steel heart;

“The Curse of Atlantis,” he whistled low through his teeth, “now THAT’S a name for a pirate ship. Where is home? If you don’t mind me asking.” Étienne guessed that Hector probably would mind, but his curiosity constantly got the better of him. “I’m very interested in spiritual healing,” he replied, surprised that he’d been asked a question in return, and keen to give a suitably interesting answer. “I travelled a lot around Europe, looking for things for the university, or sometimes for other people, and often people had attached an almost divine power to these ancient objects or manuscripts, they believed that they could actually enact change in the community. Now–– I’m sure that most of these things were just plain old objects, but it proved my theory that if people believe in something enough it gives that thing real-world power.” He shrugged. “So while I’m not sure spiritual healers themselves have much going for them, people’s faith in them… now that’s interesting.” 

Hector was right, he hadn’t considered that the man might be well-travelled, even more so than them. In his mind he had pictured someone elderly, even frail. “China or Asia definitely work, thanks Hector –– I hadn’t thought about it like that.” Maybe they’d make an okay team after all. 

"It had its moments,” Hector admitted. Joining the Cure of Atlantis had a pivotal moment of his life. In addition to being the first time he left home, he had been thrusted into a new world with its own set of norms and expectations - a stark difference from the island. He had been a big fish in a small pond before he boarded the ship. “Home is an island near the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean sea. It’s a popular stopping place for pirates so I guess I’ve been dealing with pirates my entire life,” he answered. While he didn’t look down on the pirates who visited the island, Hector wouldn’t say he ever aspired to be like them. Yet, he did feel genuine camaraderie with them when it came to the Spaniards who had claimed his home as theirs. “That’s an interesting perspective to have,” he noted, reminding himself of his own foolish attempt to trick an alleged witch. “I agree with you, there is power in believing. Once, I gave someone valerian root to help with headaches and it worked for them which was odd since the root had no known effect on headaches. Sometimes people are so desperate to believe in something their minds will trick them into believing,” he added. 

“It’s nothing. This isn’t my first time in Nassau and doubt it’ll be my last either,” he explained. Things would only be more difficult for them if they made enemies of everyone on the island. “The less attention we draw to ourselves, the better.”

“Okay, great–– I have about a hundred questions,” he beamed, taking Hector’s willingness to partake in small talk as a sign things were going well. “have you always been a surgeon? If so, how did you get into it? Who taught you? Were your parents into medicines? What do you think about herbal remedies? Or spiritual healing? What’s the most disgusting thing you’ve ever dealt with?” He paused. “Actually I don’t know if I really want to know about that last one.” 

“I’m thinking maybe we can just baffle him with some made up developmental science… like claim it is really popular in France, or, like, London, or somewhere, and that if he works quickly with it then he might beat the European scientists and sell his products for much more? We can just throw some Latin words at it, make it sound official.”

Given how inquisitive Etienne was, he shouldn’t had been surprised by the questions that just rolled off his tongue. Were they already on his mind? Or did he just come up with them on the fly? “Yes, before joining Biyu, I practiced medicine. I wouldn’t say there was an a-ha moment or anything close to that for me,” he started, considering how much he wanted to share about his personal life. He doubted Etienne had a malicious bone in his body, but he was also young and naive - a recipe for disaster. “Most of what I learned came from experience and experimenting with different remedies while on the Curse of the Atlantis, but there was an old practitioner back home who taught me the fundamentals,” He paused to let the memories of his island home pass from his head first. Each day was another day he spent away from home and his homesickness only worsen. “I think herbal remedies have merit. Herbs obviously have medicinal effects and it’s sometimes easier to forge supplies than to buy them. Spiritual healing -  I haven’t met a spiritual healer yet so I can’t say much on the topic. It’s a case of I believe it when I see it. I can’t imagine Biyu recruiting one for this voyage though. As a scholar, what are your thoughts on spiritual healing?”

