Focus

Alec wanted to make sure everyone was setting okay so he decided to go to the infirmary to make sure everything was okay with the supplies and that to hoping to see the place empty so that that would mean people didn’t got hurt on the trip. “hey.” he answered back. “is everything okay, do you need help?”

Constantin smiled and shook his head, “Nah, cap’n, I’m sure you got bigger fish to fry than helpin’ with inventory. I’ll be done in no time. You happy to be back?” He wasn’t sure what sort of answer he was going to get, pirates didn’t always fit neatly into the little boxes that everyone wanted them to. Some loved being on the sea more than life itself it seemed, others were happy wherever as long as they had their crew. 

“Hi,” she said back with a smile. She hoped nothing bad had happened on the way over. All she knew was her own ship. She hadn’t heard anything bad so she assumed everyone had made it. “I was just coming to see if you need any help. I don’t want you doing this all by yourself. Plus, I don’t feel like dealing with another royal with a cold.” 

With a little snort, Constantin gestured towards the pile of stock that needed to be put away and catalogued, “Jump in, kid, I ain’t gonna stop you... d’you think it’s unethical to give sugar pills instead of cold relief to ‘em?” he was only joking and his tone made that clear but the wicked little grin on his face also clearly showed he’d thought about it at least a little bit seriously. 

Teddy had never considered himself clumsy so much as he recognized that he was perhaps a bit too reckless for his own good, and far less concerned for his own safety than he should have been in most situations. He’d been diving off one of the higher rocks around the waterfalls when he’d banged up one of his shoulders fairly well against one of the boulders that had been hidden by the spray of the waterfall itself. It had gotten bruised and swollen over the last few days and he was in enough pain to warrant paying a visit to the infirmary to get at least a passing check up. “Bonjour,” He greeted quietly, raising the hand on his good arm to wave at the surgeon as he smiled sheepishly. “Are you… busy? Or do you have time you might be able to spare for me? I will try to make it as quick as I can, I promise you.”

It was always interesting how hesitant people were to come to the infirmary but at least the royal was being polite about it. “I’m busy but I have time, what do you need?” He couldn’t see any obvious blood or whatnot but he needed something to go on before he could make a guess at what the problem was. The younger man did seem to be standing a little crooked, favouring one side, maybe a back thing? Who knew and Constantin grabbed his clipboard, in case he needed to write notes down or log meds or whatever. Best to be prepared. 

“Not at all,” Harry’s head shook in response as a playful look of faux offense flickered across his features for a few seconds before he hummed softly and mentally cataloged the potential opening moves he could make. “I’ll take white, then,” He announced, not waiting to allow Constantin a moment to protest his decision as they walked. He wasn’t entirely sure how long it would take them to reach the pirate’s villa, but he was sure they could easily transfer their mental game to whatever board the other man had in his home. “Pawn to D4.” He declared after spending nearly thirty seconds in silence calculating his opening move with the utmost severity. He’d never played chess competitively but he’d studied it through various books and hours upon hours of practice and he felt reasonably confident in his ability to win, though he was exceedingly curious to see what Constantin’s skill level turned out to be.

Constantin was silent, occasionally glancing at Harry to confirm he was actually thinking about his move or not. It seemed he was and he smiled at the prince’s first move. With a little nod, he considered his options of which there were quite a number. “Interesting choice,” he hummed before sighing, still mulling over what his first move would be. He actually found himself enjoying the game and they’d only just started. Time would tell if Harry lived up to his own hype but finding someone to play without a board with, that was a rarity. “You cook?” he asked suddenly, “I eat at the cantina so there’s not much food in the villa but if you want anything, just tell me, pawn to d5.” 

Isabella was on her ship, fixing up something small that needed to get done like usual. She made sure her father taught her the skills needed to patch up her ship if she had the necessary supplies. It also kept her busy enough. “I need your help. It’s small, just don’t want to get it infected like last time.” Isa was awful at coming for help when she needed it, which was why she got such a bad infection the last time she got hurt. And while she said it was small, it was slightly worse than that. There was a gash in her palm, and the smell of rum she obviously pored on top.

Constantin’s eyebrows went up as he came around from behind the counter to take hold of her wrist to support her hand as he examined the injury. “Rum?” he asked when he realized what the smell was, a little grin pulling at his lips, “Come on, let’s get it cleaned up properly... I’ll check to see if you need stitches...” Taking her into the back room, he turned on the tap, “Wash up with the soap there as best you can, it’ll sting, but it’s necessary.” 

