A/N: Hello lovely readers~! Just wanted to give a quick thanks to those of you who have faved, followed, and/or commented on this fic! It makes me happy to see you all enjoying it so far!

And yay for 1am uploads~! XD


"There, that's the Wanderlust. Though, it looks like she's going to be renamed."

"Mhm. Seems like Edmunds is already modifying her t' be more useful as a pirate vessel than a merchant one." Jack glanced over at me as we hid behind a small stack of crates; we were keeping our voices hushed. "How well do you know the layout o' the ship?"

I turned to look at him in return, my brow rising. "Fairly well, considering I was on it for a handful of months. But that's only if the layout below deck hasn't gotten changed."

He nodded in understanding. "And I assume you kept your seabag down in the crew's quarters? If so, it may not even be on this ship anymore. Might be on Edmunds' main ship."

I rubbed the back of my neck. "Actually, when the ship got taken over, I hid it."

"You hid it?" His brow rose and his tone sounded a bit skeptical.

"Aye. I didn't want them stealing the contents of my bag."

"So where did you hide it?"

"Down by the tiller."

His brows furrowed in confusion. "The tiller? Why in the world would you hide it by the tiller?"

I shrugged. "I figured it was the one place on the ship that they wouldn't go searching for anything of value. Not much use storing anything in the same place as the tiller, after all. It's already cramped there, so adding more stuff would just make it more so if you needed to make repairs."

"That…is actually fairly good thinkin', Drystan," he admitted after a moment. "But on a ship that small, that must've been a bit o' a squeeze for a tall bloke like you."

"Not really. Just had to duck down a bit." Looking back at the ship, I squinted slightly; the Caribbean sun was bright and the way it reflected off both the water and the white-painted hull of the ship hurt my eyes. 'I'm going to have to get myself some kohl,' I thought. Through my squinting, I was able to make out a handful of men on the deck. Some of them were sawing long, wooden planks in half while others were using hammers and chisels to shave down the ends of some of the planks.

Having also turned his attention back to the ship, Jack said, "With the ship getting worked on like this, there won't be many men stationed on it come nightfall. No one's going t' try t' take a ship that's barely sea-worthy, so there's no point in placing all your manpower there." He brushed one of his many braids from his face. "The only problem is the night watchman. Because o' him we won't be able t' just sneak up the gangplank and down below decks."

"We could go in through one of the gun ports," I suggested. "Or one of us could cause a distraction."

"A distraction would be our best bet," he said, "unless you don't mind going for a swim in order t' reach the gunports."

I shrugged a second time. "To be honest, I'm probably more at home in the water than I am on land," I half-joked. "But I agree with the distraction being the best course of action."

"Great!" he chirped. "Since you know the ship far better than me, I'll be in charge o' the distraction while you fetch your bag."

"What will you do for it?"

It was his turn to shrug. "Don't know yet," he admitted. "But I promise you, come nightfall, I will have something in mind." He flashed me a cheeky grin before turning and moving to crawl away from the crates. I followed after him. "For now, however, we need t' find you a ship going to Tortuga."

I was about to question why he hadn't said 'us' when I remembered it was his intention to stowaway while I bartered passage. And with how well voices at normal volume could travel this close to the water, I wasn't about to correct him. "Aye, that'd be a good idea."

"And lucky for you, I know almost every cap'n currently docked here and of those ones, I'm on good terms with most o' them!"

My brow rose slightly. "How do you know so many?"

"I know them through my dad," he said, waving his hand dismissively. "But that's not important. What is important is that I know o' four captains who frequently make port at Tortuga, so we'll go see them first."

I nodded in understanding. "And who would those captains be?"

"They would be Captains de Montiano, Tremaine, Coopersmith, an' Blaire." He brushed some braids from his face, letting out a quiet sigh. "And remember," he said, his voice hushed again, "I'm just helping you find a ship t' Tortuga. I've no adventures planned, no ulterior motives—just helping a friend out. And if any of them ask, we met when you asked me for directions."

