Disclaimer: No copyrights here. All the really good characters are owned by
Disney. I only own Ana. Guess that will have to do. Yay! I'm at my
favorite part!
As they approached the roughest part of the city, Ana's spirits lifted. It was exactly as she remembered it. It was a bustle of activity, with gunshots being fired and the smoke from the powder drifting into the air in every direction and dirty, sweaty men swaggering through the streets with tankards of ale and stale cigars. All these aromas hung in the atmosphere creating the unique aroma of Tortuga. Ana breathed it in deeply. "It's really something, isn't it, Will? You'll never experience anything quite like it," she said. Will looked around in mild indecision. "More importantly, it is indeed a sad life that has never breathed deep the sweet proliferous bouquet that is Tortuga, savvy? What do you think?" Jack added, sniffing the air and attaining a cane from a passing drunk and waving it around his vicinity. Will cocked one eyebrow and answered, "It'll linger." Ana laughed. 'He couldn't have spoken more truthfully,' she thought.
"I'll tell you mate, if every town in the world were like this one, no man would ever feel unwanted," Jack provided. A woman with tousled red hair and a dress that would have cut off circulation in any other woman approached the captain. "Scarlet!" he exclaimed delightedly. He received a sharp slap across the face. The woman marched away. "Not sure I deserved that," Jack said to his companions, moving his cheek muscles. Ana thought, 'It's more likely you did.' A smaller blonde approached the trio, one hand on her hip, "Who was she?" "Wha...?" She didn't wait for Jack to finish his reply but slapped him fully in the face and marched away just as her forerunner had done. Jack massaged his cheek, "I may have deserved that." 'I'm almost certain,' Ana thought ruefully.
"Well now that you're done meeting your welcoming committee, let's get started on why we're here," Ana declared. "Yes," Will nodded eagerly. "What's the hurry, lass?" Jack asked as he watched a voluptuous brunette walk by on the arm of an old seafarer. "Do you really want to reminisce of old times with the rest of that lot?" Ana nodded her head towards the outside wall of a tavern, by which a group of vindictive women had congregated and were eyeing Jack Sparrow with merciless eyes. "Too right, love. Best be off," and he made a leap and hurried down the street.
Jack led them to a well, one that was not currently being used to dunk a heavy balding man as the first one they had seen had been. Jack said, "Two buckets, love." "Please," she reminded him. "Please," he said dramatically. Ana picked up two wooden pails and filled them with cool water and handed one each to her male companions. "Now that's not what I was after..." Jack started but Ana cut him off, "I get the water, you two carry it. It's a fair deal." The two men shrugged and Jack began to lead them to a quieter alley.
"Where are we going?" Ana asked. "Shh!" Jack reprimanded. She scowled, 'Don't you 'shh' me, Jack Sparrow. Goodness knows it wouldn't work if I did the same to you.' They approached a shabby lean-to from the back. They could hear grunting snores coming through the thin wood. Walking around the shed, Ana's eyes nearly popped out. "It can't be!" she whispered. Surely this was not the man she had befriended while working in Tortuga some six years ago. This man was filthy, and sleeping with pigs no less. 'He's completely the opposite from when I left and I can't tell yet whether it's for better or worse,' she thought. Suddenly, Jack splashed the contents of his bucket onto the sleeping figure. Gibbs awoke with a start, drawing his pistol from his belt, "Curse you for breathing you slack jawed idiot!" His eyes focused and recognition appeared on his face. "Mother's love! Jack! You should know better than to wake a man when he's sleeping. 'S bad luck." Jack went to kneel by him, "Ah, fortunately I know how to counter it. The man who did the waking buys the man who was sleeping a drink. The man who was sleeping drinks it while listening to a proposition from the man who did the waking." Gibbs sat still, chewing these words over in his mind, and Ana stifled a giggle, 'I bet he didn't get more than the man who did the waking is going to buy him a drink.' He looked up at her, his attention drawn by the sound of her muffled laughter and said, "Aye, that'll about do it." Jack grabbed his friend's arm and pulled him to his feet. When Gibbs was fully erect, he was surprised again, this time by a splash of water from Will. Drenched from head to toe, he shouted, "Blast! I'm already awake!" Will looked confident and replied, "That was for the smell." His two companions nodded in agreement and Gibbs could find no error in the statement.
As they walked away from the lean-to, Gibbs turned and sized up Ana. "How you've grown girl. What's become of ye?" he asked. "I've been in Port Royal since I left. No traveling since a few days ago," she answered. "That so? Doesn't seem like it would suit ye," he said. "Believe me, it doesn't," she replied darkly.
