Chapter Four: Captain Sparrow's Softer Side
Sage stares defiantly into his eyes, which show no emotion, at all. She looks at the rest of the crew and walks over to the rigging, removing her shirt when she's facing out to sea. She climbs the ropes until she's level with Benjamin.
"Ye don' 'ave ter do this," he says to her.
"I'm not changing wha' I think or do to avoid getting' meself a few lashes," she replies. Captain Sparrow seems somewhat shocked by her decision to take the lashes, rather than hand them out. He pauses before starting with Benjamin. He gets ten lashes, Sage counting them in her head as she hears each one crack along his back. Two pirates help Benjamin down, and dab his back with seawater and an old shirt to stop the bleeding and help the wounds to heal.
"Alrigh', ge' below decks, all o' ye," Captain Sparrow. The crew, wanting to watch the further lashings, unhappily trudge below decks, taking Benjamin with them. Captain Sparrow climbs the rigging so he's next to Sage. "Wha' de ye think yer doin'?"
"Awaitin' me punishment Sparrow, ye no' man enough to carry it ou'?" Sage replies.
"All this cos ye didn' wan' ter lash Creal?"
"Yup. Wha' ye waitin' fer?"
"Jus' ge' down."
"No." Captain Sparrow sighs, climbs down the rigging and picks up the cat. He looks at it for a moment, and then up at Sage, still waiting. She's a strong girl. Grea' Captain. He gives her her lashes, three of them, they smack along her back, she winces as each one hits her.
"Righ', tha's it," he says, he helps her down, she clutches her shirt across her chest and he inspects her back. The cat hadn't broken the skin as much as on Benjamin's, but it was still bleeding and the surrounding skin was red raw. Sage pulls her hair from behind her back over her shoulder as Captain Sparrow bangs on the door of the crews quarters. Gibbs opens the door.
"Wha' is it, Captain?"
"Ye finished wi' the seawater bucke'?" Gibbs hands Captain Sparrow the bucket, the water red with blood and looks towards Sage.
"Ye did it, Captain?"
"Ye din' think I would?" Gibbs looks at his feet.
"No."
"Yes, I did i'." Captain Sparrow says, turning, Sage too as Gibbs stares at her back, he closes the door.
"He did it," he says to the crew. "I'd say four or five lashes, could 'ave been more." The whole crew stares at him.
"He really did it to 'er?" Benjamin asks, between wincing as someone else cleans his back. Gibbs nods.
"He shouln' 'ave done tha'. Do ye reckon she'll tell 'im abou' the map now?"
"Yeah. If she don' he'll threaten 'er wi' more."
"She'll probably take 'em though."
Sage sits down on the bed in the Captain's cabin, he follows her in.
"Sit on the stool," he tells her.
"No."
"Yer not gettin' blood on me bed, sit on the stool!"
Jack sits Sage down on a stool in his cabin, he dips one of his shirts in the bucket of fresh seawater as he sits on another stool behind her.
"I'd 'ave lashed 'im, put in yer position," he says, dabbing at her wounds. She gasps.
"Well I don' respon' well ter force, so I don' often use it," she replies.
"I gave ye the chance."
"Ye were wrong to."
"Why? Why did yer take 'em?"
"Because, Captain Sparrow," Sage begins, clenching her teeth as the Captain touches her back again. "Benjamin did nothin' wrong, an' if he were lashed, ye'd 'ave ter lash me too. Wha' would ye crew say if ye hadn't, when ye said yer would?"
"They wouldn' 'ave 'ad any say in the matter at all."
"I'm no' afraid ter take punishment, Captain. An' tha's fer you to decide. Bu' lashin' 'im, or coming down, would be agains' wha' I think, and ye're not changing me." The Captain stops, staring at her back.
"Righ'." He scoots a little closer to her, she can feel his breath upon her back as he dabs at her wounds again. He blows over the cuts, then kisses her neck.
"What'd I say before?" Sage turns to face him.
"Tha' ye won' sleep wi' me."
"Well."
"I don' wanna sleep wi' ye," he puts a hand on her shoulder, she shrugs it off.
"Then wha' do ye want? Ay? What do ye wan' from me?" Captain Sparrow looses the faraway look in his eyes, and comes back to reality.
"I don' wan' anything from ye." He goes and lays down on the bed.
