The Dancer
Chapter 1: The Dancer
Authors Note: I wanted to post this today but I didn't have enough time to run through it and check for grammatical errors so if there are any (which I'm sure there are...) then you'll have to forgive me. I'm only human.
I admit that my inspiration for the beginning of this came from a cross between Batman and Robin and Moulin Rouge... One of the upcoming chapters will actually have a Moulin Rouge song in it...
Summary: Jack stops at Tortuga to finish repairs on his ship and comes across a dancer there that he's never seen before. Impressed, he sets about working the famous Jack Sparrow charm on the flirtatious girl... only to find resistance. Spurred on by the girl's disinterest in him he sets about winning her over. With his goal in mind Jack finds that he's getting more then he bargained for as he discovers more and more about exactly who the mysterious dancer really is.
*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*
Curiosity was hard at work in Jack's mind as he sat in the warm glow of the candles that lit the tavern with a tall mug filled with rum at hand. He'd just been rescued from Port Royal and had reclaimed his beloved Black Pearl. At sea a heavy storm had struck, damaging both the sails as well as the hull of the ship itself. Deciding the ship needed a good fixing up anyways Jack had sailed his ship proudly into Tortuga, where repairs were currently underway.
Knowing the repairs would take a couple days at least he was more then happy to come ashore and invade the familiar taverns. Here he could drink all the rum he pleased and not have to worry about some foolish girl blowing it up... which was exactly what he had proceeded to do the instant he had settled into a seat.
Now that he had had his first drink and was starting on his second he had allowed his eyes to scan the room. The usual drunkards and prostitutes filled the building of course but his attention was immediately stolen by a rather unusual site... there was a small stage erected in the corner of the tavern and standing beside this stage was a piano. Now it was incredibly unusual for a tavern in Tortuga to have entertainment other then what wandered in off the streets, but this tavern seemed to be centered around the stage.
Throughout his years as a pirate Captain Jack Sparrow had seen many things... but never anything quite like this. In fact, he had wondered at first if perhaps he had been imagining what he was seeing. It was a little early for hallucinations however seeing as he was still only on his second drink for the night.
At first a young man came up and sat at the Piano beside the stage, his presence going unnoticed by most of the men in the bar. He uncovered the keys and shuffled his music before cracking his knuckles almost comically. Without a word he began to play, filling the noisy tavern with a gentle melody that seemed to sooth and quiet the other pirates that filled it. It was not long before all eyes were on the skilled musician.
When a loud wolf whistle sounded over the music Jack's attention was suddenly drawn to the open door beside the bar. For a moment he, like the rest of the crowd, gawked at the sight that met their eyes.
A young woman was leaning enticingly against the door frame. Her lithe body clothed in what Jack recognized to be the style of an Indian courtesan. Her breasts were covered with green satin as was the basic skirt, over this she wore sheer green, blue and black cloths that fluttered with every move that she made. The high slit in the fabrics at the front of her skirts exposed her muscular legs each time she took a stride towards the stage, each step brought about a tinkling of the bells she wore on her wrists, hips and ankles. Her head was held high and wavy red hair fell in a waterfall out of the high ponytail she wore as she took her place on the stage.
By now more people had come to join the man at the piano, a man sat with a sitar beside another man who was positioned before a set of drums. A guitar and several foreign instruments that Jack didn't recognize were also present and slowly joined the piano. With a nod from the girl to signal that she was ready the beat quickened and every bit of attention was forced to the young woman on stage.
She had begun to dance now, her movements graceful and full of passion at the same time. Each one timed with the rhythm as she twirled around the stage. Her arms would weave in fluid patterns that reminded Jack of his constant yearning for the sea. He sipped absently at his rum, his mind still focused completely on the dancer.
The music quickened, she became a flurry of flying fabric and hair as she leapt about like an agile cat on the stage. After a moment things slowed down a bit and Jack made note that the girl hadn't appeared to be at all worn down by her exertions. This elected lurid possibilities into his mind that he had to push away for later as he continued to watch the show.
