captainhornblower | First Dispatch

[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

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[And Horatio is at the door to assist the moment he hears that voice.

Was there a bit of fear Archie wouldn't return? Yes. This place is strange enough that this was a real concern. Simply because he doesn't know what to expect still.]

It smells wonderful. And--

[A grin.]

I think a bit of brandy sounds perfect.

[He hadn't had something this worth drinking to in a long time... which was awful to think, all things considered... but he didn't have to worry about all of those things right now.]

[A moment later, the table is set, brandy is poured, and Archie sinks into a chair, his joy simmering into a blissful, beatific contentment. Picking up a hunk of French bread, which doesn't seem so treasonous this far from England, he dips it into the stew.] Now. I want to hear everything. What's the news from home?

[Horatio tastes the stew, his smile never faltering. After a spoonful of it and a bite of bread, he considers the question.]

Just at Christmas, Bonaparte had an invasion force ready, planning to send it 'round at Ireland, then attack England from there. Thankfully, the ships never got out to sea.

[...Yes, he honestly assumes that "news from home" is a question for military matters.]

[It's not what Archie wants to hear most, but considering how long he's been waiting for this, he'll take it.]

Did you take part in this, then?

[Horatio will always consider his ship-- whatever ship it is-- his home. True home is on the Indy, but Hotspur was home enough.

And he is most certainly not ready to turn his thoughts to Maria enough to tell Archie about her. That is a long, long conversation he desperately wants to put off.]

I did.

[He won't mention being the only British ship involved in that particular incident.]

It brought a traitor to justice and dealt a minor blow to the French. I am grateful for that much, at least.

[A little more glowing with pride--Archie is sure Horatio is downplaying his involvement somehow.] What else has happened?

[Horatio fell silent for a moment, taking his time to dip a piece of bread into his soup and eat it. Then he took a drink of water.

Stalling? Yes.

Obvious? Probably.

Then, as he's considering his stew again, at least one thought strikes him, and he has to chuckle.]

When I first was given the Hotspur, Styles became my steward.

Styles?

[A slow, sad nod.]

It was as bad as you are imagining, Archie. Probably worse, actually.

I asked him for a cup of coffee. And he boiled it.

[Another sip of water. The brandy, in his opinion, requires a toast for the first drink... and he doesn't do well at toasts.

So he'll just... wait.]

...Well, it could've been worse. You might have had to cook for yourself.

[After a little more food, then the right moment, then brandy.]

I think I might have starved in that case.

[There we go. Archie raises his glass of brandy.]

To all chefs and stewards, past and present. Ever we complain, yet ever we continue to eat.

[This is likely to set off a string of toasts.]

Edited 2011-05-07 18:34 (UTC)

[Horatio raises his glass in reply.]

To all chefs and stewards.

[After taking a sip of brandy, he has to smile. Normally, he would avoid giving a toast, but with only Archie here, there is nothing to fear.

He raises his glass again. His tone is more serious than he'd meant for it to be, though the relief and joy in every word is apparent.]

To dear friends, together once more after too long apart.

Edited 2011-05-07 19:34 (UTC)

Far too long. [With another sip, he raises the glass again.] To the health of the Malnosso: may it suffer forever.

[He takes another sip, chuckling under his breath.

They can't do too much damage, splitting a single bottle of brandy between them... And he can admit, they'll probably end up drinking the whole thing.

He refrains from another toast right away, instead taking a few more bites of stew and smiling over at Archie.]

I expect you to tell me everything you've gotten up to here.

[If he didn't sleep tonight? He didn't sleep tonight.

...Honestly, he was a bit wary about the idea of sleep. What if he woke up back in Portsmouth? Or even in his cabin of the Hotspur? It would be too painful to discover this was only a dream.]

I shall expect the same from you. You'd better be prepared to recall every detail of the last three years.

[For a moment, Horatio considers protesting, but he has no right to ask Archie to tell him about his time here if he will not talk about home.

He hesitates, but then nods, a smile reappearing.]

We'd have done well to have gotten more to drink.

[Not that he's prone to drinking much, but...

A lot of alcohol would certainly make it easier to tell Archie about Maria.]

[In response, Kennedy pours more brandy into Horatio's cup.] Very well. We'll take turns, then, and I'll go first.

[He leans back with his glass of cognac and thinks for a bit, swirling the liquor in the snifter and holding it near his face to capture a bit of the aroma.] Shortly after I arrived here, I drank enough to fell a small ox and proposed marriage to Dawn without even knowing what she looked like.

She planning to hold you to that? [He's teasing, and his smile says that clearly.

Still, it makes him feel a bit better. About his marriage and his conversation with Dawn. Especially the latter-- if she could be get past that, she could forgive him some shortness.]

When the Peace came, my promotion to commander was disallowed... And I had to pay back the three months' salary I drew on the post.

[He actually chuckled then, taking a sip of the brandy.]

I made my living playing whist.

You would. [Though his heart breaks when Horatio mentions having to pay back his wages. It's good not to have money in a place where people are generally fine with only taking what they need. He takes a drink.] When the Malnosso pressed us to fight against the Third Party--surely you read something about them--I wound up reacting badly to the shifts in the area and falling asleep unpredictably. Fell of a horse, in fact. I fear I badly represented an officer of His Majesty's navy until the effects wore off. [Another drink, and the liquor burns down his throat before settling with a sweet aftertaste.]

First Dispatch - [written]

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