My brow remained raised. While it was understandable that Jack wanted to keep his plans hidden from the captains, I felt like he was almost being too cautious. He also seemed nervous. "Well, luckily, we did meet when I asked for directions," I reminded him. "Is everything alright?" I then asked. "You seem a bit on edge."

He rubbed the back of his neck, a grin coming to his lips. "Ah, aye, everything's fine. I just don't want any o' them to think I seemed suspicious and end up telling my dad."

"Trying to avoid a walloping?"

"Aye, exactly that," he answered. "It's just one o' many downsides there is t' your dad knowing over half the people livin' in Shipwreck City."

As much as I wanted to ask who his dad was, something told me the he wasn't yet comfortable enough with me to divulge that information. Which was wholly understandable, given that we had just properly met an hour and a half ago.

The first ship we stopped at was the Princesa del Océano, which was captained by de Montiano. She was a fore and aft rigged brig painted with bright greens and blues and he was a middle-aged man. Despite the large scar across the bridge of his nose, he was quite handsome. Handsome as he was, however, he wouldn't be heading to Tortuga for quite some time—instead, he was headed to la Florida for his sister's wedding.

The next ship was the Tigress, an unremarkable sloop captained by Coopersmith. He was an old man with a weather-beaten face and only one arm. As it turns out, he was actually retiring from life on the sea and was waiting for his nephew to arrive in Shipwreck City in order to pass the ship off to him. After congratulating him on having survived so long, Jack and I continued on to the far end of the docks, where the third ship was docked.

This one was larger than the other two, being a frigate named the Sunrise. As we approached, I was expecting to see another middle-aged or older man to be the captain, but as it turns out, Captain Tremaine was, in fact, the middle-aged woman who had participated in the contest yesterday. Upon seeing us, her brow rose and a bit of an amused smile came to her lips.

"Sorry, lad, I'm not about t' go for a rematch," she joked. "Though I can afford it, I don't want t' be out another two doubloons."

"No worries, captain, I'm here for a different reason," I said, putting on a handsome, though cheeky, grin. Jack looked up at me, his brow rising.

"You know her, mate?" he questioned.

"Remember that contest I told you about? She was one of the competitors," I explained.

"And I see ye know young Sparrow 'ere," Tremaine chuckled, her brow rising as well. "What kind o' trouble are ye gettin' this poor lad into, Sparrow?"

A feigned pout came to Jack's lips. "No trouble at all for once, captain! I'm just helping him find a ship bound for Tortuga," he answered. "The bloke's a bit clueless as t' how t' go about things here in Shipwreck City, being new to piracy and all."

An intrigued expression came to her face and she crossed her arms over her chest. "Tortuga, eh? An' just what's in Tortuga for a young lad like ye t' be goin' there for? Yer a wee bit young t' be frequentin' the brothels, don't ye think?"

"Oh, it's not the brothels I'm going there for. I've got family in Tortuga," I replied. The lie left my mouth as smoothly as the truth; I hoped it was vague enough for her to believe, though.

"The whelp's feeling a wee bit homesick and is wanting to see some familiar faces," Jack told her with a snicker. "He hasn't been home in nearly a year." He, too, was quite smooth with his lies.

Tremaine snorted. "Whelp? Sparrow, there's no way the lad's younger than ye. If anyone were a whelp, it'd be ye." She reached over and ruffled his hair affectionately, chuckling when she saw the genuine pout that had come to his lips. Then, turning back to me, she said, "Say I were t' be goin' t' Tortuga the day after tomorrow…how do ye plan on payin' yer passage fee?"

"I can work," I told her. "I'm best up in the rigging, but I'm willing to do any job that needs done to cover the cost." I stole a glance over at Jack only to see that he was eyeing the ship carefully. 'Probably looking for the best way to sneak aboard,' I thought.

