AN: Thanks for the reviews, guys! I'll try to make this chapter longer...
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"Yo ho ho! A pirate's life for me!" Jack said loudly, uncorking the rum.
"Shhhh!" Annamaria muttered. "The old git will hear us, and then it'll be taken away."
"What?" Jack said, "Oh - no, he won't. I've been in here several days, and he won't come down here after sundown - he'll stay upstairs with the serving lass from the Pike Arms. You can hear 'em laughing, listen." He looked at Annamaria's repulsed face. "Yeah, I think it's revolting too, luv. Fancy that old git getting some. You have to shout to get his attention if you want him down here - and let's face it, who'd want to see that ugly mug after the first time?"
Annamaria grabbed the bottle and took a gulp. Jack followed suit, and it was all he could do not to screw up his face - the rum tasted like it was about 100 proof. Still, it was rum, and after the first few gulps it'd warm you up...Annamaria, he noted, could barely swallow it either.
"This is disGUSTing!" she gasped. She took the bottle and looked quizzically at it. "If I wasn't so cold and scared, I'd be using this for naught but cleaning fluid. Remind me not to steal that brand again."
A few shots later, Jack spoke. "You scared, luv? Don't be."
"I'm terrified," Annamaria replied, "since it's not every day you get hanged."
"Well, it's not going to be tomorrow when we're hanged. You and I have got a bloody sight more pillaging and thieving in us yet, and as soon as I come up with a plan, we're out of here."
They shared the bottle a little more. Annamaria got up from the wall they were sitting against, and wandered over to the other side of the cell. Grasping the rusty iron grating, she pulled herself up to look out the window at the bay and its black, rippling sea. Finally, her upper arm strength giving out, she dropped down from the grating and leant her head against the wall. Walking back over to Jack - tipsily, she noticed - she bent over and took the bottle out of his hand to have a swig.
"Bleargh. Horrible."
Jack watched her weaving around the cell. "What's out there? Anything different?"
"Freedom." Annamaria said glumly. "And better rum. Have you -"
"I haven't got a plan yet!"
She came back over and sat down clumsily next to Jack. "I'm cold...and drunk."
Jack was a little that way himself, and said "I'm drunk too...but I'm not cold, so come and warm yourself up on me." He pulled her closer to him and kept trying to think of a plan, but other thoughts intruded. He liked this spitfire of a girl. Liked her a lot. Even if they were to be hanged tomorrow, perhaps they could have some more fun first...Jack sighed as a faint little snore came from Annamaria, and wondered whether his arm would start to go numb within the first minute, or if it would take a little longer. From across the water, the church bell rang for midnight. That is, Jack assumed it would be midnight, he didn't really know when or why the bells rang when they did. They sounded almost ghostly, coming in through the window from over the other side of the bay...Jack had heard tales of mariners sailing over ghostly cities and going mad from hearing the church bells toll. As Annamaria gave another little snore, and turned over while completely squashing Jack's hand in the process - it was numb, now - he thought that he might as well be a priest in one of those submerged cities: he seemed to be celibate enough.
A priest...now that's an interesting idea...and he was sober again.
"Annamaria!" he said, softly at first. "Annamaria, wake up, luv. I may 'ave thought of a plan that'll get us out of here."
She muttered in her sleep, and rolled off Jack's hand. Oh, thank God, he thought, smiling in the darkness and massaging his hand. However, she didn't appear to be waking up, so drastic measures were called for..."OY!"
"What...? Don't hit me, please don't hurt me...I did what you asked -" Annamaria sat up, disoriented. Her face cleared when she remembered where she was, and she quickly pulled her dress up to cover her shoulder when she saw Jack bemusedly looking at her.
"Who hits you, luv?" Jack asked, quietly.
"Oh - nobody - bad dream," she said quickly, "...So what's your plan?"
Jack grinned in the dark cell. "I may have just seen the light...converted...got a touch religious, you might say. And I think you might've, too. And that gaoler doesn't get out of bed and come down here until it's time to take the prisoners to the hanging, so we might even get a few hours head start. But we've got to attract his attention now."
