Chapter 12: Into the Night
"Put your braid on the inside of your shirt, Arianne. We want anyone that might see you to assume that you're just another boy," Will said quietly as they stepped out the door. Arianne nodded, a bit nervous now, and tucked the braid into her shirt. Will smiled encouragingly at her, and she managed to give him a smile back before returning to her fearful thoughts. What if Amos was out there waiting for her? What if he knew who had hit him? Oh, he likely did, Amos was a crafty creature, he would no doubt find a way to convince others that it had been Will and Jack beating her and he had only tried to rescue his darling sister...
Arianne shook her head clear of the thought, though she couldn't help but think about the punishment she would receive once she was back in his hands again. She shuddered involuntarily. Will saw it, and offered her his jacket, thinking she might be cold. She took it and huddled in it, pulling it up around her face so she could revel in the scent of him. There was a faint trace of smoke, but mostly it smelled of soap, and perhaps a bit of sweat. It wasn't at all unpleasant, however, and her mind was taken off of Amos and she indulged in fantasies of herself and Will.
Abruptly, she collided with a warm back and looked up, startled. Will reached back for her hand and squeezed it in warning before pulling her into a shadowed alley. He kept hold of her hand as two men--completely inebriated, by the sound of it--made their way by, singing loudly, each with a bottle in his hand that sounded nearly empty as liquid swished around the bottom of the jugs.
"Oy, me bo'le's gone dry!" cried one to the other in indignation.
"OH MARYANNE WAS A LUSTY LASS..." sang the other, apparently not even listening to his pal, who eventually joined up in the song as they moved on down the street. Arianne looked over at Will's profile, not being able to see much of it due to the darkness, and he looked back at her and squeezed her hand again. She thought he smiled, but couldn't be sure. He let it go as Jack led the way back onto the boarded sidewalk, apparently deciding to take a page from the drunken fellows' book. He began singing "A Pirate's Life For Me," at the top of his lungs and slurred every other word or so, and Will and Arianne moved up on either side of him and pretended to hold him steady while leading him back to his ship.
Arianne wished Will was still holding her hand. She was scared again, half expecting Amos to jump out of the next shop or alleyway and grab her. She swallowed nervously and tried to keep an expression of fond tolerance on her face as she and Will led the drunkenly staggering Jack to the Black Pearl. At one point, she almost began laughing hysterically at the whole mess, but stopped herself before she started, knowing that once she did, she wouldn't be able to stop.
When they finally reached the docks, she expected Jack to give up his act, but he didn't. In fact, he stumbled over what was presumably a rock and dragged Arianne and Will down with him, laughing maniacally the whole way. Will stood up first, and began pulling on Jack's arm, and Arianne followed his cue. Jack didn't help them at all. He became a dead weight between the two, feigning unconsciousness. Stumbling under Jack's surprising weight (he was so thin, HOW did he weigh so much?), they made their way to the Black Pearl without being noticed at all.
Will called up their identities when the query came down from the ship, and a gangplank was lowered. Jack, seeming to have suddenly regained sobriety as well as consciousness, swaggered up as Arianne and Will followed, Arianne's shoulders and ribs aching from carrying half of Jack's weight.
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Will looked at Arianne when Jack showed them to their cabin (they were to share due to a limited number of such cabins on the ship) with some worry. Her face was pale and covered with a sheen of sweat. She sat heavily on one of the bunks, breathing heavily. He sat next to her and told her to lift her shirt enough that he could see the bandages. As she did this, he noticed that she was shaking as well. Frowning, he looked at the bandages and saw red seeping through. Damn Jack anyway, he thought.
"I just need you to stay like that while I put some salve on the bruises and cuts and then put more bandages on, can you do it?" he asked gently.
