About a half an hour and two miles later, Jack and Scarlet were leaning
against an alleyway wall, gasping for air. They had just run from
Barbosa's men, and that can keep you going for quite a while.
"What did," gasp, "you do," gasp, "to make Bar-" gasp, "-bosa so," gasp, "bloody angry?" Jack finally managed to get out.
"Tell yeh," gasp, "when I," gasp, "catch me breath." Scarlet gasped back.
So they leaned against the wall, gasping for air like fish out of water, and jumpy, thinking that any second Barbosa and his men were going to come pounding around the corner.
When Scarlet could finally speak without gasping between every two words, (which was sooner than Jack) she asked, "Why'd ye stay? Ye could've just as easily let go of me arm and run. That would've saved us both plenty o'trouble."
Jack nodded his head, and then shook it, still breathing hard. "Say, I don't know, ye remind me of a friend, ye had nice eyes, I didn' want ye to come of any trouble, take yer pick."
Scarlet sat and thought for a moment. "So what were ye doin', standin' under that there window? Why not another window?"
"Me'n some friends were 'avin' a coupl'a drinks an' I needed some fresh air. 'An don' look at me thataway, I was only getting' a bit of air."
Scarlet rolled her eyes. "But why right there? It's so bloody far away from th'main door. And there're plenty other windows t'stand under."
It was Jack's turn to roll his eyes. While he began to declaim his thoughts on the fact that he had not chosen that window with the intention of breaking Scarlet's fall to Scarlet, she took a good look at the pirate, for she hadn't yet had the chance to do so.
He was taller than she was, but then again, so was most everybody else. He was wearing a bandana as red as her hair, with a tri-corner hat over it. There were beads intertwined in his long black hair, and he had lots of gold teeth. His clothing seemed like that of most other pirates she had known, folded down boots, mismatched pants, shirt and vest, and a greatcoat to top it all off. Thinking on his appearance for a moment, not only did he seem familiar, but she realized that what she had been calling mismatched or common for a pirate, was really in comparison to her father, the only pirate she had really known well and liked.
Lord, I miss you dad. She thought.
"Yer not listenin'." Jack's indignant statement broke though her thoughts.
"Yer right, I'm not." Scarlet said. "Now, again, I thankee for yer help, but I must be off."
She began to walk towards the entrance of the alley, but Jack hopped up and stood in her way. "And where d'ya think yer goin', lass?" He asked.
"Back to me room at the inn." Was Scarlet's reply. She moved to step around him, but again, he got in her way.
"What I meant was, yer not goin' anywhere. Ye look strangely familiar to me. Have we ever-"
"No!" Scarlet said quickly. "No, we haven't, I'd've remembered."
"And I've never threatened ye before?"
"Again, I'd've remembered or killed ye."
"Well," Jack said, fingering his beard, "I can't put me finger on where I know ye from, and since I've let important people go in the past due t'that, yer just goin' t'have t'come wiv me, till I remember."
He said this in a manner that didn't even suggest that Scarlet had a choice in the matter.
"And if'in I don't want t'go with ye?" She asked.
"I can get ye a job on a pirate ship." Was his reply.
Which instantly changed her mind. She had been looking for a job on a ship for nearly a year now without success. So while she was daydreaming about finally getting a real pirate job, Jack ran out of the alley to investigate the boot steps he'd just heard, and came running back almost just as quickly. Unfortunately, he didn't see Scarlet's foot, so he tripped over it, falling into her and pinning her against the wall. Trying to untangle themselves, a lantern light shone into the alleyway just as Scarlet and Jack got disentangled.
Three men came up, and Scarlet expected them to start fighting, or something of that nature, but instead they began to hug and exchange backslaps with Jack, calling him "Cap'n Jack.". Then, with meaningful glances at Scarlet, they began to nudge and wink at Jack, who was turning redder by the moment. As he tried to explain why he had been found under the circumstances that he had, Scarlet overheard one of the men say to Jack,
"Where's ye find a good 'un like 'er?" Within a second Scarlet had grabbed the front of his shirt, pulled his face down to her level (which was all of 5'4") and put her gun to his head.
"I dare ye to say it again, laddie." She growled in his face. The man just stared at her, so she let go of his shirt and put the safety on her gun.
"Gents," Jack said in a slightly uncomfortable tone, "this is Scarlet. She's just as much a pirate as any of ye lads, so treat 'er like one."
One man, heavyset with gray hair and beard, began to mutter. "I know where yer goin' with this, Jack. It's cursed bad luck just to have one woman aboard. But two? Terrible bad luck to have a woman aboard."
Jack leaned over and whispered in Scarlet's ear, "Don't mind him, he's a bit superstitious."
Scarlet raised her eyebrows. "A bit?"
Jack just winked. "A'right lads, back to the Pearl. We gotta leave soon, if we're t'arrive in Port Royal by t'morrow. Hop to it!"
Then it all came back in a flood of memories. Jack had been the captain of the Black Pearl, young to be a captain at the time. She'd been disguised as a cabin boy when Barbosa led the mutiny, which her father had resisted. It had earned him a trip to the bottom of Davie Jones' locker tied by his bootstraps to a cannon, leaving Scarlet fairly defenseless and without cover. She shook her head, and resolved to go with Jack, remembering his kindness to her and her father.
