Disclaimer: *the plan continues to be set up because the authoress is out of ideas to write here…*
P.S. No own PotC! *sobs*
Authors Note: Well, I saw lots of good attempts, and you guys pointed out some stuff I didn't think of. I think. *scratches head* I really should've written down what I meant by the double-meaning… But, what I think it is currently was that Confidence was for: 1. The "secret" or "confidence" Kendra had with Janette. Her name and real identity, namely. 2. Kendra's confidence…overall. She comments on how Janette might have noticed that it doesn't fit with a girl the age she's supposed to be…or it could be applied to her sword fighting, her ability to sail, defend herself…any of that. Sorry this is short, but…I just needed the transition. *grins* You'll all love the next chapter…trust me.
Four-Sided Eyes
(a.k.a. Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the fangirl)
Chapter 28: Karma
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(Spriggit's POV…)
The sea is my home, is has been for almost as long as I can remember. My refuge, my solace at times.
Through times of pain, grief, even times of celebration, it has always been there.
It feels as though something is missing. What it is, I can not tell. But even staring at this newly gained bit o' shine does nothing for me.
Sighing, I pocketed the jewel and looked over my crew. Sorting through the swag, looking as happy as I've ever seen them. Odd…this booty brings them happiness, but gives nothing to me.
Shaking my head, I smiled. We had just overtaken a British merchant vessel. It was easy prey, and loaded to the brim with jewels and luxuries. It would be more difficult to sell some of these off, but it could be done. Noblemen and their desire to bring their furniture with them…
There had been quite a few upholstered pieces of furniture: chairs, foot rests, even a few couches. I had claimed a particularly comfortable seat and found it much to my liking. It was almost worthy of being a captain's chair. And just for good measure, I claimed a few more; it would make meetings with my first mate more comfortable.
No reason to pass by such an opportunity.
I stood at the helm, taking in the elements, enjoying my reign over the sea, my crew, and this ship.
Something about this ship…the identity of its previous captain, continues to plague my mind. Now that I think of it more, the rumors of a small woman and a man fitting the description that we killed both being captain is…quite odd. The man seemed sane enough, if not a little too daring for his own good. Had he simply backed down, he could have lived. I would have even been generous enough to drop him off at that detestable port, Grenada. And that lad who came running up the stairs…he keeps coming back to my mind.
He was about the same size as the one who tried to hire himself out to me.
Wait…their attire was very similar too. Practically…identical.
I tried to bring back the memories of each lad…they could be the same one. Tis doubtful, but possible.
The strange confidence behind that lad… He'd called himself Pierre. Could there be a connection between the two? Pierre had been able to maneuver the stairs, while heavily loaded down with goods, without a problem. Either the lad was very sure footed or…he could have been very used to those stairs. Which could mean that he-
"Captain Spriggit?"
"Aye?" I turned and broke out of my thoughts. Dean had been the one to bring Pierre onboard, and here he stands again.
"What shall we do about all this fog, Captain? Some of the men are calling it unnatural. There was a priest aboard that ship we raided. You don't suppose-"
"Nonsense," I snapped. Really, these men of mine. You'd think that superstition wouldn't be this prevalent amongst them… "It's merely fog. Not some punishment from an immortal being who's done nothing as far as I can see."
"Aye, Captain." Dean nodded and headed back down to the men.
Superstitions…of being punished for stealing from a priest. Honestly. The day that happens is the day I admit defeat.
The crew finally calmed and the loot was taken below deck, to be more properly divvied up at a later time. Currently, it would be wise to put more distance between ourselves and our former prey.
What had I been thinking of when Dean bothered me? Oh yes, that lad Pierre. A very curious thought. If the boy's unnatural confidence was in some way explainable…
His eyes.
Something about how he had met my gaze…it was not confidence it was…
Hatred.
What would cause a lad of his age to loathe me so? Had I offended him in the past somehow? Of all the men I'd killed in raids, none of their children had been on board. At least that I know of. And how would any of the misfortunate wives known which pirate vessel had done the deed?
His confidence on the stairs, the hatred in his eyes…
Unconsciously, I sucked in a breath. If the lad was not a lad but…
The rumors.
What if…what if the rumors were correct? And the captain was indeed two people… the accounts of the male captain were all at ports. And the woman captain pertained to the sea. If, perhaps, the woman was the small lad…her first mate could have been the man and…
There is no way. No woman captain would ever do that, nor would one look like that. There aren't that many female captains anyway, and they never amount to much. Though…I did take over the ship quite easily…
Yells from my crew tore me from my thoughts once again.
