First Dispatch - [written]

[captainhornblower]

[The penmanship is formal, letters close together but not connected. Each letter is made of strokes, an almost calligraphy style-- which translates into broken letters with a modern pen.]

Thursday, 10th January, 1805

[A hastily scrawled question mark appears above the date a moment later.]

My precise location is unknown. [A long pause before more words are written.] My general location is unknown. My ship and men are missing. God help me, what has happened?

[Notes appear in the margins, wind direction and estimations of its speed. The word 'drift?' and the beginnings of a mathematical formula are etched into a margin.]

I do not know how I came to be where I am. [Another margin note: 'wings???'] I cannot expect this to even be found, but I will record my observations. It is all I can do, and I must do something.

Currently on board vessel. [Another note in the margins:
'unoccupied
single mast
no flags
enemy?
ally?
neutral party?
abandoned?']

May the Lord have mercy on me.

[The signature is larger, even more carefully penned.]

Hornblower

Comments

[written]

[simplestgift]

[Archie was leafing through the journal to observe new feather comings when...

Hornblower?

It takes him some time of staring and breathing, then he writes with a mild tremor in his hand.]

You are in Luceti.

[written]

[captainhornblower]

[The reply is a long time coming.

Which has nothing to do with the fact that the journal was thrown to the other side of the deck. Nothing at all.]

Luceti?

[A margin note: 'witchcraft?']

[written]

[simplestgift]

[A long pause, as Archie is trying to compose himself.]

Another world, where rules like time and death mean little.

[1805? Three years, oh God, almost to the day.]

Re: [written]

[captainhornblower]

World? How What

God above.

[ written ]

[tothelibrary.livejournal.com]

[ dawn isn't in the habit of greeting every single newbie, but when you hear the name 'hornblower' you don't exactly forget it. ]

You're in Luceti, and the how is... kind of kidnapping. [ here is just a few dots, like dawn started to write something else and instead just tapped her pen thoughtfully. ] You're going to be okay, though.

[ written ]

[captainhornblower]

Luceti.

[He still does not like this. This is strange.]

Kidnapping? God help me. By whom? Who is in charge? Whom should I be speaking to about securing my release?

[ written ]

[tothelibrary.livejournal.com]

That's the part where things get a little messy. You can't really control that.

So not to derail your freakout, but you wouldn't happen to be Horatio Hornblower, would you?

[ written ]

[captainhornblower]

[It's a very, very long pause before a reply is written.]

I am.

[written]

[all7seas]

CURRENTLY ON BOARD VESSEL?!!!!!!

Re: [written]

[captainhornblower]

Yes. Small craft but sound.

[written]

[all7seas]

Well I should think sound. Well constructed. Fast. Lovely.

Is she flying any colors?

[written]

[captainhornblower]

She is not.

[ written ]

[herotypical]

You're right about it being Thursday. But you're off on the date. And the month. And the year. [ dot dot dot. ] Maybe the year.

[ written ]

[herotypical]

You're right about it being Thursday. But you're off on the date. And the month. And the year. [ dot dot dot. ] Maybe the year.

[ written ]

[captainhornblower]

Then [a pause] what is the date?

[ written ]

[herotypical]

May the fifth. The year? I'm...more hazy on. But it's not that one.

[ written ]

[captainhornblower]

May?

May?!

[written]

[poorneedyand.livejournal.com]

Hornblower, eh? As in Horatio?

Sounds like you're new, too. It's not so bad here, far as I can tell.

[Kay's quite certain this isn't that Hornblower, but the date and the name are too much to resist comment, for Julius' sake if not her own.]

[written]

[captainhornblower]

[He still does not trust this witchcraft book, but he is getting used to introducing himself.]

Indeed.

Captain Horatio Hornblower, of His Britannic Majesty's Atropos.

[written]

[poorneedyand.livejournal.com]

Hornblower and the of the Atropos?

You're serious?

[Guess which Hornblower novel came out in '53? A woman could be forgiven for nearly writing its title instead.]

[written]

[captainhornblower]

Of course I'm serious.

[written]

[tehoniongirl.livejournal.com]

[It had been days since Jilly had really stopped painting. She'd slept (though not enough), and ate (whenever her stomach had protested enough to catch her attention), but mostly she'd worked. She was translating dreams onto canvas and, before she knew it, whole days had been gobbled up.

She doesn't notice Horatio's entry when it appears. It's only when she finally remembers to take a break to refill her coffee that she notices it among the other New Feather arrivals.

Not really focused, the name doesn't click right away. Just dances at the back of her mind with teasing familiarity. Archie usually called him Horatio, after all. Not Hornblower. But a nagging sense pulls her back a few minutes later.

Eventually, her own words will join the others', scrawled onto the page]

Recording your observations isn't exactly a small feat. We'd never really learn anything if people weren't willing to do that.

[written]

[captainhornblower]

[He's settled in as much he can so far. Still torn between his growing urge to sleep and a restlessness that makes him want to roam the streets of this city until he feels somewhat more sure with the area, he has taken to sitting by the window, looking out.

He keeps flipping through the journal. From the guide to all that's been written before to his own writing.

And he notices the new remark and (slightly more comfortable with the journal but still not trusting it all that much) writes back.]

I was not quite aware of what this book did when I first picked it up. Rather remarkable.

[Slightly settled in and having found Archie? Even his writing is much calmer.]

[written/voice]

[tehoniongirl.livejournal.com]

Who could blame you? I don't think many people expect books to write back to you.

[There's a pause that would have been filled with a smile, had it been in person, though the written word loses some of the writer's whimsy]

Though I'll admit I've wished for that before. Back home. Before coming here.

[her gaze skimming idly back over his original notes, she starts her question before the pieces are fully in place] You mentioned your ship. Are you another sailor? We seem to

[the writing cuts off abruptly as it all connects, the full picture coming together with breathtaking abruptness.

The writing. An 18th century sailor.

Hornblower.

She knows why that name seems so familiar, and she speaks up before it can occur to her that it could be more than a little unsettling, having unknown people know you already]

....Are you Horatio?

[voice/written]

[captainhornblower]

[He manages not to throw the book at the sound of a voice. It's still unsettling, but he doesn't throw the book. He stares at it for a moment.]

Hello?

[He's made it let him speak before, but he's not sure if there's something he's supposed to do first or not. The last time was a bit of an accident... and occurred after he'd thrown the book.

Just in case, he writes as well.]

Horatio Hornblower, yes, Ma'am.

[He'll resist the urge to ask how this voice knows his name.

For now.]