June 13th, 1892 — Magical Docks of London
J. Alfred Darrow

Despite her years of experience dealing with ship captains and their hyper-inflated egos, Jo was still nearly always taken aback when one lost their temper due a woman questioning their capabilities over a lost (or stolen) package. She'd been waiting for a rather large order of texts and countless loose pages of research for over a month now, and the captain refused to acknowledge any such package ever existed. More than that, he accused her of attempting to swindle him for reimbursement over the package. Jo would have hexed the man had she full capabilities over her trembling hand, but as it was her spell casting was still reduced to the most basic of magic.

Which left her without the research required to make progress for her mentor. Fuck.

What made the situation all the worse was the unforgettable knowledge that were she not trapped here for Ilona's sake, Jo would've traveled to retrieve the package herself. There would've been no need for egotistical bastards with tiny manhoods to charge a fortune for carrying it aboard their ship only to lose it at sea. Merlin, was that how they landed several days earlier than expected? Had they done the same to countless other patrons? Jo had half a mind to set the ship ablaze, but knew doing so leave Ilona with an imprisoned mother. Or, worse, a dead one.

Jo was so distracted by her thoughts that it wasn't until she was falling from the docks and into the harbor that she realized she had collided with someone.

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beautiful set by mj

The Voyager was in port for the summer, but that didn't mean that Alfred didn't make regular trips out to check on her. There was only so much a crew could do to shut a ship up and preserve it; things were still liable to happen, and those things were better addressed sooner rather than later. He'd been out yesterday and seen signs that there were rodents somewhere aboard, which was awful news. The lines all had rat guards up and the brow had been pulled in, so how had they gotten there? Had the little bastards learned to swim, or fly? Had they already been onboard before they'd packed up for the summer? If that was the case, they might have already chewed through valuable sailcloth and lines. Shit.

He didn't have a crew on retainer for the summer months, so he'd had to see to the problem himself. That was what he was doing today: he'd been to Knockturn and gotten a whole cargo box full of poison, and now he was back on the way to the Voyager to lay it out. The box was unwieldy and it took all his attention to be sure of where he was going — so he was not watching his peripherals much, and subsequently someone walking by hit the back of one of his legs and stumbled.

"Oi, watch where you're—" he started, but stopped when he heard the splash of whoever it was falling into the water. He whirled to see a dress-clad figure in the harbor. Shit, shit. Alfred scrambled to set the box down and pulled his coat off, planning to dive in after her. Most of the women he knew couldn't swim even in bathing suits, much less full dresses.

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MJ made the most Alfredy of sets and then two years later she made it EVEN BETTER

The weight of her dress threatened to drag her under as she frantically attempted to swim towards the surface. She managed a singular breath before the water moved over her head again. Merlin, which way was she even supposed to swim? Where were the docks?

She kicked up again towards the surface, her head bobbing up like an apple floating in water as she sucked in as much air as she could. There was no time to scream for help, nor could she risk waving her hands above the water to attract attention. Not with the weight of her skirts as heavy as they were. All she could do was continue to force her way to the surface and pray someone helped her before she collided with the docks or sank.

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beautiful set by mj

He thought to kick his boots off, but based on how the woman in the water was flailing, he didn't think there was enough time. He jumped into the water, well clear of where the woman was, then swam over to her and tried to wrap an arm around her chest from behind. "Got you," he called, over the noise of the splashing. "Relax, I've got you."

This wasn't really meant as reassurance — it was an order. If she kept flailing, she risked pulling them both under the water.

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MJ made the most Alfredy of sets and then two years later she made it EVEN BETTER

It took a minute for the man's instructions to fully register (likely as long as it took to inhale enough air to not be fully panicking anymore) but soon enough she did as told. Somehow, he managed to guide her towards the nearest ladder without much further panic and Jo climbed up as quickly as she could. No sooner had she reached the sturdy dock did she collapse onto her side and into a coughing fit.