"Captain!"
"It's the Brits!"
"They've come to haunt us!"
My eyes were quickly drawn to the enormous warship rapidly catching up to us. The colors were obviously that of the British, and without a miracle I would not be able to outrun them. The fog had allowed them to sneak up behind our ship. Perhaps I should be superstitious.
"Men!" I yelled, "Prepare for battle!"
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(Jack's POV…)
Women are driving me mad. Both Pierre and Janette. Pierre continues to elude me, and Janette…is becoming a problem. I'm losing command of my crew. Definitely not a good thing. The sooner I can find the opportunity to get a ransom for her…the better.
There was a knock at the door. "Tis Jake, Captain Sparrow. I brought him to you as you ordered."
Good ol' Gibbs.
"Bring him in," I called out, not bothering to rise from my seat.
My first mate did as told and Jake, the man who dared to defy my orders, stood across from me. His pathetic attempt to mask agitation wouldn't have even fooled the greenest redcoat.
"Have a seat," I gestured to the chair across from me.
"I'd prefer to stand," he muttered.
Ah, irritable in appearance and words.
"Very well," I propped my feet up on my table and began to the questioning.
Throughout its entirety the man seemed to only get more agitated and I suppose it was understandable. He had been caught in disobeying his captain, been reprimanded by a small cabin lass, and even had his cutlass chipped. His story behind that…matched Pierre's. And this worried me.
Pierre had lied to me in the past, there was no way she couldn't have, and if Jake's story was coinciding…
"Can I go now, Captain?"
I looked up from my thoughts and nodded. "Aye, and make sure you leave the French woman alone."
He nodded. "Aye, Captain. She's too much trouble, that scrawny lass."
Alone again, I began to ponder what would be the best course of action with Pierre. The lass still hadn't told me her name…and likely would continue to tell me as many lies as she could. I could start the interrogation with that, I suppose.
"Cap'n Sparrow?"
Speak of the devil.
"Come in, lass," I called, and grinned at the miniscule enigma as she walked in.
"You wanted to see me, Cap'n Sparrow?"
"Aye, lass, take a seat." I waved my hand at the chair and she took it. She's much more at ease than the previous visitor…perhaps lying is her daily bread.
She made herself comfortable and tapped her fingers along the arms. "I assume you want to know what happened with that blighter Jake?"
"In a moment. First I'd like to ask you a few other questions."
Pierre nodded. "Ask away, Cap'n. I got nothin' to hide from you."
Sure you don't lass…
"Your real name, lass. What is it?"
She blinked at me. "Me real name? But Cap'n….you already know it. It's Pierre."
"I doubt that, lass. Raised on a pirate ship or not, no one would name a girl-child 'Pierre'."
"And what if I chose my name?" she narrowed her eyes.
Seems I've hit a soft spot.
"All right then. What about all these lies you've been telling me? I'm not so daft as to forget that you told me you were lad, while you are in fact, a lass."
Pierre sighed and slumped in the chair that was much too large for her. "I ne'er said I was a lad, Cap'n. I merely told you my name, and you took it to mean I was a lad. I 'aven't lied to you. Perhaps I've allowed you to believe wrongs assumptions…but if you think about it, I 'aven't lied to you."
This bit made me pause for a moment. Was she right? I couldn't remember her ever saying that she was a lad, nor anything else that I'd been wrong about…
"What happened with Jake? What provoked you?"
Sighing, she looked to the ceiling. "He was picking on Janette. Or rather, about to start forcin' her. I heard a scuffle and ran to see what was goin' on. I found her pinned against the wall and Jake trying to keep her quiet. So, I told him to let her go. He refused, told me mind me own business, but I stood me ground. Janette doesn't deserve to get anything like that, nor would you have liked to hear about this ordeal afterwards. So…I pulled out my cutlass and reiterated my threat. He mocked me and threw her into her room, then started trying to attack me. I defended meself. And ended up chipping his cutlass." She lowered her eyes and shrugged. "Funny how things works out, isn't it."
"Aye," I slowly nodded and watched her carefully. She had been honest as far as I could tell…but if she'd been lying her entire life…
Who am I kidding? This lass is just….a lass. She puts on a façade, more than likely just to make herself look more intimidating than she actually is. And she has fortunate luck. Am I becoming so suspicious of her that I imagine little smirks and twinkles in her eyes?
"Cap'n?" Pierre asked, now sitting up and looking alert.
I focused my eyes on her. "Aye, lass?"
"Can I go? I still haven't eaten, and I'm gettin' pretty hungry."
