Untamable as the Sea
Chapter 7: A Tells Tale
So how do I do normal
A smile I fake
A permanent wave of cue-cards and fix it kits
Can't you tell, I'm not myself
-Frou Frou
Not even the worry of the ship's welfare slowed Jack's drinking pace. He spent the last of the Italian's wine, and its taste was still wanted on Jack's tongue. The captain left the dreary ship, leaving Gibbs in charge, to the taverns Torguta had to offer. His weary feet led him to the Admirable, a popular tavern full of memories that didn't concern with Will. The main reason why he picked this one.
The years weren't easy on the weathered tavern. Its paint chipping away, stains on the walls of God knows what, but the faces brought a comfort to Jack. Not one of them he knew or would be interested why he carried such a depressed face. "HEY Jack!" Alright, maybe there was one!
Jack turned to see the booming voice was the owner of a past cook he knew, Snickers. Never knew the old man's real name, but he was known that from his many secrets he knew. "Snick," That was Jack's nickname for him. "How's a been?" He strained for every smile but the gloominess still draped over his voice.
"Looks to me you haven't been off good." Snicker was cleaning out the few empty pints behind the counter. He still wore that damn bandanna over his still standing eye.
"Looks to me that you've still haven't changes. Still wearing the old garments of the last century now." Jack motioned towards his own eye for Snickers to imply that the remark was about his .
"Oh! Old habits die hard. In the old days if a man was caught in a social place like this woman would grope for him."
"Is it still working?" Jack questioned.
" That's my little secret." Snicker acclaimed. Jack didn't react of curiosity has he always would have to Snicker.
"What's wrong with you? You looking like Captain Docker before he shot himself." Now this caught Jack's attention. All forms of death did.
"Yah. Came in here last month because one of his apprentices turned on him. He's been taking a couple of young lads under his wing and there was one special boy that caught his attention. Said he was quick with the mind and even quicker with his sword. Something told me, this boy had his claws deep in this man more then normal apprentices do, if you know what I mean. But any way next morning comes, everything is gone..."
"What was gone?" Now that craving hint of curiosity Snicker wanted was found in Jack's tone.
"Such things like his entire piggy bank, personal treasures even found his wife sleeping naked in the boy's cabin, surprised shocked to find him gone and her husband there! But that boy really sliced him deep. Asked for a room and there he shot himself. Took me a week to get the stains out, had to re paint the entire room!"
"What was the boy's name?!" Snicker loved this part. Because of this, he thanked for his old age.
"Now lets see...Well, the name slipped out of my head. It was a good strong name the boy had. Now! Oh, I'm sorry Jack I forgot it." Snicker smiled.
"Damn it Snicker!!" Jack roared. "I have no time to fuck around with your games!!!" He stood to his height crowing over Snicker. At first the old man shuddered for a brief second by the sudden outburst. But then his split his face, bearing his toothless grin of decay.
"He got his claws in you to, didn't he?" He whispered. Jack blushed faintly then gave up on Snicker, shoving his way out of the tavern. The entrance was behind his back, yet he still heard the old crone's voice.
"Jack stop!" Snicker was huffing and puffing his way out, hobbling up to Jack. "I know that lad stripped you down clean. I've heard the robbery already." Now how could he know? He thought to himself. Jack couldn't look into the seniors' eyes so thought his hands would be a good distraction. "I also saw him come around to me in the past." Jack's interest was lit again.
"He came to me asking for some work. I was busy at the time and just pointed him to someone. Too late for me to know that it was the Morgan that I led him to. I take the blame, because if he didn't work for him maybe such a trait wouldn't catch on."
"What's the Morgan?" Jack questioned.
"He's captain now for a couple of ships, The Siren, The Storm, and The Senorita . Basically head leader of some dirty mob that the king hasn't known yet. Started off as a con-artist then drove his way up the rank to the top. But he's tricky, Jack. Don't know where he came from, but it must have been a rough childhood he had. Also a bounty hunter and always brings them back dead in chests."
"What did he do to Will?" Snicker gasped silently, opening his mouth in an 'O'.
"You know the boy."
"Yes I know the boy, now just answer the damn question!" Snicker stayed silent for a while, and then pointed.
"Ask Doll Higgins about the boy. She knows him better then what you'll find tonight. Up in the Back Alleys." He made his way back to his tavern.
"A whore!" Jack protested.
"What you'd expect!!" Answered Snicker.
