Disclaimer: Would you like some tom yum soup?

A/N: Some spoilers, but I'm running off the spoiler script, so this might be amended, if the movie should prove any different. Also, yes, I play Puzzle Pirates, as evidenced by Cotton's parrot.

"Ah," Barbossa grinned, "About time ye got back!" He gestured to the table in the middle of the room. "I believe lunch is served."

The innkeeper's wife smiled at Squirrel as she set another plate down in the middle of the table, and invited everyone to sit down and eat. Following Squirrel's example, the crew all sat around the table. Gibbs wanted to know what everything was before he'd even consider tasting it, but Squirrel's assurance that there was nothing 'foreign' about the noodles, rice, vegetables and meats did nothing to assure him. The old salt was of the mind that eating rice led to blindness. But everyone else seemed willing to try what had been laid out for them. The chopsticks remained an obstacle, however. How to start eating?

Barbossa smiled to himself, and reached into his inner coat pocket, bringing out a knife and fork. All eyes turned to him, incredulous. He shrugged, and readied his cutlery either side of his plate. "No sense in me makin' a fool of meself," he explained to every raised eyebrow. "Just a little somethin' ye learn when ye travel the world." He nudged his chopsticks aside, and sighed slightly. "Never quite got the hang of these."

Squirrel picked up the chopsticks and started helping herself to some kai lan, picking it up and laying it on her plate. There was a short pause, in which Squirrel felt every eye turn to her in amazement. She smiled to herself, but had the grace to pause and ask, "What?"

"Of course," Barbossa said evenly, though his eyes retained some degree of surprise, "Some people pick it up rather quickly.

Sam laughed. "Yvonne's full o' surprises, ey, cap'n?"

Elizabeth stared, eyes sparkling with delight. "How…?"

Tia smiled, and copied Squirrel. "Like this, oui?"

Squirrel held up her hand for all to see. "Yes, like this." She pointed out how the sticks were to lie between the fingers; the crew copied her, with varying degrees of success. "Only," Squirrel sighed, gesturing with her chopsticks, "Don't hold them in your left hand."

"Well, you are," Pintel objected, fumbling the utensils yet again.

Squirrel shrugged. "I know. It's just easier for me. But it's bad luck to do so." Gibbs surreptitiously switched his chopsticks to his other hand. Marty swore as one stick spun free in the opposite direction; Will and Sam frowned in concentration, their knuckles turning white.

Mr Cotton's parrot bobbed up and down, amused by everyone's attempts, including its owner's. "Club-haul!" It chortled. "Blue barnacles!"

Elizabeth managed with some success, as did Tia. The men seemed determined not to be outdone, though not without some mishaps and slip-ups. But practice makes perfect, and it became gradually easier for everyone to help themselves and eat. Barbossa - blaming the stubbornness of old age - kept his knife and fork. And, for once, his comment was not met with an awkward silence, but laughter. It seemed that the old barriers and guardedness were being dropped; the meal was bringing everyone together. Everyone had a smile on their face.

It came as a sudden surprise to Squirrel that the crew had never eaten together like this. Barbossa always took his meals alone, except when Squirrel joined him; meals in the galley were eaten by those who were off-duty, off-watch. Never before had all the crew, every last man, eaten together.

And it seemed to bring everyone much closer.

"Could you pass the… spinach leaves?"

"Kai lan," Squirrel corrected Will, setting down her chopsticks to pass him the plate. "It's called kai lan."

"Aye," Sam seconded, spearing a dumpling from the main plate and flicking it onto his, "Saw bunches of 'em in the marketplaces, we did."

"Oh, you went out there this morning?" Elizabeth smiled. "What was it like?"

"Hot," Pintel muttered, his chopsticks slipping from his fingers again.

"And busy." Ragetti seconded, having more luck with them.

Sam glanced briefly at Squirrel, his smile never fading. His glance was a silent means of conveying: I won't say nothing about the mishap if you don't. "There's a lot out there, Miss Swann," he grinned. "Lots of things t' see an' buy."

"Clothes?"

Sam nodded. "Oh, plenty o' them, Lizzie. Plenty o' them."

"Were dere much silk?" Tia asked, curious. "I've alweeys wan'ed a scarf meed from silk."

"Women," Marty teased, "All they cares about is pretty dresses."

