Aaaah! Freaky Fish People!
By: SilverstartheWaterbender
Silverstar: Here's Chapter 9! More drama in here. Over 100 reviews…you guys are the best!
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Disclaimer: I don't own POTC or Toby, who belongs to Wolfen-Ways.
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Chapter Nine: Risks and Lies
(Toby's POV)
"What are they doing?" Will whispered to me. The storm had abated, and we were watching the crew play a game.
"Liar's Dice," I muttered back. "Each player keeps 5 dice under their cup. They guess a certain quantity of a number on the die, and they guess based on everyone's dice, not just your own. The game keeps going until someone calls the guesser a liar, hence the name. Everyone then removes their cups. If the guesser is right, he wins. If he's wrong, everyone else wins. Make sense?"
Will nodded, though he still looked a bit uncertain.
"I wager…ten years," the shark-man, Maccus, told the other two.
"I'll match ten years," the bosun countered.
"Agreed," the last one nodded, and the game began.
Bootstrap wandered over. "Wondering how it's played?"
We shook our heads. "I've seen this a few times on the Pearl."
"It's a game of deception," Will added. "But your bet includes all the dice, not just your own." He paused. "What are they wagering?"
"Oh, the only thing we have," Bootstrap said bitterly. "Years of service."
Will was silent for a moment longer before asking me, "Did you ever play Liar's Dice?"
I smiled slyly. "The best on the Pearl, not counting Barbossa. Why?"
Will answered with another question. "So any crew member can be challenged?"
"Aye, anyone." Bootstrap told him.
Suddenly, I got what Will was going with this. "Will, no. No! I'm not that good, and I'm sure he's…"
"I challenge Davy Jones," Will interrupted, sounding very dramatic.
Everyone stared at him, and the organ stopped. He's got really good hearing. I heard the thud of Jones' peg leg as he walked down the steps. "I accept, mate," he told Will, smirking.
I took a deep breath, breathing in the crew's foul odor, before adding, "I'm in, too."
Will nodded, but Jones looked skeptical. "You're looking quite confident, aren't you, Mr. Dicey?"
I smiled coolly. "I've never lost."
Jones matched my smile. "Neither have I."
Two monsters brought over a piece of wood and placed it on a barrel. Will and I took our seats around the barrel, reaching for the dice and cups.
"The stakes?" Jones asked.
"My soul," Will answered. "An eternity of servitude."
I felt my old fearlessness returning with the game. "Same here."
"No!" Bootstrap breathed. I didn't look at him.
Jones smiled. He liked those odds. "Against?"
Will and I looked at each other, smiling. Will handed me the folded-up cloth. I unfolded it and showed it to Jones. "Does this look familiar?"
For the first time, Jones looked uncertain. "How do you know of the key?"
I smiled. "That's not part of the game. Now, if you win, you get our souls and keep the key. If you lose, we get our freedom and the key. Pretty high stakes. Sound fair?"
Jones hesitated.
"You can still walk away," Will reminded.
"Though your reputation might suffer for it, Captain," I added smoothly.
Jones growled and sat down. "The key?" I reminded.
One of Jones' tentacles pulled out the black, rusty-looking key from the recesses of Jones' beard. Nasty.
I glanced at Will. The corners of his mouth turned up slightly.
Jones put the key back in his beard. Silent, we put our dice in our cups, shook them, and slammed them down on the table.
I looked up as a fourth cup was put down. "What's this?" Jones snapped.
"I'm in, matching their wager," Bootstrap announced.
"No!" Will protested. "Don't do this!"
"You're not a part of this, Bootstrap," I told him.
"The die is cast," Bootstrap answered simply. He was right; once the game started, it had to be finished. "I bid three twos," Bootstrap bet. "Toby?"
I thought for a moment. "Four twos," I guessed, bluffing. No one called me a liar. For the moment, I was safe.
"It's your bid, Captain," Bootstrap said to Jones. Jones smiled. "Four fours."
Will looked down briefly. "Four fives."
"Six threes."
My turn again. I peered at my dice. I had three threes, a two and a six. "Seven threes."
Jones looked at his dice. "Seven fives." The crew chuckled expectantly.
I saw Will and Bootstrap look at their dice. "Eight fives," Will said, sounding certain.
I didn't look at him. Eight fives was a very high and unlikely bid. It sounded like Jones would call Will a liar.
Jones chuckled and looked at Will and me. "Welcome to the crew, lads."
But before he could call out "liar," Bootstrap said loudly, "Twelve fives."