“How sure are you Mr. Rolle isn’t well-traveled? I wouldn’t be surprised if a man like him is talking to astronomers in London,” he asked, not to criticize Etienne’s idea but Hector preferred to be cautious when he could. “I think we should say the parts are from China or somewhere in Asia. It’s farther away so the spread of information is slower.”

isola opened her mouth to respond but there was nothing to say. struggling to find words at a time she wants to speak. but does she really? not at all. speaking meant that she would be a step closer to getting to know somebody and that’s not up her alley. she would much rather not even know the guy’s name — much less the idiot they’re carrying. once they got him at the corner and dumped him, isola followed to the bar. taking a seat with no words.

she let the silence override the two of them, even going as far as ignoring his question until the bartender was near. “ rum is fine. ” she finally responded, ending that strain of silence and beginning another one. what can one even say? it’s not like she plans to stick with fortuna long anyways. not once she finds her old ship. there was nothing she wanted to know that this guy might, nothing she wanted to hear. so silence it was. when the pint of rum arrived, her eyes focused on the drink in front of her. wondering if she turned her head, would he try to speak to her? now that sounds like a nightmare. 

Hector was no stranger to silence, but he had to acknowledge she was the least talkative pirate he had met so far during his three years. Nonetheless, he didn’t mind how she chose to act around him as long as it didn’t affect how they work together. They were all here for specific jobs assigned by Biyu after all. Although there was things he would like to know, he assumed he would learn about them through working with her. He could only imagine the targets on the crew’s back once people found out they joined Biyu, a pirate as notorious as they came.  As long as traveling with Biyu brought him closer to the witch’s locket, he had no qualms with what he expected to be an increased workload. 

“Thank you for the help,” he said, several minutes after their drinks arrived. He wondered it was even necessary to verbally acknowledge his gratitude since he already bought her a drink. Maybe, the years he spent out on the sea caused him to develop a fragment of a social bone, enough to end their shared silence even for less than a minute. He supposed they should be savoring this peace of mind; neither of them would be getting any once they left Nassau. 

ricardo turned to give the bartender a smug look, “told you it was shitty.” at this point it looked like he was just asking to start trouble (and was fine with dragging whoever was around right into the middle of it). however, he would innocently defend that he was simply enjoying the fact that he could speak so freely again without facing serious consequences. “thank fuck for that. it’d be a long week if i couldn’t even get a decent drink around here.” again, he spoke loud enough for the bartender to overhear him bashing his tavern. his dark eyes followed hector’s to the bartender again. “ya know, if that’s who you’re waiting on i’m almost positive it’d be too easy to get him to hurry it up.” okay so maybe he was looking for a fight.

Hector didn’t understand why he was going out of his way to provoke the bartender, but it was none of his business how Ricardo chose to entertain himself. As long as he kept out of it, he didn’t care what the man did. His headache from getting stuck in a middle of a fight involving three swabbies earlier today had finally started to go down. “Is this your first time in Nassau?” he asked curiously. To his knowledge, this island was place to go if one was in search of quality rum. “It’s a packed house,” he pointed out feeling sympathetic for the bartender, his eyes scanning the room for any familiar faces. “I’ll give him fifteen minutes before I consider convincing him to hurry up,” he added with a slight edge in his voice after checking his pocket watch. His biggest pet peeve was when people wasted his time, but he rather not assume the worst of the bartender so soon.

she was ready to leave the body there and move on with her life. turn around and go a different direction so she wouldn’t be forced to have a ‘bonding experience’ with one of the other surgeons she’s forced to work with. but no. isola was tempted, oh so very tempted, to not help out and walk away. but, the offer of a free drink was enticing. though she hopes they could just drink in silence then. “ i’ll grab his feet. ” she grumbled, moving to pick up the idiotic pirate’s legs. if she didn’t have a heart, she might rob him. too bad. she’s certain someone else would do that. “ head towards the further corner, left. less people around that area and less likely for someone to spot him. ” so, maybe she does have a bit of a heart.

"Good point,” he nodded before bending down to grab the man’s arms. Considering his terms of service technically didn’t start till they left Nassau, Hector knew it wasn’t his responsibility to worry about the crew yet. Though it was also hard for him to ignore old habits when it came to his former crewmates. He could only assume they all were getting into trouble tonight. With her help, moving the pirate to the corner away from the crowd was no problem. The pirate would most likely wake up with no recollection of the night.

