The Trouble with Women
Chapter 13
Straight Apple Cider
--
Vivien woke to the sound of distant murmuring accompanied by the soft, fluttering touch of something rather cool upon her cheeks and face. For a moment, she lay still and content, clutching on the recesses of sleep. Her mind was foggy, her eyes still closed and welcoming rest. But that feeling, like something was crawling along her face, refused to allow her to drift back into slumber. It was irritating, but her body was telling her she should wake up.
She was beyond the point of no return. She was aware, and the light touches wanted to make her twitch. She wondered briefly what they were, but found she was still far too groggy to care or find out.
The next moment, however, she realized someone was speaking to her, and the far away murmurs grew in volume.
And that was that. Sleep slipped out from beneath Vivien's fingers and was lost.
She wiggled her nose as something dabbed tenderly, upon her cheeks and forehead. Immediately, the first thing that came to mind was spiders. Araignées. Hundreds of small, black, hairy spiders with long legs and beady eyes, crawling all over her face and hair. She squirmed, but her eyelids were still heavy. A voice cursed her from above.
"Damn it! Can't ya stay still for one bloody moment?" Anamaria's voice shouted angrily.
Vivien wondered vaguely why the female pirate was over her, while she was sleeping no less!
But she lay still once more, sighing deeply, too tired to open her eyes and see what Anamaria was up to. There were soft covers beneath her, she could feel the fabric beneath her fingertips, but she felt fidgety and unnaturally warm. That heat must have been what began to lull her back into dreamland, because she was feeling rather detached.
Something touched her face again. She grumbled a bit at first, but then couldn't contain herself and burst out in a fit of giggles. Because it tickled something terrible, and she found she just couldn't hold it in.
As she laughed to herself, a voice a ways away mumbled lowly, "Lass sure be twitchy, ain't she?" It was Mister Gibbs, she was sure.
Vivien thought it rather odd that both Anamaria and Gibbs had been watching her while she slept, and her feeble laugher died down slightly as she came to a realization. Eyes snapping open, blinking rapidly, the young woman took a moment to stare at the wooden ceiling above. Then, quite suddenly, she shot upright on the cot, arms flailing wildly in an attempt to detangle herself from blankets and pillows.
Quickly, her green eyes adjusted to the dim lighting in the room, and the first thing she noticed was that she was back in her tiny cabin. And she was sitting, intertwined with her rumpled bed sheets, and Gibbs and Anamaria were both staring down at her with the oddest of anxious looks. She imagined she might look about the same, but it didn't take away the awkwardness of the situation.
"Qu'est…W-what's this?" she asked, half-demanding in a suspicious voice.
The two blinked almost simultaneously, not speaking, just staring, and Vivien caught sight of a small wooden bowl clutched in the mulatto woman's hands. She sat on a stool by her bedside, watching the Frenchwoman owlishly. Gibbs stood a few feet back, looking slightly out of place, leaning on what looked to be a large barrel filled with water beside a rickety chair. A faded and ragged cloth hung on its side.
But Vivien's attention was on the mysterious bowl. "What's that?" she asked slowly, somewhat cautiously.
Anamaria's eyes darted down to the bowl. "Oh…oh! Tis a remedy for your sunburns," she replied simply, and then paused slightly before continuing. "You have some on yer face right now."
"Nasty sunburns those are," Gibbs piped in from behind her.
Frowning ever so slightly, the young woman raised a careful hand to her face and ran it along her cheek. She encountered a light, gooey substance coating her skin, and realized she might not have noticed if Anamaria hadn't have pointed it out. Pulling her hand away with a mild look of disgust, Vivien regarded the remedy critically in the dim light. It was greenish in colour and quite thick—quite promptly reminding her of nothing less than a pile of snot. Revolted now, she swiftly wiped it onto the covers of her bed, feeling her stomach turn over unpleasantly. She suddenly felt quite sick, closed in with stifling hot hair reeking of sweat and salt.
"What is it?" she forced out, swallowing down a bit of bile rising in her throat.
Anamaria merely rolled her eyes at the young woman and dipped her finger into the bowl. "It'll help your sunburn, fool," she replied softly, leaning forward to spread it along Vivien's cheek where she had wiped some off. "Made of apple cider mixed with vinegar. Tis and old remedy used by my mother back in my village. You leave this on for a good couple hours and it'll soak right in and stop blistering and peeling. You should be thankful I didn't let Crimp have a try at you with his remedy. So stop acting as though I'm poisoning you and let me finish the job so ye won't be lookin' like a tomato the next few days."
