"Why, Belladonna, that's wonderful!" Karen exclaimed.
Belladonna nodded, too happy to make some sarcastic remark on her sister's overly-cheerful tone. "Yes. Yes it is. I'm finally not a loner anymore ... Aah, to be on a crew. Feels like I belong somewhere, ya know?" She leaned back, fingering a lock of hair.
"Oh . well, I suppose so. Although you always belong here, Belle." Karen added meekly. Belladonna nodded distractedly. She was smiling lightly, still fondling the same lock of hair. "What are you so happy about? - Other than that, I mean." Karen asked. As bad at reading people as she was, she knew Belladonna had something else on her mind. She had her own ideas as to what, or should I say, WHO, it was.
"Nothing." Belladonna replied, dropping the lock. She yawned and stretched her arms.
"Oh." Karen replied. A slight glitter came to her eyes. "Because if you are thinking of Captain Sparrow, I already know you fancy him and he fancies you." Belladonna was stunned by sister's boldness, considering that not an hour before, she had gone stupid when her love life was even hinted at.
"I don't 'fancy' him at all, and if he 'fancies' me, he'll pay for it soon enough." Belladonna said calmly.
"Oh, come now." Karen pushed. "You can hardly take your glossy eyes off him. Whatever it is that you see in him, you're getting on his ship to get to it. Why else would anyone want to be near him, he's completely mad! What DO you see in him, anyway?"
"I don't see anything in him!" She yelled, bewildered. Where on earth did mild-mannered, simple-minded Karen get this daring idea, not to mention the courage to say it so bluntly? "Good lord, Karen!! To be honest, I'm thought to be raving mad, and he's the only one who would take me in! And if I acted dumb or flaunted anything, it was only as a bit of, well, how would you say, well, a perk, in his mind at least. I wasn't going to DO anything, if THAT'S what you thought."
Karen blinked, astonished by Belladonna's honesty and harshness.
"Oh . well yes, of course. I though you looked quite nice together, but-"She caught a look from Belladonna and quickly dropped the subject. "What WERE you thinking about?"
Belladonna sighed, rubbing her temples. Her head still was throbbing. "Visiting an old friend." She said that last two words slowly, and it was quite obvious this "friend" was not a living being. Karen, however, didn't catch that hint. Her face lighted up.
"Ooh, a friend? Can I come? I so miss the days when we used to go calling on the McKillians and the Donovans, and the lovely Fointaines, do you remember that, Belle?" She smiled with all the happiness and anticipation of a dog going for a long-needed walk. Belladonna shook her head and sighed.
"Yes, I remember those days well. Better than I'd like to. But I'm a pirate now, and if I tried to step into any of those houses, I'd be shot."
"Why? You're such a nice pirate." Karen really was thick sometimes, Belladonna thought.
"Well, not only am I, again, A PIRATE, but I've most likely played a role in stealing from all three of them before. I'd be as welcome as a plague."
"Aaah, but you're not REALLY a pirate." Spoken by anyone else, this would have insulted Belladonna. But now, she only laughed softly.
"Karen, I've stolen. I've poisoned a whole shipload of men. I've slit throats. I've given bloody noses and broken jaws. I've openly insulted government officials. I think that qualifies me as a pirate. Don't be so trusting, love." Karen opened her mouth, but she couldn't deny it.
"Well," she said slowly "You're not like the others, at least."
"Not like the others?" Belladonna asked, amused. "How so? Please, do go on."
"Well," Karen said, trying to sort it all out. "Well, you don't talk like them, for one. I've heard pirates talk. You don't sound like them,-for the most part, at least."
Belladonna held back laughter and raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean by that?"
"You speak better than them. Your speech isn't all slurred, and you have better grammar. Oooh, and you don't use their horrid pirate talk, like savvy, and matey, and, and bow and stern!"
"Karen, Bow and stern are nautical terms. They're the front and back of a ship. Your dear Commodore probably uses them everyday. They aren't 'pirate words'." Karen sat up a bit taller.
"Oh . Well, you don't walk like them either." Belladonna had to bite her lip to keep from laughing, but nodded, indicating Karen to go on. "You don't! They, well, they0 they sort of stagger along. Like Captain Sparrow! They look to be always drunk, and they walk very heavily and messily, like an elephant. But you- YOU walk like a true lady."
"I what?" She asked, omitting a giggle.
"You walk like a lady. You walk lightly, heel to toe, slight sway of the hips . It's quite lovely, actually."
"Oh, yes, of course." Belladonna said, through short, suppressed bouts of laughter.
"It isn't funny!!" Karen said indignantly. "It's TRUE!"
"Of course, I know! But is that all? I walk and talk differently?"
"No." Karen said. "You're sober. Most of those horrid scoundrels- oh stop it, that's what they are -anyway, they are always intoxicated. However, you don't even smell of liquor. You don't drink much, do you?"
"Well, no." Belladonna confessed. "Rarely. Only on special occasions."
Karen gave her an almost haughty look that just said "point proven!" Belladonna sighed. "I'm leaving for the night, Karen. I'll be back later. Maybe. On second thought, don't count on it." And she left, off for a pub to find this old "friend".
