A/N: Yay! Chapter Six! I hope we'll get farther than usual for my stories!
Thanks for everyone who reviewed, as long as you keep on giving me some
encouragement to keep this up, I'll keep writing it for you. And sorry for
the delay on Part Six. School's been getting in the way of my writing
habits.
Anything's Possible Part Six: Idle Chatter
"You look bored." Will said, looking up at Sheridan who had situated herself in the crow's nest, ironically. When Eitan and she had returned from Tortuga, giving Jack directions, she had seemed unsettled, and had decided to keep as far away from the crew of the Black Pearl as possible. When Will had called up to her, it startled her out of her reverie more quickly than she had wanted to.
"I'm looking for Nassau. The problem is, I don't know what it looks like." She looked down at him, and couldn't help but smile. He shook his head, before showing her something.
"This is a fine sword; the best I made, in my opinion." He looked up at her. "There's only one other that's exactly like it. I made it for Jack not too long ago, and I think someone as great a swordsman as Jack deserves it." His eyes held a mischief Sheridan was surprised they could hold for such a serious young man. "Although, or course, that person must prove themselves worthy of such a magnificent sword." Ah. That's what he was getting at.
Sheridan had seen Will's ritualistic three-hour daily practice with his swords that he had made, and since her fight with Norrington he had been asking her to spar with him. Although she usually refused, on this day she felt she needed to release the tension that was building up between her shoulder-blades and on the back of her neck.
With a small, stuffy sigh Sheridan slid down the rope tied to the main sail and landed neatly in front of him. "And what if I don't win your sword?" She asked. Although it was nonchalant, there was a definite hesitance in her countenance.
"I get to keep it, in case I need a sword as great as it is." Will winked at her. "Although I think I've got enough already, don't you?" He passed the sword to her. She inspected it easily, first balancing it on her fingertips before twirling it around and grabbing the hilt, making small cuts in the wind with it.
"Well, what are you waiting for?" She asked. She put the sword in a defensive position that Will matched with the correct offense.
"On the count of three, then." Will said, readying himself.
"Three." Sheridan smiled, thrusting at him quickly so that he'd lose his footing. At least, that was the response she was hoping to have, but many years of self-training with the blade had made Will quick, and he merely blinked at her in surprise, moving into the correct defensive positioning. "Pretty good," Sheridan said, "for a whelp." She smiled at him as they got ready again.
"Who are you calling a whelp?" He asked; a glimmer of annoyance in his
eyes. "I'm your elder."
"And I have the blood of a pirate." She reminded him in a sing-song
voice that could grate metal. He shook his head.
"Ready yourself, Sheridan, or I will attack." He said quietly. She
gave him a hard look of disbelief, before nodding. She established a
distance, but Will didn't move. She smiled wickedly, nodding lightly
to herself. She went into a lunge that Will easily countered. She
shook her curls out of her face, smiling at him.
"So, you know basic fencing attacks. Fine, I'll be pupil, you be
leader." She gave him a small once-over before she positioned herself
once more. Will came at her, but she stayed there, not parrying, but
not allowing herself to flinch or move away, either. He moved back,
surprised he hadn't actually hit her as he intended to do; lay a non-
fatal and easily healed wound on her shoulder to show her he could
move faster than she could; but no, they were equals at basic defense
along with basic offence.
"Once more, then." He smiled at her; a mysterious, almost all-knowing
smile. He moved again, attacking her with a straight lunge. She let
out a small snort of laughter, shaking her head. She counted mentally,
parrying his attacks, before she changed the engagement into a
riposte, extending her arm to keep Will's blade trapped and not
allowing him a counter- riposte. She changed the rules slightly from
what they should be, forcing her strength behind her movements so she
could dislodge his blade from his hands. It worked effectively,
forcing the blade to skid along the wooden top of the deck. Will
looked at her blankly, surprised.
"You're good," Sheridan said again, nodding her approval, "I just
cheated. In a fair fight, you would have won, but I wasn't intending
on playing fair." She took his blade and handed it back to him.
"You deserve both for that." He said, putting his sword back at his
side. "But thank you for fighting me." He nodded. "Tell me, where did
you learn to fight like that? Your mother?"
"Please." Sheridan said, shaking her head. "My mother's
a fencing teacher, but where do you think she learned? My dad was the
best in the city in his time." She smiled sadly.
"What happened to him?" Will asked gently.
