing down without a second thought but right now, she needed some kind of outlet that was a little more rewarding and slightly less violent and awkward than the kicking of trees she’d been doing outside the Normandy, bark flying off as she let out her energy practicing moves, further scuffing up her sneakers. For all she knew, the trees were going to come to life and start singing next and then she’d be in a world of hurt for pummeling them, right? Who even knew how this place worked anymore?
She’d spent the day being a little monkey, up in a tree in the forest around the Normandy with ropes and nails and hammers rigging up one of the dumpier trash cans the ship had to offer, cutting the bottom of it with a knife from the kitchen enough so that she could eventually just kick it out. Standing above it and holding her basketball in her hands, she dropped it in to make sure that it was wide enough for the ball to fit through. Grinning giddily, it was back up in the tree, knife precariously in between her teeth as she climbed - if only Harry could see her now, so worried about how she would take care of herself in a place like this. She was practically one of those guys that did those survivalist shows.
When the job was done, Maddie climbed out of the tree and gave the hoop its first test-run to make sure everything was tied and nailed tight enough to handle her...well, enthusiastic nature when it came to playing the game of basketball. Satisfied with it after a few shots, she had hugged the basketball to her chest and looked up at it proudly, the grin still plastered on her face. It slowly faded, however, when she realized there wasn’t really anyone to share this with. Sure, there was Liv and she would be happy for her and maybe even a little impressed, but it’s not like she would stay and shoot hoops with her or anything. Wrinkling her nose in thought, she made a face as she leaned against the bottom of the tree, hoop hovering above her. It took a few seconds for the lightbulb to go off in her head - Harry, of course! She wasn’t sure if basketball was even a thing where he came from but that was even better yet - she could teach him. The lucky duck, plenty of people would’ve loved to have been trained and taught by the great Maddie Rooney.
And just as quickly as the thought had popped into her head, an excited text had been sent and there was nothing left to do now but wait and shoot baskets to her heart’s content.
Life was doing its best to act like a violent ocean for the young pirate. He was afraid to close his eyes because he didn’t know what memories were going to bubble up to the surface, unwanted and unneeded. Gil often spent time with him when he couldn’t sleep, but Harry knew the arrangement couldn’t go on forever. There was a point where he would finally break under the waves beating at his mind. He had been attempting to sort of rest when his phone had gone off and he pried an eye open to glance at the message. A slow, almost deadly, smile appeared on his face as he responded to Miss Maddie.
She wasn’t afraid of him, but she also didn’t know better. He was annoyed so many people from his own world weren’t taking him seriously, but people from other worlds? Well, who could blame them. He was a charming shark. He pushed himself out of his hammock and snagged the shirt Evie had made him off the ground. The stupid shirt was one of the softest things he had ever owned and he was even a wee bit amused that it was white and blue stripped. Smee would have been jealous. Once the shirt was on he jammed his feet into his boots. He dinnae much about what Maddie wanted, but he was sure the Starfish would be able to distract him for hours. There was a moment where he paused and debated snagging someone to go with him.
No one travels alone.
His fingers hovered over the screen on his phone as he thought about messaging Gil or Ducks, but he settled on just jamming the phone into the front pocket of his pants. He did, however, snag his hook and sword so he could clip them to his belt. He may have been disobeying a captain he didn’t follow, but he wasn’t stupid.
Harry didn’t travel without weapons.
He ducked out of the Rock and didn’t bother trying to sneak off. No, he clasped his hands behind his head as he strolled right off the beach into the woods. Someone would likely notice his popping off and tattle to Harriet, which meant he’d get a lecture, but he honestly didn’t care right now. Harry needed this distraction, some time away from the Rock, and he wasn’t going to apologize for his actions. The trip was painfully uneventful so by the time he finally found Maddie he was in a wee bit of a nasty mood. He hadn’t been able to slaughter anything! Plus, well, his hair was getting a bit on the long side which meant he kept pushing it off his forehead in annoyance. Why hadn’t he worn his bloody hat or at least stolen one of Gil’s bandanas?
“Well, I’m here,” he drawled out as he took in the everything in front of him. His eyebrows shot upward as he studied the makeshift basketball hoop and the girl playing by herself. “What…exactly are ye doing?” He crossed his arms over his chest as he cocked his head to the side. Games were not common place on the Isle and he didn’t quite know how to take in the scene in front of him.