"The riggin'? Now that's not a job I see lads yer age doin' very often. Ye youngsters are usually better suited for bracin' the sails an' scrubbin' decks."

"If those are the jobs I'm assigned for the duration of the trip, then I'll be happy to do them," I told her. I knew it would be pointless to argue on something like this; she had far more years of experience than me, after all. Not to mention, she was a captain. Only first mates or bo'suns argued with a captain.

Tremaine studied me for a long moment. "If yer willin' t' work, then aye, I'll take ye t' Tortuga," she finally said. "Be 'ere around seven, the day after tomorrow. I like t' leave with the mornin' tides."

I nodded. "Understood, captain." I also made a mental note to try talking with her in private; being a female pirate captain, she might be able to give me some tips about being a woman while on the high seas. In fact, she might even tell me that I wouldn't need to hide my gender. 'From what I've seen so far, I may not have to hide it, but I'd rather be safe than sorry…' I thought.

"Before ye go, what's yer name, lad?" Tremaine then questioned.

"Emil Drystan."

She nodded in understanding. "Alright then. I'll see ye morning after next, Emil Drystan." Looking at Jack, she grinned and added, "Sparrow, tell yer old man next time I'm in port 'e an' I need t' 'ave a few drinks an' play some liar's dice for old time's sake, savvy?" She ruffled his hair again.

Jack struggled to keep a smile on his face, but he managed. "Aye, I'll do that for you, cap'n," he told her.

We bid the captain goodbye and turned to head back into the city. I stole a look over at Jack again to find him trying to get his hair tamed—or rather, his version of tamed. When was the last time his hair had seen a comb, I couldn't have even begun to guess.

"Well, we have nothin' to do until nightfall," he said. "Want me t' show you around the city? Or do you need t' stop by the market for anything…?"

"I was actually thinking about getting some food." I glanced up at the northern stack as I felt my stomach growl; from here, I couldn't see the Saucy Siren, but I knew whereabout it was in regards to height.

A small grin came to Jack's lips. "Judging by where you're looking, you're thinking about going t' the Siren again, aren't you?"

I shrugged, a small grin on my lips and just a bit of color coming to my cheeks. "Why not? It had good food an' drink. It's also the only establishment other than the Ten Tickles that I know about here."

Jack snorted at that. "You stayed at the Ten Tickles? Aye, you really are new around here."

Not liking the sound of that, I frowned. "Why? What's wrong with it?"

"Nothing—if you like getting ripped off. Anyone who's been here for more than a couple o' months knows to stay away from that place. Those who are new here, though, go there because they promise fair prices for decent sleeping quarters." He shook his head, quietly laughing. "While they do have relatively clean and comfortable accommodations, the price is anything but fair. What they charge you is the same price for a room at a truly clean an' comfortable place."

"Then it's a good thing I didn't pay when I stayed there." He gave me a strange look. "I bartered a room. I did a bunch of work for the owner and he gave me a room in return."

Jack looked impressed. "Now that's using your brain," he told me. As we walked, he pulled out the coin purse he had stolen, as well as a second purse. While the purse he had stolen was in fairly good condition, the other one was in just as poor a state as my own. He poured the contents of both into his palm, quickly counting out the coins. "Hm. Seems like I've got enough for a meal an' some supplies. As such, I think I'll join you for a meal." He poured the coins into the battered coin purse before tossing the other over his shoulder.

Nearly half an hour later found us walking into the Saucy Siren. Being the middle of the day, it wasn't too busy—a nice change from last night. We went to a table near a gunport that had been fashioned into a window.

Just as we got settled in our seats, one of the maids started to approach our table. To my surprise, I found that it was Mary and she looked just as lovely as she had the previous night. She was around the same age as me—maybe a year or two older—with light-brown skin and jet-black hair that was pulled back in a simple braid. Her brow rose slightly and she smiled when she saw me.

