Chapter five: Being for the benefit of Mr. Kite.

Elvira frowned down into her mug and muttered something.

"What, love?" Jack asked, noticing how loudly he spoke. They were both sitting in his cabin, having a drink. He had long since let her out of her locked cabin after they were out to sea, and she was now happily toasted opposite him.

"Bloody empty," She said louder, and reaching for the large skin of rum. With a deft hand, Jack pushed it away from her grasp, causing Elvira to frown up at him. She was a heavy drinker, which knocked him out a few too many more skins then he would have preferred

But something was causing her to drink so much, something was bothering her.

"Love, you've had enough."

"Yer slurring yer words," Elvira slurred, blinking and shaking her head slightly. She ran her fingers through her hair, and snorted.

"Ye know, I fink Im gunna cut it." Elvira decided against it, and focused now on staring avidly at the large bottle of rum just out of her reach.

"Hand me the bottle," She was still staring at it.

"No, you've 'ad enough," Ah yes, he was feeling it more now. He wanted to sleep, but he felt like he couldn't rest until he knew she would stop.

"Give it to me," She said dangerously low.

"No. You're a lush, and you don't need it." Instantly, her head snapped up, and she gave him a cold stone sober stare.

"A lush, am I?" She no longer slurred her words, but they were sharp and piercing.

"Yes. Only a well-advanced drinker could take down so many bottles as you have. You couldn't out drink me, however..."

"No one can out drink me, Sparrow. Not even you. So tell me, what did you really lure me in here for?" Damn that girl! Jack thought. He must have been wrong about her intelligence. No, he knew what it was. She just plays the part of the dumb whore. She must have been educated somehow down the line, which is unusual in women anyway. Yes, this woman had something to hide.

"Just to...talk." He chose his words carefully. Jack had to play this one right, if he didn't, then he was screwed.

"No one talks to whores, not even you. If we were on the streets of Tourtuga Town, and I had gold in my hand, you wouldn't want to be talking." She rose to her full height in the chair, and narrowed her eyes, her brows meeting in the frown.

"But I wouldn't have you on the streets of Tourtuga Town. Even a pirate captain has some sort of pride and dignity."

"Yes," Elvira sneered. Jack was beginning to think that she was an angry drunk. "Pride. Pride that you need a whore at all, and women aren't fawning over you. You are handsome, I admit, but your too swarthy and stupid for women to really want you. That's why you need whores. That's why you had Mary on your lap a while ago."

She had a wonderful memory, Jack sulked. Too good. She was street smart as well. There could be no manipulating this woman.

"Yes."

"Well?"

"Well, what?" Jack decided playing stupid and using brute force would be necessary in order to play out his plans.

"You wanted to speak to me." Elvira growled. She was by no means drunk. Not even close enough to touch that factor. She was just playing his attention, trying to test him on how far he would go with a drunken whore. So far, his integrity(or lack thereof) was surprising. She crossed her bare arms over her chest, and glared openly at him.

Elvira still wore the same dress she had been led off in two weeks prior. She smiled at thinking what Elizabeth would say about the state of the expensive thing, and that made her keep it on, though the long sleeves had been ripped, the hem was ragged, and there was a tear near the hip. She simply delighted at being frumpy again.

"Yes. It is the terms of which our bet was placed." Jack said, trying to woo her with words now. If she wanted a verbal battle, she will get it.

"What terms? The only ones we bet on, was if I won. If I won, I got your ship and some treasure island. What of it?"

"Well..." Jack said, standing up on almost unsteady feet, and pacing around the small table. "Beings as you most definitely didn't win,"

"How do you say!"

"ON the terms that you were in the filthiest tavern in Port Royal, talking to a pimp(yes, they did use pimp back then...I looked it up). Naturally, you lost the bet. But we never discussed what happens if I win."

Instantly, Elvira felt a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. She had no clue what this pirate was capable of, and worse still, what he could and most willingly would do. The look in his eye said that he had something planned. Something no mere person would think of lightheartedly or in jest.

"Wait...we never said anything about your winnings in our bet. So, naturally, it is void of anything. If I lost, then that is that, I cant be a lady. Im a whore, and I can accept that. I get a lot of...pleasure at my job and of people knowing as well. The polite society all have a large poker up their arses, because they are hypocrites. They say that they are chaste, when they sneak out at night to go have a mad romp in a barn."

Yes. She had distracted him momentarily. Keep it up, missy, she told herself.

"Who does that?" Jack asked, enthralled by her observations.

"Oh, I think the maid once," She smiled, knowing he was thinking of his friends. Jack's face fell at the disappointment, but then remembered their conversation.