“Is this,” he motioned to everything with a hand. The black nail polish on his fingers glinted as if there were stars trapped in the inky color as he moved his hand through the air and for a mere second he caught himself glancing at said fingers. “The something awesome?”
Not noticing Harry coming up toward her new homemade basketball court, she jumped into the air and made a two-point shot, letting the ball bounce on the ground and roll as she aggressively motioned at the basket as though it were going to come at her, ready for a fight. Immediately after, she did her signature hand motions as she said loudly, “BAM, what?!” before turning her to attention to who she hoped would become her newest student when he’d made himself known.
“Hey!” she greeted him cheerfully, leaning down and picking up the ball and holding it against her hip with her arm. “You made it!” Looking up at her creation, she grinned, sloppy blonde ponytail tossed back over her shoulder. “It’s basketball. The thing I’m the best at in the world.” Maddie looked back over at him and nodded slightly, gesturing to the hook that hung on his belt. “My hook. Actually…” Her grin grew as she dribbled the ball with modest success on the ground before calling out another loud voice, though this one lower than the one before it, “HOOKSHOT!” and completing the play, letting the influence of her sister get the best of her as she shot her arms out and made like she was showing off a brand new fancy car on a game show. “Ta-da!”
As the ball rolled back to her, she put her foot on top of it to keep it from getting too far, looking from the hoop and back to Harry. “I rigged the whole thing up myself,” she said, crossing her arms. “It was mostly for me but I figure anyone and everyone can use it and have a good time. It’s not like we have a whole lot of options for fun around here.” Grin returning to her lips, she quickly clasped her hands together and let out a happy sigh as she turned back to the hoop. She would kiss it if that wouldn’t be, you know...incredibly weird. “Today has been the best day I’ve had here since my sister showed up. I can’t believe I didn’t do this sooner.”
Maddie looked back at Harry, grin still on her face as she made her way over to him, grabbing him by the wrist and tugging him onto the “court”. “C’mon, give it a go. I’m guessing since you didn’t know what I was doing when you walked up, that you don’t have a whole lot of experience with it, huh?” she asked, trying to be as delicate about it as possible. Then again, even prisons in her world had basketball courts in the yard for the prisoners to shoot hoops - maybe Harry’s prison had them as well, though she wasn’t going to hold her breath for anything positive to come out of what he described as his home.
Bending down and picking up the basketball once again, she held it in front of her and nodded to him, thrusting it into his arms. “Here, hold this and I’ll position your hands the right way to shoot. Let me see what I’m working with.” Pausing, she held up a finger to him as the grin disappeared, replaced by a serious look and raised eyebrows, head tilting to the side. “If you overthrow and end up losing my ball, though? You’re dead meat.” Smile returning just as quickly as it had left, she gave him a smack on the upper arm and nodded before giving an exaggerated shrug. “Other than that, just have fun and try your best!”
His eyes widened a mere fraction at her genuine cheerfulness. Was she happy to see him? Harry wasn’t entirely used to people being joyous about his arrival anywhere. Oh, Gil didn’t count, he always cared where Harry was. His lips curled into a small smile as she said basketball was her hook. Ah, the thing that kept her sane. The hook on his belt was an anchor to sanity and without it he knew he’d fracture. He walked a fine line everyday of falling too far into the chaos of his mind and he needed the weight on his belt. Sometimes, when he was at his worst, he needed to feel the hook in his hand.
A startled laugh escaped him at her hookshot. The whole thing was theateratical and he couldn’t help giving her a mocking clap of applause.
“Ye seemed to have done a good job,” he pointed and he fought the urge to smile. Her smile was an infectious one and he wasn’t quite sure how to handle all the jovial behaviour. The fact she had done this and was willing to share with everyone was strange to him. There wasn’t a whole lot of fun on the Isle and there was the whole matter of no one shared. You fought for what you got and you didn’t let anyone else have it. If you couldn’t take it? You broke it. If you couldn’t have the object than you made sure it was destroyed beyond repair.
He was caught off guard when she touched him. His lips formed a faint line as he allowed himself to be pulled along. Might as well see where this was going, aye? He could only give her a confused look as she jammed the ball into his hands. He didn’t say a word as she maneuvered his fingers into gripping the ball just right.
