Chapter 5:
Blake rose her hands upwards in a stretch as the sun shone down from the east, having only risen in the last hour. The wind blew her hair to the side and she breathed in the salty air happily as she ran her fingers through her ombre locks.
"Well, look who's up early." she turned to see Jack walked out from the captain's cabin, grinning at her. "And just the person I wanted to talk to."
"Am I now? How lucky for me." she grinned back as he stopped before her. "And what service can I do you Captain Sparrow?"
"I'd like to have a word with you." he said honestly
"How coincidental, I'd like to have one with you too." she responded and he leaned back giving her a suspicious look.
"Really?"
"Really." she nodded and she took a step toward him, making him take one back.
"Shall we adjourn to my cabin then?" he grinned.
Blake rose an eyebrow before he reached to her waist and removed a spy glass that hung there. Jack rose an eyebrow as she tossed it to him and he caught it.
Jack looked between her and the spyglass confused before she rose a hand toward the pier a little ways away.
"Take a gaze Captain." she smiled.
Jack glanced at her again before he strolled to the railing and extended the spyglass. He rose it to his eye before looking through. Gibbs was standing on the pier trying to gain the attention of those on board the Interceptor.
"Our little talk might have to wait." Blake said as Jack noticed many others onboard of the pier with Gibbs. Not only that but the pier was covered in goods such as fruits and barrels waiting to come aboard. "Your new crew awaits."
Jack grinned as he lowered the spyglass.
"Oi! William!" he shouted and the boy poked his head out, his hair falling to his shoulders. "Lower the longboat." Jack ordered as he handed Blake her spyglass back.
The girl gave Will a hand and the two lowered the longboat before the three climbed inside.
Will rowed to the pier and Gibbs helped him tie it off.
"Morning all." Gibbs said as Blake climbed out of the boat first, followed by Jack and Will.
"Mr Gibbs." she nodded as Jack glanced at the supplies waiting to be loaded, picking up a green banana before he looked at the line of people before them. "I see you faired rather well." she said and Gibbs nodded.
"Feast your eyes Cap'n." he introduced, addressing Jack. "All of them faithful hands before the mast. Every man worth his salt… And crazy to boot." All the men had either a bandanna or hat on their head beside one very shot man, who only reached the waists of everyone else. He had instead a bald head. Jack walked along them, glancing down at the small man as Will and Gibbs followed. Blake crossed her arms, watching amused.
"So this is your able-bodied crew?" Will wondered, glancing at them all.
Jack simply raised his eyebrows and walked along looking at the men. He stopped at a man who had a brightly coloured, blue parrot on his shoulder. Jack narrowed his eyes as he stared at him, the bird fluttering it's feathers.
"You sailor." Jack addressed him
"Cotton sir." Gibbs introduced
"Mr Cotton," Jack stepped closer to him as Will watched from behind him. "Do you have the courage and fortitude to follow orders and stay true in the face of danger and almost certain death?" Jack asked quickly. He didn't receive an answer as Cotton turned to look at Gibbs, not even bothering to open his mouth. "Mr Cotton! Answer man." Jack demanded, leaning closer. Gibbs leaned between the two to look at Jack's face.
"Er, he's a mute sir." Gibbs admitted, Jack glanced at him and then back at Cotton. "Poor devil had his tongue cut out," Cotton opened his mouth to show the stub for a tongue he had and Jack shied away slightly, playing with his own tongue gratefully while Will rose an eyebrow. "So he trained the bird to talk for him. No one's yet figured how." he confessed. Jack turned to continued walking but decided against it.
"Mr Cotton's… parrot," Jack said, turning to the bird and feeling slightly ridiculous "Same question."
"Wind in the sail! Wind in the sail!" the bird answered. Jack turned to Gibbs
"Mostly we figure that means yes." Gibbs said
"Course it does." Jack said obviously. He then turned to Will "Satisfied?" Will looked over them all before leaning toward Jack and lowering his voice.
"Well you've proved they're mad." Will admitted.
"Is that Blake Villemaire?" one man spoke up looking at Jack, catching the three men's attentions as he turned to Blake with a respectful look on his face. He looked excited and delighted as Jack's forehead furrowed and Blake smiled.
"Captain Blake Villemaire." another corrected the first.
"Why?" Jack asked, sounding slightly weary.
"I heard she was going to be on this voyage." another said, the same look of excitement on his face. There was nothing lustful about the mens' faces as they looked at the girl, but sheer admiration.
"It's you isn't it?" a third asked Blake.
The girl responded by removing her arms from their crossed state and made a curtsey. "At your service boys." she said bowing her head slightly.
"I've heard stories about you." the very small man admitted
"I've always wanted to meet you, Miss." another said and he stepped out of line to offer his hand. She took it for him to shake. "A great honour."
"Well how kind." she smiled as Jack looked irritated.
"How many of these men agreed to come when they learnt she was here?" Jack questioned Gibbs.
He looked slightly guilty and looked over them. "Not many sir." he said, smiling through his clear lie as the one who'd shaken Blake's hand was replaced by another who wished to shake her hand too.
"I'm flattered." she said as another took the second's place.
"You really are a sight to behold Ma'am." he grinned at her and she smiled back.
"Alright, alright, she'll be on the ship you can talk to her later!" Jack snapped at the men, hurrying over to Blake to usher the men away from her.
Blake smirked amused as he looked at her annoyed and the men turned back to return to their places in line.
