here's the countdown

JACK

Lingering a few feet away as Flora says her goodbyes to her brother, with the setting sun Jack has pushed his sunglasses up off his face, one of his hands tucked casually in his pockets as he watches the inexorable pull of the tide. At a glance the captain is the picture of ease, silhouetted darkly against the dying rays of light, but as Flora reaches for his hand she'll find it ice cold despite the warmth of the evening. There's blessedly no frost to be found, at least, and perhaps most surprisingly of all, he slips his fingers against the Doubletake's without complaint, his footsteps slow but sure as they set off along the beach.

The maelstrom in Jack's own mind is potent enough, for once, to swamp any thoughts he might have preferred to siphon from Flora, and his jaw tightens a fraction as she speaks. "It's always a pleasure to see myself become nothing in your family's eyes," he agrees, his voice a soft drawl. "Can't wait for the next one." There's no use telling her he's leaning much more towards the knife than the avoidance tonight; the Doubletake knows him well enough that she can probably tell from his expression alone.

"Oh? Well at least someone approved," he says with a scoff, glancing away from the sea to the port slowly creeping closer before them. "I'm gonna head back to The Ark." He's liable to get into a fight if he takes a detour to the Hanged Man and its drunk patrons, but Flora is welcome to do so if she still wants to grab more booze.

when I look at something, I see it for what it could be
when I look at something, I see how it ends

Code stolen from Queen Sky