This was strange.
Her warning had him grinning wickedly as he felt the huge urge to just chuck the basketball into the wilderness. He managed to hold that urge in and turned his face towards the hoop. He had never actually played this game or really seen it. Sure, there was a crude version on the Isle some of the younger kids had made. Did children just know to throw a ball into a hoop out of instinct or was it something else? Harry had never had time for childish games so he wasn’t sure of the answer. So he just lined up the shot and frowned at how this whole thing was so painfully not Isle like.
He didn’t know how to just let go and be a teenager. He finally let out a sigh and guessed the proper amount of force he was going to have to use to get the basketball into the hoop. It was rather like figuring out how much to turn the wheel to avoid a whirlpool with a ship. Harry took the shot and it didn’t go wild, but it didn’t make it into the hoop on the first try. The ball hit the rim of the hoop and shot back towards them.
“Shite.”
Though she could tell it wasn't exactly the most genuine applause she'd ever received after hitting a shot, Maddie still smiled and bowed - starting the way a guy would bow to his partner before blinking to herself and correcting it, pulling the sides of her hoodie out slightly and curtsying like a proper girl and everything. It made her recall some awkward dances with Diggie back in school when they would both be the ones trying to lead and her sister would be hovering, hiding in the corner behind some balloons smacking her forehead and wincing. Really, everyone should've just been lucky they ever got her to go to a dance and wear a dress, let alone actually dance. Idly, she wondered if Harry had ever been to a dance...what school was like or if they even had it at all. She had a lot of questions about where he claimed to be from but also didn't necessarily want to bring that up. Who would want to talk about that kind of thing, anyway? It would be like asking her about when she hurt her knee or when they weren't sure if Liv was ever going to sing again - rough times that were better left in the past than dwelled on in the present, she figured.
"Are you surprised?" she asked, laughing a little, a small little snort coming out as she looked back at the hoop once again. "I've put together a few before. Back at my house, setting them up at school. It's not really rocket science. I could probably build a basket in my sleep if I had to but, luckily?" she said, using her fingers to make her eyes wider. "All kinds of awake for this one. Oh! And check it out." Quickly, she made her way behind the tree that had been transformed into the basketball hoop and grabbed the knife she'd used out of the tree where she'd stuck it for safe keeping, inspecting it herself as she made her way back to Harry. "Looks like I've got myself a weapon now, too. I mean," Maddie frowned slightly, glancing from Harry's hook to her knife - it was sharp and would do the trick to hurt someone if she had to, but at the the end of the day..."it's just a kitchen knife. But it's better than nothing, right?" she offered before sticking it in another nearby tree.
She couldn't help but bite her lip and smile as she watched him position himself to take a shot. He definitely had the body and from what she had seen, the athleticism for it; but he looked so awkward - tense was the word. It was clear that he hadn't ever done something like this before and that thought made her a little sad, turning her smile into a frown. It was like he struggled to let his guard down, struggled to just...enjoy himself and relax. Maybe she was thinking too much of it. Maybe he just didn't want to be embarrassed, missing a shot or looking silly while doing it. It did seem like he had some kind of image to uphold and that it was important to him. Maybe she shouldn't have been so quick to decide that he was a good person and no one to be afraid of. She could've at least humored him a little bit. And there was that time when they'd first met in person when she saw what darkness seemed to reside in him come over his eyes and take her aback. Was that really the same person that stood before her now, that she was getting to know, that she wanted to know more about?
Catching the ball after it hit the rim, Maddie shook her head and went up to him again, the smile returning to her face and all thoughts of who Harry Hook might really be immediately evaporating from her mind. "Hey, that was really good for your first try! You hit the basket, so you were close!" Moving to stand in front of him, she set the ball down for a moment and began to shake her arms out, rolling her neck back and forth a couple of times. "You just need to loosen up a little and work on your aim. C'mon, shake out some of that tension, Hook!" she said, smacking him on the arm again and giving him a supportive grin. "It's just us out here, no one's gonna see you and I'm not about to run and tell anyone. Who would I even tell? We're two friends, hanging out, shooting some hoops. What's to be tense about?" she stated the first part of her last sentence quickly, glancing down at the basketball as she went to pick it up, unsure how he would feel about the label of friendship. She certainly considered him a friend but it would be understandable if he didn't quite feel the same way about her yet. Maybe a few more afternoons spent like this and it would get there for him.
