The first week, Henrick tries to keep his mind off of Christine. He knows he wants Bella to come live with him, maybe he isn't the best father, but he owes it to her to try his best. He sweeps the house, once literally, and opens up Bella's old room. It's sea-themed, little nets hanging in the corner, old, cracked paintings of fish and mermaids on the walls. The bed is old, metal frame and light blue sheets. There's holes in them, though. Moths must have gotten in; he hasn't wanted to come in the room for a while. "Add that to the list: fix up Bella's room." He tells himself, already making a real list. Presently, he has 'keep the place clean with a schedule', 'find some better movies than Die Hard and the first three seasons of Friends and The Big Bang Theory', and 'buy some clothes and accessories for Bella'. There's little subsections for them, mostly suggestions or tips to help future him. New bedsheets and covers, pillows...you know what, I'll just replace the whole bed, if I can. Does she even like the sea anymore, though? What if she's moved on? I should have asked more about Bella. He sits down on the bed, a cloud of dust and creaky springs responding to his actions. He coughs for a second, then stares down at the list he'd made. Is he even ready? WILL he be ready? He wasn't a good enough husband to keep Christine, as much as he tried to convince himself it was for the best, and he now worries about how he can provide for Bella. He has four months to set himself right, to deal with Christine's death, getting himself in a good enough mindset to care for his teenage daughter, and he still has his job. Granted, he works on and off, but in addition to helping lost boats and chartering voyages, he's often seen helping with the little fishing groups, which also pays pretty well. But he also needs to be able to drop everything at a moment's notice. So much is happening...I've just been dropped in the deep end with no help or support. "I can't do this." He sighs, dropping his head, rubbing his hand over his face, which is when there's a knock at the door, and Ajax borks. With a sigh and a groan, Henrick stands, wondering who would possibly at his door. 

* * *

Charlie walks up to the door. He decided to wait, as his mother advised, let Henrick have his space, but eventually, the worry grew too great and he gave in. He lasted a week, which he thinks is very impressive. The fact his family hasn't tried to contact the man themselves either is a feat as well. But Charlie sees Henrick as a friend, and aren't good friends supposed to be there for one another? At the very least, he owes him for saving Annie. With these points in mind, he knocks on the door, hearing the dog, Ajax, 'bork' in reply. Harpiers are wary of canine species...normally. Only he and Annie like dogs, Alice openly despises them, and while Eddie stayed behind with his girlfriend in the Aran Islands, he also shares his sister's distaste. Their father got into a fight with a werewolf once, luckily they reached an agreement once the rest of the creature's pack showed up, but it definitely soured any further  interactions with the beasts and their ilk. But Ajax is a good dog, and it's all fine. A few moments go by, though the door opens before he can knock again. Henrick looks slightly up at him, the man is 5'11", but Charlie is 6 feet tall. At least I'm as tall as my Harpier cousins. "Oh, Charlie...hi." It takes a lot of willpower for the boy not to immediately burst into questions. Henrick sounds tired, his eyes are sunken and sad, and he clearly hasn't slept enough, not only are there bags under his eyes beginning to develop, but just the way he holds himself. Calm down, maybe he's doing okay. He sometimes looks a little tired after a busy week, doesn't he? "Hello, Mr. Grace, how are you?" He asks instead, a simple query. "I'm...alright, I guess. A little tired." He admits, but moves aside to offer Charlie entry. "I brought some fish...mother made some for dinner last night." He offers the container to Henrick, who smiles softly and takes it. "Thanks. Your mom makes good food. How are you? Is Annie doing alright?" He asks, closing the door. Ajax comes up and nudges Charlie's hand for attention, to which he gladly complies. "We're doing pretty good. Annie was talking about Ajax a few days ago, she misses him. And Alice thinks Fred found a friend. Oh, and I'm pretty sure we have some family coming in to visit for a few days." Henrik's smile becomes a little more genuine. "Oh, that's fun! You excited?" Charlie nods. He seems happy, maybe it isn't all that bad. "A bit. They don't visit often, so it's exciting. But they won't be staying long, and we have more important things happening soon." He elaborates. His cousin's flock is arriving, staying for a few days to catch their breath on their own Migration. They're seeking a new place to live, their old home in Brighton wasn't safe anymore. They're resting here, before making their way across the sea, they want to try America. Their only problem is that if they want to cross the border into America, they need to take a plane. Humans tend to be suspicious when a family of Irish people show up with no sort of proof of how they suddenly appeared. It was easier back in earlier times, or so Elders would say, but now that airplanes and boats and various technologies exist, it's harder to hide and Migrate. 