Now the dancer was off the stage, her body swimming through the ocean of tables and standing men in the bar as if it were effortless and practiced. Her hands would briefly touch a man here or there, innocently straightening a bandana or pushing a sword all the way into its sheath as she continued.
At this time the music had become an amorous and steady beat that reached into every being in the tavern, reverberating deep inside them. The girl no longer touched the bar patrons but continued to draw near to them. Her hips swayed and her hands ran over her entire body, stirring the lust of every man present. She was making love to the audience now, that's what it was. The sensual movements of her body arousing and feeding the flame in every pirate that had flocked to see her here.
As the finale approached the red headed young woman drew closer to Jack, her liquid movements speeding once again with the beat. The pirate captain saw the performer's eyes meet his own as she faced him fully. Her hands rose above her head and her hips started to shake quickly and as the music ended they stopped and Jack was facing the slender and toned stomach of the girl with wide eyes. The entire pub erupted into applause as the pirates started to throw coins at her and whistle their approval. She turned and regarded the audience with a grateful smile as she blew a kiss.
"Can I buy you a drink miss?" Jack asked as he reclined in the chair, admiring the view rather openly as he drank from his mug.
"You tell me," came the reply as the girl continued to face her audience.
"Sit down and find out," the Captain smirked.
"Well in that case I do hope I'm not wasting my time." The dancer mused as the audience slowly quieted down and went back to their own business. The musicians were scrambling about to pick up money from the ground as well as from the patrons who sat about the bar. As soon as they were finished she gave a bow, purposely giving Jack a gracious view of her backside before she turned and sat across from him. There were several cries of protest from the onlookers but she ignored them.
"Do you come 'ere often?" Jack wondered as he ordered another round of rum for him as well as the entertainer. His eyes skimmed over her curves that were visible over the table, taking in the details of her body.
"Not from around here are you sailor?" She wondered. "I work here. I've been working here for at least a month. Everybody in town knows about this show."
"Ah, well the last time I was here I was in a bit of a hurry so you'll have to forgive me for not hearing about you sooner." Jack assured her and finished the last of his second mug. He looked up as a blonde barmaid brought them two more mugs. The girl whispered something to his companion before leaving them alone. "What was that?"
"She wanted to warn me about you."
"Is that so?" Jack chuckled. He could only imagine what she had warned the dancer about; there was a long list of possibilities.
"Yes it is," The girl nodded and picked up the mug. Quickly she downed half of it in one gulp, leaving Jack utterly amazed.
"Where'd you learn how to drink like that?"
"I've been performing in taverns my whole life, if you think I haven't been in a drinking contest or two in my time I'd say you're insane..." She began, "...That and I'm part Irish," she added as an afterthought.
"That so?" Jack took a swig of his own drink, impressed. "What's your name lass?"
"Diana Aphrodine." The dancer answered after deciding that it was safe enough that the stranger knew her name.
"Captain Jack Sparrow," the man told her in response.
"Captain? Of what ship?" The girl asked absentmindedly swirling the mug in her hand as she seemed focused on the liquid.
"The Black Pearl; finest ship there is." Jack beamed with pride.
"I'm sure it is." There was note of boredom edging on her voice that Jack couldn't help but hear as she spoke.
"You don't believe me?" Jack questioned her, sounding offended.
"No, no it's not that." The girl waved him off.
"What then?"
"I just talk to so many sailors and what not that it gets boring after a while. All this talk of ships... don't get me wrong I love the ocean... it's just not a good topic for me." She carefully chose her words as she explained. With a frown she drank the rest of her drink in one quick gulp, setting the empty mug down.
"I see," Jack leaned back. He did see too, he saw that when he mentioned the subject her sparkling eyes had immediately dulled. He saw the familiar yearning in her that he himself had had since he was young. "Exactly where did you learn to move like that?"
"Around." Seeing the man roll his eyes she decided to elaborate, "I grew up with gypsies that traveled everywhere... wherever we went I learned dancing techniques so that I could make money when I left them. I came here not too long ago and I've been the star attraction for this tavern ever since... not quite the life I'd have wanted but I'm not complaining."
"Is dancing... all... you do?" Jack arched an eyebrow suggestively.
