He was sincere. Horatio Hornblower was extremely sincere as he said it. He looked out to sea, arms against the railing and hands folded together. His usual melancholy had been replaced. Instead, he spoke with a kind of wistfulness. A longing.
Hornblower was dressed... strangely. At least for him. The clothing was mismatched, somewhat. And ill-fitting. His boots, trousers, and shirt fit properly, being his. The waistcoat was too large and clashed with the jacket, both of which he'd found burrowing through the clothing stores. His neckcloth was military black, even if he was out of uniform. Out of uniform. It felt strange-- wrong.
Yet he had purpose behind it. On the one hand, his proper waistcoat still aggravated his wound when he buttoned it fully. Not much now, though. In a few more days, he would be able to tolerate it. But also-- and more importantly-- it was his sort of peace offering to the pirate. The man had been generous enough to invite him along... The least Hornblower could do was try and look like he wasn't a member of the Royal Navy.
no subject
He was sincere. Horatio Hornblower was extremely sincere as he said it. He looked out to sea, arms against the railing and hands folded together. His usual melancholy had been replaced. Instead, he spoke with a kind of wistfulness. A longing.
Hornblower was dressed... strangely. At least for him. The clothing was mismatched, somewhat. And ill-fitting. His boots, trousers, and shirt fit properly, being his. The waistcoat was too large and clashed with the jacket, both of which he'd found burrowing through the clothing stores. His neckcloth was military black, even if he was out of uniform. Out of uniform. It felt strange-- wrong.
Yet he had purpose behind it. On the one hand, his proper waistcoat still aggravated his wound when he buttoned it fully. Not much now, though. In a few more days, he would be able to tolerate it. But also-- and more importantly-- it was his sort of peace offering to the pirate. The man had been generous enough to invite him along... The least Hornblower could do was try and look like he wasn't a member of the Royal Navy.