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Vignettes / Re: Tytorian Vignettes
« Last post by Tytor on Today at 06:18:40 AM »Dear John
HTMS Agility, Sea of Kyne
May 3, 2024
9:57 PM (local time)
"Mr. Waverly-Edwards?"
Thomas looked up from the sonar screen he was monitoring. It wasn't his usual job, but he'd received permission to try his hand at some of the other systems that featured aboard one of His Majesty's frigates. "Sir?" he said, standing to salute the first lieutenant.
"Cap'n's compliments, and he'd like to see you in his cabin at your convenience," the lieutenant said, returning the salute carelessly, "If you'd come with me?"
"Aye, sir," Thomas replied at once. He stopped just long enough to motion the sonar operator whose station he'd been occupying back to the screen, and then followed his superior officer out of the room.
The captain's cabin was halfway down the ship from sonar, but Agility was small enough that the trip didn't take very long. The lieutenant poked his head inside to inform the captain of Thomas's arrival, and then ushered him inside.
The captain was seated at his small desk directly opposite the door. The desk was unusual for such a cramped ship, and it took up a much larger percentage of the cabin's floor space than was strictly comfortable, but the captain had insisted.
"Ah, Mr. Midshipman," the captain said as Thomas entered the small room, "Good, have a seat. Coffee?"
"Uh, no thank you, sir," Thomas said, glancing at a clock on the wall as he took the proffered chair, "I just had some, er, about half an hour ago."
"Suit yourself," the captain said, pouring himself a cup from a pot that was plugged into the wall to his left. "So, I don't suppose you know why I've asked you to come see me?"
"No, sir."
"I thought not. You haven't been online at all in the last, oh, four hours, have you?"
"No, sir. I didn't think there was wifi on board. Security risk and all."
"Oh, there isn't. I was just checking. Heard from your girlfriend lately?"
"No, sir, not since we left port. What is this about?"
"So. I was just forwarded a message from High Command. They asked me to alert you to... well, this."
The captain passed a sheet of paper across the desk to Thomas, who was surprised to see a print-off of an Instagram post by Asuna from four hours earlier. He read it quickly. Confused, he read it again, then twice more. A dull weight landed in the pit of his stomach as the import of what he was reading hit him. He looked up at his commanding officer, lost for words.
The two professional sailors looked at each other for a long moment. Finally, the captain broke the silence. "Heck of a 'Dear John' letter, isn't it?" he said quietly.
Thomas nodded mutely, not trusting himself to speak for the moment. This didn't make any sense. Last time he'd spoken to Asuna, there'd been no hint that their relationship was at all in danger. He started to wonder if this was due to something he'd said or done, or if he was somehow deficient in any of a dozen different ways. Feelings of inadequacy, of self-doubt began to well up inside him, and his right hand clenched involuntarily on the paper.
"Don't," the captain said, interrupting his internal self-castigation, "This sort of thing happens to the best of us. If you beat yourself up over this, it won't help anyone, especially not you."
"It's not usually quite so... public, sir," Thomas replied, and was surprised at how steady his voice was, "I mean, it's not, is it?"
"No, usually not," the captain allowed, "Though in a ship this size, news generally spreads quickly. I wanted to make sure you were the first to find out, so you don't get blindsided in the mess or something."
Thomas smiled weakly. "Thank you, sir," he said.
"When does your watch end?" the captain asked, standing.
Thomas followed suit. "Well, I have the evening watch, sir," he said, "So not until eight bells."
"Hm, so not for a couple more hours," the captain said thoughtfully, glancing at his wristwatch.
"Yes, sir," Thomas said. There was a pause, long enough for Thomas to begin to grow uncomfortable.
"Well, carry on, Mr. Waverly-Edwards," the captain said at last, "You may return to your post. Chin up, all right? Show some of that Navy grit."
"Aye, aye, sir," Thomas replied, and recognizing his dismissal, he turned and left the cabin. He could already tell it was going to be a long night.