Hi! I'm sorry, but this chapter's, um, a little short – but the next one is
longer, I promise! And to make up for it, I'm writing everybody callouts,
even though I should be doing Chemistry homework! There! Aren't I lovely?
(no sound but a train going past) Hello?
Chapter 3 – Many meetings
It took considerable effort for Will to drag Jack away from the burning pub, but in the end he managed to drag into an alleyway. He was closely followed by Elizabeth and the others. As soon as Jack could no longer see the flames, it seemed that he came out of a sort of daze; he shook his head and took charge.
"Elizabeth, we'll find some of the pirates," he said, "You go up to them and chances are, they'll capture you."
"Oh brilliant," said Elizabeth sarcastically, "I'm sure you won't blame me if I'm not over enthusiastic."
"No, but THEN we come and rescue you," said Will, "Right Jack?"
"Uh... yes," said Jack, nodding rapidly, "That was the next bit of the plan. I was just coming to that. Yes." He smiled in what he must of thought was a reassuring way, but actually looked rather worrying.
Before Elizabeth could argue some more, some pirates went running past along the street adjoining to their alleyway. Helen hastily shoved Elizabeth out of the alleyway and straight into them. Will turned and looked at her disbelievingly; she shrugged and stepped forward so that she could hear better. Will was about to protest, but Jack shook his head at him and signalled for him to be quiet.
"Who are you?" said the pirates in confusion – after all, a girl had just come rocketing out of nowhere straight into them.
"I – uh -" said Elizabeth, momentarily distracted by her indignation at being shoved out without any warning, "I am, uh, a damsel in distress!" she said quickly. Will shook his head and wondered that she had ever managed to convince Barbossa that her name was Elizabeth Turner.
"You don't look like you're in much distress," said one of the pirates, looking vaguely baffled.
"I, um..." said Elizabeth, aware that this was going badly. Suddenly she was struck by inspiration. "You know, I would say parley, but you, um, fine fellows, are obviously wise enough to make decisions without your captain's, um, guidance," she said sweetly. Jack raised an eyebrow, looking slightly impressed.
"Really?" said the pirates, some looking touched, the others more suspicious.
"Of course," said Elizabeth hastily, "In fact, uh – can I join your crew?"
The pirates looked at each other and shrugged. "Don't see why not," said one of them.
"But it's bad luck to have a woman on board-" said one of them, who actually looked remarkably like Mr Gibbs.
"Not necessarily," said another one, "Didn't you hear about Jack Sparrow? A mainly female crew, and he managed to succeed on another quest only a few days ago. Maybe female crews are the way to go nowadays."
"Yeah, well, on the quest before that, one of the women brought him nothing but trouble," argued another, "Don't you remember? Stole the cursed object AGAIN, told them to chuck all the ammunition overboard when they were being chased – I mean, how stupid can you get?"
Elizabeth seemed to be struggling to keep her temper under control. "They still succeeded, didn't they?"
"From what I heard, Jack nearly got hanged because of it," said another pirate.
"Anyway, what are we looking for?" said Elizabeth quickly, "Uh, gold? Jewels? Rum?"
The pirates laughed. "No," they said, "We've been told to look for someone. Some girl. Apparently the captain wants a word with her."
"Some girl?" said Elizabeth, feeling steadily more nervous, "Any idea how we're supposed to recognize her?"
"Well," said another pirate, "She's supposed to be very skilled at some craft or something. We're supposed to keep an eye out for her cousin as well. Apparently they make little dolls out of beads."
"Cirfia!" whispered Will hurriedly to Jack, who looked increasingly worried.
"Why are does the captain want to talk to her?" said Elizabeth, also worried.
The pirates shrugged. "How should we know? Anyway, let's get looking. You coming?" he added, looking at Elizabeth.
"Uhh..." said Elizabeth, "I'm... just going to go and get something. I'll meet the boat down at the docks, all right?"
"Whatever," said the pirates, and ran off through the streets into the darkness. Elizabeth watched them go, then raced back to the alleyway, where Will gave her a hug.
"You managed to convince the pirates of something and then escape?" said Anamaria, "That's a change."
"Why are they looking for Cirfia?" said Tobias in alarm. In the short time they'd been on the same crew, they'd made quite good friends, especially when Cirfia gave him a bead fairy.
"Whatever the reason, we've got to help," said Will, getting his heroic face again, making Tanuki roll his eyes in despair. "Does anyone know where she lives?"
