"So what you're saying is, if you cut off a chicken's head, it'll still be
alive?" Murtogg shifted his rifle to the other arm and gave his friend a
dubious look. Mullroy stared right back at him, standing firm with what he
said.
"There's a saying about it, isn't there? 'Running around like a chicken with its head cut off.'" Mullroy said, trying to prove his point. "So why would people say it if it was merely a made up sentence? Wouldn't someone have had to seen this happen if there was a saying about a chicken with it's head cut off?"
"Well, it's not possible." Murtogg said, shaking his head. "A chicken can't run around without it's head. Nothing can at that." He turned back around to finish getting ready for his shift out on the wall of the fort.
Suddenly the door burst open and Norrington rushed in, slamming the door shut behind him as he did. He leaned up against it, chest heaving. His wig was knocked to the side on his head and his face was flushed red. Neither man had ever seen the commodore this way and to tell the truth, they were quite worried. Norrington was afraid of almost nothing. What could be so frightening as to force the man into hiding?
A moment later, their unasked questions were answered anyway. A high pitched giggle came from outside the door. "Oh, Norry, you're so funny!" The voice said before giggling again. "Here I thought you were all work and no play. Now you want to play tag! What fun!"
Murtogg's eyes grew wider. "God help us all...is that a...a...?"
"Sue?" Norrington said. He was still leaning against the door, but was able to straighten his wig and jacket. "I'm afraid so. It seems I've attracted my fair share of the dreadful lot. I would've thought that Sparrow and Turner had them all, but I was wrong."
Mullroy raised his hand tentatively. "Commodore Norrington, is that why you didn't go after Sparrow?" He asked.
"I thought the bloody Sues would finish him off for me." He heard the giggling again and winced. "As your superior I command you to go out there and get rid of her."
"But sir, not to be disrespectful, but why can't you do it? She's not but a tiny girl." Murtogg chimed in. "She should be easy to make leave."
"It's because she's a woman that I can't make her do anything. I will not raise a hand against that vile, terrifying,...perfect, angelic..." Norrington started to trail off. Murtogg grabbed the glass of water off the table and sent the liquid in the Commodore's general direction. There was a moment where Mullroy thought he had seen the last of his best friend before Norrington finally blinked, realizing what had happened. "Thank you."
"Not a problem, sir. I've seen what those Sues can do." He set the glass back down. "We'll rid you of her this once sir, but if she comes back, she's your problem." Mullroy nodded in agreement and picked his rifle up as well. The two headed to the door and Norrington slid to the side, keeping well away from the windows.
Outside they were confronted with one woman and she reeked of Sue. Her hair was pulled back in a bun, perfectly coiffed and not a strand out of place. Her dress could only be from someplace expensive like France and she daintily held the parasol in her hands, twirling it idly as she waited. As she saw the two come out, her emerald eyes lit up and she rushed towards them.
"Perhaps you can help me find my Norry." She cooed. "We were playing tag, but now he seems to want to play Hide and Seek."
"Your Norry? Your Norry? Your Norry me ass." Murtogg whipped around as he heard the second voice. The young tavern wench threw down the bucket of suds she was carrying and crossed her arms. "He's meant to come and rescue me, lass. He doesn't want some prissy socialite such as yourself." For someone who had been working a great deal, her fair hair fell in neat waves around her face, going down to her waist. Her blue eyes glittered with fury that someone might be trying to steal her love. And unlike the first, her clothes were tattered in what seemed to be only the right places.
Mullroy nudged Murtogg. "I can see why he ran." He whispered.
The prim and proper Sue raised her chin, perfect nose in the air. "I am Allison DuMont, the daughter of a baron and you will show some proper respect. Commodore Norrington would never be seen with the likes of you, tavern wench." She said haughtily, crossing her arms.
"Tavern Wench? I'll have you know, it's a very glamorous profession or so I think." She struck a pose for a few brief seconds. "And status doesn't matter. Commodore Norrington will see that he only has room in his heart for me, Maggie O'Toole."
The door behind the two guards burst open and Norrington backed out. "Please, no more today. I never wanted this." He bumped into Murtogg and Mullroy. "They breed like sewer rats."
