Disclaimer: Don't own it, (cries uncontrollably, gets over it) anyway, don't sue me.
No elf repertoire, don't feel like it.
Strange Bird
Chapter Seven
"Men of the Pearl, meet yer new friends, the men of the Ruby." Cheers rose into the sea air from the Black Pearl, only when they quieted, did Scarlet speak, "My fine crew, meet your new allies, the crew of the Black Pearl."
It seemed there was some hidden sign that allowed them to move and they cheered as heartily as Jack's crew had before them.
Jack turned to Scarlet, "If I may?" Scarlet just nodded. Having fellow Captain's approval, Jack hopped on the side of his ship, twining his hands in one of the ropes and swinging his hands into his announcement, "Men of the Pearl, men of the Ruby, tonight, we celebrate."
Cheers rose from both sides this time, louder than before. It seemed that, however well trained her crew was, they still had a fondness for rum.
Between the many members of both crews, something similar to a small band had been gathered. Fiddles, harmonicas, and one instance of a man that played a flute. They were playing on the deck of the Bloody Ruby while drunken pirates alternated between dancing sluggishly, talking loudly, and drinking.
A game of cards was being played on the starboard side of the foredeck and several arguments had broken out among the players, but they were quickly stifled into complacence by more drink.
The Ruby's crew, it appeared, was only silent when faced with an enemy ship. Otherwise, they could be the most piratically loud of creatures, and several of them were talking in slurred tones with members of the Pearl's crew about things that may or may not have happened.
However, on either of the decks, neither captain was to be seen.
Neither of the crews missed their presence.
All truth told, neither crew even noticed they were gone.
Scarlet stared deeply into Jack's eyes, her gaze intense, focused. He stared back at her, his eyes saying silent volumes. The tension stretched, waiting. As she made her move, a mischievous smile graced her features. Her hands moved downwards and she spoke in soft triumphant tones,
"Royal Flush."
"Love, you have to be cheating, there is no bloody way you can win eight hands in a row."
"Captain Sparrow, I'm surprised at you, though my bird friends tell me I'm many things, I am no cheat, I "bend" the rules. Besides, who are you to speak, my caged chirper, when you blatantly cheated throughout the whole game."
"My dear, I've done nothin' of the sort, I didin' cheat the first hand."
A half empty barrel of alcohol sat to the left of the table, resigned in its position to be emptied.
Rather large, mix-matched glasses resided each next to its own pirate. Needless to say, neither captain was entirely sober.
For the card game, they had opted for Jack's cabin, more spacious, and fair, he'd already visited her cabin.
"Captain Sparrow, I do believe you have forgotten to wind your clock properly, your gears are out of order."
"Well, me int'r'stin' Cap," he hiccupped, "Cap'n Free, you gave up yer gears a while back, an' now ye jus' run on the springs, tha' of course, is meant in a good way."
"Sometimes though, I want my gears back, if only for the sound of them ticking."
Jack tried to inconspicuously place his hand on her back, took it away when she stiffened and settled for gesturing with them dramatically, "I know exactly what you mean love."
She suddenly got very sober, "Captain, I really think you do."
Humans have a way of panicking when their façade breaks down. They realize and snap back so fast you could get whiplash. Scarlet appeared to have such a moment, her soberness disappeared and she was back.
She leaned in so close it looked like she was going to kiss him. Reflexively, he leaned forward to meet her. An inch or so away from her mouth, she stopped him with a hand on the chest, "Now Captain Sparrow, as decorum demands, I must leave, but no tears please."
Her mouth followed her head as she leaned further to be next to his right ear, "See you tomorrow... Captain."
Goosebumps raised in a line from his neck to his stomach. Scarlet was leaning back for the retreat. Going to leave him half-cocked was she, just try. His arm flashed out, quick despite intoxication, and grabbed her wrist, "Where ya goin' my dear?"
Her head turned on her neck as though on iron hinges, slowly, he almost expected a creak of rusty metal. Bright sparks of some unidentifiable emotion leapt from her, "Mr. Sparrow, not decorum, but disgust bid you release me now, if you do not, such an action ceases our accord."