"We do!" came some voices out of the darkness behind them. They all turned round rapidly. Some girls stepped out towards them. Jack recognized them immediately.
"Kathryn!" he said happily, "Jackie! Frankie! Gemma!"
"What are you doing here?" asked Mro in surprise.
"We saw Norrington," said Kathryn, "We didn't know why else he'd be here unless you were here to, so we came looking for you."
"Oh no," said Will, eyeing Frankie nervously – on their previous adventure, Frankie had spent most of it unashamedly flirting with him.
"Oh, don't worry," said Frankie flippantly, "I'm over you. No need to fret your little meerkat head."
Everyone took a step back away from her, looking scared. "I know, it's a miracle," said Gemma.
"Time to marvel at the mysteries of the universe later," said Jack, "Where does Cirfia live then?"
"Near the edge of town," said Jackie, thrilled to be back with her namesake, "She lived there alone. She had a shop there or something."
"Alone?" said Elizabeth in surprise, raising an eyebrow.
"Well, yes," said Gemma, "Didn't you talk to her at all on the boat?"
"Not about anything except bead fairies," shrugged Elizabeth, "That's all she seemed to mention."
"Well, yes, she lives there alone," said Frankie, "She went back there when Norrington's men dropped us off – I'm guessing she's still there. It's at the base of the mountain."
Will glanced into the air. Smoke was rising from nearly everywhere in the town; but none yet from near the mountains. "We still have time," he said, "Quick!"
***
Again, I'm sorry it's so short.... (ducks various projectiles from readers who feel they've been cheated) Ow! Ow! OW!!! Hey, that one was POINTED!!
Elderberry – Really? That's so weird! Jack Davenport's been in way more films! I saw him in 'The Talented Mr Ripley' the other day... it's so weird...
mronimusha - I have no idea, I'm guessing she is... Never met her myself... I'll ask. Plundering ahoy! Huzzah!
Theshiz – You know what? I think it is. (runs to find somewhere she can fit it into a chapter) If you don't mind, of course.
Elf with a lightsaber – I got absolutely tons of forms. I don't know how many altogether... over twenty, I think. I've chosen about six people so far, not counting some of those who were in the original story. You were one of them, by the way – your form was just too interesting to resist!
One of your many fans – (reddens) I don't get THAT many... Thanks anyway! And Helen would never burn the pub – where would the rum live?
Tanuki Yasha – I did say that she raised an eyebrow in the last chapter! Try searching for 'raising'. And she definitely raises an eyebrow in this chapter, I remember because I deliberately put it in!
TBI – It's not too late! Send it in send it in send it in!!!
Laraeliae Black – It's very difficult to write in the mind of Jack and make it as funny as he is on screen because it's partly Johnny Depp's acting that makes it so brilliant. So just picture Jack Sparrow-esque actions with what he says.
Feaelin Greenleaf – I still haven't made the absolute final decisions, but I'll think about it, I really will. But if you don't get in, please keep reading, it promises to be lots of fun. Please? *hobbit-eyes* Oh wait, this is a POTC fic, isn't it? Um... *will turner-eyes*
Gilraen Ar-Feiniel – Don't worry, plenty more Will-torturing to come. He loses his shirt in the next chapter... (evil smile)
Pirate-strumpet – Know what you mean there. I got into trouble in Chemistry because instead of doing the experiment, I was setting things alight and accidentally ignited all the paper in the bin... there were actual flames coming out of it...
Beloved Fool – Yes, I know, and I hope you're slightly cheered up now after shoving Elizabeth into a group of pirates. And mro wants to know if you're reasonably hot.
Alteng – But everyone in the film looks Georgian. And Port Royal was rebuilt after the earthquake, because it's still around today and it was a port shortly afterwards again. Who knows? I assumed it was 18th century. Anyway, never mind.
Im a Brandybuck – Have you calmed down slightly yet? No? Well, can't blame you.
Terreis – Yees, comforted... (nudge nudge wink wink) (nudges harder when ignored) (NUDGE NUDGE NUDGE) (hits Will around the head) LOOK AT ME WHEN I'M NUDGING YOU, DAGNABBIT!!!
Hyper-Elf – Well, I don't think she IS evil. And besides, she's my clone, so I can't be too evil to her, can I?
CrazedElfStalker – Umm, no. Sorry. I'll see if she can get a little burnt later though, maybe.