Mateo was never incredibly coordinated and the moving from the boat onto the new island left the man tripping on the docks and acting like he was fine but really having quite some pain. “Hola.” He smoothly replied, trying to decide if he should mention his pain or wait until the other questioned him. Finally he decided to speak again. “You’re a medic, no?” He asked finally. “I believe I’ve hurt my ankle.”

It was a petty game to play, really, but Constantin found it infinitely amusing to not give as much information as he really ought to to new faces in the infirmary. He smiled wryly at the question and nodded, “I am, yes... what happened?” He stepped out from behind the counter, head tilting as he looked at the other man’s leg checking for blood as a number of diagnoses went running through his head before the other had said a word, “Sit there, shoe off..” he pointed to the nearest chair and grabbed his clipboard to take notes if he needed to.

“Have you seen me?” Felix drawled, “I don’t think I’ve ever made anyone feel the fear of anything. Let alone the fear of God.” He rolled his eyes at the thought that he’d have any success scaring anyone. But, he mused, his presence as a member of the Tulach’s fleet had to count for something at the end of the day and that alone might have to be enough to ensure his royal, whoever it was, would listen to him or at least make a vague effort not be a complete prick. God, he’d rather just hide in his room for the rest of his natural life but that was hardly feasible. ‘You need to start owning your problems, Feli.’ He heard his sister’s voice in the back of his mind with so much clarity it was as though she was sitting right beside him, and the suddenness of the thought forced a lump into his throat that caught almost painfully in his throat as he forced himself to listen to the surgeon speak. “I don’t know that I’ve ever had a normal sleep schedule in my life.” Felix smiled weakly and ran a hand across his face, smudging charcoal against his skin before his hand fell into his lap again. “I feel like I’m gonna crawl out of my skin when strangers even look at me, Doc. I can’t really picture baring my soul to anyone. Maybe… my friends but. They have things to deal with too. What am I in the grand scheme of their problems, y’know?”

Constantin chuckled, “Felix, my friend, you are a pirate and I’ve seen the look you’ve given people who piss you off. Trust me, you’ll be fine.. all else fails, just growl. No one likes that, freaks everyone out on a primal level.” He reached down to pick up a twig, turning it over in his hands as he sighed quietly listening to the gunner speak. “Yeah...” that was all he said for a long while before sighing again and shrugging, “You gotta make the choice. It ain’t easy but you gotta try.... and your friends... you’re their friend, Felix, that’s what you are in the grand scheme of it.” Surgery was so much easier than dealing with feelings, nothing to worry about except bleeding out and infections, really. With feelings, one wrong word and you could make things a thousand times worse but all he could do was advise the gunner as best he knew how, “You know you can come to the infirmary any time and if you want help sorting your sleeping out we can do that to. I’m sure I can find someone on the island that likes to get up at some god-awful hour in the morning to get your ass out of bed for a run or something like that.” he chuckled quietly at the thought, “If you’re up at 5am, sure as shit gonna help you with sleep during the night.”

“I’m better than good,” Harry informed him plainly, his shoulders squaring as he offered his watcher a bright grin. He’d been playing chess since was a boy— his father had taught him when he was five and Harry had taken to it like a fish to water. His IQ had been tested shortly after and he had an immense amount of paperwork in his adulthood that had certified his genius, not that he felt much like one most of the time. It often felt more like his thoughts were going quite a bit faster than the rest of him, or anyone’s around him— but chess gave him a space to focus. A space to throw his energy into something that could give his mind a chance to rest for at least a brief amount of time. He turned on his heel and hurried towards the room he’d been living in among the other royals occupying the Tulach house. He grabbed the change of clothes tucked into the dresser and bundled them in his arms, returning to Constantin within a few minutes, a far easier smile on his face. “I’m all packed,” He joked. “Shall we?”

It was promising, in any case, and Constantin was actually looking forward to seeing if the kid was able to walk the talk. Pushing off the wall when Harry came back a few minutes later, he let out a little snort of a laugh at the dumb joke and marvelled for a moment just how much more at ease the prince seemed. “We shall.” he countered as he headed out to the path and started back to his villa, “You need a board to play?” Constantin asked as he looked at the prince sidelong, “If you’re really good, you don’t need one and we can start a game now. You move first.” there was a little grin on his face, a bit of hope that Harry would be able to play without a board constantly in front of them. It gave an added edge to the game, in his mind, and he hadn’t done it since university. 

