vivala | 02 - Piracy is sentimental with salty bits

[Learning in the Vaults]

[Harlock is attending a lesson on how Ether-driven ships work, taking very copious notes, though it's clear some of the more technical terminology being used is beyond his current language skills, phonetically writing down the words with question marks as he also roughly sketches out the parts, murmuring under his breath.

Once the classes clear, he waves people down]

Pardon, would you mind helping me go over my notes?

[Flotsam Taverns cw: alcohol, implied alcoholism]

[It's well past sundown, and the moon is high - the hour is so late that the mood in the bar - The Dancing Skipjack - is undergoing a seachange from rowdy carousing to melancholy and sentimentality. A dwarf with a concertina had just finished a shanty about how the dangers of sea monster hunting is worth it for the village boy waiting for the sailor on shore. A few patrons left, but others not done yet are calling out for someone else to sing.

Meanwhile, Harlock was sitting at a small table, apparently drinking since he sat down, and yet seemingly as sober as a temperance judge, humming softly before he glances up upon sensing someone approaching, before letting out a sound of assent, inviting the person to join him at the table, even as the call for more songs continue.]

I hope you don't mind shanties, it seems like everyone's looking for a little song tonight.

[Locked to Donatello, not long after the mission end]

[Harlock's thoughts turned over the raid, they did well, much better than he anticipated but there could've been more done, difference choices, but right now - he was more concerned how Donatello was holding up - the pirate has seen his share of first battle shocks. It's a reminder to him that while he's used to this, many aren't.

When he finds the turtlekin, he waits for a moment, before calling out]

How are you holding up?

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[hit me up at

RShini if you want to plot, or just throw something and see if it sticks]

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From:

purplexing

[He's never been particularly good at talking about his feelings, even at home with his brothers. Figuring out problems is always his thing so it doesn't occur to him to ask anyone about it either. Everyone else is going about things like it's all normal anyway. It must just be a him thing. Lack of experience, too soft....and not just his shell.

It's been... a lot to process. They'd succeeded in their mission and so far as he's heard, they'd suffered no casualties- on their side. But it had been hard to really relax after all of it, and while it isn't completely unusual for the turtlekin to be seemingly possessed by the restlessness of needing to busy himself with something, internally it feels different and he can't really pinpoint why.

So it is that he's thrown himself right into work as soon as he'd been able to, and not like there's any shortage of things to be done, specially in the wake of a battle and fresh acquisitions. And with everyone likely just as busy, it's easy to lose track of when the last time had been since they'd seen Donnie grab a meal or take a nap.

When Harlock finds him, the turtlekin's elbow deep in the innards of one of the armors they'd acquired, trying to remove some of the old wiring and cables that had been damaged from the fights. It takes him a moment to realize he's the one being addressed then, and some effort to pull away his focus once he loosens and begins to wind up another half-melted cable. He wipes at his face with the back of a hand, glancing down where Harlock is.]

Huh? Oh. I'm... Fine?

[He hasn't really thought to ask himself that question.]

From:

freearcadia

[He observes the armor, wiring and cabling - a melancholy smile slipping for a moment, reminded of a different place, a different person from eight years ago before he shook it off, forcing himself to ground himself in the present, not in the past.

The pirate approach, looking up at the innards, his mind half-recalling jargon and warnings. The answer he got didn't surprise him, it's the kind of answer he'd give, a Captain can't worry his crew, but a Captain has to worry.]

I suppose fine is the best anyone can be after that. Need an extra hand? I may not be a mechanic, but I've been the extra hand for the best engineer in my world.

From:

purplexing

[It's maybe too long a moment that he pauses, looking back at things and the coils of what he'd already removed, down by the feet of the armor.]

-it's okay, I got it.

[He's just...used to handling things by himself. Factoring in another pair of hands usually feels like it'd be more trouble. But as he finishes wrapping up the cable, he reconsiders. Harlock didn't have to come over here to find him, after all.]

...here, catch.

[He'll drop that bundle down to him once Harlock looks ready.]

From:

freearcadia

[Harlock wasn't going to push if it seemed like Donnie was really not up to talk. When the Turtlekin spoke up again, the man pauses in mid-step, glancing over his shoulder, before positioning himself to catch the bundle, giving it a curious look over, a glove thumb running over the materials.]

You did good out there.

[There's a genuine acknowledgement in his voice, even as his general pitch remained quiet and even.]

From:

purplexing

[Donnie blinks at that, unable to keep from smiling at that, faint as it might be. Praise goes a long way with him, and after...well, everything, he's glad to hear anything positive, especially when it came down to his performance.]

02 - Piracy is sentimental with salty bits

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