Chapter Twelve: Information Wrangling
When the ship docked in Tortuga, Reanna pulled Mr. Gibbs aside. "Mr. Gibbs, I would like for you to take me to the bar where you met your friend."
"Aye, Captain, but I ain't entirely sure which one it was. I was kicked outta several places that night." The man looked sheepish. "I don't rightly remember what all I said, either."
Reanna sighed. Mr. Gibbs' drinking problem was quite the nuisance, but he had been one of her father's most loyal crew members, so she felt she owed him a certain amount of tolerance. She checked her belt pouch, and found it to be relatively full. "Come on then," she said, more than a bit of irritation coloring her tone. "We'll visit them all if we have to."
Indeed they did have to enter every tavern that Mr. Gibbs had been kicked out of, and in order for Reanna to get any information out of the bartenders she had to buy a drink. The first time this happened, she actually tasted the rum, and was so revolted by the swill that she instead gave it to Mr. Gibbs. From that point on, she let Mr. Gibbs drink what she had to buy in order to get the information. Most of the stories were the same, Mr. Gibbs had been there, he had been drinking alone, had too much, and so the bar tenders kicked him out.
By the time they had left the tenth bar, Mr. Gibbs was staggeringly drunk and her purse was growing ever thinner. It was just as well that Reanna had gotten the names of all the bars out of him before they had ever left the ship. Finally entering the last tavern that Mr. Gibbs had indicated, Reanna was decidedly tired of buying him drinks. She instead walked straight up to the bartender and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt.
"You had better tell me what I want to know," she growled, "And I'm bloody well not going to buy any of your foul liquor unless you have some damned good information for me."
The man stared at her, dumbfounded. Who was this woman? He had never seen her in here before, and his bar got quite a bit of pirates. She must be a new one, he mused, and from her attitude she was a captain as well. His friends would be interested to know this, but first he had to survive her apparent wrath.
"Whaddya wanna know?" he asked.
"You see my friend here, right?" she asked, deceptively sweet.
"Yeh, I remember him, he comes here a lot. Hasn' bin here in a while, though."
"The last time he was here, was he drinking alone?"
"Nah, firs' time I'd seen him with anyone other than that Jack Sparrow character. This 'un was a weirdo, totally bald and only had one eye, and bought yer friend's drinks. Didn' even cover up the empty socket with a patch."
"Yes, and when did they leave?" she asked, her eyes sparking with something that the poor man could not name.
"They didn', the creep bought a room and took 'im upstairs. Didn' see 'em again 'til the next mornin'."
"Have you seen that man since that night?"
"Yeah, matter o' fact I have, what's it to ye?"
She shook the man a little and then brought his face close to her own. "I want to know everything you know about the man," she snarled.
"Why?" the bartender asked, more frightened than he had been before.
"Because he nixed certain...friend...of mine, and I'd like to ask him a few questions. Not that I needed to give you that information. Now tell me everything you know!" she said, nearly shouting and puncuating the last six words with violent shakes of the man's body.
Just wanting the crazy woman--and what female pirate wasn't crazy?-- to let go of him, he told everything he knew, albeit that wasn't much. The man kept pretty much to himself--even drank alone except the one time he had bought the lady pirate's friend all that rum.
When she left--without buying a drink--the bartender grew angry that he had been manhandled by a mere woman. Sure, it was easy enough for her to waltz into a bar and catch a man off guard, but what if she were surrounded by men a foot taller than she was and strong to boot? He would definitely have to tell his friends about this new woman pirate, he thought to himself as his patrons mocked him for how easily he had given up what little he knew.
His friends should enjoy having their way with such a lovely woman, and they would reward him well for his tip-off.
Reanna took Mr. Gibbs back to the Pearl, not trusting him to find his own way back without first stopping at every bar along the way and telling anyone who would listen about the night's work. It was bad enough that she had had to go into so many places where many people were drinking themselves stupid, but none of them knew who she was and she didn't want anyone finding out before she was ready for them to know. Mr. Gibbs would undoubtedly spill the whole tale of how Jack had died and left his one and only daughter his ship...Reanna shuddered.
After leaving Mr. Gibbs in the capable hands of Ana Maria and the elves, she went back into the odoriferous city. She had inherited her mother's fastidiousness and hated the smelly and stickiness of the wretches that populated the isle, but at the same time she felt elated that she walekd among them and not an eye turned towards her that wasn't curious as to who this newcomer was.
Of course, she had been to Tortuga before...but her father had never let her step foot of his ship in the duration of the stay. She explored the various streets and alleys, bars and brothels, hardly looking for anything in particular. Several hours later--it was well into the night and Tortuga was just beginning to liven up--she saw a bald head in the crowd milling through the streets. She attempted to follow, but when it turned into an alley she lost it.
As she stood in the middle of the dead end alley, trying to figure out where the person could possibly have disappeared to, she heard several footsteps come up behind her. Turning, she found that she was confronted by six tall men with bulging muscles. They all glared down at her menacingly, and some made lewd faces at her. She kept her face calm, but inwardly she was panicking. They were blocking the only exit! How was she supposed to get past these hulking brutes?
She swallowed nervously as one of them stepped towards her, reaching a giant hand out as though to grab her.
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Oooh, bad me, lol! What a cliffhanger! Poor Reanna, what will happen to her now? 'Twould be a shame if she were to die before she found Jack's murderer, eh? Well, you guys are just going to have to wait to find out! Lol!
