Chapter 9
We reached Tortuga later that day, after the sun had set but there was still a bit of light. I leaned over the side, squinting at the many tiny lights from the shore. Drunken laughter, indistinguishable voices, and gunshots. My arms pricked with goose bumps. I jumped when Jack laid a hand on my shoulder.
"You don't have to go if you don't want to, love," he said softly. I slapped his hand away roughly.
"I don't mean to stay here," I said coldly, still not trusting him. He gave me a quick grin, his gold and silver teeth glinting for a split second. Then he jumped over the side and into the lowered lifeboat. He turned to look back up at me, and held out his hands. With a sigh, I followed suit, rocking the boat slightly as I landed and clinging to his arms. Will landed on his arm, and cursed for a bit before settling down. Jack grabbed the paddles and began to row us to shore.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"...More importantly, it is indeed a sad life that has never breathed deep the sweet proliferous bouquet that is Tortuga, savvy? What do you think?" "It'll linger," Will commented. I stared as a wagon rumbled past, dragging a man by the ankles screeching his lungs out. Will grasped my wrist keeping me close. I stared at a woman whose dress was so tight her breasts were practically popping out. A man beneath her drank whiskey from his mug and the leaky barrel he leaned against. He was soaked and grimy. A man leered at me wickedly, and I inched closer to Will. Jack turned to Will and punched his arm playfully. "I'll tell you mate, if every town in the world were like this one, no man would ever feel unwanted," he said, completely serious. I spied a prostitute with dark red hair tied atop her head and too much make-up marching over to us. Jack turned and smiled. "Scarlet!" he cried happily. She smacked him smartly across the face and swished away quickly. "Not sure I deserved that," Jack mumbled, cracking his jaw into place.
Another prostitute walked up to him, this one a blonde with bright red lipstick and bright cheeks. He smiles at her. "Giselle!"
She nods at the retreating redhead. "Who is she?" she asks smartly.
"Whu?" SMACK! She marches away in a huff. Jack thinks for a minute. "I may have deserved that. But never mind! We aren't here for the prostitutes! Come with me, Will."
He led my brother and I to a well, grabbing a pail and lowering it. "Get a bucket full of water," he instructs. Will drops his bucket and I have to fish it out. It takes a while, and Jack is very impatient, playing with his sword and poking me with it. I slap him across the face when we finally have our buckets.
"I understand why they do that now," I said. He made a face and motioned for us to follow him behind a barn. Three hogs lie beneath a sorry excuse for a tarp, and a snoring old man sleeps leaned against him. Jack throws him bucket of water at him. The hogs snort and make hog noises, the same as the man.
"Curse you for breathing, you slack jawed idiot!" he bellows, squinting to see who threw the water. His eyes widen. "Mother's love! Jack! You should know better then to wake a man when he's sleeping." He shakes his head at him. "'S bad luck."
Jack raises a finger. "Ah, fortunately I know how to counter it." He squats down opposite the man. "The man who did the waking buys, the man who was sleeping, a drink. The man who was sleeping drinks it while listening to a proposition from the man who did the waking." The man grins. "Aye, that'll about do it." He reaches out a hand, and Jack pulls him up, then steps aside as Will threw his bucketful at him. He shakes his head and water droplets fly. "BLAST! I'M ALREADY AWAKE!" he hollers. "That was for the smell," Will says. The man opens his mouth to say something, then shrugs and nods his head. Jack nods to me, and I throw my water at him. The dirty man is now completely soaked. "WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR?" "You weren't completely clean yet." ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Will and I stand outside a room in a tavern. Jack returns with three mugs. He hands one to me (filled with cold water) and turns to Will, looking around at the hollering, brawling men and women scattered about the small main room. "Keep a sharp eye," he says softly, then leaves. Will motions for me to listen in. I hand him my mug and inch closer. "Now, what's the nature of this 'venture your'n?" the man asked pleasantly, taking a gulp from his mug. "I'm going after the Black Pearl," Jack replies. The man chokes and sets his mug down, astonished into silence. "I know where it's gonna be, and I'm gonna take it." "Jack." he almost whispers. "It's a fool's errand. Well, you know better than me the tales of the Black Pearl."
"That's why I know what Barbossa's up to," Jack replies. "All I need is a crew." "From what I hear tell of Captain Barbossa, he's not a man to suffer fools nor strike a bargain with one." "Then it's a good thing I'm not a fool then, aye?" "Prove me wrong. What makes ye think Barbossa will give up his ship to you?" "Let's just say it's a matter of leverage, aye?" Will turns his head at this, and I push him back. My breath is short, my heart is racing, but I keep away. The man grunts in confusion. Jacks beads clatter in his hair. The man still doesn't get it. Jack makes impatient noises, the clacking more insistent. "The kids?" the man asked, obviously confused. "Those are the twin children of Bootstrap Bill Turner," Jack says importantly. "His only children. Savvy?" "Are they now?" the man's voice is greedy and cunning. "The girl, she's a fine thing to look at, ain't she?" "Keep your mind off her," Jack advises, his voice suddenly sharp. "Leverage says you," the man says, backing down immediately. "I think I feel a change in the wind says I. I'll find us a crew. There's bound to be some sailors on this rock crazy as you." His voice is full of giddiness. "One can only hope." Jack's mug clinks. "Take what you can." "Give nothing back," the man finishes. They clank their mugs, swallow it all down, and bang them on the table in unison.