Vivien wanted to shy away from the feeling of the salve on her hot skin, but resisted the urge to speak, hoping it wouldn't upset Anamaria. "How late is it?" she asked, eyes straying to the windowsill where it was darkening.
Either it had come to her moments before or she had never forgotten, but images of Beckham's snarling face entered her thoughts quite abruptly. She hoped Anamaria or Gibbs could at least tell her what had happened after everything had faded to black.
The portly man was the one to answer. "Few hours before supper, I reckon. Brill the cook already be startin' up that mush he calls food."
Vivien nodded absently and Anamaria made an annoyed noise in the back of her throat. She wondered what had happened to the three pirates but was rather dreading asking.
Swallowing slightly, she forced herself to speak. "I mean no ungratefulness…but…why are you doing this?"
Gibbs turned to eye her while Anamaria stopped her work. They exchanged a glance before simultaneously breaking out into a chorus of hearty chuckles, clearly amused by the young woman's words. Vivien could only watch in a bemused silence, brow furrowed slightly. Really, she couldn't see what was so funny…
Finally, Gibbs decided to enlighten her, and did so with a grin. "Yer a brave one, I have to admit," he chuckled again. "Attacked Beckham, Louis and Bardus with naught but a wet mop, knocked the ringleader senseless, nearly mangled the Frenchman and lived to tell about it!" he hooted, and Vivien felt a flutter of unease in her stomach as well as a deep, embarrassed blush creeping up on her cheeks.
If she was going to be flogged for injuring Jack's crew, the two kind pirates before her seemed very nonchalant about it. But she couldn't stop her doubts.
"A mighty brave thing to do, miss, but daft nonetheless," Gibbs commented, and again he and Anamaria exchanged a wordless glance—this one of humour.
The Frenchwoman felt the need to speak up. "They attacked me. What would you have me do otherwise?"
The mulatto woman gave her a hearty pat on the shoulder, smirking slightly. "Don't fret, lass. Anyone willing to stand up to those three hotheads, especially a lady such as yourself, deserves the slightest bit of respect, we figure," she finished, and once again began to apply the cider vinegar solution to her skin. "Besides, Jack was being an ignorant git when he didn't have these burns treated the day you got them. Someone with such pale skin can't just go waltzing about in the sunshine after so many years of avoidin' it."
Vivien only looked even more embarrassed by this, and Anamaria couldn't help but grin. The girl was so modest. At first, she had detested it, but now she could merely look upon the young woman and chuckle at her reserve.
"Cheer up, lass. I don't think ya realized how pathetic you look right now," Anamaria taunted lightly, attempting to get a rise from her.
Vivien only gave a watery, faint smile, silent as Anamariaonce again attended to her sunburns, grabbing one of her limp arms and smearing the goop along her skin. It was the strangest sensation, as her red and burned skin heated the salve, almost as though she was melting.
Uncomfortably, she cleared her throat, trying to take her mind of the sensation. "What, exactly…happened…?" she found herself asking, but it didn't make much sense to her.
The two pirates understood, though.
Gibbs smiled kindly at her. "We reckon you fainted, lass, either from the shock or the seasickness," he explained shortly.
"Or sunstroke," Anamaria added calmly, working on Vivien's other arm now. "I finished my lunch, came up one deck, and there you were layin' sprawled on the deck with that mop o' yours, and that dumb brute Bardus standin' to the side lookin' guilty as can be, near eatin' his nails off, and the other two cronies floppin' about in pain," she gave a short snort of laughter.
"Yer much tougher than ye give yourself credit for," Gibbs said solemnly. "Had all three men scared out o' their wits, I 'magine."
Vivien could hardly believe that, because the last she had seen of them, all three looked ready to tear her limb from limb. The very thought of the three set her on edge, and she was about to ask what had been done with them when two sharp, solid knocks came upon the closed door.
The two women regarded the door curiously for a moment, and then Gibbs made his way over and pulled it open. Unsurprisingly or surprisingly (Vivien wasn't quite sure which one it was), none other that Jack stood there, an oddly awkward look upon his handsome face. Gibbs didn't seem the least bit shocked in see his captain, while Anamaria gave a derisive snort, shaking her head slightly.
"Is she awake then?" Jack asked shortly, voice low.