They walked into a shifty looking tavern, Jack's choice. He pointed to a secluded table in a small room to the side of the bar. Gibbs took off to sit down. Ana stood in the entryway looking around mildly. This was the last place she had worked. It was a place without morals, for the lowest of the ladies of the night and the already drunk, it had no shame in hiring a thirteen year old girl to wash glasses and pour ale. The familiar sight of the place did nothing to stir any fondness inside Ana. It had paid well, but the conditions had been miserable. She was relieved she was not back to stay.
Jack came back with two mugs, one fairly larger than the other. Ana had no doubt whose was whose. Jack nodded for them to follow. As he was about to enter the room to join Gibbs he turned around to Ana and Will and said, "Keep a sharp eye." Ana nodded and positioned herself on one side of the doorway. Will took his cue from her and stood on the opposite side. It was amusing to see the goings on again. Men chasing women, women chasing men, men fighting men over the women. 'At least it's constant,' Ana thought. Ana heard Gibbs choking on his drink and turned her head slightly, but she still couldn't hear what was being said. 'I guess he's just learned of Jack's plan.' Just then, a hefty wench approached Will. He looked down at her toothless smile unsure of what to do. She had a tankard of ale and was sloshing it down her front as she bumped up against him. Will still didn't know how to react. Ana sighed and decided to rescue him before the big woman plowed him to the floor. "Excuse me, ma'am," she said politely but loud enough for the intoxicated woman to hear her. The wench looked at her as if she just realized she was there. "Watchoo won?" she slurred. Ana went nearer, "That lad over there has been eyeing you for as long I've been watching. Seems like he'd pay some bucksome wages for a chance to be graced with your company," she said, pointing to a man that was sloshing his own drink down his front, talking to himself. He more than likely did not even know the woman was in the tavern but that didn't matter, so long as she left Will and Ana alone. The fib worked, and she turned her attentions to the other man. "Thanks for that," Will whispered. "Don't mention it," she winked.
They didn't exchange words anymore. There was a constant hum of incomprehensible talk in the dim building. But clear as glass, Ana heard Jack say, "Let's just say it's a matter of leverage." Ana was startled and glanced sideways. 'Yes, he heard it too,' she thought, looking at Will's expression. 'I'll kill you, Jack. You promised.' Again the babble, drowned out the private conversation and no more could be heard. A scrawnier wench now advanced on Will. She pulled down one of the shoulders of her blouse to reveal her sickly pale shoulder. Ana's eyes narrowed. 'I know her!' The girl was making lovesick faces at Will. 'She always made my life miserable in here! Ugh, disgusting display as always,' Ana thought with extreme dislike. Suddenly there was a sound like a shot and the girl started. Will had been taken off guard too, and pulled out his sword, kicked over a table and whirled around, looking threateningly at everyone in the room. All the tavern's patrons were looking at him in uncertainty. Surely this display was entirely different than their usual bar brawls. Ana took the opportunity to put things right. She took a step over to the smaller wench and swung her fist with all her might, catching her in the jaw. The girl was out cold before she hit the tavern floor. This deed put everything inside the pub back into motion, Will's outburst forgotten.
Jack and Gibbs had finished their drinks, their mugs on the table, seemingly the source of the first commotion, and emerged from their secluded area. "About time to get to thirty six of those forty winks, savvy?" Jack said, stepping over the unconscious wench on the floor. "Let's go then," Ana said, a hint of bitterness in her voice as she, too, glanced down at the girl. She didn't care how long she stayed down there.
Back out in the open road, Ana decided to bring up the subject of supplies. "Jack, there isn't much on that ship and with bringing on a crew, there's just not enough to live off of," she explained. She spoke in a low voice as the group of vicious looking women that had migrated to follow Jack walked slowly past. "What's that?" Jack asked, watching them from the rear. "Food, Jack! We're going to need more food," she said impatiently. "Well, go buy it then," he answered. "With what?" she demanded. Jack watched a well-endowed wench walk by, his eyes following her, and said, "Use your assets." He howled in pain as Ana stomped down hard on his foot with all her might. "And just what is that supposed to be mean, Jack Sparrow?" she shouted. Hopping up and down on one leg and holding his foot, he whimpered, "Only meant that you have your own chattels, you could get the bloody things yourself." "Too right I have my own money, Jack, but I won't be spending it like that. Use my assets indeed, I know what you meant, I'll use your assets, more like. Hand it over, captain," she growled. Jack put his foot tenderly back on the ground away from Ana for fear of having it stamped upon again and gave her some of his money. "Where will we be staying?" she asked mildly, her temper subsiding now that she knew she would be using Jack's own money for things they would need. "Over there," Gibbs pointed to a small inn across the street. Jack nodded, once again holding his throbbing foot. "Alright," she said, "I'll be back before daybreak." She turned and as she walked away she heard Jack tell Gibbs and Will, "She really is just like her mother."
