"So this place is what exactly?"
"World's End."
"I thought that you said this place was civilized on the other side"
"That would've been correct, except that before I thought we were on Tortuga. Instead, we are on the only place that friends and lovers will only travel to find those they lost. So, I am afraid that we will be here until our bones rot with age. No one will come this far to save me, you on the other hand…" His gaze flowed over her like the tide, "I don't see why no one would come looking for the likes of you luv." He took another drink from his bottle of rum. He constantly glanced back at Kris, but she wasn't going anywhere. Where would she go, into the ocean? "Yet you're an odd one luv. I have never met a lady such as yourself."
"Thanks, I guess. Don't you need a doctor or something?"
"Eventually, but do not underestimate the strength of Captain Jack Sparrow." He leaned back so he fell softly to the sand. He rested on his elbows and sighed. Kris knelt in front of him. "I do say darling, that this view has improved remarkably."
"Stop flirting and take off your shirt."
"Seems that I'm not the one flirting here luv, you've soared past that."
"I want to see how bad you're hurt, now take it off, or I'll cut it off with your sword and not care if I hit skin or not. Savvy?" Kris smirked, mocking him.
"Aye, savvy." He sat up and removed several things from his torso. Finally, he reached down and pulled off his shirt.
Kris had seen well-muscled bodies before, but one so tan, tattooed and scarred caused her to draw in a quick breath. He had many words and symbols, some meaning "brave" others past loves. Scars littered his body. Old bullet wounds, sword stabs and slashes and burns. She was snapped out of her trance when his hand touched her face. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be-"
"Don't worry about it love. I work in the sea, yet I seldom remove my shirt. Now you see why." Kris took his hand from her cheek and ran her fingers over several scar lines on his wrist. He let her examine his wounds, "I had a rough child life, luv. Not all things are as easy to escape."
Kris swallowed hard and looked him in the eyes, "I'm beginning to wonder if I should really critique your strength at the moment. Physical strength isn't always the most crucial. Now sit up." Jack did as she wished as she moved to his left side. She moved the skin and peered in the hole. "How did this happen?" She asked.
"I told you luv, the Kraken."
"Kraken?"
"Big Beastie his lots of teeth. Octopus like."
"Huh. Well, this is bad." Kris grabbed the bottle of rum from Jack's hand.
"Give that back!" He paused and winced as she stared at him, "You won't burn it will you?"
"Burn it? No. Just…hold still, this might hurt a bit." She took the rum and poured it quickly over his wound. Jack screamed out in pain.
"Bugger! That hurt! What are you trying to do, kill me!"
"If I wouldn't have done that, you'd be dead."
"So it would seem."
Kris took a knife from the many things Jack hand discarded and cut off the sleeves of his shirt. She wrapped one around his bloody arm and used the other one to clean what was left of the blood away. Jack was still mumbling words as she slid next to him, "Stop whining so much. I bet most the pain has stopped, hasn't it?"
"Yes, but I do believe that you owe me an apology."
"For what?"
"Using the rest of my rum."
"How is it that you know every location of rum even without never being in that certain place?"
"Legends luv. You'd be surprised with some of the stories I've heard."
"Really. Well, where I come from…they have better ones than where people hide their rum. War stories, murders, sick sadistic freaks. Nothing about rum, but a lot about Miller."
"Miller?"
"A brand of beer. It's part of what makes up Wisconsin."
"That's interesting. A town known for beer? I must get there."
"You'd like it. There's pretty much a bar on a corner in every town, no matter how small."
Jack grinned. "Sounds like my life isn't that far from yours."