"Let me tell you how I taught myself how to aim. You have to think of someone that you really, really hate - I know, hate's a strong word but sometimes it's also the only accurate word. Picture their stupid face right above the basket and just chuck it. It doesn't matter if it makes a basket or not right now, just as long as you're aiming in the right spot. We can worry about force and all of that later." Rolling the basketball between her hands, she laughed one of her goofy, dorky laughs at the memory of who it was that helped her learn how to aim. "See, for me? It was this girl in second grade who called me a dweeb because I wore glasses and stole my granola bar at snack time."
Spinning around with the ball in her hands, she glared at the basket, picturing the little brat's face and shot, the ball hitting the backboard of the tree and going into the basket as Maddie yelled, "Well, how do you like me, now, CHRISTY?! BAM, what!" Letting the ball roll back to her before picking it up, she cleared her throat and swallowed hard, one arm holding the basketball to her side and her other hand twirling her ponytail as she looked away from him, feeling her face flush. "Or, I mean...you know. Something like that."
It wasn’t a matter of someone seeing them. No, it was a matter of this was so far outside of his wheelhouse. Oh, there had been times when he had played a bit with Dizzy, but that had normally only involved nail polish. Harry had grown up with a sword in his hand, not some toy. An eyebrow quirked upward at her remark about them being friends. Were they? He didn’t throw that label around much and there was a nasty taste in his mouth now. Oddly, not because she had said they were friends, but more because he rather liked that idea. She wasn’t from the Isle or Auradon, she was just Maddie. “I’m tense because anything could hop out of the woods and eat us alive,” he countered easily as he crossed his arms over his chest. His words were serious despite the fact he had an amused look on his face.
Danger was honestly around every corner, but they were safe enough. He hadn’t heard anything careening through the woods towards them and the wee light magic Mal had given him wasn’t illuminating some monster. He snorted louder than he meant to when he started to pay attention what Maddie was saying. There was a long list of people he hated. “Hate isn’t a strong word,” was all he said in response. Hate was a word to hold tightly onto in the cold nights. Hate was got a person up in the morning when there wasn’t much else to look forward to, and hate was what fueled a person to keep going. Some people didn’t make it on the Isle, they were shadows of themselves and it was because they hadn’t fixated on hate long enough to survive.
He let out a faint sigh and wondered what Uma would think if she saw him playing a game with Maddie. Gil would be willing to learn, but he probably wouldn’t warm up to Mads right away. The pirates were a tight knit group and now he was the one branching outside their little group. Oh, aye, he was going to have to talk to them about the girl who used hate and basketball. “She sounds like she was a wee brat. Nothing wrong with wearing glasses. Ye wear them cause you have to see, bit hard to play a game if you can’t see, I would assume.”
He found himself choking back a laugh as she overreacted to getting the ball in the hoop. Maddie was a strange one and he wasn’t sure if he enjoyed his time around her or not. She left him feeling just a tad confused, that was the bit he disliked, but he didn’t mind the fact there were moments he could laugh and not worry about the anger coursing through his veins.
“You are very passionate about this game,” he half teased. “I can see why you are trying to share it with other people. Tell ye what,” he pointed at the hoop with his finger. The skull ring caught the light and his lips twitched faintly in amusement. “I’ll let you teach me the ways of basketball if you let me teach you how to defend yourself. That kitchen knife isn’t going ta do ye much good if you don’t know how to use it, Maddie.”
Harry smiled at her, the type of smile that screamed of the innocent boy he could have been and lit up his face, and held his hand out. “Do we have an accord, starfish?”
She couldn't help but roll her eyes at his defense of why he was so tense. He had a point, of course - he was always quick to point out that this place was dangerous and whether he believed it or not, that wasn't lost on her; but there was a difference between being prepared and ready in case something happened and not doing anything out of fear, being constantly on guard and not able or willing to enjoy things. Maddie figured he probably didn't have all that much to enjoy back where he came from and maybe that was the reason it was hard for him to let go. Once again, the thought of how things must have been for him brought her down from the basketball-playing high. Bad as this place was, she hoped that he was at least finding some kind of happiness and freedom here - and that he never had to go back home.
