Disclaimer: I tried to lure Jack into my house with rum, but Disney got in my way, so he's not mine.
AN: Okay, as cheesy as it sounds, I did not intend to name an animal in this chapter after a Disney creature. It was the only "pet-name" I could think of, and it's only what Rose calls it, so please don't laugh when you read the first half of this chapter. Thanks, and please review!
Chapter 12: Final Farewells to India:
Two weeks after our arrival in India, Jack announced that it was time to leave. I couldn't understand why we had spent nearly three months traveling here, only to spend less than half a month at our destination before leaving once again. However, after watching Jack and the crew begin to be a bit restless, I understood: the sea was calling them, and now it was time to answer. This was why we would be leaving after such a short visit. So, after helping Jack restock the ship and performing a formal inspection, just to be sure the ship was sound enough to travel back to the Caribbean, I got some time to myself. Now Padma and I were going to spend our last full day together, as the Pearl would be leaving tomorrow afternoon with the tide.
Padma was heartbroken about my leaving, and insisted that we spend as much time together as possible, since we did not know how long it would be before the Pearl returned to this port. I knew that Jack had been here before, and that it was quite some time ago in the past, which was why Jan and his family had been so happy about seeing him again.
"Eight years," Padma announced when I posed a question to her. "It has been just over eight years since Jack last saw us, and me a young girl of twelve at the time. I remember how awed I had been with his appearance; I had never seen a man look and act quite like him, and I doubt I ever will. Honestly, Jack is so unusual that a person can't help but be fascinated by him!"
I laughed as we walked into the gardens, our outfits perfectly identical tops and pants of light purple silk, heavily trimmed with silver and dark purple embroidery; included were matching saris to put over our faces. Since we were spending the morning at the house, we wore no jewelry or headpieces; this was to be a quiet morning spent between two friends.
"Yes, he most certainly is something, isn't he?" I asked, snickering into my sari.
Padma laughed as well. "He is definitely one of the greatest pirates I've ever seen," she said, looking at me out of the corner of a kohl-painted eye. "And I dare say that you are one of the best pirate women that he's ever seen!"
A small gasp escaped my lips, though it was quickly followed by a chuckle. "Now don't you start, Padma," I said, waving a finger in her face as though I were chiding her. "Stop trying to rush everything…if I act too quickly, he just might run away, screaming in terror!"
"He will do no such thing," Padma declared as she led me to a sheltered, shaded section of the garden.
This part of the garden was much like a gazebo, though it was so covered with leafy vines, large plant leaves, and gorgeous flowers that no sunlight managed to pierce through the dense foliage. It was also next to a fountain, so there was a delightfully cool breeze that floated around us, making this particular section of the gardens very comfortable to be in. I happily sat down on a white marble bench as Padma joined me.
"I am sorry to see you leave so soon, Rose," my friend said with a sad tone of voice. "I have never met one such as you, and I shall miss your company."
I could instantly feel tears prick the corners of my eyes. "Oh, Padma, I'm going to miss you, too!" I said, reaching out and clasping one of her hands in mine. "You're the sort of friend I always longed to have while I was growing up. The other girls I was forced to spend time with were all so shallow and dull, but you've made my stay here so much better than I could have dreamed of!"
She laughed, though it sounded a bit forced and teary. "I have never had a friend that was as interesting as you, Rose," Padma replied, and I could see her smile at me with her eyes from beneath her veil. "And it was an absolute joy to help you and to garb you as deserved." She winked at me. "And to help you with Jack was more fun than I could have ever hoped for in my lifetime!"
The two of us burst out laughing, startling a few birds from their perches in the bushes and trees. As they flew away, chirping their anger at being disturbed, Padma and I let out another bout of laughter, giggling madly as we enjoyed each other's company for the morning.
That afternoon, after Padma and I had thrown jokes and handfuls of water at one another in the garden, we returned to the house, slightly damp from our little waterfights. Thankfully, the warm sunlight had dried us out, for the most part, so the lecture given to us by Nidhi was not as harsh as it would have been, otherwise. Instead, Padma and I were ushered to our rooms and ordered to change into something else before we spent the day with Nidhi.
