With one hand on his pistol and the other gripped tightly about the hilt of his cutlass, Jack rose to his feet with more than slight difficulty, and took several steps toward the sound of even footfalls, which was now echoing hollowly in the night. "Show yourself, ye mangy scoundrel!" Jack bellowed, and the hand holding his pistol tensed in anticipation. The footsteps stopped, and Jack waited apprehensively, because truth be told, he was far too drunk to get into any kind of serious brawl and come out on top.
"Jack? I should have expected that you would be drunk." Will Turner, spitting image of his father, Bootstrap Bill, moved into the moonlight where Jack could see him. He was dressed less like the nobleman he had seemed sure to become and more like the pirate that Jack knew was in his blood. His clothing, similar to Jack's own but all in brown and muslin, was becoming worn and faded. His balduric now boasted of a sharply curved cutlass with a fine silver handle, crafted by his own hand, undoubtedly. His hair was longer, and pieces of it were held back with a leather strap while others hung down wildly around his face. But, the said face had changed little. To Jack, Will looked more like an innocent teenager playing pirate than a strong, daring young man capable of handling anything the world threw at him. Still, he had seen Will in action, and knew better than to underestimate the lad.
Unable to stop the toothy grin which was forming on his face at Will's unexpected appearance, Jack dropped his pistol back into its holster and took a few unsteady steps toward Will, who was also now smiling with a characteristic twinkle in his chestnut eyes. Jack clapped him hard on the shoulder, happier than he had been in months just at the mere sight of his friend, though of course he would never admit it. "What are ye doing in Tortuga, lad? And where, pray tell, is your bonnie lass?"
At this last question, Will's demeanor changed so suddenly that Jack, even in his rum-induced splendor, narrowed his eyes in surprise. In an instant, Will pulled away from him and leaned against the railing of the deck. If he was trying to look unaffected by the question, he was doing a poor job of it, Jack thought. "I came to Tortuga alone, and I was looking for you, actually." The tone of Will Turner's voice made it quite clear that any further discussion of the topic was off limits.
Jack stared, then shook his head and came to lean on the rail beside Will, looking at the younger man with a furrowed brow. "Did she leave ye because you're a eunuch, lad?"
Maybe it was supposed to be a joke, but it was doubtful that Jack even realized what he was saying, anyway. And Will wasn't laughing. In fact, he seemed to withdraw further into himself, and his mood only darkened. Jack, oblivious to the change in mood, laughed in amusement at his question until he spared a glance at Will's rigid posture. He sobered up quickly, and met Will's dark eyes with his own kohl-rimmed gaze. Even pitifully drunk, Jack had a piercing look to his eyes that spoke of his adventures and experiences, and in the darkness his wild hair, full of bones and beads and trinkets, only added to his ethereal quality. Will hesitantly held his gaze, relieved to see the seriousness in Jack's eyes that meant all teasing and lightheartedness was over for the moment. "What happened, Will?"
Part of Will's mind wanted to spill out all of the details of his life since Jack had left, but another part of him desperately wished to forget those very details and just continue forward in his plan without ever looking back. He faltered for words and looked away, feeling his throat tighten. He did not want to discuss this subject at all, and certainly not now with a drunken pirate captain to witness his emotions.
"I don't want to discuss it." There. He had said it. Risking a glance to Jack, he was surprised to find the pirate regarding him almost sympathetically before a mask of indifference fell across his face.
"Then don't." Jack gave a light shrug and reached behind a crate near the railing, rummaging around for several moments until he obviously found what he was looking for, and withdrew it with a smile. "Here… have a drink, lad. Cures everything."
And before Will could protest, a large bottle of rum was pressed into his hands. Jack held another bottle, and was drinking from it unsteadily, spilling most of it on the deck of the ship. Will watched him for a few moments, but didn't make a move to drink from his own bottle.
"You are so drunk, Jack." He murmured.
Jack glanced at him out of the corner of his eye and grinned, gold teeth and brown eyes flashing in the dim light. "Aye, lad. But not half as drunk as you're going to be come morning."