Taking Care of Business

[touchofcashmere]

Who: Stede and you!
Where: Sand Dollars, Library, elsewhere
When: Post event
What: Various things
Warnings: None yet




I. Notes
[a few flyers are taped up here and there around the ship. The amount of tape is-- not quite as excessive as last time, but still more than would be reasonable]

Feeling lonely? Anxious? Needing someone to talk to about past or recent events?

Come to Sand Dollars Monday-Friday 12:30-3 for tea and a willing ear.


See: Stede Bonnet


II. Sweet Dreams are Made of These
[books that is. Stede has finally found the library and while he hasn't quite taken up residence in it. He's there late in the evening and can be found sleeping at a table or in a chair at the late night. It's comforting. Feels like home. The easiest way to avoid the trauma plaguing you is to read until your mind gives out. Besides which, his roomie is a creeper]



III. Everything is fine
[perfectly fine. He is staring at a TV or screen with a blank, far away expression- or at the entrance to John's, rigid in the doorway, staring in. He doesn't seem like he's going to move any time soon, so feel free to move around him.]


IV. Wildcard
[hit him up]


Planning Session [Locked to Lucius]

[Stede has managed to move himself after this fiasco, though it wasn't easy. He's left a helpful note on the back of a crumpled piece of paper for Lucius though, on the bedside table, easily seen]


Lucius,

It's been a long couple of weeks. Why not take an extended holiday? I can handle things from here. All I ask is that some time this week, when you have a moment, you can step into Sand Dollars for a little planning. I need to bounce ideas off someone.

Have fun out there! (In as much as you can).

-Stede

Comments

ii

[sabigoe]

[ Fio has been in the library, not so much reading. But doodling on scraps of paper at one of the tables. When she finally notices it has become far too late, she begins neatly gathering her piles of drawing paper and pencils together to head back for the night. While she does sleep in the library at times, tonight is not the night.

Then she notices someone else nearby. Fast asleep in one of the chairs. And he doesn't seem to have a pillow. Well, that's no good. Unfortunately, she hasn't brought her pillow and blanket to lend. Frowning, she thinks for a moment.

But she did bring her plush bear. Perhaps that will suffice as a cushion for now...? She grabs the stuffed animal from her chair and tries to gently tuck the toy underneath his arm... ]

[touchofcashmere]

[he'll take it automatically, cuddling into it a bit-- still asleep but listing toward waking when the nightmare hits. Cold sweat appears on his forehead and his eyes twitch under their lids. There may even be a whimper or two as he tries to fight it, to claw his way out of it, but for right now it has him trapped]

[sabigoe]

[ That's a look that she recognizes well. Panic and struggle during a nightmare is a place that she has been many, many times. Nearly every night, back then. Here, she no longer dreams, but now all she has to worry about is the captain bringing harm to everyone like the recent excursion.

She contemplates for a moment, then quickly decides that she can't stand to continue listening to his struggle. Reaching over, the little girl gives the man's arm a gentle shake. ]

Mister? Wake up... please wake up.

[touchofcashmere]

[he does wake with a start, clutching the toy and staring wildly into the dark.]

No, please. Stop. Stop. [his voice is harsh in his throat and his breathing rapid, awake but still caught in scraps of something like panic]

[sabigoe]

[ His awakening startles her and she quickly pulls her hands away. She takes a small step backwards. ]

...Mister? [ A pause. Fio looks on at him with worry, unsure what else to say at first, as though fearing she might make everything worse. When she speaks, she tries to sound as gentle as possible, though a little shaken herself. ] I-it's okay now.

[touchofcashmere]

[he blinks rapidly, her small voice breaking into the lingering nightmare. Somehow he manages a smile as he looks at her but his eyes are distant]

I'm awake. [and then he rubs his face and stretches] I'm awake. Gosh, what a good dream. [it's a lie, but she doesn't need to know otherwise. There are plenty of nightmares to go around]

Thank you for checking up on me.

[sabigoe]

You're... you're welcome?

[ Her tone doesn't sound entirely convinced. Fio does notices the obvious lie, but she won't call him out on it. She wonders if she should linger around the library awhile longer, just in case he needs the company. ]

Um... you can keep my stuffed bear for the night, if you want. I saw you didn't have a pillow, so...

[touchofcashmere]

Oh... thank you. [he's not going to keep it but it's callus to give it back so readily] That means a lot to me.

[he smiles and holds out a hand]

I'm Stede.

[sabigoe]

[ ...? Fio studies his hand for a moment, because well, this isn't really a formality that she's accustomed to doing. He might be the first person here to offer her a handshake when doing introductions. She does eventually reach out, to give it a shake. ]

My name is Fio. Nice to meet you, Mister Stede!

[touchofcashmere]

Fio. Nice to meet you too.

[God. she is so young. But he can't dwell on that now. It's too much]

And what is their name? [he wiggles the teddy a bit]

[sabigoe]

[ If it helps keep him distracted from nightmares, she'll stick around and chat a little. Or for a long while (until she's tired at least.) She smiles. ]

Oh, that's Judith... but you can call her Judy!

[touchofcashmere]

Oh well...thank you, Judith.

What was that? [he holds the bear up to his ear] Well! What a polite friend you have here!

But I think she misses you a bit. [he hands the toy out gently] It's about time that I get some work done anyway. [and by that he means reading. Mostly stories such as The Count of Monte Cristo and the Three Musketeers. Anything to do with fighting the world on your own terms.]

[sabigoe]

[ Well, Judith instead of Judy is fine too. She takes the plush doll back, clutching it in her arms. Work, huh? She guesses she should leave soon to let grownups do their thing, but still... that dream of his seemed really bad. ]

Um... alright. [ A pause. ] Will you be okay?

[touchofcashmere]

I'll be fine. [as much as he can be] But what about you? It's really late and it's a very big library. Do you sleep here or do you have someone to look out for you?

[sabigoe]

I sleep here, sometimes.

[ Just not tonight. ]

You don't have to worry about me. [ Even if she's alone at the moment, with just her stuffed bear. ] I know plenty of people to go to if I need something.

[touchofcashmere]

It's not a bad place to sleep. It's quiet. There's lots of stories to read to help you drop off. [he's glad that she's looked after but the concern doesn't really leave]

But why here instead of your bed? [a frown] Is your roommate scary?

[sabigoe]

Um, no... he's not scary or anything. My roommate moved out awhile ago. He does visit sometimes, but it's mostly just me.

[ Honestly it can be a little lonely, but she doesn't want to admit that. It's not really all that bad, though. And she can still message people on her phone. ]

And it's okay, 'cause I see a bunch of people later during the day!