Disclaimer: I am innocent of whatever I'm accused of. My OCs are mine.
A Sparrow's Shadow on the Sea
Priestess of Yemaya
Ruby left Jack and I alone to busy herself in the kitchen with her cooking. Jack relaxed on the settee, sipping his second glass of rum, as I wandered around the front room.
A small shrine set up in a dim corner of the room caught my eye. I walked over to look more closely at it. A dark, sapphire blue silk cloth had been spread over a small table. A small painting of a beautiful woman rising out of the sea was positioned in the center of the table. The woman had very long, dark hair and was wearing a white, flowing gown. From her right hand, a cascade of golden stars fell into the water. And from her left, she was dropping pearls into the sea. There was a crescent moon in the sky behind her. Surrounding this picture, were numerous seashells, lit candles, feathers, and assorted jewels and trinkets.
"Yemaya, di goddess of di sea," Ruby said behind me.
"She's very beautiful," I commented, smiling.
"She protect dem dat's been shipwrecked, and di wo-man who is wit child," she explained, "Yemaya watch over ya, Eve. She help Jack find ya."
We both turned to look at Jack. He smiled happily at us and continued sipping his rum.
"On what day were ya born?" she asked me abruptly.
"July 7th," I answered, hoping she would not ask the year.
"Di seven day of di seven mont'," she mused. "Ya a child of di sea, Eve…jus' as Jack."
"Funny you should mention that, Ruby," Jack interrupted, as he lazily stretched and rose off the settee. "Coincidentally, we were just discussing how we'd like the child to be born on the Pearl…at sea..." Jack had walked over to join us, draping his arm over my shoulder.
She looked at me critically, "Dis true, star?"
I nodded, smiling, "Yes, it is true." I glanced at Jack, suddenly noticing the blue ocean charm dangling among the rest of his beads and trinkets adorning his hair.
"Cha! Mi no surprise," Ruby muttered, returning to the kitchen.
I looked at Jack. "Why does she call me 'star'?" I asked him quietly.
"She likes you," he said, smiling, "Term of endearment, luv."
I reached up to touch the small blue medallion in Jack's hair. It was made of abalone shell, and shimmered varying shades of blues, purples, and green in the light. I looked at Jack questioningly.
"Yes, Eve, Ruby gave it to me," he confirmed, "A birthday gift."
"Jack, Eve! Ya come now," Ruby said, peeking from the doorway.
We passed through the kitchen and out to a central courtyard. A large table with six chairs was located in the shade of the palms. White candles burned in turquoise hurricane lamps on the table.
The three of us ate a seafood and chicken stew that Ruby had made. Jack told more of his wildly embellished stories to Ruby, who listened like a delighted child. With each glass of rum he finished, he became more and more animated. He acted out most of the last tale, running all over the courtyard, flailing his arms and yelling. I was aching from too much food and too much laughing.
"So, di two of ya 'spect mi ta help ya birt' dis child out at sea, on dat black ship of ya's?" Ruby stated, abruptly turning the mood serious.
"We were hoping you'd consider it," Jack said, smiling charmingly at her.
"An' ya know mi no been on a ship since ya Fadda rescued mi," she reminded Jack.
"Ruby…you'll love the Pearl! Fastest ship in all the Caribbean, you know!" Jack boasted, "And, by far, the most beautiful!"
"Humph!" she said dismissively.
I looked from Ruby to Jack and back again, worried she'd decline. "Please, Ruby, if you won't help us, then I'll be stuck with Scarlett…and, sorry Jack…I don't really like Scarlett!"
"Scarlett?! Dat no good sanfi bitch! What di hell ya tinkin', Jack?!" she screamed, smacking him hard on the back of his head. "Hmmm?…Not'ing at all!"
"Ow!" Jack said, giving Ruby a pained expression, as he rubbed his head.
"Ya make mi vex, Jack Sparrow!" she continued angrily, "To tink, ya put ya precious wo-man an' child in di filty hands of her! Spend all her day cockin' it up, tink she know 'bout birt' an' babes!"
"Scarlett and I have been friends for years, and she's very sought after for her midwifery skills," Jack commented.
"Oh, yeh, mi know di kind of friend she been ta ya, Jack," Ruby retorted, "An' let mi tell ya, dos days are over!"
"Of course they are, Ruby, of course they are!" Jack replied quickly, clearly fearing another assault on his head. "I love Eve," he added, "I'd never do anything to hurt her!"
As I watched this scene play out with fascination, I realized this was a woman Jack was incapable of charming or manipulating in any way. It was all I could do to keep from smiling as she continued to berate him.
