A Different Destiny Chap. 2 Of Plans for Adventure
Melody rushed over to the door, breathless with hope. "Yes?" she gasped, flinging the door open.
Will Turner glanced uncertainly down at her, his warm brown eyes like coffee sweetened with cream and turned a softer brown from the original black.
Melody blinked. Hmm. Perhaps she was hungry. "Yes?" she said again, more calmly this time.
"Is Elizabeth here? She had errand here, has she stopped by yet?"
"Oh. No, sorry. She has not been here yet. Would you like to come in and wait?"
Will's brows drew together and he frowned a moment in thought, then nodded. "Yes, I shall."
Melody stepped aside to let him in, suddenly concious of her simple layered white dress, grayed with dust. Flushing, she showed Will to a seat at a warm-toned old oak table and bid him wait a moment. She went into a back room and quickly changed into a clean spare dress.
'I should never do inventory in my shop clothes,' she thought, tugging the one layer cotton dress on. The raspbery tinted cloth with a gold-colored rope belt had been rather expensive for her earnings--it was the dye that got her--but she *did* have to look nice as she was selling her hcarm as much as her books to make a living. And the square neckline and full skirt really *did* suit her.
"So sorry for the wait, Will." She brushed her hair back again, but it fell back part-way over her face anyway. She leaned against the counter and smiled at him, for lack of anything else to do. He smiled back, apparently also at a loss for words, then got up and examined a book by the entrance of the shop.
"A Way to Heaven," he mused. "Good book." He tapped it against his palm, then put it back. "Melody--"
RIIING! The bell sounded and the door flew open.
"Mel--ah--oh!" Riana burst in, saw Will, tried to skid to a stop with her hands out but kept going.
Will, with quick reflexes born of long hours of sword play, grabbed her by the arms as she tripped over her own feet and swung towards a bookshelf.
"No! The books!" Melody cried. She's spent hours organizing!
"Aiya!" Riana shrieked.
Will yanked her towards him and staggered back as he took her weight and momentum, leaned precariously back over a table by more shelves, then managed to center his weight.
Dead silence fell over them.
Riana unburied her face from Will's chest after a moment, blinked, and looked up at him. "I'm...I'm rather clumsy, and I'm used to it, but thank you for, um, catching me," she said, startled into automatically speaking correctly.
Melody let out her breath in a whoosh. "Well, thank God I don't have to re-organize."
Both Riana and Will laughed, breaking the tension. Will unclenched his death grip and Riana smoothed out the rumples in her sleeves. Melody took a closer look at her dress.
"Silk? However did you afford it?" she asked incredulously.
Riana grinned and bounded over to hug her. "Well, nah, couldn't I? I make a good keep as cook aboard the Pearl." Her speech returned to it's normal sunny, grammatically incorrect patterns.
"The Pearl? The Black Pearl? Is Jack intown?" Will asked, a bit of familiar excitement creeping into his voice.
Riana turned to him with surprise. "You'd be Will Turner, wouldn't ya? Yes, Jack's here, a 'course. We're here because I wanted to convince Mel ta visit me at sea for a while. Oh!" She jumped and clapped her hands. "Will, come with us! You and Elizabeth if she will. Make it a vacation."
"I don't know--"
"Wait, wait, wait!" Melody interrupted. "The Black Pearl?! Ri, you've turned pirate!"
"Well, techni-cally...no. I only cook." Riana grinned. Then she took Melody's hand, tugging it. "Ah, Mel. Come on. What are you leaving you'll miss terribly inna few short days?"
It was true. Marie had gone, and if Will and Elizabeth went, all of Melody's close friends would be gone. Why not? "All right," she said faintly. A pirate ship. A *pirate* ship. If her mama didn't spin in her grave, the world wasn't right.
"William?" called Elizabeth from the doorway in faint suprise. "What are you doing here?" She held some money in her hands, which Melody strode forth to recieve.
"Thank you for dropping off Elnor's payment, he was so upset of being short a few shilings when he left for London. He felt it a black mark on his honor."
"Yes," Elizabeth said distractedly. "Will?"
Will smiled broadly. "Elizabeth, we're taking a vacation on the Black Pearl!"
