Hey again! And welcome back to the story! As usual, I own nothing, except my original characters. Please RR so I know how i'm doing!
Bombay was a foreign land ill-prepared for pirates. But on the other hand, pirates were very outnumbered by British soldiers.
"We had better be on our guard," Jacquelyn whispered jumpily.
"Don't worry, darling, they can't possibly catch me," her father reassured her.
"They did once before," she added.
The city was dirty, filled with beggars every other pace it seemed. Little children ran around half-naked, pulling on her skirts, holding their small hands out for coins.
"I don't have anything," she said fruitlessly, shaking her head. She looked to her father for help, but he was busy shaking some of off his pistols. "Where are we going? What exactly are we doing here?" she sighed, grabbing him by the back of his shirt, catching up.
"Right now? There." He pointed to a hole-in-the-wall tavern. "We'll get a drink and then see what kind of trouble we can get into." He swaggered through the crowd to the building. Merchants were set up around the perimeter of the square, selling mostly fish or some other foul-smelling sea creatures. One of the more opulent stalls on the northern wall of the place sold brocades and other little golden trinkets. Jacquelyn told herself to go there later.
Jack looked in for a second before entering. The day had been overcast, so his eyes didn't need to adjust to the dark tavern. Mostly natives, but a few British colonists as well. And a second door in the back. Good for an escape.
"Are we going in or are we to stand out here?" his daughter smirked. He straightened himself out and walked in. The Hindoos looked up and immediately cleared a place for their light skinned patrons. It was surprisingly clean in here.
"Weigh anchor!" Cotton's interpreter screeched.
Jack turned to his daughter. "After you."
She looked around as one of the men bowed obsequiously, showing her the table. She smiled faintly and nodded as she sat.
"At least the service is admirable," the pirate drawled. His crew sat across from him, with Jacquelyn to his right. At the makeshift bar, he observed, three of four of these dark men stood talking in their language. He couldn't understand it. Jacquelyn turned to watch more men talking at one of the corner tables. They were laughing, one of them gestured wildly. Behind her there were the white men. They were eyeing the pirates suspiciously. One of them, a blonde man with a pencil moustache, was making her particularly nervous.
A pewter mug was set in front of her, to which she quickly turned her attention. By the way her father was smiling and sighing, she could guess what it was.
"They have rum here?" she asked incredulously. "We're halfway round the world!"
"Jewel in the crown, love," was muffled behind a metal tankard.
"Hail Brittania," she muttered, taking a sip. This rum was much thicker than the stuff they had on board. A movement near the door made her look up. "Speak of the devils..."
Five British soldiers strode in, quite officiously. The natives scurried about in the same manner that the crew was showed. Jack's black eyes shot to the second door.
"Jackie, love, remember when we stopped in Brazilia and I told you I never make you do that again to get us out?"
"Yes," she growled through clenched teeth. "Why?"
He batted his eyelashes at her. "You'd do anything for your father, right?"
Her jaw dropped. "You expect me to do that again? I couldn't move my arm for a week!" The soldiers were talking to the man behind the bar. One of them glanced at her, giving her the same look that the blonde man did. She blushed and stared at her flagon. "No, I've got a better idea." She rocked the table, pushing down on it. "No, I don't think this can hold me up. Let's just see if we can walk out of here this time."
"Fine! Let's go then, quickly now!" the crew stood up, eager to go on with their trip.
"Wait a moment, Captain Jack Sparrow."
"Finally, someone got it-" he blinked and winced. "-right."
One of the guards raised his rifle. One with sandy brown hair laughed. "We meet again, Sparrow. Tell me, how's your arm?"
Jack turned around. "Haven't seen you in a while, Harding."
" Leftenant Harding to you, pirate!" called one of the others. The Hindoos began to hide or run out the doors.
"I see you've gotten a little promotion for it."
"Yes, just think. I could be a Captain for bringing you in again, Sparrow."
"Mate, you couldn't do it the first time," Jack laughed. He was met with a pistol in the face.
"Oh, second time's the charm."
