Okay, so I was bad yesterday. I clean forgot to update. I was watching movies and eating pizza with friends. Now I've got that confession off my chest, back to the story:
Okay, so time for a ten-second plot summary. Jack has taken on some new crew members, intent on sailing to the next adventure, but got hindered before he was out of English waters by a naval affair. After he's gotten drunk and eventually escaped that duty, they're back on track, sailing to Tortuga to contemplate their next move. In the meantime, there's a new ship sailing the seven seas, seemingly intent on tracking Jack, who either knows how to, or is the key instrument in, breaking their curse. Will has possibly found himself a bonny-lass at the naval ball, and all Alex gained was a lieutenant's coat and a killer of a hang-over.
Alex rolled out of bed sluggishly the next morning, hearing the shrill trilling of the cabin-boy's whistle, alerting all asleep that it was time to perform their duties of deck swabbing, greasing, patching the sails, repairing the rigging and polishing the bright-work and Charlie Noble, which everybody was ordered to do but nobody really bothered about. Jack, incensed about the untidy state his ship had been left in the night before, was ordering the ship to be cleaned so well he'd have to rename the ship from 'Black Pearl" to "Ivory Pearl."
Alex refused to stay lazing about in bed while there was work to be done, hangover or no hangover. With her eyes still closed, Alex heard the thumping treads of the men on the deck, the harsh grinding of the sandstone scrubbing the wood on the deck, the shrill cry of Cotton's parrot, the muffled sound of the ship rolling up and down over the waves, the muted swearing and curses of the pirates and the overall clanking and groaning of the ship itself. All these sounds had become second nature to Alex now, and she felt more at home on the waves than on land. Even her equilibrium had barely needed time to adjust to the constant movement on the sea. The only thing she needed now was to know how to perform all the tasks the pirates did daily.
Moaning in annoyance, she opened her eyes. "Caesar's whores!" She exclaimed, shielding her eyes to the sudden onslaught of bright light that filtered through the French-style windows and seemed to burn into the very back of her already tender brain.
"Good morning," Came the cheerful voice of William Turner, "Tea?" He inquired innocently.
"I'll never drink another drop of anything amber-coloured as long as I live." Alex replied forcefully, slowly squinting an eye open.
"It's a herbal remedy Jack picked up from an African priestess." Will explained, taking her hand and placing the tea-cup in it. "So it's not really amber-coloured at all." He added sympathetically. Alex studied the tea-cup and its contents suspiciously.
"Will, the tea is blue."
"I know; but it could be worse," Will apologised.
"Like what?" Alex replied grumpily.
"You could have seen what ingredients are in it."
"I'm assuming tea leaves aren't the only ingredient."
"To be honest, I don't know if tea leaves are an ingredient in it at all," Will admitted.
Alex sighed, contemplating the steaming cup, "I'm just astounded Jack owns something other than pewter mugs." She tried to crack open her other eye, but everything was nothing more than brightly-coloured blurs.
"You'd be surprised about what Jack has. Sometimes what others can't see or touch is more precious than all the treasures under the sea." Will said cryptically as he guided the tea-cup to Alex's mouth. Alex took a fortifying gulp, her face screwed up in disgust.
"That was… surprisingly good, actually." She conceded. At once her vision cleared and her head stopped pounding as intensely or insistently.
"Jack wants you on deck as soon as you're ready." Will relayed, bowing slightly on his way out.
Alex happily threw off the crumpled silver dress (massaging her now-unrestricted ribs) and got changed into something more comfortable. As tempted as she was to layer on as much loose-fitting clothing as she possessed (borrowed from Jack's extensive store-cupboards) Alex knew enough about the pirating life and chores to see that loose clothing got caught in dangerous things and meant a nasty accident followed by intense pain and horrible disfigurement. Better to wear clothes that were not as loose around the wrists, ankles and collar.
Jack stood at the stern of the ship, leaning languidly over the recently polished wheel of the Black Pearl, contemplating the sky and all of life in general. He had, as yet, no fixed course as such, but a fixed target; whether he would pursue it this voyage or not was yet to be decided.
