The view from the behind the counter of "The Three Dead-Men" in was no
different than that of any night. Men, nearly all of them pirates, sat at
the tables, drinking happily. Some sat in secluded areas in two's or
three's discussing secret missions or things of that sort, others gathered
in large groups, talking, singing, and laughing heartily. A few would
occasionally somehow insult one another and a brawl would break out, but
those uninvolved continued their business obliviously, being quite
accustomed to it. Jack sighed and rested his chin on his palm.
"You're looking thoroughly bored, Jack," came a sweet voice from behind him. Jack turned to see a very attractive, blonde, young woman smiling from behind a great deal of makeup.
"Ah, hello Cecily," he smiled back. "You look nice."
"Thank you," she replied sweetly. "Got to look good tonight, what with the whole boatful of potential clients shipping in... Speaking of which, I suppose I'd best get to work, eh?" Jack smiled bashfully and nodded as she scanned the crowd of rowdy men apprehensively. "Too bad none of them look to be as a sweet a boy as you are."
Jack blushed but he grinned impishly at the ideas that comment gave him. "Yes, t'is indeed a pity," he agreed, his face quickly transforming into a wistfully sympathetic countenance. "But looking on the bright side, I actually happen to be, in fact, as sweet a boy as I am."
"'Fraid yer a bit young fer me, love," she laughed, patting him on the head as she headed out into the crowd. "But I daresay, you'll be a real charmer when yer older."
The twelve year old grinned after her, watching her approach a table of pirates, giggling and flirting with the eager men, all of whom looked about twice her age, hairy, and dirty, sweaty, balding, fat, grimy and all of them quite drunk... "The poor girls'd probably swarm the first pretty man to walk into this place," he mumbled to himself.
His thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a very drunk man flying on top of the counter. The man grumbled incoherently, and Jack made out the words "Jerry," "pushed," "big toe" "bastard," and "rum." This last word, at least, made perfect sense to the boy and he promptly shoved a tankard into the man's hand and helped lift him up and back on his feet.
As if nothing had happened, his thoughts continued where they left off. It seemed perfectly clear to him that if a man came along that could be a pirate and still manage to be attractive, the world would be a very welcoming place indeed. That was what the world was lacking: a handsome rogue, a dashing outlaw--a pretty pirate. He giggled at the thought. And really, this routine's gone on long enough. I mean, these old men are 'avin all the fun! Supposin' I switch thins' up a bit..? I wonder what they'd do... He grinned to himself and shrugged, as if deciding there was nothing to lose, and following his impulse, swaggered toward the nearest table and clambered up, standing proudly on his dirty bare feet as the attention of the room turned to him.
"Hey! Hey everybody! Look at me!" He smiled at the confused faces stared up at him. "Now, as most people 'ere probably know, I'm Jack Thompson and I been working 'ere all my life. Up until this moment, I 'ave been nothing' but a bartender and busboy, but that's all about to change. I'm giving up my place at the bar for a much more affluent position and I be up 'ere now to announce to you: my grand debut... For you see, 'ere in Tortuga, children are raised knowing they're not really of any use until around the age fourteen, fifteen, or... or twelve, savvy? And seein' as I'm twelve years into my life this year, I've decided it's high time I take up the family business."
He paused dramatically, letting the words sink in. A few sniggers commenced, followed by a great deal of laughter and amused applause. Jack grinned loudly and raised his hands for silence once more. "Now, don't judge too swiftly, I think it's an inspired idea, meself. I mean, there's loads of women for the men to choose from, but it seems to me, for the mos' part, the men are the ones 'avin' all the fun. And I say, where's the fairness in that, eh? Ladies?" A few women cheered, humoring him. "Thanky kindly, ladies. Ya see?" he asked the rest of the audience, gesturing persuasively. "Men can buy women, but what are the women supposed to buy? Other women? Well, I mean, some of them migh' take to that, you never know-- but as for the majority: I'm yer man, savvy?" He held out his arms welcomingly and was met with a great deal of cheering and laughing. "Come now, 'oo'll have me? Cecily?"
Cecily, from her perch on a pirate's lap across the room, smiled at him and shook her head, covering her eyes with her hand in amused exasperation.
"He wouldn't be able to reach her bodice!" cried one man, answered by a great roar of laughter.
Jack pouted a little in reply, shouting back, "I don't appreciate comments like that, sir! You'll be makin' all me clients change their minds and be leavin' me penniless. Unless of course, that was your intent, and you mean to keep me all to yerself, in which case, I'm not one to judge another's preferences no matter 'ow strange and I suppose I can't be picky about me customers, so I'll meet you upstairs at whatever time's best for ya."
The man looked turned red at that, and started to rise angrily, but a few men near him restrained him, trying not to laugh. Jack surveyed the room proudly and feeling he had just about finished amusing himself, and made to hop down off the table and trot back over to his position behind the counter, when another voice, sounding highly amused, shouted, "Someone get this kid a beer!"
Jack smiled and turned to see the speaker, who smiled back and beckoned him over to his bench. Jack made his way through the crowded tables, which were returning to their former states before the interruption and examined his new friend. He was a very tall man, with deeply bronzed skin, coarse black hair, and shocking light blue eyes that shone against his dark features. His face had a stern look to it, like a bird of prey, with its high cheek bones, defined chin and slightly curved nose. Jack, suddenly feeling a bit shy and intimidated, sat down across from the man, who was smiling broadly, his bright eyes shining with mirth. Jack looked up at him, and realized from the man's attire that he must be a great pirate captain. His mother's words from early that morning came back to him and he suddenly gasped and blurted out, "You're Captain Maynard Hawk, aren't you?"
