The Blade of Captain Sparrow
Chapter 4
The pirates attacked the chicken with suitably piratical glee, tearing at it ferociously and revealing teeth that were not in the finest state of dental health.
"Msh dfhae sfadflne," announced Griggs, his mouth decidedly stuffed with meat.
"Now now, I don't want t'hear any more of that fowl language," Jack replied, waving his drumstick expressively. A small piece of meat flew off and hit Cotton's parrot, which blinked, shifted its feet, and announced 'Rattle my bones!' After a moment Jack turned to Griggs again. "Mind sayin' that so a normal human could possibly understand?"
"It's good chicken," Griggs replied, and went back to eating. Pausing suddenly, he looked up at Elizabeth. "Now I'm assuming ye aren't staring at me because of my overwhelming machismo, lass," he told her.
Elizabeth blinked, then blushed. "Oh-- no...it's only that-- didn't you once sail under Norrington? I remember you..."
"Oh, aye, I sailed with the Navy men for a bit. But it's a pirate's life for me, eh?" he shrugged. "Washed up on Tortuga and got meself a place there, an' after that respectability seemed to be beyond all recall or desire. Too much work anyways."
"That sounds remarkably like me own story," Jack cut in, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "Free of the rabid armadillos, of course..."
Will blinked. "Can armadillos have rabies?"
"Oh, aye," Jack nodded, vehemently. "I assure you they can. And...well, ye don't want to know anythin' more."
After that there was only the sound of chewing for a few moments.
"So, erm," Elizabeth began to Anamaria, awkwardly. "Do you really...pillage and plunder and rifle and loot, extort and ravage and all that?"
Anamaria nodded, swallowing quickly. "Aye, that sounds like a fair job description-- but Jack's not s' violent as some. Ye've nothing t'fear; s'long as ye're an able-bodied crewmate," she grinned and motioned to her breasts, and Elizabeth blushed. "...an' ye don't think yerself above yer duties, then ye'll get along fine."
Elizabeth exhaled slightly, feeling a slight tremble of- not fear, but...nervousness? Trepidation? Something quite different? -she couldn't place it...begin in the pit of her stomach. The Black Pearl was her home now...for the second time, and this time around she had made a decidedly more auspicious beginning.
~*~
"Cap'n! Ship sighted on the starboard side! An' she's a good 'un!" Griggs called, gluing his spyglass to his eye.
"Give me that," Jack demanded, giving Annamaria the helm and snatching the spyglass. He leaned forward, lurching slightly. "Aye...there...riding quite marvelously low in the water. What a beauty!" He whistled and grinned, showing his gold teeth. "...It's our citizenly duty to help lighten her load, don't ye think? Ah yes. Never let it be said we don't do fer others. We're courteous pirates!"
Anamaria tapped Elizabeth on the shoulder, and the other woman looked up from pulling at the ropes, panting slightly.
"Ye're first pirate raid," the seasoned piratess said, looking at Elizabeth with an expression that was hard to read. "Don't worry." she grinned. "I'll help ye."
Elizabeth straightened, smoothing out the wrinkles in her britches out of habit. "Thanks."
~*~
Jack turned to Will. "If you say 'avast' e'en once, mate, I might have to kill you. Savvy?"
Will nodded, looking slightly mutinous.
~*~
Lord Hilloverdaleworthforthington lounged about on the deck of the H.M.S Requiescent, eating bonbons and padding his already overlarge stomach.
"Slave," he called in his deeply apathetic voice, summoning the abused-looking small black girl that stood fanning him, "bring me my other wig. The powder isn't white enough on this one."
As she scurried away, he yawned widely and popped another chocolate into his mouth, settling back onto the divan that occupied most of the deck.
"Loverkins," his wife Lady Deppingforthham-Hilloverdaleworthforthington said sleepily, "did you hear something?"
Lord Hilloverdaleworthforthington shook his head, then lay back, exhausted from such strenuous physical activity.
Then the pirates attacked.