Ryenne was surprised when Jack showed no annoyance at her rummaging through
his things-she had wondered if she had gone too far this time. But no-he
stood behind her, telling her that this thing he had gotten off a Chinese
sailor, and be careful with that book because it was old and the pages tore
easily. His tone and mannerisms were perfectly amiable - until she
suddenly found the point of her own dagger pressed to her throat, forcing
her to stand on tiptoe. She didn't dare move and risk cutting her own
throat, so she stood rigid, afraid to even breathe. Behind her, she could
hear Jack's throaty laugh and she flushed angrily, dropping the silken
shirt she'd been holding. Her pride immediately took over, and she
straightened her shoulders, tilting her chin up.
"I wondered when you would decide to kill me." Her voice was haughty, though she truly wanted to cower in fear.
Ryenne flinched slightly as Jack leaned closer to her. She could feel his warm breath on her ear as he whispered,
"If you'd be so kind as to remove yourself from my chamber, love, I'd be much obliged." The rough edge of the dagger scraped her throat as she nodded slightly, and she felt his hand on the small of her back. He pushed her a few firm steps towards the door, then opened it and shoved her out.
"Miserable cretin," she grumbled as the door slammed behind her. A couple of passing crews men gave her questioning looks, to which she responded with an icy stare, and hurried on their way. As she watched them walk away, an idea sprang into her head and she smiled.
"You there!" She called, pointing to the younger of the two-a scrawny young man who had a rather twitchy look about him-and crooked her finger at him. "I have a job for you."
The boy looked, perplexed, his blue eyes widening dramatically.
"But Captain Jack said-"
"Oh, forget what he said," she snapped, sizing him up. He couldn't have been more than fifteen years old. "What's your name, boy?"
"Quinn."
Ryenne jumped at the name, a shadow specter from her past. Fate had a cruel and unusual sense of humor. She shook it off, putting a hand on his shoulder and lowering her voice to a conspiratorial whisper.
"Alright, Quinn lad, this is what I need you to do..."
???
Jack swore as a loud knock at the door made him jump, splattering ink all over the map he was marking possible routes on. Throwing down his quill, he stalked to the door, throwing it open with a growl.
"What do you want, Ry-" He paused, seeing the scrawny boy standing outside his door. "Oh. Sorry, Quinn lad, I was expecting...er...someone else."
Quinn nodded as though accepting the apology. "Captain Sparrow, I have a message for you from Captain Caelar."
Jack sighed, rubbing his temples irritably. "What is it, then?"
"She inquires as to where she will be lodging tonight, sir."
"Bloody woman," he mumbled under his breath, trying to think fast. Waving the boy away, he said, "Tell her she can have Gibbs's cabin; he can move in with the second mate."
Quinn hurried away with a slight bob of his head, and Jack sighed once more. How much trouble would this woman cause before she ruined his life completely? *Not much longer till that happens,* he thought bitterly.
???
Ryenne paced around her tiny cabin, too restless to even think about sleeping. Even the rhythmic creaking and swaying of the ship couldn't lull her to sleep, nor the soft light of the single flickering candle she'd placed on her desk. Her eyes raked over the near-empty room, occupied only by a small writing desk, the rough cot she sat upon, and a wooden chair. Gibbs had taken his personal effects with him to the other cabin, and - as she had none of her own - the cabin seemed distant and unfamiliar to her; not even a speck of color to brighten it. The mere sight of it all depressed her.
Wrapping herself in a blanket - as Jack had yet to give her another coat - she trudged out of her cabin, up the stairs, and onto the deck, breathing in the cold night air. The night was clear, and the stars shone bright as jewels on the open black expanse of sky. Ryenne's fingers ached longingly when she thought of jewels, and she wondered how long it had been since she had the familiar weight of them resting in her palm. Oh, how she missed the feeling of having her purse full of gold; rich and contented, without a care in the world. All she felt now was cold and alone, not a friend to keep her company....well, with the exception of that parrot, that was.
"Hmph." She laughed at the thought, though it was not remarkably humorous. A bird was her only friend. How pathetic.
Hugging herself tight, she leaned slightly over the railing of the ship, staring at the churning, black water far below. It was no less inviting than it had been the night she stepped aboard the Pearl, but she'd lost her nerve. A cold shudder ran through her as she realized, had she not seen the Pearl in the first place, she would have been dead. She jumped away from the railing - repelled by the thought - and landed on her back with a loud thud, effectively making the wind rush from her lungs. Choking and gasping for breath, she rubbed her ribs gently.