"Ya gone ya whole life, tinkin' wo-men are playtings, Jack" she continued, "An' it's no true!"
"You're right, Ruby, of course they're not," Jack agreed hastily.
As entertaining as it was, I was becoming impatient. I wanted to know what Ruby's decision was. "Enough, you two!" I said firmly.
They paused and looked at me.
"See now, look what ya done, Jack, gone an' upset ya wo-man," she persisted.
"Me? What did I do?" Jack asked her in disbelief.
And they resumed their bickering. I rolled my eyes, and sighed. "Shut up, the both of you!" I yelled out of frustration.
They stopped immediately, and stared at me.
"Oh good, you're done," I said sarcastically. "So, I'm thinking that this is a really bad idea, after all. Clearly the two of you find it impossible to get along, and I don't really want to be forced to give birth in the cargo hold, because it would be the only place I could go where I wouldn't have to listen to the two of you!" I ended up shrieking at them, as they stared at me.
I stood up and pushed my chair in. "Perhaps Mr. Cotton would be available to assist me. At least he's quiet!" I declared, as I left them in the courtyard.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
I walked through the house and out the front door. A path wound to the side of the house, and appeared to wind through the garden, so I began to walk that path. The garden was quiet, except for the sounds of the birds, and the beautiful flowers were calming to look at. I rounded a bend and saw a fountain in the middle of the widened path. There was a bench to the side, shaded by a large shrub, and I went to sit down.
I breathed in the mixture of fragrances from all the flowers, with just a hint of sea breeze. It was no wonder Jack liked that "Garden of Eden" perfume he bought me. It smelled very similar to this.
I sighed and watched the water splashing in the fountain; the sound was calming to me after my outburst.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"Ya girl gonna be a bit moody for a time, Jack," Ruby said, "No worries, is all fine."
"No worries? Easy for you to say," Jack replied, "You don't have to live with her." He downed what was left of his rum.
"Ya need ta go find her, an' make amends," Ruby told him.
Jack looked at her, his mind scheming. "Would you please come and help us get through this, Ruby," Jack asked as sweetly and charmingly as he could, "Eve really likes you and it would make me very happy to know that she was in your skilled and capable hands."
Ruby smiled warmly at him. "Oh Jack…ya slow as molasses sometime, but jus' as sweet," she cooed. "When is time, mi go on ya pretty ship an' help bring ya child into di world."
Jack's face brightened, "You will? You really will? Thank you, Ruby!" He dove on the woman, hugging her.
"Yeh, yeh," she replied, smiling, "Now ya go get ya wo-man, Jack, 'afore she forget all 'bout ya!"
Jack stood, swaying slightly, and smirked at her. "Ruby! It'd require much more than that pretty garden of yours to make her forget me, savvy?"
"Humph! Always so full of ya-self," she remarked dismissively.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"Great news, luv!"
I turned to see Jack happily sashaying down the path toward me.
I smirked at him, saying, "You and Ruby have decided to takes vows of silence?"
"No, no, no," he said, as he waved his hands back and forth, "She's agreed to sail with us on the Pearl, when it's time, and to help deliver the child!"
"Did she really?" I asked him excitedly, leaping off the bench.
He frowned for a moment. "Eve," he said, sliding his arms around my waist, "You doubt my powers of persuasion?" His gaze shifted between my lips and my eyes, as he smirked at me.
I smirked back at him. "Maybe I do," I teased.
He leaned close, "Oh, do you?" he asked, in a low, seductive voice. He brushed his lips against mine, softly and fleetingly. He pulled back slightly to look at me, smirking wickedly.
"Don't toy with me, Jack, persuade me," I told him, with a challenging look in my eyes.
He moved his hand to weave his long fingers through my hair, and pulling me abruptly against him, kissed me fiercely and deeply, his tongue demandingly searching for my own. He pulled away, then leaned in to kiss my neck. "Why don't we return to the Pearl, luv, and I can finish persuading you?"
"But I thought you'd want to go to the Faithful Bride?" I asked him, as he continued kissing my neck.
"I'd much rather go back to the Pearl, spend a little time alone with my own faithful bride," he said huskily by my ear. "What say you, my love?"
I laughed softly, "Yes…Captain."
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
A/N: "Sanfi bitch" means a manipulative woman, someone who's devious and deceptive, a backstabber. There wasn't really a convenient way to work the definition into the story, without interrupting the flow of Ruby's dialogue with Jack. My deepest thanks to all who read and reviewed! I just LOVE reading all your comments! Hope you enjoyed this chapter!