Chapter 2. Tortuga
Author's Note: This chapter is dedicated to Wolf of the Dawn. Thanks for still reading this, guys!
Morning sun arose, along with the salty seabreezes wafting over the deck of the Black Pearl. Gulls could be seen on the horizon, signaling land was ahead. The deck was soon alive with the bodies of many men preparing tack lines and priming the sails for another day at sea.
"Why does the bloody sun always shine directly into my eyes?" a hungover Jack asked himself. "Eh, a headache is worth the rum. Rum is good," he mumbled, re-tying his bandana and shaking out his white shirt. He got dressed and headed to the main deck, humming to himself along the way.
"Good morning, Lizzie. Hope ye had a good night. You too, mate," Jack said to Elizabeth, while gesturing loosely to Will, who was yawning.
"Ah, now, where might we be headed?" he wondered aloud. Gibbs looked at him strangely.
"Why, are we not headed to Tortuga? To meet the lass, Ms. Hull?" he said incredulously.
"Yes, we are." Jack replied simply. He took the weather-beaten wheel of his beloved Pearl and set direction toward Tortuga, the sun shining upon the vessel.
… … …
The bustle of Tortuga was a welcome sound to Jack's ears. The smell of salt and rum on the air, the languid voices of drunken men, the seductive voices of the women. He sighed happily and headed for the nearest tavern. Gibbs, Will, and Elizabeth followed him, while the crew wandered around the port.
Jack entered the Faithful Bride, his old haunt. He sat down at an old table, gesturing for his friends to gather around it. When a young woman in tattered finery approached their table, he ordered four pints of rum and handed 4 grubby shillings to the woman. She smiled and walked away.
"Now, Ms. Hull is a rather… stealthy type. We won't find her unless we catch her unawares. She is hard to spot, but once ye see her, she's nigh unforgettable," Jack warned his friends. He kept scanning the tavern for her. Soon, his gaze rested on a young man who was slouching with his hat pulled down over his eyes. His clothes were tattered, much like Jack's, but somehow looked more feminine. Jack smiled, his gold tooth flashing.
"Aye, there she is," he said, standing up. The rest of the group watched him walk casually over to the table. He sat down, and a small knife blade made itself known not two inches from his hand.
"What do you want?" A feminine voice said menacingly.
"Glad to see you too, mate," Jack said, making a face as he withdrew his hand quickly.
"What do you need? You never come to me unless you need something," she said, tilting the hat off of her head. Long blonde hair tumbled out of it, framing her bronzed features. Jack smiled, the old memories flooding back. Suddenly, a young man walked up to the rough wooden table Emily and Jack were sitting at.
"Ah, Jack, I would like you to meet my… friend, John Morrigan," Emily said as John sat down next to Emily, circling her waist with his arm. His brown eyes glared at and questioned Jack at the same time.
"Don't worry, mate. We're naught but old shipmates, although it looks like you two are a bit more," Jack said, smiling, holding his hands up in surrender to John. John chuckled softly.
"It's perfectly fine, Jack," John said amid his laughing. His dark hair was coming loose from his ponytail, a few strands framing his face. A waitress walked up to their table, eyeing him. "You got a woman tonight?" she asked. John grimaced. "As a matter of fact, I do." He replied stonily.
The waitress sniffed and walked off to another table, trying to sell herself to the men sitting there. "Who said a word about that, John?" Emily said, slightly put off by John's comment. "It's called a diversion, Emily," he replied with a smile. Emily gave him a warning glance and turned back to Jack.
"What do you need, mate?" she spoke, toying with her knife. Jack stared at the knife while he replied, knowing it had killed men before. "I need the Key, Emily." He said. She looked surprised, then quickly looked around them to see if anyone had heard. "You know that I am not allowed to give the key to just anyone, Jack. Why do you need it?" she whispered.
"It's the only way I can avoid being the captain of the Flying Dutchman. I really don't want to ferry souls to the Underworld. Rather unpleasant, if ye ask me," Jack replied with a grimace.
"Fine, I will help you, but I must come with you, for this Key I will not give up freely," Emily whispered, sheathing her knife. She pulled her hat down over her hair and shrugged John's arm off from around her. Standing, she and John motioned for the rest of the group to follow. Emily accidentally walked into a disheveled man reeking of alcohol, her hat falling to the floor. The man saw her and grabbed her arm in a viselike grip.
"I got 'er, mates! She's a beauty, ain't she?" he said roughly. Quickly, Emily pulled her knife out of its sheath and lodged it in the man's ribs. He made a strangled noise and fell to the ground with a thud. The tavern was overturned in a split second, pistols being fired, and utter chaos erupting. Emily spotted Elizabeth and Will trying to defend themselves by huddling behind an overturned table. Jack was grabbing a flagon of rum off of the counter before dashing up the stairs outside. Emily heard John shout her name and turned around just in time to dart out of the way of a bullet. She fell on top of the overturned table, landing on top of Elizabeth.
"My bad," Emily said quickly as she impaled someone on her sword. Elizabeth had a pistol and was firing at drunken men. Finally, after much struggle and shooting, the group made it out of the tavern. "Well, that was an experience I won't be forgetting," Elizabeth said sarcastically. Emily led the group through the streets, Jack keeping a wary eye out for debts to be repaid. John found a suitable inn, where he was able to find a few rooms left. Soon after, the group settled in for the night.