The ship was far more quiet once he and Tom emerged from below deck. Looking around, the first thing that Jack noticed was that the other ship was gone. He smiled to himself and sniffed the fresh morning air, still brisk from the night's chill. The sun was only just beginning to transform the sky, and gradually gilding the ship and its crew. Around the ship was open sea, the shore swiftly receding into the distance. Jack didn't look back, he knew now if he hadn't know before that it was at sea that he belonged.
"That was some fun, eh Jack?" said a bounding Alex Corcoran. Jack shook his head in amazement.
"You're somethin', Alex Corcoran!" he muttered. He held out the spent pistol. "So, does this mean I'm a scallywag?" Alex looked away, and his face grew serious. Jack followed his gaze, a wry grin still on his face.
"I wouldn't call a man who saved his captain a scallywag," said the man before them. He walked over to Jack, and held out his hand. "I am Aitken, first mate." He looked blankly down at Jack while he shook his hand. "Good work today, Mr. Sparrow is it?"
"It is, sir," said Jack. "Jack Sparrow." Mr. Aitken tapped his dark hat and turned back to his work. Jack looked over at Alex.
"Aye, that's ol' Toffy Bottom," whispered Alex, trying to hold in his laughter. Jack laughed despite himself, and stared at Alex.
"What did you call him?!" he mouthed.
All of his silliness slipped away, however, when he saw the captain walking up to 'Toffy Bottom'. He looked down; once again he felt out of place and time, as through he were falling back into his own dreams; those which he once had dreamed before his old life had ended. Yet these dreams where not the same, they were happening to him. Thoughts flowed in a dizzying rush through his head as he calmly noted Mr. Aitken nodding his head in Jack's direction and the captain turning those eyes towards him. The treasonous thought floated forcefully to the surface. Jack had courted mutiny against this man, called him a cutthroat, thought him a murderer and kidnapper. He saw himself racing across the deck, smiling to himself about to slip into the darkness leaving the others to fight for their lives, and the captain had seen all and let him do it too. It was a treason of himself, he suddenly realised in that moment the captain looked at him. He had betrayed his own integrity, had flown a cowardly flag at the man now walking towards him gravely.
"Mr. Sparrow?" said the captain. "May I have a word?" Jack walked over to the captain, the entire crew seemed to be watching his every move. The captain glanced around at his men, and then back down at Jack. "In my cabin, if you please Mr. Sparrow." The captain swiftly glided below deck. Jack saw the stunned expression on Alex's face and swayed down after the captain.
The cabin was as Jack had thought it would be, nevertheless he had the impression of being on hallowed ground. He stood to one side as the captain continued past to sit in a large chair. The walls here were much different from those of Mr. Corcoran's cabin; every inch was covered with glassed in bookshelves. There was a chest in one corner, a bunk exactly like that of Alex' s cabin, and a richly carved mahogany desk with charts and instruments neatly placed upon it.
"So, let's be plain, Mr. Sparrow," began the captain. Jack bit the inside of his cheek as the captain paused. "At the beginning, so let us begin. I take it you don't trust me, Mr. Sparrow?"
"No, sir!" said Jack dismayed. "I mean, I do trust you, sir."
"Come now, don't be false," said the captain. "Don't take me for a fool either." The two men looked at each other. Jack looked around the room for the right words.
"I was afraid," he said at last, looking back at the captain. This man was trying to humiliate him, and perhaps that is what he deserved, he couldn't know. The captain rubbed his beard.
"That's good, lad," he said. Jack frowned but the captain didn't explain. "I suppose it's only common to assume that people are what you expect them to be, yet," he paused again. "Mr. Sparrow, I did expect different of you." Jack buried his gaze in the deck while the captain calmly perused him, one of his elegant hands hanging over the chair. He abruptly shifted his pose and Jack looked up again. "It's your decision," he said flatly.
"What is my decision?" Said Jack. The captain smiled thinly, his hands clasped under his chin.
"Well, many things; firstly, wether you wish to stay here with us or wether you would rather be dropped off at the nearest friendly port," he waved his hand at this. "That is up to you, for example." Jack stirred.
