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The pack of four walked for quite awhile, though Moody had mentioned to Lowe that their companions were drawing attention, and they took a less direct but quieter route to the seaside. Seeing the water had an immediately calming effect on the two Titanic officers, even though the port was busy with steamers and schooners alike. The smell of salt touched them, calmed them, even if it was or was not to be the same ocean that would claim or had claimed the Titanic.
Moving to the edge of the docks, Horatio couldn't help but smile, taking a deep breath of the ever-familiar air. Beside him, Archie stood with his ever thoughtful features, nearly haunted by the water that would inevitably claim the life of at least one person he knew. After so many years on the water he had already seen many deaths, but none seemed to strike so close to home as the thought of fifteen hundred people, plus a friend that he had just gained.
Harold immediately started towards a seaside inn, but James held back and walked with the other two, giving them a concerned look. It could not have been easy to see a port that in their time had been nothing but wood and sail, where now it was occupied by those but also by giant steel vessels. He did note Horatio's smile, though, and thought perhaps that no matter what time a sailor comes from, they are all men of the water at heart. "Everything comes clearer here, it seems," he finally said, lightly.
"Quite," the Third Lieutenant replied, smiling at James. "The air does well to free the mind, and I believe that if there is anyone in the country that needs to do so, it's us."
"Amen, sir." Jimmy nodded in the direction of the inn Lowe had vanished into. "Shall we?"
Horatio nodded, glancing to Archie for a moment. "I think it would be for the best." Turning, he smiled slightly.
"Then along we go," Moody said, turning and walking to the inn. His shoulders were set proudly, but there was a bit of a slow deliberateness to his step, as though he was taking in every one and realizing that it may well be his last moment on dry land.
"I'm sure that everything will turn out just fine," Hornblower offered, assuredly, opening the door and allowing Jimmy to step through before him.
"Aye, sir," James answered, automatically, though he had no real reason to call Hornblower that. He gave a nod of thanks as he passed, then went to looking for his shipmate.
Harry was waiting against one wall, leaning and grilling some poor sailor about the Titanic and what he knew. By grilling, it's to be assumed that the subject in question is nervous... well, the man was staring into the intense face of a fiery Welshman on a mission, and he wasn't very old to begin with. When Lowe was satisfied, he clapped him on the shoulder, and walked back over to his comrades.
"Anything that might help?" Horatio asked, watching the young man leave in quite a hurry.
"The remaining officers are to remain in New York at landing," Harold stated, conspiritally, "awaiting a Senate Hearing into the disaster. The Carpathia was the ship who came to the rescue, and Titanic went down sometime after three in the morning of the 15th, if this fellow wasn't misleading me." He scowled. "There's rumors one of the officers shot themselves as well."
"Carpathia? Rostron's ship, isn't it?" Moody asked. "And did they say which officer?"
"And possibly why?" Hornblower continued, quietly.
Lowe shook his head. "No, to either."
Moody leaned against the wall, rubbing his eyes from stress. "That sounds like complete and utter bollocks, if you ask me."
"I don't know them as well as you, Jimmy, but I agree."
Watching the two for a moment, Hornblower then turned to look around the room, only to find the majority staring at him while they talked to their own company. Shifting slightly uncomfortably, he turned back to Moody and Lowe. "Gentlemen, if you don't mind, I think I should retire at the moment for the sake of feeling somewhat more in place when out of the public eye."
Lowe offered a room key, muttering under his breath that at least seaside inns were very affordable before commenting, "A sound idea, Mr. Hornblower."
James tossed a look at Archie, who had been quiet for far too long, and stepped over, his voice low, "Mr. Kennedy?"
Quite alert, Archie looked over at James, raising his chin slightly. "Mr. Moody?"
"We're going to retreat to someplace less scrutinized," James offered, smiling. "Care to join us?"
Not quiet understanding for a moment, Kennedy thought quietly to himself before the reason struck him and he nodded. "Yes... Yes, I think I would."
Jimmy clapped him on the back before starting up the rickety staircase after Horatio and Harold, both of whom were still in deep discussion, utilizing their sharp minds to bounce scenarios off of each other.
"I think the easiest way would be to tell the Captain and Chief what would happen, but the problem would be a matter of whether they choose to believe it or not," Lowe said quietly to Hornblower.
Hornblower nodded in agreement, his hands behind his back as he walked. "And, being men that value their careers, I'm sure, they would have to believe."
