Chapter 6
Thank you Libby
Once it gets dark, I come back out of the cabin. I had found lots of documents on what Norrington was doing, and who he was working with (and how much he and his Mummy love each other). Jack steers us into port, and I start tying things up or letting them down once we are at the dock. Both me and Will let down the anchor, and I jump over the ship side and onto the dock to start tying ropes down so the ship won't move.
"Oi, whelp!" I shout.
"Will!" he yells back.
"That's what I said. Anyway, throw us that rope!" I call while pointing. He does so.
I catch it, tying the last rope to the dock. Jack leaves the helm and jumps onto the dock beside me. I laugh as he trips; he never was good at landing a jump from the side. Will follows him over and lands, before nearly falling backward off the dock. I grab his arm and chuckle as Jack laughs. He glares at us before Jack and I make our way into town, following us at a slow pace.
I stay next to Jack, as Tortuga is not the place I like at nights, when drunks want two things: rum and a woman in bed. Jack has been talking to Will for a while, and I hadn't been listening until now.
"More importantly, it is indeed a sad life that has never breathed the deep, sweet, pro-life Rous bouquet that is Tortuga, savvy?" Jack says to Will.
"What do you think?" I ask him.
"It'll linger," he replies, and I nod a little.
"I tell you, mate, if every town were like Tortuga, no man would ever feel unwanted," he says.
A red-headed whore comes up to us. I frown a lot as jack quickly walks toward her, calling out.
"Scarlett!" he yells.
She stands in front of him and slaps him, hard. His head flings round to face us and she stalks off.
Jack mutters, "Not sure I deserved that."
I don't look at him, but he turns back round and a blond whore comes up.
He calls out,"Giselle!"
"Who was she and who is that?" she asks.
"I'm his wife," I comment meanly, with a smug tone setting in.
"What?" Jack says, only to have his head flung round to face us, meeting my one-which is full of anger-and Will's smirking one.
"I may have deserved that," he says, before standing up and stepping forward.
I tap him on the shoulder, giving him my best glare. He winces.
"Who were they?" I snarl, pointing in the direction they ran.
Not giving him time to answer, I slap him and feel satisfied in hearing the sharp crack of my hand meeting Jack's cheek.
"I did deserve that," he says.
We walk off, me glaring at jack and Will following. We grab three buckets and fill them with water, before going below round to the back of the tavern and finding our first mate, Gibbs. I smile, before it turns into a grimace as I smell the state that he's in after sleeping with pigs. Jack steps forward and I follow. We share a look before both of us throw our buckets of water onto the man, and I laugh lightly as he wakes.
"Curse you for breathing, you slack jawed idiot," he yells.
He then sees us. "Mother's love! Jack, Jasmine, you know better than to wake a man when he's sleeping. It's bad luck!" he says
I snort. Stupid, superstitious man, I think, before waiting for Jack to finish thinking about how he's going to counter it.
"Ah, fortunately we know how to counter it. The man and woman who did the waking buy the man who was sleeping a drink. The man who did the sleeping drinks the drink while listening to a proposition from the man and woman who did the waking," he says.
"Aye, that'll bout do it." He gets up with mine and Jack's help.
I go over to Will to put my bucket next to the pig pen, whilst Will throws his bucket over Gibbs.
"BLAST! I'M ALREADY AWAKE!" Gibbs yells.
"That was for the smell," Will explains.
He ponders it before nodding in agreement.
We walk into the Faithful Bride, our favourite tavern and one of the best. We order 3 rums since Will declines, and find a table at the back. Jack and I sit opposite Gibbs, after warning Will to keep a sharp eye out and watch as he looks round suspiciously.
"Now, what's the nature of this venture you're going on?" he asks.
"We're going after the black pearl," Jack says, and I chuckle as Gibbs almost chokes on his rum.
"We know where it's going to be, and we're going to take it," I continue from where Jack finished, hoping to make Gibbs see sense and join us.
"Jasmine, Jack, it's a fool's errand…" he trails off as I glare at him.
We are not fools. I don't have to say it-he already knows. "Why, you know better than me, the tales of the Black Pearl," he says slowly as if afraid of our wrath.
"That's why we know what Barbossa is up to. All we need is a crew," Jack says.
"From what I hear of Captain Barbossa, he's not a man to suffer fools-nor strike a bargain with one-and if he sees Jaz here, well, there will be hell to pay. You know what happened last time," Gibbs tries to reason, and I glare at him hard, as does jack, and he flinches back at how forceful we are.
"Well, it's a very good thing we're not fools then, and he will not be seeing Jaz until it's too late to hide her, or until it's the right moment," Jack snarls.
"Prove me wrong," Gibbs challenges. "What makes you think Barbossa will give up his ship to you?"
We smile a little, knowing the answer.
"Let's just say it's a matter of leverage, eh?" I say, nodding toward Will.
Gibbs looks confused. Jack nods at Will again, and I use my thumb to point discreetly in his direction.
"The kid?" he asks, frowning at us.
"That kid is the child of Bootstrap Bill Turner-his only child, savvy?" Jack says, and a glint of happiness mixed with something else appears in Gibbs' eyes.
He understands perfectly now.
"Is he now? Leverage, says you. I think I feel a change in the wind. I'll find us a crew; there's bound to be some sailors on this rock as crazy as you two," he mutters.
My mind is confused at that sentence. Was he insulting us or complimenting us?
"One can only hope," Jack tells him, before raising his rum to meet Gibbs' and mine.
"Take what you can," Jack and I say.
