Chapter Four, Arrival at Tortuga and Peter the Vamp
Buffy felt her head throb madly as she regained consciousness from her black-out. She groaned involuntarily as she remembered how she had acted last night. 'So much for high morals, Buff,' she thought to herself. The Slayer remembered almost everything from last night, and knew that Jack won't let the things she remembered doing last night away. The only thing that worried her most is what happened after she passed out. She suddenly touched her stomach, feeling her clothes still there, Buffy sighed with relief. She opened her eyes, scowling as the harsh sunlight met them, and closed her orbs back.
"I see yer finally awake," a voice commented as she heard the door opened and closed. "How's tha hangover?"
"Worse than I had before. And my tongue feels fuzzy and the world is going around," Buffy moaned and clutched her head and sat on the bed.
"Anything ye remembered las' night, luv?" Jack teasingly asked her, a grin forming on his face.
"I think there was singing…I KNOW there was rum," Jack snickered at this but Buffy ignored it. "How long was I sleeping?"
"We're arriving at Tortuga in an' hour, so quite a lot. Here, drink this," Jack walked towards her and gave her a glass of cold water in which she drank in a large gulp. "Ye have got tah be tha only woman, including Ana Maria, I 'ave seen tha' could hold tha' much rum, and lasted this long without gagging it all up. Hell, most drinkers will be jealous with yer hold."
Buffy silently thanked her Slayer stamina when he described most female drinkers. She smiled weakly at Sparrow and said, "Well, I guess that makes me 'not most drinkers', eh? And that's not a very pleasing image, Sparrow."
"True, I guess. Anyway, I went down here to wake ye up. But seeing tha' ye 'ave, an' like I said, we're arriving at Tortuga in an hour, ye hafta be on tha deck in ten. There's water ova' there an' Ana Maria left a shirt fer ye," he pointed at a bowl where some clean water was found along with a pair of shirt that she knew would be a bit too big for her.
"What's the shirt for?"
"Well, as much as me and me crew adore yer exposed skin luv, ye won't exactly be fittin' in tha crowd with tha' flimsy thing on," he pointed at her tank-top, making Buffy slightly angry when he called her clothes 'flimsy'. "An' would ye really fancy otha' pirate thinking of ye as a whore?" Buffy thoughtfully considered this.
"Point taken. Can you hand me my bag over there?" Buffy pointed to his right where she left her bag yesterday after changing. He grabbed the black bag and handed it over, storing the fact that it is heavier than it looks. Before he can ask what was in it, Buffy got out a hair brush and took out her ponytail, sending down golden strands on her shoulders and started brushing.
"Uh, Cappy? Can I ask you something," Buffy curiously asked after she made sure that she no longer has bed-hair. "Aye."
"Would you mind if I see the book you read about the Idiot treasure? I'm just curious about that's all," she added quickly as he gave her a suspicious glance. Jack was about to correct her with Ithaki but shook his head instead.
"I'll le' ye see it in the dock, savvy? So 'urry up and meet me there if yer still interested," he went upstairs, leaving Buffy to wash her face and to take the smell of rum off her mouth. After that was done, she placed on light make-up on herself, just barely to be noticed, but enough to highlight her features. She placed on the blouse, but didn't button it up. Instead, she tied the end to a knot, and rolled the sleeves up just below her eyebrow. Satisfied with her look, she grabbed a couple of stakes and a dagger, hid it in a couple of places in her clothes, and went out with a bright, cheeky smile.
By now, all of the men know of her and waved or greeted her good-morning. She found Jack in his usual place, examining her sword with great interest. His cheek still had the deep purple bruise she gave him yesterday, but it looks that it had stopped swelling by now. She greeted Ana Maria who was hoisting up the sails, and finally went over to Jack.
"Ye have a very interestin' sword 'ere, Buffy. Nothin' I've ever seen before," he twirled the blade and tested its weight curiously before handing it back to her.
"Could there be a possibility of this not coming around from here?" asked Buffy as she got out the sheath of the sword from her bag and placing it in on one of the loops on her pants hoping it wouldn't tear off.
"Dunno. Could it?" Jack suddenly became interested at where the topic was going. He was still very much interested at where she came from, and how she got here. One doesn't simply just come out of a lightning, with clothes so different from what he has seen.
Buffy, seeing his plan, went right-out defensive. She raised an eyebrow and replied cryptically, "There are many possibilities, Sparrow." She left him staring at her with a confused face as she ran towards Ana Maria to help her with the sails, completely forgetting about the book.
