Pearl of the Sea

Chapter Two- Conversing with the Ship

Duncan Pillard was a well mannered man, for the most part, but he had been dragged into the profession of piracy at the young age of eleven by his father. The constant call of the sea lived in his blood just as much as any other sailor, but he was a pirate after all, and pirates, no matter how much they love the sea, are not used to spending more than a week aboard a ship. That was why Duncan was getting a severe case of edginess as he waited for even a glimmer of land to appear on the horizon, and he wasn't alone.

"Do yeh think he even bloody knows where the 'ell we're goin'?" Duncan's small green eyes had a sign of pure annoyance in them as he glanced around the deck of the ship.

"I 'ave me doubts." Crimp, an impatient short tempered man whose head reached Duncan's elbow, replied bitterly. "Pers'nally, I think 'e's mad."

"He knows." It was a short reply but it was spoken with a sort of malice, which was not uncommon from the voice who spoke it. The only woman aboard the ship, AnaMaria, had joined the two pirates' conversation. "He may look an' act daft, but he ain't. 'e always knows."

"'ow can yeh tell?" Crimp asked, his neck craning to examine the eccentric looking man currently at the helm. "'e just looks like a mooncalf who wouldn't know bullocks from bread."

Stifling a laugh, the woman's hand slapped Crimp shoulder, a warning that he was almost crossing a line. "As true as that may seem boys, he knows, trust me."

She tilted her head as she examined the man in question. He was an odd man, that much was true. He did look like a 'mooncalf', as Crimp had been so quick to point out, but AnaMaria knew better. She was first mate of this fine ship, something she was surprised to find the Captain would allow considering there were men to fill the position. She had beaten out Joshamee Gibbs for the position, a man who seemed rather close to the Captain himself, although he never really stuck AnaMaria as being smart. Although, deep down she knew that her obtaining the position really had nothing to do with her intelligence or skills with a knife, it was the fact that the Captain owed her a ship and this was his way of slowly paying her back.

"Lemme settle this boys, I'll ask 'im where we're goin' and then I'll let yeh know what he says."

Crimp shook his head before he looked up to Duncan who was doing the same.

"I wouldn't do that." Crimp said slowly.

"And why the bloody 'ell wouldn't yeh?"

"It's almost noon."

"Yer point?"

"That's the Cap'n's time with 'is ship." Duncan said knowingly and AnaMaria raised an eyebrow.
"Explain."

Duncan looked to Crimp who nodded and then looked to the first mate before speaking. "He goes into this odd mood where if yeh interrupt 'im 'e gets all..."

"All what?"

"...Cross. 'e yelled at me two days ago for tellin' 'im lunch was done down in the galley. Then he explained that he was talkin' to the Pearl."

"Talking to the ship? Bullocks. Yer the mooncalf." AnaMaria shook her head before pointing a finger at Duncan and then at Crimp. "Watch me. I'm goin' saunter on up to the man, ask 'im when and where we're dockin' and then I'll come right back. No yellin' and no talkin' to ships involved."

"Yeh can try." Duncan replied before AnaMaria gave him a glare and started off across the deck.

He saw her coming. She wasn't hard to miss when you're on a ship in the middle of the sea surrounded by nothing but men. Her black hair fell past her shoulder blades and she was the only one aboard who had a figure hidden under the sailor's clothing they all wore, although, if he ever said that out loud he would have to expect a slap and a severe pain in his cheek. Lord knew he had experienced enough of those.

His dirty, ring clad fingers clung to the helm as he watched her approach. He knew what was going to happen. She was going to ruin his time alone with his ship. This was his favorite hour of the day, he set it aside just for this purpose. He had been without his dark beauty for ten long years and he needed his time to catch up. His dark eyes scanned her decks and looked for more bruises and holes to have patched up, but he couldn't find any. Despite the atrocious nature of Barbossa himself, he had kept the ship in pretty good working order.

He heard her boats climbing the stairs that lead to the helm.

He heard her throat clear as she began to speak.

He heard the precious seconds saved for his ship slowly slipping away.

"AnaMaria."

"Cap'n Sparrow."

Jack Sparrow's dark eyes glared at his first mate as she crossed her arms and leaned against the railing. "Do yeh know what time it is?"

"Noon Cap'n."

"Precisely," Jack said with a nod.

Why is it that this man never makes any bloody sense? AnaMaria thought as she looked the man over. His weathered tri-corner hat sat slightly skewed on his head and his kohl was obviously not helping in warding off the autumn sun due to the fact that his eyes were narrowing as he looked back at her, or was he glaring?