Vivien watched as Anamaria wrinkled her nose. "Are you blind, Sparrow?" she asked him loudly, and the Frenchwoman seemed to shrink back into the cot, trying to make herself as little as possible.
But not before Jack's eyes met her own. She could feel a blush rising in her already red cheeks, and vaguely heard Jack ask Gibbs to take over the helm from "young Roberts." She couldn't for the life of her say why the Captain made her blush so, but she figured it was the eyes. Vivien wasn't too keen on eye contact, and Jack Sparrow seemed to enjoy it immensely.
Anamaria merely ignored the man; possibly still cross after Jack had ignored Vivien's sunburn, therefore making her the one to take care of the young woman. She didn't complain, though, only tucking bits of hair out of the way to dab a bit of her miracle remedy on the tops of Vivien's reddened ears.
Jack entered the room with flourish, as always, the door closing somewhat loudly behind him. As he swaggered closer to the two women, Vivien saw him narrow his eyes slightly in the dim light, swaying ever so slightly on his feet.
"What's that on your face, love?" he asked finally, bemused.
Anamaria was the one to answer. "Ya mean the nasty sunburn or the remedy I had to whip up in order to get rid of the nasty sunburn, Sparrow?" she inquired sardonically, turning to face him with her lips pursed.
Frowning, Jack held up a hand, pointing a finger. "Captain, if you don't mind," he corrected almost absently.
Turning back to Vivien, the mulatto woman rolled her eyes. "Right. Captain Sparrow, did I answer your most intelligent question?" she mocked him.
The young Frenchwoman watched as Jack's face darkened somewhat, but realized on her three days aboard the ship she noticed the two never seemed to talk civil, alwaysflinging barbs and insults at each other. Anamaria's sharp tongue was a particular humorous thing to listen to while she constantly jibed at Jack, and she wondered why the Captain kept the rough woman aboard when they seemed to annoy each other so easily.
She brought from her thoughts by Jack's voice.
"If this is about that last card game…"
Sighing, the mulatto woman turned to fix the pirate with a flat stare. "I know ye cheated on that, Sparrow—Captain. Ye can't play maw worth shit. But that ain't what this is about," she stated. "But if you did come down here to say something to the lass can ya do it now so I can get me work done?"
Scowling, but sensing not to press the issue, Jack pulled up the vacant chair beside the bed as Anamaria beckoned Vivien forward so she could spread the cool paste along her collarbone. This only ended further embarrassing the woman and providing Jack a wonderful source of amusement—not to mention a nice view. He got the point though, and cleared his throat loudly before speaking, eyes suddenly on the Frenchwoman's face.
"Actually, I came down to check on ye. Glad to see you're finally up, darling…" he was mildly distracted as the mulatto woman spreading the salve lower down on Vivien's chest.
"Sparrow," Anamaria growled warningly, not even turning to face the man but knowing quite well he was ogling at the display.
Blinking rapidly, he cleared his throat again, which had somehow become rather dry, and swallowed before starting again. "And…just in case you were wondering, love, I've locked Beckham and his mates down in the brig. They've violated the Pearl's code of conduct and they'll pay the price for their mistakes," he declared almost casually, watching as Anamaria fussed a bit over Vivien's nose. "They will be removed from my ship when we reach St. Marie tomorrow morn'."
Vivien watched Anamaria's face as it darkened. "'If at any time ya meet with a prudent woman, and a man that offers to meddle with her without her consent shall suffer present death,'" the female pirate recited lowly, and then shot Jack a sharp look. "Doesn't sound as though the punishment's harsh enough, I think."
Jack merely arched an eyebrow at her, daring the mate to continue. "Anamaria, love, ye forgot that the men didn't have the chance to finish what they started, so you don't honestly expect me to toss them overboard, do you? Personally, I think borrowing their personal belongings, money, and weapons before stripping them down to their skivvies and running them off the ship in broad daylight should suffice."
The mulatto woman seemed stubborn in her opinion.
Once again, Jack could only grin, leaning back in his chair and stretching languidly. "'Every man or woman shall obey civil command, m'dear,'" he reminded her cheekily.
And that was that. Anamaria snorted in contempt and stood up from her stood, taking the bowl with her. She walked shortly over to the barrel in the midst of the room and submerged her hands quickly, scrubbing them clean. "Aye, fair enough Captain. But I suppose you'll be wanting to tell the lass about her change of duties now," she smirked.