"He and my grandfather went on a trip to Barbados for the
summer. The airplane they took,"
"Air....plane?" Will repeated, his brows knit in confusion.
"Oh, right. You don't have airplanes now, do you? Well, the
definition of an airplane is 'a powered heavier-than-air
aircraft that has fixed wings from which it derives most of its
lift'. It's a big machine, like a ship, but it floats on air.
It's hard to explain, and I only know the definition from Mr.
I'm-so-smart Daniels." She made a face, thinking about Eitan.
Will shook his head.
"You two aren't that great of allies to be left to your own
devices together." He looked at her. "You know, Eitan really
likes you, as a friend. I think you should try to be a little
softer to his condition."
"Condition? He's a nut-case over Linda, that's his condition.
Why should I care about him? It's not like he cares about me."
Will watched her, noticing the hint of remorse in her look.
"Sheridan, what exactly happened in Tortuga?" As much as she
hated to, Sheridan found herself rehashing the story of Eitan
and her trip to the pirate port. Will listened evenly, watching
Sheridan fiddle with the sword in her hand as she talked. He
noticed with a slight satisfaction that now she was acting more
like someone her age, and not like a pirate. She was a girl, but
the fortune- teller's prediction of who Sheridan would grow up
to be did not bode well for Will.
"Well?" Sheridan asked, looking at Will.
"I'd say you should have told Jack everything." He stood,
frowning. "But if we were going to catch the Shadow Cat, we'd be
going the other way...." He trailed off, going over to the
captain's quarters, pounding on the door. "Jack! Where are we
headed if we aren't catching the Cat?" The younger man asked,
his voice muffled from behind the door. Jack opened the door,
causing Will to almost fall in.
"We're going to Conejo, mate." He said, catching Will just in
time.
"Where's Conejo?" Sheridan asked, coming up behind the two men.
"The place where we'll find the correct artifacts to get you and
your friends back to your time, savvy?" He smiled. "Although
there might always be something on Conejo that we can take and
have a quick nip to Isle de la Muerta to dispose of." He winked
and smiled, showing his gold canines.
Sheridan gave him a quick, mock stern look. "Just remember
captain, I get ten percent of all your findings." She put her
hand out. "For ancestry's sake."
Jack thought, before nodding, shaking her hand. "For ancestry's
sake, love."
Anything's Possible Part Six: Idle Chatter
"You look bored." Will said, looking up at Sheridan who had situated herself in the crow's nest, ironically. When Eitan and she had returned from Tortuga, giving Jack directions, she had seemed unsettled, and had decided to keep as far away from the crew of the Black Pearl as possible. When Will had called up to her, it startled her out of her reverie more quickly than she had wanted to.
"I'm looking for Nassau. The problem is, I don't know what it looks like." She looked down at him, and couldn't help but smile. He shook his head, before showing her something.
"This is a fine sword; the best I made, in my opinion." He looked up at her. "There's only one other that's exactly like it. I made it for Jack not too long ago, and I think someone as great a swordsman as Jack deserves it." His eyes held a mischief Sheridan was surprised they could hold for such a serious young man. "Although, or course, that person must prove themselves worthy of such a magnificent sword." Ah. That's what he was getting at.
Sheridan had seen Will's ritualistic three-hour daily practice with his swords that he had made, and since her fight with Norrington he had been asking her to spar with him. Although she usually refused, on this day she felt she needed to release the tension that was building up between her shoulder-blades and on the back of her neck.
With a small, stuffy sigh Sheridan slid down the rope tied to the main sail and landed neatly in front of him. "And what if I don't win your sword?" She asked. Although it was nonchalant, there was a definite hesitance in her countenance.
"I get to keep it, in case I need a sword as great as it is." Will winked at her. "Although I think I've got enough already, don't you?" He passed the sword to her. She inspected it easily, first balancing it on her fingertips before twirling it around and grabbing the hilt, making small cuts in the wind with it.
"Well, what are you waiting for?" She asked. She put the sword in a defensive position that Will matched with the correct offense.
"On the count of three, then." Will said, readying himself.
"Three." Sheridan smiled, thrusting at him quickly so that he'd lose his footing. At least, that was the response she was hoping to have, but many years of self-training with the blade had made Will quick, and he merely blinked at her in surprise, moving into the correct defensive positioning. "Pretty good," Sheridan said, "for a whelp." She smiled at him as they got ready again.