"Back again, are ye?" she said with a small laugh. "An' here I was expecting ye t' have found a crew t' join and sailed off by now." As she got closer, however, the smile faded from her lips. I was just starting to wonder if maybe she was unhappy to see Jack when she asked, "An' just what happened t' your face, lad? Ye weren't sportin' that big bruise when I saw ye leave last night!"

"Ah…I may have had a run in with some blokes who were bigger and meaner than me," I replied, a sheepish smile on my lips. "It's fine, though. And, in a way, I did find a crew. Though, it's only for long enough to get me to Tortuga."

"Tortuga?" she repeated, her hands resting on her hips. She didn't seem entirely convinced by my dismissal of my bruised face, but she didn't press the matter. More than likely, she quite often saw people come in with worse bruises and injuries. "Now why would a handsome lad like yourself be wantin' to go t' a lawless place like Tortuga?" She seemed more amused by this information than anything.

…But then again, she may have been amused by the blush that had come to my cheeks when she called me 'handsome'.

I would have answered her, but Jack beat me to it. "He's going to see his family, love," he told her. Rather than the cheeky grin he had been giving Captain Tremaine, he was now wearing a surprisingly handsome smile. "I helped him barter passage on a ship going there the day after tomorrow."

Mary blinked, a bit startled to see who had done the talking. "Jack Sparrow?" Her shock wore off almost immediately and she smiled broadly. "Why, long time no see, lad! I don't think I've seen ye since before my mum passed on!"

Rising to his feet, Jack gave her a theatrically sweeping bow before taking her hand and kissing the back of it. I could hear a few of the other barmaids giggling at his display. "Aye, it's been a few years, lovely Mary. I was saddened t' hear about your mum's passing. Such a kind woman and talented baker! The Court has sorely missed her presence and her baked goods."

She let out a soft laugh, watching as he took his seat once more. "I'm sure they have—your da' especially. He always did enjoy the sweet rolls she made." She tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "Why don't I get the two of ye somethin' t' eat and drink? It's not too busy, so if ye'd like, I could sit an' chat with ye while ye eat."

"That sounds quite agreeable," I told her, still grinning. "I'll have whatever the special is and some beer, please."

"The same, but with rum instead o' beer," Jack replied. He went slightly cross-eyed as Mary reached over and flicked the tip of his nose.

"Don't think I don't know better, lad," she chuckled. "Your da' says not t' serve ye rum until you're seventeen an' I know for a fact you're still just sixteen. It'll be beer for ye, lad."

He pouted as she walked off, rubbing the end of his nose. "Dammit," he muttered.

My brow rose in a mixture of amusement and confusion. "I take it your father has quite a bit of influence over Shipwreck City, seeing as how he knows almost all the captains and has managed to get people to not serve you rum." I leaned back in my seat. "Is he one of those pirate lords you mentioned earlier?"

"Worse." He sank down in his seat slightly, a heavy, defeated sigh leaving his mouth. "He's a pirate lord and the Keeper of the Code."

Having learned a bit about the Keeper of the Code the previous night, my eyes widened slightly. "Oh…well that explains a few things."

His brow rose and he looked at me. "You know what the Keeper o' the Code is?"

"Somewhat. Mary explained it a little bit to me last night, though she didn't get the chance to tell me much."

Nodding in understanding, he sat upright again and brought his arms to rest on the table. "Essentially, my father and the other pirate lords are the parliament o' pirates. My dad is also the judge and executioner for anyone caught disobeying or insulting the Code." He then shook a scolding finger at me; I couldn't tell if it was done in jest or seriousness. "Don't you ever break or insult the Code, mind you. He will find out and he will not give any quarter."

"Duly noted," I replied, now knowing he was being completely serious. "How did he come to be Keeper of the Code?"

"That…I don't actually know. He's never told me—but I'm guessing my Grandmama had a hand in it. She was a pirate lord during the reign o' the Second Brethren Court. Fearsome pirate she was—still is, actually. Very strict with her punishments." He then leaned forward and whispered. "She's the main reason I want t' get out o' this place."