"I would like to stay," said Jack unbidden. The utterance surprised Jack even as it escaped his lips, yet he didn't withdraw it. The captain leaned forward slightly, and waited for the retraction, the amendment that didn't come. Jack tried to raise himself up again, and appealed to the captain with his eyes. "I would like to stay," he enunciated.
"Request granted," said the captain easily. He rose from his chair. "What was your given name again, Mr. Sparrow?"
"Jack, sir," Jack smiled uneasily.
"Right, you can stay in Mr. Corcoran's cabin, Mr. Jack Sparrow," said the captain. "There are a few rules," he swung his hand in the air. "Division of loot, etcetera... Mr. Playfair, the quartermaster does all the punishment and supervises the prisoners. Things are not exactly as they are on other vessels, you understand." he paused again. "Yes, it may surprise you that this is a democracy."
"I don't understand," said Jack.
"Under the code," continued the captain. "All major decisions are taken to a simple majority vote amongst the crew. Do you understand now?" The captain tilted his head at Jack.
"Well," said Jack his brows drawing together. "If the crew make decisions then..." he looked up at the smiling captain.
"Why have a captain at all?" he laughed out loud, shocking poor Jack. "Aye," he said. "Why?" Jack said nothing, so the captain continued. "Only major decisions go to the crew, however, in battle this is my ship; I become absolute monarch of this vessel, for the duration only. So, you really needn't fear me, Jack Sparrow."
"I don't," said Jack suddenly. "I didn't fear you. That isn't why..." he couldn't get himself to state his crime. The captain nodded slowly.
"Ah," he said. "Now I understand. We understand each other, Mr. Sparrow." The captain walked across to the large table and took out a long sword. "This will be your cutlass, lad," he held the blade out before Jack and smiled as it flashed. With a flourish he let the blade slide into the scabbard with a shriek and handed the sword to Jack. "I hope you never need it; never truly need this weapon. You may go now, Mr. Sparrow." Turning, he was about to leave when he noticed the captain staring at him strangely.
"I think," said the captain. "We'll have to get you a hat," he stood back, tilting his head once more as though inspecting a painting that was hanging crooked. "Yes. Carry on, Mr. Sparrow, I'll see to it."
"That was some fun, eh Jack?" said a bounding Alex Corcoran. Jack shook his head in amazement.
"You're somethin', Alex Corcoran!" he muttered. He held out the spent pistol. "So, does this mean I'm a scallywag?" Alex looked away, and his face grew serious. Jack followed his gaze, a wry grin still on his face.
"I wouldn't call a man who saved his captain a scallywag," said the man before them. He walked over to Jack, and held out his hand. "I am Aitken, first mate." He looked blankly down at Jack while he shook his hand. "Good work today, Mr. Sparrow is it?"
"It is, sir," said Jack. "Jack Sparrow." Mr. Aitken tapped his dark hat and turned back to his work. Jack looked over at Alex.
"Aye, that's ol' Toffy Bottom," whispered Alex, trying to hold in his laughter. Jack laughed despite himself, and stared at Alex.
"What did you call him?!" he mouthed.
All of his silliness slipped away, however, when he saw the captain walking up to 'Toffy Bottom'. He looked down; once again he felt out of place and time, as through he were falling back into his own dreams; those which he once had dreamed before his old life had ended. Yet these dreams where not the same, they were happening to him. Thoughts flowed in a dizzying rush through his head as he calmly noted Mr. Aitken nodding his head in Jack's direction and the captain turning those eyes towards him. The treasonous thought floated forcefully to the surface. Jack had courted mutiny against this man, called him a cutthroat, thought him a murderer and kidnapper. He saw himself racing across the deck, smiling to himself about to slip into the darkness leaving the others to fight for their lives, and the captain had seen all and let him do it too. It was a treason of himself, he suddenly realised in that moment the captain looked at him. He had betrayed his own integrity, had flown a cowardly flag at the man now walking towards him gravely.