"What am I doing here?" she whispered to herself, pressing her eyes shut. No matter how she tried, she couldn't find a tangible reason, letting herself be swallowed in self pity. The weight of the dark night pressed upon her, and she sighed, pulling the blanket over herself and staring into the expanses of star-studded velvet sky.
???
Ryenne awoke abruptly to the sound of Jack's outraged voice.
"What are you DOING here!?"
"What does it look like?" she grumbled, rolling onto her back and blinking in the bright morning sunshine. Jack appeared unamused, uttering a strangled noise and heaving her to her feet.
"I mean, what are you doing HERE - on deck - when I went through the trouble of finding you a cabin!?"
"You mean, stole one from Gibbs." She muttered, tearing her arm away and sleepily stumbling a few feet before gaining her balance.
"Well, what other option was there?" he hissed, grabbing her blanket off the deck and shoving it at her. "MY cabin? That would be a feather in your cap, wouldn't it now?"
"Not everything is about YOU, you know!" she retorted angrily, falling back against the railing of the ship and swinging her blanket wildly in a moment of frustration. "Sometimes - WHOAH!" For a moment, her face mingled with surprise and horror as she lurched dangerously, losing her balance and tumbling backward over the railing, the blanket flying from her hands.
"Ryenne!" Jack shouted, jumping to catch her arm, but he was too late, and - with a shrill scream - Ryenne fell into the water below.
She landed with a loud splash, choking and sputtering as she came to the surface, flailing her arms as though trying to seize hold of something to pull herself out of the churning green waves. Finding her bearings, she began to tread water and wiped her eyes, squinting up at Jack, who was leaning over the railing with a terrified expression on his face.
"No harm done, Captain!" she laughed as he waved his arms at her, trying to catch her attention.
"Ryenne! Don't make ANY sudden movements!" he called back, his tone making her blood run cold. Scanning the water around her quickly, she found the cause of Jack's terror - and her own: two iron-gray fins jutted out of the water, slowly circling her. Sharks.
???
Jack bent double over the railing, evaluating the situation below him with suppressed dismay; he HAD to remain calm, for Ryenne's sake, if not for his own.
"MAN OVERBOARD!" the watchman shouted, cupping a hand around his mouth and pointing to Ryenne as the crew came running. "MAN OVERBOARD!"
Jack scanned his mind frantically for a plan - any plan - and his hand alighted on his pistol. Turning quickly, he grabbed a passing crewman by the sleeve and hissed, "Get me a rope. A long rope." The man gave him an odd look, but hastened to obey.
Shedding his coat with a shrug of his shoulders, Jack grabbed the coiled rope from the crewman's hands and tossed one end at him. "Tie that end off to something sturdy, and use a strong knot." He ordered, wrapping some of the slack around his hands. A hand clapped him on the shoulder and spun him around, and he found himself face-to-face with a very confused, very disgruntled Gibbs.
"What're ye doin', Cap'n? Are ye MAD!?" He shrugged Gibbs's hand off his shoulder and forced a half-smile onto his face.
"I've got to help her, Gibbs!" and with that, he jumped over the side of the ship, letting out a loud yell.
His hands slipped slightly as the rope pulled taut, and he felt the skin being ripped from his palms, a surge of burning, fiery pain coursing through his nerves. Sucking his breath through his clenched teeth in a sharp gasp, he let himself slide down the rope further, bringing him closer to the water; to Ryenne. He could see her staring bewilderedly up at him, but - for the moment - he needed to concentrate on other things.
Gripping the rope as tight as he could with one hand, he wrenched his pistol from his belt with the other, his bleeding fingers slipping on the handle. Now, if he could only get a bit closer to that shark...
"Jack!" Ryenne shouted his name in a sort of gurgled scream, and he lost his grip on the pistol. It slipped from his grasp before he could do anything to stop it, and landed a few feet away from the nearest shark with a small splash. He uttered a choked noise and fumbled around his belt for something else, trying to move his knife out of the way so he could FIND something....his KNIFE!
He slide his knife from the sheath quickly and stared at the familiar polished steel blade: his best one. Heaving a mental sigh, he took aim....and hurled it. The silvery blade buried itself in the nearer shark, slicing through the tough skin as easily as if it were silk. The creature let out an odd sort of bellowing as crimson blood began to flow freely from the wound, clouding the water around it. Just as Jack had hoped it would, the smell of fresh blood in the water distracted the other shark from Ryenne's presence as it began to attack its fellow with a cannibalistic ferocity.
