The dining room was illuminated by the soft glow of candlelight, the flames flickering against the expansive windows that stretched from floor to ceiling, giving a perfect view of the endless ocean beyond. Harry Hook sat stiffly in his chair, his mind racing with thoughts of the mysterious girl he had seen. Andrew, sat at the head of the table, watching him closely.

"Harry, lad, ye need tae be reasonable," Andrew started, his voice carrying the tone of a well-practiced lecture. "Nice young ladies don't just swim around rescuin' people in the middle of the ocean and then disappear like some fairy tale. Ye have tae face reality."

Harry barely registered Andrew's words, his gaze fixed on the waves crashing against the shore in the distance. "I'm tellin' ye, Andy," Harry replied, his Scottish accent thick with frustration. "She was real. I saw her with me own eyes! And I'm gonna find her – mark my words – I'll marry that lass one day."

Andrew let out a heavy sigh, shaking his head, but before he could respond, the doors to the dining room swung open. Emma, the maid, entered the room with Uma beside her. Harry’s breath caught for a moment as he took in the sight of her. Uma looked striking, dressed in a long-sleeved teal gown that clung elegantly to her figure. . She walked gracefully in high heels.

"Ha ha, come on, honey," Emma said with a light laugh, her arm wrapped around Uma's. "Don't be shy."

Andrew's eyes lit up at the sight of Uma. "Oh, Harry, isn't she a vision?" he said, his voice full of approval as he gestured toward Uma.

Harry cleared his throat, fumbling for words as he stared at her. "Uh... ye look wonderful," he managed to stammer, trying to shake the surprise from his voice.

"Come, come, come," Andrew said, taking Uma’s hand and leading her to the table. "You must be famished. Let me help you, my dear."

"There we go," Andrew said, finally settling Uma. "Quite comfy? It's not often that we have such a lovely dinner guest, eh, Harry?"

Harry shot his friend a look but couldn’t stop the corner of his mouth from twitching into a half-smile. Andrew was trying too hard, but the effort was endearing. He took a sip from the goblet in front of him and caught sight of Uma picking up the fork from the table and  before anyone could stop her, she began combing her hair with it.

Harry choked on his drink, raising an eyebrow in amusement. Andrew, however, looked perplexed.

Uma quickly realized her mistake, her cheeks flushing as she set the fork down, embarrassed.

Andrew cleared his throat, clearly trying to shift the mood as he lit his pipe. He took a few puffs before noticing Uma’s curious gaze on it.

"Do you like it?" Andrew asked, holding the pipe out to her. "It is rather… fine."

Uma smiled, clearly intrigued by the object. Without hesitation, she took it from him and blew into it—unfortunately, the pipe was still loaded with ashes. A cloud of soot exploded into Andrew's face, coating him in a layer of black dust.

Harry erupted into laughter, something that had been foreign to him for weeks. He doubled over, wiping a tear from his eye as his father coughed, desperately trying to clean himself off.

Emma gasped, her eyes wide with shock. "Oh my!"

Harry waved a hand dismissively, still chuckling. "Ahem, so sorry, Andy," he managed between laughs.

Emma looked at Harry with a mixture of surprise and amusement. "Why, Harry," she said, her voice soft with affection. "That’s the first time I’ve seen you smile in weeks."

Uma, her face still flushed from the dinglehopper incident, looked at Harry with a shy smile of her own.

Andrew, still wiping the ashes from his face, wasn’t nearly as amused. "Oh, very amusing," he grumbled, shooting a playful glare at Harry before turning to Emma. "My dear, what’s for dinner?"

Emma clasped her hands together, beaming. "Oh, you’re going to love it! The chef’s been fixing his specialty—stuffed crab.

Uma’s expression grew tense, and Harry felt a pang of guilt rise in his chest. Believing that uma didn't like crab or seafood in general. He needed to find a way to make her feel more comfortable. He leaned over and whispered, "If ye don’t fancy the crab, I’ll take care o’ it. We can get somethin’ else."

Uma met his gaze, her smile returning as she nodded gratefully. It was a small gesture, but Harry knew it was enough—for now.

As dinner continued, Harry’s mind wandered back to the mysterious girl that has saved him. His heart was divided between the curiosity of his newfound quest and the undeniable connection he was beginning to feel with Uma. Life, it seemed, was growing more complicated by the minute.