"It isn't always so simple in the private sector," Harold explained, frowning at the thought. "Ships are always in competition to complete a run faster and better appointed than the competitor. To delay the wealthy and influential would result in a loss of business, so on the whim of a junior officer, they're not entirely likely to listen."
"Couldn't you do something without talking to one of your superiors? Change the course, or make sure someone knows how dangerous the crossing could be?" Archie offered his few words, looking up at the near twins ahead of him.
"If he did, he would lose his job," Moody answered for Lowe. He knew, unlike the other two, just how badly Harold relied on having his job with the White Star Line. "I could, however, and I wouldn't likely be more than demoted and reassigned."
Horatio nodded, stopping at the door that was a match to the key. "I think, perhaps, that we must consider if we don't get a chance to go back, as well."
"Indeed." James walked to the next room, leaning on the wall beside it. "There's a great deal to think about, gentlemen, and if I may join you after I get a shower, we can discuss it."
"Sounds like a plan to me, Mr. Moody," Archie replied, smiling slightly. He hadn't had a shower in quite a long time, and he intended to make use of what water he could get.
"In some time then, lads," Lowe said, grinning, and disappeared into his room. Moody followed a moment later, and there was a brief argument to be heard about who would get the bathroom first. Given the sounds of muttered cursing, Lowe lost.
Not able to help himself from laughing, Horatio followed his companion into their room, amazed how quickly he could lose track of Archie when the younger man had a leg up on him.
It was a good two hours later when the two parties met back up. Lowe and Moody both had the sense to leave their uniform jackets in their room, as well as their ties... there was no sense in broadcasting that they were part of the White Star Line, and certainly not from the Titanic. Likewise, Hornblower and Kennedy had tried their best to be in what casual garb they had, which happened to be their uniforms save the jackets and hats. Both looked quite refreshed and quite a bit younger when cleaned up.
They met up in the main room of the inn, just before dinner, and found the quietest spot they could. Harold and Horatio immediately went back to their previous line of discussion of how to deal with the situation. James sat quietly, not-so-shamefully eavesdropping on the conversations around -- the Titanic was one of the hot topics, and he winced quietly every time the officers were brought up by the other sailors there, and near cringed when they were ridiculed.
Understanding what Jimmy was wincing at, Archie listened to Harold explain some complicated plan for a moment before leaning over to the Sixth Officer. "One thing for you to know," he whispered, "is that I'm sure we could take these men down. Keep that in mind." He winked and sat back in his seat, grinning.
Despite himself, Moody smiled. That would be something Lowe would say if he wasn't in the midst of being complex. "I have no doubts of that."
"Good, because right now I wouldn't mind letting out some frustration. You just say if you need me." He had no reserve on his voice when replying, before taking a sip of his water.
Jimmy laughed, then dropped his voice with a grin, "I'll be sure to do that, though I'm not sure it would be smart to have ourselves thrown out... especially since we have the rooms for the night."
"I think you're the more sensible of the four of us, Mr. Moody, and I shall take that suggestion to heart." If it weren't for the fact that Kennedy hadn't been drinking at all, one would almost believe he was drunk.
"You might want to keep your voice down, Archie," Horatio warned off to the side, watching the innkeeper having a conversation with an officer of the law that seemed to be focused on the four men.
"And I think this may be a good time to reconvene in one of our rooms," Lowe added, watching the innkeeper out of the corner of his eye. "What do you say we bug off like the good man seems to want us to?"
Moody smiled into his glass of water, a mischievous sort of smile. "Indeed; we wouldn't want to make the poor man uncomfortable, now would we?"
"By the look of him," Horatio grinned, "he would be uncomfortable with my mother around."
"By the look of him, she would be the first woman he's set eyes on in quite some time... provided he looked better in his youth," Harold smirked, "which isn't likely, now is it?"
Archie laughed slightly, "Certainly not with a face like that, no." Crossing his arms, he nodded towards the innkeeper who's eyes widened somewhat.
Moody took it a step further, offering the innkeeper a solemn smile and wave before going back to his glass. In a whisper, he said, "Why, I do believe he's getting angry."
"Like a kettle about the explode, you suppose?" Lowe asked, taking it even further still and giving the slowly reddening man his most charming grin and a flamboyant wave.
"I'd say that's a quite acceptable example, Mr. Lowe, judging from that blood vessel bulging from the man's forehead," Horatio laughed, rubbing at the side of his face.
"I was more concerned by the cheeks, that seem to be getting broader by the moment," Lowe said, calmly, as the innkeeper whispered to the officer, indeed looking like a round red kettle.
