Tortugan Beginnings
Drunken Dancing
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A Few Weeks Later
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Tortuga. Standing on the docks, it was everything Audrina remembered it to be. Of course it was only a month but it seemed like Scarlet or Delilah hadn't even left the tavern. Audrina knew she would be a new face around, Jimmy Hart didn't exist anymore.
People knew her back then, she lived her. Now she was as faceless as anyone. Jack hadn't bothered to warn her, he forgot she was a pirate sometimes but her sharp tongue often reminded him.
Audrina let her eyes move over the city feverishly, many could say Tortuga was overwhelming but to her it wasn't. She was just excited to be back. It was her home in a way and she loved the drunken bar fights, the gambling, and the rowdy music. Sometimes it was enough to make her forget they were all pirates. She hoped it wouldn't be different now that she was a woman and no longer a man. Would Audrina Hart be treated the same as Jimmy Hart? Somehow, she didn't think so.
Jack strolled over towards her, placing an arm around her slender shoulders. "Happy to be back, luv?" He said as he gazed out towards the empty streets. It was still morning, the festivities hadn't started yet.
Audrina glanced at him and pondered whether or not to shrug his arm off her shoulders. She decided it didn't matter. "Of course." She grinned and turned to him, emphasizing with her hands. "Who doesn't love Tortuga, Captain?"
"The lobster kind." Jack retorted, thinking of how horrified a mister Governor Norrington would be in a place like this. "I'd think they would drop dead by takin' one step into a tavern."
"Aye." Audrina laughed and walked away from his embrace to her brother who didn't look as quite as happy as everyone else did. "Cheer up, Luc."
Lucas gave her a nervous glace and twiddled with his thumbs as he averted his gaze from her eyes. "I'm not leaving you alone here, Aud." He said suddenly, the concern evident in his similar eyes.
Audrina couldn't help but adore her brother. Her older brother. He was more then a brother to her, a father and her world. She pondered for a moment how life would be without him. She knew she would be a whore working on the streets; she wouldn't have the willpower to fight her destiny. Without Lucas, she felt incomplete. Many would argue it was being twins that caused that feeling but Audrina didn't feel like that. They were the world to each other and when someone is your everything and they leave, you are left with nothing. She pondered that statement for a moment and a quiver went up her spine. The world without Lucas Hart wasn't worth living. For her, anyway.
She smiled at him and tilted her head. "You are too good to me, Lucas. I'll be fine. I'm a pirate, you forget that a lot. I can take care of myself." She paused and wished that he would relax for just a moment in his life. "Have fun, Lucas. Why don't you get a girl? All the other men do."
The suggestion brought a fiery blush to his cheeks and he scowled, shaking his head. "You know I don't like whores, Audrina." He quieted for a moment and nodded. "I'll promise to have fun if you promise to always stay in my sight, Aud."
"I promise." Audrina replied quickly and wrapped her arms around his slender body. After the quick embrace she backed up and searched his face. "If you don't have fun tonight, I'll have your guts for garters!"
"And here I was thinkin' yer were a lady, Miss Hart." Came the familiar drawl behind her. She turned her head and grinned and Lucas did the same. "Well, yer can save that mushy, 'I love yer' stuff fer later. We're in Tortuga, mates!"
Lucas gave a lopsided smile and sauntered up to the captain and looked him in the eye, the grin on his face widening still. "Your just jealous that she says, 'I love you' to me and not you, Captain!" He said in a teasing smile. Audrina let out a loud laugh behind him; honestly she was quite shocked at Lucas' boldness. It was unlike him.
Jack scowled and arched his eyebrow. "Am not!" He cried in an equally amusing tone. The tears from laughter pricked at Audrina's eyes.
"Whatever you say, Captain." Lucas retorted and smiled, he offered an arm to Audrina who gladly took it. As they passed, she smirked at Jack who scowled even more before trotting after them to join them in the tavern.
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Several hours later, the Poison Harlot exploded with rowdy music and drunken slurs and the bangs of dancing upon the wooden planks in the tavern. Audrina struggled not to giggle as Jack locked eyes with Francis Owen, a member of the senior crew. His olive skin brightened as Jack blinked and lost and he flicked a gold coin at him. This triggered even more drunken laughs out of Audrina and Lucas, who were on their forth glass of rum each.
"Dirty cheater!" Jack cried at Owen.