Jack just grinned on, his arm still tightly gripping hers. "Do not make the most unhealthy mistake, Mr. Sparrow, of raising me in anger."
Jack's hand held steadily on, had he been sober, he might have been wiser, but as it was, he just kept pulling her in, "Love, be fair, come now."
With great triumph, he felt her muscles relax. Once again, a sober Captain Jack would have been suspicious. He pulled her towards him until their bodies were flush, "Not so bad eh?
Her hand was quick and light as she grabbed his sword, pulling it out and moving back, drawing her own. Scarlet held them so that the ends crossed. The V left by the tips she put around Captain Jack's neck, "I warned you Sparrow, what I do not give willingly, you do not try to take by force."
Now, Jack was very sober, "Listen love, I was just ..." "Captain, Sparrow, that's Captain." Her abstract demeanor had vanished, she was a human now, a very angry human. "Captain, I was jus' playin', I didn't know you'd take it so badly."
"Well Sparrow, I do, I take it very badly."
Jack looked down ate the blades crossed against his neck, "duly noted." Usually, when someone threatened his life, he had a tendency to let that person's status slip somewhat in his mind. But, far from being angry, now of all things, he was more interested.
As his oddly wired brain mapped out the phrases that would save his life, he wanted to understand her. She seemed like a conquest on the far horizon. He wanted to know her secrets. He wanted to find the skeletons in her closet and hide her from them until they rotted away.
But first, and foremost, he just wanted to get her, this being so similar but completely obtuse to himself.
"I've been informed of this grave mistake and I do here, solemnly swear, on pain of death, never to make it again. Now, could you do me a favor and lower the blades, they're beginnin' to sting, aye?"
Liquor is a beautiful and evil thing. It makes victims of tyrants and lawyers of criminals. It sends good men into actions that are of ill repute. It tears down the purposeful walls of a person who spent years building them up.
The sword blades reversed their motion and backed away from Captain Jack's throat, "Understood and forgiven Captain, drink mars us all, as the Christians say. Now, I must tend to the disciples of my religion, piracy. I'll see you on the morrow Captain."
Jack stood up, his eyebrows coming together in a frown, his mouth opened to speak, but he was cut off when she flipped his sword over and held it out to him. He took it wordlessly. His eyes followed her back as she turned and headed towards his cabin door, then his tongue found words, "Don't leave in such distemper Captain Free, stay an' have one las' drink with me, savvy?"
Scarlet stopped her progress, and turned her head back. A half hearted smile, that seemed sick of being itself was displayed wearily on her mouth, "I'm sorry Captain Sparrow, I can't, my men are indisposed, so I must make my ship ready to depart, we leave you in the morning. I've other captains to conquer with my ..." she paused here, brought her hand up to feel her hair, and brought it around to rest on her forehead, as if it pained her. Then she brought it down in a sweeping gesture that encompassed her whole person, "charms. Adieu."
She picked her hat up off of the table they had been drinking on and went out of the door, leaving Jack to ponder this night through a more aware, but still drink muddled mind.
Right now, she was probably crossing over to her ship amongst the cheers of drunken pirates. She would smile graciously at all the men on her deck, then go about checking the ropes and sails to make sure none needed fixing.
Jack covered his face with his hands and sighed into them, he almost wished he'd never met this broad.
Scarlet ascended the stairs from Sparrow's cabin slowly. As she took each step, her hand rose as if with a mind of it's own to her throat. It caressed the scar there, running up and down its rough texture. The scar went all the way down into her shirt.
There, there were more, some shorter, some longer, all attached to unpleasant memories.
She had bedded every man on her crew. Usually they tried on their own, she was kind to them and lonely sailors, good men or not, respond to kindness, but sometimes, it was she who initiated it.
Every man that sailed with her was fiercely devoted to his captain. They would defend her with their life, but luckily, in almost all cases, they hadn't had to.
Yes, she'd bedded every man on her crew, but she'd always kept her shirt on, a personal rule. As a result, most of her crew only knew of the one scar. Sure, there were some that extended past her belly button, but in the heat of passion and the dark of night, who noticed them.