"I'm sorry to disappoint Captain, but despite my employment in Tortuga I am most certainly not a whore."
"Too bad luv; pretty lass like you could make a lot of money." Jack chuckled. He brought his cup to his lips but felt it being pulled away from his hands. His eyes opened to see Diana, sitting seductively on the edge of the table with her legs crossed and hanging over the side; she was holding his rum with two fingers and looking up at him through her lashes.
"Well thank you for the drink and the advice Mr. Sparrow. I've had a lovely time chatting with you but I'm afraid that I simply must go now..." She slowly lifted the mug to her lips and drank down the remaining drink before setting it down. With a single movement she pushed herself off the table and began to walk away, her hips swaying sensuously. She was on her way up the stairs and into her room so she could change.
As soon as she had walked a few feet down the hallway Diana was surprised to feel a rough hand close around her wrist. Assuming it was a pirate with ill intent she was fully prepared to draw the knife from her garter is necessary. When she turned around and found herself face to face once again with Jack Sparrow however she allowed an amused look. "Can I help you?" she asked him jokingly.
"Aye," Jack all but grunted. He leaned close and for the briefest instant Diana could have sworn he was going to try to kiss her but instead he put his mouth near her ear. "It's CAPTAIN Jack Sparrow luv; remember that." Diana shuddered at the whisper. He let go of her wrist and moved back a little bit, "Savvy?"
"Savvy."
With that Jack swept off his hat, bowed and kissed her hand in a way that mocked nobility completely and gained a slight laugh from Diana. He replaced his hat and with a wink turned to go back downstairs into the tavern.
"What a strange pirate." Diana muttered as she watched him walk down the stairs in an apparently drunken manner. She shook her head and laughed again as she heard him fall down the last couple of stairs, leap up and assure everyone that he was 'alright'; a fact which Diana was fairly certain was untrue as far as his mental condition went.
'Nutter; maybe he's just fallen down a lot of stairs in his time,' she reasoned before turning to head towards her room.
*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*
::NEXT::
Chapter 2: Behind Closed Doors
Chapter 1: The Dancer
Authors Note: I wanted to post this today but I didn't have enough time to run through it and check for grammatical errors so if there are any (which I'm sure there are...) then you'll have to forgive me. I'm only human.
I admit that my inspiration for the beginning of this came from a cross between Batman and Robin and Moulin Rouge... One of the upcoming chapters will actually have a Moulin Rouge song in it...
Summary: Jack stops at Tortuga to finish repairs on his ship and comes across a dancer there that he's never seen before. Impressed, he sets about working the famous Jack Sparrow charm on the flirtatious girl... only to find resistance. Spurred on by the girl's disinterest in him he sets about winning her over. With his goal in mind Jack finds that he's getting more then he bargained for as he discovers more and more about exactly who the mysterious dancer really is.
*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*
Curiosity was hard at work in Jack's mind as he sat in the warm glow of the candles that lit the tavern with a tall mug filled with rum at hand. He'd just been rescued from Port Royal and had reclaimed his beloved Black Pearl. At sea a heavy storm had struck, damaging both the sails as well as the hull of the ship itself. Deciding the ship needed a good fixing up anyways Jack had sailed his ship proudly into Tortuga, where repairs were currently underway.
Knowing the repairs would take a couple days at least he was more then happy to come ashore and invade the familiar taverns. Here he could drink all the rum he pleased and not have to worry about some foolish girl blowing it up... which was exactly what he had proceeded to do the instant he had settled into a seat.
Now that he had had his first drink and was starting on his second he had allowed his eyes to scan the room. The usual drunkards and prostitutes filled the building of course but his attention was immediately stolen by a rather unusual site... there was a small stage erected in the corner of the tavern and standing beside this stage was a piano. Now it was incredibly unusual for a tavern in Tortuga to have entertainment other then what wandered in off the streets, but this tavern seemed to be centered around the stage.
Throughout his years as a pirate Captain Jack Sparrow had seen many things... but never anything quite like this. In fact, he had wondered at first if perhaps he had been imagining what he was seeing. It was a little early for hallucinations however seeing as he was still only on his second drink for the night.