She nodded, pursing her lips, the bruise on her face standing out even more clearly against her waxen face. He carefully removed the bandages, trying his best not to hurt her, though the fresh blood ensured that the cloth wasn't sticking. This task finally finished, he grabbed a clean, wet washcloth from the bucket of water at his feet and cleaned the blood off of her torso. The wounds stopped bleeding so profusely, and instead only sullenly seeped tiny droplets of blood before Will began putting the salve on the cuts. Arianne hissed in pain, but no other complaint did she make though her body was as tense as a bowstring. He finished as quickly as he could and moved on to her bruises. She relaxed a little, but tensed every time he found a sensitive spot.
When he was finally finished with everything, including fresh bandages, he told her she could drop her shirt. Looking at her face, he saw tears of relief sliding over her cheeks. She seemed helpless to stop them. He held her close gently and she wept unashamedly into his shoulder for the second time that day. He stroked her hair over and over, rocking back and forth a little bit to comfort her, damning Amos to the lowest hells, and damning her family for not stopping his cruelty. No one deserved so much pain. Except Amos, naturally. Eventually, the shaking of her body ceased and she was still against him. The hand holding tightly to his shirt relaxed and fell...to a very interesting place. He was forced to throttle his urges, realizing that she was asleep by the deep and even breathing, and instead laid her gently down on the bunk, covering her up and removing her boots.
He watched her sleep for a while, loving the peaceful expression on her face--the only time he had ever seen her at peace, he realized--before sleep decided to politely ask that he rest. Loath as he was to take his eyes off of her, he took his own boots off, removed his shirt, blew out the lantern and laid down in his own bunk, falling asleep nearly immediately.
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Jack roused those of his crew that were sleeping, telling them that they had to get out to sea. He told them of his two very important passengers, the likelihood that he himself was in trouble with the authorities and that it was very important that they get moving right away. Good-natured grumbling at being aroused soon ceased as they all worked to get the ship underway, Jack at the wheel.
When they were well out to sea, Jack gazed at the stars, wondering when his own desires would be granted. Softly, so no one else would hear, he sang the line, "Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me..."
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^.^ Two in one day, yay! Hope you're all happy!
"Put your braid on the inside of your shirt, Arianne. We want anyone that might see you to assume that you're just another boy," Will said quietly as they stepped out the door. Arianne nodded, a bit nervous now, and tucked the braid into her shirt. Will smiled encouragingly at her, and she managed to give him a smile back before returning to her fearful thoughts. What if Amos was out there waiting for her? What if he knew who had hit him? Oh, he likely did, Amos was a crafty creature, he would no doubt find a way to convince others that it had been Will and Jack beating her and he had only tried to rescue his darling sister...
Arianne shook her head clear of the thought, though she couldn't help but think about the punishment she would receive once she was back in his hands again. She shuddered involuntarily. Will saw it, and offered her his jacket, thinking she might be cold. She took it and huddled in it, pulling it up around her face so she could revel in the scent of him. There was a faint trace of smoke, but mostly it smelled of soap, and perhaps a bit of sweat. It wasn't at all unpleasant, however, and her mind was taken off of Amos and she indulged in fantasies of herself and Will.
Abruptly, she collided with a warm back and looked up, startled. Will reached back for her hand and squeezed it in warning before pulling her into a shadowed alley. He kept hold of her hand as two men--completely inebriated, by the sound of it--made their way by, singing loudly, each with a bottle in his hand that sounded nearly empty as liquid swished around the bottom of the jugs.
"Oy, me bo'le's gone dry!" cried one to the other in indignation.
"OH MARYANNE WAS A LUSTY LASS..." sang the other, apparently not even listening to his pal, who eventually joined up in the song as they moved on down the street. Arianne looked over at Will's profile, not being able to see much of it due to the darkness, and he looked back at her and squeezed her hand again. She thought he smiled, but couldn't be sure. He let it go as Jack led the way back onto the boarded sidewalk, apparently deciding to take a page from the drunken fellows' book. He began singing "A Pirate's Life For Me," at the top of his lungs and slurred every other word or so, and Will and Arianne moved up on either side of him and pretended to hold him steady while leading him back to his ship.
