Captain's Will

18. Reparations

The day passed in work and more work. The pirates were doused in sweat by the time the sun sunk towards the horizon. At every waking hour starting from sunrise, they had hammered and sawed away, fixing as much of the Dungeness as there could be fixed. Mingi commanded the men to bring him wood, chop down trees, and to dove into the ocean again and again to keep watch on their progress.

In the evening, as the sun ended its fiery trail beyond the horizon and the forest grew lively with the calls of various animals, the pirates ignited a massive campfire and ate the birds San had shot from the skies. They wolfed down the food like starved men, and even Cabezon dropped some of his manners as he dug his teeth into the juicy meat. Hongjoong watched him eat full of delight. The bland rations of the navy were meagre, just enough to keep their sailors somewhat in shape. They were no meals to feast on. Yeosang had seasoned the birds well, and Seonghwa's eyes gleamed with greed as he wolfed them down.

Any trait about him that reminded Hongjoong of a pirate was a charm to see. The more Cabezon relaxed among their folk, the more his chest swelled with pride.

It was also ridiculous how well the jack tar fit among them. Even in his impractical uniform, he had blended into their rows and worked as hard as anyone else to restore the Dungeness to her prior glory. The crew accepted him as if he were one of them and repeated the same lame old jokes as back then, taunting him to laugh along with them. At the same time, they treated him as their captain's precious. Untouchable but to be awed with a certain respect.

Once more, Hongjoong questioned what they were doing, going on their monster hunt. Wasn't this the bliss he had missed? Where he should have stopped things, back when Yunho was still with them? The kraken brought them all together another time, and it seemed bittersweet. Without a joined goal, they never reached such peaceful togetherness. Seonghwa would have left if he hadn't been interested in slaughtering the kraken by himself.

"What be our plan fer the evening, Captain?" Mingi asked and ripped Hongjoong from his trance. The captain took a sip of rum, clearing his doubts that took root so viciously when the crew had just achieved another goal down the line.

"We'll take a caulk an' continue once the sun be to the sky so we do nay upset the creatures around us. Those who want to work can work. If ye want to camp out 'ere, remember nay to doze off near the water."

A round of depleted cheers answered him. His crew needed their sleep. Once the early hours of morning dawned, they could pull the rest of the ship from the sea and string up the sails San had put together with the powder monkeys earlier. At noon at latest, Hongjoong expected to set sail, this time for two ships.

Dinner ended in the mutual agreement to get some sleep before returning to work in the morning hours. Mingi insisted on checking on his newest treasure a last time for the evening and disappeared into the ocean while the others cleared up the area and spread out their exhausted limbs. Cosied up around the fire, most crew members stayed right where they were. Jongho lay with his hand on his belly, patting it in a dreamy trance. Wooyoung and San had curled up together, sweet whispers passing between their lips only for each other to hear.

When Hongjoong looked around for Cabezon, he found the man had already left. A trail of his footsteps led back to the Grief.

"Good night, mateys," Hongjoong called and a sleepy chorus wished him the same back. With his eyes on the faint tracks in the sand, he followed Seonghwa to the spot where the Grief was beached. The crew left them alone, satisfied to be among each other while the two captains sought yet another fight in the moonlight.

Hongjoong scaled the familiar rigging at the side of the ship and climbed on board. After a day on the Dungeness, he felt as if he were coming back to a lover he had discarded unfairly. His fingers caressed the railing, soothing her, as he spotted faint light at the small frosted glass window in the door leading to his cabin.