The Back Alleys were everywhere, behind every building in any place that contained space. It was the places where the scavenging whores worked. Jack's head drowned with worry of ever finding this Doll. There was a million of nook and crannies a harlot could perform her tricks. Her name never reached his ears, but if Snicker knows her then she had a title of reputation. First he looked around for the less drunk girl on the street. His eyes found a dark brunette of 14 under the lamp posts.
"You there! Do you know a Doll Higgins?" Her innocent acted dropped when she found out this was just a question of location and not business for her.
"Yah! She's the blonde one by the tailor's shop wearing the light blue." Jack's eyes followed the girl's slim finger, noticing a laughing harlot dancing in the streets to get attention.
"Thanks." He said, and the girl nodded. Jack approached the painted beauty while she was talking to a man.
"Excuse me?" Jack interrupted.
"Do you have more then a penny?" Doll asked.
Jack faltered before speaking. "Ahh...Yes?"
"Then I'm with you. See yah darling!" She grabbed Jack's arm leaving the sailor dumbfounded.
"I just want to ask you something." Doll stopped and threw away Jack's arm.
"Oh! Well let's have it, hurry!" She fiddled with a ribbon from her hair, weaving them mechanically in and out of her fingers then again as a game.
"I've heard you know something about a lad name Will." Before he could go on she pressed.
"What Will, there's about a city full of Wills I've had with!"
"Um...Dark, my height or taller, might of came straight from Port Royal at the time?"
"Oh yah! I can't forget that one." Her tone turned sassy by the name. "He came to me offering a six pence to show him the ropes."
"Ropes for what?" Jack had an idea what she meant but vaguely.
"To snag a cully. Well that's what I do, but he needed the right words and moves to get any man's or woman's attention. And there's no better way of getting it then sex I'd told him. He was more like a student of mine!"
"Why did he ask to know this?"
"Said his employer got him on this errand. He needed to pinch wealthy crats for his boss...Why do you care?" She stopped playing with her ribbon and crossed her arms.
Jack backed away a few, preparing to deck. "No reason."
"You didn't see him by any chance did yah?" Jack stopped knowing what this young lady was asking for.
"No." Her disappointment was vivid as were her rose bud pouty lips.
"If you do, tell him that Doll, me, misses seeing him around." She swaggered off to the next customer. He watched, making sure her attention wasn't for him anymore.
"Wait!" She turned. "Who do I go around asking where he is next?" Doll thought for a moment, staring at the cobblestones for the answer.
"Try the tailor!" She pointed. "He's also the dock manager of this place. He'd might know where the boy went next." Jack nodded 'thanks' to the lively blonde then walked into the shop without knocking.
The main room was abandoned with the presence of people, but the distant sound of movement peaked Jack's notion to venture father in. A skinny man wearing a wig to small for his head was cutting a piece of green silk for a customer. Jack knocked on the wall silently.
The man stopped and sighed. "I'll have the dress ready for next week and no sooner!"
"Not my color mate." The man jumped back seeing that the voice was male. Before the man annoyed Jack with questions of 'who?' Jack began. "I'm looking for someone, and a Doll told me that you might know where he is."
The tailor stammered and stuttered a bit knowing that this was a pirate that entered his shop. "Uh, well yes, yes. I'm the Dock Manager. So, um. Yah... Let's see the books." He scrambled to a pile of dust matted binders of parchment. "So, who... Who are you looking for?"
"Will Turner."
"Oh, I know that boy!" The worm poked nobly.
"Aw," Jack smiled sarcastily. "isn't that nice...Where is he?!"
"Oh, well then! Let's see, um, well. Yes, um. Oh! He bordered The Siren last night. One of Morgan's ships I see." He read more on intently, forgetting of Jack.
"Have you heard where the ship is going?" The scarecrow jumped.
"Oh yes, yes. Will told me. Use to rent the room downstairs last fall for a while before going on with Morgan. He said they were to book for Jamaica, a small port called Duncan. I wonder who named the town that? But um, yes, he said they had relations' there."
"I bet." Jack mumbled.
"What was that sir?"
"Nothing... So... um, going back to what you were doing."
"Oh," the tailor sighed. "Thank you."
"And um...get back to that dress." Jack backed out, leaving the man to piss in his pants.
"Know where he is!!" Doll called from across the street.
"Trust me Doll, you don't want to be meddling with a dead man!!" Jack answered. Doll's face dropped from her hopeful smile. Her worry for Will was absent to her mind, for she knew he was already dead.
Please REVIEW! Next chapter you will meet Morgan and Will. I'll try to keep it short, since there are a lot of Jack lovers out there. But you will see what the relationship his between the two.