"Thank you," she somehow managed to her rescuer throughout the fit. What made the situation all the worse was how confident Jo was in her swimming abilities, granted she wasn't usually weighed down with a thousand pounds of fabric.

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beautiful set by mj

It was fortunate for this woman that Alfred was a strong swimmer, and even some experience swimming while trying to keep hold of a heavy burden. This wasn't easy to do, and someone else might not have been able to get her over to the ladder by the dock. Of course, someone else would probably have thought to just use magic to fix the problem. That hadn't occurred to Alfred until this moment. Oh well. She was back on the dock now, and he'd been through worse than getting wet.

He pulled himself back up the ladder behind her and took a seat on the dock, pulling off his boots and dumping the pooled water out into the harbor. He was going to smell like garbage and fish after this. Did he have enough time to bathe before his next meetup at the Sanditon? If not, maybe he could at least dunk himself off the dock there — the water at the Sanditon beach wasn't clean, but it was far better than London.

Alfred reached down to pull off his shirt, intending to wring it out before putting it back on, but he only got it halfway over his head before he realized he recognized the woman's voice when she thanked him. He lowered his shirt enough to give her a closer look, and confirmed his suspicions. "Jo. Er — hi," he stumbled. He pulled his shirt back down.

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MJ made the most Alfredy of sets and then two years later she made it EVEN BETTER

It was almost as though the universe had an unrelenting desire to put her through hellish situations. Was it not enough to face heartbreak for sake of her child everyday? Was it truly necessary for her to have to now be beholden to Alfred of all people? Perhaps she had hoped Zelda might've said something to him at first, but Jo had long since made her peace with never seeing her once good friend again. Everyone was better off if they continued to avoid one another.

One final cough and Jo sat up to look at him fully, catching only the split second of him lowering his shirt back down. Was it only her he was reluctant to be shirtless around? Was Zelda agreeable to him stripping in front of some other helpless lady? "Hi." She returned, her voice raspy from the coughing. "I'm sorry - I didn't see you."

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beautiful set by mj

Alfred swallowed. His throat felt constricted, like he was coming down with a cold, but he'd been feeling just fine before he jumped into the water. "Yeah. Ah —" Why did this feel so awkward? This wasn't breaking any promises he'd made to Zelda. It wasn't as though he'd sought her ought and tried to reconnect. There hadn't been any option other than jumping in to rescue her, after she'd fallen in, and if he explained this to Zelda she wouldn't bat an eyelash at how he'd behaved. Why did he feel as though he was doing something wrong?

"Are you alright?" he asked, grasping at the straws of normalcy as best he could.

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MJ made the most Alfredy of sets and then two years later she made it EVEN BETTER

"Fine, yeah." Not like she had nearly drowned two minutes ago or anything. There was definitely still water logged in her ears, she smelled like a sewer and a some kind of weed had gotten stuck between her leg and her skirts, but everything was fine. The burning in her lungs had to end eventually, right?

She knew she ought to stand and make her disgraceful exit from the docks, but the exhaustion after having battled the weight of her dress made her doubtful of her walking abilities. "I'll be alright if you need to go. I only need a minute or two." Merlin knew he wanted to go.

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beautiful set by mj

"Uhm," he responded, unsure. Would he have preferred to go? He would have preferred not to have been here in the first place, definitely, but now that he was here he felt too awkward at the prospect of leaving to actually drag himself up off the dock and do it. It felt unchivalrous, but more than that, it was the sort of thing he wouldn't have wanted to relay to someone else if he were to retell this story. That wasn't the sort of person he wanted to be.

"It helps if you — ah — can I?" he asked tentatively, gesturing with one hand to indicate he was asking to touch her back.

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MJ made the most Alfredy of sets and then two years later she made it EVEN BETTER

Jo would have rolled her eyes if she was any less aware of how vulnerable she'd be if he left. Sailors weren't known to be perfect gentlemen, especially those coming back from extended trips at sea. Who knew what one would do if Alfred wasn't nearby? Still, it was impossible to forget how strained their relationship was when he was acting like she was some diseased woman he had no desire to be associated with. Risk aside, perhaps it would be better if he did go.