I emerged from my room wearing an outfit of sea-green, decorated with sparkling pale gold embroidery. It was simple, yet elegant, and it went perfectly with the fact that I would soon be returning to the ocean. As I walked down the hallway, Padma joined me, her outfit a blazing orange color that would have looked horrible on anyone else, but made her shine like the sun when it set over the desert. Instead of the usual envy I felt whenever I saw Padma in an outfit I could never wear, I instead felt merely happy to see her; perhaps I was growing up…
The two of us approached the large suit of rooms that Nidhi occupied during the day, which, Padma told me, included a sewing room, a library, and even an indoor garden where animals were brought in for Nidhi and whoever she was entertaining to play with. True enough, not long after Padma and I had been admitted, we were led into the garden by a veiled servant girl. I tried not to look around too much, as I did not want to view too much of Nidhi's private chambers, so I focused on walking behind the servant and nothing more. The young lady soon stopped in front of a large set of doors, opening them up swiftly, and bowed us in.
I stepped into a glorious world filled with birds and animals I had only seen in portraits in books. All around me were trees filled with brightly-plumaged birds, fruits or flowers…it was sometimes hard to tell which was a living creature or merely a lovely flower. However, there was no disguising the tremendous tiger that currently lay in the middle of the room near a fountain!
"Ah, Rose!" Nidhi called, emerging from behind a flowering bush. "Come and meet my little rajah!"
"Rajah?" I asked, my voice small as I stood shaking in the doorway; I truly didn't like the way the large cat was looking at me.
"The tiger," Padma explained, smiling as she grabbed my arm and began dragging me forwards. "Don't worry, he is perfectly tame."
She demonstrated how tame the animal was by rubbing his ears and muttering to it in her native tongue. When she did not become lunchmeat for the "little rajah," I carefully moved forwards so as not to startle it. Nidhi was looking at me with amusement, but I didn't want to lose my arm or leg simply because I had unwillingly spooked the creature! Instead, I merely inched over to Nidhi, who had taken a seat on a bench near the fountain, but on the other side, away from the large tiger.
"I'm sorry that my precious pet makes you nervous, Rose," Nidhi said with a smile, meaning she was teasing me. "But he is quite gentle and a pleasure to pet. However, you do not have to do so."
I sighed in relief. "Thank you, but I'd rather not run the risk of angering or upsetting him," I said nervously with a smile.
Both Indian women laughed and shook their heads as servants set out small, individual wooden tables over our laps and brought trays of food and drinks which were to be our lunch. As soon as everything was settled, the three of us began to eat, exchanging jokes and conversation as we ate. I was halfway through my meal of lamb curry over rice when I felt something rest on my foot. Looking down under the table, I saw the tiger staring right back at me, amber eyes focused on my face.
I swallowed hard and tried to calm down as I once again sat upright at the table. "Um, Nidhi?" My friend pulled her attention away from her meal to look at me. "The tiger is resting on my foot."
Nidhi looked under the table and made cooing noises. "Oh, he just wants to be fed," she remarked. "Would you please feed him while I finish my curry?"
"What?" I said in a deadpan voice, looking at her in shock and horror.
"Feed him," she calmly ordered, pushing a rather large plate piled high with cooked lamb chunks into my hands. "Just get up, go to the fountain, sit down, and feed him one bit at a time. He is very gentle, so you should have nothing to worry about."
"Should have nothing to worry about?" I repeated as I weakly got up, doing as I was ordered.
On silent feet, I walked to the fountain, setting the platter down on the broad rim of it and slowly sat down, trying to avoid eye contact with the huge animal that had followed me. As I reached for the platter sitting to my right, a large orange head thrust itself under my left hand, as though asking for attention. I couldn't help but allow my fingers to curl, scratching "Rajah's" head very softly, as I did not know if that was exactly what he wanted or not.
Apparently it was, since he rather enthusiastically continued to push against my hand. I scratched harder, and was surprised when he started to purr, his nose then going to sniff the plate of cooked meat. As Rajah continued to rumble happily under my left hand, I picked up a piece of meat and offered it to him. He eagerly accepted my offering, chewing away as I continued to scratch his head. I repeated those motions until the meat was gone and Rajah lay down on top of my feet, still purring in a contented manner despite the fact that I was no longer scratching his head or feeding him.
"He will love you forever, now," Padma joked as she took a seat to my left, a servant coming to take the empty tray away so Nidhi could join us, sitting to my right. "And now the little prince will never allow us to merely feed him when we can also offer a head scratch!"
