seawrought:
What’s there to laugh about? There’s nothing funny about wanting a better ending! There’s a precarious moment where Highmore’s expression threatens to fall into a pout, but fortunately, her mood improves alongside the story-additions.
‘ Mhm. I see… That’s much better, yes. ’ Although that forbidden love affair sounds rather difficult to pull off, given Salazar’s ghostly state, but— ‘ Anything’s possible in a story, so maybe they could make it work… ’
Highmore contemplates the options for a moment longer, but eventually, a minor yet ongoing source of distraction becomes too hard to ignore.
‘ …anyhow. Why’re you still holding on to me like that? ’ It’s that arm, no less. And that, somehow, makes it difficult to take action and simply free herself from his grasp. ‘ …if there’s no good reason, let go already. ’
Yes, even the most doomed situation can be overturned through perseverance and mutual understanding! There is a lesson in the story that can be applied here, which makes this moment like no other.
“I’m glad you’ve asked! You see, I have something for you, my friend,” Bartholomew says coolly, manifesting a plush doll into his hand and before Highmore.
One look at the doll is enough to show that it was born from a personal project, with a few loose stitches and mixed stuffing into some limbs. And though there are no physical wounds to show for, it still took blood and sweat to have it depict a motley image of the very pirate who offers it. Maybe a little too accurately.
Nevertheless, he presses it forward, urging Highmore to take the doll while fighting his urge to blush.
“It may not be as perfect as Ms. Crane’s creations—” Or remotely close, which annoys him a bit. But … “—but she had no room for another commission then, and I thought you might have wanted one before I go. My time here on Rhodes Island is tragically short, after all. So … this is a gift to remember me by, along with my story.”