Text: Hey, guys, we need to keep a bit of an eye on Felix, he’s having trouble adjusting with the move and all @roza-hathlicov @eliza-hawkins @aoifeflanagan

“Fucking hell, I haven’t even thought about my fucking royal.” Felix groaned outright at the thought of having to look after anyone; he could hardly look after himself most days and they expected him to be responsible for someone who’d arguably hate his guts? He’d do anything in the world for the Tulach family, and he’d done more in the short time he’d been with them than at any other time in his life, but looking after a prince or princess of God-knew-wherever-the-fuck wasn’t high on his list of desires. “I’m supposed to be running security at the cinema,” He mumbled after a moment, his brow furrowed as his gaze shifted back towards the sketches he’d been working on of various members of the Trident’s crew. He’d just added another few lines to the loose sketches he’d been doing of Jack and Thierry before he looked at Constantin from the corner of his eye, “We both know I don’t operate on the same schedule as everyone else. But… routine. Yeah. I’m working on that. What d’you do to keep one? A routine, I mean. I’m shit at keeping mine. The meds… that I can do, but sleeping and trying not to drink so much or smoke so much. I’m shit at it. I feel like I need to be constantly distracted.”

Constantin chuckled quietly, sympathizing with Felix’s feelings. The royals were a hassle but necessary. At least his prince seemed to be manageable so far but he was waiting for the proverbial shoe to drop. “Don’t worry too much about ‘em, Felix, they take care of ‘em at Tulach House. Just find out who it is, put the fear of god into them and come to me if they’re one of the feisty ones. We’ll get ‘em sorted out.” He kept his eyes on the water, glancing at Felix or his notepad every now and then, mostly just giving space. It was good to see the gunner drawing at least. “Routines... are easier for some than others. I just get up at the same time every day, try to go to bed at the same time too but that doesn’t always work... the little things count more than you’d think. Like showering, eating, and brushing your teeth. Takes you what, 20 minutes and you’re set for the day... talkin’ helps too but that’s easier said than done, I know...” 

“What about a chess set?” He asked curiously, reaching up to brush hair from his eyes with a pass of his hand that was more borne of lingering nerves than anything else. It was an odd request, strictly speaking, and he was sure anyone else might have asked for extra clothes or a new toothbrush or something of the sort but all he could think about was getting something to take his mind off things and chess was a hobby he’d always been immensely fond of. “Or even… something to make one with. You can even supervise me if that’d make you feel better if I have to bloody whittle one or something but… I’d like a set. If possible.” He flushed deeply as he finished speaking and shoved his hands in his pockets as he listened to Constantin speak with his head canted to one side gently; not unlike a puppy listening to a noise it didn’t understand. “Okay. I— okay. Yeah. That seems simple enough. Let me go and grab my things and then I’ll be ready to go— well, go home, I suppose. Do you need to escort me for that?” 

Of all the things the prince could have asked for a chess set wasn’t even on Constantin’s radar. He was surprised by it and then by Harry’s pushing for it, even asking to make one, if necessary. As if he’d waste time sitting there watching someone make a chessboard. “I have one.” he said simply, eyes taking in the blush on Harry’s cheeks, “You can use it whenever, we can play, if you’re good.” He nodded and gestured towards the building, “Go on, yeah, I’ll wait, we’ll go together.” When he actually stopped to think about it, it wasn’t really an impossible thing for a prince to play chess. It was the kings game, after all, he just hadn’t expected it but was pleasantly surprised. Pleasantly surprised if the prince was any good, of course, if not well, he wasn’t going to waste his time. Constantin sighed and leaned against the house as he waited for Harry to come back, going over the things that still needed to be done at the infirmary and his villa, keeping himself productively distracted.