"Who are you calling a whelp?" He asked; a glimmer of annoyance in his
eyes. "I'm your elder."
"And I have the blood of a pirate." She reminded him in a sing-song
voice that could grate metal. He shook his head.
"Ready yourself, Sheridan, or I will attack." He said quietly. She
gave him a hard look of disbelief, before nodding. She established a
distance, but Will didn't move. She smiled wickedly, nodding lightly
to herself. She went into a lunge that Will easily countered. She
shook her curls out of her face, smiling at him.
"So, you know basic fencing attacks. Fine, I'll be pupil, you be
leader." She gave him a small once-over before she positioned herself
once more. Will came at her, but she stayed there, not parrying, but
not allowing herself to flinch or move away, either. He moved back,
surprised he hadn't actually hit her as he intended to do; lay a non-
fatal and easily healed wound on her shoulder to show her he could
move faster than she could; but no, they were equals at basic defense
along with basic offence.
"Once more, then." He smiled at her; a mysterious, almost all-knowing
smile. He moved again, attacking her with a straight lunge. She let
out a small snort of laughter, shaking her head. She counted mentally,
parrying his attacks, before she changed the engagement into a
riposte, extending her arm to keep Will's blade trapped and not
allowing him a counter- riposte. She changed the rules slightly from
what they should be, forcing her strength behind her movements so she
could dislodge his blade from his hands. It worked effectively,
forcing the blade to skid along the wooden top of the deck. Will
looked at her blankly, surprised.
"You're good," Sheridan said again, nodding her approval, "I just
cheated. In a fair fight, you would have won, but I wasn't intending
on playing fair." She took his blade and handed it back to him.
"You deserve both for that." He said, putting his sword back at his
side. "But thank you for fighting me." He nodded. "Tell me, where did
you learn to fight like that? Your mother?"
"Please." Sheridan said, shaking her head. "My mother's
a fencing teacher, but where do you think she learned? My dad was the
best in the city in his time." She smiled sadly.
"What happened to him?" Will asked gently.
"He and my grandfather went on a trip to Barbados for the
summer. The airplane they took,"
"Air....plane?" Will repeated, his brows knit in confusion.
"Oh, right. You don't have airplanes now, do you? Well, the
definition of an airplane is 'a powered heavier-than-air
aircraft that has fixed wings from which it derives most of its
lift'. It's a big machine, like a ship, but it floats on air.
It's hard to explain, and I only know the definition from Mr.
I'm-so-smart Daniels." She made a face, thinking about Eitan.
Will shook his head.
"You two aren't that great of allies to be left to your own
devices together." He looked at her. "You know, Eitan really
likes you, as a friend. I think you should try to be a little
softer to his condition."
"Condition? He's a nut-case over Linda, that's his condition.
Why should I care about him? It's not like he cares about me."
Will watched her, noticing the hint of remorse in her look.
"Sheridan, what exactly happened in Tortuga?" As much as she
hated to, Sheridan found herself rehashing the story of Eitan
and her trip to the pirate port. Will listened evenly, watching
Sheridan fiddle with the sword in her hand as she talked. He
noticed with a slight satisfaction that now she was acting more
like someone her age, and not like a pirate. She was a girl, but
the fortune- teller's prediction of who Sheridan would grow up
to be did not bode well for Will.
"Well?" Sheridan asked, looking at Will.
"I'd say you should have told Jack everything." He stood,
frowning. "But if we were going to catch the Shadow Cat, we'd be
going the other way...." He trailed off, going over to the
captain's quarters, pounding on the door. "Jack! Where are we
headed if we aren't catching the Cat?" The younger man asked,
his voice muffled from behind the door. Jack opened the door,
causing Will to almost fall in.
"We're going to Conejo, mate." He said, catching Will just in
time.
"Where's Conejo?" Sheridan asked, coming up behind the two men.
"The place where we'll find the correct artifacts to get you and
your friends back to your time, savvy?" He smiled. "Although
there might always be something on Conejo that we can take and
have a quick nip to Isle de la Muerta to dispose of." He winked
and smiled, showing his gold canines.
Sheridan gave him a quick, mock stern look. "Just remember
captain, I get ten percent of all your findings." She put her
hand out. "For ancestry's sake."
Jack thought, before nodding, shaking her hand. "For ancestry's
sake, love."