When the ship docked in Tortuga, Reanna pulled Mr. Gibbs aside. "Mr. Gibbs, I would like for you to take me to the bar where you met your friend."
"Aye, Captain, but I ain't entirely sure which one it was. I was kicked outta several places that night." The man looked sheepish. "I don't rightly remember what all I said, either."
Reanna sighed. Mr. Gibbs' drinking problem was quite the nuisance, but he had been one of her father's most loyal crew members, so she felt she owed him a certain amount of tolerance. She checked her belt pouch, and found it to be relatively full. "Come on then," she said, more than a bit of irritation coloring her tone. "We'll visit them all if we have to."
Indeed they did have to enter every tavern that Mr. Gibbs had been kicked out of, and in order for Reanna to get any information out of the bartenders she had to buy a drink. The first time this happened, she actually tasted the rum, and was so revolted by the swill that she instead gave it to Mr. Gibbs. From that point on, she let Mr. Gibbs drink what she had to buy in order to get the information. Most of the stories were the same, Mr. Gibbs had been there, he had been drinking alone, had too much, and so the bar tenders kicked him out.
By the time they had left the tenth bar, Mr. Gibbs was staggeringly drunk and her purse was growing ever thinner. It was just as well that Reanna had gotten the names of all the bars out of him before they had ever left the ship. Finally entering the last tavern that Mr. Gibbs had indicated, Reanna was decidedly tired of buying him drinks. She instead walked straight up to the bartender and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt.
"You had better tell me what I want to know," she growled, "And I'm bloody well not going to buy any of your foul liquor unless you have some damned good information for me."
The man stared at her, dumbfounded. Who was this woman? He had never seen her in here before, and his bar got quite a bit of pirates. She must be a new one, he mused, and from her attitude she was a captain as well. His friends would be interested to know this, but first he had to survive her apparent wrath.
"Whaddya wanna know?" he asked.
"You see my friend here, right?" she asked, deceptively sweet.
"Yeh, I remember him, he comes here a lot. Hasn' bin here in a while, though."
"The last time he was here, was he drinking alone?"
"Nah, firs' time I'd seen him with anyone other than that Jack Sparrow character. This 'un was a weirdo, totally bald and only had one eye, and bought yer friend's drinks. Didn' even cover up the empty socket with a patch."
"Yes, and when did they leave?" she asked, her eyes sparking with something that the poor man could not name.
"They didn', the creep bought a room and took 'im upstairs. Didn' see 'em again 'til the next mornin'."
"Have you seen that man since that night?"
"Yeah, matter o' fact I have, what's it to ye?"
She shook the man a little and then brought his face close to her own. "I want to know everything you know about the man," she snarled.
"Why?" the bartender asked, more frightened than he had been before.
"Because he nixed certain...friend...of mine, and I'd like to ask him a few questions. Not that I needed to give you that information. Now tell me everything you know!" she said, nearly shouting and puncuating the last six words with violent shakes of the man's body.
Just wanting the crazy woman--and what female pirate wasn't crazy?-- to let go of him, he told everything he knew, albeit that wasn't much. The man kept pretty much to himself--even drank alone except the one time he had bought the lady pirate's friend all that rum.
When she left--without buying a drink--the bartender grew angry that he had been manhandled by a mere woman. Sure, it was easy enough for her to waltz into a bar and catch a man off guard, but what if she were surrounded by men a foot taller than she was and strong to boot? He would definitely have to tell his friends about this new woman pirate, he thought to himself as his patrons mocked him for how easily he had given up what little he knew.
His friends should enjoy having their way with such a lovely woman, and they would reward him well for his tip-off.
Reanna took Mr. Gibbs back to the Pearl, not trusting him to find his own way back without first stopping at every bar along the way and telling anyone who would listen about the night's work. It was bad enough that she had had to go into so many places where many people were drinking themselves stupid, but none of them knew who she was and she didn't want anyone finding out before she was ready for them to know. Mr. Gibbs would undoubtedly spill the whole tale of how Jack had died and left his one and only daughter his ship...Reanna shuddered.
After leaving Mr. Gibbs in the capable hands of Ana Maria and the elves, she went back into the odoriferous city. She had inherited her mother's fastidiousness and hated the smelly and stickiness of the wretches that populated the isle, but at the same time she felt elated that she walekd among them and not an eye turned towards her that wasn't curious as to who this newcomer was.
Of course, she had been to Tortuga before...but her father had never let her step foot of his ship in the duration of the stay. She explored the various streets and alleys, bars and brothels, hardly looking for anything in particular. Several hours later--it was well into the night and Tortuga was just beginning to liven up--she saw a bald head in the crowd milling through the streets. She attempted to follow, but when it turned into an alley she lost it.
As she stood in the middle of the dead end alley, trying to figure out where the person could possibly have disappeared to, she heard several footsteps come up behind her. Turning, she found that she was confronted by six tall men with bulging muscles. They all glared down at her menacingly, and some made lewd faces at her. She kept her face calm, but inwardly she was panicking. They were blocking the only exit! How was she supposed to get past these hulking brutes?
She swallowed nervously as one of them stepped towards her, reaching a giant hand out as though to grab her.
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Oooh, bad me, lol! What a cliffhanger! Poor Reanna, what will happen to her now? 'Twould be a shame if she were to die before she found Jack's murderer, eh? Well, you guys are just going to have to wait to find out! Lol!