cahooted | [PSL] The Devil's Dubloons (for slapthelibrarian)

He didn't know where he was.

That was the first realization Flynn had when he woke up. Granted, it wasn't exactly the first time that he came to in an unknown place with no recollection how he got there but this time was different. This time he had no recollection of where he had been before. No memory of a mission, of a struggle, nothing that would help him connect the dots.

With a groan he sat up and held his head. Where was he? How did he get here? What happened? He searched his memory and when nothing came to him, a mild panic set in because he always remembered everything. "Okay. I'm sure there's a perfectly good explanation for all this," he muttered, trying to both calm himself and gather his thoughts. Yes, there was an explanation somewhere. He just had to find it.

He sat up and squinted into the penumbra, trying to get an idea of his whereabouts. It was hard to see and for some reason the ground seemed to be shifting underneath. Deep, low creaking sounds filled the air, like something big and heavy moving around, followed by a dull slushing. When Flynn touched the nearest wall it felt moist but rapping his knuckles against it told him that it was wood – massive and sturdy, but wood.

Further up ahead he could see light coming in from the ceiling but it fell on the ground weirdly, evenly split into tiny rectangles. He licked his lips, pointing to the pattern. "Alright. There's probably bars up there. So we got a moving, wooden room, a barred hatch on the ceiling and that is definitely the ocean out there. Which means this is..." He put his hand down, looking around. "... a ship?"

It made no sense. How on Earth had he ended up on a ship? His body felt light and tingly, like it was charged with static electricity and when he put his hand on his head he could feel his damp hair sticking up wildly. Why couldn't he remember? His head didn't hurt and he didn't feel nauseous so he hadn't been knocked unconscious.

"Hello?" Trying to shake off the dizziness he stumbled deeper into the ship's belly, trying to see. For some reason he kept his voice hushed, just barely above a whisper. "Is anybody there?"

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There had been a time where Flynn wouldn't have dared to do what he did now. And there were situations where he would never dare to do what he did now - namely if anyone had been around to witness what he was doing (and then the potential him getting murdered by Nicole after).

"I was just thinking... You use hairpins to put up your hair, don't you? Maybe we can use that." Because of course this wasn't something he could have just asked. He might also be searching a little longer than necessary.

If it were anyone else, Nicole wouldn't hesitate. But she knows how Flynn's mind works (somewhat), and so she allows it. "You're lucky I wore them today." She shoots him a look, but there's no heat behind it. She uses hairpins more often than not, so it's all a bluff.

"You know, that does feel good." She's teasing him, now, but there's some truth to it. "You could become a masseuse."

"Ah." Flynn's breath caught in his throat a little and his fingers stopped when the tease brought a little heat to his face. His fingers had found a pin but he let them linger for another moment, enjoying the feeling or Nicole's hair between them, before he pulled it out.

He cleared his throat, a little flustered but grinning, too. "Well, I suppose? I've never given it much thought, but I guess with a little practice..."

The thought of running his hands through Nicole's hair for the rest of the day held a lot of appeal and he made a mental note that this would be the ideal end of the day once they took care of this whole amnesia-kidnapping situation.

Her smile widens; she does rather enjoy seeing Flynn flustered. Not from any sort of sick or inappropriate nature, of course. He's just very cute when he's nervous.

"Well, you can practice all you like on me. It's a win-win situation, isn't it?" But soon enough, her teasing is tempered by the reality of the situation. "All right, now that you have your pin, shall we move on?" She'd rather they get out of here sooner rather than later, not that she isn't enjoying his company as she always does.

If that wasn't motivation he didn't know what was.

However, at Nicole's return to pragmatism and the indication that playtime was over he (reluctantly) snapped back to attention, holding up the pin before squatting down in front of the chest. He carefully wedged it into the crack, trying to trap the piece of paper in between the two ends.

"Let's see if we can pry it loose..."

If he was worried about not having any further chances to banter with her, he needn't have. They had the entire ship still ahead of them, although she had no idea what could potentially be waiting for them. Still, she was willing to bet that the chance for fun, or at least, a little levity, would present itself soon.

While Flynn worked with the pin, Nicole tried to make herself useful by surveying their surroundings in case there was anything else of note to be spotted. As it was, there was nothing remarkable aside from the chest, so after just a few minutes, she returned her attention to Flynn.

"How's it coming?"

It's a daunting task because Flynn is afraid if he works too fast the paper might rip. "Almost... got it..."

It slips out bit by bit. He takes a break in between so he won't get too impatient and looks back over his shoulder, grinning at her. "Maybe it's a treasure map."

"You'd like that, wouldn't you?" She smiles, a teasing glint in her eye as she watches him working on the paper. "What would you do if you found a treasure worth a million dollars, or perhaps more?"

"You know me SO well."

Not even for the million potential dollars but a map leading to treasure? Those missions are his favorites. Well, next to the mummies of course. God, he loves mummies.

"A million dollars? Pay for flight, hotel and vehicle upgrades for all of our next trips. You know, just once I'd like to reach our destinations well-rested."

"I might not be as smart as you, and I certainly haven't memorized the earth and the known universe, but I do know a few things about you."

She gives him a bit of a cheeky smile, enjoying the banter that comes so easily to them.

"I suppose if we don't find a million dollars here, there's always the lottery."

"And skip all the traps, mercenaries, rivers, cliffs and campfires?"

He grins back, eyes shining with thirst for adventure. "Where's the fun in that?"

"How quickly things change. It used to be you hated it when we ran into something dangerous." Or when she did something dangerous and forced him to come along, such as jumping off cliffs.

"I knew you'd come to like it." Well, she didn't always, but a part of her hoped he would.

"Well, I had good company." His smile widens before he turns his attention back towards the paper.

A little more careful wiggling and it slips out, clamped in between the two sides of the bobby pin. "And voilà! Treasure, here we come!"

"Of course. I'd never let it be said that I was anything less than a good travel companion." She gives him a cheeky grin, because she knows most people wouldn't see the entirety of her actions as being a prime example of a good companion to travel with.

"Excellent, now let's take a look at it. Spread it out over here." She points to another nearby chest with a flat surface that seems almost too conveniently placed.

Flynn puts the scroll on the chest carefully, with the care and knowledge of handling old paper. It would be a tragedy if it ripped or crumbled just because he got impatient.

When the geographical outlines and the compass sign become visible, a big boyish grin lights up his face.

"That is definitely a treasure map."

"Is it? Are you able to recognize any landmarks on it?" He's the one who memorized the earth, after all. If anyone can recognize anything on a map, it's Flynn.

She tries not to crowd him in her eagerness, but her curiosity has gotten the better of her.

Please do crowd him, Nicole. He has no problem with a little crowding. No problem at all.

Flynn leans over, holding out the paper for her to see and traces the drawing. "I remember that coastline, see how it slopes up a bit and then falls? Yes, no doubt about it. That Bay is on an isle in the Caribbeans."

This is exciting! With his sense of adventure tickled he puts his arm around her waist, pulling her in a little. "Sooo, what do you say? Treasure hunts and margaritas on the beach?"

[PSL] The Devil's Dubloons (for slapthelibrarian)

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