Jack walked through the quaint little town, and eyes followed him
every step of the way. Before long, he started to get uncomfortable and
began to apprehensively eye those who chose to look at him oddly.
Without looking where he was going, he ran into someone. "Oh, excuse me-"
"I need to see your license."
Jack looked at the man he had bumped into. It was clearly the authority in the town-he looked to be a sheriff of some sort. He was about an inch taller than Jack and also about ten years younger. He was clean-cut- a police hat on and a very prim looking uniform.
"Excuse me?" asked Jack, a bit confused.
"I need to see a license for your, um..." the police officer's lip curled. "Your ship..."
"Oh..." Jack laughed a little. "Didn't know I needed a license-"
"Well, you do, so I'm afraid until you've gotten one, you can't dock your ship in our harbor."
Jack cleared his throat a little. "Yes, um... I don't believe I ever caught your name."
The man flipped out his badge and held it about an inch from Jack's face.
Jack pulled his face back a little so he could read it. "Sheriff Arthur Rogers..." He nodded a little. "That's interesting..."
"Yes," began Sheriff Rogers, "it is interesting. Interesting that you should need a license!"
Jack thought for a moment. "Now wait a minute... Are you saying it's interesting that I should have a license because I just said, 'that's interesting' and you were trying to respond with something witty? Because I don't really understand your response, Sheriff, you'll have to excuse me, but you should have said something more along the lines of-"
"I was saying it was interesting that you should need a license to dock your boat in our harbor because it is!"
"It really isn't too interesting in my opinion, all this law stuff, it's just a way of pushing people around, if you ask me-"
"Well, I'm not asking you!" said the sheriff testily. His voice had risen and the surrounding citizens were staring at him. "I just want to know that you have a license!"
"And the fact of the matter is that I don't." Jack smiled. "So what we have ourselves dealing with now is confrontation. You say I have to have a license to dock my ship in your harbor, whereas I'm saying that all the other harbors I've docked my boat in have permitted me to do so, piracy or no piracy. It seems to me that you're doing this to act tough. But, Sheriff Arthur Rogers, if I may say so, you're coming off as nothing more than a well-to-do, dogmatic oaf."
The man's mouth fell open as Jack said all this. "Well, you may not say so! You've just broken a number of laws and I'm afraid that's going to result in your arrest! Now, if you'll come with me-"
"If I'll come with you... Well, what if I won't come with you?"
"You have no option."
"It seems to me it's a bit too late for that, you've already given me the option, savvy?"
"No I haven't! Now, in the name of the law, I order you to accompany me to the nearest prison!"
"In the name of the law, eh? Well, the law and I've never really gotten along... I don't listen to the law and, generally, the bloody law is too stubborn to listen to me. So, if you'll excuse me, I think I'll take my leave!"
That much said, he broke off into a run and raced back into the bar, locking the door tightly behind him. He glanced at Jessi, who looked oddly at him.
"Hello, Jessi." He grinned for a moment, then looked frantically out the window. He looked back at her. "Is there a back door out of here?"
"Maybe..." She said shrewdly. "In trouble already, are we?"
"Maybe..." He repeated. He smiled and walked over to the bar table where she was standing. "You don't seem too concerned for me." He frowned jokingly. "And I thought I had made a friend."
"Nobody's said that you haven't." objected Jessi. "So, did Sheriff Rogers catch you with no license?"
"Yeah, the dirty scoundrel just comes up to me and--" He stopped and looked at her oddly. "Hang on, now... How did you know?"
She shrugged. "Most pirates don't have licenses to dock their boats in uncharted harbors because most ports don't require one. Our town, however, has pretty much the strictest authority you can find anywhere in the Caribbean."
Jack's mouth gaped open. "Why didn't you tell me this? You were just planning on letting me get caught by Sheriff Arthur What's-his-name?"
"No... I figured it was fate." She smiled.
Surprising both himself and Jessi, he smiled in return. "So you do indeed have a way out of here?"
She waved her hand. "Yeah, but you won't need it."
"Why's that?"
"The town and the island are both too small for you to manage much of an escape on."
"Watch me." grinned Jack.
"I'm watching, Captain." She smirked a little.
"Well, I could use a little help."
"Help!" she laughed. "Help with what? Help with fate?" She finished with a skeptical, sarcastic note in her voice.
"Fine!" He answered. "Fine then, tell me, just how long do I have to stay in jail for not having a license?"
"No longer than two months."
"Okay then, I'll tell you what. I'll give myself up, and after two months, I'll come back and tell you what fate has done with me. I will prove to you that this island has something in store for me, whether it be my death or the missing link to happiness I've been searching for. Savvy?"
She smiled. "Savvy. For fate, then."
He stopped smiling and tipped his hat. "See you in two months." With that, he walked out of the bar. Jessi could actually see him being put under arrest and led off to the nearby jail.