There was a crash of chairs breaking, and tankards clanking to the floor. The girl had fallen to the floor. Jack smiled secretly as one of the guards rushed to her side. He changed his expression as he looked suddenly shocked, trying to break away from the guard.
"Is she alright?" he asked concerned. He glanced quickly to Harding who looked unconcerned.
"I think I need to get out of here! Now!" she screamed. The soldier next to her blinked.
"Are you alright, Miss?"
"Have you- ever delivered a baby before?" she moaned. The color drained out of his face, as well as Harding's.
"What the bloody hell is going on? What did you do to her, Sparrow? She's hardly twenty!"
"She's me daughter, mate. Poor thing. Husband died in a raid."
"No doubt led by you, Sparrow," he spat. She was panting on the floor, screaming bloody murder. The soldier next to her was about ready to faint. "Well? Help her, Yewtree!"
He nodded and swallowed hard. "Um, what's your name, miss?"
"Oh God! It hurts!" she cried.
"Lovely name," he said, not knowing what else to say. "Just calm down." He hesitantly lifted the hem of her skirts, terrified of what this looked like. "Wait! I think I see something!"
Then -clank!- a metal tankard soundly came in contact with his head.
"She's one of them!" Harding shouted. But the wily pirate now had his own pistol drawn.
"Pity, I was hoping for a grandson," he said. "But I'll take that weapon from you, sir."
Harding narrowed his eyes and threw his pistol to the floor. Jacquelyn climbed to her feet, using the guard's rifle as a balance. The other guards dropped their rifles and pistols as well.
"I'll see you again, Sparrow," the leftenant sneered. "And every single one of you will be hanged. Even you, girl."
She sighed. "Again?"
The pirates backed out of the tavern and disappeared into the crowd. The parrot flew around squawking at everything.
Jack laughed nervously. "Looks like I've got another adventure on me hands."
His daughter wiped her brow. "And we'll be hanged. Oh, such a splendid place."
He laughed. "You did much better that time, love."
"I didn't hurt my arm when I fell. Didn't use my elbow." she added.
"Was very convincing."
"I had to rely on my wits this time. There wasn't a goat anywhere."
Bombay was a foreign land ill-prepared for pirates. But on the other hand, pirates were very outnumbered by British soldiers.
"We had better be on our guard," Jacquelyn whispered jumpily.
"Don't worry, darling, they can't possibly catch me," her father reassured her.
"They did once before," she added.
The city was dirty, filled with beggars every other pace it seemed. Little children ran around half-naked, pulling on her skirts, holding their small hands out for coins.
"I don't have anything," she said fruitlessly, shaking her head. She looked to her father for help, but he was busy shaking some of off his pistols. "Where are we going? What exactly are we doing here?" she sighed, grabbing him by the back of his shirt, catching up.
"Right now? There." He pointed to a hole-in-the-wall tavern. "We'll get a drink and then see what kind of trouble we can get into." He swaggered through the crowd to the building. Merchants were set up around the perimeter of the square, selling mostly fish or some other foul-smelling sea creatures. One of the more opulent stalls on the northern wall of the place sold brocades and other little golden trinkets. Jacquelyn told herself to go there later.
Jack looked in for a second before entering. The day had been overcast, so his eyes didn't need to adjust to the dark tavern. Mostly natives, but a few British colonists as well. And a second door in the back. Good for an escape.
"Are we going in or are we to stand out here?" his daughter smirked. He straightened himself out and walked in. The Hindoos looked up and immediately cleared a place for their light skinned patrons. It was surprisingly clean in here.
"Weigh anchor!" Cotton's interpreter screeched.
Jack turned to his daughter. "After you."
She looked around as one of the men bowed obsequiously, showing her the table. She smiled faintly and nodded as she sat.
"At least the service is admirable," the pirate drawled. His crew sat across from him, with Jacquelyn to his right. At the makeshift bar, he observed, three of four of these dark men stood talking in their language. He couldn't understand it. Jacquelyn turned to watch more men talking at one of the corner tables. They were laughing, one of them gestured wildly. Behind her there were the white men. They were eyeing the pirates suspiciously. One of them, a blonde man with a pencil moustache, was making her particularly nervous.