"How am I a cheater when we're havin' a starin' contest!"
"I'm Captain so there!" Jack said and crossed his arms over his chest much like a child would.
The cheerful music echoed through out the tavern. The grin on their faces widened as the music grew faster and Jack jumped up and staggered a bit. He offered a hand to Audrina who looked at it stupidly and raised an eyebrow at him.
"Yer gonna dance wit' me, sweetheart!" He slurred and forced her from her seat. She collided with his chest and let another fit of laughter take over her again and Jack soon joined her.
Audrina tilted her head and her turquoise eyes grew wide and she shook her head feverishly. "No!" She cried. "No! No! You are way too drunk ta dance, mister!" She wagged a finger in front of his liquid black eyes, taunting him.
"I am not drunk, missy!" Jack hiccupped before scowling and placing a hand on his hip. "And it's Cap'n!"
Owen looked over at the pair and roared with laughter. The three of them, Jack, Audrina and Lucas stared at him oddly. "Yer so drunk, Cap'n, yer don't know yer ass from yer face!" He bellowed and Audrina and Lucas joined him in fits of laughter.
"He don't even know that whens he's sober!" Lucas cried boldly, his eyes twinkling in the moonlight spilling into the cavern and the flickering lanterns overhead. The table they were sitting at roared with even more laughter.
Jack turned to the boy and frowned. "I wanna see you dance!" He said sardonically.
"I'd like to see that too!" Audrina cried from behind Jack and Lucas bellowed with laughter even though the ribald joke was targeted at him. "Jack why don't you dance wit' my brother dear! Just pretend he has a skirt on and it's me!"
Jack's eyes widened at the thought and the laughter kept rolling from Owen, Audrina and Lucas. "I don't lean that way, darlin'! Besides honey, I don't have to pretend he's got a skirt on."
"That's not what you said last night!" An anonymous voice called from the crowd but Audrina suspected it might have been Owen; his face was so red she figured he might explode.
Jack whirled around and pouted then brightened considerably. "Yer musta been thinkin' about Francis, here!" He cried whilst motioning towards Owen. The tavern roared with even more laughter.
Jack turned to Audrina and grabbed her wrist and pulled her out to the crowd where everyone was dancing. Tears of laughter and joy pricked at her eyes and stained her cheeks. Taking her hands, he swirled her around. The room was spinning for her and she closed them tightly. The turning stopped and she stumbled into Jack's chest. He held her tight and began to dance with her in a circle, twisting and turning and spinning her while then pulling her towards him once more. The crowd began a rhythmic clapping and Audrina was growing used to the fast music and danced to it a bit more freely. It hadn't occurred to her until several moments later that Jack Sparrow was a good dancer even while drunk. She couldn't say the same for herself but she felt so free twisting under his arms and twirling and beginning to be pulled back to him. The music slowed and finally the song ended and the breathless pair made their way back to the drunken table.
"Francis!" Jack bellowed as they neared him. "Would you care fer a dance?"
Owen knitted his brow together before gurgling with laughter once more. "Sorry, darlin', don't go that way. You should try askin' Lucas 'ere."
"Good! I was just checkin'!" Jack countered and moved his eyes to Lucas who was suppressing a grin himself. "Would yer like to dance boy?" He grinned again.
"You say that now when he rejects you!" Lucas cried. "And you can't dance with two Harts in one night. Tis law."
For a moment Jack contemplated his sentence but then gave up and shrugged. Turning to Lucas, he scowled at him. "You forget whose Cap'n boy!"
"You forget who's drunker!" Owen retorted and Jack grimaced at him.
"You smell funny!" Jack countered and Owen faked a look of shock. "Shouldn't be that shockin', mate."
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Audrina blinked and stared tiredly out the tavern window. She wasn't sure what time it was but estimated it was well past the witching hour. Owen was still as exuberant before and told a story enthusiastically while illustrating with his hands. Jack winced and tried to shut him up with a motion of his hand, Owen seemed to ignore it and went on. She was surprised that they hadn't sought company for that night but she realized that Jack was looking.