Maddie found her face growing hot as he mentioned her glasses, unknowingly reaching up to adjust them against her nose. Few people ever brought up that she wore them in the first place - probably because they valued not being bruised and yelled at - and truthfully, most of the time she forgot they were even there. For some reason, Harry pointing them out made her face flush and prompted her to turn away from him, once again grabbing her ponytail and wrapping it over her face to try and hide the color change, though likely only drawing more attention to it. "Yeah, I know right?" she said with a snort, trying to remain as nonchalant as possible. "I even have special ones that I wear when I'm practicing or at a game but...those didn't exactly come with me the way some other stuff did." Pausing for a second, letting her ponytail fall back onto her shoulder, she nodded firmly and confirmed, "She really was a wee brat."
Shaking out her body once again, this time to get the gross feeling of self-consciousness and pink cheeks out of her system, she set the ball down on the ground and tucked some strands of blonde hair back behind her ears. She smiled when he noted how passionate she was about the game that really had made her who she was, giving a small shrug as she rolled the ball between her foot and the ground. "Like I said, it's my hook. It has been since I can remember. It's like a cure-all for anything, you know? If I'm having a bad day, I can go and shoot some hoops and it sort of fades away. If I'm having a good day, I can make it better or celebrate by doing it. If I'm mad or sad or need time to think, it's always there...sort of waiting." Laughing a little, she rolled her eyes at herself this time before turning to the basket and tilting her head to the side. "Okay, that sounds creepy and weird but it's true. It's like an old friend. Been there through everything with me."
Quickly realizing that she was sounding a bit more pathetic by the minute, she added as she awkwardly switched feet with the basketball, shifting her weight, "I mean, I have real friends, too. And they're amazing and great to talk to and everything but...sometimes you don't want to talk. You just want to get something out of your system in a physical way." Maddie laughed again and tilted her head back, looking up into the trees and at the sky above, groaning to herself. "I sound like such a dork. I promise, at the end of the day it's just a fun thing to do. No need to get deep and introspective about it."
Following his pointing hand with her eyes, she raised both of her eyebrows at his proposition. It seemed like a win-win to her - she got to play basketball with someone and learn how to actually defend herself should the need arise. A slow grin spread across her face at the sight of his smile - something that made her feel all the more confused about just what kind of person he really was just the same as the darkness in his eyes had - and she nodded briefly, reaching her hand out to take his and giving it a firm, solid shake. "All right, you got yourself a deal, Hook." Turning to the tree she'd stuck the knife in before, she took it out once again and held it, head tilting to the side expectantly. "So, you've seen what I've got. How about you?" Gesturing with her head to the sword on his belt, she couldn't help but smirked a little as she teased him, "You really know how to use that or is it just for show?"
Oh, aye, her turning away after her cheeks started to change a delightful shade did draw more attention to the whole thing. Harry didn’t see the big deal about glasses or the like. Dizzy had glasses and she was painfully adorable. Not that he was ever going to admit that fact out loud. There had been times where he had protected her from others, but he still collected the protection fee from the salon. Oh, aye, he may have left wee trinkets for her to find, but that didn’t mean he actually cared about the sprog. The only times her cheeks changed colors around him when were she was upset, which was very different then the situation he had just found himself in.
A new game! Make Maddie blush.
He listened to her rattle on and he didn’t say a word. Harry merely raised an eyebrow as she explained how basketball was her escape. He understood, painfully so, and he had the urge to let her know that. Thankfully he managed to keep his teeth snapped firmly shut around those words. The more she explained, well, the less he could relate. His escape wasn’t an old friend, a comfort, it was merely an escape. Oh, aye, he supposed Gil was somewhat of an escape for him. Always there, but Gil was a person, not some object. He shook those thoughts away like water and focused on something that caught his attention in a suggestive way. He fully knew Maddie wasn’t talking about the type of physical he was about to allude to, but he still had to say the words.
“Oh, aye, I completely understand needing to get physical to get something out of me system. It is something I quite enjoy,” he quipped with a smirk.
Soon enough the deal was struck and Harry was flashing her a wicked grin. The teasing didn’t phase him as he took a step back. A few more steps and he pulled the sword free. He spun the blade so it flashed brightly. It sliced through the air easily and he flicked his wrist upward, fingers letting go of the handle. The sword spun through the air upward before it spun back towards him faster than it had gone up. Harry didn’t even seem phased as he watched the descent. He reached out as if he was merely catching a falling snowflake, but somehow his lazy motion resulted in him grabbing the sword by the hilt. Most people would have injured themselves, but Harry had mastered this trick ages ago. Hell, he could even pull off that stunt drunk without nicking a finger.
