@intolerablexsacrifice continued from [x]
Hal had known something was wrong from the very start, but he had seen no point in pressing the issue early on. Orchestrating the men in arranging the storage after such a lucrative prize took precedence, and by focusing on the work at hand it kept anyone’s attention off the fact that anything could be wrong in the wake of such a victory as this one.
Now that everything was underway and time had worn itself on, Hal could no longer delay the inevitable. While he wasn’t entirely certain what he would find when he went to check on the captain, he would be lying if he claimed to expect anything even remotely like this.
Looking at him now, Hal was struck by how fucking young this man truly was. It was easy to overlook sometimes – others it didn’t even register, because he carried the weight of the world so damn well that the chasm of experience between them seemed nonexistent. This though – it was hard to ignore it in a moment like this one.
Locking the door was the first most logical step. The men didn’t need to know, or suspect for even a moment, that Flint couldn’t carry this. That there was anything broken in the man would only be fuel for dissent. It didn’t matter how good a strategist a man was aboard ships like these – weakness, perceived or otherwise, was exploited or it bred destruction. There was rarely any inbetween, for captains at any rate. Neither one of them could afford word to spread that Flint had lost track of himself this way.
“Nothing that can’t wait,” His words were gruff, his motions economical as he set about getting a wash basin set up. He did not approach the spot where Flint had cornered himself, trusting the man to uncoil on his own terms and knowing that approaching while he was in a state like this would only exacerbate the situation.
Only once he had everything in order – including some spare clothes laid out – did he finally step into the man’s view. This could go one of two ways, from Hal’s experience. After a moment of ensuring Flint saw him, he stepped into striking distance fearlessly and crouched down, offering out a cloth without mockery or comment toward the man’s position just now. Instead, he spoke of business matters as though nothing at all was unusual at present.
“We’ve got ourselves a steady wind. Provided she keeps up, at this rate we should make Nassau in about three days. The men are righteously pleased with themselves, but not so much they won’t keep things running right amidst their celebrations.”
Ocean Archive 