"Oh, shush, you." Tia smiled to herself.

"There's nothing wrong with that," Elizabeth added, mock-indignant.

Squirrel smiled as she passed Cotton a plate of rice. "That's very true."

The conversation continued, light and friendly banter in which it seemed that all that had happened before was set aside. Everyone was enjoying themselves. Squirrel smiled to herself, and thought that this was the closest she'd ever been to happy for a very long time. She didn't even need to catch Will's eye to know that he was smiling too.

When the meal was done, Barbossa leant back in his chair. "Master Flynn," he said, a shadow of concern flitting across his features, "Could I ask ye a favour?"

"Course, cap'n," Sam said, setting his chopsticks down. "What is it?"

Barbossa looked grim. "Someone came to me not long before you arrived back, tellin' me some story about his ship being stolen."

"Oh, aye," Sam exchanged a glance with Squirrel, "That would be Mister Hamilton, then."

"Well," Barbossa steepled his fingers, "Seein' as how he was tellin' me how easy it was for his ship t' be stolen, I think that p'raps we should send someone else t' keep an eye on the Diana. Wouldn't want her t' go missin' in the dead of night."

Sam rose to his feet. "Say n' more, cap'n. I'll head there now." He bobbed a small bow to the rest of the crew, made a small smile and wink to Squirrel, and left the tavern.

Tia watched silently until the door swung closed, then turned with serious eyes to the rest of the crew. "Deh place where deh Jack is kept prisoner," she said, her voice sibyl-like once more, "Is knoown as Deevy Jones' Locker."

Squirrel felt a shiver up and down her spine, and her smile was wiped from her face. So this was why Sam had to leave. He wasn't a part of this.

"Isn't that just another name for the bottom of the sea?" Elizabeth asked.

Tia turned her dark eyes to the governor's daughter. "Deevy Jones keeps all dat 'e teeks from deh sea. But deh Locker is a true place, just as deh Isla de Muerta were." She glanced to Barbossa, who nodded briefly. "Your kep-ten can oonly tek you so far. Dat is why we need deh charts. None 'oo 'ave ever been claimed by deh sea e'er return."

"So how do we know that the charts will help us?" Will asked, eyes cold and emotionless. "If no-one's ever been there, how do we know that they're accurate?"

Tia smiled at him. "Deh charts will be true, Mistah Tur-nah. 'Ave no fear of dat." Tia pushed her plate and utensils to the side, clearing a space before her; from the folds of her dress she procured her cards, and started laying them out in a pattern. Gibbs surreptitiously crossed himself and edged away from the woman and her cards. Tia pretended not to notice. "Deh Dragon Lady have deh charts, but she not want to give dem away to deh first ones dat ask." She flipped a card out, and examined it with a frown. "We need to trade somet'in' she want for dose charts. 'Er 'eart's desire."

"If only we had that compass of yours, Tia," Squirrel said offhandedly. "That might help." She saw Elizabeth squirm slightly out of the corner of her eye. Or was that just her imagination?

Tia looked sharply at Squirrel, but smiled. "No, Miss Greeh. Deh compass only show you what you want. It don't show you what your 'eart truly desire." She put down another card - it was the grey-cloaked figure she had shown Squirrel twice before.

Squirrel frowned, and paused a moment as Tia flipped out another two, three cards. "There's a difference?"

"Of course dere is," Tia said calmly, sweeping all the cards up into her left hand and secreting them away. The swamp woman surveyed the crew, holding everyone's eyes, one by one. "We need deh charts. So, to get dem, we need t' fin' what deh Lady be wantin' mos' of all." Tia's eyes turned and locked on Squirrel.

Slowly, Squirrel realised that everyone's eyes were turning her way. She looked around, feeling trapped. "What are you looking at me for?" She asked, defensive.

"Ye speak the language," Barbossa said gently. "So ye'll be the one t' ask around." The other members of the crew seemed to be of the same mind. Tia alone wore a different expression: a smirk that seemed to say 'you brought this on yourself, now you have to deal with it'. And, for all that Tia was right, Squirrel couldn't help but think that this was something that the woman had planned from the beginning.

After a slight pause, Squirrel looked around at her friends. "The Dragon Lady already knows that we're here," she murmured. "And she's not happy about it." She looked up, meeting Will's eyes before looking to Barbossa. "When we were out this morning, I was… threatened."