They have finally arrived at the docks of Tortuga. Once the ship was docked, the men all got off from the Pearl, running in groups towards different directions as Jack ordered them to meet him back at the Pearl at dusk with provisions. Mainly rum.
"So luv, have ye decided yet on wha' yer goin' tah do. We could have another go like las' night," Jack offered Buffy who followed him towards a bar called 'The Faithful Bride'. Buffy glared at him when he her to get drunk with him again.
"What? And have another hangover? I think I'll pass this one," replied Buffy as they passed a group of prostitutes.
"Jack! Is that you?" an eager British voice came behind them. They turned around and saw a girl running towards them with an eager face to match her voice.
"Mary Ann!" instead of being met by a hug like he thought an audible slap was heard, and Buffy smiled pitifully at his face when his face met hers as the force of the blow made him turned around. "I don't think I deserve tha'."
"But apparently she does," Buffy pointed at the Mary Ann who was now suddenly looking at her with jealousy even though she slapped the captain.
"Who are you?" she asked, her voice clipped and eyes narrowed. Before she could say her name, Sparrow interrupted her with an invitation.
"Perhaps we can talk all of this over a drink in tha Bride, luv?" he seductively asked her. Mary's eyes darted from him to her, and finally replied, her voice sounded with forced exasperation.
"Fine. But she's coming too," Jack raised his hands as if surrendering his will, and followed her to the Bride. Buffy rolled her eyes at Jack's actions and more importantly at the girl who kept sending death glares at her whenever she can.
They stopped at a tavern, obviously filled with brawls, boozes, and prostitutes willing to sell themselves at every corner inside. Buffy wrinkled her sensitive nose at the smell, as the stench of sweat, urine, alcohol, blood, and more besides, hit her with a nauseating stench. Mary smirked at her reactions, and made sure that they got the dirtiest part of the bar. Jack in the meanwhile, grabbed a couple of mugs, filled with rum, and went towards them, swaying like he already drank the rum he carried.
"So, who is she?" Mary asked impatiently, as if Buffy wasn't there at all. Irritated by her demeanor, Buffy scowled and spat out challengingly, "She is the one that can kick your sorry ass and can shove that attitude of yours in it if you don't quit it, Raggedy Ann."
"No need tah get ahead of yerself there. Buffy..," Jack started as he saw sparks of losing control from Buffy.
"BUFFY? Pfft. What kind of name is that?" Mary laughed at her name, which predictably made Buffy much more pissed off. But Jack interrupted them both before another fight progressed in the tavern when he saw Buffy's eyes, gleaming with despise and her fist clenching and unclenching warningly, trying to regain control.
"As I was saying, I need tah ge' some of the dialogue here translated to something I could read, savvy? We need more o' tha text in English, mostly 'cause it will probably tell us where tha treasure is," he handed her the book bound in leather.
"Those are pretty big words for you, Cappy. Are you sure you know what they mean?" Buffy smirked, totally forgetting that Mary was there.
"Tha's real funny Summers," Jack said dryly. "And yes, I do know tha meanin' o' those words."
"Then I've got another for you, Cappy, how come you can't do it? I don't speak, jumble letters," Buffy asked as she opened the book with great curiosity and a frown.
"I don't know, use yer head! Do wha's necessary. Yer in me crew now, Summers so like I said before, ye earn yer keep. An' besides, there should be some papers there tha' I presume are tha ones tha' are already translated. Try an' usin' it. Second, tha language in tha' is Greek. One o' me crew recognized it, bu' tha bloody git ran off, saying something about a box. Third, I can't do it 'cause I've got business to attend to," with that, he held Mary Ann closer to him, earning him a giggle from the whore and an annoyed glare from Buffy. "An' if ye don't mind me askin', what are ye going tah do here in Tortuga?"
"Uh, I'll be seeing the hot-spots. By the way, where is the nearest cemetery?" Buffy looked eagerly outside, as night finally came. With a confused look, he gave out the directions to where the nearest graveyard was, and was left with Mary Ann who was already groping the pirate.
Buffy flipped open the book, sighing as she wished that Willow or Giles were here to help her translate it. This was not her area of expertise, and she knew it. She was more of the jump in the fight gal, not the research brigade. The Slayer finally reached her destination, immediately stretching out her senses for any possible threat and grabbing out her trusty stake from her pocket. An hour finally passed without encountering anyone that was going 'bump' in the night when she decided to leave. As she did, a vampire shoved her over, taking Buffy completely by surprise. She was knocked down, but regained herself from the shock and flipped him back. Buffy accidentally dropped the book on the ground but didn't pick it up.