Taking advantage of this moment of diversion, Jack gently called Ryenne's name and reached out his hand to her. "Can you reach me?" she nodded shakily, slowly swimming toward him and gripping his wrist with a frightened intensity. Her eyes were wide with fear, and she never took them off the pair of sharks, flinching slightly as Jack pulled her up to the rope with him. Glancing upward, they saw the crew bent over the railing, awestruck looks upon their faces - all except for Gibbs, who looked annoyed, yet proud.
"All right there, Cap'n?" he called down.
Jack laughed dryly. "Pull us up, Gibbs."
"I wondered when you would decide to kill me." Her voice was haughty, though she truly wanted to cower in fear.
Ryenne flinched slightly as Jack leaned closer to her. She could feel his warm breath on her ear as he whispered,
"If you'd be so kind as to remove yourself from my chamber, love, I'd be much obliged." The rough edge of the dagger scraped her throat as she nodded slightly, and she felt his hand on the small of her back. He pushed her a few firm steps towards the door, then opened it and shoved her out.
"Miserable cretin," she grumbled as the door slammed behind her. A couple of passing crews men gave her questioning looks, to which she responded with an icy stare, and hurried on their way. As she watched them walk away, an idea sprang into her head and she smiled.
"You there!" She called, pointing to the younger of the two-a scrawny young man who had a rather twitchy look about him-and crooked her finger at him. "I have a job for you."
The boy looked, perplexed, his blue eyes widening dramatically.
"But Captain Jack said-"
"Oh, forget what he said," she snapped, sizing him up. He couldn't have been more than fifteen years old. "What's your name, boy?"
"Quinn."
Ryenne jumped at the name, a shadow specter from her past. Fate had a cruel and unusual sense of humor. She shook it off, putting a hand on his shoulder and lowering her voice to a conspiratorial whisper.
"Alright, Quinn lad, this is what I need you to do..."
???
Jack swore as a loud knock at the door made him jump, splattering ink all over the map he was marking possible routes on. Throwing down his quill, he stalked to the door, throwing it open with a growl.
"What do you want, Ry-" He paused, seeing the scrawny boy standing outside his door. "Oh. Sorry, Quinn lad, I was expecting...er...someone else."
Quinn nodded as though accepting the apology. "Captain Sparrow, I have a message for you from Captain Caelar."
Jack sighed, rubbing his temples irritably. "What is it, then?"
"She inquires as to where she will be lodging tonight, sir."
"Bloody woman," he mumbled under his breath, trying to think fast. Waving the boy away, he said, "Tell her she can have Gibbs's cabin; he can move in with the second mate."
Quinn hurried away with a slight bob of his head, and Jack sighed once more. How much trouble would this woman cause before she ruined his life completely? *Not much longer till that happens,* he thought bitterly.
???
Ryenne paced around her tiny cabin, too restless to even think about sleeping. Even the rhythmic creaking and swaying of the ship couldn't lull her to sleep, nor the soft light of the single flickering candle she'd placed on her desk. Her eyes raked over the near-empty room, occupied only by a small writing desk, the rough cot she sat upon, and a wooden chair. Gibbs had taken his personal effects with him to the other cabin, and - as she had none of her own - the cabin seemed distant and unfamiliar to her; not even a speck of color to brighten it. The mere sight of it all depressed her.
Wrapping herself in a blanket - as Jack had yet to give her another coat - she trudged out of her cabin, up the stairs, and onto the deck, breathing in the cold night air. The night was clear, and the stars shone bright as jewels on the open black expanse of sky. Ryenne's fingers ached longingly when she thought of jewels, and she wondered how long it had been since she had the familiar weight of them resting in her palm. Oh, how she missed the feeling of having her purse full of gold; rich and contented, without a care in the world. All she felt now was cold and alone, not a friend to keep her company....well, with the exception of that parrot, that was.
"Hmph." She laughed at the thought, though it was not remarkably humorous. A bird was her only friend. How pathetic.
Hugging herself tight, she leaned slightly over the railing of the ship, staring at the churning, black water far below. It was no less inviting than it had been the night she stepped aboard the Pearl, but she'd lost her nerve. A cold shudder ran through her as she realized, had she not seen the Pearl in the first place, she would have been dead. She jumped away from the railing - repelled by the thought - and landed on her back with a loud thud, effectively making the wind rush from her lungs. Choking and gasping for breath, she rubbed her ribs gently.
"What am I doing here?" she whispered to herself, pressing her eyes shut. No matter how she tried, she couldn't find a tangible reason, letting herself be swallowed in self pity. The weight of the dark night pressed upon her, and she sighed, pulling the blanket over herself and staring into the expanses of star-studded velvet sky.
???
Ryenne awoke abruptly to the sound of Jack's outraged voice.
"What are you DOING here!?"