Almost forgotten about that. And with an appetite like hers…
I waved my hand, "Go ahead. You have my thanks for defending Janette."
"Me pleasure, Cap'n." She stood and bowed a bit. "I'm not the type to watch one of me fellow sex get assaulted and not do a thing 'bout it. G'night, Cap'n."
I watched her leave and drifted back to my thoughts. All of this effort, and I still don't understand the lass….
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Reviewer time! Yeah! Though…I'm sure you'd much rather read more Jack…but…the inspiration left me for a bit. So you'll have to suffice with what I have up there. 16 reviewers! Yeah! And four new ones! Amazing! If my numbers keep growing…*grins*
KawaiiRyu: Yep…good ol' agitated Sparrow…*grins* Kendra sure enjoys doing it. And uh…yeah…watch where you say the "d-o-l-l" comment…Kendra might um…really not appreciate that…*glances around nervously* I keep forgetting she can read and write, and thus spell… Keep up the reviews! I'll keep up the writin'!
novembergrl: No prob about reading the other stuff later. Will actually make the sequel (where Kendra's involved) make more sense…but anyways… Looking forward to reading your update…up today, huh? Crazy…
dagzer: Yeah! New guy! Or girl…*slaps self* Sorry, but anyways… I'm glad you like my style and different POV's and stuff. And well…you're not the only one who checks for updates daily…*blush* Guilty as charged… but, keep reading and reviewing, and I'll be doin' me best to keep churning them out! But…don't expect them more than weekly…unless I have sudden huge amounts of spare time and inspiration…
olio: Thanks for the hugs! And here's your next chapter…hope you liked. *waves back*
PED-sarah: *narrows eyes* I still want to figure out to not pay for author alerts…but that can wait I suppose. But, sorry about the lack of Jack. Please do realize this is a fanfic. This tale all happens because of Spriggit, and things would be much different without Janette, and well…Kendra is the one going through a lot of ordeals. She is…well…my main character…so…she gets a lot of the spotlight. Sorry.
Dark Cobweb: Thanks! And you're welcome for the tips! I'm glad I didn't come off harsh…I always worry about that…*shrug* But, keep trying…Sparrow is a tricky guy to understand…I guess.
Merrie: Welcome new reviewer! And I'm glad to hear that people enjoy reading Janette. *grins* Haven't heard that so often. But…I will try to write more Jack. He is at times harder to write than my other three characters…though Spriggit I think takes the spot as "hardest to write"…my own character…and I still don't have a feel for him! And the story's winding down no less…*sigh* Maybe I'll just have to write about his past…
Anaknusan: Congrats! I think you got what I meant…it's been a hectic week. *shrug* And thanks for the rpg tip…I'll try to do that in my um… "spare time"…which…seems to have disappeared. *sobs*
Cat Eyes1: Yep…had to put in the movie line. Almost forgot it. *grins* But glad to have you back! Glad you liked…been wondering where some of my reviewers disappear to temporarily… Maybe I should invest on tracking devices…hmm…
HealerAriel: *hands tissue to Janette, who mutters something in French* Um…I think she said "Thank you"….but…I might have to ask Kendra. Either way…thanks for the review! But…good luck on the disguise. And aye…there are times I look in the mirror and wonder "Could I pull of 'cabin boy' look?" Hmm…
TheCap'nOfTheBlackPearl: *blink* Wow…you have determination…or I can hook someone rather well. But welcome to my reviewer board! Or…whatever this is. Glad to have you! But…hope you enjoyed this! Keep reading and reviewing, and I'll keep writing!
fatfatfeet: Thanks! I'll try to stay worthy of everyone's praise. *grins*
TheSiriusSparrow: Ah, the infamous question I knew was going to come eventually…as stated above, Kendra is 4'10". Originally she was 4'7"…but a friend pointed out that…she'd be a midget and majorly deformed….so…yeah. *hugs the rum* I updated…so I can keep it?
MiseryLovesCompany: Um…I think Janette is more towards the "naïve" end, as compared to "dumb"…but that's just me. *shrugs* And…don't forget that Kendra's a girl…though most people have to stare and squint to see it.
Phedre no Delauney de Montreve: Yeah! New reviewer! Though…I don't think anyone has had such a hard name to write….gah. Had to check the spelling like five times… Is it French? Makes me think of that…. But don't die! Here's an update…hope you enjoyed it. Don't die, all right? I wouldn't want to be the cause of death…*winces*
AAR Rocks My Socks: Yeah! Glad to be of service. *bows* And worthy of being published? Wow…*blushes* I'm not so sure of this one…but thanks!