"I was wondering when you guys would come. Haven't had a good dusting for awhile, you should do," she punched the vampire in the face, which in he fought back with a kick. With a grunt, Buffy made a roundhouse, and instead of fighting back once he realized that he couldn't win, he tried to explain himself.
"S-sorry, Slayer. Don't have time for getting 'dusted' for now. But I could make your time worth while or leave you alone dust free," the vampire suggested, his voice thick of the British accent. Buffy kicked his stomach, making him double over.
"Sorry, already taken. And besides place needs a good dusting," with a grunt, she made another roundhouse kick on his face, making him bust his lip.
"I-I can give you information. On anything!" the vampire pleaded. Buffy almost laughed at the absurdity of it all. The vampire was on his knees, begging for pardon in exchange for any information. He was still in his game face, making it even more hilarious.
"And here I thought I wasn't in Sunnydale," she murmured to herself when she realized this was almost kind of relationship she has with Spike ever since he gotten that chip stuck in his bleached head. He gives her info she gives him money and a free pass to being once more one of the undead. "Unless you have some on Ithaki, I'm not interested." Buffy sighed once more and was ready to deliver the stake through his undead heart before he started talking again.
"I-I heard some other vamps taking about that Island. It's in Greece right? Bloody hell, I can even talk the soddin' language," the demon begged once more, not ready to end his undead life. Buffy stopped her attack and looked at him suspiciously. She got out the book she was carrying and showed it to him.
"Can you translate this? Everything about it?" she pressed on. The vampire looked at it with great curiosity. "Can you?!"
"O-of course!"
"Then you're coming with me. What's your name anyway? Since you know, I will be interrogating you," Buffy said bluntly, having an almost 'Anya' moment.
"The name's Peter."
They got back to the Faithful Bride. Buffy found Jack with a group of wenches and rum bottles that were around him. She rolled her eyes and cuffed Peter on the neck and walked towards the drunken captain.
"Jack! Get your lazy ass off of that chair. I need to see you in the ship, pronto," Buffy pushed through the crowded of women, not even bothering to say her apologies. Jack eyed Peter, and then back at Buffy, as if trying to put two and two together. Another cocky grin came across his features, making everybody around him suspicious of his actions.
"Sorry luv. I don't like sharing girls in bed. Besides, I'm already surrounded with lovely women 'ere, why should I go to tha ship now?" a flash of anger came across Buffy's face and it stayed there. Her eyes narrowed and Peter gulped nervously at the angry passion that is coming off of her in waves.
"FYI, Lover Boy, I'm not interested at the offer and I don't have to even think at declining it, plus EWWWW. Two, this is about the treasure, so if you don't get your drunken ass up right now, your only Greek translator in a ten-mile radius would go, bye-bye before you can say 'sober'," she threatened.
"You don't have the guts, Buffy," Jack glared at her hard as he forgot about the girls who started to run off as soon as they saw red on the blonde.
"Wanna bet on that Sherlock?" Buffy took out her sword and pointed at the blade at his heart, which in return, made Peter started to plead for his undead life once more.
"N-now, y-you wouldn't wanna do that, Sl-," he started to stutter but was cut of by Buffy who shook him.
"SHUT IT!" Buffy interrupted him with a growl as soon as she realized on what he was going to call her. Although Jack was very much interested at what the scallywag was going to call her, he placed it back in his mind and looked once more at her, contemplating on the odds. He finally noticed that he isn't going to win this battle of heads and just gave up.
"Alright, luv, ye win. Just gimme a sec to finish me rum here," Jack raised up his mug at her, as if cheering her at her victory on the conversation.
"Fine. Like I said, I'll meet you at the ship," Buffy cuffed the vampire once more, and lead him to the ship.
"Were you really going to kill me?" Peter whimpered pathetically when they were well out of ear shot.
"Blades can't dust you, remember? And if I did, you would be right now," she whispered back and headed towards the Pearl.
A/N: That's for now everyone. Sorry for the very lateness of this chapter, I wasn't able to type very much, cause I was in the hospital, waiting for the newest addition to the family to come!!! WHEEEPPEEE! Well, anyway, I hope you like this chappy, and I apologize in advance if it takes me that long, or longer to update the next one. Reviews are very much of the good and ciao!