Well, it could be worse, she thought. Much worse.
"What did," gasp, "you do," gasp, "to make Bar-" gasp, "-bosa so," gasp, "bloody angry?" Jack finally managed to get out.
"Tell yeh," gasp, "when I," gasp, "catch me breath." Scarlet gasped back.
So they leaned against the wall, gasping for air like fish out of water, and jumpy, thinking that any second Barbosa and his men were going to come pounding around the corner.
When Scarlet could finally speak without gasping between every two words, (which was sooner than Jack) she asked, "Why'd ye stay? Ye could've just as easily let go of me arm and run. That would've saved us both plenty o'trouble."
Jack nodded his head, and then shook it, still breathing hard. "Say, I don't know, ye remind me of a friend, ye had nice eyes, I didn' want ye to come of any trouble, take yer pick."
Scarlet sat and thought for a moment. "So what were ye doin', standin' under that there window? Why not another window?"
"Me'n some friends were 'avin' a coupl'a drinks an' I needed some fresh air. 'An don' look at me thataway, I was only getting' a bit of air."
Scarlet rolled her eyes. "But why right there? It's so bloody far away from th'main door. And there're plenty other windows t'stand under."
It was Jack's turn to roll his eyes. While he began to declaim his thoughts on the fact that he had not chosen that window with the intention of breaking Scarlet's fall to Scarlet, she took a good look at the pirate, for she hadn't yet had the chance to do so.
He was taller than she was, but then again, so was most everybody else. He was wearing a bandana as red as her hair, with a tri-corner hat over it. There were beads intertwined in his long black hair, and he had lots of gold teeth. His clothing seemed like that of most other pirates she had known, folded down boots, mismatched pants, shirt and vest, and a greatcoat to top it all off. Thinking on his appearance for a moment, not only did he seem familiar, but she realized that what she had been calling mismatched or common for a pirate, was really in comparison to her father, the only pirate she had really known well and liked.
Lord, I miss you dad. She thought.
"Yer not listenin'." Jack's indignant statement broke though her thoughts.
"Yer right, I'm not." Scarlet said. "Now, again, I thankee for yer help, but I must be off."
She began to walk towards the entrance of the alley, but Jack hopped up and stood in her way. "And where d'ya think yer goin', lass?" He asked.
"Back to me room at the inn." Was Scarlet's reply. She moved to step around him, but again, he got in her way.
"What I meant was, yer not goin' anywhere. Ye look strangely familiar to me. Have we ever-"
"No!" Scarlet said quickly. "No, we haven't, I'd've remembered."
"And I've never threatened ye before?"
"Again, I'd've remembered or killed ye."
"Well," Jack said, fingering his beard, "I can't put me finger on where I know ye from, and since I've let important people go in the past due t'that, yer just goin' t'have t'come wiv me, till I remember."
He said this in a manner that didn't even suggest that Scarlet had a choice in the matter.
"And if'in I don't want t'go with ye?" She asked.
"I can get ye a job on a pirate ship." Was his reply.
Which instantly changed her mind. She had been looking for a job on a ship for nearly a year now without success. So while she was daydreaming about finally getting a real pirate job, Jack ran out of the alley to investigate the boot steps he'd just heard, and came running back almost just as quickly. Unfortunately, he didn't see Scarlet's foot, so he tripped over it, falling into her and pinning her against the wall. Trying to untangle themselves, a lantern light shone into the alleyway just as Scarlet and Jack got disentangled.
Three men came up, and Scarlet expected them to start fighting, or something of that nature, but instead they began to hug and exchange backslaps with Jack, calling him "Cap'n Jack.". Then, with meaningful glances at Scarlet, they began to nudge and wink at Jack, who was turning redder by the moment. As he tried to explain why he had been found under the circumstances that he had, Scarlet overheard one of the men say to Jack,
"Where's ye find a good 'un like 'er?" Within a second Scarlet had grabbed the front of his shirt, pulled his face down to her level (which was all of 5'4") and put her gun to his head.
"I dare ye to say it again, laddie." She growled in his face. The man just stared at her, so she let go of his shirt and put the safety on her gun.
"Gents," Jack said in a slightly uncomfortable tone, "this is Scarlet. She's just as much a pirate as any of ye lads, so treat 'er like one."
One man, heavyset with gray hair and beard, began to mutter. "I know where yer goin' with this, Jack. It's cursed bad luck just to have one woman aboard. But two? Terrible bad luck to have a woman aboard."
Jack leaned over and whispered in Scarlet's ear, "Don't mind him, he's a bit superstitious."
Scarlet raised her eyebrows. "A bit?"
Jack just winked. "A'right lads, back to the Pearl. We gotta leave soon, if we're t'arrive in Port Royal by t'morrow. Hop to it!"
Then it all came back in a flood of memories. Jack had been the captain of the Black Pearl, young to be a captain at the time. She'd been disguised as a cabin boy when Barbosa led the mutiny, which her father had resisted. It had earned him a trip to the bottom of Davie Jones' locker tied by his bootstraps to a cannon, leaving Scarlet fairly defenseless and without cover. She shook her head, and resolved to go with Jack, remembering his kindness to her and her father.
Well, it could be worse, she thought. Much worse.