"She was," Ragetti seconded. "Four men."

"All armed," Pintel added, unnecessarily.

Barbossa looked sharply at Squirrel; most of the other crewmen did the same, but the look on the older pirate's face was the most obvious.

"A thug called Xin Fu," Squirrel shrugged, trying not to let the others' concern worry her too much, "I've known men of his ilk back on Tortuga. He's nothing but talk. But the message he was delivering was clear enough." Squirrel looked to Tia. "We're not welcome here, and the Dragon Lady wants us off her island."

There was a silence in the wake of Squirrel's words. Glances went back and forth - only Barbossa, Tia and Squirrel kept level gazes.

"Den we mus' hurry and fin' what we need," Tia said calmly, unaffected, "Before deh t'reats she sends become a liddle 'arsher."

Squirrel was alone in her room, studying the mah-jong tiles before her, when there was a knock at her door. "Come in," she called, without looking up. When the door opened, Squirrel's eyes remained focused on the tiles, but her mind was occupied elsewhere.

"What are you doing?" Will asked casually.

"Mah-jong," Squirrel said, picking up a pair of tiles and moving them aside. "Though, I must admit, I'm not very sure of the rules."

Will tilted his head and smiled, "You have a table in your room?"

Squirrel smiled back, but kept her eyes on the game. "I asked for one, and they were more than happy to provide. After I paid a nominal fee for it, of course."

Will shut the door behind him.

Squirrel looked up at last. "William," she murmured, "What are you doing?"

Will sighed, and brought a chair over to the table. "We have to talk." He sat down opposite her, and set both arms on the table.

Two more tiles were collected and set aside. "About what?"

Will's eyes were serious. "About you doing this alone. I don't think it's a good idea."

Squirrel smiled to herself, and neglected the game for a moment. "Is that because of a lack of faith in me, William?"

He didn't rise to the challenge. "I think it's a bad idea for someone who has been threatened to be asking questions about the very person who wants to have you killed."

Squirrel fingered a stray tile. "She doesn't want us killed," she murmured. "Only away from Singapore."

"You're still putting yourself in danger," Will said, putting his hand on hers. "Unnecessary danger."

"Unnecessary?" Squirrel shook her head. "I'm the only one here who can speak the language." She lifted her hand from under Will's, trying not to notice how comforting his touch had been. "Besides… if this is the only way to do what needs to be done…" She left the sentence unfinished, and picked up two, three, four more sets of tiles. Then she smiled at Will. "Should we discuss our rebellion now?"

"It's daylight," Will said, glancing at the window and the door. "Daylight is no time to be discussing mutiny."

Squirrel pulled an amused face. "Those were my words, William. So, in turn, I'll reply with some from Barbossa: in Singapore, all we know means nothing, for the rules are different."

"Then mutiny it is." Will smiled briefly before his eyes went dark. "You intend to follow Barbossa's plan on this?"

Squirrel nodded. "I think it would be for the best if we did. At least, for now. After all, the man has a head for forward planning. Captain or not, if anyone can help us reach the Black Pearl, it's Hector Barbossa. Anything after that will be ours to take charge of. But for the time being, I think it best we follow him."

"But still…" Will shrugged. "I don't trust him." When Squirrel frowned disapprovingly at him, Will added with a slight smile, "I don't trust him any more than you trust Tia Dalma."

"Not anymore than I have to." She nodded. "I understand, William."

"So it comes down to this." Will counted off on his fingers. "You find out what it is that we can trade to the Dragon Lady, we trade it to her to get the charts; we follow Barbossa and the rest of the crew to the ends of the earth, and then…" He paused; he looked pensive and brooding once again, "Then we convince those who will follow us to follow us, and leave everyone else behind."

Squirrel shrugged. She didn't have the answers more than anyone else. "But let's not get ahead of ourselves. We need to take this one step at a time. We need to plan it carefully. And we should be prepared for every eventuality." She started setting out the tiles once more.

"Obviously." Will sat back and watched Squirrel's hands arrange the tiles. Curious, he asked, "How is it played?"

Squirrel shrugged. "From what I can gather, it's the Chinese version of poker. The tiles need to be collected in certain order, each tile with a different worth when coupled with others." Tiles clicked and rattled under her fingers like singing birds as she resorted and stacked them once more.