"Sewer rats, eh? Doesn't matter what you call me, luv, I'm still yours and you're still mine. Like the tragic tale of Romeo and Juliet, we come from different backgrounds, but we can still be lovers!" With a dramatic flair, the pirate Sue lunged forward and grabbed Norrington's lapels, holding tightly. "You will give up your love of the law for me and we can sail away on my ship, pillaging and plundering for the rest of our happy lives. Captain Jane Red Eye and her faithful first mate, James Norrington." She smirked slyly and trailed a finger down his chest. "What say you, luv?"
"I say your out of your bleedin' mind!" Maggie shouted. Jane looked up, giving her a nasty look.
"Say that again, lass, and you won't have a tongue." Maggie pushed up her sleeves and stepped forward, raising her fists. With an exasperated sigh, Maggie let go of Norrington and did the same. "Winner takes the man."
"Wait!" Norrington threw up his hands. "I have a way to decide this." Three sets of eyes focused on him. "I helped rescue the first woman I ever loved after she fell off the cliff over there." He pointed to the spot that Elizabeth had fell off the day Jack Sparrow had come to Port Royal. "I ask that all three of you fall from that place and I shall bestow my love upon the one I choose to rescue."
"Only one?" Allison said meekly. "But what should happen to the other two?"
"If you really love me that much, you won't want to live without me. From there you can either get a ship to another island, or drown yourself as you see fit." There was a moment of silence as the three girls looked at each other and then broke out into nods.
"We've reached an accord." Jane said, shaking his hand and taking off running for the cliff. Maggie was right on her heels and Allison trailed behind, shouting for them to wait up. The three men stood still, watching them go. Norrington finally broke the moment, turning and heading in the opposite direction.
Murtogg turned to look at him. "You aren't going to rescue one?" He asked. Norrington regarded him coolly over his shoulder.
"Of course not. Once they're in the water long enough, they'll think I chose one and hopefully head off to a different island." He said. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have work to attend to." He turned back around and headed up the steps towards his office.
Mullroy turned to Murtogg and shrugged. "Guess it's our watch." He said, heading in the direction of the wall.
"There's a saying about it, isn't there? 'Running around like a chicken with its head cut off.'" Mullroy said, trying to prove his point. "So why would people say it if it was merely a made up sentence? Wouldn't someone have had to seen this happen if there was a saying about a chicken with it's head cut off?"
"Well, it's not possible." Murtogg said, shaking his head. "A chicken can't run around without it's head. Nothing can at that." He turned back around to finish getting ready for his shift out on the wall of the fort.
Suddenly the door burst open and Norrington rushed in, slamming the door shut behind him as he did. He leaned up against it, chest heaving. His wig was knocked to the side on his head and his face was flushed red. Neither man had ever seen the commodore this way and to tell the truth, they were quite worried. Norrington was afraid of almost nothing. What could be so frightening as to force the man into hiding?
A moment later, their unasked questions were answered anyway. A high pitched giggle came from outside the door. "Oh, Norry, you're so funny!" The voice said before giggling again. "Here I thought you were all work and no play. Now you want to play tag! What fun!"
Murtogg's eyes grew wider. "God help us all...is that a...a...?"
"Sue?" Norrington said. He was still leaning against the door, but was able to straighten his wig and jacket. "I'm afraid so. It seems I've attracted my fair share of the dreadful lot. I would've thought that Sparrow and Turner had them all, but I was wrong."
Mullroy raised his hand tentatively. "Commodore Norrington, is that why you didn't go after Sparrow?" He asked.
"I thought the bloody Sues would finish him off for me." He heard the giggling again and winced. "As your superior I command you to go out there and get rid of her."
"But sir, not to be disrespectful, but why can't you do it? She's not but a tiny girl." Murtogg chimed in. "She should be easy to make leave."
"It's because she's a woman that I can't make her do anything. I will not raise a hand against that vile, terrifying,...perfect, angelic..." Norrington started to trail off. Murtogg grabbed the glass of water off the table and sent the liquid in the Commodore's general direction. There was a moment where Mullroy thought he had seen the last of his best friend before Norrington finally blinked, realizing what had happened. "Thank you."