"Where is that blasted excuse for a lady?" He muttered under his breath. Earlier this morning he had the supreme pleasure of watching the Virginia becoming nothing more than a speck on the horizon of an otherwise perfect day. Of course, Jack had to get up rather early that morning to achieve that goal without any further interference from the Naval cutter, but it was worth the effort. In Jack's opinion, prolonged contact with any type of law enforcement was just inviting trouble. Court with the devil and do a dance with death, was one of the old pirate sayings Jack went by. And the most common dance was the old pirate's hempen jig at the end of a three foot rope.
Another rule that Jack preferred to abide-by was from the Pirating Code, article number 6 – no women or children on board. And that rule was for good reason. Alex certainly had acted maturely enough last night to be counted in both categories. Women caused fights and insecurities on the ship, and they never paid their keep. Jack often overlooked gender when searching for crew members; focusing on ability and loyalty instead of beef and brawn. He had taken Alex on because she had seemed able and willing to do a pirate's share of the work, and seemed more intelligent than most, yet all she had brought upon the ship so far was trouble. The only thing she had done was swan around in dresses, which was what any women could do well enough, Jack thought bitterly. Perhaps he was being too hard on her, but she had seemed so promising that day at the gaol, and it irked Jack to think he had misjudged someone's character so vastly, especially when his approval was so hard to win.
Irritated, Jack was pacing the bridge deck without realising it. He watched his men adjust the jib sheet and sails to catch the westerly wind. "'Vast!" He called, striding down onto the main deck. One of his men hadn't tied the rigging tight enough, and the knot would surely pull itself undone under the strain of the lightest wind, "I believe the crew may wish to know who was responsible for this display of shoddy workmanship, so that when this cable flies undone and takes out someone's eye, they might at least have the name of the person who so kindly caused the damage. And take that ridiculous hat off." Jack snapped. In a mock bow, the pirate swept off his hat and bowed low, flourishing his hat. As he straightened, Jack realised the pirate in question wasn't a he, but a she.
"Damn you to the inner circle of hell; can't you just pick one or the other? Dresses or breeches?" Jack cursed as he took Alex's new garb in. Dressed in long breeches that seemed to make her legs go on forever, Alex also wore a simple open-collared cream shirt with the sleeves rolled back and her hair once more tied back by her neck. Somehow she now looked extremely tall and lean, all angles and no curves, though Jack knew enough from experience to understand that dresses made curves, not vice versa. Kohl had been smudged underneath her eyes to reduce the almost blinding-glare the sea threw up from the sparkling waves. The emphasis made her eyes seem even bluer than before and the bridge of her nose slightly longer and more masculine.
"Now where's the fun of being someone everyone expects you to be?" Alex smiled.
"Whatever your dress, that rigging is too loose. And the foresail is sagging." Jack replied grumpily.
"Well, it will have to be changed in no less time it takes to fasten it tightly anyway." Alex replied offhandedly.
"If you feel you can captain the ship better than I, by all means go ahead." Jack snapped, gesturing contemptuously towards the ship's wheel. Alex looked as if she was seriously considering it, but instead Jack could see the visible effort it took for her not to let her temper get the better of her. As much as she was annoyed with the Captain, she had too much respect to challenge his authority.
"I'll be in the kitchen trying to help the cook prepare something edible for dinner." Alex finally offered.
"Why not stay and learn the ropes?" Jack replied, motioning to the lines almost scornfully. "That's what you're here for."
"I thought it best I keep out of the way during the storm. No doubting, because I'm a typical woman, I'll just get in the way." Alex reasoned sarcastically, before stalking off towards the kitchen gallery.
'Storm," Jack snorted. "What storm?"
So, next update we find out; storm, or no storm? Jack is assuming it's a light gale approaching, but is Alex closer to the truth when she described it as a storm?
Differing opinions with the last chapter; some thought 'gross'; some preferred the darker chapters. Most chapters that feature the Drifting Maiden are going to be considerably darker, because that ship is pure, scary, damn downright evil.
Thanks to - okay I've lost the email of who it was - who alerted me to a mistake in the previous chapter. I will fix that up. Soon. Just not now. Because I'm lazy.