For a species specifically meant to fly, Harpiers are not big fans of aircraft. For one, their ears are more sensitive to the turbines, and much like how humans can have a strange reaction to being in a car, where they are moving, but not physically moving themselves, Harpier brains are not able to entirely grasp the idea that they are sitting in a solid object, but still traversing through the air. So they're going to brainstorm some alternative options, just in case. But he doesn't care about his cousins right now. Is Henrick ACTUALLY okay? "What about you? Do you have any plans?" The man his family is so attached to has often been off helping other people or making friends at the bar, though he never drinks. This week, though, nobody's seen him. Not out fishing, not helping some poor guy free his boating nets, not even to get food. Charlie understands that people will become closed off when something big like this happens, but he can't quite grasp it happening to Henrick. It's just...not in his nature. Not who he is. "No, not really. I've just been staying around the house...you heard the news, I'm guessing your dad told you." Charlie nods quietly, knowing he needs to be far more careful than he's been so far, though that'll be a challenge. He really, really, REALLY wants to hug him. Or maybe take him out fishing. Basically anything to make him better. Be quiet, me; you came here because you're more human than your family. Don't prove yourself wrong now. He reminds himself, now wondering if he should or should not say anything. "I thought so. He's a good man, your father." Henrick sighs heavily, running a hand through his constantly damp hair, before he pauses. "He didn't send you on his behalf, did he?" He asks, chuckling a little with a wry smile. Charlie shakes his head. He doesn't even know I'm here. "No. I wanted to see how you were doing, but that was my choice, not because my dad told me to." The boy assures him, earning another smile. "You're a nice kid. Thank you. I'm doing okay, though, really. I'll be going out with Ben and the boys tomorrow. You're welcome to come along if you'd like. You could probably teach the kids a few things." Charlie grins. "I'd love to! I'll make sure my family doesn't need me for anything, but most likely, I'll be there." They won't need me at all. His family is going fishing, too, but they don't fish with rods. They're bird people, and they have an eagle. Take a guess. Charlie stands up, seeing his work for the moment here as done. He can't be WEIRD about how much he helps him, after all. And I'm seeing him again tomorrow, most likely all day. "I should probably head back home now. It was nice seeing you, Mr. Grace. I'm sure my family wouldn't mind if you ever wanted a visit, too. Feel free to come over whenever." They say their goodbyes, and Charlie leaves. Henrick seems sad, but he isn't utterly destroyed. For now, that's a win. Maybe he'll get over this, and I'll have no reason to worry after all. But for now, I'll keep checking in on him. 

* * * 

Once Charlie leaves, the smile goes with him. He appreciates the boy's intentions, but he doubts he could help. Regardless, he can't stay in a funk forever, he should try and move on. Getting caught up in his emotions will distract him from what needs to be done now, like maintaining his job and getting ready for Bella. Going out will help. The sea air and sunshine always made him feel better before, right? The rational part of him can agree with that. This is just like the divorce. I focused on staying positive, I kept myself busy, and it helped pull me out of that sadness. I can get through this. He tells himself. It's just...a little harder. There was somehow less stress during the divorce than he feels now. He was kind and agreeable, he didn't want to start anything, and it all went smoothly. Even then, it was a two-person thing. This is all on him, now. If he's going to make it through this, he needs to deal with his emotions quickly, get them out of the way so he can be ready for the future. Now, all that he has to do is figure out how to do that. He'll decide over dinner. Charlie's mother makes really good meals, although it is sort of strange they're always involving fish. He pays no mind to it, they're delicious and he appreciates the sentiment. He'll have to visit them and thank her for the fish. Maybe he can make them something in return? They'd probably love it. Nodding, he sits down and has his dinner. Afterwards, Henrick puts on some of his songs, sea shanties and instrumental pieces, things that will help him feel relaxed. Fishing will be a great way to provide for himself, Ajax, and the eventual inclusion of Bella. Fish is the most lucrative commodity in Shrykes, selling and paying for more than three fourths of all economic needs for the town and its people. He also works on and off as a consultant for planning a ship's course, and although very rarely, a first responder, if the local medics and authorities can't reach them in time. He steps in to bridge the gap until they're able to arrive. So he doesn't need to worry much about money, but there's also the matter of school. He has to enroll Bella, he simply doesn't have the skills to teach her on his own. She was homeschooled when she was still here, but Christine took care of that, and again, part of the reason he agreed Oxford would be good for Bella was the schools would be better than in Shrykes. It's too small a town for extensive courses and educations. He'll need to work towards fixing her bedroom. To play it safe, he'll leave the theme, but clean the walls and replace the bed and bookshelves. Oh, books! Bella loved books on sea creatures and mythology. He has plenty of those sitting in his office, but he doesn't need them, so they'll go to her. Deep in his thoughts, he readies his fishing tackle, packing it all up to put in the truck the next morning. Ben wants to be out on the water by around 10:00, if he can. The boys aren't exactly easy to wrangle. They remind him of younger Bella: hyper, curious, and always looking for something new to do. But nowhere near half as skilled with a pencil as she was. There's an old journal that Christine always had, that she would write in, staying up late to sketch creatures and give them descriptions, like an encyclopedia. But none of it was ever about real creatures. Eventually, she passed it on to Bella, so Henrick assumed that she'd made the journal for Bella. But then they left it here, Christine very adamant that he both keep it, but also never to read it. He was confused at the time, but complied. It still sits on his desk, unopened. I'll give that back to her, too. He decides, and checks the time. It's around 11:00 at night. "Well, Ajax, I think it's time for bed." The dog lifts his head and wags his tail, unknowing of the words his owner are saying, but happy to be included. Henrick turns off the lights, locks the door, and goes to sleep. He wishes he could say he dreamed, but he didn't. 

