Disclaimer: At one time, Sparrow was mine, I hid him in my hat, but he
escaped and once again he is owned by Disney, damn the bad luck. You
people know I don't own this, keep up.
Elf: Leave them alone and write before I take your cookie.
Authoress: Don't threaten my cookie, or I'll edit you out of existence, don't think I won't do it.
Elf: Gulp, O.k., just please write, people are getting frustrated.
Thanks:
SugarNSpikes: Thank you for your high praise, we're grateful, rock on buddy.
Strange Bird
Chapter Six Negotiations
Jack followed the female captain through her cabin door and closed it behind him. For a moment they both stood there in an awkward silence, staring at each other. Her dark brown gaze boring into his own piercing stare.
Then he swayed out of his hip-cocked position and formed a swaggering bow, his arm extended towards the chair behind the desk. Amused at the gesture, she played the charming, but frightening smile that she'd toppled many a captain with.
She hadn't lied; Scarlet wasn't going to try what she had with Brookes. That ghastly man had moved on her before she'd even had the chance to start on him. She'd led him on until the moment of opportunity had arisen.
Sporting such a smile, she knew she wouldn't tumble the captain of the Black Pearl, but it was nice to soften those you might need to attack.
Jack could see what his hostess (A.N. Wanna twinkie) was doing; yet it was still effective. It made her the grass on the other side, wanted, but hard to attain.
Captain Scarlet moved towards the seat. She did not walk gracefully as he might have expected, but she did indeed use the warriors stance as he'd imagined.
When she turned around and noticed he himself was not being seated, she gestured, once again like a woman presiding over a garden party, towards the chair opposite hers, "My esteemed Captain, though I am very much aware through experience or gossip of the birds, how much easier it is to appear intimidating while standing, please do me the courtesy of being seated while we converse."
Jack, far from being struck by her words, found them delightful, and he found his verbal track easy enough, a thing he valued, "Besides my obvious passion for the pleasures of me ship, the only thing I enjoy more is the pleasing of such fine women as yerself, savvy?" once again quirking his eyebrow as insignia of unclean thoughts, not expecting to startle her, but seeing it as camaraderie.
With that last bit of banter he seated himself in the chair, hitching his right leg over the armrest.
She sat down fluidly, leaning back and resting her hands carelessly on the arms of her chair, her eyes shifting slowly inside the kohl. As she started to speak she took off the hat, placing it on the desk and running her fingers backwards through it to dispel the stiffness, "Now, I believe you said you wished to speak with me, or were you just saying that to keep my crew from shooting you, they would have you know, my permission or not."
"Yes, me most int'r'sting lass, I wish to discuss with ye an on sea alliance. I see you on the sea, I help you if you need it, or I pass with just a tip 'o' me hat. You see me, you help if I need it, or pass on with just a curtsy. One of use needs reinforcements in a ... project... the other is obliged to come. Most basically, I just be wantin' peace with ye, savvy?"
Scarlet smiled, not the seductive Captain smile, but a genuine smile of amusement, it looked to Jack like it wasn't used often, like it was more often replaced with manufactured smiles used for certain purposes, "Captain Sparrow, you truly do surprise me. I knew you weren't one of the usual "Juliet marries Paris" kind of men, so to speak, but I was faithful your intentions were eventual.
Jack lost her near the end of the sentence, he'd understood the reference, but wasn't really sure how it applied to him, "How so, Mademoiselle Free?"
Now her eyebrows arched in surprise, once again the expression looked as rare and dusty as his loyalty to the crown, "First of all, "Monsieur" Sparrow, call me Captain, or don't expect the same from me.
"Now, as I'm sure you're aware, women Captains are more plentiful in the Caribbean than fish these days, but unlike their scalely counterparts, these women remain captains of their destinies usually little more than a year after their maiden voyage. Then love strikes and what's hers is his and what's his is his. I, my little bird friend, am a rarity."
She stood from the chair and walked over to the barrel on the floor, "A drink Captain Sparrow, or do you drink the air, like your namesake?" "I've no objection the taste of alcohol every so often, if ye ken?"
She nodded and took out two tankards from a drawer to the left. Scarlet still seemed abstract, but now she moved like she wanted a fight, just to relieve her anger. She handed him one of the tankards and he questioned her, "Tell me Captain Scarlet, how're you a rarity, I've seen many a woman in the sea."
"Ahh, so have I, but I have yet to meet one who's been the captain of a ship for fifteen years." Her hand came to rest on the interior wall of her ship, "Captain Sparrow, I built my Ruby with my own hands, and I've been her captain without interruption since."
"Well, aye, that explains yer endangered status, but how would that change my intentions?"