We reached Tortuga later that day, after the sun had set but there was still a bit of light. I leaned over the side, squinting at the many tiny lights from the shore. Drunken laughter, indistinguishable voices, and gunshots. My arms pricked with goose bumps. I jumped when Jack laid a hand on my shoulder.
"You don't have to go if you don't want to, love," he said softly. I slapped his hand away roughly.
"I don't mean to stay here," I said coldly, still not trusting him. He gave me a quick grin, his gold and silver teeth glinting for a split second. Then he jumped over the side and into the lowered lifeboat. He turned to look back up at me, and held out his hands. With a sigh, I followed suit, rocking the boat slightly as I landed and clinging to his arms. Will landed on his arm, and cursed for a bit before settling down. Jack grabbed the paddles and began to row us to shore.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"...More importantly, it is indeed a sad life that has never breathed deep the sweet proliferous bouquet that is Tortuga, savvy? What do you think?" "It'll linger," Will commented. I stared as a wagon rumbled past, dragging a man by the ankles screeching his lungs out. Will grasped my wrist keeping me close. I stared at a woman whose dress was so tight her breasts were practically popping out. A man beneath her drank whiskey from his mug and the leaky barrel he leaned against. He was soaked and grimy. A man leered at me wickedly, and I inched closer to Will. Jack turned to Will and punched his arm playfully. "I'll tell you mate, if every town in the world were like this one, no man would ever feel unwanted," he said, completely serious. I spied a prostitute with dark red hair tied atop her head and too much make-up marching over to us. Jack turned and smiled. "Scarlet!" he cried happily. She smacked him smartly across the face and swished away quickly. "Not sure I deserved that," Jack mumbled, cracking his jaw into place.
Another prostitute walked up to him, this one a blonde with bright red lipstick and bright cheeks. He smiles at her. "Giselle!"
She nods at the retreating redhead. "Who is she?" she asks smartly.
"Whu?" SMACK! She marches away in a huff. Jack thinks for a minute. "I may have deserved that. But never mind! We aren't here for the prostitutes! Come with me, Will."
He led my brother and I to a well, grabbing a pail and lowering it. "Get a bucket full of water," he instructs. Will drops his bucket and I have to fish it out. It takes a while, and Jack is very impatient, playing with his sword and poking me with it. I slap him across the face when we finally have our buckets.
"I understand why they do that now," I said. He made a face and motioned for us to follow him behind a barn. Three hogs lie beneath a sorry excuse for a tarp, and a snoring old man sleeps leaned against him. Jack throws him bucket of water at him. The hogs snort and make hog noises, the same as the man.
"Curse you for breathing, you slack jawed idiot!" he bellows, squinting to see who threw the water. His eyes widen. "Mother's love! Jack! You should know better then to wake a man when he's sleeping." He shakes his head at him. "'S bad luck."
Jack raises a finger. "Ah, fortunately I know how to counter it." He squats down opposite the man. "The man who did the waking buys, the man who was sleeping, a drink. The man who was sleeping drinks it while listening to a proposition from the man who did the waking." The man grins. "Aye, that'll about do it." He reaches out a hand, and Jack pulls him up, then steps aside as Will threw his bucketful at him. He shakes his head and water droplets fly. "BLAST! I'M ALREADY AWAKE!" he hollers. "That was for the smell," Will says. The man opens his mouth to say something, then shrugs and nods his head. Jack nods to me, and I throw my water at him. The dirty man is now completely soaked. "WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR?" "You weren't completely clean yet." ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Will and I stand outside a room in a tavern. Jack returns with three mugs. He hands one to me (filled with cold water) and turns to Will, looking around at the hollering, brawling men and women scattered about the small main room. "Keep a sharp eye," he says softly, then leaves. Will motions for me to listen in. I hand him my mug and inch closer. "Now, what's the nature of this 'venture your'n?" the man asked pleasantly, taking a gulp from his mug. "I'm going after the Black Pearl," Jack replies. The man chokes and sets his mug down, astonished into silence. "I know where it's gonna be, and I'm gonna take it." "Jack." he almost whispers. "It's a fool's errand. Well, you know better than me the tales of the Black Pearl."
"That's why I know what Barbossa's up to," Jack replies. "All I need is a crew." "From what I hear tell of Captain Barbossa, he's not a man to suffer fools nor strike a bargain with one." "Then it's a good thing I'm not a fool then, aye?" "Prove me wrong. What makes ye think Barbossa will give up his ship to you?" "Let's just say it's a matter of leverage, aye?" Will turns his head at this, and I push him back. My breath is short, my heart is racing, but I keep away. The man grunts in confusion. Jacks beads clatter in his hair. The man still doesn't get it. Jack makes impatient noises, the clacking more insistent. "The kids?" the man asked, obviously confused. "Those are the twin children of Bootstrap Bill Turner," Jack says importantly. "His only children. Savvy?" "Are they now?" the man's voice is greedy and cunning. "The girl, she's a fine thing to look at, ain't she?" "Keep your mind off her," Jack advises, his voice suddenly sharp. "Leverage says you," the man says, backing down immediately. "I think I feel a change in the wind says I. I'll find us a crew. There's bound to be some sailors on this rock crazy as you." His voice is full of giddiness. "One can only hope." Jack's mug clinks. "Take what you can." "Give nothing back," the man finishes. They clank their mugs, swallow it all down, and bang them on the table in unison.