~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~
Without looking where he was going, he ran into someone. "Oh, excuse me-"
"I need to see your license."
Jack looked at the man he had bumped into. It was clearly the authority in the town-he looked to be a sheriff of some sort. He was about an inch taller than Jack and also about ten years younger. He was clean-cut- a police hat on and a very prim looking uniform.
"Excuse me?" asked Jack, a bit confused.
"I need to see a license for your, um..." the police officer's lip curled. "Your ship..."
"Oh..." Jack laughed a little. "Didn't know I needed a license-"
"Well, you do, so I'm afraid until you've gotten one, you can't dock your ship in our harbor."
Jack cleared his throat a little. "Yes, um... I don't believe I ever caught your name."
The man flipped out his badge and held it about an inch from Jack's face.
Jack pulled his face back a little so he could read it. "Sheriff Arthur Rogers..." He nodded a little. "That's interesting..."
"Yes," began Sheriff Rogers, "it is interesting. Interesting that you should need a license!"
Jack thought for a moment. "Now wait a minute... Are you saying it's interesting that I should have a license because I just said, 'that's interesting' and you were trying to respond with something witty? Because I don't really understand your response, Sheriff, you'll have to excuse me, but you should have said something more along the lines of-"
"I was saying it was interesting that you should need a license to dock your boat in our harbor because it is!"
"It really isn't too interesting in my opinion, all this law stuff, it's just a way of pushing people around, if you ask me-"
"Well, I'm not asking you!" said the sheriff testily. His voice had risen and the surrounding citizens were staring at him. "I just want to know that you have a license!"
"And the fact of the matter is that I don't." Jack smiled. "So what we have ourselves dealing with now is confrontation. You say I have to have a license to dock my ship in your harbor, whereas I'm saying that all the other harbors I've docked my boat in have permitted me to do so, piracy or no piracy. It seems to me that you're doing this to act tough. But, Sheriff Arthur Rogers, if I may say so, you're coming off as nothing more than a well-to-do, dogmatic oaf."
The man's mouth fell open as Jack said all this. "Well, you may not say so! You've just broken a number of laws and I'm afraid that's going to result in your arrest! Now, if you'll come with me-"
"If I'll come with you... Well, what if I won't come with you?"
"You have no option."
"It seems to me it's a bit too late for that, you've already given me the option, savvy?"
"No I haven't! Now, in the name of the law, I order you to accompany me to the nearest prison!"
"In the name of the law, eh? Well, the law and I've never really gotten along... I don't listen to the law and, generally, the bloody law is too stubborn to listen to me. So, if you'll excuse me, I think I'll take my leave!"
That much said, he broke off into a run and raced back into the bar, locking the door tightly behind him. He glanced at Jessi, who looked oddly at him.
"Hello, Jessi." He grinned for a moment, then looked frantically out the window. He looked back at her. "Is there a back door out of here?"
"Maybe..." She said shrewdly. "In trouble already, are we?"
"Maybe..." He repeated. He smiled and walked over to the bar table where she was standing. "You don't seem too concerned for me." He frowned jokingly. "And I thought I had made a friend."
"Nobody's said that you haven't." objected Jessi. "So, did Sheriff Rogers catch you with no license?"
"Yeah, the dirty scoundrel just comes up to me and--" He stopped and looked at her oddly. "Hang on, now... How did you know?"
She shrugged. "Most pirates don't have licenses to dock their boats in uncharted harbors because most ports don't require one. Our town, however, has pretty much the strictest authority you can find anywhere in the Caribbean."
Jack's mouth gaped open. "Why didn't you tell me this? You were just planning on letting me get caught by Sheriff Arthur What's-his-name?"
"No... I figured it was fate." She smiled.
Surprising both himself and Jessi, he smiled in return. "So you do indeed have a way out of here?"
She waved her hand. "Yeah, but you won't need it."
"Why's that?"
"The town and the island are both too small for you to manage much of an escape on."
"Watch me." grinned Jack.
"I'm watching, Captain." She smirked a little.
"Well, I could use a little help."
"Help!" she laughed. "Help with what? Help with fate?" She finished with a skeptical, sarcastic note in her voice.
"Fine!" He answered. "Fine then, tell me, just how long do I have to stay in jail for not having a license?"
"No longer than two months."
"Okay then, I'll tell you what. I'll give myself up, and after two months, I'll come back and tell you what fate has done with me. I will prove to you that this island has something in store for me, whether it be my death or the missing link to happiness I've been searching for. Savvy?"
She smiled. "Savvy. For fate, then."
He stopped smiling and tipped his hat. "See you in two months." With that, he walked out of the bar. Jessi could actually see him being put under arrest and led off to the nearby jail.
~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~