"You're looking thoroughly bored, Jack," came a sweet voice from behind him. Jack turned to see a very attractive, blonde, young woman smiling from behind a great deal of makeup.
"Ah, hello Cecily," he smiled back. "You look nice."
"Thank you," she replied sweetly. "Got to look good tonight, what with the whole boatful of potential clients shipping in... Speaking of which, I suppose I'd best get to work, eh?" Jack smiled bashfully and nodded as she scanned the crowd of rowdy men apprehensively. "Too bad none of them look to be as a sweet a boy as you are."
Jack blushed but he grinned impishly at the ideas that comment gave him. "Yes, t'is indeed a pity," he agreed, his face quickly transforming into a wistfully sympathetic countenance. "But looking on the bright side, I actually happen to be, in fact, as sweet a boy as I am."
"'Fraid yer a bit young fer me, love," she laughed, patting him on the head as she headed out into the crowd. "But I daresay, you'll be a real charmer when yer older."
The twelve year old grinned after her, watching her approach a table of pirates, giggling and flirting with the eager men, all of whom looked about twice her age, hairy, and dirty, sweaty, balding, fat, grimy and all of them quite drunk... "The poor girls'd probably swarm the first pretty man to walk into this place," he mumbled to himself.
His thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a very drunk man flying on top of the counter. The man grumbled incoherently, and Jack made out the words "Jerry," "pushed," "big toe" "bastard," and "rum." This last word, at least, made perfect sense to the boy and he promptly shoved a tankard into the man's hand and helped lift him up and back on his feet.
As if nothing had happened, his thoughts continued where they left off. It seemed perfectly clear to him that if a man came along that could be a pirate and still manage to be attractive, the world would be a very welcoming place indeed. That was what the world was lacking: a handsome rogue, a dashing outlaw--a pretty pirate. He giggled at the thought. And really, this routine's gone on long enough. I mean, these old men are 'avin all the fun! Supposin' I switch thins' up a bit..? I wonder what they'd do... He grinned to himself and shrugged, as if deciding there was nothing to lose, and following his impulse, swaggered toward the nearest table and clambered up, standing proudly on his dirty bare feet as the attention of the room turned to him.
"Hey! Hey everybody! Look at me!" He smiled at the confused faces stared up at him. "Now, as most people 'ere probably know, I'm Jack Thompson and I been working 'ere all my life. Up until this moment, I 'ave been nothing' but a bartender and busboy, but that's all about to change. I'm giving up my place at the bar for a much more affluent position and I be up 'ere now to announce to you: my grand debut... For you see, 'ere in Tortuga, children are raised knowing they're not really of any use until around the age fourteen, fifteen, or... or twelve, savvy? And seein' as I'm twelve years into my life this year, I've decided it's high time I take up the family business."
He paused dramatically, letting the words sink in. A few sniggers commenced, followed by a great deal of laughter and amused applause. Jack grinned loudly and raised his hands for silence once more. "Now, don't judge too swiftly, I think it's an inspired idea, meself. I mean, there's loads of women for the men to choose from, but it seems to me, for the mos' part, the men are the ones 'avin' all the fun. And I say, where's the fairness in that, eh? Ladies?" A few women cheered, humoring him. "Thanky kindly, ladies. Ya see?" he asked the rest of the audience, gesturing persuasively. "Men can buy women, but what are the women supposed to buy? Other women? Well, I mean, some of them migh' take to that, you never know-- but as for the majority: I'm yer man, savvy?" He held out his arms welcomingly and was met with a great deal of cheering and laughing. "Come now, 'oo'll have me? Cecily?"
Cecily, from her perch on a pirate's lap across the room, smiled at him and shook her head, covering her eyes with her hand in amused exasperation.
"He wouldn't be able to reach her bodice!" cried one man, answered by a great roar of laughter.
Jack pouted a little in reply, shouting back, "I don't appreciate comments like that, sir! You'll be makin' all me clients change their minds and be leavin' me penniless. Unless of course, that was your intent, and you mean to keep me all to yerself, in which case, I'm not one to judge another's preferences no matter 'ow strange and I suppose I can't be picky about me customers, so I'll meet you upstairs at whatever time's best for ya."
The man looked turned red at that, and started to rise angrily, but a few men near him restrained him, trying not to laugh. Jack surveyed the room proudly and feeling he had just about finished amusing himself, and made to hop down off the table and trot back over to his position behind the counter, when another voice, sounding highly amused, shouted, "Someone get this kid a beer!"
Jack smiled and turned to see the speaker, who smiled back and beckoned him over to his bench. Jack made his way through the crowded tables, which were returning to their former states before the interruption and examined his new friend. He was a very tall man, with deeply bronzed skin, coarse black hair, and shocking light blue eyes that shone against his dark features. His face had a stern look to it, like a bird of prey, with its high cheek bones, defined chin and slightly curved nose. Jack, suddenly feeling a bit shy and intimidated, sat down across from the man, who was smiling broadly, his bright eyes shining with mirth. Jack looked up at him, and realized from the man's attire that he must be a great pirate captain. His mother's words from early that morning came back to him and he suddenly gasped and blurted out, "You're Captain Maynard Hawk, aren't you?"