As they approached the roughest part of the city, Ana's spirits lifted. It was exactly as she remembered it. It was a bustle of activity, with gunshots being fired and the smoke from the powder drifting into the air in every direction and dirty, sweaty men swaggering through the streets with tankards of ale and stale cigars. All these aromas hung in the atmosphere creating the unique aroma of Tortuga. Ana breathed it in deeply. "It's really something, isn't it, Will? You'll never experience anything quite like it," she said. Will looked around in mild indecision. "More importantly, it is indeed a sad life that has never breathed deep the sweet proliferous bouquet that is Tortuga, savvy? What do you think?" Jack added, sniffing the air and attaining a cane from a passing drunk and waving it around his vicinity. Will cocked one eyebrow and answered, "It'll linger." Ana laughed. 'He couldn't have spoken more truthfully,' she thought.
"I'll tell you mate, if every town in the world were like this one, no man would ever feel unwanted," Jack provided. A woman with tousled red hair and a dress that would have cut off circulation in any other woman approached the captain. "Scarlet!" he exclaimed delightedly. He received a sharp slap across the face. The woman marched away. "Not sure I deserved that," Jack said to his companions, moving his cheek muscles. Ana thought, 'It's more likely you did.' A smaller blonde approached the trio, one hand on her hip, "Who was she?" "Wha...?" She didn't wait for Jack to finish his reply but slapped him fully in the face and marched away just as her forerunner had done. Jack massaged his cheek, "I may have deserved that." 'I'm almost certain,' Ana thought ruefully.
"Well now that you're done meeting your welcoming committee, let's get started on why we're here," Ana declared. "Yes," Will nodded eagerly. "What's the hurry, lass?" Jack asked as he watched a voluptuous brunette walk by on the arm of an old seafarer. "Do you really want to reminisce of old times with the rest of that lot?" Ana nodded her head towards the outside wall of a tavern, by which a group of vindictive women had congregated and were eyeing Jack Sparrow with merciless eyes. "Too right, love. Best be off," and he made a leap and hurried down the street.
Jack led them to a well, one that was not currently being used to dunk a heavy balding man as the first one they had seen had been. Jack said, "Two buckets, love." "Please," she reminded him. "Please," he said dramatically. Ana picked up two wooden pails and filled them with cool water and handed one each to her male companions. "Now that's not what I was after..." Jack started but Ana cut him off, "I get the water, you two carry it. It's a fair deal." The two men shrugged and Jack began to lead them to a quieter alley.
"Where are we going?" Ana asked. "Shh!" Jack reprimanded. She scowled, 'Don't you 'shh' me, Jack Sparrow. Goodness knows it wouldn't work if I did the same to you.' They approached a shabby lean-to from the back. They could hear grunting snores coming through the thin wood. Walking around the shed, Ana's eyes nearly popped out. "It can't be!" she whispered. Surely this was not the man she had befriended while working in Tortuga some six years ago. This man was filthy, and sleeping with pigs no less. 'He's completely the opposite from when I left and I can't tell yet whether it's for better or worse,' she thought. Suddenly, Jack splashed the contents of his bucket onto the sleeping figure. Gibbs awoke with a start, drawing his pistol from his belt, "Curse you for breathing you slack jawed idiot!" His eyes focused and recognition appeared on his face. "Mother's love! Jack! You should know better than to wake a man when he's sleeping. 'S bad luck." Jack went to kneel by him, "Ah, fortunately I know how to counter it. The man who did the waking buys the man who was sleeping a drink. The man who was sleeping drinks it while listening to a proposition from the man who did the waking." Gibbs sat still, chewing these words over in his mind, and Ana stifled a giggle, 'I bet he didn't get more than the man who did the waking is going to buy him a drink.' He looked up at her, his attention drawn by the sound of her muffled laughter and said, "Aye, that'll about do it." Jack grabbed his friend's arm and pulled him to his feet. When Gibbs was fully erect, he was surprised again, this time by a splash of water from Will. Drenched from head to toe, he shouted, "Blast! I'm already awake!" Will looked confident and replied, "That was for the smell." His two companions nodded in agreement and Gibbs could find no error in the statement.
As they walked away from the lean-to, Gibbs turned and sized up Ana. "How you've grown girl. What's become of ye?" he asked. "I've been in Port Royal since I left. No traveling since a few days ago," she answered. "That so? Doesn't seem like it would suit ye," he said. "Believe me, it doesn't," she replied darkly.
