It had been a storm like this that had wrecked the Sycorax. That thought kept recurring to him, as much as he tried to dismiss it. This was different, because he wasn't on a ship — this was dry land, where you couldn't crash into things, where the damage done was bounded. Still, with how suddenly it had come upon them he couldn't help but be reminded. Alfred pushed one hand absently into the collar of his shirt and touched the storm tattooed on his right shoulder while he glanced at the windows of the ballroom. Maybe the Sanditon itself couldn't crash, but there was damage that could be done. Shattered glass, furniture crashing about. On a ship things were tied down in the event of inclement weather, but nothing here was. If the windows went out, this would very quickly become a catastrophe.
Zelda knew that without him having to say anything about how the storm's progress worried him. He'd caught her looking at the windows too, and then she'd disappeared, wand in hand. That was good — Zelda was good in a crisis, and good with magic. It was her whole job, and if she was on the job now then she'd be just fine. She might even save someone's life. He didn't have the same confidence about his own ability to be useful. He may have weathered storms like this before, but all his experience with it was out to sea. That being said, he was certainly going to be more useful than Evander, who he'd caught sight of slipping out of the ballroom. Leaving the ballroom was probably a good idea in general, but Alfred wanted to know where his brother was going, so he followed him to the hallway and caught up with him right as he reached the door the wind was blowing open.
"Don't go out there," he advised, grabbing Evander's arm tightly. He had to raise his voice to be heard over the wind. "Not like that, at any rate." Alfred said it, but he didn't know what he even meant. He was instinctively worried that Evander might be swept away if he went out into the elements. Onboard he might have tied a rope around his waist to haul him back in if the wind and the waves tried to pull him off into the darkness, but what was he meant to do at the Sanditon? He couldn't tether himself or Evander to the resort when he wasn't even sure if the resort itself was safe. Though at the moment, it seemed the safer option by far compared to the howling darkness beyond the doorway.
Zelda knew that without him having to say anything about how the storm's progress worried him. He'd caught her looking at the windows too, and then she'd disappeared, wand in hand. That was good — Zelda was good in a crisis, and good with magic. It was her whole job, and if she was on the job now then she'd be just fine. She might even save someone's life. He didn't have the same confidence about his own ability to be useful. He may have weathered storms like this before, but all his experience with it was out to sea. That being said, he was certainly going to be more useful than Evander, who he'd caught sight of slipping out of the ballroom. Leaving the ballroom was probably a good idea in general, but Alfred wanted to know where his brother was going, so he followed him to the hallway and caught up with him right as he reached the door the wind was blowing open.
"Don't go out there," he advised, grabbing Evander's arm tightly. He had to raise his voice to be heard over the wind. "Not like that, at any rate." Alfred said it, but he didn't know what he even meant. He was instinctively worried that Evander might be swept away if he went out into the elements. Onboard he might have tied a rope around his waist to haul him back in if the wind and the waves tried to pull him off into the darkness, but what was he meant to do at the Sanditon? He couldn't tether himself or Evander to the resort when he wasn't even sure if the resort itself was safe. Though at the moment, it seemed the safer option by far compared to the howling darkness beyond the doorway.
MJ made the most Alfredy of sets and then two years later she made it EVEN BETTER