A Pirate's Life: Visit to Tortuga
It was a loud, roaring night in the sweet, proliferous bouquet that was Tortuga. The lamps were lit, the taverns were open and the brothels were full. Pirates, scallywags, law breakers and rough-necks of all kinds were gathered in the dark as they scurried under the shadows of Tortuga.
All in all it was a night like any other in the city that was Tortuga; the pirate haven.
In the tavern known as the 'Faithful Bride, Captains Jack Sparrow and Edward Teague were sat at a table each with a tankard of rum nesting in their hands. As usual there were fights and brawls, arm wrestling contests, theivings, cheating and even more fights going on in the background but it was part of what so endeared the place to pirates.
The establishment was well known for its violent and drunken atmosphere and it's willingness to serve any customer. As such it was one of Jack's favourite taverns.
Joshamme Gibbs and Anamaria were sat in similar positions as the two captains at a nearby table watching their captain closely. He had been talking quietly but animatedly at his father, using his hands expressively and waving his mug of rum around when he wasn't drinking from it.
Captain Sparrow had set course for Tortuga in the hope of contacting his father. The two rarely conversed or even met up that they had been surprised when, one morning Jack had emerged from his cabin with a 'resolute and unyielding need' to speak to the man.
"I'm tellin' yer, boy, the whole idea's a waste o' time," Teague said with a tone of finality and drank from his mug.
"Now, yer see, if you hadn't 'ave said tha' I would be worried," Jack smirked, "Bu' now I know it'll all work ou'." His father only shook his head at his son and finished his drink and set the mug on the table.
But then the two of them were forced to lift their mugs as a man was thrown clear across their table from a nearby fight. "Oh," Jack smiled as he spotted the man's purse which was hanging from his pockets, which Jack caught with a greedy glint in his eyes. "...You were saying?" he said to his father as the man shot him a look of displeasure at having lost his sons' attention to a purse of monies.
Jack burried the purse in his pockets and fixed his father's dark eyes with his own. Teague only sighed and continued.
"I was saying," Teague said quietly, "Tha' there's som'ing wrong wif yer 'ead, Jackie. Yer got the 'Pearl', yer don't 'ave ter worry 'bout Barbossa, wha' yer need her for?"
"Been sendin' storms my way...a lot, a lot..."
"Yer like storms," his father interrupted.
"Yea, bu' she'll know more about the Fountain than anyone, and now the ruddy Navy's off me back I figure she can..." Jack said.
"Maybe, bu' she..." Teague began but watched as his son left his rum on the table and stood up.
"Yeah...hold that' though'," Jack said raising his index finger. Then he went to stand beside his father's chair and punched a man square in the jaw, this man had been creeping up behind Teague with a sword and broken bottle.
"YOU!" a loud voice shouted just after Jack's victim fell to the floor unconscious. All eyes were suddenly on his, and silence took hold of the tavern.
The owner of the voice was a tall, stocky, well built and well muscled man with a shaved head and a lot of tattoos. He was pointing a finger at Jack and held a mug in his other hand. "Don' I know yer?"
Jack blinked at the man until suddenly recognition stirred behind his eyes and he took a step back. He made a point of squinting anthrilling his head as though attempting to recal the man's face, "Nah, I don't fink so, ma'e," Jack said turning away.
The man continued to stare at him then exclaimed, "Sparrer! I'll kill yer!" he threw his mug aside and charged at Jack with a sword.
"Why der they always say tha'?" Jack said to his two crew mates who nodded and stood up. They pulled out their swords and helped their captain fight off a man who was three times bigger than himself.
All the while Teague simply sat at the table and took to finishing Jack's rum which he had left. The man now took a swing at Jack, knocking his hat off but just about missing his head.
"Wha'd yer do this time, Jack?" Anamaria shouted over the drunken roar of the onlooking crowd as she fought off one of the man's friends.
"I dunno, I can't remember everything!" Jack replied as he was pushed back to the wall by the large, angry man who had his blade against his.
"Me wife! Amelia! Yer remember 'er?" the man shouted and suddenly Jack looked off to the side in nostalgia.
"Brunette, small, pretty, always wears blue?" Jack asked with a grin.
"GRR!" the man growled.
"Never met 'er, ma'e," Jack replied and suddenly his foot pushed a chair to crash against the man. He fell backwards over a table and dropped his weapon. Jack then jumped over the fallen furniture while the man stood up, he caught Jack by the tails of his coat and spun his round.
Now he was threatening to strangle the pirate captain who was pressed down across a table as he felt his throat burn. The mans' large hands easily fit round Jack's neck and he was grinning as Jack struggled to breathe
"Anytime yer wanna 'elp..." Jack managed to speak quietly to his father while the large man tightened his grip around his neck. But since he knew from experience that his father wouldn't help unless there was a loaded gun pointed at Jack's very head then Teague was unlikely to move.
So Jack used his right hand to look for a weapon, something to get this brute off him so that he could breathe. Because he might be Captain Jack Sparrow...but even he needed air.
Finding nothing on nearby he tried to pull his pistil from the San around his waist but it was caught on the fabric. "Damn..." he muttered...or tried to at least but he was beginning to see stars.
Then, finally his luck was in and the gun came into his hand, he lifted it and knocked the butt against the man's head. Jack jumped to his feet once the hands left his throat and saw that Gibbs and Anamaria had already dealt with the other men, and had joined the onlookers in making bets on his fight.
"Go on, Jack! We got 5 shillings on yer!" Ana shouted as she made punching jabs at the air with enthusiasm.
