02 - Piracy is sentimental with salty bits

[freearcadia]

[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?

Wildcard

[hit me up at RShini if you want to plot, or just throw something and see if it sticks]

Comments

[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.]

[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.

[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.]

[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.]

[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.]

[freearcadia]

[The smile is encouraging, and his own lips tugged upwards slightly as he finds a place to sit]

Nobody can anticipate everything in the heat of things, the cosmos knows how many close calls I've had. But the fact we saved quite a few lives I think is proof of how well we did despite the confusion.

Flotsam

[achelord]

“He can play what he wants. I just need a drink.”

Ziel almost walked past Harlock without giving him a second thought, but where would that lead?

He’d have a few drinks. He’d have a few more. Maybe he’d make it back to his room. Maybe he wouldn’t. Either way, he’d be drunk and alone.

Apparently, there was still some part of him that could care about things a little bit. So instead of ignoring him, Ziel turned and slumped down at Harlock’s table.

“I can’t promise I’ll be any good as company.”

[purplexing]

[There's a few crates nearby. A long forgotten bottle of water sits on one of them. Donnie's turned back towards the armor, seeing if there's anything immediate he can spy that needs removal without having to dive in again just yet.]

...yeah, kind of realized that. But I guess with that many factors operating independently on top of environmental circumstances, no one can really anticipate how anything will go.

Re: Flotsam

[freearcadia]

"Well, guess we can be bad company together." The one-eyed man gives a wry smirk as he sips from his mug. "...A thousand worlds, and the bars never really change."

With that, he sets the empty mug down, raising a hand in a gesture to refill, earning an annoyed and somewhat disbelieving glance from the waiter.

Taverns

[tisfinished]

“Course they’ll be singing shanties,” says a short, broad shouldered man with an impressive black beard; one Harlock last heard enquiring about food preferences. “We won and won big, and that’s how Flotsam celebrates.”

The dwarf sets down a pair of bowls for a communal table before setting down his drink: a large mound of nuts in cracked shells with a sweet aroma, and an array of peeled and headless shrimp in a garlicky sauce.

He raises his flagon to Harlock, ready to clank it against his. “To liberty and victory.”

[achelord]

“People want to drink. There’s only so many practical ways to serve alcohol.” Ziel said with a shrug.

He ordered wine, either not noticing or not caring about the waiter’s reaction.

Re: Taverns

[freearcadia]

"As they should," he agreed, the Dwarf's voice sounds familiar, then recognition sets into his sole remaining eye.

The smell of food tug at his senses, he wasn't much one to take some gourmand's relish over edibles, but he had to admit the scent is quite appetizing, and perhaps he should put more on his stomach than straight alcohol. He clinks the offered mug. "Freedom and Victory."

[freearcadia]

"...I wonder if there's anything stronger on this world," Harlock muses out loud after a long moment of thoughtful silence.

[freearcadia]

[And he's glad Donnie wasn't hurt, though he was consciously aware it could've been worse - if he hadn't reacted on instinct... but he pushed that thought aside, going over the maybes is useless, he spends enough time in his head as is. The human notes the water bottle, if he's anything like the engineers and mechanics he knew - he might need a hydration reminder.]

That's unfortunately the nature of battle, instincts, training, they help but nothing is ever simple.

[purplexing]

[The boy's a workaholic by nature, he definitely needs a reminder for a lot of things, and when he's using his work as a distraction, he's more prone to forgetting about the basics.]

Mm.

[He sticks his hand back into the open panel, fishing around for the cable that had caught his eye.]

It's...a lot different than training...

Learning

[fish4science]

...wait, this is the same girl as last time. And she's here too-does she sleep? Does she only exist to take classes? Is that satchel full of textbooks and reading material completely changed out from the last time Harlock saw her?

"Oh, I suppose I can. What is giving you trouble-or, do you want to get someone else's notes to check against?" She sits down beside him, on his good side, and looks up at him eager to help.

[achelord]

“Than the eternal human endeavor to get fucked up on whatever is available?” Ziel snorted.

“Probably not.”

[freearcadia]

He laughs.

"No, I mean stronger than this." Harlock lifts up his mug.

[achelord]

Ziel peered over at Harlock’s cup. “Probably. What did you get?”

If there’s some kind of legendary super drink, he wants in on it. His enhanced body could put away a LOT of alcohol without too much trouble.

[freearcadia]

Training never comes close to the real thing, your body, your instincts will learn - but it never trains your mind.

[Nothing does, he thinks, he's perhaps more jaded than most, but even he had his moments, ghosts of regrets, close calls. Harlock watches idly, before lean to take in the full shape of the mecha, it reminded him of comics, but such things to him had seemed too impractical for real life.]

Hey, is this bottle yours?

[The pirate piped up after it looked like Donnie had found and tamed the errant cable - he didn't directly ask if he needed a water break - least in his experience, young men tend to resent being fussed over too overtly]

Re: Learning

[freearcadia]

"I think I got the general idea, but some of the more technical terms went over my head," Harlock explained, recognizing her - he's not surprised, he's extremely used to technically-minded people living twenty-four seven in their interests.

"Some I can guess at their meaning, but I did not want to assume."

[freearcadia]

"Something Dwarven," he answered it was really all he managed to catch.

Re: Learning

[fish4science]

"I see...can I ask what your ambitions are?" She smiled, but tapped his notes. "Is this for just your own interest, are you interested in the engineering and how to build and operate them, or are you perhaps thinking that you want to learn how to break the empire's toys? I can write you up a quick glossary, but for some of those you don't really need to know the fine detail. 'Shinny crystal lift ship' is all the empire tells many of their own crew."

[freearcadia]

"They have my ship." Harlock started firmly. "And I want the Arcadia back, and once I do - I know that I will need to make sure it can function in this world, and it's doubtful the fuel it uses even exists here."

[purplexing]

[The turtlekin's shoulders hunch up just a touch. He doesn't like the implication that it's not something you might ever get used to, but then it's probably better not to get used to. And yet he knows the likelihood that he'll end up in another fight will be high, so really, where is the level that you can hope to shoot for without tipping too far over?]

Huh?

[Pulled from his thoughts, Donnie looks back down, blinking as it takes him a moment to even register what the man is talking about. That's...probably as good an indication as any that he should maybe take a break.]

Oh. Yeah, let me just...

[He tugs at the cable, trying to estimate how much of it he's got left to coil before he sighs and forces himself to set it aside. Hydration is probably a good call.

Slowly Donnie shifts his legs around so he can scale back down the armor, wincing a little at the change of position. Who knows how long he's been hunched up. He almost falls on his face once he reaches the bottom, foot catching on one of the already bundled cables.]