Jack gave her a narrow eyed look and she simply shrugged, an innocent look on her face.
"So what's the benefit for us?" a voice sounded. Blake leaned sideways to look around Jack as he spun around and Gibbs and Will turned their heads. They all looked down the line and to the second one on the end, where the person had a big black hat covering their face.
Jack walked towards them, slowly and crouched slightly to try and see under the hat as Gibbs followed. Jack bent lower and lower as he approached the person to try and see the concealed face. He carefully reached for the edge of the hat, leaning back slightly towards Will who had joined the two, before he pulled it off. Long black hair fell down her shoulders, a bandanna around her head as she glared at Jack. She had a tall and strong persona about her as Jack grinned at her.
"AnaMaria." he greeted. She slapped him hard across the face, causing his head to turn and the beads in his hair to hit him in the face. Blake smirked as Will gave the pirate a look, both his eyebrows raised.
"I suppose you didn't deserve that one either?" Will asked nodding to the women.
"No, that one I deserved." Jack admitted, looking slightly guilty as AnaMaria nodded with a smile
"You stole my boat!" she snapped at him, the smile vanishing in her annoyance.
"Actually I—" she slapped him a second time. Jack gapped, blinking from the sting in his cheek. "Borrowed." Jack corrected as he turned back to her. "Borrowed but without permission, but with every intention of brining it back to you."
"But you didn't!" she reminded him, shouting at him and causing him to flinch backwards.
Jack paused, looking worried before he blabbed.
"You'll get another one." he said quickly. She raised her hand to argue, pointing at his face before she paused.
"I will." she nodded threatening as Jack had his hands raised before him in some sort of protective fashion, only with the banana in one hand.
"A better one." Will said leaning around Jack's shoulder.
"A better one." Jack nodded with a smile, turning from Will and back to AnaMaria. Will then leaned around Jack and pointed toward Blake.
"That one." Will pointed to the Interceptor. Blake turned around to look at it behind her, her forehead furrowed and an eyebrow raised as Jack turned to Will confused.
"What one?" he asked and Will nodded his head while AnaMaria had turned to look at the ship. Jack looked at the Interceptor and the other men and Blake did the same before Jack spun back to Will "That one?!" he asked disagreeing and surprised. Will gave him a stern look, raising both his eyebrows and nodding as the crew all turned back to Jack, waiting his verdict.
Jack looked down, looking irritated for a moment before he turned to AnaMaria and smiled. "Aye. That one." he agreed, pointing to the Intercepter. She had her hand at her chin, thinking as she glanced from the ship to Jack. "What say you?" he asked
"Aye!" AnaMaria said and the men all mimicked her, waving their hands and hats in agreement.
"Well I suggest we all get aboard then." Blake smiled
"Aye Captain!" Blake snorted as she covered her mouth to stop herself laughing as they all passed her for the longboat and Jack looked at her irritated. AnaMaria snatched her hat back from Jack, putting it on her head again, the front now folded up and out of her eyesight.
Jack then hurried over to Blake, through his new crew members, to lean into her face. "Do I have to worry about you leading a mutiny against me?" he asked her, keeping his voice down.
"I am no mutineer Jack, no matter how easy I could gain your crew's favour. Besides, I've agreed to come with you, on your venture, what would devising a mutiny serve me? Especially as you've already given up the only ship in your possession?" she said
Jack was silent for a moment.
"So you're not going to maroon me?" he double checked
"Well you escaped from such once, its likely you could again so what purpose would that serve me?" she asked.
Jack looked at her before he smiled. "Well then."
"Besides, you should be thanking me, it seems my reputation is why you have a crew at all." she shrugged, Jack's grin dropped from his face and she smiled. "So, shall we move your ship closer?" she offered "Sorry, their ship, so that we can load all these provisions onboard?"
He gave her an annoyed smile. "Aye." Jack nodded "And then you and I are going to have a little chat."
"Wonderful." she smiled.
Jack got into the longboat with a few of the new crew members, Will included, to go back to the Interceptor. Gibbs and Blake remained on the pier with the rest of the crew as the Interceptor was moved toward the pier, lined up beside it, and a ramp was placed between the deck and the pier.
Gibbs shouted orders at the crew, getting the provisions onboard and Blake moved to the cargo to catalogue all that been received. Will was running around carrying out orders thrown by Gibbs and Jack as the crew made way to sail.
Blake climbed up the main mast, releasing the sail as Jack was at the helm, his compass in one hand and his other on the wheel. The sail dropped down in a tumble of canvas, the noise similar to that of thunder. Blake grabbed a rope on the mast and jumped, it wound around her wrist. The rope pulled tight and she swung from one mast to the other where she undid the second sail.
Jack had the boat heading out for the open water, pointed for the eyelet that allowed them to leave the bay of Tortuga as Blake tightened her grip on the rope and swung down toward the deck. She let her hand slip over the rope, moving down it and toward the deck, feet first, before she released it just as her feet hit the wood. In a fluid motion she went from swinging to walking without missing a beat. She moved toward the stairs and up the raised deck of the helm.
"You are an impressive sailor love." Jack grinned at her as he'd been watching her parade.
"One can't help it when she's been on the seas her entire life." she said
"Mr Cotten!" Jack called and the man moved toward the helm. "I have a meeting to attend to, continue on course." and the man grabbed the helm, not taking his eyes off of Blake. "Miss Villemaire." he said, opening his arm for Blake to move down the steps first.