She treated each man equally, and she loved them all, but she made sure none of them had known her before she was Captain, and she'd told no one of her past. A generous and talented Captain... that was a ghost.
Sparrow had made her nervous. Men with brains equal to those of a dust mite tried most attempts at force. Sparrow was far too cunning to be trying such things. She guessed though, that intoxication played a small part in his behavior. Also, she'd been tempted to go along with him, not an intelligent idea, to her way of thinking.
Scarlet crossed onto the deck of her ship where a goodish number of both hers and Captain Sparrows crew had passed out. The crewmembers still awake when she came on board applauded. She grinned at them all and gave the greeting they expected, but weren't really listening to, "Be merry gentlemen, you've earned it."
They applauded harder; she knew they'd have done the same had she made a statement concerning the shark population. They just wanted an excuse to drink.
Scarlet walked atop the railing of her Ruby, checking and securing ropes that enabled it to sail. When she was sure all was in good repair, she made towards her cabin. The wooden door creaked as it opened, a comforting and normal sound. As the door went closed with her hands push, she coughed absently into her other one.
The Captain of the Bloody Ruby put her hat on her desk and lay down on her bed, putting her hand over her eyes as she felt the familiar rocking motion of her ship. Instead of the blackness taking over when her hand was there, she saw Sparrow's face grinning at her.
She had no real idea why she'd kissed him, no doubt, he was attractive, but he wasn't the first handsome face she'd ever met.
She did not need another man she was desperately involved with. She didn't need another thick connection. That had ended badly before; she didn't have enough heart to mend if this ended like the last one.
Her hand moved down her neck, over her chest, and down to her stomach. She felt the sobs start to come up her throat, catching on what felt like fishhooks attached to her heart. Scarlet let them come up and her whole body convulsed with the force of them.
Guttural, verbal, and short, the painful sounds that came from her stayed with her in that room. Forever captive in the timbers of the Captain's cabin. Tomorrow, when the time came, she would be the Ruby's captain again, abstract, stern, and intelligent, but right now, she was a woman, a simple woman, drowning in the pain of her sadness.
But don't fear children. In the end, even pain fades to darkness.
No elf repertoire, don't feel like it.
Strange Bird
Chapter Seven
"Men of the Pearl, meet yer new friends, the men of the Ruby." Cheers rose into the sea air from the Black Pearl, only when they quieted, did Scarlet speak, "My fine crew, meet your new allies, the crew of the Black Pearl."
It seemed there was some hidden sign that allowed them to move and they cheered as heartily as Jack's crew had before them.
Jack turned to Scarlet, "If I may?" Scarlet just nodded. Having fellow Captain's approval, Jack hopped on the side of his ship, twining his hands in one of the ropes and swinging his hands into his announcement, "Men of the Pearl, men of the Ruby, tonight, we celebrate."
Cheers rose from both sides this time, louder than before. It seemed that, however well trained her crew was, they still had a fondness for rum.
Between the many members of both crews, something similar to a small band had been gathered. Fiddles, harmonicas, and one instance of a man that played a flute. They were playing on the deck of the Bloody Ruby while drunken pirates alternated between dancing sluggishly, talking loudly, and drinking.
A game of cards was being played on the starboard side of the foredeck and several arguments had broken out among the players, but they were quickly stifled into complacence by more drink.
The Ruby's crew, it appeared, was only silent when faced with an enemy ship. Otherwise, they could be the most piratically loud of creatures, and several of them were talking in slurred tones with members of the Pearl's crew about things that may or may not have happened.
However, on either of the decks, neither captain was to be seen.
Neither of the crews missed their presence.
All truth told, neither crew even noticed they were gone.
Scarlet stared deeply into Jack's eyes, her gaze intense, focused. He stared back at her, his eyes saying silent volumes. The tension stretched, waiting. As she made her move, a mischievous smile graced her features. Her hands moved downwards and she spoke in soft triumphant tones,
"Royal Flush."
"Love, you have to be cheating, there is no bloody way you can win eight hands in a row."
"Captain Sparrow, I'm surprised at you, though my bird friends tell me I'm many things, I am no cheat, I "bend" the rules. Besides, who are you to speak, my caged chirper, when you blatantly cheated throughout the whole game."
