Sooooo sorry about all the mix-up, I needed to change a few things so I tried replacing the chapter, but that didn't seem to work, so I then deleted it and re-posted it immediately afterwards, but again it said it was the same, so then I finally deleted it once more and posted it again the next day. Oh and I forgot to put one of those disclaimer thingies. Yeah about that, PotC Not mine. And just to make things easier on myself that now applies to ALL my stories that I ever write. Ever.
Thanks for your review Solecito btw, sorry if it was deleted with the rest of it, but thank you again!
Not that you really needed to know all that.
Four Women in a Bar
It was a slow night for Hannah, Giselle, Renee and Flora so they all sat around a table in one of the taverns. They got themselves a drink and chatted away.
"I'm thinkin' 'bout leaving this job."
"Oh yeah? Whatcha gonna do instead?" Giselle asked.
"Hmm... I hadn't thought about that. What do women usually do?"
"Get married to a fella, 'ave some kids..."
"I could ne'er see our Hannah with a bunch o' kiddies." Renee interrupted.
"I agree. Me? Children? I don't think so, not me style."
"Well if you want a proper job like, you could be a seamstress." Flora suggested.
"That's just slang fer one o' us." Hannah pointed out.
"Actually, y'know 'Annah, the daft one 'as a point. There are lotsa blokes who get it wrong, lookin' for a proper seamstress to darn their socks an' all that. Quite a bit o' money to be made."
"Yeah, we could even throw some business yer way." Renee offered.
"That's all good an' well, but last time I tried to sew, I nearly sewed me thumb to me dress."
"How on Earth did ya manage to do that wit'out noticing?"
Hannah shrugged and took a sip of her mead.
"You could be a hat maker. They're comin' int' fashion these days." Giselle put forward.
"Hats? No-one wears hats!" Hannah argued.
"The Pope does." Flora argued, earning a look or three.
Ignoring her, Giselle continued, "They don't now, but they're gonna 'ave to be popular someday. And then there'll be an 'igh demand for creators of hats."
"Is that what they're actually called? Creators o' hats?" Renee inquired.
"'Ow the 'ell am I meant to know? Ask Hannah, shes the one who's gonna be one."
"What? No, I'm not. I'm not gonna waste me time makin' things people ain't gonna buy."
"They might." Giselle disputed. Hannah took a deep breath and another sip of her drink.
"Aren't they called hatters?" Flora ventured.
"Don't be ridiculous, Flora. They wouldn't be called something that simple."
"That's right Giselle," Renee said, "'Ats are worn by t'rich, so they've probably got some fancy name."
Flora just nodded.
"Anyway the people who make hats, go crazy, don't they? I don't wanna be a crazy old spinster who talks to her imaginary friend."
"As opposed to just a plain ol' spinster?"
"At least you'll never be alone if you're crazy." Flora revealed.
"Well done Flora, fer once ya used that brain o' yers." Giselle applauded. Flora wore a big smile.
"Ye could be a cook." Renee said.
"Pah!" Giselle scoffed, "Hannah can't cook fer her measly life. She'd 'ave the same problem as if she were being an initiator of 'ats."
"Wow, you use such clever words." Flora said in awe. Giselle just frowned at her and shook her head.
"Oi! I can cook! Fer one, I can cook...I can cook..."
The others looked at each other with grins on their faces while Hannah racked her brain.
"Porridge." Hannah announced proudly.
"You can't cook porridge! It's all lumpy an' 'orrid an' orange."
"How can you make porridge orange???" Giselle asked in surprise, "But then again, we are talkin' 'bout 'Annah 'ere."
"What if you add orange peel? Would that work?" Flora asked. The other three just rolled their eyes.
"How about barmaid?" Renee proposed, "Easy enough to do, and you could do it local."
"Yeah, ya could give us a coupla friendly discounts e'ery now an' again." Giselle said.
"Nah, I'd just end up back here."
"And wha's wrong wit' 'ere?"
"Nothin'," Hannah said hurriedly, "It's just I'm trying to get outta this job."
"This is a perfectly alrigh' job. Wha' you got against it?" Giselle asked testily.
"Yeah, she's right. I'm proud to be what I am, and so should ye. Ain't we right, Flora?"
Flora looked up, having been in a world of her own, "Me too." She answered, nodding energetically at Renee.
Hannah didn't bother protesting, "What else can women do then? Seein' as this is goin' nowhere."
"Well, if a girl don't get 'erself married off, she stays wit' her parents."