"Yes, well, if I won the bet, I must have won something,"

"But it wasn't in our agreement. I am rather bored with all this talk, and I think I shall go to my cabin." Elvira stood up and frowned down at her bare feet. She flexed her toes and started towards the door, only the be stopped by a strong hand on her elbow.

"I won. Therefore I want something from you." Elvira swirled around to gaze up at him in a cold way.

"Well then you must pay for it. Im a prostitute. Not a bitch in heat twenty-four/seven." Jack grabbed both of her forearms, pulling her towards himself. Her clenched fists rested against his chest, helpless in his grip.

"I don't want some filthy whore," He said in a husky voice betraying his words. "I think you should like where you are going. Very...nice." Jack bent down and gave her a savage kiss before tossing Elvira from him and leaving her to clutch a chair for support.

London. Gray and drab as always. Elvira thought she had left it so long ago, but now she was back on the cobblestone streets. Men were walking quickly from one destination to another. Women were scarce, but they were around. Occasionally she would glance a figure lurking in the shadows, a delicate leg, or a bit of a lacy stocking visable. Yes, they were everywhere...and they will always be in the alleyways, hoping that one day it would either end in death or wealth. Though it always was the fore, never the latter.

"What are we doing in London?" Elvira asked savagely. Sam, who was currently holding the rope bound to her wrist and ankles, looked down at her, something almost like mirth in his eyes.

"Cap'n says Im not to talk to the captives,"

"Well you may tell your captain"– Sam gave an almost joint popping yank of the rope, and she fell silent for a moment. Grimacing when she walked, she glanced down at her ankles being rubbed raw by the rope, and her feet(still unshod) that were near black with dirt and other forms of filth.

"Why are we in London? What does the captain plan for me?" This time Elvira asked with a turn of a shoulder, and a flutter of eyelashes. She could see Sam raise an eyebrow.

"Im not supposed to say, now shut up or your feet will no longer be a part of yer body." Elvira scowled, and started when everyone stopped in front of a large brownstone building.

"This is it," Jack said happily, and without knocking first, they all tramped in...well, she more like was pulled, but never the less, they all tramped in.

"Mr. Kite!" Jack called out, as Elvira got a good look around. The house was nice, she figured that much for sure. With light oak floors and a cheery apple green on the walls. A few lamps were lit, for the gray overcast skies, but none the less, the house was nice.

"Ah! Mr. Sparrow! Oh, sorry, Captain Sparrow. Pardon my blunders. Is this the woman you say shall enhance the altogether wonderful ways of my threatre acts? She looks rather dour. Smile dear, you have nothing to frown about. My Lord! Why do you have those ropes about her? She cant go that far in this house. Untie them!"

Elvira's head spun as a handsome man came around the corner, and spoke all of this at once. His dark brown, almost black, hair was slicked back, he had on a crisp white shirt, black vest and breeches with black knee high boots. His handlebar mustache was perfectly symmetrical, and his dark eyes were merry. He had the most beautiful bone structure Elvira had ever seen, and was instantly attracted to this man.

"Well, we don't want to be taking any chances, Kite," Jack said, jabbing a thumb at the bound woman.

"Very well. Now, how much do I owe you?"

How dare he! Elvira inwardly screamed. Selling her? To a man who would probably prostitute her worse then she ever had been, and take all her earnings. Of course. She should have known it. Anything for a bit of gold. He had tried to steal hers, but when she called him out on it, he sold her. He sold her to some stranger. She was now his property, and that irked Elvira the most.

"That should do it," The man called Mr. Kite said, handing over a small satchel that clinked wonderfully with gold. Jack gave a curt bow, and before she could utter a word, he and Sam were gone from the house.

Elvira turned to look with an open mouth at the handsome man, who was smiling pleasantly at her, nothing in his eyes but kindness.

"Im sure we can get Victoria to get you into some clean clothes and have your ankles looked at to make sure there is nothing wrong or any infection. I don't want you to work tonight, but tomorrow I would like for you to have something up."

"And Victoria is...?" Elvira asked, confused.

"Oh yes, she is our leading lady. Beautiful damsel if there ever was one. But ever since the Twins left, we haven't exactly been coming up to trumps like we used to.

"Twins?"

"Yes, Hector and Lector. They were midgets. The crowds loved them."

"It's like a bloody circus," Elvira said more to herself. Mr. Kite smiled at her, confused as to her recent revelations.

"Well of course it is dear. That's what we are, a circus. Im the ringleader, Mr. Kite. I thought you knew?" He frowned that her captors had not spoken about where she was going. This would make it harder on himself, of course.

"No," Elvira said bitterly. "I had no clue."