Chapter Two: Hector Barbossa and the girl without a name
Jack stood unsteadily as he stepped from the longboat that he and William had used to come to shore. Most of the men would go to the taverns and elsewhere, much like Jack wished he were doing. A nice large bottle of rum would do the trick at the moment. He clutched his scarred left arm close to him subconsciously. He'd put far too much thought into the East India Company incident in the past little while, even after he'd said he would put it behind him.
"You all right, Jack?"
"Aye," the young captain answered as he finally steadied himself out. "So where are we meetin' this friend 'o yers?"
"'e's not really a friend," William responded. "I've only met 'im once, briefly."
"Ah."
"We're meetin' 'im in a small li'll bar. C'mon."
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They entered the bar and were hit by the smoke first off. Jack nearly toppled over when it hit him and he wrinkled his nose. "Let's make this quick."
William nodded as he made his way through the crowd. He spotted the man they were looking for. Barbossa stood when he saw Bootstrap and started towards them. "Bootstrap Bill, it's been quite a while. I 'eard 'ol Collins finally died a while back. Yer new cap'n lookin' for a new first mate?"
"Aye. I stepped down."
"Why's tha'?"
"Reasons."
"Ah. So where is 'e?"
"Standin' infront of ye," Jack said with his head held high. He held out his hand. "Captain Jack Sparrow of the Black Pearl. Please ta meet ya, mate."
Barbossa stood staring for half a moment before grasping the young pirate's hand. "You are the captain?"
"I am."
"How old are ye, lad?"
Jack glared, feeling his temper rise. None of the crew had ever mentioned his age being an issue before, because they all somehow feared that Collins might come haunt their sleep for eternity if they verbally spoke up against the young man he'd appointed captain, but Jack had most certainly heard the talks amongst other pirates when he met them. "Does it matter?" Jack growled. "I 'ear yer lookin' to join the Pearl."
"An' I 'ear yer lookin' for a new first mate, so I should say it's good we met, lad."
"I'm no lad."
Barbossa looked at him strangely for a moment. "Of course not, Captain, my apologies."
"I..."Jack stopped as his eyes focused on something behind Barbossa.
A young girl, not much younger than himself, struggled against a man twice her size, screaming. "Let me go! I owe you nothing!"
"You owe us more'n you'd be able to give, little one," the man responded.
Barbossa followed Jack's train of sight to the girl. "Captain Sparrow?"
Jack held up his hand, motioning to give him a moment as he stepped forward. He reached the two just as the man reached back a hand to slap her. The pirate captain grabbed his hand mid air. He grinned as the man turned to him. "Now tha's just not nice."
"Who th' 'ell are you?" the man growled as he took a swing at Jack.
The young captain ducked under the blow and chuckled to himself as the drunken man was thrown off his balance with the lack of a solid object to connect his fist with. He turned his attention back to the girl. She was prettier up close, he had to admit. Black hair, dark eyes, dark skin, and a look that could kill. Wait... why was she looking at him like that?
"I didn' need yer help," she growled.
"Sure looked like ye did from where I was standin'," the young captain responded.
"I didn'," she responded as she stomped past him.
Jack watched her leave with curious eyes. "Wonder wha' tha' was about?" he murmured.
"She's 'ad some trouble with locals," Barbossa explained. "No one knows 'er name. Pretty li'll thing. Too bad they'll get to 'er sooner or later, hmm?"
William looked at Jack. "Jack... I see tha' look in yer eyes, Cap'n. Yer not thinkin'...?"
"I am, but jus' thinkin' at the moment, William. No worries."
William nodded, keeping his mouth closed. While he and Jack had a friendship that would allow for him to advise him, it would not look right for him to do so to a captain possibly recruiting a first mate. Jack was not weak, even though some mistook him for such. He was small, thin, and young, but he was a hell of a fighter and had the lives and luck of a cat ten times over again. No, William would watch what he said so that no one else would mistake Jack for a weak boy.
"So," Jack said, breaking the silence. "Who's up for a round 'o drinks?"
William chuckled. He half regretted the day he'd introduced Jack to Tortuga's bars. "Always, Cap'n," he responded.
Jack grinned, but his eyes were wandering to the door where the girl had left. William had a bad feeling about all of this, and when Jack Sparrow was involved, usually those bad feelings were correct.
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Kungfuchick: Aww yes, that would be terrible not to have a PotC! Then what would I write?! What would we all read?! Yeah, this just proves I have no life, doesn't it? Lol! Oh well, never claimed to have one, nor sanity for that matter. Thanks very much for reviewing, mate!
