By Dawn the next day, Tudor was sitting on a barrel on the Pearl's deck, cleaning her pistol and talking to Will. "Norrington was late to dinner as usual. Proly torturing some poor pirate scum. Bored us to tears like he always does. Hangs onto Elizabeth's every word. We stayed up late into the wee small hours of the morning laughing about the poor blighter." Tudor said calmly giving Will the last details of the previous day. "She'll be sleeping late, so that's why I'm here later today." She explained as she finished reassembling her gun, set it down, and then took a bite of the bread sitting next to her, then washed it down with some ale. She looked at Will over the rim of her mug. "So you're a blacksmith, aye?" She said then pulled a dagger from seeming no where. Its blade was bent out of alignment. "What can you do about that for me?" She asked as skilfully tossed it to him.
Jack, who had been standing nearby for sometime admiring her firearm and her handling of the weapon had begun to start over in their direction when he heard the conclusion of 'A day in the life of Miss Elizabeth Swann', saw her suddenly produce a dagger from thin air. Watching her toss it nonchalantly into Will's grasp, he sputtered. "Where the bloody hell did that come from?!"
Tudor turned to see Jack behind her for the first time. "From down the front of my shirt." She said and smiled charmingly at him, as Will inspected the malfunctioning weapon.
"This is a rather easy bend to fix, but I've rarely seen a weapon bent in quite this fashion, it's incredibly hard to inflict." His curious gaze shifted to Tudor expectantly. "What on earth were you using this for to have accomplished this?"
Tudor felt heat creep up the back of her neck as the gazes of both Jack and Will bored into her. They stood, awaiting an answer. She hadn't told Will she was a mercenary yet and she had hoped to keep him ignorant, but she was always to honest for her own good. "I aimed too high and accidentally hit a man in his solar plexus. Actually, he squirmed – my aim is perfect." Tudor said, still in a careless tone.
Will gaped at her. After several awkward moments Jack nudged him with an elbow and Will came to his senses again. "I'm so pleased to hear that Elizabeth is aquatinted with someone who can so readily protect her from harm." He smiled as warmly as he was able to under the circumstances. His expression transformed into one clouded with doubt. "You do like Elizabeth, don't you Miss Smith?" He asked hopefully. She shrugged noncommittally.
"Aye, well enough." She said as she returned to playing with her pistol, then quickly glanced up to Jack. "Oi, Sparrow, got any more ale?"
"Woman, you'll drink this ship dry!" He still turned to fulfil her request.
"Well, Elizabeth will be up soon and I can't miss breakfast, so I'll be off. Till tomorrow Will." She said, placed her hat on her head, restore the pistol to her belt, then curtsied and winked mischievously. "Sparrow, Where's me alcohol?" She called as she started to go after Jack.
"Come 'ere and fetch it yerself, if ye're in such a hurry!" Jack's voice bellowed from inside the galley.
She quickly winked again at Will and trotted quickly towards the sound of Jack clattering around. As she entered, it took her a moment to spot the bumbling pirate. He seemed to be pummelling the life out of something with a very ill-used pot.
He soon sensed her presence and stood up, sporting a sheepish grin. "Every ship has to deal with rats." He then hurried on, "Let me get ye that drink then." He picked up a tumbler and filled it with a brew from a tapped barrel. "Here ye are" He waved it under his nose, inhaled deeply, then handed it to her with a flourish.
She looked worried for a moment as her gaze flicked back and forth from the corner to the pot, to the mug jack was holding to her. She shrugged then took it. "Ta." She lifted the mug to him quickly in salute. "So how long does the cracked lad expect this to go on?" She asked after a sip.
He leaned on the table in the centre of the small room. "I'm not entirely certain where the boy thinks this scheme is headed. Blast, I'm not sure he's thinking at all, the head doesn't usually lead in these matters, now does it?" He paused as if something spectacular had newly occurred to him. "We could do the thinkin' for them."
Tudor peered into her half empty drink. "How many of these have you had this morning? You're not making sense Sparrow." She took another swig.