Moody shook his head, wondering how far the others would take the charade before they were pitched to the curb.
"Perhaps we should listen to Mr. Moody," Archie commented, standing.
"Eh, I suppose," Harold said, standing and giving the man a sharp white smile. James followed a moment later, heading for the stairs with a shake of the head and a chuckle. Even the prospect of death could not dampen the spirits of the young officers for long.
Moving after the two men, Horatio couldn't help but grin. "So, which room, gentlemen?"
"One's as good as another," Harold answered. "I guess we follow Jimmy and let him pick, as he seems to already have a plan of action and we would undoubtedly be thrown out if we were to stay here much longer."
"Which would not be the best thing, judging by the temperature outside," Kennedy chuckled.
"I'm surprised it's sunny at all," Hornblower conversed, "unless they found a cure for the rainy English days."
"No, they haven't," Harry said, smiling as he climbed the steps. "What time I've spent has been bloody dreary." A few paces found Moody in their room, doing what he could to smooth his uniform jacket out.
"Well, I certainly don't mind a nice rainy day, but it's the cold that makes me feel like I'm 45," the youngest admitted, stepping inside as well.
"Double your age, I'll bet," James said, glancing back at them from where he was working on his uniform.
"Damn close, actually." Archie nodded, watching Horatio and Harold move over to the window to talk. "Then again, it seems about right for you as well." Letting his hand rest behind his back, he regarded the uniform with a smile.
"Twenty-four," Moody chuckled, finishing with the jacket. He set it aside, picking his tie up and putting it on before adding with a joking grin, "A boy among men."
Harold took a brief moment to scoff before turning back to his conversation.
"A boy at twenty-four, eh?" Casting a glance towards Horatio, Archie snickered, "Horatio Hornblower, the boy lieutenant."
"Very funny," Horatio replied, moving over to pace around his younger friend with a slightly sardonic grin on his face. "All this coming from a man who's younger than myself, eh, Mr. Kennedy? Might I remind you that you're only a lieutenant as well, and have quite a few years up on myself."
"Only because I enjoyed my time so much as a midshipman." He smirked, shaking his head.
Lowe immediately took up on all of them, being the oldest of the troop and even as Horatio paced Archie, he paced Horatio. "The boy lieutenant, eh? Odd that you look like me, but I have four and some years up on you."
"But a few inches less," Kennedy observed, stepping out of the circle to move against the wall. Leaning back, he judged their differences from his standpoint.
"And a more sensible haircut," Harold snickered, putting an arm around Hornblower and facing Archie with a devil-may-care grin. "I suppose he would have been the rough draft, and I the finished product?"
Moody laughed, rolling his eyes in mock disgust. "You certainly have him beat on arrogance, Harry."
"If a man shrinks that much in a few years, then I fear I'll be just barely challenging Boney when it comes to height," Kennedy joked, shaking his head in disgust.
Hornblower grinned mischievously. "Well, I don't think the problem would be so much the height, but that mug of yours."
"What? There's nothing wrong with my face..."
"Nothing wrong with it," Lowe affirmed, chewing down a smirk. "Aside from the fact you just don't have the classic profile Mr. Hornblower and myself are privileged with."
"Ah yes, the jutting cheekbones and the rather defined nose," Moody said, coming to Archie's defense and ultimately his own. "Not to mention the look of a corpse you both have when you're tired--"
Lowe grumbled something, turning on his friend and giving him a look of completely false fury. "Why you little sea-rat, I oughta..."
Moody grinned. "What? I'm merely stating the obvious."
Archie smiled widely, moving over next to Moody and crossing his arms. "Besides, I think we could take you two easily."
Lowe frowned, looking at Hornblower. "Horatio, I do believe they're mutinying."
"Who, us, sir? Oh no, sir," Moody protested, crossing his arms as well and drawing himself up to his somewhat formidable height.
"Mutineers? By God, you'll hang by the yard arm for this!" Horatio smirked, finding it particularly easy to mimic Captain Sawyer.
"Forget the hanging," Lowe said, nudging his twin in the ribs. "Let's deal with this the old fashioned way." And with a flying leap, the scrappy Welshman bowled into Moody, sending them both careening over a bed and onto the floor. The fight, though not in much earnest, was on.
"Oh, it's a fight, is it?" Having already scuffled with Horatio, he wasn't able to take the older man by surprise, but the force that Archie hit his pseudo-enemy with caused them both to tumble to the ground.