They walked into a shifty looking tavern, Jack's choice. He pointed to a secluded table in a small room to the side of the bar. Gibbs took off to sit down. Ana stood in the entryway looking around mildly. This was the last place she had worked. It was a place without morals, for the lowest of the ladies of the night and the already drunk, it had no shame in hiring a thirteen year old girl to wash glasses and pour ale. The familiar sight of the place did nothing to stir any fondness inside Ana. It had paid well, but the conditions had been miserable. She was relieved she was not back to stay.
Jack came back with two mugs, one fairly larger than the other. Ana had no doubt whose was whose. Jack nodded for them to follow. As he was about to enter the room to join Gibbs he turned around to Ana and Will and said, "Keep a sharp eye." Ana nodded and positioned herself on one side of the doorway. Will took his cue from her and stood on the opposite side. It was amusing to see the goings on again. Men chasing women, women chasing men, men fighting men over the women. 'At least it's constant,' Ana thought. Ana heard Gibbs choking on his drink and turned her head slightly, but she still couldn't hear what was being said. 'I guess he's just learned of Jack's plan.' Just then, a hefty wench approached Will. He looked down at her toothless smile unsure of what to do. She had a tankard of ale and was sloshing it down her front as she bumped up against him. Will still didn't know how to react. Ana sighed and decided to rescue him before the big woman plowed him to the floor. "Excuse me, ma'am," she said politely but loud enough for the intoxicated woman to hear her. The wench looked at her as if she just realized she was there. "Watchoo won?" she slurred. Ana went nearer, "That lad over there has been eyeing you for as long I've been watching. Seems like he'd pay some bucksome wages for a chance to be graced with your company," she said, pointing to a man that was sloshing his own drink down his front, talking to himself. He more than likely did not even know the woman was in the tavern but that didn't matter, so long as she left Will and Ana alone. The fib worked, and she turned her attentions to the other man. "Thanks for that," Will whispered. "Don't mention it," she winked.
They didn't exchange words anymore. There was a constant hum of incomprehensible talk in the dim building. But clear as glass, Ana heard Jack say, "Let's just say it's a matter of leverage." Ana was startled and glanced sideways. 'Yes, he heard it too,' she thought, looking at Will's expression. 'I'll kill you, Jack. You promised.' Again the babble, drowned out the private conversation and no more could be heard. A scrawnier wench now advanced on Will. She pulled down one of the shoulders of her blouse to reveal her sickly pale shoulder. Ana's eyes narrowed. 'I know her!' The girl was making lovesick faces at Will. 'She always made my life miserable in here! Ugh, disgusting display as always,' Ana thought with extreme dislike. Suddenly there was a sound like a shot and the girl started. Will had been taken off guard too, and pulled out his sword, kicked over a table and whirled around, looking threateningly at everyone in the room. All the tavern's patrons were looking at him in uncertainty. Surely this display was entirely different than their usual bar brawls. Ana took the opportunity to put things right. She took a step over to the smaller wench and swung her fist with all her might, catching her in the jaw. The girl was out cold before she hit the tavern floor. This deed put everything inside the pub back into motion, Will's outburst forgotten.
Jack and Gibbs had finished their drinks, their mugs on the table, seemingly the source of the first commotion, and emerged from their secluded area. "About time to get to thirty six of those forty winks, savvy?" Jack said, stepping over the unconscious wench on the floor. "Let's go then," Ana said, a hint of bitterness in her voice as she, too, glanced down at the girl. She didn't care how long she stayed down there.
Back out in the open road, Ana decided to bring up the subject of supplies. "Jack, there isn't much on that ship and with bringing on a crew, there's just not enough to live off of," she explained. She spoke in a low voice as the group of vicious looking women that had migrated to follow Jack walked slowly past. "What's that?" Jack asked, watching them from the rear. "Food, Jack! We're going to need more food," she said impatiently. "Well, go buy it then," he answered. "With what?" she demanded. Jack watched a well-endowed wench walk by, his eyes following her, and said, "Use your assets." He howled in pain as Ana stomped down hard on his foot with all her might. "And just what is that supposed to be mean, Jack Sparrow?" she shouted. Hopping up and down on one leg and holding his foot, he whimpered, "Only meant that you have your own chattels, you could get the bloody things yourself." "Too right I have my own money, Jack, but I won't be spending it like that. Use my assets indeed, I know what you meant, I'll use your assets, more like. Hand it over, captain," she growled. Jack put his foot tenderly back on the ground away from Ana for fear of having it stamped upon again and gave her some of his money. "Where will we be staying?" she asked mildly, her temper subsiding now that she knew she would be using Jack's own money for things they would need. "Over there," Gibbs pointed to a small inn across the street. Jack nodded, once again holding his throbbing foot. "Alright," she said, "I'll be back before daybreak." She turned and as she walked away she heard Jack tell Gibbs and Will, "She really is just like her mother."