"No, it's brilliant! I've only jest seen it meself." He rushed on to explain at her look of bewilderment. "Ye see the faulty couple are too addled with love to see the solution to this whole mess. We could prod them towards the solution, and they'll never know that it was our idea and not theirs, savy." He had been gesturing with his hands and body movements through out his explanation and finished off with his hands open in front of him as if to say 'See, simple, right?' only to be met by a speculative look from Tudor.
She just shook her head. "If you want to play matchmaker and waste your time fine – let me know how it works out." She said as she sipped more ale.
"But, but, but . . ." He sputtered. "It would put us both out of our misery." He followed after her as she finished off her drink and stood.
"Look mate, I don't do lover's feuds – it's on my card." She argued back.
Confusion spread on his face. "Why the bloody hell not? It's in yer own self interest." He insisted.
She spun quickly, her red skirt swirling around her ankles, and she tilted her head up to look him in the eye. "Actually, getting ten pounds in gold a day for doing absolutely bloody nothing is in my own self interest – and doing that much is bending my rule enough. Inevitably, one or the other will find out that I'm a mercenary and will hire me to kill the other, but then they feel guilty . . ." She droned on for a moment monotonely, then shrugged. "It's just messy and I don't do it. That's it." She said then continued to walk.
He stopped her with a hand on her arm, "Well this isn't a business venture, now is it? Elizabeth is your friend and you don't exactly hate Will either. I owe this to them, they've each saved my life, in one way or an other, and I need your help with this." And now sure she wouldn't be leaving, he loosened his grip on her arm, but didn't let go. With a pleading look he said, "Please?"
"I'll think about it." She conceded. She had wanted to retain her detachment, but something about Jack that wouldn't let her. "If the opportunity presents it self . . ." She shrugged.
Releasing her, he stepped back and steepled his finger in front of his mouth, bowing his head slightly in grateful gesture. "Oh, yes, completely at your leisure." He grinned. "Do ye suppose the fair Miss Swann has awakened yet?" He said raising his eyebrows.
Tudor's eyes widened, and she smiled at him. "Must dash." She winked, hiked up her skirt and ran for the deck. She was followed by the sound of Captain Jack Sparrow's brash laughter.
"Tudor, we must retire earlier tonight. You must have been exhausted, you stayed abed so late." Elizabeth spoke leading the way up the staircase.
"Yes well, perhaps we should contain our conversation to Commodore Norrington and avoid the subject of Will . . ." Tudor said carelessly then went ashen. "Oh, Elizabeth, I'm so sorry. That was very callous of me."
"No it wasn't." She smiled feebly. "It's true, I know." They settled themselves in the upstairs sitting room. "I just can't seem to stop thinking about him. I've now resigned myself to living without him, but I don't believe I could live without the thought of him." She was speaking very intensely, her eye's filling with tears, as they were prone to these days. "I love him so much. I miss him even more." She paused to wipe the wetness from her cheeks then gave another weak smile. "My apologies. At this rate we'll be awake till the wee hours of the morning again."
"Why don't you find him and talk to him?" Tudor suggested. She didn't want to get involved but she sure as hell wanted to see this over – no matter how much gold. It wasn't worth the headache.
"I can't" She wailed pathetically.
Tudor shrugged and resisted groaning and rolling her eyes. As if she didn't put up with enough whining from Will! "It's your choice. I've said it before, but I will repeat myself – I think your making a mistake." Let her make her own mistakes! She yelled at the voice in her head that was nagging her; the voice that sounded strangely like Sparrow.
"I just wish I could see him, just one last time. Not to talk to him, I'm not strong enough for that. But, if I could just see his dear face one last time before I resolve myself to a life of being an old maid." She sniffled bravely.
If Tudor had been waiting for a sign, it smacked her backhanded across the head. Jack's voice in her head sounded smug, and Tudor quickly told it to shut up. "Well, there's always Norrington." She consoled jokingly, getting a faint smile and laugh out of the girl.