"If you'll excuse my bluntness, Captain, men are unerringly greedy. To most male eyes, a beautiful ship like my Ruby captained by a woman for so long is sacrilegious. They seek to court, bed, and woo me, as a means to gain my ship.
"Many a man has died where you sit for seeking such a purpose. I don't take kindly to it. To speak the truth, as bees tell it, with a sting, I had every intention of killing you if you tried that, which I expected you too, you didn't. Lucky you."
"Aye, 'tis a strange breed of luck that stays wi' me so long. But fear not for the sting Captain Free, many a person, man 'er woman, has threatened to kill me."
"Dear Captain Sparrow, that is where our differences end, many threats of death, but obviously not even one of them has carried through. Honestly, my story would be believable if only one person would hold to their threat of death."
Jack cocked his head, like a dog listening for its master. The paradoxes presented by that sentence would have to be thought over at one time, but for now he just nodded his head, "Aye, so true, but now, do we have a truce, or shall we simply go at each other and see who drops first."
"I accept your truce, its reasonable and fair, not to mention I get the notion that we could have more fun as friends than foes."
They stood up and both moved for the door, Jack tilting his head back and away to drain the remaining liquid in his tankard, and then placing it on the desk. Scarlet grinned at his nonchalance at her potential status as an enemy, drained her glass as well, and without pause, placed it ever so naturally on the floor about four feet in front of the door, "Shall we ascend Captain Sparrow?"
"Certainly." Two different calloused hands reached for the door handle, meeting the other half way. These hands led to forearms, which led to elbows, which then went on to shoulders, then necks, each of these stemming a head of it's respective gender.
A dark brown gaze lined in black met black lined brown eyes. Silence ruled all for its whole minute of fame. Stillness. Tension. Both heads, one male, one female, leaned towards each other. Red lips met pale pink ones, both sun dried and toughened.
The clanking of beads was the only sound. With a ferocity that is only leant to pirate captains and fighting soldiers, the bandanna resting on beaded hair was shoved askew by tan fingers searching out the planes of a face.
The tri-cornered hat resting on curled hair of brown hit the floor with a muffled thump as ringed hands ran themselves through the strands, stopping to twine in the curls.
With a gasp, their mouths parted, and they looked at each other. With a sigh that broke the tension that seems bred for such situations, Scarlet reached down to pick up her hat, "This would be an interesting route to explore later, but now, we have crews to attend to, shall we go forth?"
Jack fixed his bandanna, flashed a golden grin, and nodded, "Aye."
Elf: Leave them alone and write before I take your cookie.
Authoress: Don't threaten my cookie, or I'll edit you out of existence, don't think I won't do it.
Elf: Gulp, O.k., just please write, people are getting frustrated.
Thanks:
SugarNSpikes: Thank you for your high praise, we're grateful, rock on buddy.
Strange Bird
Chapter Six Negotiations
Jack followed the female captain through her cabin door and closed it behind him. For a moment they both stood there in an awkward silence, staring at each other. Her dark brown gaze boring into his own piercing stare.
Then he swayed out of his hip-cocked position and formed a swaggering bow, his arm extended towards the chair behind the desk. Amused at the gesture, she played the charming, but frightening smile that she'd toppled many a captain with.
She hadn't lied; Scarlet wasn't going to try what she had with Brookes. That ghastly man had moved on her before she'd even had the chance to start on him. She'd led him on until the moment of opportunity had arisen.
Sporting such a smile, she knew she wouldn't tumble the captain of the Black Pearl, but it was nice to soften those you might need to attack.
Jack could see what his hostess (A.N. Wanna twinkie) was doing; yet it was still effective. It made her the grass on the other side, wanted, but hard to attain.
Captain Scarlet moved towards the seat. She did not walk gracefully as he might have expected, but she did indeed use the warriors stance as he'd imagined.
When she turned around and noticed he himself was not being seated, she gestured, once again like a woman presiding over a garden party, towards the chair opposite hers, "My esteemed Captain, though I am very much aware through experience or gossip of the birds, how much easier it is to appear intimidating while standing, please do me the courtesy of being seated while we converse."
Jack, far from being struck by her words, found them delightful, and he found his verbal track easy enough, a thing he valued, "Besides my obvious passion for the pleasures of me ship, the only thing I enjoy more is the pleasing of such fine women as yerself, savvy?" once again quirking his eyebrow as insignia of unclean thoughts, not expecting to startle her, but seeing it as camaraderie.
With that last bit of banter he seated himself in the chair, hitching his right leg over the armrest.
She sat down fluidly, leaning back and resting her hands carelessly on the arms of her chair, her eyes shifting slowly inside the kohl. As she started to speak she took off the hat, placing it on the desk and running her fingers backwards through it to dispel the stiffness, "Now, I believe you said you wished to speak with me, or were you just saying that to keep my crew from shooting you, they would have you know, my permission or not."