My brows furrowed slightly in confusion as he continued to speak; from the sounds of it, Jack came from a line of pirate royalty—if it could be called such. I could also already tell that he may not have been the best person to ask about the pirate lords and the Code, given that he was now on a tangent about his grandmother (who was apparently as spry and as deadly as ever despite being in her early eighties). This information, though, got me wondering as to why he was being so stingy with the coins he had stolen; if his family was so important to the area, wouldn't they have plenty of gold for him to use?

'Then again,' I thought, shifting in my seat, 'he is trying to run away and is trying to do it subtly. He probably doesn't want his family finding out about this until he's long gone from Shipwreck City.'

Jack's voice was suddenly brought to a halt by the arrival of Mary and our meals. "Here ye lads go," she said, carefully setting a bowl of fish soup in front of us before also setting down a tankard for each of us. "Two beers an' two specials o' the day. Before I join ye, do ye want me t' fetch ye some crusty bread for dipping, perhaps?"

We both shook our heads as we reached for our spoons. "This should be good enough, love. Thank you, though," Jack assured her before blowing across the surface of his soup-filled spoon.

She returned the tray that she used to bring over our food to the bar before coming back towards us. On the way, she plucked up a chair from an unoccupied table and brought it with her. Setting it down, she then tucked her dress beneath her and sat down. "So, how did the two o' ye come across each other?"

"Funny story, that," Jack replied. "You see, I had just nicked the coin purse from some well-to-do man strollin' through town and I darted into an alleyway t' hide from him. Well, at the very back of the alleyway, there was Emil, struggling t' get himself out o' a set o' shackles."

Mary frowned, and turned her head towards me. "I take it the shackles have somethin' to do with ye gettin' that bruise?"

Having just taken a bite of soup, I nodded. I made quick work of chewing it; I was pleased to find that the soup was quite good and the fish wasn't overcooked. "I'm afraid to say it does," I admitted once I had swallowed. "Remember that little contest I told you about last night?"

She nodded. "The breath-holding one?"

"Aye, that one." Across from me, I could see Jack was now wearing a mixture of confusion and intrigue. "Well, the lad who came in second place was an extremely sore loser and, because of that, I got ambushed and woke up around midnight in shackles."

"How did ye get away?" Mary questioned.

"Well, after I got my hands back around to my front, I saw that there were only two men in the place where I had been taken," I explained. "So, after finding a nice, heavy spade, I managed to knock one out and managed to flee the place. The second bloke chased after me, but I managed to escape."

Jack held up his hand, drawing our attention. "Firstly, you need t' learn how t' tell your stories in a more interesting way, mate," he said. "And, secondly, what sort o' breath-holding contest warrants someone getting that worked up over losing?"

"They were holdin' their breath underwater," Mary answered for me, as I had taken another bite of soup. "Emil here can apparently hold his breath for over five minutes underwater."

"Impossible," Jack said, his brows furrowing deeply.

"I'd prove it to you, but I'm currently eating," I told him with a small shrug. Lifting my tankard, I took a drink of beer.

He gave me a skeptical look. "I'll have t' remember that, then, because you've got me intrigued now, mate." Lightly shaking his head, he took another bite of his own soup. "But aye, you need t' work on your storytelling a bit, mate. That was probably the least thrilling escape story I've ever heard—and I've heard quite a lot."

My brow rose as I chewed a bite of soup. After swallowing, I said, "To be honest, it wasn't even very exciting when it took place." Other than being shot at and surviving a two-hundred-foot dive into the ocean, it really hadn't been that exciting. "I'm sure that, in the future, I'll have escapes that are far more exciting to talk about."

"If you stick with me, mate, you will," Jack said with a cheeky grin that made me unsure if I should be looking forward to aforementioned escapes or if I should be dreading them.

