Drake Barbossa-Swann:
A certain, notoriously haughty admiral leaned quietly against the base of an old yew that had situated its roots close to a bank of a nearby stream. What Drake was doing by himself on a cool, calm, and clear night such as this was unclear.

He was just slumped against the tree trunk; hat pushed back on his head, hair hanging loosely at his shoulders instead of tied back, and coat casually unbuttoned. It was quite a pitiful state, when you considered it. The otter was lost in contemplation, wanting to rather be in a drunken depression due to the tail-end of his current hangover. The only problem was that he was out of rum.

And it was taking a toll on his anxiety.

William:
William stalked about the Oasis, intent on his task. He was trying to find something for Ariel, a flower, a pretty stone, anything to make her smile. He'd come to realize that he would do almost anything to make her happy, though part of him knew he was lost to that smile, that laugh from the very beginning. It had just taken his thick head too long to figure that fact out. He'd come to dressing a little more casually lately as the weather was warmer, his hair more loosely tied back, just his vest, sash, and pants, no boots or frilly shirt.

But it wasn't a flower he found, rather his drunk of an uncle.
Will could call him the black sheep of the family and be right on the money. While drinking ran in their blood, in more ways than one, Drake took it to extremes. And this was the otter he'd lost Anna to? The young vampire's lip curled a bit at the state his uncle was in and he approached the older otter, deciding to use the clarity he saw in Drake's eyes to finally settle something.
"We need to talk."

Drake Barbossa-Swann:
Violet eyes flicked up at the sound of another's voice. Drake's head tilted up to see no other than his oldest nephew standing before him. "Ahh," Drake murmured slightly in bemusement. "If it isn' young Will. Haven' seen you around lad..." He thought it odd that one of his sibling's children would stop to talk to him.

The only one that he'd see every now and then was Finch, whenever she felt like giving him grief. Even then, he hadn't seen his youngest niece in over a year. Nevertheless, the pirate was quite convinced that Pearl and Cornelius had trained their offspring to recognize their uncle as some sort of outlandish, quixotic git to verbally or physically attack on sight.

If that wasn't enough to make him feel bewildered over William's presence, there was also a look on the younger male's face that went paw-in-paw with the tone of his voice that indicated Drake was about to receive a lecture.
"Am I 'n trouble?" he inquired feebly, trying to manage a weak smirk. "If so, could it wait a bit...? I'm disturbingly sober with something awful of a headache at the moment..

William:
"All the better," William replied as he sat down in front of his uncle. Good. He was sober, so Drake would hear, comprehend, and hopefully remember every thing he said. He considered just how to start his lecture, because that's exactly what it was. He wasn't sore over Anna, not anymore. Ariel was something so much more special, and while it had taken him forever to notice it, he was much better off. But Anna was still his friend, though it was difficult to see her still. Soon it would be okay again, he might even bring her to his lake so that she could meet Ariel and they could have a get-together.
Much as he'd like to keep his little mermaid to himself.

"What is Anna to you?" Best to get right to business. He knew how Anna felt about Drake, now was the time to see what Drake thought. And to see if his uncle was really as dense as he thought.

Drake Barbossa-Swann:
The older otter huffed slightly and rolled his head back as his request was denied and William continued to speak. However, at the mention of Anna's name, Drake snapped back into complete attentiveness. Why had William come to him about Annakail? The admiral wasn't even aware the younger male knew her... He studied the other otter carefully and gave him a curious look.

"Anna... she's... well she's a lovely girl. Bloodly brilliant at running a pub. Fantastic drinkin' companion." he continued, a smile coming across his maw the more he thought about her interventions of his drunken escapades.

He thought for a moment and gave his nephew a more serious look. "But don't get me wrong, lad. She's worth more than just sharing a drink or two with. She's an extremely dear friend to me..." He'd be a damn fool to say she wasn't the closest he had. Drake continued to eye will carefully, wondering if there was something concerning Anna that he needed to be aware of. "What's all this 'bout, lad?"

William:
Will listened patiently to Drake as the older otter explained his feelings towards Anna. He wasn't sure if he liked the answer or not. But his uncle was being honest, so it was good form to be honest in return.
"Is that all? She's a dear friend to you? Are you blind or just so drunk you're stupid?" Will replied, his tone a little angry. He shook his head a bit and rolled his eyes.

"I tried to make a move on Anna, some time ago. Didn't pan out, and I know why. It worked out for me, but not for her, not yet."

Drake Barbossa-Swann:
He was a little taken aback at William's reaction. The bloody hell, was he looking for a specific answer or something? Drake gave him a mildly peeved look, growing more suspicious by the minute. "Listen mate. I dunno what you're blathering on about, but if yer here just to find a reason to kick sand in my eye while 'm down, then by all means--..."

