Gibbs stumbled to get up quickly as Jack was already halfway to the door. He knocked his chair over and his feet got entangled in it. "Bloody..." Gibbs said not finishing the rest of his sentence as he tried to figure out how to get out of the chair. He finally turned and stepped out of it setting the chair back up. "There." he said as he flashed an embarrassed smile at Sally.
He then ran to catch up to Jack.
"Took you bloody long enough," Jack razzed Gibbs as he finally caught up, having seen his fight with the chair. "If the chair gave you that much trouble, do you think you can handle a few navy fellows?"
Gibbs opened his mouth to blurt our some defenses but before he could Jack chided him. Gibbs glared at Jack, "I'll have you know I know a few tricks being that I have sailed with those same navy men once or twice. I can handle them perfectly fine. "Gibbs said a bit annoyed as he crossed his arms over his chest and sulked as they walked.
"Watch out for that," Jack shouted and closed his eyes as he saw Gibbs wasn't noticing the apple cart right in front of him.
Gibbs jumped to the side to try and avoid the cart but ended up having his foot ran over. "Bloody watch where ye be going!" Gibbs yelled just as the apples that were knocked loose from the bump his foot caused began to roll off the cart and into the street.
"Gibbs, you're walking in the middle of the track. That," Pointing towards the cart, "is bigger than you, therefore it has the right of way. Now this," Picking up an apple, "Is smaller. Thus, you have the right of way, or the right of possession as it were," Rubbing the dust off the apple, he took a big bite. "Not bad and look. It appears we've stumbled into the warehouse district. Let's split up, shall we?"
Gibbs was now bouncing up and down from the pain the cart had caused in his foot. As he had the hurt foot in his hand, he looked at Jack and rolled his eyes as Jack 'lectured' him on the right of way. He shook his head as he was becoming rather annoyed with Jack at the moment as it were. Gibbs nodded, "Sounds like a good idea to me." he said as he turned away and then looked back at Jack. "For how long?"
"How about we just meet back here in say, fifteen minutes?" Munching on the apple, he finished it and tossed the core away.
Gibbs shrugged, "Fine by me. See you back in fifteen minutes." Gibbs said as he veered off to the left heading to a row of warehouses that were there. "Jack better be right about this." Gibbs mumbled under his breath.
Gibbs began to whistle as he walked over towards the warehouses. They weren't very well lit he noticed as he got closer and smiled. "Maybe this won't be so difficult." Gibbs said to himself as he looked at the lock on the first warehouse. It was old and rusty. He tried to yank it off and that didn't work. "Hmm..." he said as he inspected it closely. "It appears to be rusted shut."
He went over to the side. "I doubt the rum is here but better check it out anyway." He crept along the side of the building until he found a window. He crawled up on to the tops of some barrels that were there and climbed into the window but as he did he knocked the barrels over. He climbed into the window and feel to the ground with thud. He slowly stood up rubbing his bottom. "They could have made these floors a little softer." He mumbled to himself.
He began to walk through the warehouse. He took in a sniff of a foul smell and then held his hand over his nose and mouth. He looked around and saw plenty of rotten food, shelves and shelves of it. Gibbs rushed over to the window and clambered to get back out of it. He used his feet to crawl up the wall and finally hoisted himself through the window and landed head first into the side of the barrel he had knocked over. "Blasted thing." He snapped as it broke a spot just for his head to fit into. He pried the barrel off his head and tossed it to the side watching as it shattered into pieces.
"Jack I sure hope you know what you have gotten us into." Gibbs mumbled to himself. He slowly got to his feet and headed towards the next warehouse.
Jack had left his partner in crime and began to look at the various buildings, trying to determine which one would most likely be the storehouse for the rum. The first building he came to was locked up tight. Grabbing the door handle, he jerked and tugged it several times but it remained locked tight.
Leaving that one, he tried three more unsuccessfully until at the fifth one, he found the door not only unlocked, but slightly ajar poking his head in, he looked around. A smile broke across his face as he sighted crate upon crate of rum. Backing slowly out of the door, he darted his head in both directions to make sure he hadn't been sighted. With an air on nonchalance, he began to walk back to where he'd left Gibbs. Reaching the agreed upon spot a few minutes early, he began plotting how best to switch the rum. After waiting more than fifteen minutes, he decided to investigate what was taking Gibbs so long. As he walked along, he kept repeating the location of the storehouse over and over to himself. "It's the fifth one, no it was the fourth," Pausing, he started mimicking opening doors, muttering to himself, "locked, locked, locked, locked, not locked... yes that one!
Will finished up work early, planning to check on the rum that was supposed to be delivered to the Governor's mansion later that evening. Dusting off his hands, he hung up his apron and left the smithy heading down towards the warehouses that lined the wharf. As he rounded a corner, he spotted a rather familiar figure. "Gibbs? Is that you?"
Gibbs turned when he heard his name called out and turned around startled "Why Will. It's so nice to see you again. Do ye think ye could perhaps be of some assistance here?" Gibbs said indicating the lock. "I need to get in here and well I seem to have lost m'key." Gibbs said to him.
Will's eyes popped wide open as he realized it was indeed Joshamee Gibbs. "Yes, it is nice to see you again. But why exactly are you here? Last I heard you and Jack were off to Panama City chasing after some treasure or another. In fact, I just sent a letter to Jack as..." His voice trailed off and he stared at Gibbs. "What key are you looking for?"
Gibbs grinned at Will, "Well, yes indeed we are heading to Panama City, but we umm... needed a certain piece, a key if you will, for this treasure that accompanied me over from England. A certain treasure and well I had stored it in this here warehouse." Gibbs lied to Will and scratched his head, "Or at least I think it was this warehouse as they all look a like." Gibbs said as he darted his eyes from one Warehouse to another. He shifted nervously hoping Will would buy this lie. "If you could please," Gibbs asked again indicating the lock, "We are in a bit of hurry." Gibbs said to him.
Will looked at him rather strangely. "Why would you leave such an important item in a warehouse? Especially," Pointing up to the sign overhead, "A pottery warehouse?" He started to look up and down the street. "Jack? Where is Jack? I am certain he is with you as well. Are you two up to something?"
Gibbs shook his head at Will, "I, uh, I needed a hiding place. I couldn't very well let the Governor and Norrington know I was a pirate. It was the easiest place to stash it once we landed." Gibbs shook his head, "And Jack's on the Pearl. He's waiting for me to return with the item." He ignored the next part of the question, "Now are ye going to help or not. I'm in a bit of a hurry here." Gibbs said as he turned and focused his attention on the lock. There had to be a way to get it open even if Will refused to help.
"Gibbs, you weren't a pirate when you first came over here. You were working for His Majesty's navy then," Will sighed. "Besides, that was almost ten years ago. This building was only built last year."
Jack turned a corner of a building and spied two figures in the distance conversing. Ducking back around the corner, out of sight once again, he peeked around to see who was down there. Squinting, he thought he could make out the familiar figure of Gibbs. But who was he speaking to? Keeping to the shadows, he sidled towards them.
Gibbs sighed as he looked at Will, "I think ye remember way too well, m'lad. But one rule ye should learn, once a pirate always a pirate. If ye aren't going to help..." Gibbs said focusing his attention on the lock and pulled out his flask banging it on the lock.