"Not a problem, sir. I've seen what those Sues can do." He set the glass back down. "We'll rid you of her this once sir, but if she comes back, she's your problem." Mullroy nodded in agreement and picked his rifle up as well. The two headed to the door and Norrington slid to the side, keeping well away from the windows.
Outside they were confronted with one woman and she reeked of Sue. Her hair was pulled back in a bun, perfectly coiffed and not a strand out of place. Her dress could only be from someplace expensive like France and she daintily held the parasol in her hands, twirling it idly as she waited. As she saw the two come out, her emerald eyes lit up and she rushed towards them.
"Perhaps you can help me find my Norry." She cooed. "We were playing tag, but now he seems to want to play Hide and Seek."
"Your Norry? Your Norry? Your Norry me ass." Murtogg whipped around as he heard the second voice. The young tavern wench threw down the bucket of suds she was carrying and crossed her arms. "He's meant to come and rescue me, lass. He doesn't want some prissy socialite such as yourself." For someone who had been working a great deal, her fair hair fell in neat waves around her face, going down to her waist. Her blue eyes glittered with fury that someone might be trying to steal her love. And unlike the first, her clothes were tattered in what seemed to be only the right places.
Mullroy nudged Murtogg. "I can see why he ran." He whispered.
The prim and proper Sue raised her chin, perfect nose in the air. "I am Allison DuMont, the daughter of a baron and you will show some proper respect. Commodore Norrington would never be seen with the likes of you, tavern wench." She said haughtily, crossing her arms.
"Tavern Wench? I'll have you know, it's a very glamorous profession or so I think." She struck a pose for a few brief seconds. "And status doesn't matter. Commodore Norrington will see that he only has room in his heart for me, Maggie O'Toole."
The door behind the two guards burst open and Norrington backed out. "Please, no more today. I never wanted this." He bumped into Murtogg and Mullroy. "They breed like sewer rats."
"Sewer rats, eh? Doesn't matter what you call me, luv, I'm still yours and you're still mine. Like the tragic tale of Romeo and Juliet, we come from different backgrounds, but we can still be lovers!" With a dramatic flair, the pirate Sue lunged forward and grabbed Norrington's lapels, holding tightly. "You will give up your love of the law for me and we can sail away on my ship, pillaging and plundering for the rest of our happy lives. Captain Jane Red Eye and her faithful first mate, James Norrington." She smirked slyly and trailed a finger down his chest. "What say you, luv?"
"I say your out of your bleedin' mind!" Maggie shouted. Jane looked up, giving her a nasty look.
"Say that again, lass, and you won't have a tongue." Maggie pushed up her sleeves and stepped forward, raising her fists. With an exasperated sigh, Maggie let go of Norrington and did the same. "Winner takes the man."
"Wait!" Norrington threw up his hands. "I have a way to decide this." Three sets of eyes focused on him. "I helped rescue the first woman I ever loved after she fell off the cliff over there." He pointed to the spot that Elizabeth had fell off the day Jack Sparrow had come to Port Royal. "I ask that all three of you fall from that place and I shall bestow my love upon the one I choose to rescue."
"Only one?" Allison said meekly. "But what should happen to the other two?"
"If you really love me that much, you won't want to live without me. From there you can either get a ship to another island, or drown yourself as you see fit." There was a moment of silence as the three girls looked at each other and then broke out into nods.
"We've reached an accord." Jane said, shaking his hand and taking off running for the cliff. Maggie was right on her heels and Allison trailed behind, shouting for them to wait up. The three men stood still, watching them go. Norrington finally broke the moment, turning and heading in the opposite direction.
Murtogg turned to look at him. "You aren't going to rescue one?" He asked. Norrington regarded him coolly over his shoulder.
"Of course not. Once they're in the water long enough, they'll think I chose one and hopefully head off to a different island." He said. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have work to attend to." He turned back around and headed up the steps towards his office.
Mullroy turned to Murtogg and shrugged. "Guess it's our watch." He said, heading in the direction of the wall.