"Jack!" The Russian man's voice practically shook each and every wall and rafter of the room. Being distracted in the moment, it seemed neither of them noticed the heavy doors open.

Immediately, his son's fingers shoved away the blacksmith before they moved to dust himself off, attempting to prove this as a misunderstanding. They hadn't gotten any interaction, which managed to leave an awkward tension between them that would likely last until next time.

The brunet took his few steps back and lowered his head, along with his gaze, as he tried to shelter himself from the large shoes clashing toward them. Though, he wasn't the one who was the true target.

The bearded man's harsh fingers gripped the small shoulders of his son, utterly forcing him to the door. "What is wrong with you?" Yanking the expensive jacket he'd bought off of the rack, the governor shoved the clothing into Jack's grasp.

He didn't have much to say, for this kind of thing seemed to happen often when he was disinterested in important activities. Stumbling over his feet with the rough push to his back, he slipped the coat on with a bit of difficulty, praying his father wouldn't notice the small tear in the shoulder, or he'd be even rasher.

Being led through the door, the pale man glanced back through his harsh treatment, managing a white smile back at his 'rather close friend' as a goodbye. And for that moment, the brunet caught the cooler gaze, offering his awkward smile in return. This caused his icy hues to practically melt, yet with the door shut tight by his father, their connection was closed.

"Jack! Talk to me!" Having the massive fingers clutched over his shoulders, Jack cringed at the forte of his voice. He was already being led back to the ceremony; not to mention, not much time had passed, which led the boy to figure it was still going on. "You always pull this."

Rolling his eyes, the younger one shuffled on ahead, as he was refusing to meet the stern look his father gave. "I never want to go. It's always too hot, too boring, and everyone just stares at each other as if they're dead."

Like father like son, the larger man rolled his eyes in return. "You must look on bright side. Astrid needs to speak with you."

"How is that a bright side?" His right eye twitched in the light annoyance of that; Astrid definitely was one of his least favorite people. However, with the smile the governor was beginning to work up, he supposed his father thought otherwise.

"Just talk to her."

The rest of the walk back to the square was rather uncomfortably quiet; for most of the journey, Jack attempted to walk to the left of his burly father, so the torn thread of the jacket would be out of view. Somehow, when he returned home, he'd have to fix that.

Approaching the square, father and son took their separate ways. The Russian man probably went off to talk business to the generals or to give friendly greetings to those of his accomplices. The frost haired male actually did go off to visit the new Commodore, knowing he shouldn't upset the old man any further.

Perched against the stone wall of bells, the blonde woman was in her new formal attire as she watched the waves roll by. Astrid got the gold trimmed hat, the new blue jacket, and even the new set of shoes. She was one of the only women in port that was actually able to wear something but a dress. Though, she wasn't exactly lady-like to begin with.

She had heard the light clicking of his shoes, to which her stern gaze shot back, earning him a glare. "You're late."

"I didn't exactly want to come." He smiled, outstretching his arms as he walked closer. Jack wasn't exactly looking for a hug; he spoke with his hands too often.

"This is important," she insisted, slamming her index finger right to his pale nose. "I don't care what kind of crap you'll pull. We have no choice but to talk about it. It doesn't matter if you don't enjoy it. Not anymore."

A bit offended, the higher-up pulled himself back, crossing his arms over his chest as he stepped closer to the wall. Looking out where the sea met the sky, his lips firmed into a purse. "I'm listening."

"You aren't." She practically growled, leading his cyan hues to roll.

"I am."

"Your father may have told you, but…" With her pause, Jack's attention crossed over to face her. "They want us to get married."

Immediately, his brow furrowed, his eyes locked on hers to dig out the truth. At first, he wasn't even completely sure he'd heard her correctly, but he knew his hearing wasn't that bad. "Married? What?"

"You wouldn't understand." Placing her hands on her hips, that cocky smirk dragged up her lips. "You don't understand anything government official led. Not that I want to marry someone as dull as you anyway, but for once, you should think about impressing your father instead of being a letdown."

Now, that stung him a bit. He didn't think of himself as a letdown; he just would rather have fun than do the official business his father tried to shove him into. Despite that fact, his gaze became cold once more. Completely and utterly offended she'd even say something like that to him, Jack lightly pushed Astrid away, his signature grin turning down to a frown. "Don't ever say something like that to me again. I wouldn't want to marry a tramp like you anyway, even for my father."

Becoming violent to those words, the new Commodore shoved him back. However, she was definitely too rough. Stumbling back from the impact, his ankle caught the ledge of the short wall surrounding the square. With a light yelp as his arms outstretched to attempt to catch his balance, he was sent right over the edge. Wide eyed at the fall, he couldn't even hold back his scream as he hurtled for the rocky seabed.