Annamaria smiled back as Jack began to explain his plan.
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"Yo ho ho! A pirate's life for me!" Jack said loudly, uncorking the rum.
"Shhhh!" Annamaria muttered. "The old git will hear us, and then it'll be taken away."
"What?" Jack said, "Oh - no, he won't. I've been in here several days, and he won't come down here after sundown - he'll stay upstairs with the serving lass from the Pike Arms. You can hear 'em laughing, listen." He looked at Annamaria's repulsed face. "Yeah, I think it's revolting too, luv. Fancy that old git getting some. You have to shout to get his attention if you want him down here - and let's face it, who'd want to see that ugly mug after the first time?"
Annamaria grabbed the bottle and took a gulp. Jack followed suit, and it was all he could do not to screw up his face - the rum tasted like it was about 100 proof. Still, it was rum, and after the first few gulps it'd warm you up...Annamaria, he noted, could barely swallow it either.
"This is disGUSTing!" she gasped. She took the bottle and looked quizzically at it. "If I wasn't so cold and scared, I'd be using this for naught but cleaning fluid. Remind me not to steal that brand again."
A few shots later, Jack spoke. "You scared, luv? Don't be."
"I'm terrified," Annamaria replied, "since it's not every day you get hanged."
"Well, it's not going to be tomorrow when we're hanged. You and I have got a bloody sight more pillaging and thieving in us yet, and as soon as I come up with a plan, we're out of here."
They shared the bottle a little more. Annamaria got up from the wall they were sitting against, and wandered over to the other side of the cell. Grasping the rusty iron grating, she pulled herself up to look out the window at the bay and its black, rippling sea. Finally, her upper arm strength giving out, she dropped down from the grating and leant her head against the wall. Walking back over to Jack - tipsily, she noticed - she bent over and took the bottle out of his hand to have a swig.
"Bleargh. Horrible."
Jack watched her weaving around the cell. "What's out there? Anything different?"
"Freedom." Annamaria said glumly. "And better rum. Have you -"
"I haven't got a plan yet!"
She came back over and sat down clumsily next to Jack. "I'm cold...and drunk."
Jack was a little that way himself, and said "I'm drunk too...but I'm not cold, so come and warm yourself up on me." He pulled her closer to him and kept trying to think of a plan, but other thoughts intruded. He liked this spitfire of a girl. Liked her a lot. Even if they were to be hanged tomorrow, perhaps they could have some more fun first...Jack sighed as a faint little snore came from Annamaria, and wondered whether his arm would start to go numb within the first minute, or if it would take a little longer. From across the water, the church bell rang for midnight. That is, Jack assumed it would be midnight, he didn't really know when or why the bells rang when they did. They sounded almost ghostly, coming in through the window from over the other side of the bay...Jack had heard tales of mariners sailing over ghostly cities and going mad from hearing the church bells toll. As Annamaria gave another little snore, and turned over while completely squashing Jack's hand in the process - it was numb, now - he thought that he might as well be a priest in one of those submerged cities: he seemed to be celibate enough.
A priest...now that's an interesting idea...and he was sober again.
"Annamaria!" he said, softly at first. "Annamaria, wake up, luv. I may 'ave thought of a plan that'll get us out of here."
She muttered in her sleep, and rolled off Jack's hand. Oh, thank God, he thought, smiling in the darkness and massaging his hand. However, she didn't appear to be waking up, so drastic measures were called for..."OY!"
"What...? Don't hit me, please don't hurt me...I did what you asked -" Annamaria sat up, disoriented. Her face cleared when she remembered where she was, and she quickly pulled her dress up to cover her shoulder when she saw Jack bemusedly looking at her.
"Who hits you, luv?" Jack asked, quietly.
"Oh - nobody - bad dream," she said quickly, "...So what's your plan?"
Jack grinned in the dark cell. "I may have just seen the light...converted...got a touch religious, you might say. And I think you might've, too. And that gaoler doesn't get out of bed and come down here until it's time to take the prisoners to the hanging, so we might even get a few hours head start. But we've got to attract his attention now."
Annamaria smiled back as Jack began to explain his plan.