“Is rum fine with you?” he asked, once they were back by the bar again. She didn’t seem like much of a talker which he was relieved about. Hector didn’t doubt the the belief a night of drinking could bring people closer, however he was more than content with just having a professional relationship with the other surgeons. While he was interested in learning from them, he didn’t quite see the justification for getting to know them beyond as coworkers. 

@boatswaiin​

“Don’t you have work to do?” he asked coldly as he refilled his chest with the medicine and herbs he bought earlier. “Or are you going to just stand there and watch the clouds all day?”

@treasurcs​

if there was one thing that ronan loved doing, it was annoying the daylights out of hector. having been on the curse of alantis together, the surgeon was much more seasoned in his version of a prank and an outing than most other people. it also didn’t help that the man behaved like a sourpuss the large majority of the time. “i’m here to turn that scowl upside down, obviously.” he remarked, cheeky grin enunciating his words. “think about it: women, booze, a good night before setting sail and not knowing the feel of gravel below your feet until we dock again? what more could you ask for?”

"And what about the part where you end up puking off the side of the side the next morning?” he asked drily, a rhetoric question since they both knew Ronan was no amateur. Though that didn’t stop him from slipping Ronan ginger to reduce nausea sometimes. Nonetheless, Hector was familiar with the game they played each time they were at a port. Even though, tonight he was more willing than he normally was. Taking a deep breath to stall on answering, he pretended to consider the idea as if he was busy the rest of the day. “Fine,” he started with a huff before he followed Ronan. “But the first drink is on you.” 

one thing that isola liked about the night’s blade is how she didn’t really have to work with anyone else. it was just her and one other, the guy who raised her. that was it. afterwards, despite how little time she had onboard the last fall, she was the sole surgeon. no one else. and now? biyu has assigned a few others to work alongside her. she can’t help but think of how unsuitable they are for this life just by the looks of her new associates. 

a headache was bound to happen. she could feel it coming, slamming itself to the side of her skull without any warnings. she’ll just keep her head down, ignoring them as best as she could — and already she’s failed at that. isola lightly kicked the strange pirate’s shoe, a groan escaping from his lips once she made impact. yay for being alive. “ he’s a fool. ” she mumbled under her breath. “ never met him. best we just leave him lying here, he’ll wake up soon enough. ” 

"Can you help me move him to the corner? Just to save the tavern from having to clean more than they have to,” he asked, keeping judgement out his voice. It was only their first night in Nassau and someone had already managed to overdo it. This was going to be a long voyage. His supply of mint was limited and he didn’t plan on wasting it so soon especially on someone who didn’t know his limits.  Despite the crowd he ran with now, Hector couldn’t tolerate the thought of leaving the tavern owners a mess. The man would end up with a broken nose if they left him here. “I’ll buy you a drink for your help,” he added having noticed his reluctance, his pockets stuffed with his winnings from a game of darts earlier in the night. 

ricardo could complain for hours about how everyone around him had a real talent for pissing him off, failing to see that his less than charming personality had the same effect on those around him. “i think that’s just his face.” he replied before shooting a glare in the direction of the bartender. “however if he has something he’d like to say to me, he should just fucking say it.” his voice purposefully louder this time. and this was supposedly his best behavior. “there is another tavern around here, right?”

"The ale here is stale anyways” he commented, not particularly interested in what had transpired between Ricardo and the bartender.  He would have left the tavern long before a fight were to start if he wasn’t avoiding some people he pissed off last night. Though, it wouldn’t be a proper outing if he didn’t witness at least one rum-induced brawl. “Taverns are a dime a dozen here,” he pointed out, wondering if this was why Biyu chose for the crew to meet here. As if drinking would bring a ragtag group of people together. “I stuck around because I’m still waiting for my winnings from the dice game,” he added before glancing at the bartender.

“Great,” he nodded, kind of glad Hector was taking the lead on this. He could usually pretend he knew what he was doing for about twenty minutes, then he quickly ran out of momentum. “I’ll just say nothing, promise,” he added, though he wasn’t entirely sure if he could manage to keep his mouth shut in practice. He just had so many questions. 