I glanced at him. That was just impossible, even with four players.
"Twelve fives," he said again. "Call me a liar, or up the bid."
"And be called a liar myself for my trouble?" Jones asked rhetorically. I let out the breath I had been holding. The game was over. Will and I were safe.
Jones removed Bootstrap's cup. No fives. Since there were none under mine either, Bootstrap had just been bluffing. "Bootstrap Bill, you're a liar and you will spend an eternity on this ship." He looked at us. "Master Turner, Master Dicey, feel free to go ashore…the very next time we make port!" The crew laughed. We'd be stuck here for ten years.
Once they'd all left, I growled, "That was pointless. We lost more than we gained."
"Fool," Will muttered to his father. "Why did you do that?"
Bootstrap looked at him sadly. "I couldn't let you lose. Either of you."
I shook my head. "An appreciative gesture, but now you've lost!"
Will shook his head. "It was never about winning or losing."
I blinked. "Will, that's the point of the…" Suddenly, I spotted the cloth. "The key," I murmured.
"You just wanted to know where it was," Bootstrap realized. Will nodded.
I sighed. "That would've been nice to know before we started playing."
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Once everyone was asleep, we put our plan into action. Will and I watched Bootstrap walk over to the helm. "Captain says I'm to relieve you," he said to the monster.
The monster stared at him. "Captain's orders," Bootstrap said firmly. The monster shrugged and walked off.
Bootstrap nodded at us, and we climbed onto the upper deck. Will would go in and get the key. I would stand guard. If I saw anyone coming, I'd whistle a song Mary taught me yesterday. "A Pirate's Life for Me," or whatever.
Will quietly stepped into Jones cabin, and I leaned against the wall. Everything went okay for a minute, but then Maccus headed towards me. Trying to remember the tune, I started whistling.
"Up a bit late, aren't you boy?" Maccus leered.
I stopped whistling and smirked. "I get a bit restless around this time, especially at night."
Maccus nodded, tensed. It's seemed as though the whole crew knew of my werewolf status. As Maccus walked off, I looked up at the sky. Through the heavy cloud cover, a waning three-quarter moon appeared for a split second. It was nowhere near the next full moon.
Chuckling, I looked through the open cabin door. Will had pressed himself against the wall, barely breathing. I nodded at him, and he crept back over to Jones, asleep at his organ.
About thirty seconds later, I heard a sharp note from the organ. I froze, not daring to look. Straining my ears, I heard a soft melody, like that of a music box. It was so sad, but so beautiful. For some reason, I thought of Mary, haunted by her own visions.
Before the melody ended, Will reappeared, holding the key. I sighed in relief. "Make a little more noise, why don't you?"
We returned to Bootstrap, who was lowering a longboat into the water. He handed us my sword and pistol. It was all he had time to recover. Besides, Will's burnt sword wouldn't be of much use. "Here," he said to Will. "Take this, too." He held out a knife.
"Now get yourself to land, and stay there," he told us.
"We can't," I replied. "We need to get this key to Jack." No matter how undeserving he was.
Will looked at his father sadly. Bootstrap smiled. "It was always in my blood to die at sea, but it was not a fate I ever wanted for you."
"It's not a fate you had to choose for yourself, either," Will said bitterly.
"Aye," Bootstrap nodded. "I could say I did what I had to when I left you to go pirating, but it would taste a lie to say it wasn't what I wanted."
"The sea lures many a good man," I said simply.
"You two owe me nothing. Now go."
"They'll know you helped us," Will said slowly.
Bootstrap chuckled darkly. "What more can they do to me?" He had a grim point.
Will paused. He held up the knife. "I take this with a promise: I'll find a way to sever Jones hold on you, and not rest until his blade pierces his heart."
I put a hand on the knife. "Me too. It hurts to see an old shipmate end up like this."
"We will not abandon you," Will finished. "We promise." I nodded. Without another word, we slipped into the longboat.
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(Mary's POV)
"Beckett?" Gibbs asked. He, Jack, Lizzie, and I were looking at the Letters of Marque that would "free" Jack.
"Yes," Lizzie confirmed. "They're signed. Lord Cutler Beckett of the East India Trading Company."
Jack stuck out his tongue, and I clutched my throat, pretending to choke. "I don't know why they give him that important title. He's a royal bastard, him and his company."
"You've met?" Lizzie asked me.
"Not yet. But I don't have to; he's been charging ships to make port, taxing his goods too high, trying to kill off all pirates, interrupted your wedding…need I continue?" I decided not to mention the whole domination thing. I think Lizzie saw my point anyway.