Both she and her mother laughed as I blushed. "I didn't think he would be so sweet and gentle," I muttered, my fingers fiddling with the end of my sari. "He's such a nice creature."
Padma and Nidhi merely smiled as we three began to coo and pet the tiger lying at our feet, not knowing we were being watched from above.
From a perch on a hidden balcony, Jack Sparrow and his Indian friend watched the women hover over the large, striped creature currently lying on its side. The tiger was obviously content in the fact that there were three females willing to give it loving attention, and would continue to lay prone in the marble courtyard as long as he possibly could.
"She has a way with creatures," Jan softly said to the pirate captain. "It is not everyday that Nidhi's pride and joy allows another woman to pamper him with affection."
Jack's head whirled around. "You mean that thing could have easily bitten her head off just by her getting near it?" he snapped, gripping the polished handrailing in front of him.
His host merely shook his head. "No, Nidhi would never show just anyone her beloved tiger," he replied, smiling reassuringly at Jack, who was still watching his female crewmate hover over the animal's head, also gently rubbing its stomach.
Presently, Jack was watching as Rose scratched the tiger under the chin, her lips moving in what looked like affectionate baby-talk. It was rather a charming sight, and he found that he couldn't get enough of it. In fact, he couldn't seem to take his eyes away from Rose's beautifully outfitted from. Her outfit was a glorious sea-colored green, and the shimmering silk seemed to pool around her like water as she knelt on the white marble courtyard floor.
'She's beautiful,' Jack thought as he continued to watch her, his eyes never leaving her until a hand landed heavily on his shoulder, snapping him out of his trance.
"Come, my old friend, we must talk," Jan said, gently pulling him inside. "I love to watch my women, too, which is why this balcony was built here, just so I can watch over them as I should. However, we should talk while we can, before you leave tomorrow."
"Aye," Jack reluctantly agreed, taking one last look at Rose before turning to go inside.
The two men calmly went into Jan's study and took seats on broad, deeply soft cushions as servants brought them drinks and little finger-foods to nibble on while they 'talked business.' The room was unusually large and high-vaulted, allowing the heat to rise away from them during the day and keeping the cool air in at night. Both men took a moment to lightly fill their stomachs and relax before continuing on to more serious matters. A few moments later, Jan cleared his throat.
"It's a pity you won't be here for little Padma's wedding," he remarked while toying with a delicate cup. "I know she would like to have you there."
Jack chuckled. "I doubt that you'll want my drunken self interrupting the ceremony," he said, shaking his head at the notion. "As much as I would like attending for Padma's sake, Jan, I would just embarrass your family by showing up, pirate crew and all, because you know that whenever there is a party I'm invited to, the men are sure to follow me!"
His friend sighed. "You are right," he said, picking up a crisp vegetable carved in the shape of a flower from the platter, popping the morsel into his mouth and chewing before answering. "I wish you could be there, though."
"How about I promise to show up in a few years and bring gifts for her little ones instead?" Jack offered. "A sooner visit than the last one, not to mention gifts for the mother (or mother-to-be) is a good promise I can keep."
A smile pulled at Jan's lips. "Well, I suppose it's the best I can hope for." He picked up his cup, which had been filled by a servant, and held it out for a toast. "To our friendship and to eagerly awaited future visits," he said, grinning.
"Aye," Jack said, clinking his cup against Jan's. The two men eagerly tossed back their cups and let a servant pour them another.
"Oh, don't be so hard on yourself, Rose dear," Nidhi gently chided me. "Even though Jack doesn't know it was you who danced for him, you still managed to gain his attention!"
"And you already have his affection," Padma chimed in, her eyes sparkling in a teasing manner as she looked at me. "I could see it in his eyes as he looked at you!"
"We can all see that, Padma," her mother said, the two of them collapsing into a fit of giggles that had me rolling my eyes at them.
"Yes, well, whether he has affection and attraction for me or not, I still have to keep him interested," I said, petting the tiger that had yet to leave my side today.
"That should not be hard, given that you will be the only female on the ship," Padma declared as she walked over to a nearby table to pour a glass of fruit juice for each of us. "You will start looking very attractive to everyone, even that parrot you've got onboard!"