Tobias – It would be great if you could send the form in, it would make me writing you a whole lot easier. Thanks.
See you all soon!
Chapter 3 – Many meetings
It took considerable effort for Will to drag Jack away from the burning pub, but in the end he managed to drag into an alleyway. He was closely followed by Elizabeth and the others. As soon as Jack could no longer see the flames, it seemed that he came out of a sort of daze; he shook his head and took charge.
"Elizabeth, we'll find some of the pirates," he said, "You go up to them and chances are, they'll capture you."
"Oh brilliant," said Elizabeth sarcastically, "I'm sure you won't blame me if I'm not over enthusiastic."
"No, but THEN we come and rescue you," said Will, "Right Jack?"
"Uh... yes," said Jack, nodding rapidly, "That was the next bit of the plan. I was just coming to that. Yes." He smiled in what he must of thought was a reassuring way, but actually looked rather worrying.
Before Elizabeth could argue some more, some pirates went running past along the street adjoining to their alleyway. Helen hastily shoved Elizabeth out of the alleyway and straight into them. Will turned and looked at her disbelievingly; she shrugged and stepped forward so that she could hear better. Will was about to protest, but Jack shook his head at him and signalled for him to be quiet.
"Who are you?" said the pirates in confusion – after all, a girl had just come rocketing out of nowhere straight into them.
"I – uh -" said Elizabeth, momentarily distracted by her indignation at being shoved out without any warning, "I am, uh, a damsel in distress!" she said quickly. Will shook his head and wondered that she had ever managed to convince Barbossa that her name was Elizabeth Turner.
"You don't look like you're in much distress," said one of the pirates, looking vaguely baffled.
"I, um..." said Elizabeth, aware that this was going badly. Suddenly she was struck by inspiration. "You know, I would say parley, but you, um, fine fellows, are obviously wise enough to make decisions without your captain's, um, guidance," she said sweetly. Jack raised an eyebrow, looking slightly impressed.
"Really?" said the pirates, some looking touched, the others more suspicious.
"Of course," said Elizabeth hastily, "In fact, uh – can I join your crew?"
The pirates looked at each other and shrugged. "Don't see why not," said one of them.
"But it's bad luck to have a woman on board-" said one of them, who actually looked remarkably like Mr Gibbs.
"Not necessarily," said another one, "Didn't you hear about Jack Sparrow? A mainly female crew, and he managed to succeed on another quest only a few days ago. Maybe female crews are the way to go nowadays."
"Yeah, well, on the quest before that, one of the women brought him nothing but trouble," argued another, "Don't you remember? Stole the cursed object AGAIN, told them to chuck all the ammunition overboard when they were being chased – I mean, how stupid can you get?"
Elizabeth seemed to be struggling to keep her temper under control. "They still succeeded, didn't they?"
"From what I heard, Jack nearly got hanged because of it," said another pirate.
"Anyway, what are we looking for?" said Elizabeth quickly, "Uh, gold? Jewels? Rum?"
The pirates laughed. "No," they said, "We've been told to look for someone. Some girl. Apparently the captain wants a word with her."
"Some girl?" said Elizabeth, feeling steadily more nervous, "Any idea how we're supposed to recognize her?"
"Well," said another pirate, "She's supposed to be very skilled at some craft or something. We're supposed to keep an eye out for her cousin as well. Apparently they make little dolls out of beads."
"Cirfia!" whispered Will hurriedly to Jack, who looked increasingly worried.
"Why are does the captain want to talk to her?" said Elizabeth, also worried.
The pirates shrugged. "How should we know? Anyway, let's get looking. You coming?" he added, looking at Elizabeth.
"Uhh..." said Elizabeth, "I'm... just going to go and get something. I'll meet the boat down at the docks, all right?"
"Whatever," said the pirates, and ran off through the streets into the darkness. Elizabeth watched them go, then raced back to the alleyway, where Will gave her a hug.
"You managed to convince the pirates of something and then escape?" said Anamaria, "That's a change."
"Why are they looking for Cirfia?" said Tobias in alarm. In the short time they'd been on the same crew, they'd made quite good friends, especially when Cirfia gave him a bead fairy.
"Whatever the reason, we've got to help," said Will, getting his heroic face again, making Tanuki roll his eyes in despair. "Does anyone know where she lives?"
"We do!" came some voices out of the darkness behind them. They all turned round rapidly. Some girls stepped out towards them. Jack recognized them immediately.