Jack stood unsteadily as he stepped from the longboat that he and William had used to come to shore. Most of the men would go to the taverns and elsewhere, much like Jack wished he were doing. A nice large bottle of rum would do the trick at the moment. He clutched his scarred left arm close to him subconsciously. He'd put far too much thought into the East India Company incident in the past little while, even after he'd said he would put it behind him.
"You all right, Jack?"
"Aye," the young captain answered as he finally steadied himself out. "So where are we meetin' this friend 'o yers?"
"'e's not really a friend," William responded. "I've only met 'im once, briefly."
"Ah."
"We're meetin' 'im in a small li'll bar. C'mon."
-----------------------
They entered the bar and were hit by the smoke first off. Jack nearly toppled over when it hit him and he wrinkled his nose. "Let's make this quick."
William nodded as he made his way through the crowd. He spotted the man they were looking for. Barbossa stood when he saw Bootstrap and started towards them. "Bootstrap Bill, it's been quite a while. I 'eard 'ol Collins finally died a while back. Yer new cap'n lookin' for a new first mate?"
"Aye. I stepped down."
"Why's tha'?"
"Reasons."
"Ah. So where is 'e?"
"Standin' infront of ye," Jack said with his head held high. He held out his hand. "Captain Jack Sparrow of the Black Pearl. Please ta meet ya, mate."
Barbossa stood staring for half a moment before grasping the young pirate's hand. "You are the captain?"
"I am."
"How old are ye, lad?"
Jack glared, feeling his temper rise. None of the crew had ever mentioned his age being an issue before, because they all somehow feared that Collins might come haunt their sleep for eternity if they verbally spoke up against the young man he'd appointed captain, but Jack had most certainly heard the talks amongst other pirates when he met them. "Does it matter?" Jack growled. "I 'ear yer lookin' to join the Pearl."
"An' I 'ear yer lookin' for a new first mate, so I should say it's good we met, lad."
"I'm no lad."
Barbossa looked at him strangely for a moment. "Of course not, Captain, my apologies."
"I..."Jack stopped as his eyes focused on something behind Barbossa.
A young girl, not much younger than himself, struggled against a man twice her size, screaming. "Let me go! I owe you nothing!"
"You owe us more'n you'd be able to give, little one," the man responded.
Barbossa followed Jack's train of sight to the girl. "Captain Sparrow?"
Jack held up his hand, motioning to give him a moment as he stepped forward. He reached the two just as the man reached back a hand to slap her. The pirate captain grabbed his hand mid air. He grinned as the man turned to him. "Now tha's just not nice."
"Who th' 'ell are you?" the man growled as he took a swing at Jack.
The young captain ducked under the blow and chuckled to himself as the drunken man was thrown off his balance with the lack of a solid object to connect his fist with. He turned his attention back to the girl. She was prettier up close, he had to admit. Black hair, dark eyes, dark skin, and a look that could kill. Wait... why was she looking at him like that?
"I didn' need yer help," she growled.
"Sure looked like ye did from where I was standin'," the young captain responded.
"I didn'," she responded as she stomped past him.
Jack watched her leave with curious eyes. "Wonder wha' tha' was about?" he murmured.
"She's 'ad some trouble with locals," Barbossa explained. "No one knows 'er name. Pretty li'll thing. Too bad they'll get to 'er sooner or later, hmm?"
William looked at Jack. "Jack... I see tha' look in yer eyes, Cap'n. Yer not thinkin'...?"
"I am, but jus' thinkin' at the moment, William. No worries."
William nodded, keeping his mouth closed. While he and Jack had a friendship that would allow for him to advise him, it would not look right for him to do so to a captain possibly recruiting a first mate. Jack was not weak, even though some mistook him for such. He was small, thin, and young, but he was a hell of a fighter and had the lives and luck of a cat ten times over again. No, William would watch what he said so that no one else would mistake Jack for a weak boy.
"So," Jack said, breaking the silence. "Who's up for a round 'o drinks?"
William chuckled. He half regretted the day he'd introduced Jack to Tortuga's bars. "Always, Cap'n," he responded.
Jack grinned, but his eyes were wandering to the door where the girl had left. William had a bad feeling about all of this, and when Jack Sparrow was involved, usually those bad feelings were correct.
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Kungfuchick: Aww yes, that would be terrible not to have a PotC! Then what would I write?! What would we all read?! Yeah, this just proves I have no life, doesn't it? Lol! Oh well, never claimed to have one, nor sanity for that matter. Thanks very much for reviewing, mate!