Disclaimer: Disney owns PotC.

A/N: Thanks for the reviews! Digression: Eating strawberries is very inspirational.

Chappie spoiler: Wow, they learn finding the median of 2 numbers! (Ah, going back to elementary math...)

We sailed with the wind that day--Day Two of my three days. I wasn't at all worried about the three days issue; I was sure we were going to be there on time, especially with our speed.

I spent the entire day by Jack's side, politely avoiding Will, who luckily didn't seem to care much. There was certain pleasure I felt in simply standing there with Jack. I couldn't explain it to myself, why I had fallen for Jack over Will. But now that I had, I enjoyed every moment of it. Was there ever an explanation anyways?

In the late afternoon, the clouds parted to reveal the golden sun hanging low in the crimson sky. I could see the tiny sillouette of a strip of land on the horizon.

"Jack!" I exclaimed. "We're here already?"

"Darling, I present to you once again, Isla de Profecia."

"Did you bring enough for this time's payment as well?" I asked, and immediately added, "Oh, of course you did. Forgive me, I forgot that you're Jack Sparrow."

"Captain, luv," he said, smirking, "Never forget that I'm Captain Jack Sparrow."

I decided to cheerfully ignore that last sentence.

Jack and I rowed into the twins' cavern with the chest a little while after the stars started to sparkle in the night sky. Shafts of moonlight descended through the openings in the roof, lighting the cavern with a silvery glow. The twins were arranging the furniture and treasure by making them fly across the chamber, directed by their fingers.

"Oh look here, Emera," said fair-haired Aryza in an amused tone of voice, dropping a chair. It snapped in half, but Aryza laid her hand on it and it immediately became one again. "They made it in two days."

"I'm not entirely surprised," said Emera, laughing. "Especially after holding Elizabeth captive."

She stared at us for a moment, making me feel uncomfortable again.

"Well, I s'pose you've finally got some manner of luck with a woman, Jack."

Jack paused, then said, "I don't believe that's quite the topic of this meeting, but thank you all the same."

"All right, then," said Aryza. "What've you got in that chest?"

"Please don't tell me it's gold," sighed Emera. "We have quite enough of that."

"Well, if you don't want it," said Jack. "You could give us another three days and Lizzie and I'll go get something not quite as dazzling."

"Oh, hand it over."

Jack opened the chest and laid it on the ground.

"Feast your eyes, but I don't suggest you touch them." As Aryza and Emera looked into the chest, Jack added, as an afterthought, "I mean, under normal circumstances it wouldn't have much of an impact on me if you got killed by one of those powerful objects in there--plus I would get to keep those powerful objects, but we're here for some help and if you got killed by one of those powerful objects that I'd like to keep, we wouldn't get the help, so I have to warn you. Savvy?"

Aryza smirked.

"How do you propose we use these... powerful objects?"

"I believe you are witches," said Jack calmly.

Emera muttered something, and one of the gold objects--a goblet, lifted out of the chest on its own.

"I s'pose that works," she said. "Do you mind if we ask you to tell us what these do?"

"I don't know what they do," said Jack impatiently. I sighed exasperatedly. "But there's a bunch of parchment on the bottom, if you want to look through that."

Now that I know they've got a good reason to be so angry at Jack, they don't that bad, I though, sitting down on a jumble of stones and watching the twins lift the gold objects one by one and place them on the ground. Finally, they reached the bottom and took out a sheaf of aged parchment with writing on it. They scanned the pages.

"These," said Emera, "prove to be far more informative than you."

"Ah," said Jack, "but I informed you of the informative things, so which is more informative?"

Aryza pondered this with mock-concentration before saying smugly, "The parchment."

"The golden goblet," read Emera, "turns water into a liquid that destroys everything in its path, until one uses the goblet to scoop it up again."

"Hm," said Aryza. "Useful. All right, apparently the chest holds valuable enough items. What kind of help do you need?"

"Wait," said Jack. "Consider the amount of valuable and powerful items we have brought. I could have kept at least three-fourths of it and you'd still have enough. So, I'd say that judging by the look of it--"

"Honestly," said Aryza. "It's enough to pay for two favors--the one that you neglected to pay for years ago, and the one you are asking now."

"Judging by the look of it," Jack continued, "It's worth at least... eight favors."

Emera raised an eyebrow and said, "All right, three, perhaps."

I agreed with Jack. "Seven, then."

Aryza shot me a look. "Well, two against two, I s'pose. If you insist, we'll make it four."

"Six."

"Five. No more."

There was a pause. Jack was obviously thinking of a way to make this more favorable.

Finally, he said cheerfully, "Five and a half!"

"Jack--" I began.

"Five and a half is fine," said Aryza. "So after you've paid off the one you neglected to pay... it'll be four."

"Four and a half!" protested Jack.

"This isn't getting us anywhere!" Emera and I shouted simultaneously.

"Four," said Aryza firmly. "After all, you waited so long... What do they call it? Ah, yes, interest."

"This is awfully organized for pirates," I muttered.

"Four," repeated Aryza. "Since you just asked for another one, the one you asked for two days ago, it's three now."

"We have finally reached a conclusion, then," said Jack, once again impatient.

"No," said Aryza pointedly. "You have failed to specify how we may be of help."

"Erm... right. Well, for basics, I'd like you to sail with the crew on the Pearl as we look for Captain Merlow."

"Ah, I understand," said Emera in a bored tone. "Fine, we'll go."

"Come along, then."

I stood and the four of us rowed back to the Pearl. The sight of Jack in the rowboat with four females accompanying him was rather amusing.

We reached the ship and climbed aboard. Several crew members were on deck for whatever reason.

"Everyone," annouced Jack, "I'd like to introduce Aryza and Emera, who will be temporarily part of our crew. Get sailing now."

"How ceremonial," I said, grinning.

I turned and found Will staring at Jack and me.

"Oi, to work!" barked Jack.

"Elizabeth," said Will in a level tone, "may I have a word?"