The man stood there, watching in joy as his wife & child played. He lifted his face to the sun & felt the warmth settle deep into his flesh as the cool ocean breeze blew his long mane of silky black hair back. "Papa! Papa! Come play with me & Mommy! Please! I wanna fly Papa!” the sweet young voice yelled to the winds, an innocent giggle behind every word. "Aye Lassie! Are you an yer sweet mother after setting me up? Are ye after pulling a dirty pirate trick upon an old pirate? I sure hope nah, because iffen ya are, ye shall have ta walk the plank!" The man said with a menacing green twinkle in his eyes. "You would have to catch us first Papa & you are too old an slow!" The little child stuck her tongue out at the large man, giggled & ran laughing towards the shore. As the man started to give chase, the smile on his lips died just a bit. There was a darkness out to sea, one that had not been there a moment before & he had the sinking feeling that his time of peace might be coming to an end. Glancing quickly to the woman who owned his heart, he saw the fear in her eyes. They were supposed to be safe here, but no one said the man would not be called back to his duties, for there were no guarantees when you had agreed to serve. Sharing the look, a line of resolve passed between them. They would continue to live as a family & make the best of any time they had remaining to them, for you could never tell if those in the Mortalside could handle the problems brewing or if He would be forced to call upon His servant once more. "Aye laddie, there are no guarantees in this life or any life, but I was sure after hopin fer a few more centuries before ye were after callin me back ta yer side. Me battle axe is sharp though & me baking skills are still second ta none!" With that, he tore off down the hill after his bonnie lass & their wee little one, only a slight, forced edge to his laughter. Later on that evening, after the wee little one was asleep & his bonnie lass was singing softly by the fire he stepped out on to the porch of their quaint little seaside home. Leaning against the railing, he lit his ornately carved pipe, the fragrant tobacco weed adding to the sweet smell of the night, while the sharp, sweet bite, tantalizing his taste buds in ways he had forgotten, the hints of clove & apple paired with the salty sea air reminding him of his days captaining his ship & the freedom of the high seas. "Those are good memories you have there, sadly, they led to much death & bloodshed with each and every landfall you made." "Not all o'them were after ending in bloodshed. Matter o' fact, I'm after remembering one in particular that was after putting an end ta all o' that death & bringing me ta peace. Twas after bein a much different time, far wilder & cleaner......err, even though most folks didna bathe an all..... Maybe cleaner is no the werd I'm after....." The man says with a wry smile upon his face. "I may need to call upon you once more. Things did not go as planned and the storms are coming, each one will be stronger than the one before." The man turns to the voice, finally looking at the man, the white skull practically glowing in the dark night & growls, "Ye were after promisin me a final rest this time. Ye were after sayin I had earned it! How many ways are ya gonna be after punishing them!", he gestures angrily towards the small home. "Iffen twas just me, I wouldna care, but it is no after bein me only now & they paid in spades fer me crimes!” "Calm yourself. I am here to give you a heads up & to let you know what will happen if I have need to call you forth. You ready to hear this or do you need to cry like a litttle bi-" "I'll be after askin ya ta no be using that kinda language when yeer after being on the porch o' my family, even iffen my dear sweet husband does work fer ya, ya daft old man!" The woman's voice lashed out like a whip, the musical notes in her voice turning sharp and dangerous. "Luv, please no, just let me be after handling this, he is after havin the right ta call upon me an I am after havin the right ta question why he would be callin upon me." The man spoke gently, a softness in his face that many would never have believed possible. Letting out a heavy sigh, the newcomer replied to the couple, "Look, it was not my plan. He wasn't scheduled to be here for another century, at least. This has become a cluster fu---er, I mean a problem. I may need you to go back, but there is a problem with that." "O' course there is a problem. Afterall, why should anythin be after bein easy! Lay it on me then." "Iffen, dammit! You are starting to make me sound like you. If you are tapped into play again, it will be in a strictly advisory role. You will have no powers, no battle axe, no nothing. You will only have your old physical form." The man just stood there, mouth hanging open in stunned silence. The slight woman glanced at her husband, never having seen him at a loss for words & moved in to wrap her arms around his waist to offer him support. His right arm just fall around her shoulders as naturally & gently as the snow falls upon the trees. "Hmmmm, I like this silence about you. If I did not have need of your advice, I would make you mute as well!" The other man stated from the dark, a chuckle coming from his normally stern demeanor. "How am I ta be after helpin iffen I am powerless? I mean, I know I am after bein a sexy beast an all, but last I heard, that was no after being somethin that was puttin the ultimate dead on these things before.", the man finally asked in a stunned & slightly higher pitched tone of voice. "Like I said, you would be there in a strictly advisory role, no more, no less. Think you can handle that or is all this good life softened your bravery?" As the man opens his mouth to no doubt make a smart remark, they are interrupted by the shrill sounds of his little girl's terrified screams. All three adults turned as one to bolt into the house, the door slamming behind them as the house winked out of existence. An ornate pipe, smoke trailing from the bowl fell slowly towards the ground, only to be caught by the well manicured, but strong hand of a man who drew the pipe up to his wildly grinning face, where he inhaled deeply. "Now, now, now. I can't have you interrupting my game, now can I, my sweet, sweet friends! I can't wait to dine upon you after this has all ended. You know what they say, Sweet screams are made of these, who am I to disagree, I have disemboweled the world & the seven seas, because everybody is lunch for something."