"Yes, me most int'r'sting lass, I wish to discuss with ye an on sea alliance. I see you on the sea, I help you if you need it, or I pass with just a tip 'o' me hat. You see me, you help if I need it, or pass on with just a curtsy. One of use needs reinforcements in a ... project... the other is obliged to come. Most basically, I just be wantin' peace with ye, savvy?"
Scarlet smiled, not the seductive Captain smile, but a genuine smile of amusement, it looked to Jack like it wasn't used often, like it was more often replaced with manufactured smiles used for certain purposes, "Captain Sparrow, you truly do surprise me. I knew you weren't one of the usual "Juliet marries Paris" kind of men, so to speak, but I was faithful your intentions were eventual.
Jack lost her near the end of the sentence, he'd understood the reference, but wasn't really sure how it applied to him, "How so, Mademoiselle Free?"
Now her eyebrows arched in surprise, once again the expression looked as rare and dusty as his loyalty to the crown, "First of all, "Monsieur" Sparrow, call me Captain, or don't expect the same from me.
"Now, as I'm sure you're aware, women Captains are more plentiful in the Caribbean than fish these days, but unlike their scalely counterparts, these women remain captains of their destinies usually little more than a year after their maiden voyage. Then love strikes and what's hers is his and what's his is his. I, my little bird friend, am a rarity."
She stood from the chair and walked over to the barrel on the floor, "A drink Captain Sparrow, or do you drink the air, like your namesake?" "I've no objection the taste of alcohol every so often, if ye ken?"
She nodded and took out two tankards from a drawer to the left. Scarlet still seemed abstract, but now she moved like she wanted a fight, just to relieve her anger. She handed him one of the tankards and he questioned her, "Tell me Captain Scarlet, how're you a rarity, I've seen many a woman in the sea."
"Ahh, so have I, but I have yet to meet one who's been the captain of a ship for fifteen years." Her hand came to rest on the interior wall of her ship, "Captain Sparrow, I built my Ruby with my own hands, and I've been her captain without interruption since."
"Well, aye, that explains yer endangered status, but how would that change my intentions?"
"If you'll excuse my bluntness, Captain, men are unerringly greedy. To most male eyes, a beautiful ship like my Ruby captained by a woman for so long is sacrilegious. They seek to court, bed, and woo me, as a means to gain my ship.
"Many a man has died where you sit for seeking such a purpose. I don't take kindly to it. To speak the truth, as bees tell it, with a sting, I had every intention of killing you if you tried that, which I expected you too, you didn't. Lucky you."
"Aye, 'tis a strange breed of luck that stays wi' me so long. But fear not for the sting Captain Free, many a person, man 'er woman, has threatened to kill me."
"Dear Captain Sparrow, that is where our differences end, many threats of death, but obviously not even one of them has carried through. Honestly, my story would be believable if only one person would hold to their threat of death."
Jack cocked his head, like a dog listening for its master. The paradoxes presented by that sentence would have to be thought over at one time, but for now he just nodded his head, "Aye, so true, but now, do we have a truce, or shall we simply go at each other and see who drops first."
"I accept your truce, its reasonable and fair, not to mention I get the notion that we could have more fun as friends than foes."
They stood up and both moved for the door, Jack tilting his head back and away to drain the remaining liquid in his tankard, and then placing it on the desk. Scarlet grinned at his nonchalance at her potential status as an enemy, drained her glass as well, and without pause, placed it ever so naturally on the floor about four feet in front of the door, "Shall we ascend Captain Sparrow?"
"Certainly." Two different calloused hands reached for the door handle, meeting the other half way. These hands led to forearms, which led to elbows, which then went on to shoulders, then necks, each of these stemming a head of it's respective gender.
A dark brown gaze lined in black met black lined brown eyes. Silence ruled all for its whole minute of fame. Stillness. Tension. Both heads, one male, one female, leaned towards each other. Red lips met pale pink ones, both sun dried and toughened.
The clanking of beads was the only sound. With a ferocity that is only leant to pirate captains and fighting soldiers, the bandanna resting on beaded hair was shoved askew by tan fingers searching out the planes of a face.
The tri-cornered hat resting on curled hair of brown hit the floor with a muffled thump as ringed hands ran themselves through the strands, stopping to twine in the curls.
With a gasp, their mouths parted, and they looked at each other. With a sigh that broke the tension that seems bred for such situations, Scarlet reached down to pick up her hat, "This would be an interesting route to explore later, but now, we have crews to attend to, shall we go forth?"
Jack fixed his bandanna, flashed a golden grin, and nodded, "Aye."