He entered and couldn't help noticing that its occupants were solely
what seemed to be drunken men, ages ranging probably from about fifty to
eighty. He looked at them apprehensively, but they didn't look back. The
only eyes that rested upon him were those of the young, female bartender.
Jack walked over to her. She sat on a stool, leaning against the wall, looking somewhat jaded. "Can I help you?" She asked in a bored sort of drawl.
The grizzled captain stopped dead in his tracks, for when she spoke, he felt an unnamed emotion touch him momentarily before it fleeted swiftly from his mind. He shook it off and said, "Yes, what island is this, and do you have any rum?"
She hopped off the edge of the stool as Jack sat down at the bar. "Well," she began as she poured the rum out of a bottle and into a mug, "the island has no name, dull place that it is, but our village obtains, for all we know, its only inhabitants, and the village's name is Jaded Nook- quite appropriate, if you ask me." She was saying all of this very fast as though she hadn't had anyone to talk to, or at least anyone that would really listen, for days. She shoved the mug toward him and smiled a little as she said, "So, Captain, what brings you to our remote town?"
He looked at her and grinned. "Fate, I suppose."
"Fate, huh?" she asked, leaning on the bar table. For the first time since he had entered the bar, Jack got a good look at the girl. She had long, dark hair that reached down past her shoulders and made her even darker eyes more obvious. She was wearing a casual sort of dress-something a servant might wear, even. It was a dark blue dress with small white flowers embroidered into it. It suited her, Jack thought, as he gazed upon her soft-featured face.
She continued. "I've never believed in fate myself. I mean, sure, I believe there's something that gets us from point "A" to point "B", but I don't think it's really taking us to one place specifically. In other words, we're pretty much on our own as far as our decisions are concerned."
"Well, as far as we're all concerned, we're on our own, but the question is-are we all just too proud to admit that we're not?" He took a large swig of his rum and wiped his mouth on his sleeve.
The bartender looked at him. "Maybe..." She seemed to be thinking of something to argue with in his last statement. "But... If that's true, what's to keep us from saying that there's no God?"
"Oh, for the love o'-Look, we've just taken a perfectly decent conversation and turned it into religious discussion."
"Hey, nobody forced you to argue!" She smiled.
Jack laughed, feeling happy with someone's company for the first time in what had quite possibly been weeks.
"So you're Captain Jack Sparrow..." she said to herself, bemused.
"That I am." He answered smiling, then taking another large drink of rum.
"Not at all what I expected." She added with a small laugh.
He glanced at her sharply. "What exactly were you expecting?"
She shrugged. "Oh, I don't know, really. Just someone a little more... Practical, I guess."
"Practical! Ha!" Jack laughed. "I don't live for practicality, lass, I live for adventure-freedom! That's what piracy's all about, savvy?"
She smiled. "I suppose so..."
"So, you obviously know who I am, but... Who are you?" He smiled hopefully.
She sighed. "My name is Jessica."
"Do I get a last name?" He raised an eyebrow, grinning from ear to ear.
"No." she answered flatly.
The grin vanished from his face immediately. "Do I at least get a reason?"
"You shouldn't need one." She smiled. "You honestly expect me to give my last name out to a notorious pirate?"
He smiled at her. "Fine I'll be content with Jessica for now."
She looked at him for a moment, then said, "You know, we don't usually see pirates around here."
He laughed a little and said, "I gathered that..."
"What does that mean?" She asked, sounding somewhat offended.
"If you'd seen my little teenage girl mob, you'd understand."
"Oh, them?" she laughed. "Yeah, they're like sharks once they've lived here for about a year. They smell fresh meat and they're all over it within minutes."
He smiled. "Is that a fact..." He downed the rest of his drink and said, "Well, Jessica-"
"Jessi," she corrected him. "just call me Jessi."
"Okay, then, Jessi, I think I'll take my business elsewhere. Maybe fate has dealt me a winning hand, savvy?"
She smiled. "Okay, well, it was nice to meet you."
He nodded to her and smiled. Just before walking out, he stopped and said, "I never paid you for the rum-"
"Don't worry about it." she cut him off, waving her hand in dismissal. "I get guys in here all the time who try to walk out without paying at all. It's enough payment just to know that you remembered."