He trailed off as William further explained how he attempted to make advancements on Anna. Despite the fact that she rejected him, a chord of discomfort struck inside the older male. And he wasn't sure whether it was the way Will said 'make a move on her' or if it was a the fact that Anna had suitors trying to win her heart.

Actually, both of those ideas didn't sit right with him... the latter moreso for reasons he couldn't explain.

Drake stared at his kin for a long moment, debating whether Will had come to him in order to find out more about Anna or if he wanted his help in charming her back. (Which of Drake thought was unlikely, despite being unaware of William and Annakail's previous situation.)

"Oh?" he inquired warily. "And why's that...?"

William:
Will raked his paw over his hair, sighing over the denseness of his uncle's skull. Could he really not see it? Will was Anna's best friend, had deluded himself into thinking he had a chance and still knew better.

"I have my Ariel now, but Anna still has to deal with an idiot who apparently notice the goo-goo eyes she gives him," Will replied with another shake of his head. He hoped that he could get this over with quickly, but it seemed like Drake wasn't going to cooperate. He almost felt bad for letting Drake know how Anna felt about him, since it was her secret, but he hated to see her as down as she was. Her sister was gone, she was a worsening alcoholic... Maybe if he could get Drake to notice something more than her booze, she could be happy again.

Drake Barbossa-Swann:
Drake rubbed at his temples at the effects of his hang-over-headache throbbed. Taking a second to register William's words, Drake gave him a perplexed glance, lost between taking his words seriously and or going along with the joke. "As if Anna would genuinely make "goo-goo" eyes at my pitiful excuse of an existance..." But the crossed look on the vampire's face indicated he wasn't playing around.

He never let Anna's hints at flirting go unnoticed, but he had assumed it was part of her nature. He'd always thought the teasing was just... well... teasing. But Drake was unaware how she acted around other males in comparison to him.

There were a number of times when Drake would visit Anna's pub just for the sole purpose of being in her company. He never realized that she would beckon him over for the same reasons. And that theory alone set off some sort of internal conflict within him. "Why would... No, she... ... how... "

He felt unsure how to understand the emotion. He'd gone this far in life without it, but the realization forced a pressure into his chest. "You're telling me that Anna sincerely... loves me...?" he asked in a hushed tone as that word caught in his throat.

William:
William gave Drake a stern frown at his laughing denial of Anna's possible feelings. Was his uncle really that depressed and his self-esteem that far down? Will really had to wonder, besides Uncle Cornelius being kind of a jerk, what made Uncle Drake think so badly of himself. But that wasn't what the discussion at paw was about. It was about Anna and making her happy for once.
This was the best Will could do.

"Love, I don't know. But I know she's interested in you, and only you. I'm her best friend, or at least I was. It's something you tend to notice. Love's a hard thing to understand, so it's tough to find the signs." Boy, didn't he know that one? Both he and Ariel had gone through so much trouble, not knowing that they cared about one another. Will always thought that she hated being with him, that she wanted to go home. And Ariel always thought she was a burden on him and that he would probably just want her gone so he could have his solitude back. Damn, but he really did her.

Anna probably did love Drake. He just didn't want to tell Drake that, exactly.

Drake Barbossa-Swann:
His whiskers turned down as he frowned softly and glaced off in contemplation. What if she thought he was cold for not picking up her feelings before? She had turned away William, and Drake hadn't even been aware of the slight possibility that she liked him... She'd always been there to help whenever he was floating at the bottom of a bottle because of personal issues.

Albeit sometimes it was with the aid of more ale, but at least she still expressed her concern. And even though she was a bit elusive with her personal life, Drake felt like he should've pried further about how she was feeling as of late aside from the casual 'how are you'. Something clicked together on his face and he slowly rose to his paws. He realized he needed to sort this out.

William:
William watched as different expressions pan out on his uncle's face. When there seemed to be dawning and he watched as Drake stood up. He stood a few moments afterwards and nodded his head once.
"Maybe you should go talk to her, while your head's still clear," he replied and walked past his uncle.

"I have a present for a pretty lady to find," he added as he padded away into the darkness, hoping to find a night-blooming flower.

Drake Barbossa-Swann:
"My sentiments exactly..." he murmured, the connection between thoughts and speech coming back into place as he shook his head of the momentary daze. He started forward, but paused briefly as William walked past. "For future reference, tha' "pep talk" could've been as effective without the belittlin', eh mate?" he called after his nephew, just managing a slight, wry infamous smirk.

It was subtle, but a wayward form of thanks nevertheless. "Anna's lucky to 'ave you as a friend." he added quietly as the other male slipped into the darkness before turning himself and setting off towards the pub. It wouldn't be for a drink and idle chat this time. No, Drake wasn't going to make a disappointment out of himself tonight; he was finally going to set things right.