A pewter mug was set in front of her, to which she quickly turned her attention. By the way her father was smiling and sighing, she could guess what it was.
"They have rum here?" she asked incredulously. "We're halfway round the world!"
"Jewel in the crown, love," was muffled behind a metal tankard.
"Hail Brittania," she muttered, taking a sip. This rum was much thicker than the stuff they had on board. A movement near the door made her look up. "Speak of the devils..."
Five British soldiers strode in, quite officiously. The natives scurried about in the same manner that the crew was showed. Jack's black eyes shot to the second door.
"Jackie, love, remember when we stopped in Brazilia and I told you I never make you do that again to get us out?"
"Yes," she growled through clenched teeth. "Why?"
He batted his eyelashes at her. "You'd do anything for your father, right?"
Her jaw dropped. "You expect me to do that again? I couldn't move my arm for a week!" The soldiers were talking to the man behind the bar. One of them glanced at her, giving her the same look that the blonde man did. She blushed and stared at her flagon. "No, I've got a better idea." She rocked the table, pushing down on it. "No, I don't think this can hold me up. Let's just see if we can walk out of here this time."
"Fine! Let's go then, quickly now!" the crew stood up, eager to go on with their trip.
"Wait a moment, Captain Jack Sparrow."
"Finally, someone got it-" he blinked and winced. "-right."
One of the guards raised his rifle. One with sandy brown hair laughed. "We meet again, Sparrow. Tell me, how's your arm?"
Jack turned around. "Haven't seen you in a while, Harding."
" Leftenant Harding to you, pirate!" called one of the others. The Hindoos began to hide or run out the doors.
"I see you've gotten a little promotion for it."
"Yes, just think. I could be a Captain for bringing you in again, Sparrow."
"Mate, you couldn't do it the first time," Jack laughed. He was met with a pistol in the face.
"Oh, second time's the charm."
There was a crash of chairs breaking, and tankards clanking to the floor. The girl had fallen to the floor. Jack smiled secretly as one of the guards rushed to her side. He changed his expression as he looked suddenly shocked, trying to break away from the guard.
"Is she alright?" he asked concerned. He glanced quickly to Harding who looked unconcerned.
"I think I need to get out of here! Now!" she screamed. The soldier next to her blinked.
"Are you alright, Miss?"
"Have you- ever delivered a baby before?" she moaned. The color drained out of his face, as well as Harding's.
"What the bloody hell is going on? What did you do to her, Sparrow? She's hardly twenty!"
"She's me daughter, mate. Poor thing. Husband died in a raid."
"No doubt led by you, Sparrow," he spat. She was panting on the floor, screaming bloody murder. The soldier next to her was about ready to faint. "Well? Help her, Yewtree!"
He nodded and swallowed hard. "Um, what's your name, miss?"
"Oh God! It hurts!" she cried.
"Lovely name," he said, not knowing what else to say. "Just calm down." He hesitantly lifted the hem of her skirts, terrified of what this looked like. "Wait! I think I see something!"
Then -clank!- a metal tankard soundly came in contact with his head.
"She's one of them!" Harding shouted. But the wily pirate now had his own pistol drawn.
"Pity, I was hoping for a grandson," he said. "But I'll take that weapon from you, sir."
Harding narrowed his eyes and threw his pistol to the floor. Jacquelyn climbed to her feet, using the guard's rifle as a balance. The other guards dropped their rifles and pistols as well.
"I'll see you again, Sparrow," the leftenant sneered. "And every single one of you will be hanged. Even you, girl."
She sighed. "Again?"
The pirates backed out of the tavern and disappeared into the crowd. The parrot flew around squawking at everything.
Jack laughed nervously. "Looks like I've got another adventure on me hands."
His daughter wiped her brow. "And we'll be hanged. Oh, such a splendid place."
He laughed. "You did much better that time, love."
"I didn't hurt my arm when I fell. Didn't use my elbow." she added.
"Was very convincing."
"I had to rely on my wits this time. There wasn't a goat anywhere."