~End chap.~
Melody rushed over to the door, breathless with hope. "Yes?" she gasped, flinging the door open.
Will Turner glanced uncertainly down at her, his warm brown eyes like coffee sweetened with cream and turned a softer brown from the original black.
Melody blinked. Hmm. Perhaps she was hungry. "Yes?" she said again, more calmly this time.
"Is Elizabeth here? She had errand here, has she stopped by yet?"
"Oh. No, sorry. She has not been here yet. Would you like to come in and wait?"
Will's brows drew together and he frowned a moment in thought, then nodded. "Yes, I shall."
Melody stepped aside to let him in, suddenly concious of her simple layered white dress, grayed with dust. Flushing, she showed Will to a seat at a warm-toned old oak table and bid him wait a moment. She went into a back room and quickly changed into a clean spare dress.
'I should never do inventory in my shop clothes,' she thought, tugging the one layer cotton dress on. The raspbery tinted cloth with a gold-colored rope belt had been rather expensive for her earnings--it was the dye that got her--but she *did* have to look nice as she was selling her hcarm as much as her books to make a living. And the square neckline and full skirt really *did* suit her.
"So sorry for the wait, Will." She brushed her hair back again, but it fell back part-way over her face anyway. She leaned against the counter and smiled at him, for lack of anything else to do. He smiled back, apparently also at a loss for words, then got up and examined a book by the entrance of the shop.
"A Way to Heaven," he mused. "Good book." He tapped it against his palm, then put it back. "Melody--"
RIIING! The bell sounded and the door flew open.
"Mel--ah--oh!" Riana burst in, saw Will, tried to skid to a stop with her hands out but kept going.
Will, with quick reflexes born of long hours of sword play, grabbed her by the arms as she tripped over her own feet and swung towards a bookshelf.
"No! The books!" Melody cried. She's spent hours organizing!
"Aiya!" Riana shrieked.
Will yanked her towards him and staggered back as he took her weight and momentum, leaned precariously back over a table by more shelves, then managed to center his weight.
Dead silence fell over them.
Riana unburied her face from Will's chest after a moment, blinked, and looked up at him. "I'm...I'm rather clumsy, and I'm used to it, but thank you for, um, catching me," she said, startled into automatically speaking correctly.
Melody let out her breath in a whoosh. "Well, thank God I don't have to re-organize."
Both Riana and Will laughed, breaking the tension. Will unclenched his death grip and Riana smoothed out the rumples in her sleeves. Melody took a closer look at her dress.
"Silk? However did you afford it?" she asked incredulously.
Riana grinned and bounded over to hug her. "Well, nah, couldn't I? I make a good keep as cook aboard the Pearl." Her speech returned to it's normal sunny, grammatically incorrect patterns.
"The Pearl? The Black Pearl? Is Jack intown?" Will asked, a bit of familiar excitement creeping into his voice.
Riana turned to him with surprise. "You'd be Will Turner, wouldn't ya? Yes, Jack's here, a 'course. We're here because I wanted to convince Mel ta visit me at sea for a while. Oh!" She jumped and clapped her hands. "Will, come with us! You and Elizabeth if she will. Make it a vacation."
"I don't know--"
"Wait, wait, wait!" Melody interrupted. "The Black Pearl?! Ri, you've turned pirate!"
"Well, techni-cally...no. I only cook." Riana grinned. Then she took Melody's hand, tugging it. "Ah, Mel. Come on. What are you leaving you'll miss terribly inna few short days?"
It was true. Marie had gone, and if Will and Elizabeth went, all of Melody's close friends would be gone. Why not? "All right," she said faintly. A pirate ship. A *pirate* ship. If her mama didn't spin in her grave, the world wasn't right.
"William?" called Elizabeth from the doorway in faint suprise. "What are you doing here?" She held some money in her hands, which Melody strode forth to recieve.
"Thank you for dropping off Elnor's payment, he was so upset of being short a few shilings when he left for London. He felt it a black mark on his honor."
"Yes," Elizabeth said distractedly. "Will?"
Will smiled broadly. "Elizabeth, we're taking a vacation on the Black Pearl!"
~End chap.~