"But you can't do that, your parents are dead." Renee said helpfully.
"That is a slight problem." Hannah replied sarcastically.
"You could get adopted." Flora mused.
They looked at her incredulously.
"Flora darlin', I'm twen'y-seven. I'm a bit old to be adopted." Hannah explained gently.
"Yeah, but it's worth a shot isn't it? I'd adopt you if I could, but I can't do two things at once."
Giselle sniggered, and Renee gave her a nudge. Hannah just closed her eyes and bit her lip to stop herself from bursting out in laughter.
"Being an adopter isn't a job, Flora. You're lucky you're pretty or you wouldn't have any job." Hannah told her kindly.
"That's not true," Flora replied, "Lotsa not very pretty people are...seamstresses. All they have to do is put on a lot of make-up. Look at Giselle."
This wiped the smirk off Giselle's face.
"OW!" Flora cried as she received a kick from Giselle under the table.
"I don't wear nearly as much make-up as that tart, Scarlett." She said with spite.
"Still mad at 'er for slappin' yer beloved Cap'n'?" Renee teased.
"E's me best customer, and I'll be damned if some ginger strumpet takes 'im from me."
"Not just that though, eh?"
"Hey, who am I to stop 'im if 'e wants to do some o' the pleasin'?"
Hannah and Renee smirked, nodded, and looked at each other knowingly. He'd brought them much trade and "pleasure" in the past.
"Did you hear? He's got his ship back, along with an 'ole island full o' gold." Hannah said.
"Yeah, supposed to be a fortune." Renee answered.
"O' course, if he's got an island full o' it! Yer startin' to be as dippy as Flora."
"Hey, I'm not dippy. I'm just slow." Flora fought back timidly.
"Flippin' 'eck." Giselle murmured. They sat in silence.
"I got it!!!" Flora shouted.
"Got what?" Giselle asked perplexed.
"What Hannah should do." She stated plainly. They just looked at her.
"Well?!"
"What?" Flora asked.
"What should I do?!" Hannah asked apprehensively.
"Wha...Oh that. Umm..."
"Don't keep us waitin'." Giselle said irately. She and Hannah leaned forward and watched Flora intensely.
"There's Captain Sparrow, coming over." Renee pointed out, but the other two ignored her.
"Uh...You see, I've kinda forgotten now." Flora mumbled. Exasperated, the other two sat back.
"This is hopeless."
"Yeah." They each took a gulp of their drinks.
"Wait a sec, I've remembered! Hannah could be, none other than a..." Flora was interrupted before she could finish.
"Giselle, luv. I was 'oping yer'd be 'ere." Jack said, while giving the other three a golden grin.
"Jack. Ya couldn't 'appen to come back in a minute. We're just discussin' what Hannah's new job should be."
Slightly surprised at not being slapped and at being turned away, he asked Hannah, "What? Aren't yer services gonna be available any more?"
"Oh, they will. Just not those services."
"I see. An' what services will be available for acquisition, then?"
"Tha's what we were just' bout to find out. Flora 'ad just thought o' t'perfect job fer 'er." Giselle butted in. They all looked at Flora expectantly. She shifted uncomfortably under their gazes.
"Uh, I was gonna say..." She looked down at her tankard.
"You've forgotten again, 'aven't you?" Renee said simply.
Flora muttered a yes. They all let out a simultaneous sigh.
"Despite 'ow productive this conversation appears to be, I'm gonna steal away Giselle to do somethin' a bit more reproductive. Come on, luv." Jack said with a wink.
Giselle got up and caught a glance of 'that tart Scarlet' by the bar, unsuccessfully chatting up the barman. Giving her a victorious sneer, she left the tavern with Jack in arm.
"Great, she's left us to pay the tab. Again." Renee said frustrated, "I'm not payin', I paid last time."
"Well, I can't pay. I'm unemployed, me."
They both looked at Flora with big grins.
"What are we looking so happy about?" She asked clueless, with her own big grin.
"You're paying the bill, darling." Hannah said fervently.
"Didn't I pay last time?" She asked puzzled.
"No." Renee answered hurriedly.
"Oh, alright."
"Good. That's settled, then." They got up from the table, while Flora went to pay the barman.
"I reckon I'd make a good cook."
"Please, don't start tha' again."
Sorry, I realised I forgot to change a couple of names; it's basically the same though, but with a few added extras. I'm not too sure what I think of this myself. Do you know what would really help? Telling me what you think of it. A drink goes to anyone who reviews courtesy of Flora, of course.