His eyes moved over the tavern and narrowed on an incredibly thin, blonde girl. Blinking, he grinned to himself and looked her over once more. The golden locks on her head were exaggeratedly done, ringlets falling down her back and half her hair swept up in a fancy up do. The dress that she adorned had a plunging neckline, her breasts very much revealed. Audrina would have said she was pretty but the makeup made her ugly. The scarlet smeared on her lips and the other make up caked on. She frowned; she would have been very pretty if she didn't look like a whore. But there wasn't something about her that didn't strike her as a whore. There was something about her cerulean eyes that made her feel uncomfortable. Whores didn't have that look in their eyes. The look of mourning, sadness and the desire to die. Audrina noticed it quickly because she once had that look in her eyes.
Jack changed that. She stopped herself; she didn't want to think such things. It was true that he did change that but she felt odd thinking such things. She mustn't think about things like that.
With a frown, she moved to her feet and approached the blonde. She blinked and look terrified for a moment and looked her over. Never turn down a customer, the blonde heard his voice in her head. Audrina reached out and touched her arm softly, at that moment she felt completely sober. The blonde's eyes shot up and her lips quivered for a moment and she bit her lip.
"Are you alright, love?" Audrina said kindly to the young women. She looked younger then her by several years. What scared Audrina most is the look of innocence drained from her dull blue eyes. "What's your name?"
"I'm fine." The girl said quietly, her voice wavering slightly. She searched Audrina's face curiously, as if she wondered why she even cared. "Angelina." Her tone was hardly above a whisper.
Whores definitely did not act like that. Angelina was meek, timid and seemed different. Her eyes were dull as if void of any spirit or spark they might have once had. Lucas was by her side now as was Jack. Turning, she eyed Owen asleep on the table but she didn't have the heart to smirk at him. Audrina narrowed her eyes on Jack, quietly warning him not to open his mouth and saying anything stupid.
"Angelina." Lucas said, smiling softly at her. He had overheard her name. "Do you have a last name, miss? I'm Lucas Hart."
"Lewis." Angelina said hesitantly, taking a step back, obviously terrified of them. The only thing that kept her there was Audrina's presence. "Angelina Lewis."
Jack grinned. "Cap'n Jack Sparrow, luv." He said rather exuberantly.
"I'm Audrina Hart." She said softly and smiled, there was something wrong with Angelina but she wasn't sure what.
Angelina's eyes widen with fear when she overheard someone passing by and saying the time. Her heart thumped against her chest and she didn't want to leave the nice people but she had to. He would kill her. The bruises would come back to her face and her body would again be mangled. Shivers went up her spine just picturing it. She liked being pretty. She didn't want to go back. "I have to go." She said suddenly and turned and left, disappearing through the door.
"That was odd." Jack said slowly.
"Yes." Lucas replied shortly, his mind still on the meek whore.
"I don't like it." Audrina said suddenly and turned to them. "I'm following her. There's something wrong. Who's comin' with me?"
"Are you drunk, Rina?" Jack slurred but the twins ignored him.
Lucas inhaled sharply but he knew that she would go one without him and he could not allow that to happen. Sometimes he wondered if his sister would be the death of him. "Aud…..Really, you are going to be the death of me." He said softly and sighed.
Jack lifted his brow and bit his lip. What the hell did they think they were doing? They were being stupid, that's what. He felt a nagging in the pit of his stomach that he would hear hell from Audrina if he didn't go. And the blonde looked disgruntled and it made him curious. Jack was a curious man.
"Yer brother's right. Why can't yer be more like a woman like him?" Lucas scowled at him and Jack chuckled. "Right, I'll go but I'll watch from the shadows and be like yer guardian angel if anythin' should go wrong. Savvy?"
"Coward." Audrina spat, her face contorting into one of disgust.
Jack shrugged. "Pirate."
"That doesn't excuse you from being a coward." She retorted, her eyes glazed over in fury.
"Ah, see. I just don't care, luv." He countered, smirking. "So savvy….or…not savvy?"
Audrina frowned at him, knowing whatever she said wouldn't change his mind. She glanced at Lucas and he shrugged. "Savvy." They chorused together.
"Your still coward, Jack." She spat at him.
Jack laughed. "Am not! I'm just a smart man, eh wouldn't yer agree Lukey, boy?" He grinned.
Lucas frowned and shrugged. "It's between you and Audrina, Captain."
"Wouldn't yer agree, luv?" He said almost immediately, grinning.
Audrina smirked. "Ah you are a brilliant man but you are one Captain Jackass."
"I'll just forget yer said the –ass part and I'll accept that as yer apology, darlin'." He drawled and disappeared into the darkness, Audrina and Lucas at his heels.