"Give nothing back," Gibbs continues.
We clang our rum together then down it, before I stand up first and walk toward Will who, I notice, is having a problem with a whore standing behind him. I shoo the whore away as another man comes to take her. Jack links his arm through mine, and I notice Gibbs has left. Will was walking out the door toward our ship, and Both me and jack follow at a slower pace.
Once we get to the ship, we each grab a rope and begin to climb, since we hadn't bothered to put the gangplank and Jack are struggling as they hang upside down, and I make it up with ease, before smirking at jack and waving at Will. I walk off toward the Captain's cabin, leaving Jack and Will glaring at the spot I left.
I awake next morning to Jack shaking me. It would seem both he and Will made it up the rope after I fell asleep. Since Jack's side of the bed is ruffled, it seems like he only just woke too.
"Bugger off" I mumble
"No, love. Now, get up. We've got to go assess the new crew," Jack mumbles back, chuckling.
Once I'm presentable as a Captain should be, I walk down the gangplank that jack and will must have put down. I start observing the crew whilst waiting for Jack to make an order. After making my way down the line, I nod. All seems in order.
"Jack," I comment, noticing he's behind me.
"Aye, love but I will check also," he tells me.
I just mutter, "Fine then, Sparrow. You arrogant pirate, believing your view is better than mine."
Will obviously hears as he chuckles.
"Morning," I drawl.
"Good morning Jasmine," he says back.
"It's Captain Pearl or Captain Jasmine to you, kid," I snap, quickly switching to strict captain to make an impression.
The awaiting crew all gasp at my name. "Bloody hell, I haven't got no witchcraft in me," I snarl and watch as they nod quickly, afraid of what I will do. I wasn't known for having a small temper. Gibbs comes up behind us.
"Feast your eyes, capt'ns. All of them faithful hands before the mast. Every man worth his salt and crazy to boot."
I chuckle a little at Will's worried look and Jack, my crazy man, doesn't help by grinning insanely.
"This is your able-bodied crew?" Will asks us.
I glare slightly at his snobby tone.
"You sailor," I snap at the one with the parrot on his shoulder.
Jack takes over.
"Cotton, sir," Gibbs cuts in.
I nod in his direction to thank him, and he smiles at me, noticing my nod.
"Mr. Cotton, do you have the courage and fortitude to follow orders and stay true in the face of almost death?" jacks asks. There was a long pause as we waited for Cotton's answer.
"Mr. Cotton? Answer, man!" Jack snaps, and I nudge him slightly to calm him down.
"He's a mute, sir. Poor devil had his tongue cut out, so he trained the parrot to talk for him. No one's figured out how yet," Gibbs explains.
"Mr. Cotton's parrot, same question," I say, regretting it as soon as I said it, since people will now assume I can talk to animals, which I can't.
"Wind in the sails," it screeches.
I look to Gibbs for translation.
"Mostly we figure that means yes," he answers.
"Course it does!" Jack agrees, before turning to Will. "Satisfied?"
"Well, you've proved they're mad," he answers.
"What's the benefit for us?" a familiar voice calls out from the end of the line.
Jack hears it and goes over. Will and I follow. Jack lifts the sailor's hat and I chuckle nervously at the old friend I see.
"Anna-Maria!" Jack shouts enthusiastically.
She glares at us both before CRACK! She slaps Jack before turning to me, and I back up slightly.
"Now, you know me, Anna. I would never do it unless you said so, and Jack said you were okay with it," I speak fast.
She seems satisfied and I sigh in relief as she turns to wait for jack to move his face back.
"I suppose you didn't deserve that," Will says, smug.
"No, that one he definitely deserved," I say.
Jack agrees before turning back around.
"You stole my boat!" she snarls.
"Actually-" Jack starts.
CRACK! I wince as Anna-Maria slaps him again. He turns round again.
"Borrowed! Borrowed without permission, but with every intention of bringing it back," Jack pleads.
"But you didn't!" she yells at him, before directing her attention to me. "Where is it?"
"Port Royal harbour. Sunk but docked." I wince at her glare as she slaps him again.
"My money was on that boat! I spent every penny on it!" she cries in fury.
"You'll get another one," Jack cuts in.
"I will," she snarls, pointing a finger at him. He flinches.
"A better one," Will chips in.
"A better one?" Jack repeats and I stand, looking lost. Where was this going?
"That one," Will says.
I look to where he's pointing at. The Interceptor.
"What one?" Jack asks before following Will's finger.
"That one?" he yells, before turning round to face me, and then turning back to face Anna. "Aye, that one. What say you?"
"Aye!" everyone yells, before beginning up the gangplank.
"No, no, no! It's frightful bad luck to have a woman aboard!" Gibbs cries.
"So what am I, Gibbs?" I say, sweet and innocent.
"Bad luck to have women aboard," he corrects.
"Better," I snap before walking up to the helm.
"It would be far worse not to have 'em," Jack says, looking up to the sky before coming on deck and up to the helm.
He wraps his arm around my waist and rests his head on my shoulder. I smile and tilt my head to rest on his.
"Not the same as the Pearl, though, is it?" I mutter.
"No, love, it's not," he says.
We look out to the horizon, watching and doing nothing.
"Storm brewing," Jack whispers into my ear.
"Aye, but we will make it, like we do every storm," I reply.
"I'm off to raid the cabins. Never know what information the Commodore might have in them," I mumble to Jack, who just nods.
Walking into the nearest cabin I find, I sit at the desk and start shuffling through papers and files as I await the storm that's about to head our way.