At first a young man came up and sat at the Piano beside the stage, his presence going unnoticed by most of the men in the bar. He uncovered the keys and shuffled his music before cracking his knuckles almost comically. Without a word he began to play, filling the noisy tavern with a gentle melody that seemed to sooth and quiet the other pirates that filled it. It was not long before all eyes were on the skilled musician.
When a loud wolf whistle sounded over the music Jack's attention was suddenly drawn to the open door beside the bar. For a moment he, like the rest of the crowd, gawked at the sight that met their eyes.
A young woman was leaning enticingly against the door frame. Her lithe body clothed in what Jack recognized to be the style of an Indian courtesan. Her breasts were covered with green satin as was the basic skirt, over this she wore sheer green, blue and black cloths that fluttered with every move that she made. The high slit in the fabrics at the front of her skirts exposed her muscular legs each time she took a stride towards the stage, each step brought about a tinkling of the bells she wore on her wrists, hips and ankles. Her head was held high and wavy red hair fell in a waterfall out of the high ponytail she wore as she took her place on the stage.
By now more people had come to join the man at the piano, a man sat with a sitar beside another man who was positioned before a set of drums. A guitar and several foreign instruments that Jack didn't recognize were also present and slowly joined the piano. With a nod from the girl to signal that she was ready the beat quickened and every bit of attention was forced to the young woman on stage.
She had begun to dance now, her movements graceful and full of passion at the same time. Each one timed with the rhythm as she twirled around the stage. Her arms would weave in fluid patterns that reminded Jack of his constant yearning for the sea. He sipped absently at his rum, his mind still focused completely on the dancer.
The music quickened, she became a flurry of flying fabric and hair as she leapt about like an agile cat on the stage. After a moment things slowed down a bit and Jack made note that the girl hadn't appeared to be at all worn down by her exertions. This elected lurid possibilities into his mind that he had to push away for later as he continued to watch the show.
Now the dancer was off the stage, her body swimming through the ocean of tables and standing men in the bar as if it were effortless and practiced. Her hands would briefly touch a man here or there, innocently straightening a bandana or pushing a sword all the way into its sheath as she continued.
At this time the music had become an amorous and steady beat that reached into every being in the tavern, reverberating deep inside them. The girl no longer touched the bar patrons but continued to draw near to them. Her hips swayed and her hands ran over her entire body, stirring the lust of every man present. She was making love to the audience now, that's what it was. The sensual movements of her body arousing and feeding the flame in every pirate that had flocked to see her here.
As the finale approached the red headed young woman drew closer to Jack, her liquid movements speeding once again with the beat. The pirate captain saw the performer's eyes meet his own as she faced him fully. Her hands rose above her head and her hips started to shake quickly and as the music ended they stopped and Jack was facing the slender and toned stomach of the girl with wide eyes. The entire pub erupted into applause as the pirates started to throw coins at her and whistle their approval. She turned and regarded the audience with a grateful smile as she blew a kiss.
"Can I buy you a drink miss?" Jack asked as he reclined in the chair, admiring the view rather openly as he drank from his mug.
"You tell me," came the reply as the girl continued to face her audience.
"Sit down and find out," the Captain smirked.
"Well in that case I do hope I'm not wasting my time." The dancer mused as the audience slowly quieted down and went back to their own business. The musicians were scrambling about to pick up money from the ground as well as from the patrons who sat about the bar. As soon as they were finished she gave a bow, purposely giving Jack a gracious view of her backside before she turned and sat across from him. There were several cries of protest from the onlookers but she ignored them.
"Do you come 'ere often?" Jack wondered as he ordered another round of rum for him as well as the entertainer. His eyes skimmed over her curves that were visible over the table, taking in the details of her body.
"Not from around here are you sailor?" She wondered. "I work here. I've been working here for at least a month. Everybody in town knows about this show."
"Ah, well the last time I was here I was in a bit of a hurry so you'll have to forgive me for not hearing about you sooner." Jack assured her and finished the last of his second mug. He looked up as a blonde barmaid brought them two more mugs. The girl whispered something to his companion before leaving them alone. "What was that?"
