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Post by Francis Bonnefoy on Dec 22, 2011 12:18:23 GMT -5
If Francis didn't believe he was trapped in a nightmare, he was sure now. To be manhandled, threatened, and locked up by a dangerous-looking pirate was enough. But to be locked up with Arthur - in his cabin? Francis was near to despairing.
It didn't help that Arthur was drunk and miserable, because no matter how much Francis wanted to leave him be, Francis couldn't. Not in Arthur's current state. Francis' instinct was to calm Arthur down, freshen him up, and nurse him throughout his inebriation.
Sighing resignedly, Francis crouched by the desk and spoke softly, "Captain..." He ducked his head to catch Arthur's eye. "Captain, come on out with me. Your crew is worried about you."
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Post by Cpt. Arthur Kirkland on Dec 22, 2011 12:25:57 GMT -5
All Arthur does is hiccough. He hasn't been crying, though his hair is damp from the bowl of water. He shudders as a drip trickles off his ear.
Still clutching the bottle, he blinks as Francis comes into view. His eyes, childish and drunken, look at him wonderously for a moment.
He gently places the bottle down as Francis stops speaking, gazing at the bottle for a moment. Then he looks back up at him, and suddenly holds his arms out to the older man.
"F-Fr---Fwancis..." He whines, wanting to be picked up. His tone is rather clingy, but there seems to be a hint of reassurance at seeing Francis there. He almost seems to have forgotten his temper and mood from earlier.
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Post by Francis Bonnefoy on Dec 22, 2011 12:37:28 GMT -5
Normally, Francis would have succumbed to Arthur's neediness without a second thought. But now, given the circumstances, Francis wasn't quite sure what to do. He drew back from Arthur quickly at first, but seeing that Arthur really did seem to need his help, Francis inched forward cautiously.
"Captain?" he asked tentatively. "Would you like to come out? I'll help you to your bed."
Gently, Francis pulled Arthur against him and pulled them both up. Arthur wasn't heavy, but because the man was quite drunk, he was practically a dead weight. Still, Francis led Arthur to his bed as quickly as he could manage.
Francis had to arrange the pirate captain into a comfortable position before cleaning up the water bowl. He hoped that Arthur had the necessary supplies in his cabin, because Francis knew that the crew members wouldn't be letting them out soon.
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Post by Cpt. Arthur Kirkland on Dec 22, 2011 12:43:52 GMT -5
He clings tightly to Francis as he's carried, and whimpers as Francis lets go. He gazes after him, and his expression drops.
"D-Don't... call...t-tha'...m-m' A-Arthur..."
Not liking that Francis had wandered off, he whines and sits up, going to stand up so he can stumble over to Francis again.
"M-M' not... C-Captain..."
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Post by Francis Bonnefoy on Dec 24, 2011 0:30:40 GMT -5
Francis had been rummaging around Arthur's belongings for an empty bucket, some water and spare cloth when he heard the pirate shifting behind him. With the supplies tucked under his arm, Francis frowned and hurried to Arthur's side.
"Don't be stupid, you shouldn't be up right now," Francis said hastily. He sighed and guided Arthur to settle down on the bed again. "What I mean is, you've drunk yourself silly, perhaps more than your usual indulgence, and you might hurt yourself."
After positioning the bucket on the floor next to the bed, Francis seated himself by Arthur's side and dampened the cloth with water. As he set the cloth on Arthur's head, he trailed his fingers gently over Arthur's eyelids to encourage him to sleep.
"And we don't want that, do we?"
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Post by Cpt. Arthur Kirkland on Dec 24, 2011 7:25:23 GMT -5
Arthur is laid down and all he can do is look up at the other with large eyes, a mixture of light fear and apprehensiveness. He winces as the cloth touches upon his graze from earlier, and that's where he starts to whine.
"...H-hn, Francis..." He murmurs, trying to reach out for him. He can't sleep. Not when he knew Francis was being so distant from him. It scared him.
He tries wearily to push the cloth away from himself, shivering from the cold of it.
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Post by Francis Bonnefoy on Dec 28, 2011 16:42:28 GMT -5
Gazing at the helpless pirate on the bed, a little of Francis' icy pretense melted. He couldn't help it, not when Arthur resembled the amnesiac, innocent stranger he was so many months ago.
Francis sighed and eased the cold cloth from Arthur's forehead, mumbling an apology. "You'll appreciate how cool it is once you wake up with a headache."
He frowned slightly. "You shouldn't drink so much," said Francis softly. "I know how delightful liquor can be - I make wine, after all - but you should use it to hurt yourself with...or as a means of escape."
Francis paused, staring searchingly into the pirate's eyes. "You're stronger than you know," he whispered. "Now go to sleep, Captain."
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Post by Cpt. Arthur Kirkland on Dec 28, 2011 18:01:23 GMT -5
Arthur gazes up at the man with a new-found sense of wonder, watching the light expression on Francis' face, and he can't help but blush a little back at it. It stirred a wondrous sense of calm within him, and made him feel safe.
But as the elder gazes deep at him, he suddenly retracts back, and he tears up. His voice breaks.
"m'...m-m .. horrible person --- n-no one likes m-me -- e-even you...."
He starts to get worked up.
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Post by Francis Bonnefoy on Dec 28, 2011 18:08:10 GMT -5
The sight of Arthur in tears was enough to push Francis into an immediate panic mode. Francis firmly told himself to remain calm and maintain a comforting manner.
"No! No, no, that's not true," he murmured. "No, you're a good person, a wonderful person, an amazing person. You've just had horrible things happen to you."
Francis reached down and squeezed Arthur's hand. "But look: you were strong enough to survive those, weren't you? If you're not amazing, I don't know who is."
He had to halt for a moment and phrase his next words carefully. "And many people like you. Your crew respects and admires you. I - I - you know how I feel about you."
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Post by Cpt. Arthur Kirkland on Dec 28, 2011 18:31:33 GMT -5
The words don't seem to do much, and Arthur starts to cry. He pushes away slightly and sits up, but doesn't let go of Francis' hand. The crying appears to rationalise his speech, though it's clear he's still very drunk.
"N-No-- M-My crew l-laughed... o-old Captain r-raped...o-only a-apprentice I-I had l-left--h-hn-- n-no -- n-no they don't --- e-even you're b-being distant a-and c-cold -- m-my f-fault, I'm stupid, wrong i-in the head--"
His head hands, and he sobs.
"A-And I never h-had family t-to lose --- y-you lost all o-of them -- h-how dare you call m-me a-amazing--"
He tries to curl up, tries to hide away.
"M-M s-scared--"
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