He jammed the blade back into his belt and gave a shrug. “I’d say I’m fair enough,” he drawled out. “But nae about to attempt to cross blades with your wee blade. Gonna have to get you a proper sword. Which means, starfish, you are going to probably going to get tangled up with the crew at the Rock. I’ll get ye a sword, but when me sister asks why I am taking an extra I am not going to hide the reason. My sister may reach out to ye since it is so rare for me to offer assistance to someone outside of her crew. Well, that and she be my sister and overly protective.” His nose wrinkled in a mixture of amusement and annoyance.
Harriet could be extremely protective.
"Yeah, see. You get it!" she said in response to his agreement with her, taking a beat to fully grasp what he was actually getting at. Once again, she could feel her cheeks grow hot and an awkward, nervous half-giggle, half-snort escaped from her lips, free hand reaching back to run her fingers through her ponytail. Somehow Harry Hook had managed to get a trifecta of anxious behavior out of Maddie with one single sentence. "What? No! No, I mean...you...could...go that route...I - I just," she stammered, cursing to herself in her head about it, letting him get under her skin so easily within the span of just a couple of minutes. "Haven't," she finished with a cough, looking down at the ground and her foot on the basketball, having been rolling it back and forth this entire time without realizing it.
Her mind immediately went to Diggie, which only amplified her reactions even more. Given the fact that her sister or brothers and especially father were always around, it was nothing short of a miracle that they'd ever managed to kiss at all, let alone anything else; but she would be lying if she said the thought had never crossed her mind, especially with their upcoming trip to New Orleans together. No siblings, no parents...no, no! This was not the time or the place for those kind of thoughts. What good would they do anyway? It's not like he was here. All she had was his letterman jacket that still smelled like him and made her feel both comforted and homesick at the same time whenever she wore it.
Was it really any surprise that Harry had, though? Maddie could see girls clamoring to get just a glance from the sharp, blue eyes of the charming pirate. She could only imagine what the response would be had he showed up one day at her school back in Stevens Point. Just a bunch of Willows obsessing and fangirling over their Joey. She actually shuddered to think of it and was suddenly grateful that she wasn't exactly a hot commodity to anyone but Diggie and Josh. How did ridiculously good-looking people do it?
All those thoughts were immediately erased from her mind - much to her relief - the second his hand touched the sword. A small smile on her face, she bit her lip and crossed her arms, still rolling the basketball under foot as she watched him toss it up into the air, eyes widening as it made a beeline back down in his direction, nearly calling out to him and shoving him out of the way; but he caught it as if it were nothing, similar to the way she did tricks with her basketball as though it were another part of her body. She laughed, clapping her hands for him after sticking her own knife between her teeth to do so as he slid the blade back into his belt. Bummer, she wanted to see more. Spitting the blade back out into her hand, she praised, "Uh, yeah. I'd say you're better than fair, that was awesome!"
Maddie looked at her kitchen knife with a furrowed brow and frown. Now that she'd seen the real thing in action, this did seem entirely too pathetic for her liking. It was something, but it wasn't enough. She wanted to play the role of a swashbuckling pirate, be able to have sword fights and defend herself if she ever had to. If only she'd joined fencing club in school. She knew that she was probably more excited to learn how to use a sword than he was to learn how to play basketball but hey, he had come up with the deal. "Really?" she asked, her frown turning into a grin. "You could get me a sword like yours?" The idea both thrilled and scared her a little but she was never one to shy away from a challenge.
With a shrug, she nodded in agreement to his terms, sticking her knife back into one of the trees. "Sure, I get that. I'm protective of my family, too. Besides, I wouldn't mind meeting your sister." Biting her lip, both feet planted firmly on the ground now and not on a basketball, she rocked back and forth on her heels, trying not to let her grin grow too big and goofy. "So...like, would that make me part of your crew, then? Or am I just that pathetic of a land-lover that you want to help me out and make sure I don't end up hurt or worse? Which," she said, pointing a finger at him, "is still nice of you, by the way."