Arianne wished Will was still holding her hand. She was scared again, half expecting Amos to jump out of the next shop or alleyway and grab her. She swallowed nervously and tried to keep an expression of fond tolerance on her face as she and Will led the drunkenly staggering Jack to the Black Pearl. At one point, she almost began laughing hysterically at the whole mess, but stopped herself before she started, knowing that once she did, she wouldn't be able to stop.
When they finally reached the docks, she expected Jack to give up his act, but he didn't. In fact, he stumbled over what was presumably a rock and dragged Arianne and Will down with him, laughing maniacally the whole way. Will stood up first, and began pulling on Jack's arm, and Arianne followed his cue. Jack didn't help them at all. He became a dead weight between the two, feigning unconsciousness. Stumbling under Jack's surprising weight (he was so thin, HOW did he weigh so much?), they made their way to the Black Pearl without being noticed at all.
Will called up their identities when the query came down from the ship, and a gangplank was lowered. Jack, seeming to have suddenly regained sobriety as well as consciousness, swaggered up as Arianne and Will followed, Arianne's shoulders and ribs aching from carrying half of Jack's weight.
********************************
Will looked at Arianne when Jack showed them to their cabin (they were to share due to a limited number of such cabins on the ship) with some worry. Her face was pale and covered with a sheen of sweat. She sat heavily on one of the bunks, breathing heavily. He sat next to her and told her to lift her shirt enough that he could see the bandages. As she did this, he noticed that she was shaking as well. Frowning, he looked at the bandages and saw red seeping through. Damn Jack anyway, he thought.
"I just need you to stay like that while I put some salve on the bruises and cuts and then put more bandages on, can you do it?" he asked gently.
She nodded, pursing her lips, the bruise on her face standing out even more clearly against her waxen face. He carefully removed the bandages, trying his best not to hurt her, though the fresh blood ensured that the cloth wasn't sticking. This task finally finished, he grabbed a clean, wet washcloth from the bucket of water at his feet and cleaned the blood off of her torso. The wounds stopped bleeding so profusely, and instead only sullenly seeped tiny droplets of blood before Will began putting the salve on the cuts. Arianne hissed in pain, but no other complaint did she make though her body was as tense as a bowstring. He finished as quickly as he could and moved on to her bruises. She relaxed a little, but tensed every time he found a sensitive spot.
When he was finally finished with everything, including fresh bandages, he told her she could drop her shirt. Looking at her face, he saw tears of relief sliding over her cheeks. She seemed helpless to stop them. He held her close gently and she wept unashamedly into his shoulder for the second time that day. He stroked her hair over and over, rocking back and forth a little bit to comfort her, damning Amos to the lowest hells, and damning her family for not stopping his cruelty. No one deserved so much pain. Except Amos, naturally. Eventually, the shaking of her body ceased and she was still against him. The hand holding tightly to his shirt relaxed and fell...to a very interesting place. He was forced to throttle his urges, realizing that she was asleep by the deep and even breathing, and instead laid her gently down on the bunk, covering her up and removing her boots.
He watched her sleep for a while, loving the peaceful expression on her face--the only time he had ever seen her at peace, he realized--before sleep decided to politely ask that he rest. Loath as he was to take his eyes off of her, he took his own boots off, removed his shirt, blew out the lantern and laid down in his own bunk, falling asleep nearly immediately.
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Jack roused those of his crew that were sleeping, telling them that they had to get out to sea. He told them of his two very important passengers, the likelihood that he himself was in trouble with the authorities and that it was very important that they get moving right away. Good-natured grumbling at being aroused soon ceased as they all worked to get the ship underway, Jack at the wheel.
When they were well out to sea, Jack gazed at the stars, wondering when his own desires would be granted. Softly, so no one else would hear, he sang the line, "Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me..."
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^.^ Two in one day, yay! Hope you're all happy!