“I’m not sure how he’s going to respond to the offer of money,” he confirmed, “I’ve got cash, but even the offer of it might offend him. He doesn’t run a shop, as such, it’s more of a laboratory. I’m hoping we’ll be able to trade with him. I’ve brought some mechanical bits and pieces from the university that a friend of mine was working on. Hopefully Rolle will be tempted by something… failing that? Flattery and stacks of cash.” 

"If you have any questions, I can try to answer them now. We’ll be walking for some time. According to the tavern owner, the apothecary is on the other side of the island,” he offered,  recognizing the curiosity in his eyes. While he wasn’t a fan of small talk, he decided to humor Etienne who reminded him more and more of a puppy each second. Talking about his work was easy. A tad impersonal of him, though he argued his knowledge and skill was who he was. It was the only part of him that hadn’t become twisted. 

Masking his interest at the mention of university with indifference, Hector nodded along as Etienne shared what he knew about Mr. Rolle. Every island seemed to have someone who strived to be as eccentric as possible. “Mechanical scraps might work. It sounds like he’s passionate about learning, so maybe one of the parts will interest or aid in his work,” he said. “If not, we’ll make him believe they will.”

@seaingxred​

@highscas​

However, he hadn’t expected to meet one of them so soon nor the circumstances they found themselves in. He looked down at his new crewmate who was lying unconscious on the floor of the tavern. A pirate who couldn’t hold his rum? Anything was possible he guessed. “Do you know him?” he asked her. 

@solardvst​

@luciavioleta​

“Where to first then?” He enquired, quite keen to hover outside the apothecary himself – he bet it would be more exciting than the ones tucked away at home in Limburg. “I’m very interested in witchcraft, and apothecaries are brilliant places to start those kinds of conversations. People tend to be quite spiritual,” he paused, suddenly realising that Hector hadn’t actually invited him along on that part of the trip. “Or… I can actually just stand outside. And be completely silent,” he corrected himself with a slightly apologetic smile. 

“I wish I knew what kind of eccentric this guy is, but I couldn’t get much information out of the people at the tavern I’m staying at. They did try and warn me off coming – apparently he doesn’t take kindly to strangers.” 

“Let’s go to the apothecary first. The people who run them tend to be predictable unlike this Mr. Rolle,” Hector decided. Regardless of what kind person Mr. Rolle was, medical supplies were vital and he couldn’t risk leaving the port without having a stocked inventory. In addition, he didn’t know what to make of the new people he was expected to work with.  Besides, shouldn’t a navigator already come with a telescope? “No, you can come in if you want. I’m not the owner of the place,” he pointed out, choosing to ignore his interest in witchcraft. The memory of his deal with the witch hung over his head, almost like a noose. While he still doubted in the existence of magic, he wasn’t going to risk inflicting misfortune upon himself of the rest of the crew. “Just be careful about what you ask them,” he added. 

In attempt to be respectful of his title, Hector tried to refrain from calling his companion a child, but his naivety was as clear as day. “Of course, he doesn’t. I’m guessing he also doesn’t accept money for his goods either, right?” he asked evenly. It wouldn’t be the first time he dealt with a stubborn merchant, but Hector preferred to avoid causing trouble when he could- a challenge given his new occupation. 

( open )

a hand slammed down against the table, or was it a head? her fingers wrapped around her glass, shifting it slightly to the right as to save it from spilling out onto the ground as two rather rugged pirates continued to brawl within the tavern. a brow raised ever so slightly the young woman turned towards whomever stood nearest to her, ‘ do you think they’ll ever get bored of bashing each other’s skulls in? ‘ 

“Why would they? They have nothing else to do while we’re still docked” he shrugged, his attention focused on his own drink. He had assumed they were departing immediately once the ship was stocked. Though he supposed the week would give him a better change to learn more about his new crewmates. “Those men aren’t part of the new crew right?” he asked, more than familiar with trending injuries from tavern brawls from his time on the Curse of Atlantis.