"Well, of course I remembered! Captain Jack Sparrow never forgets a pretty girl." He tipped his hat and strode out of the bar, whistling to himself.
~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~
Jack walked over to her. She sat on a stool, leaning against the wall, looking somewhat jaded. "Can I help you?" She asked in a bored sort of drawl.
The grizzled captain stopped dead in his tracks, for when she spoke, he felt an unnamed emotion touch him momentarily before it fleeted swiftly from his mind. He shook it off and said, "Yes, what island is this, and do you have any rum?"
She hopped off the edge of the stool as Jack sat down at the bar. "Well," she began as she poured the rum out of a bottle and into a mug, "the island has no name, dull place that it is, but our village obtains, for all we know, its only inhabitants, and the village's name is Jaded Nook- quite appropriate, if you ask me." She was saying all of this very fast as though she hadn't had anyone to talk to, or at least anyone that would really listen, for days. She shoved the mug toward him and smiled a little as she said, "So, Captain, what brings you to our remote town?"
He looked at her and grinned. "Fate, I suppose."
"Fate, huh?" she asked, leaning on the bar table. For the first time since he had entered the bar, Jack got a good look at the girl. She had long, dark hair that reached down past her shoulders and made her even darker eyes more obvious. She was wearing a casual sort of dress-something a servant might wear, even. It was a dark blue dress with small white flowers embroidered into it. It suited her, Jack thought, as he gazed upon her soft-featured face.
She continued. "I've never believed in fate myself. I mean, sure, I believe there's something that gets us from point "A" to point "B", but I don't think it's really taking us to one place specifically. In other words, we're pretty much on our own as far as our decisions are concerned."
"Well, as far as we're all concerned, we're on our own, but the question is-are we all just too proud to admit that we're not?" He took a large swig of his rum and wiped his mouth on his sleeve.
The bartender looked at him. "Maybe..." She seemed to be thinking of something to argue with in his last statement. "But... If that's true, what's to keep us from saying that there's no God?"
"Oh, for the love o'-Look, we've just taken a perfectly decent conversation and turned it into religious discussion."
"Hey, nobody forced you to argue!" She smiled.
Jack laughed, feeling happy with someone's company for the first time in what had quite possibly been weeks.
"So you're Captain Jack Sparrow..." she said to herself, bemused.
"That I am." He answered smiling, then taking another large drink of rum.
"Not at all what I expected." She added with a small laugh.
He glanced at her sharply. "What exactly were you expecting?"
She shrugged. "Oh, I don't know, really. Just someone a little more... Practical, I guess."
"Practical! Ha!" Jack laughed. "I don't live for practicality, lass, I live for adventure-freedom! That's what piracy's all about, savvy?"
She smiled. "I suppose so..."
"So, you obviously know who I am, but... Who are you?" He smiled hopefully.
She sighed. "My name is Jessica."
"Do I get a last name?" He raised an eyebrow, grinning from ear to ear.
"No." she answered flatly.
The grin vanished from his face immediately. "Do I at least get a reason?"
"You shouldn't need one." She smiled. "You honestly expect me to give my last name out to a notorious pirate?"
He smiled at her. "Fine I'll be content with Jessica for now."
She looked at him for a moment, then said, "You know, we don't usually see pirates around here."
He laughed a little and said, "I gathered that..."
"What does that mean?" She asked, sounding somewhat offended.
"If you'd seen my little teenage girl mob, you'd understand."
"Oh, them?" she laughed. "Yeah, they're like sharks once they've lived here for about a year. They smell fresh meat and they're all over it within minutes."
He smiled. "Is that a fact..." He downed the rest of his drink and said, "Well, Jessica-"
"Jessi," she corrected him. "just call me Jessi."
"Okay, then, Jessi, I think I'll take my business elsewhere. Maybe fate has dealt me a winning hand, savvy?"
She smiled. "Okay, well, it was nice to meet you."
He nodded to her and smiled. Just before walking out, he stopped and said, "I never paid you for the rum-"
"Don't worry about it." she cut him off, waving her hand in dismissal. "I get guys in here all the time who try to walk out without paying at all. It's enough payment just to know that you remembered."
"Well, of course I remembered! Captain Jack Sparrow never forgets a pretty girl." He tipped his hat and strode out of the bar, whistling to himself.
~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~
