Where the sea sleeps [HoonHao] ✔

17

They're at least an hour into the ocean and away from the town when Dino approaches Minghao. He looks more nervous than Minghao would have cared for, which does not help much with the worry bubbling inside of him.

Woozi's condition had not been a pleasing sight; from the moment Minghao got him out of that wagon, he could sense there was something off. Since then, he's been fighting off the worry stirring inside of him. He didn't want to so much as imagine what the guards had done. Not until they heard it from Woozi themselves. Of course, as much as he didn't want to imagine it, standing alone and steering the ship, his imagination could sometimes get a little out of hand. Waiting to hear from Dino about his condition had not helped with the nerves. It was his only way of calming them in fact. That's why one look at Dino was enough to spur up a bunch of different emotions.

"How's he looking?" Minghao asks when Dino doesn't say anything. His eyes cast their way to the wooden boards of the deck, hands tucked into the pockets of his pants. Minghao got bored once and decided to try and make them; that was how they managed to survive with the amount of clothes they all currently owned. Out of all of them, Dino was the one to use them the most, especially when he was nervous or trying to figure out a way to approach a certain topic.

"They got in a few good hits," he responds finally, eyes meeting Minghao's. "Other than those, mostly just bruises. He's resting at the moment."

Humming, Minghao thanks him, turning his gaze back out onto the ocean. He always liked the ocean, even when little. It brought about a calm that nobody else or nothing else managed to. Dino stands beside him silently, stepping back when Vernon approaches.

"You seem worried," Vernon points out, plopping himself on the step. He peeks up at Minghao in anticipation of his reaction.

"I'm not," Minghao responds, avoiding looking over at Vernon as he says this. There's a scoff he knows comes from Vernon.

"'Course you are," Vernon says, accent slipping through his words. "He's practically part of the crew and he's hurt because of us. You of all people hate that, Captain."

He does his best to remain unphased, but in total honesty, Vernon isn't wrong. As a captain, it was his job to ensure that every person in his crew remained unharmed; he was to keep them safe and protected and while he's had years of success in the department, he managed to fail with their newest addition to the crew. Which made him feel even worse. His stomach churned unwelcomingly at the thought of Woozi hurt. The memory of his voice when they got him; the pain in his expression, it did not settle well with him. He wants to change the subject, no longer wanting to dwell on this part of their conversation.

"So," Vernon says, picking up on the atmosphere. "What about our next destination."

"The town is a four day travel. We'll be meeting our clients there and we'll get all the information then."

"But we're definitely taking the job?" Vernon questions. His voice takes on a softer tone which may be due to the uncertainty of the idea. After all, they never took on any jobs like this. They waited until they had all the information before deciding together whether they would accept it or not. The difference right now was that they needed the money. The offer was extremely generous and while it rang alarm bells in Minghao's head, he wasn't about to pass it up.

"Yeah," he says after a moment. "We don't really have a choice."

Halfway out to sea, Seungcheol switches places with him after much debate on Minghao's part. ("Just go and check on him already," Seungcheol said, practically dragging him away from the wheel. "We both know I'm capable of steering the ship.") Minghao scoffed, but he wasn't going to argue with him. He could barely get to the medbay fast enough.

Peeking in, he spots Dino mashing stuff together. Herbs, it looked like. His head tilts up at the sound of the door opening. When he saw Minghao, his eyes softened for a moment, glancing over to the bed. Following his gaze, his eyes settled on Woozi who was out cold on the bed. The only sense of life was the slow rise and fall of his chest. There was a plaster peeking out beneath the hair covering his face, a bandage wrapped around his head and pressing his hair flat against his face. Even just the way he laid looked so stiff, it concerned Minghao. Just a bit.

"He'll probably be out for a while still," Dino says when Minghao doesn't say anything. He closes the door behind him and takes a seat on the other bed.

The bandages on his arms that once stopped just above his wrists have been extended up his forearm. He looked more banged up than Minghao had expected him to.

"It was really that bad?"

"Like I said, they really did a number on him." He purses his lips, staring down at the herbs as he crushes them. Minghao recalls asking him once why he didn't just buy medicine or the ingredients he would need to make them. His response had been that herbs were better; he trusted it more. Dino glances over at him, the smile brushing away. "He seems to be the sort to injure easily. More bruises than anything else."

Minghao hums. He's sure Dino's telling him this to ease his worry. Which actually helps.

They sit like that for a while when the door opens, Mingyu popping his head in to inform them they should come and eat. Not feeling hungry, Minghao ensured he was alright and ushered Dino out before retaking his seat.

He watches Woozi quietly, a small smile tugging at his lips. "You'll be okay, kid," he murmurs, knowing fully well his words aren't getting through. All they do is linger in the air and yet somehow, that's perfectly okay with him.