"Kathryn!" he said happily, "Jackie! Frankie! Gemma!"
"What are you doing here?" asked Mro in surprise.
"We saw Norrington," said Kathryn, "We didn't know why else he'd be here unless you were here to, so we came looking for you."
"Oh no," said Will, eyeing Frankie nervously – on their previous adventure, Frankie had spent most of it unashamedly flirting with him.
"Oh, don't worry," said Frankie flippantly, "I'm over you. No need to fret your little meerkat head."
Everyone took a step back away from her, looking scared. "I know, it's a miracle," said Gemma.
"Time to marvel at the mysteries of the universe later," said Jack, "Where does Cirfia live then?"
"Near the edge of town," said Jackie, thrilled to be back with her namesake, "She lived there alone. She had a shop there or something."
"Alone?" said Elizabeth in surprise, raising an eyebrow.
"Well, yes," said Gemma, "Didn't you talk to her at all on the boat?"
"Not about anything except bead fairies," shrugged Elizabeth, "That's all she seemed to mention."
"Well, yes, she lives there alone," said Frankie, "She went back there when Norrington's men dropped us off – I'm guessing she's still there. It's at the base of the mountain."
Will glanced into the air. Smoke was rising from nearly everywhere in the town; but none yet from near the mountains. "We still have time," he said, "Quick!"
***
Again, I'm sorry it's so short.... (ducks various projectiles from readers who feel they've been cheated) Ow! Ow! OW!!! Hey, that one was POINTED!!
Elderberry – Really? That's so weird! Jack Davenport's been in way more films! I saw him in 'The Talented Mr Ripley' the other day... it's so weird...
mronimusha - I have no idea, I'm guessing she is... Never met her myself... I'll ask. Plundering ahoy! Huzzah!
Theshiz – You know what? I think it is. (runs to find somewhere she can fit it into a chapter) If you don't mind, of course.
Elf with a lightsaber – I got absolutely tons of forms. I don't know how many altogether... over twenty, I think. I've chosen about six people so far, not counting some of those who were in the original story. You were one of them, by the way – your form was just too interesting to resist!
One of your many fans – (reddens) I don't get THAT many... Thanks anyway! And Helen would never burn the pub – where would the rum live?
Tanuki Yasha – I did say that she raised an eyebrow in the last chapter! Try searching for 'raising'. And she definitely raises an eyebrow in this chapter, I remember because I deliberately put it in!
TBI – It's not too late! Send it in send it in send it in!!!
Laraeliae Black – It's very difficult to write in the mind of Jack and make it as funny as he is on screen because it's partly Johnny Depp's acting that makes it so brilliant. So just picture Jack Sparrow-esque actions with what he says.
Feaelin Greenleaf – I still haven't made the absolute final decisions, but I'll think about it, I really will. But if you don't get in, please keep reading, it promises to be lots of fun. Please? *hobbit-eyes* Oh wait, this is a POTC fic, isn't it? Um... *will turner-eyes*
Gilraen Ar-Feiniel – Don't worry, plenty more Will-torturing to come. He loses his shirt in the next chapter... (evil smile)
Pirate-strumpet – Know what you mean there. I got into trouble in Chemistry because instead of doing the experiment, I was setting things alight and accidentally ignited all the paper in the bin... there were actual flames coming out of it...
Beloved Fool – Yes, I know, and I hope you're slightly cheered up now after shoving Elizabeth into a group of pirates. And mro wants to know if you're reasonably hot.
Alteng – But everyone in the film looks Georgian. And Port Royal was rebuilt after the earthquake, because it's still around today and it was a port shortly afterwards again. Who knows? I assumed it was 18th century. Anyway, never mind.
Im a Brandybuck – Have you calmed down slightly yet? No? Well, can't blame you.
Terreis – Yees, comforted... (nudge nudge wink wink) (nudges harder when ignored) (NUDGE NUDGE NUDGE) (hits Will around the head) LOOK AT ME WHEN I'M NUDGING YOU, DAGNABBIT!!!
Hyper-Elf – Well, I don't think she IS evil. And besides, she's my clone, so I can't be too evil to her, can I?
CrazedElfStalker – Umm, no. Sorry. I'll see if she can get a little burnt later though, maybe.
Tobias – It would be great if you could send the form in, it would make me writing you a whole lot easier. Thanks.
See you all soon!