Will frowned. "That doesn't look like what you're doing."

"I know," Squirrel sighed as she began the game anew, "Because I'm playing alone. So, I'm playing something like… fifty-two pickup, or solitaire." She pointed out the rules she'd thrown together. "Tiles with identical markings are pulled from the pyramid, pair by pair. But only the ones on the ends can be collected." She illustrated by pulling free another pair of tiles.

"I see." Will leant forward, examining the game. "So only partners - who aren't held back by another - can be freed."

Squirrel paused a moment. "Yes. That's the gist of it."

He lifted his deep brown eyes and looked thoughtfully at her. "How fitting."

Squirrel cleared another pair - two coloured birds - and said nothing.

Will picked up a spare tile and examined it. "What are these made from?"

"I don't know." Squirrel paused. "I think they're made from the same thing as my necklace."

Will reached across the table and lifted Squirrel's necklace in his hand, running his fingers across the diamonds, comparing the feel of it to the tile he held in his other hand. Squirrel tilted her chin forward, making it easier for Will to feel the necklace… but also, bringing her face much closer to Will's. After a moment, both of them seemed to realise how close they were; their breath was meeting together, heating the air between their faces. Will's fingers froze, and Squirrel caught her breath. Their eyes locked; neither of them could move. Suddenly, there was the sound of Tia shouting downstairs, and the spell broke - Will and Squirrel pulled back to their respective sides of the table, the necklace thudding heavily against Squirrel's chest. There was a silence in the room between them.

"You can't come to my room again, William," Squirrel said softly, breaking the silence. "Especially not now, and definitely not at night. Someone will see you, and they'll get the wrong idea."

"The wrong idea?" Will smiled faintly.

Squirrel smiled back, but only for a moment. "I'm not going to betray Elizabeth. I told you that."

Will sighed, and nodded, setting the tile back down with its brothers. "I know you won't." He smile faintly with sad eyes. "I wouldn't expect you to."

"We'll find some other way of… discussing this." Squirrel pushed a few tiles around, knowing she was red in the face. "After dinner, or during training, or something."

"Yes." He nodded, a tinge also to his face. "Of course." His eyes, strangely, did not slide away from her as they usually did. It was Squirrel who looked away first.

There was a knock at the door, and both Will and Squirrel jumped like the guilty.

"Could you get that?" Squirrel lowered her eyes, and picked up playing her version of mah-jong where she'd left off. Will rose to his feet and went to the door.

"Will! What… what are you…"

Squirrel looked up. "Ah, Lizzie," she smiled, genially. "Care to join us? I'm trying to teach William how to play mah-jong, but he's not doing too well." The words came smoothly, swiftly, and saved her as much as Will. She'd always been quick on her feet. Will looked over his shoulder, sparing Squirrel a grateful glance.

"Oh," Elizabeth looked between Will, the tiles on the table, and Squirrel before managing a smile. "Oh, no, thankyou. I just came to bring you this. It's your things from the ship." She held out a satchel. Squirrel rose to collect it.

"Ah, wonderful." She checked the contents of the bag, then looked up with a frown. "Where's my coat?"

Elizabeth's eyes went wide, and she winced. "I'm so sorry! I forgot it! It wasn't with your bunk, so I didn't…"

Squirrel smiled and waved her hand in the air dismissively. "It's alright, Lizzie, it's alright. I'll get it tomorrow." She started whistling to herself as she set her satchel down on the bed, and started checking through it. Whistling, not only to appear at ease, but to settle her nerves. Wrapped in her cloak, at the bottom of the satchel, was the empty glass bottle. Squirrel looked down at it, still whistling. Inwardly, she was thinking - what on earth could be more valuable than 'shou'? And what is 'shou' anyway? As she stood and pondered, she slowly realised she was still being watched. The music died on her lips and the thoughts in her mind as she turned back. Both Will and Elizabeth were staring at her.

"What?" Squirrel asked. "What's wrong?"

"You mean you didn't know?" Will asked.

Squirrel made an amused face. "Well, evidently not, I suppose." He and Elizabeth exchanged glances. If that wasn't a clue, what was? "What's wrong?" She asked, a little urgently, the smile wiped from her face.

Elizabeth looked to Squirrel, eyes filled with apologetic sympathy. "The Diana's gone."

A/N: Reviews make me your best friend :P