Jack walked through the streets diligently, cautiously glancing around before ducking into a dark alley. The captain silently counted the doors as he passed them, stopping instantly at the seventh. His hand swept his pocket as his eyes searched the ground, readjusting to the complete darkness until he stumbled upon a wooden box and hastily thrust the medallion into the side opening of it. He grinned to himself, returning to the corner and glancing around it, eyes wandering down the street until caught by a flash of bronze in the distance. He quietly observed the scene until the wearer disappeared inside the building when he, himself, made his way into his tavern of choice, weaving through a crowd of drunken sailors.
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Rhiannah sipped at her tea as the couple chatted at the table, her mind wandering as she scanned the room. The Baron was decorated lovely, with elaborate velveteen draperies covering the windows while the rest of the interior design remained a tasteful casual. Her glance lingered over to a table across the room, seated by a young couple attempting to make an appropriate public display of societal properness. She took particular interest in observing the young woman, who appeared slightly uncomfortable in her lover's presence despite his ambitious looks. The situation only reminded her of a similar one she had shared with the Commodore months before, causing her heart to pang with discomfort. She was quickly interrupted.
""You've been awfully quiet lately, Ms. Johnson," Will stated plainly, afterwards becoming unsure himself of where the question was headed.
Elizabeth gave him an odd look. "You've been a bit peculiar yourself, Mr. Turner," she joked.
Rhiannah still felt as if the strings of her heart were being played with carelessly, a feeling of great uneasiness washing over her. Yet she shrugged carelessly, looking at him. "I suppose one's actions may, at times, speak louder than words, Mr. Turner," her tone matching the lightness of Elizabeth's, while her eyes remained set.
Elizabeth furrowed her brow. "Are you sure you're not hungry, Rhiannah?" She asked, attempting to prescribe her friend's peculiarity.
Rhiannah recognized the effort and smiled lightly. "I'm quite fine, thanks, but I am a bit overtired…I believe I'll retire to bed early now, if you'd excuse me," she dismissed herself politely, quickly making way for the door before either protested.
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Rhiannah sat in the dim light of her cabin on the Pearl for several hours after her trip to the town, unwillingly basking in a state of self despair. She could not fight back the feeling of helplessness no matter how hard she tried to distract her mind from it, and her loneliness in the cabin added to the conflict. She was, in essence, driving herself mad.
Before she knew it, tears were flowing down her cheeks. She wiped them away in disgust, enraged at her inability to control her feelings anymore. She choked back a silent sob…she needed to get out.
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Elizabeth giggled mischievously as Will wiggled his eyebrows at her, pulling the door closed behind him and pulling her close. "It has been much too long, my love," he murmured into her ear, pulling her hair away roughly. "Much too long…"
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Rhiannah walked briskly into town from the docks, breaking gait often out of desire to move quicker. She silently cursed the corset now that she felt the complete restraint of it as she attempted to flee her own mind, weaving through the crowded street. Her eyes darted from building to building, attempting to identify the inn that she so desperately sought to find.
She finally recognized it, bursting through to doors and leaning against the counter while attempting to regain her lost breath. "Sparrow. Room? Captain…" she panted, wheezing quietly in her inability to fill her lungs.
The innkeeper smiled apologetically, gazing down upon his book. "Seven, miss. Room seven. Though I do believe the captain has—"
Rhiannah was down the hall before he had time to finish his sentence. "Jack," she called quietly, insistently knocking on the door. "Jack, are you there?"
Inside, the captain froze amid a frenzied act of desire. Even in his drunken and slightly delirious state, he recognized the voice outside of his door. The woman lying under him sensed his hesitation and pushed him off in disgust, beginning to gather her own clothing. "Payment?" she demanded.
The captain simply gestured to the table, immediately rubbing his forehead in response to the sudden throbbing sensation that overtook it. He pulled a shirt back over his damp chest and sat at the foot of the bed.
The door opened and Rhiannah moved her line of vision from the floor to straight ahead and was stunned by the person that approached. The woman gave her a cold glare and pushed her aside, leaving the door wide open to reveal the captain sitting on the bed.
The two stood staring at each other for a long moment, never breaking gaze, as if to search the other for a hint of what to do.