“Yes, sir,” Harry murmured immediately. His gaze dropped towards the tops of his sneakers and he fixated on the fact that the tongue of one shoe was slightly off-center before he could bring himself to raise his eyes to meet Constantin’s again and not imagine one of his former drill sergeants in his place. “Should I just… go and grab my spare clothes, then? I don’t really have anything else…” He shifted awkwardly from one foot to the other as he waited for the other man to respond, and mentally made a list of anything he had in his room that would feasibly be something he could call his. Was there a system in place for him to get things if he needed them? Would Constantin even care enough to try if he requested something? Fuck. Harry frowned for a moment before he took a deep breath and forced his anxiety to the back of his mind with the thought that he was going to have to make the best of the situation no matter what. “If I could think of something I might want, would you be able to get it for me? Or am I not allowed to have anything of my own?”

“Yeah, go get your stuff, bring what you want.” it hadn’t occurred to him that Harry wouldn’t know much about the ins and the outs of things yet but when he asked if Constantin would be able to get him things, it suddenly jumped to mind. Right. He would need to know that sort of stuff, not just the whole ‘don’t get in shit’ thing. “You can have whatever you need, within reason. Don’t bother anyone else with that sort of thing, bring requests to me. Or make a list and I’ll make sure you get what you need.” he hesitated a moment, taking in a slow breath as he saw the all-too-familiar anxiety on the prince’s face. It didn’t sit right with him, he didn’t care so much but he... well cared, “Look, there’s not gonna be any trouble between us as long as you don’t act like an idiot. You don’t seem like an idiot so we should be fine. Give me my space and I’ll give you yours and you come to me with any questions or requests, okay?” his tone was a lot softer but there was still an edge to it, still a bit of mistrust that meant he’d be locking his bedroom door but he didn’t want to make it worse for the guy than it already was. 

Brusque? Suis-je une putain d'adolescente? Felix’s thoughts were far more sour than his expression, which had softened almost immediately at the sight of the surgeon; regret tinged his gaze for a long moment before he exhaled slowly. “Pardon. It’s not been… well, I suppose I am settling fine, yes. I have been sleeping. Too much,” He paused, tapping the edge of the pencil in his hand against the open page of his sketchbook as he drew his bottom lip between his teeth and bit down harder than was entirely necessary. “I don’t think I saw anyone for three days because I was sleeping. That is not my definition of settling well.” The young Frenchman shook his head and fished the napkin wrapped pill from his pocket, popping it into his mouth and swallowing it dry, an flicker of discomfort flashing over his features before he studied Constantin silently. “And you, Médecin? Are you settling in?”

Constantin sat down a couple feet away from Felix as he listened and looked out over the water, giving the gunner room physically and with his silence to speak. Giving a little nod and a hum to encourage him to speak on, Constantin was already going through the checklist in his head as he listened. Over sleeping wasn’t good but with the chaos and stress of the move it would be foolish to suggest any changes to meds just yet. There was no rush and he took in a breath of the fresh air before nodding again, “I am, yeah, getting the infirmary sorted and my new prince that I got. What job do they got you assigned to? I know you know but routine is important...” he said the last matter-of-fact, “This whole move was hard on everyone so we gotta get back into the swing of things to get it back to normal.”

Exhaustion had settled into Felix’s bones slowly during the return journey to Tulach island; an inexorable feeling that had become as familiar to him as the feeling of his chest rising and falling during breaths. It was as slow and creeping as molasses moving along a solid surface, and Felix imagined the substance filling his body in place of blood as his mood darkened progressively and he spent the first several days in his villa on Tulach island curled into bed with the curtains drawn and his phone off. When he finally coaxed his still weary body out of bed he could do little more than dress and gather his sketchbook and pencils, retreating to a relatively quiet spot on the shoreline to sketch— the sunlight helped his mood to settle, as did one of his daily pills tucked carefully in a small napkin in his pocket— and he drew silently for what felt like an eon on its own before a shadow blocked his light and he squinted up at the disturbance, a scowl already marring his features. “Oh, bon sang,” He grumbled, blue eyes focusing on the figure near him, “Can I help you? You’re sort of fucking up my routine here, you know? Step a bit to one side, would you? So I can see.”

Constantin needed a break from the infirmary and set out for a walk, wanting to clear his head. He saw a familiar face on the beach and headed over, not reeeaaalllllyyyy wanting to check but the doctor in him had a feeling he should. Chuckling at Felix’ cursing, Constantin smirked and quirked an eyebrow as he obligingly stepped back out of the way, “No need to get snippy, Felix,” Constantin chastised with amusement, “Getting settled back in?”