"Will was working for Beckett and never said a word," Gibbs murmured.
"Would you have?" I asked. He shrugged. Jack made an exasperated noise.
"Beckett wants the compass," Gibbs went on. "Only one reason for that."
"Of course," Jack murmured. "He wants the chest."
Elizabeth nodded. "Yes, he did mention a chest."
I groaned. "Honestly, was that man born with the desire to complicate things?"
Elizabeth blinked. "I don't understand. Why…?"
"If the company controls the chest, they controls the sea," Gibbs said ominously.
"Beckett will command Jones to do whatever he wants," I clarified. "Like, oh, I don't know…rid the ocean of pirates!"
"A truly discomforting notion, luv," Jack said. Whether it was directed at me or Lizzie, I couldn't tell.
"And bad," Gibbs added. "Bad for every mother's son what calls himself pirate!"
"Yes, we figured," I told him.
Gibbs looked up. "I think there's a bit more speed to be coaxed from these sails. Brace the foreyard!" He ordered the crew.
My mind shoved aside all premonitions of Beckett and focused on the matter at hand: Jack and Lizzie. One of their flirting moments was coming up, and although I didn't want to be present for it, perhaps I can allow Jack to be thinking of me during it.
I leaned against the railing, groaning. "Mary, you all right?" Jack asked.
"Yeah," I told him, trying to make this look good. "I just…I'm a bit queasy, is all."
"Maybe you should lie down," Lizzie suggested.
"You'd like that, wouldn't you?" I mumbled.
"What?"
"Oh, nothing. That's a pretty good idea, though. Jack, may I, if I'm not needed?"
Jack nodded, stepping aside. "Might get worse if you didn't." I noted his worried glance.
"Thanks, Jack," I whispered, kissing his cheek. With a nod to Lizzie, I made my way to the threshold leading to the stairs. When no one was watching, I ducked behind a large barrel. I was able to see and hear everything that Jack and Lizzie said.
"Might I enquire as to how I came by these?" Jack asked, innocently enough.
"Persuasion," Lizzie answered simply.
"Friendly?"
"Decidedly not." An image of Elizabeth in her wedding dress, holding a gun to Beckett's head, popped into my mind. I snorted. Luckily, I wasn't heard.
Jack pretended to look confused. "Will strikes a deal for these and upholds it with honor, yet you are the one standing here with the prize." Jack read a bit of the Letters of Marque. "'Full pardon, commission as a privateer on behalf of England and the East India Trading Company." I saw Norrington look up from his work, intrigued.
"As if I could be bought for such a low price," Jack said scornfully, starting to walk off.
Lizzie intercepted him. "Jack, the Letters, give them back."
"No. Persuade me."
I'd heard enough." Muttering darkly, I staggered down to the crew's quarters. I crawled onto my hammock, really feeling sick. I felt tears forming in my eyes. How…how can they do this? I thought…
I sat up, reviewing the scenes. I can't just sit here; I have to get that compass! I raced up the stairs, almost running over Norrington. "You were eavesdropping on them," he accused coolly.
I gave him a look. "So were you."
"Touché."
"I won't tell if you won't."
"Deal." We shook hands. I glanced over at Lizzie. She was pulling out the compass. With a quick nod to Norrington, I rushed over to her.
"Hey, Lizzie," I said, feigning cheerfulness.
She looked up. "Hello, Mary. Feeling better?"
"You could say that. What're doing with the compass?"
Elizabeth opened it. "Just making sure we're on…" She broke off.
With a heavy heart, I looked at the needle. It was pointing straight at Jack.
I thought I had prepared myself for this, but I felt as though something was being drained from my body. I tried saying something, but my throat was too dry. I looked at Lizzie, feeling the empty stare on my face.
Lizzie's eyes widened. "Mary, I…it's not…I'm not…"
I gave her a long look, and then started walking off. "Mary, wait! I'm just looking for the truth!"
I turned around. "The truth?"
Lizzie nodded. "I want to know how Will came to be on the Flying Dutchman."
I gave her a long look. "I'm sorry Lizzie, but I can't tell you that."
"Mary, please, it's not my fault!" she begged.
"I know," I said simply. I knew Lizzie was right. It wasn't her fault…yet. No, this time, it was someone else's fault.
I looked up at Jack. He noticed me and waved. "It's not you," I whispered. "He was the one who flirted with you. He's the one I see in my visions. He's the one…who's cheating on me."
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Silverstar: I HATE ELIZABETH! ….That is all. R&R!