"My dear, I've done nothin' of the sort, I didin' cheat the first hand."
A half empty barrel of alcohol sat to the left of the table, resigned in its position to be emptied.
Rather large, mix-matched glasses resided each next to its own pirate. Needless to say, neither captain was entirely sober.
For the card game, they had opted for Jack's cabin, more spacious, and fair, he'd already visited her cabin.
"Captain Sparrow, I do believe you have forgotten to wind your clock properly, your gears are out of order."
"Well, me int'r'stin' Cap," he hiccupped, "Cap'n Free, you gave up yer gears a while back, an' now ye jus' run on the springs, tha' of course, is meant in a good way."
"Sometimes though, I want my gears back, if only for the sound of them ticking."
Jack tried to inconspicuously place his hand on her back, took it away when she stiffened and settled for gesturing with them dramatically, "I know exactly what you mean love."
She suddenly got very sober, "Captain, I really think you do."
Humans have a way of panicking when their façade breaks down. They realize and snap back so fast you could get whiplash. Scarlet appeared to have such a moment, her soberness disappeared and she was back.
She leaned in so close it looked like she was going to kiss him. Reflexively, he leaned forward to meet her. An inch or so away from her mouth, she stopped him with a hand on the chest, "Now Captain Sparrow, as decorum demands, I must leave, but no tears please."
Her mouth followed her head as she leaned further to be next to his right ear, "See you tomorrow... Captain."
Goosebumps raised in a line from his neck to his stomach. Scarlet was leaning back for the retreat. Going to leave him half-cocked was she, just try. His arm flashed out, quick despite intoxication, and grabbed her wrist, "Where ya goin' my dear?"
Her head turned on her neck as though on iron hinges, slowly, he almost expected a creak of rusty metal. Bright sparks of some unidentifiable emotion leapt from her, "Mr. Sparrow, not decorum, but disgust bid you release me now, if you do not, such an action ceases our accord."
Jack just grinned on, his arm still tightly gripping hers. "Do not make the most unhealthy mistake, Mr. Sparrow, of raising me in anger."
Jack's hand held steadily on, had he been sober, he might have been wiser, but as it was, he just kept pulling her in, "Love, be fair, come now."
With great triumph, he felt her muscles relax. Once again, a sober Captain Jack would have been suspicious. He pulled her towards him until their bodies were flush, "Not so bad eh?
Her hand was quick and light as she grabbed his sword, pulling it out and moving back, drawing her own. Scarlet held them so that the ends crossed. The V left by the tips she put around Captain Jack's neck, "I warned you Sparrow, what I do not give willingly, you do not try to take by force."
Now, Jack was very sober, "Listen love, I was just ..." "Captain, Sparrow, that's Captain." Her abstract demeanor had vanished, she was a human now, a very angry human. "Captain, I was jus' playin', I didn't know you'd take it so badly."
"Well Sparrow, I do, I take it very badly."
Jack looked down ate the blades crossed against his neck, "duly noted." Usually, when someone threatened his life, he had a tendency to let that person's status slip somewhat in his mind. But, far from being angry, now of all things, he was more interested.
As his oddly wired brain mapped out the phrases that would save his life, he wanted to understand her. She seemed like a conquest on the far horizon. He wanted to know her secrets. He wanted to find the skeletons in her closet and hide her from them until they rotted away.
But first, and foremost, he just wanted to get her, this being so similar but completely obtuse to himself.
"I've been informed of this grave mistake and I do here, solemnly swear, on pain of death, never to make it again. Now, could you do me a favor and lower the blades, they're beginnin' to sting, aye?"
Liquor is a beautiful and evil thing. It makes victims of tyrants and lawyers of criminals. It sends good men into actions that are of ill repute. It tears down the purposeful walls of a person who spent years building them up.
The sword blades reversed their motion and backed away from Captain Jack's throat, "Understood and forgiven Captain, drink mars us all, as the Christians say. Now, I must tend to the disciples of my religion, piracy. I'll see you on the morrow Captain."