"Don't scare the poor thing," Mary laughed, her brow rising. She then looked at me. "Jackie's clan is known for their knack o' getting into—an' out o'—trouble."

I nodded slowly. "I'll be sure to take that information into consideration should we ever find ourselves on an adventure together one day." From the corner of my eye, I could see Mary looking me over; it was a struggle to not blush.

"For a sailor, ye sure sit quite prim an' proper," she commented, amusement in her voice. She then giggled. "Like a nobleman in one o' those fancy portraits they commission o' themselves."

Jack nodded in agreement. "You also walk really prim an' proper, too," he added. "You have a strict upbringing or somethin'?"

I cleared my throat slightly and, realizing that I was sitting on the edge of my seat, I scooted back and allowed myself to slouch a bit. "My stepfather was a bit of a stickler when it came to posture." It wasn't a lie; before he was killed, the ass had always been on my case about my posture. Of course, I was usually in a corset whenever he was around, so slouching was uncomfortable. "It's a habit that'll take me a while to break."

"It's not a bad thing t' have good posture," Mary assured me. "Though, I hear it's a bit harder for men t' maintain the good posture."

"Why's that?" Jack questioned, his brow rising.

"Because women's stays help keep them in an upright position," I answered automatically. "In fact, stays make it more comfortable to stand upright and do laborious work while making sitting for long periods of time uncomfortable." When I glanced up, I saw the two of them looking at me strangely; I should have realized that the information I just told them wouldn't be information a man would know. "I've four sisters."

"And here I thought you had learned that from visitin' a few brothels before coming here," Jack joked.

"Four sisters…I can't imagine having that many siblings," Mary chuckled. "I've only got a brother and he's a bit o' a handful at times."

I quietly laughed. "To be honest, I've only to got one full sister. The other three are half-sisters." Tucking some hair behind my ear, I scooted my chair closer to the table and allowed myself to rest an elbow on the tabletop.

"So, are ye the oldest? Or second oldest?"

"Ah…neither, actually. I'm smack in the middle." A small, sheepish smile came to my lips. "Me and my second-youngest sister are the results of our mother having a bit of extramarital fun."

Mary giggled at that, but nodded in understanding at the same time. "That's a fairly common occurrence here," she said. "Though, it doesn't help that a good portion o' the lasses here—married or not—are prostitutes."

"The oldest and most noble of professions," Jack said with a small grin.

Mary was about to reply when someone from behind the bar called out to her; it was an older woman, her brown-and-grey hair hanging in thick curls about her shoulders. "Ah, pardon me, lads—work calls." Giving up an apologetic smile, she stood up; before she turned to leave, though, she gave us a playful wink.

Despite her being out of earshot in just seconds, Jack leaned forward. "Did you happen t' notice anything about the way she talked t' us, mate?" he quietly questioned.

My brow rose. "Not really, no. Why?"

"She did next t' no flirting," he told me, "which you should keep in mind whenever you talk with lasses in places like these. If the lasses don't flirt much, it almost always means they're not a 'lady o' the night', savvy?"

Well, that certainly made sense. Though we had talked quite a bit the previous night as well, Mary had only dropped an occasional mild compliment whereas some of her coworkers had flirted quite a bit with me. "Understood," I said. "And thanks for letting me know. Now I won't embarrass myself."

He chuckled, leaning back once more. "I kind o' figured you didn't know, but it's better t' be safe than sorry in these sorts o' situations. You can also tell a bit by the way they dress. The prostitutes tend t' dress in a way that advertises their bodily assets in a more discernable manner. Like her." He nodded at a brunette woman across the room. She was seated on the edge of a table as she flirted with a man in his mid-thirties—but it wasn't the color of her hair I noticed first. It was her large breasts, which were practically spilling out overtop her bodice. "See what I mean, mate?"

Looking back at him, I nodded. "It'd be a wee bit hard to not see what you mean."