"Cap'n, he's gettin' up!" Gibbs pointed with a grin at the large brute behind him.
"Now...let's just..." Jack turned back to his opponent and started backing away with his hand held up.
But the man didn't want to listen and he swung a new blade back and forth, there was no method to it and he and no real skill but his brute force gave him an advantage over Jack.
The pirate captain jumped onto the tables and started using them as stepping stones to avoid the slashing attacks. "I told yer...I don' never seen yer wife!" Jack shouted as the man attempted to copy him and walk across the tables.
"Lair!" the man shouted back as he attempted to balance his large frame on a small table. It was much easier for Jack, despite his poor balance, because he was smaller.
Meanwhile there appeared to be another brawl at the other side of the tavern which now ended with one man being knocked unconscious by a now broken bottle.
"Well done, ma'e!" Jack gave the victor a thumbs up and a grin while his father only continued to watch in amusement. But because of this distraction Jack's opponent was able to get the advantage and he toppled the table on which Jack was standing.
He tumbled to the ground cursing as he did so, when he was able to stand up again the two were both holding loaded pistols which were pointed at the others head. The tavern went silent.
"Now, now, gents, how's about yer settle this like men, no' animals?" a bar maid said. She was holding a tray with an assortment of small glasses filled with strong shots. Her dress was two sizes too small which seemed custom in Tortuga and she had long blonde hair trailing down her back.
Jack and the man stared at each other and slowly nodded,they then took up their first shots while keeping their guns in their hands. The crowd began cheering again and people waved their money in their air, most of which was more than likely stolen.
"Last man standin'," the man smirked and Jack nodded.
"Aye," he grinned and took up another shot.
Several shots later the large man was looking worse than Jack as he was almost falling over. By now the actual cause of the fight had long been forgotten by both participants and probably the crowd who just wanted to see someone fall over in a drunken stupor.
After about 20 minutes the large man succumbed and did indeed fall to the ground. His pistol fell from his hand and he was out cold before he landed on the floor.
"YEA!" the crowd cheered as Jack swayed on his feet more than usual. Money was tossed around and more bottles were smashed.
"Well done, handsome," the bar maid congratulated him. She really was very pretty and of course, never able to resist a pretty face, especially when he was drunk Jack smirked proudly back at her.
He was a little surprised when she pulled him closer by the front of his coat and kissed him enthusiastically. The crowd shouted and wolf-whistled at the sight and when she pulled back the still unnamed bar maid was grinning. She then walked away and went about cleaning up.
"Nofin...ter...nofin ter i', Gibbs," Jack muttered as he turned away and stumbled over to his first mate with the bar maid still staring at his retreating back.
"Cap'n?" Gibbs began.
"Uh?" Jack muttered as he leaned against the wall to hold himself upright.
"Well...wha're we gonna do 'bout...the you know wha', cap'n?" he asked.
"Wha's 'at?" Jack muttered as he rested his aching head in his hands. He really couldn't remember what they'd come here for in the first place now.
"The Fountain, cap'n, the Fountain of Youth," Gibbs whispered.
"Oh...tha' you know wha'...I 'eard a story bout tha'..." Jack muttered as he slipped down the wall and onto the floor.
"Aye, cap'n...it be the reason we're 'ere..."
"Right...I knew tha'...Where are we?" Jack asked suddenly taking in his surroundings. He heard a deep chuckle from nearby and it sounded very familiar so he turned round and saw his father...had they been talking a while ago? He couldn't exactly remember. "Ah...'ello dad," he grinned.
"'Ello, Jackie," Teague replied as he regarded his son. The man was uneven despite the fact that he was sat on the ground. His head seemed to be following the spinning motion that he was experiencing and his speech was more slurred than usual.
"'E ain't gonna find nofin' like this," Anamaria sighed at the drunken captain.
"Aye," Gibbs agreed and they shared a similar look of exasperation and amusement. Jack would be kicking himself when he realised that he, himself was the reason that they had failed to glean any information on the Fountain or on how to speak to the sea goddess Calypso. He had wanted to speak to her to gain information on the Fountain but he had ended up getting himself drunk. How like Jack.
Then a woman with flaming red hair and a dress to match came marching over to the captain.
"Scarlet," Jack announced with recognition through his drunken haze and was shocked once more to receive not a kiss but a slap to the face. "Wha' was tha' one for?" he demanded of the scowling beauty.
She had knelt beside the man to slap him and Gibbs and Anamaria had winced at the sound. But she hadn't answered him, she merely walked off and joined a group of other women of ill-repute.
"Ruddy women..." Jack muttered and looked as though he were about to fall asleep. With a sigh Gibbs realised that they had wasted their time in coming so it would be better to let the captain sleep of the affects of the alcohol and start the search when he was able. So Gibbs took Jack's right arm and slung it across his shoulders while Anamaria took their captains' left arm.
Teague followed them out the tavern and listened to his son who was drunkenly talking to something he believed was on his shoulder. It was rather amusing.
"Good luck, boy," he said quietly as Jack was lead down the street by his crew members and Teague watched the trio disappear form sight. He then turned back to the tavern where one of many smiling bar maids was holding a rum bottle and holding his gaze.
"Back ter the 'Pearl' then, cap'n," Gibbs said and Jack nodded enthusiastically, "The Fountain'll 'ave ter wait," the man added.
"We'll ge' there, Gibbs..." Jack said in an unusually steady voice but Gibbs only nodded in agreement. And together they made their way back to the docks where the 'Black Pearl' waited patiently for her captain.