Jack stood up, his eyebrows coming together in a frown, his mouth opened to speak, but he was cut off when she flipped his sword over and held it out to him. He took it wordlessly. His eyes followed her back as she turned and headed towards his cabin door, then his tongue found words, "Don't leave in such distemper Captain Free, stay an' have one las' drink with me, savvy?"
Scarlet stopped her progress, and turned her head back. A half hearted smile, that seemed sick of being itself was displayed wearily on her mouth, "I'm sorry Captain Sparrow, I can't, my men are indisposed, so I must make my ship ready to depart, we leave you in the morning. I've other captains to conquer with my ..." she paused here, brought her hand up to feel her hair, and brought it around to rest on her forehead, as if it pained her. Then she brought it down in a sweeping gesture that encompassed her whole person, "charms. Adieu."
She picked her hat up off of the table they had been drinking on and went out of the door, leaving Jack to ponder this night through a more aware, but still drink muddled mind.
Right now, she was probably crossing over to her ship amongst the cheers of drunken pirates. She would smile graciously at all the men on her deck, then go about checking the ropes and sails to make sure none needed fixing.
Jack covered his face with his hands and sighed into them, he almost wished he'd never met this broad.
Scarlet ascended the stairs from Sparrow's cabin slowly. As she took each step, her hand rose as if with a mind of it's own to her throat. It caressed the scar there, running up and down its rough texture. The scar went all the way down into her shirt.
There, there were more, some shorter, some longer, all attached to unpleasant memories.
She had bedded every man on her crew. Usually they tried on their own, she was kind to them and lonely sailors, good men or not, respond to kindness, but sometimes, it was she who initiated it.
Every man that sailed with her was fiercely devoted to his captain. They would defend her with their life, but luckily, in almost all cases, they hadn't had to.
Yes, she'd bedded every man on her crew, but she'd always kept her shirt on, a personal rule. As a result, most of her crew only knew of the one scar. Sure, there were some that extended past her belly button, but in the heat of passion and the dark of night, who noticed them.
She treated each man equally, and she loved them all, but she made sure none of them had known her before she was Captain, and she'd told no one of her past. A generous and talented Captain... that was a ghost.
Sparrow had made her nervous. Men with brains equal to those of a dust mite tried most attempts at force. Sparrow was far too cunning to be trying such things. She guessed though, that intoxication played a small part in his behavior. Also, she'd been tempted to go along with him, not an intelligent idea, to her way of thinking.
Scarlet crossed onto the deck of her ship where a goodish number of both hers and Captain Sparrows crew had passed out. The crewmembers still awake when she came on board applauded. She grinned at them all and gave the greeting they expected, but weren't really listening to, "Be merry gentlemen, you've earned it."
They applauded harder; she knew they'd have done the same had she made a statement concerning the shark population. They just wanted an excuse to drink.
Scarlet walked atop the railing of her Ruby, checking and securing ropes that enabled it to sail. When she was sure all was in good repair, she made towards her cabin. The wooden door creaked as it opened, a comforting and normal sound. As the door went closed with her hands push, she coughed absently into her other one.
The Captain of the Bloody Ruby put her hat on her desk and lay down on her bed, putting her hand over her eyes as she felt the familiar rocking motion of her ship. Instead of the blackness taking over when her hand was there, she saw Sparrow's face grinning at her.
She had no real idea why she'd kissed him, no doubt, he was attractive, but he wasn't the first handsome face she'd ever met.
She did not need another man she was desperately involved with. She didn't need another thick connection. That had ended badly before; she didn't have enough heart to mend if this ended like the last one.
Her hand moved down her neck, over her chest, and down to her stomach. She felt the sobs start to come up her throat, catching on what felt like fishhooks attached to her heart. Scarlet let them come up and her whole body convulsed with the force of them.
Guttural, verbal, and short, the painful sounds that came from her stayed with her in that room. Forever captive in the timbers of the Captain's cabin. Tomorrow, when the time came, she would be the Ruby's captain again, abstract, stern, and intelligent, but right now, she was a woman, a simple woman, drowning in the pain of her sadness.
But don't fear children. In the end, even pain fades to darkness.