However, Jo was unable to voice any such thought as he was suddenly offering to help her. "Yeah, okay." She muttered. Her body was suddenly stiff with tension, almost as though she feared his touch would burn.

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beautiful set by mj

"Okay. Sorry," he said preemptively. He balled his hand into a fist and pounded on her back a few times to help her get whatever water she still had in her lungs out. It would burn coming out, in his experience, but it would be better than trying to swallow it down.

He looked at his wet socks and put his arm around his knees. "What brought you to the docks?" he asked, wondering if she would give him an honest answer or not.

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MJ made the most Alfredy of sets and then two years later she made it EVEN BETTER

Her eyes filled with tears as the last of the water (she hoped) was finally released from her lungs. After spluttering and coughing for a few minutes, she sagged back onto her bottom. Exhaustion seemed to seep into her bones as surely as the chill from her soaked clothes was, and, although this was neither the time nor place for one, Jo was strongly considering a nap.

He seemed so close now that he was no longer standing. Had they really used to sit closer than this? Memories of relaxing in his flat came flooding back and, not for the first time since last spring, Jo longed for the simplicity of those days. Before the disasters with Zach and Zelda. Before Ilona. Back when they'd met on this very same dock and had gone out for drinks. Life had seemed so easy then. Happier even.

Then, as soon as the memories came they left. Jo felt unable to meet his gaze now, almost as if he'd be able to tell what she was thinking with one glance. Instead, she focused on squeezing some of the water from her unraveled bun and answered honestly with, "research. I've been helping a former mentor with some studies." Not that there was any research to be had now, what with the captain being less than reliable.

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beautiful set by mj

Alfred wiggled his toes against the dock and considered her response. He wasn't sure whether he believed her. He had no particular reason not to, except that running into her (literally) here was a big coincidence, wasn't it?

Maybe, maybe not. He had run into her in London once before, and magical England wasn't so large that they could have avoided each other forever. The thing that was giving him pause was that this location was sort of his. If she were looking for him, this would be one place she would have better-than-normal chances of finding him. The Sanditon would have been more likely, but it wasn't just his; she had an equal or greater chance of running into Zelda as well. So if Jo had wanted to find him, this would be a good place to start.

Why would Jo want to find him, though? Those doors had been pretty firmly shut when she'd left his flat in the snowstorm. They didn't have anything left to recover.

"Alright," he said simply, still looking at his socks.

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MJ made the most Alfredy of sets and then two years later she made it EVEN BETTER

"The captain over there claims to have lost my package despite the rather hefty sum paid for its safe passage," Jo further explained as she gestured towards a nearby merchant ship. She couldn't have explained why she felt compelled to provide Alfred with further details given their friendship ended well over a year ago. After all, what did it matter to him if she'd been swindled by a pirate or not?

Frowning some, Jo squeezed the last of the water from her hair before settling her hands back into her lap. Perhaps she ought to try and leave. Ilona would need her sooner than later and Jo most certainly had to bathe before Zach saw her. Facing his concern after seeing Alfred for the first time since the snowstorm was simply too much.

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beautiful set by mj

Alfred glanced at the direction she indicated. He raised one hand to shield his eyes so that he could squint to make out the ship she'd pointed out.

"That happens to you a lot," he pointed out. One of the things they'd bonded over early in their friendship was his working to recover her lost luggage after an overseas voyage. It could have been a cover story (an ill conceived one), but it was also plausible. The ship she'd pointed out wasn't the most reputable one.

"He's probably still got it," he said, looking out at the harbor and trying to shake some water out of his hair. "Planning to pawn it, I'd wager. It's because you're a woman," he said with a frown. "If you'd showed up asking for your cargo and you had more muscles than he did, you'd have it by now."

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MJ made the most Alfredy of sets and then two years later she made it EVEN BETTER