A/N: I just realized I'd forgotten to mention that all of these drabbles were/are being written for weekly prompts at blackpearlsails, a wonderful PotC fan fiction community at LiveJournal. The drabble below was written for East India Trading Company prompt :)

Disclaimer: Jack, Elizabeth, etc. belong to Disney.

Paprika Tag

"Mum, Dad, what does this sign mean?"

After rummaging through an old trunk during the general cleaning up of the captain's quarters, Blaxton picked up a small object and lifted it for his parents to see.

"This is... paprika," Jack said after a moment of consideration.

Blaxton looked at the can critically. "But what does the sign mean?" he insisted.

Jack squinted. "It shows you in which three directions you can run when you see it."

Elizabeth snorted.

"It means run?" Blaxton asked curiously.

"No." Elizabeth smiled, taking the can from his hand, and throwing it onto the pile of things meant to be thrown away. "It means fight."

Blaxton wrinkled his nose. "It means run to fight?" he asked, trying to make sense of the multiple explanations. "Or fight to run?"

"Run to fight so you can run again," said Jack with a wink.

Blaxton frowned in slight confusion, but then smiled. "It's like a tag game!"

"Exactly!" agreed Jack, staggering to his feet. "The only difference is," he reached for the can and opened it, "that instead of touching the other person," he took an ostentatiously clandestine step toward Elizabeth, "you sprinkle them with paprika!"

Elizabeth jumped to her feet with a playful shriek. Blaxton laughed.