Immediately, Jack frowned. Anamaria never ceased to infuriate him. "Of course," he declared breezily, forcing a smile on the young woman. "I won't expect you to swab the brig while those three mangy cads are inhabiting the place, but once they're gone your back to full duties, I'm afraid."
Vivien didn't think he seemed as regretful as his words seemed.
Shaking her hands free of water, Anamaria snatched up the small cloth on the side of the large barrel and fixed Jack with a steady stare. "You have her workin' like a cabin boy and I doubt she's even signed the ship's articles," she sneered, and the pirate tilted his head away from her, looking indecisive and sucking lightly on the inside of his cheek.
Vivien couldn't help but think the two had discussed this before.
And Jack continued on with his speech, clearly with some difficulty. Clearly, Anamaria didn't show her power over him often, but when she did she was a force to be reckoned with.
"And, with some helpful input from dear, dear Anamaria, I've decided you're to start cooking for the crew and switch your deck-swabbing duties for sewing any torn sails, shirts, breeches, you know…that lot. And you'll still be cleaning the cabins," he added quickly. "Savvy?"
Now, Vivien might have not had a problem for these conditions if there hadn't been several small things in the way. Really, they sounded easy enough, for an experienced maid or cook. Vivien was neither.
"Captain Sparrow…sir. I…can't cook or sew."
Both Anamaria and Jack fixed incredulous stares upon her.
"What do ye mean you can't cook? Or sew? Every woman knows how to cook and sew! They're basic skills necessary to sustain life!" Jack exclaimed, and then realized that he had been demanding such things far too frequently over the past days.
Vivien was at a loss. "I can't!" she replied weakly, not knowing what to say.
Seeming very displeased, Jack clenched his jaw in an effort to vent his frustration. "Bloody women!" he growled irritably before closing his dark eyes and taking a slow, deep, calming breath. Take it easy Jack, he told himself. "Yes. Okay. Fine! If that's how it goes…" he muttered, gaze focused on her and raising a hand to gesture wildly. "Brill, the cook, will help you, then. And you will follow his every word, savvy?"
Wetting her lips nervously with her tongue, Vivien nodded.
And Jack was smiling once more. "Good then. Your work starts again tomorrow," he announced.
--
Anamaria had left, Jack had left, and Vivien was left alone in the confines of her room smelling like cider and vinegar while feebly attempting to dry out her hair with a small towel. The mulatto woman had been the last the leave, quite plainly telling her to amuse herself for a few more hours before 'taking a quick dip in the barrel.' It had been left in her room, apparently for her to bathe in, and she had. But she had found she could barely fit in the thing, and the water was cold, and she had managed to get water almost everywhere but the places she needed.However, after a good half hour of scrubbing within the small confines of the water barrel, she had emerged triumphant—not to mention much cleaner than that morning.
But she still reeked of alcohol and vinegar, which in turn made her sensitive nose itch somewhat, finally ending in a horrible headache.
She was thankful, however, because her heated skin had cooled and lost some of its redness, allowing her to take pleasure in the night air. The sea breeze had wafted in through her small porthole opposite the bed, and it was so much more appreciated than the hot sun.
She had struck a match and lit the candle inside the lantern beside her cot, and was somewhat amazed that it had managed to brighten the whole room. Now, the only problem was that the shadows were dancing across the walls and floor in some haunted dance, and she couldn't help but feel that there were rats scurrying about her room, intent on tormenting her. Oh, and how she hated rats!
Vivien was just attempting to squeeze more moisture from her hair when a loud knock on her closed door announced another's presence. She jumped slightly, eyes widening and head snapping towards the door, and froze with her towel entwined with the wet locks of brown hair. She must have looked a complete mess, she knew, perched in the edge of her bed in a dress spotted with damp patches, long hair tangled with knots and reeking of Anamaria's sunburn remedy.
So, naturally, she debated on whether or not to simply ignore the person knocking upon her door or answer it as she was.
And after a moment of indecision, she was about to decide on the first option, but apparently the person standing outside her door was either too impatient for that, had something urgent to discuss with her, or was just flat out rude. So the door was unlocked and swung open, squealing on its hinges and admitting her guest into her room.
She found she wasn't all that surprised when Jack Sparrow was standing in her doorway, for the second time that day, she might add, cocky grin and all.
--
I wouldn't recommend trying to use the sunburn remedy mentioned in this chapter. It's a very old recipe and I'm not sure if it actually works...:P
French Translations:
Araignées – spiders
Qu'est - what is
--Cayenne Pepper Powder