Twilight Poet: #Jumps out# TA DAA! --tap dances—Do, do di do do.

Disclaimer: Hrmgh

Twilight Poet: oh. Right. Here's chapter 7! Time to see if the girl's plan will work and if Gin can keep up with the crazy captain.

Disclaimer: --dances and sings—AND SHE OWNS NOOOOOOTHING!

Chapter 7 - all aboard me hearties!

The cupboard swung open and Jade and Ruby froze in shock, "PARLEY! PARLEY! PARLEY!" they yelled.

"What?" wheezed Ragetti.

Ruby took a breath, "Parley. I invoke the right of parley. According to the Code of the brethren, set down by the pirates Morgan and Bartholomew , you have to take me to your Captain."

"I know the code." Pintel grunted

"If an adversary demands parley you can do them no harm until the parley is complete." Jade added.

Ragetti lifted his sword, "To blazes with the code!"

"She wants to be taken to the Captain." Growled Pintel, stopping his shipmate, "And she'll go without a fuss. We must honour the Code."

"Come on!" Pintel hissed, as the two pirates pushed and hurried the girls through the streets.

"WILL!" Ruby cried, spotting the blacksmith.

"Ruby?" he called back, confused.

She cringed as she was struck over the head and whimpered as he fell.

"Lucky he's got a hard head eh?" Jade sniggered. Ruby frowned.

-----Gin-----

Yet another blast shook the old prison as a cannonball smashed through the wall. With whoops and cheers, the scraggly pirates crept out of the new hole in the wall.

"My sympathies, friends," muttered one as she jumped out, "you've no manner of luck at all."

"Ba-bye now!" Gin waved, "have fun getting away!"

Jack shook his head and picked up the bone dropped by the other pirates. "Hey Gin, call the dog again and this time make sure he has the keys!" There was a moment of silence. "Gin?" Jack turned around to see the girl curl up on the floor, apparently fast asleep. "Oh for the love of-" sighing he broke off and tried to call the mutt himself.

"Come on, doggy." He whispered, "It's just you, me and sleeping beauty over 'ere now." He looked back at Gin.

"No!" she muttered, "I want the blue one…"

He turned back to the dog, "on second thought, it's you and ol' Jack. Come on. Come on, good boy. That a good boy, come on!" the dog edged towards him, "Bit closer, bit closer. That's it, that's it, doggy. Come on you filthy, slimy, mangy cur." a crash sounded downstairs and the dog ran away, "No, no, no, no, no, I didn't mean it. I didn't..."

Another crash was heard as the prison guard was thrown down the stairs, "This ain't the armoury" growled a voice

Two pirates came down the stairs, one spotted Jack, "Well, well, well, look what we have here Twigg – Captain Jack Sparrow!"

Twigg spat on the ground, "Last time I saw you, you were all alone on a godforsaken island, shrinking into the distance." He smirked, "His fortunes aren't improving much."

"Worry about your own fortunes, gentlemen." Gin hissed, "The deepest circle of Hell is reserved for betrayers and mutineers."

The large pirate grabbed her by the throat, moonlight shining on his skeletal arm.

"So there is a curse." Jack murmured, "That's interesting."

"Cool!" Gin croaked, staring at the hand around her neck.

"You know nothing of Hell." The pirate growled, throwing her to the ground before leaving.

Jack watched them go, "That's very interesting…"

--- Ruby and Jade ---

It was a long row the Black Pearl and Ruby and Jade were getting nervous in the creaking boat with the two pirates.

"Sooo," Ruby mused, trying to break the icy silence that engulfed them, "What's it like being de- err, I mean, curs- err…… pirates?"

Pintel growled at her, trying to look vicious (not that he needed to try).

"Not bad," said Ragetti, "Can be a messy business at times but, heh, it's living."

The girls stared, they hadn't expected such a civilized answer. Pintel rolled his eyes.

"I didn't know we was takin' on captives." Growled a really big pirate once they'd climbed on.

Pintel hissed, "She's invoked the right of parley with Captain Barbossa."

The girls looked at each other. Cringing, Jade stepped forward and braced herself. "I am here to negotiate -" as expected, the large pirate back handed her across the face and she fell to the ground.

"You will speak when spoken to." He glared.

His wrist was grabbed and jerked away, "And ye not lay a hand on those under the protection of parley."

"Aye, sir."

Barbossa turned a grinning face in their direction. "My apologies, Ladies."

Ruby helped Jade to her feet and stepped up. "Captain Barbossa , I am here to negotiate the cessation of hostilities against Port Royal."

"There are a lot of long words in there, Miss," frowned the Captain, "we're naught but humble pirates. What is it that you want?"

"I want you to leave and never come back."

Barbossa laughed, "I'm disinclined to acquiesce to your request." Taking the girl's glares as confusion, he added, "Means 'no'."

Ruby pulled the medallion from around her neck and held it over the side of the ship, "Very well. I'll drop it."

Barbossa was careful with his words, "Me holds are burstin' with swag. That bit of shine matters to us? Why?"

"It's what you've been searching for." Jade answered coolly, "I recognized the ship. I saw it eight years ago on the crossing from England."

"Did ya, now?"

Ruby shrugged, "Fine. Well, I suppose if it is worthless then there's no point in me keeping it." She let her hand slip and the gold dropped a bit.

"No!" cried all the pirates, lunging forward. They stopped when they realized the medallion was in no danger.

Barbossa chuckled, "Ah. You have a name, Missy?"

"Ruby …Turner. And this is my sister jade. We're maids in the Governor's household." she curtsied and Jade did the same.

"Miss Turner …?" Barbossa said, his eyebrows receding into his hairline.

"Bootstrap." The girls heard Pintel whisper.

Barbossa walked over to them, "And how does a maid come to own a trinket such as that. Family heirloom, perhaps?"

"We didn't steal it, if that's what you mean." Said Ruby.

"Very well," the Captain smiled, "you hand it over and we'll put your town to our rudder and ne'er return."

Ruby took a deep breath and handed it over, "Our bargain?"

Barbossa gave the coin to the monkey and walked away from them. The big pirate began to yell orders.

"Still the guns and stow 'em, Signal the men, set the flags and make good to clear port."

Jade walked up to Barbossa, "According to the code you're meant to give us bedding and food."

Barbossa turned around, "First, your comfort was not part of our negotiations nor our agreement so I must do nothing. And secondly, you must be a pirate for the pirate's code to apply and you're not. And thirdly, the code is more what you'd call "guidelines" than actual rules. Welcome aboard the Black Pearl , Miss Turner's."

"Than as your guests you are inclined to treat as such," said Jade, not giving up that easily.

They thought they heard the pirate captain hissed something about annoyingly stubborn women interfering with his great plans, but they might have just been hearing things. Once in the eating quarters, they breathed a sigh of relief.

"I can't believe it work," Ruby whispered.

"Me either," Jade nodded, pulling the real medallion from her blouse.

"Now it's only a matter of time."

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Twilight Poet: And that's all she wrote... for now.