When he wakes up, the sun is already up and he can hear the seagulls crying. It's about 8:00. Slowly sitting up, he makes himself take a shower, brews some coffee, and scarfs some eggs and toast. He doesn't feel all too hungry today, just like the rest of the week. He hasn't skipped any meals, not that he can remember, but he's definitely been eating less. Shrugging it off as just an off period, he readies his fishing gear, and loads Ajax into the truck. The trip to the docks is about 8 minutes, it's 5 minutes into town, then 3 minutes, at most another 5 if there's an unusual buildup of what little traffic they get. By the time he's arrived and begun to seek out Ben, it's 9:30. His best friend since high school, there to the very end, Ben was the first person to see the spark between Henrick and Christine, his greatest encouragement and biggest help in Henrick's journey to marry Christine. Ben was the first person he told after receiving the news of Christine's death, and he even offered to vouch for him if he needed the help to prove he can provide a safe, good home and life for Bella. Ben has a knack for motorized vehicles, a fascination with birds, and was diagnosed with autism, but a milder case, still very capable and functional, which is presently being tested for in the youngest of his two sons, John and Tuck. John is about 18, looks almost identical to his father, but has that childlike streak still, mostly in the form of curiosity and high-energy antics, as well as also da Tuck is a bit more like his mother, black, curly hair and big, brown eyes. His face is a little more rounded, rather than the sharper features of his brother and father. He's about 10, and adores dragonflies. Speaking of, Ajax barks and runs ahead, approaching the young boy. Tuck has a shy nature, which the dog knows, and slows his approach to help the child feel better. He sits just out of arm's length, waiting for Tuck to come to him. Henrick's pretty sure Ajax knows more than he should, but it's nice. But since he's found Tuck, his brother shouldn't be too far. John has an attachment to his younger sibling, never too far from him when they go out for gatherings. Sure enough, he and Ben arrive moments after Henrick's caught up, the trio exchanging greetings. "Good to see ya, Henrick!" Ben says, wind ruffling his blonde bangs into his eyes. "Same to you. You seen Charlie yet?" John looks over, past Henrick, so he follows his gaze. Charlie's picking his way through the crowd, mumbling apologies when he bumps into someone. "I made it!" He announces proudly, not even out of breath. "Are we all set?" Looking around, everyone has their things, so they let Tuck lead the way, Ajax close behind, while the older ones keep an eye on him and talk. Ben's been offered a job in the neighbouring town, working for an auto shop who has an eye on his skills. Technically, the town is part of Shrykes, but it's just far enough away for an argument to be made that they're separate communities. "You should go." Henrick advises, which is true. Realizing that fish is the best business your town has can get sad real easily. And if someone needs Ben's skills, then he shouldn't waste them. His tinkering and understanding of engines and mechanics are impressive. "I'm thinking about it. Hannah's been doing some work to see if we may as well move or not, but nothing's decided yet." He admits, stopping as they arrive at the boat. As far as a fishing boat goes, there's nothing truly remarkable about it, but Ben made it all himself. It took him a while, but he did, and it works just as good as any other boat. Charlie bumps his shoulder. "You ready to catch some fish today?" He asks brightly. John and his father have already gotten on, helping coax Tuck and Ajax aboard. Henrick nods. 

Time to start feeling better.