"She wanted to warn me about you."
"Is that so?" Jack chuckled. He could only imagine what she had warned the dancer about; there was a long list of possibilities.
"Yes it is," The girl nodded and picked up the mug. Quickly she downed half of it in one gulp, leaving Jack utterly amazed.
"Where'd you learn how to drink like that?"
"I've been performing in taverns my whole life, if you think I haven't been in a drinking contest or two in my time I'd say you're insane..." She began, "...That and I'm part Irish," she added as an afterthought.
"That so?" Jack took a swig of his own drink, impressed. "What's your name lass?"
"Diana Aphrodine." The dancer answered after deciding that it was safe enough that the stranger knew her name.
"Captain Jack Sparrow," the man told her in response.
"Captain? Of what ship?" The girl asked absentmindedly swirling the mug in her hand as she seemed focused on the liquid.
"The Black Pearl; finest ship there is." Jack beamed with pride.
"I'm sure it is." There was note of boredom edging on her voice that Jack couldn't help but hear as she spoke.
"You don't believe me?" Jack questioned her, sounding offended.
"No, no it's not that." The girl waved him off.
"What then?"
"I just talk to so many sailors and what not that it gets boring after a while. All this talk of ships... don't get me wrong I love the ocean... it's just not a good topic for me." She carefully chose her words as she explained. With a frown she drank the rest of her drink in one quick gulp, setting the empty mug down.
"I see," Jack leaned back. He did see too, he saw that when he mentioned the subject her sparkling eyes had immediately dulled. He saw the familiar yearning in her that he himself had had since he was young. "Exactly where did you learn to move like that?"
"Around." Seeing the man roll his eyes she decided to elaborate, "I grew up with gypsies that traveled everywhere... wherever we went I learned dancing techniques so that I could make money when I left them. I came here not too long ago and I've been the star attraction for this tavern ever since... not quite the life I'd have wanted but I'm not complaining."
"Is dancing... all... you do?" Jack arched an eyebrow suggestively.
"I'm sorry to disappoint Captain, but despite my employment in Tortuga I am most certainly not a whore."
"Too bad luv; pretty lass like you could make a lot of money." Jack chuckled. He brought his cup to his lips but felt it being pulled away from his hands. His eyes opened to see Diana, sitting seductively on the edge of the table with her legs crossed and hanging over the side; she was holding his rum with two fingers and looking up at him through her lashes.
"Well thank you for the drink and the advice Mr. Sparrow. I've had a lovely time chatting with you but I'm afraid that I simply must go now..." She slowly lifted the mug to her lips and drank down the remaining drink before setting it down. With a single movement she pushed herself off the table and began to walk away, her hips swaying sensuously. She was on her way up the stairs and into her room so she could change.
As soon as she had walked a few feet down the hallway Diana was surprised to feel a rough hand close around her wrist. Assuming it was a pirate with ill intent she was fully prepared to draw the knife from her garter is necessary. When she turned around and found herself face to face once again with Jack Sparrow however she allowed an amused look. "Can I help you?" she asked him jokingly.
"Aye," Jack all but grunted. He leaned close and for the briefest instant Diana could have sworn he was going to try to kiss her but instead he put his mouth near her ear. "It's CAPTAIN Jack Sparrow luv; remember that." Diana shuddered at the whisper. He let go of her wrist and moved back a little bit, "Savvy?"
"Savvy."
With that Jack swept off his hat, bowed and kissed her hand in a way that mocked nobility completely and gained a slight laugh from Diana. He replaced his hat and with a wink turned to go back downstairs into the tavern.
"What a strange pirate." Diana muttered as she watched him walk down the stairs in an apparently drunken manner. She shook her head and laughed again as she heard him fall down the last couple of stairs, leap up and assure everyone that he was 'alright'; a fact which Diana was fairly certain was untrue as far as his mental condition went.
'Nutter; maybe he's just fallen down a lot of stairs in his time,' she reasoned before turning to head towards her room.
*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*
::NEXT::
Chapter 2: Behind Closed Doors