"Shhh, please, dear." Karen said to Belladonna quietly as she reached
for a brush. Ever since she had laid eyes on Belladonna she had been dying
to brush her hair. It was so horridly knotted, she was sure it would easily
take hours to finish. She stepped towards her, and Belladonna raised an
eyebrow.
"Karen, what do you suppose you're doing?"
"Brushing your hair, it if is fine with you." Karen answered, nonchalantly but with utmost, sincere respect.
"I CAN brush my own hair, Kar-"
"Not correctly, you can't." Karen answered tartly. "If you could, it wouldn't have gotten in the atrocious state it is currently in." Belladonna stared at her for a second. Karen was truly a piece of work. She was quiet, sweet, simple-minded, and easy going most of the time, but when it came to fashions and hair, she was like a hungry tiger. Belladonna opened her mouth to protest, knowing that even trying to untangle her hair was hopeless, but Karen did not wait for an answer. She set her down on a chair and, standing behind her, began to attempt to unbraid that several oddly placed braids in her sister's hair. She mumbled quietly to herself, but Belladonna ignored her. She was looking at Jack.
"Thank you, Capitan, for helping us back there. I think mother trusts you." Mentally she added "The senile old bat."
Jack smiled oddly. "Well, I'm not a complete idiot, darling. " He said, inspecting an ivory comb from the vanity he leaned on.
Belladonna nodded slightly, thinking "Well, I should hope not." She bit her tongue and said "Go to the window Capitan. See all that cotton? That Is the great Lafayette plantation and a third of it is mine." Jack erm, well, made his own special way to the window, where he leaned on the sill, squinting. He then went back to leaning on the vanity. He hadn't said a word.
"Well?" Belladonna prompted. "Aren't you thrilled? This is all for the Pearl! A third of it! A third of all that cotton-"
"What cotton?" Jack replied. Belladonna raised and eyebrow, rose, and went to the window facing the back of the house where the fields were. What she saw devastated her. What used to be a sea of cotton was now a few, 15 at the most, planted fields, and the rest unhealthy, sickly looking plants. She cupped her hand to her mouth looking at Karen.
"WHAT in the name of GOD happened?"
Karen went back to combing her hair. "It was a bad crop. A lot of the slaves died over the winter, too. People are saying we've used the fields for cotton too long ...One man suggested growing sugar cane next season." She blushed a bit at knowing knowledge so un-ladylike and explaining it so bluntly.
"SUGAR CANE?" Belladonna nearly yelled. "The Lafayettes don't grow sugar cane! Sugar cane is for the incompetent McKillians, or, or those idiots, the Smiths! Not-"
"Oh, you sound just like mother!" Karen said, brushing a bit less gently. "Both of you are so stubborn!" She soon apologized, although stuck to her opinion. "Mother simply will not have anything but cotton."
Belladonna was in a mild state of shock. What little cotton she was going to get would do nothing, and even she would feel bad embezzling from her own sister and mother to get on a ship. She sat on her stool and sighed heavily.
"You can leave now, Cap'n. I suppose I won't be getting on the Pearl."
Jack chuckled and stood up. "'Course you're on. I'm a pirate, but I'm not heartless." He put his mouth close to her ear. "But if anyone asks, I won you in a game of cards, savvy? I have got a reputation to keep up, love." With this he put on his hat and walked out of the room. Belladonna grinned, happy to finally be on a crew again. Her grin quickly faded when she realized that her head was throbbing.
"Karen, for god's sake, would you stop that?" She asked, snatching the brush from her sister's hand. The brushing had done little, and her hair was now extremely puffy in the places where braids had been. She looked a bit like a badly groomed poodle, not that it mattered much to her. Karen looked at her, mildly insulted. She sat down on the bed, and Belladonna spun around on her stool to face her. Aaah, it felt nice to be home. Although Belladonna would never admit it, not even if threatened with death, but it did. Everything was so padded and comfortable. It made her butt feel happy. But nothing could compare with her joy to finally be on a crew.
"Karen, what do you suppose you're doing?"
"Brushing your hair, it if is fine with you." Karen answered, nonchalantly but with utmost, sincere respect.
"I CAN brush my own hair, Kar-"
"Not correctly, you can't." Karen answered tartly. "If you could, it wouldn't have gotten in the atrocious state it is currently in." Belladonna stared at her for a second. Karen was truly a piece of work. She was quiet, sweet, simple-minded, and easy going most of the time, but when it came to fashions and hair, she was like a hungry tiger. Belladonna opened her mouth to protest, knowing that even trying to untangle her hair was hopeless, but Karen did not wait for an answer. She set her down on a chair and, standing behind her, began to attempt to unbraid that several oddly placed braids in her sister's hair. She mumbled quietly to herself, but Belladonna ignored her. She was looking at Jack.
"Thank you, Capitan, for helping us back there. I think mother trusts you." Mentally she added "The senile old bat."
Jack smiled oddly. "Well, I'm not a complete idiot, darling. " He said, inspecting an ivory comb from the vanity he leaned on.
Belladonna nodded slightly, thinking "Well, I should hope not." She bit her tongue and said "Go to the window Capitan. See all that cotton? That Is the great Lafayette plantation and a third of it is mine." Jack erm, well, made his own special way to the window, where he leaned on the sill, squinting. He then went back to leaning on the vanity. He hadn't said a word.
"Well?" Belladonna prompted. "Aren't you thrilled? This is all for the Pearl! A third of it! A third of all that cotton-"
"What cotton?" Jack replied. Belladonna raised and eyebrow, rose, and went to the window facing the back of the house where the fields were. What she saw devastated her. What used to be a sea of cotton was now a few, 15 at the most, planted fields, and the rest unhealthy, sickly looking plants. She cupped her hand to her mouth looking at Karen.
"WHAT in the name of GOD happened?"
Karen went back to combing her hair. "It was a bad crop. A lot of the slaves died over the winter, too. People are saying we've used the fields for cotton too long ...One man suggested growing sugar cane next season." She blushed a bit at knowing knowledge so un-ladylike and explaining it so bluntly.
"SUGAR CANE?" Belladonna nearly yelled. "The Lafayettes don't grow sugar cane! Sugar cane is for the incompetent McKillians, or, or those idiots, the Smiths! Not-"
"Oh, you sound just like mother!" Karen said, brushing a bit less gently. "Both of you are so stubborn!" She soon apologized, although stuck to her opinion. "Mother simply will not have anything but cotton."
Belladonna was in a mild state of shock. What little cotton she was going to get would do nothing, and even she would feel bad embezzling from her own sister and mother to get on a ship. She sat on her stool and sighed heavily.
"You can leave now, Cap'n. I suppose I won't be getting on the Pearl."
Jack chuckled and stood up. "'Course you're on. I'm a pirate, but I'm not heartless." He put his mouth close to her ear. "But if anyone asks, I won you in a game of cards, savvy? I have got a reputation to keep up, love." With this he put on his hat and walked out of the room. Belladonna grinned, happy to finally be on a crew again. Her grin quickly faded when she realized that her head was throbbing.
"Karen, for god's sake, would you stop that?" She asked, snatching the brush from her sister's hand. The brushing had done little, and her hair was now extremely puffy in the places where braids had been. She looked a bit like a badly groomed poodle, not that it mattered much to her. Karen looked at her, mildly insulted. She sat down on the bed, and Belladonna spun around on her stool to face her. Aaah, it felt nice to be home. Although Belladonna would never admit it, not even if threatened with death, but it did. Everything was so padded and comfortable. It made her butt feel happy. But nothing could compare with her joy to finally be on a crew.