"Mr. Sparrow?" said the captain. "May I have a word?" Jack walked over to the captain, the entire crew seemed to be watching his every move. The captain glanced around at his men, and then back down at Jack. "In my cabin, if you please Mr. Sparrow." The captain swiftly glided below deck. Jack saw the stunned expression on Alex's face and swayed down after the captain.
The cabin was as Jack had thought it would be, nevertheless he had the impression of being on hallowed ground. He stood to one side as the captain continued past to sit in a large chair. The walls here were much different from those of Mr. Corcoran's cabin; every inch was covered with glassed in bookshelves. There was a chest in one corner, a bunk exactly like that of Alex' s cabin, and a richly carved mahogany desk with charts and instruments neatly placed upon it.
"So, let's be plain, Mr. Sparrow," began the captain. Jack bit the inside of his cheek as the captain paused. "At the beginning, so let us begin. I take it you don't trust me, Mr. Sparrow?"
"No, sir!" said Jack dismayed. "I mean, I do trust you, sir."
"Come now, don't be false," said the captain. "Don't take me for a fool either." The two men looked at each other. Jack looked around the room for the right words.
"I was afraid," he said at last, looking back at the captain. This man was trying to humiliate him, and perhaps that is what he deserved, he couldn't know. The captain rubbed his beard.
"That's good, lad," he said. Jack frowned but the captain didn't explain. "I suppose it's only common to assume that people are what you expect them to be, yet," he paused again. "Mr. Sparrow, I did expect different of you." Jack buried his gaze in the deck while the captain calmly perused him, one of his elegant hands hanging over the chair. He abruptly shifted his pose and Jack looked up again. "It's your decision," he said flatly.
"What is my decision?" Said Jack. The captain smiled thinly, his hands clasped under his chin.
"Well, many things; firstly, wether you wish to stay here with us or wether you would rather be dropped off at the nearest friendly port," he waved his hand at this. "That is up to you, for example." Jack stirred.
"I would like to stay," said Jack unbidden. The utterance surprised Jack even as it escaped his lips, yet he didn't withdraw it. The captain leaned forward slightly, and waited for the retraction, the amendment that didn't come. Jack tried to raise himself up again, and appealed to the captain with his eyes. "I would like to stay," he enunciated.
"Request granted," said the captain easily. He rose from his chair. "What was your given name again, Mr. Sparrow?"
"Jack, sir," Jack smiled uneasily.
"Right, you can stay in Mr. Corcoran's cabin, Mr. Jack Sparrow," said the captain. "There are a few rules," he swung his hand in the air. "Division of loot, etcetera... Mr. Playfair, the quartermaster does all the punishment and supervises the prisoners. Things are not exactly as they are on other vessels, you understand." he paused again. "Yes, it may surprise you that this is a democracy."
"I don't understand," said Jack.
"Under the code," continued the captain. "All major decisions are taken to a simple majority vote amongst the crew. Do you understand now?" The captain tilted his head at Jack.
"Well," said Jack his brows drawing together. "If the crew make decisions then..." he looked up at the smiling captain.
"Why have a captain at all?" he laughed out loud, shocking poor Jack. "Aye," he said. "Why?" Jack said nothing, so the captain continued. "Only major decisions go to the crew, however, in battle this is my ship; I become absolute monarch of this vessel, for the duration only. So, you really needn't fear me, Jack Sparrow."
"I don't," said Jack suddenly. "I didn't fear you. That isn't why..." he couldn't get himself to state his crime. The captain nodded slowly.
"Ah," he said. "Now I understand. We understand each other, Mr. Sparrow." The captain walked across to the large table and took out a long sword. "This will be your cutlass, lad," he held the blade out before Jack and smiled as it flashed. With a flourish he let the blade slide into the scabbard with a shriek and handed the sword to Jack. "I hope you never need it; never truly need this weapon. You may go now, Mr. Sparrow." Turning, he was about to leave when he noticed the captain staring at him strangely.
"I think," said the captain. "We'll have to get you a hat," he stood back, tilting his head once more as though inspecting a painting that was hanging crooked. "Yes. Carry on, Mr. Sparrow, I'll see to it."