As she opened her mouth to ask exactly what he meant by that, he cut her off.

"Seein' as whatever yeh came up 'ere for must have been important, cause I know yeh wouldn't come up just to chat, speak up and make it quick. I've got an appointment."

"An appointment? Sparrow-" Jack winced before cutting her off.

"Captain Sparrow."

"Yer insuff'rable."

"If want a week of night watch by all means keep talkin'." The impact this had on the first mate wasn't exactly what Jack had anticipated.

"A week? Yeh mean yeh plan to keep us out in the middle of this bloody sea wiffout a sign of bloomin' land for another bleedin' week?" Her voice had become high pitched and screeching as she pointed a threatening finger in her captain's face, who seemed to be cowering and preparing to be slapped by the devil himself. "We worked our bloody arses off to get yeh this flea bag of a ship back to yeh and what do yeh do? Keep us stranded on it!"

Now, there are certain things that Jack could stand. He could stand there and let her point her grubby finger at his nose. He could listen to her complain about how long they had been stuck out in the middle of the sea, but he couldn't let her insult his ship. He slowly backed out of slapping range and pointed his own finger at her.

"Yeh listen up young missy and yeh listen up well. Yeh don't know the half of the trouble I went through to get this ship back, but yer gonna know more than half of the work it is going to take to get 'er back in top shape. Until we reach port yer assigned to night watch and cleanin' the brig. Top teh bottom. Yeh won't be leavin' the ship 'till I deem the brig un-Hectorified. Savvy?"

The look of impatience in his eyes told her he wasn't joking and instead of looking defeated, she stuck her lower jaw out and pounded her way down the stairs. She didn't even look crushed as she past Duncan and Crimp who had 'I told yeh so' looks on their faces. AnaMaria was fuming with anger and she knew that she would be taking out this anger on the rotting floor boards in the brig.

With a smug grin on his face, Jack Sparrow retook his place at the helm. He saw Mr. Gibb's approach him out of the corner of his eye, but he didn't acknowledge him. It appeared that Gibb's didn't expect him too.

His eyes focused on the door that AnaMaria had just slammed in her fit of rage, Gibb's poised the question AnaMaria never had the chance to ask, "So where exactly are we makin' port Jack?"

Jack didn't act as though he heard him; he just kept standing there, searching for the horizon. After a minute or two Gibbs looked straight at his captain, his eyes inquisitive. That's when Jack finally moved. With his exaggerated movements he pulled out his compass.

"Judging by our direction," He shut the small box and placed it back at his hip before licking one of his fingers and holding it in the air. "And wind speed, we should see Venezuela on the horizon in two days, Joshamee."

"Venezuela? Jack, yeh know who's there this time a' year! Yeh've 'eard the tales!" Gibbs look frightened, Jack gave a sigh and rolled his eyes toward the heavens.

"If yeh bring this up one more time I'll be strappin' yeh to the gunner's daughter without even a hint of regret savvy?" Jack turned, his body seemingly leaning on the helm for support.

"Aye sir, but yeh heard the rumors as well as I did, 'e's lookin' fer yeh."

"Aye, I 'eard them, but I don't believe them mate. Edward Teach had nothin' to do with us. Not a bloody thing."

"But the prophecy-"

"Ha! The woman was an old madcap. I don't believe a word of it."

Gibbs looked like Jack had just thrown a brick at him. "Don't believe it! Mother's love! Yeh just spent the last ten years of yer life chasin' undead pirates and yeh don't believe a simple prophecy? Yer daft!"

Jack grinned, his golden teeth glinting in the Caribbean sun. "Yeh already knew that mate, don't act so surprised. Now, if yeh'll excuse me, my ship and I have some business to take care of."

Gibbs wandered back down to the main deck, where he continued to help retie knots and maintain the sails. Jack on the other hand, Jack was busy becoming reacquainted with every curve, every stair, every plank, and every creak of his beautiful ship. Jack was lost in his own world where no one but himself and his Black Pearl lived.

Although he was interrupted only once more, except this time it was something completely new. Jack snapped back into reality as the call echoed across the deck once more.

"Sails off the port bow!"

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A/N: Hello there! Thank you for all the kind reviews! So glad you all sound interested! I'm hoping to update on the weekends, but depending on homework levels that might get altered a bit. This chapter was hard to write and I don't think it came out as well as I would have liked it too, but let me know what you think of it and I'll be very greatful.