I couldn't hold back my snort of laughter as the other two again began to fall into giggles. We stayed silent for the next few moments, drinking juice and enjoying the pleasantness of Nidhi's private gardens. The tiger I had privately dubbed 'Rajah' was now sleeping, his body curled against my leg. Until today, I had never fancied myself a person who was fond of cats; now, however, it made me want a feline of my own.
"Rose," Nidhi said, catching my attention. "Since you have such a wonderful connection with my precious little prince, I would like to give you something very special."
She clapped her hands and a male servant magically appeared out of nowhere. Nidhi whispered something into his ear and the man nodded before once again vanishing into the vegetation. We waited in silence for a few moments, and the servant returned bearing a large box in his arms, the top covered in a thin white cotton sheet. Nidhi carefully accepted the box before gently passing it into my own hands. Curious, I lifted the sheet and discovered the most adorable sight.
It was a sleeping kitten. The coat was a silvery-white with black spots, and the tiny animal itself was easily small enough to fit into my cupped hands. I longed to touch its soft fur, but I was hesitant to wake it from its rest. However, the kitten spared me from making any decisions of my own, and instead awoke, its bright green eyes blinking open and focusing on me. A tiny yawn escaped its lips, and I found myself completely enchanted as my fingers reached in and began to stroke its head.
"It is a girl," Nidhi said in a soft voice. "A trader brought her mother to India from Egypt, and its breed is called an Egyptian Mau. I believe that she will do quite well on the Pearl."
"Besides, if Jack disapproves, you can always tell him that a ship needs a cat…for rats and all," Padma chimed in, a fill grin on her face. "What will you call her? And if you say you're calling her Spot or something silly like that, I will have to slap you."
I sighed, my fingers gently scratching the tiny spotted head. "Oh, I'm terrible at naming things…" I looked down at the little kitten, who stared back up at me with happy, half-closed eyes. "Well, since I can't name you Spot…I'll call her Ivory."
Both Nidhi and Padma applauded when, upon hearing her name, little Ivory jumped out of her box and into my lap.
"No. Absolutely not!"
"But Jack…"
"NO! No bloody cats onboard my ship!" he cried, waving his hands around as he paced through the gardens. "Think of the messes that'll need to be cleaned up! The scratched up wood of my Pearl, for goodness sakes! And cats are bad luck!"
"Jack!" I cried, following him around, little Ivory clutched gently to my chest. "Jack, that's only for black cats, and Ivory's a spotted white cat! And she would earn her place! I mean, just stop and think about how she would prevent rats and mice from getting into the food and the rum!"
That last part stopped Jack in his tracks, causing him to whirl around to look back at me. "No rats in the rum, huh?" he asked, looking at the small kitten in my arms. Ivory looked right back at him with her big green eyes. "Well…if it keeps the rum safe…"
"Thank you, Jack," I said, smiling up at him while gently scratching Ivory's chin, making her purr.
"Just keep her in your cabin while you train her to use the sandbox, aye?" he stressed as he looked at me.
As Rose turned and walked away, Jack began to wonder. He couldn't believe that he had given in to her! He was Captain Jack Sparrow, and yet, the first time Rose flashed those sweet brown eyes at him, he had given in. A cat onboard the Pearl…Gibbs would have a fit after he found out…
'Guess we'll just have to keep it a secret until we're at sea,' Jack thought with a heavy sigh as he ran to catch up with Rose. 'Still, if it keeps rats off the ship and all, then it can't be bad having…what was the cat's name…Ivory? Yes, that's what Rose called it. Must be a girl cat, then…pretty little thing, too.' He quickly caught up with Rose, falling into line behind her as she walked towards her room.
'Of course, the mistress isn't bad looking, either…' he noted, watching the sea-green silk swish back and forth as her hips moved with her smooth steps. 'Definitely not bad looking…'
I could feel Jack's gaze on me as I walked to my room, the loud clunking of his boots following me until I reached the hall where my bedroom was located. I didn't hesitate a minute, not even when the footsteps behind me stopped a respectful distance down the hall. I merely entered my room and shut the door behind me, Ivory contentedly purring in my arms. I couldn't believe that I had managed to so easily win the argument with Jack; loud yells and curses were what I had expected, and instead I had gotten my way in an instant. This could only mean one thing: I was growing on him. I smiled, hoping that it was in more ways than one…
AN: Aw, a kitten onboard the Pearl! Anyone care for future humorous events? Review!