Title: Of the Sea
Rating: PG-13
Chapter Title: 19. Introductions
Summary: Introductions, announcements, and a destination chosen.
Timeline: Saturday, June 11, 1675
Author: Cicatrix (Marin K.)

Miriam remained below deck, staring out the small, round window at the familiar Tortugan pier. It bustled with activity as sailors loaded crates onto the ship. She could hear Jack's voice above, shouting orders. By daylight, Tortuga's port-side was no less rambunctious tan at night, and she could see the painted women and the drunks gallivanting not too far off.

The crew had arrived at daybreak, their heads sore from the night's pleasures. Jack was merciless, and had set them immediately about the tasks of preparing the ship for departure. Sails were mended, decks swabbed, leaks patched. By afternoon, the Pearl would be again sea-worthy, and the pirates would leave. Until then, Miriam remained, sitting on her bed. Above deck, she could do nothing but get in the way, and she knew that if she was needed, Jack would inform her.

Morgan seemed to be settling in. She was curled in Miriam's lap, and purred contentedly as the pirate stroked her fur. Now clean, the kitten's coat was as smooth as the softest silk, and black like the ocean on a starless night. Her eyes, when open, were gold-flecked amber. At that moment though, they were closed, and the feline slept well after a good meal and a self-imposed bath.

Both Miriam and her furry companion lifted their heads as someone knocked on the door. "Who is it?" she called, though she knew the answer already; she had not heard the captain shouting for the past few minutes. The door opened, and Jack stepped in swiftly before closing it behind him and locking it. He sat again in the same chair he had occupied last night.

"Good morning," he said. Receiving no immediate response, he went on, "You haven't been above deck all morning."

"Why bother? There's not a damn thing I can do but get in the way," she responded with a light shrug of her right shoulder. Jack nodded thoughtfully, although not necessarily in agreement. She indicated the coat which hung from the back of the chair he'd placed himself in with a lazy finger. "Can't get that thing on and done up without difficulty, and I didn't want to bother."

"I could help you," he offered.

She shook her head. "That won't be necessary," was her short reply. Pretending to be examining the wall behind his head, she considered his appearance. His arrival had not been unexpected, but she found herself wishing he would leave. His dark eyes were averted as he, too, pretended to examine their surroundings. His wild hair was under the same state of disarray as was common, and there were the same number of beads and coins tied up in it. His mustache was smoothed, and the braids of his beard were still there. Nothing about him had changed, but she thought he looked different.

Miriam decided that he looked unusually sober. He'd been unusually sober unusually often, and she didn't like it. The silence was uncomfortable, but before she could open her mouth to break it, he spoke. "I thought you might enjoy having the key to your room," he said, dangling a bit of metal in front of her. She took it, examined it carefully, and murmured a thank you. He went on, "There are two keys. I have the other." That was what he had come to say, and so he stood.

"Wait," she said, interrupting his movement toward the door. She picked Morgan up with one hand, and held her out to him. "Take this for a moment." When he accepted the charge, she stood, and took the coat from its resting place. The kitten looked at him sleepily. Awkwardly, she pulled on the jacket, and buttoned it as swiftly as she could, which wasn't very swiftly at all. Miriam disappeared, and Matthew against took over. Jack looked at him, and then held the cat out to him. Matt took Morgan with his good hand, and put her in his pocket. The cat's head peered out curiously.

"You're coming up then?" Jack asked, and Matthew nodded.

"I thought I should introduce the crew to the newest member."

All work on deck paused as Jack and Matthew surfaced from below. Many cast smiles in their direction, pleased to see that Matt had finally shown himself. They were used to his absences when there was work to be done, and understood that the reason was not laziness, but rather an attempt to keep out of the way, and not stop others from completely their tasks. Jack noticed the intermission, and looked about disapprovingly. Most began to return shamefacedly to their chores, but were interrupted by their captain's voice. "The lot of you, over here, now!" he commanded, and a loud chorus of "aye" resounded in response as they hastened to obey the order.

The men, and Anamaria, gathered in a tight semi-circle around Jack and Matthew at his side. A few took moments longer to appear, as they descended from the rigging. When all were present, Jack elbowed Matt in the ribs, who glared at him, but then turned a smile to the crew. With little further hesitation, he reached into his pocket, and gently removed from it the sleek form of the miniature feline.

"This is Morgan," he said by way of introduction, and the crew beamed at the dark, gold-eyed creature that arranged itself proudly on Matthew's upturned palm. There were murmurings of good luck and other greetings among the men, for it was well-known that cats aboard ships were good luck, especially black cats. Gibbs seemed to be the most pleased, for he was the most superstitious of them all.

Matthew stooped, and deposited Morgan on the ship's deck. The cat sniffed curiously at the many pairs of boots which surrounded her, and gave a small meow at the group. Matthew smiled paternally, stood, and there was a warning in his eyes as he faced the crew again. "I'm letting her roam free for now, to get used to her new home, but if anyone steps on her or throws her overboard, you know what luck you'll face," he announced, and everyone swallowed nervously and nodded.

There was a moment of silence, and Jack interrupted, "Also, I'll have you all know that Matt 'ere is now second mate, since we didn't have one." Everyone nodded, although no-one was entirely sure what a second mate was supposed to do. A few gave their congratulations, until Jack looked at them all with a stern eye. As if on command, they all turned and returned to their work. Jack looked sideways at Matthew, who returned the gaze.

"Your first duty as second mate," Jack informed him grandly, "is to... uh... watch Morgan." The conclusion of the statement was rather weak, but Matthew nodded without a word, and followed the feline, who had begun to prowl the deck curiously.

That afternoon, when everything that needed to be done had been, the crew gathered in the captain's quarters. They stood around the table that was built around the mizzenmast that intersected the room, and looked expectantly at their captain.

"You all know why we're here, don't you?" Jack asked, and bared a gold-toothed smile as they nodded. "Good!" he announced. "So, what's it going to be?"

The names of several places were shouted out simultaneously. Jack identified these as "Nassau," "Havana," and "Portobello." He repeated these in that order, and each was greeted by a show of hands: five for Nassau, three for Havana, and five for Portobello. Jack grimaced.

"Well," he said, "it's a tie 'tween Nassau and Portobello, and I vote Nassau, bringing the total to six, three and five. Nassau Port it is." A few looked mildly disappointed, and a few grinned. Jack identified the face that Matthew wore as neither, for he had instead an unreadable expression, as if he were considering some vastly important thing.

Author's note: It's rather a short chapter, and somewhat dull. The next chapter will be more interesting, as will their arrival in Nassau. I've got a few ideas floating around in this head of mine, and you can expect me to dig up some stories. I really need to develop the crew more.

Review Responses:

heather321: I've posted three chapters today. I hope that makes you happy. :P

DaydreamBeliever14: As I've said many times, I have no idea! Maybe, maybe not. We'll see!