"What does it look like?" she grumbled, rolling onto her back and blinking in the bright morning sunshine. Jack appeared unamused, uttering a strangled noise and heaving her to her feet.
"I mean, what are you doing HERE - on deck - when I went through the trouble of finding you a cabin!?"
"You mean, stole one from Gibbs." She muttered, tearing her arm away and sleepily stumbling a few feet before gaining her balance.
"Well, what other option was there?" he hissed, grabbing her blanket off the deck and shoving it at her. "MY cabin? That would be a feather in your cap, wouldn't it now?"
"Not everything is about YOU, you know!" she retorted angrily, falling back against the railing of the ship and swinging her blanket wildly in a moment of frustration. "Sometimes - WHOAH!" For a moment, her face mingled with surprise and horror as she lurched dangerously, losing her balance and tumbling backward over the railing, the blanket flying from her hands.
"Ryenne!" Jack shouted, jumping to catch her arm, but he was too late, and - with a shrill scream - Ryenne fell into the water below.
She landed with a loud splash, choking and sputtering as she came to the surface, flailing her arms as though trying to seize hold of something to pull herself out of the churning green waves. Finding her bearings, she began to tread water and wiped her eyes, squinting up at Jack, who was leaning over the railing with a terrified expression on his face.
"No harm done, Captain!" she laughed as he waved his arms at her, trying to catch her attention.
"Ryenne! Don't make ANY sudden movements!" he called back, his tone making her blood run cold. Scanning the water around her quickly, she found the cause of Jack's terror - and her own: two iron-gray fins jutted out of the water, slowly circling her. Sharks.
???
Jack bent double over the railing, evaluating the situation below him with suppressed dismay; he HAD to remain calm, for Ryenne's sake, if not for his own.
"MAN OVERBOARD!" the watchman shouted, cupping a hand around his mouth and pointing to Ryenne as the crew came running. "MAN OVERBOARD!"
Jack scanned his mind frantically for a plan - any plan - and his hand alighted on his pistol. Turning quickly, he grabbed a passing crewman by the sleeve and hissed, "Get me a rope. A long rope." The man gave him an odd look, but hastened to obey.
Shedding his coat with a shrug of his shoulders, Jack grabbed the coiled rope from the crewman's hands and tossed one end at him. "Tie that end off to something sturdy, and use a strong knot." He ordered, wrapping some of the slack around his hands. A hand clapped him on the shoulder and spun him around, and he found himself face-to-face with a very confused, very disgruntled Gibbs.
"What're ye doin', Cap'n? Are ye MAD!?" He shrugged Gibbs's hand off his shoulder and forced a half-smile onto his face.
"I've got to help her, Gibbs!" and with that, he jumped over the side of the ship, letting out a loud yell.
His hands slipped slightly as the rope pulled taut, and he felt the skin being ripped from his palms, a surge of burning, fiery pain coursing through his nerves. Sucking his breath through his clenched teeth in a sharp gasp, he let himself slide down the rope further, bringing him closer to the water; to Ryenne. He could see her staring bewilderedly up at him, but - for the moment - he needed to concentrate on other things.
Gripping the rope as tight as he could with one hand, he wrenched his pistol from his belt with the other, his bleeding fingers slipping on the handle. Now, if he could only get a bit closer to that shark...
"Jack!" Ryenne shouted his name in a sort of gurgled scream, and he lost his grip on the pistol. It slipped from his grasp before he could do anything to stop it, and landed a few feet away from the nearest shark with a small splash. He uttered a choked noise and fumbled around his belt for something else, trying to move his knife out of the way so he could FIND something....his KNIFE!
He slide his knife from the sheath quickly and stared at the familiar polished steel blade: his best one. Heaving a mental sigh, he took aim....and hurled it. The silvery blade buried itself in the nearer shark, slicing through the tough skin as easily as if it were silk. The creature let out an odd sort of bellowing as crimson blood began to flow freely from the wound, clouding the water around it. Just as Jack had hoped it would, the smell of fresh blood in the water distracted the other shark from Ryenne's presence as it began to attack its fellow with a cannibalistic ferocity.
Taking advantage of this moment of diversion, Jack gently called Ryenne's name and reached out his hand to her. "Can you reach me?" she nodded shakily, slowly swimming toward him and gripping his wrist with a frightened intensity. Her eyes were wide with fear, and she never took them off the pair of sharks, flinching slightly as Jack pulled her up to the rope with him. Glancing upward, they saw the crew bent over the railing, awestruck looks upon their faces - all except for Gibbs, who looked annoyed, yet proud.
"All right there, Cap'n?" he called down.
Jack laughed dryly. "Pull us up, Gibbs."