Belladonna nodded, too happy to make some sarcastic remark on her sister's overly-cheerful tone. "Yes. Yes it is. I'm finally not a loner anymore ... Aah, to be on a crew. Feels like I belong somewhere, ya know?" She leaned back, fingering a lock of hair.
"Oh . well, I suppose so. Although you always belong here, Belle." Karen added meekly. Belladonna nodded distractedly. She was smiling lightly, still fondling the same lock of hair. "What are you so happy about? - Other than that, I mean." Karen asked. As bad at reading people as she was, she knew Belladonna had something else on her mind. She had her own ideas as to what, or should I say, WHO, it was.
"Nothing." Belladonna replied, dropping the lock. She yawned and stretched her arms.
"Oh." Karen replied. A slight glitter came to her eyes. "Because if you are thinking of Captain Sparrow, I already know you fancy him and he fancies you." Belladonna was stunned by sister's boldness, considering that not an hour before, she had gone stupid when her love life was even hinted at.
"I don't 'fancy' him at all, and if he 'fancies' me, he'll pay for it soon enough." Belladonna said calmly.
"Oh, come now." Karen pushed. "You can hardly take your glossy eyes off him. Whatever it is that you see in him, you're getting on his ship to get to it. Why else would anyone want to be near him, he's completely mad! What DO you see in him, anyway?"
"I don't see anything in him!" She yelled, bewildered. Where on earth did mild-mannered, simple-minded Karen get this daring idea, not to mention the courage to say it so bluntly? "Good lord, Karen!! To be honest, I'm thought to be raving mad, and he's the only one who would take me in! And if I acted dumb or flaunted anything, it was only as a bit of, well, how would you say, well, a perk, in his mind at least. I wasn't going to DO anything, if THAT'S what you thought."
Karen blinked, astonished by Belladonna's honesty and harshness.
"Oh . well yes, of course. I though you looked quite nice together, but-"She caught a look from Belladonna and quickly dropped the subject. "What WERE you thinking about?"
Belladonna sighed, rubbing her temples. Her head still was throbbing. "Visiting an old friend." She said that last two words slowly, and it was quite obvious this "friend" was not a living being. Karen, however, didn't catch that hint. Her face lighted up.
"Ooh, a friend? Can I come? I so miss the days when we used to go calling on the McKillians and the Donovans, and the lovely Fointaines, do you remember that, Belle?" She smiled with all the happiness and anticipation of a dog going for a long-needed walk. Belladonna shook her head and sighed.
"Yes, I remember those days well. Better than I'd like to. But I'm a pirate now, and if I tried to step into any of those houses, I'd be shot."
"Why? You're such a nice pirate." Karen really was thick sometimes, Belladonna thought.
"Well, not only am I, again, A PIRATE, but I've most likely played a role in stealing from all three of them before. I'd be as welcome as a plague."
"Aaah, but you're not REALLY a pirate." Spoken by anyone else, this would have insulted Belladonna. But now, she only laughed softly.
"Karen, I've stolen. I've poisoned a whole shipload of men. I've slit throats. I've given bloody noses and broken jaws. I've openly insulted government officials. I think that qualifies me as a pirate. Don't be so trusting, love." Karen opened her mouth, but she couldn't deny it.
"Well," she said slowly "You're not like the others, at least."
"Not like the others?" Belladonna asked, amused. "How so? Please, do go on."
"Well," Karen said, trying to sort it all out. "Well, you don't talk like them, for one. I've heard pirates talk. You don't sound like them,-for the most part, at least."
Belladonna held back laughter and raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean by that?"
"You speak better than them. Your speech isn't all slurred, and you have better grammar. Oooh, and you don't use their horrid pirate talk, like savvy, and matey, and, and bow and stern!"
"Karen, Bow and stern are nautical terms. They're the front and back of a ship. Your dear Commodore probably uses them everyday. They aren't 'pirate words'." Karen sat up a bit taller.
"Oh . Well, you don't walk like them either." Belladonna had to bite her lip to keep from laughing, but nodded, indicating Karen to go on. "You don't! They, well, they0 they sort of stagger along. Like Captain Sparrow! They look to be always drunk, and they walk very heavily and messily, like an elephant. But you- YOU walk like a true lady."
"I what?" She asked, omitting a giggle.
"You walk like a lady. You walk lightly, heel to toe, slight sway of the hips . It's quite lovely, actually."
"Oh, yes, of course." Belladonna said, through short, suppressed bouts of laughter.
"It isn't funny!!" Karen said indignantly. "It's TRUE!"
"Of course, I know! But is that all? I walk and talk differently?"
"No." Karen said. "You're sober. Most of those horrid scoundrels- oh stop it, that's what they are -anyway, they are always intoxicated. However, you don't even smell of liquor. You don't drink much, do you?"
"Well, no." Belladonna confessed. "Rarely. Only on special occasions."
Karen gave her an almost haughty look that just said "point proven!" Belladonna sighed. "I'm leaving for the night, Karen. I'll be back later. Maybe. On second thought, don't count on it." And she left, off for a pub to find this old "friend".
