~Chapter Three~
So, here is chapter three for you. I would like to thank my reviewers, for this story would not continue without them. Here we see some familiar characters enter this chapter, as I wanted to blend in Angelica and Jack's story as much as possible. They will all be sticking around for some time. I hope they seem to fit. So you don't get confused, the William Turner I refer to is Bootstrap, not to William Turner Junior. Thanks to Arrows the Wolf for pointing that out for me.
Disclaimer: I do not own Pirates of the Caribbean, sadly.
The last of the afternoon light was swiftly replaced by the cover of darkness. The ambience of the evening began to set in around the pirate port of Seville. Drunken scoundrels littered the grimy pathways; prostitutes thrust themselves onto gullible men, eagerly promoting themselves to those who were known to have acquired great amounts of cash or fortune. The dock was filled with all manner of ships. Small fishing boats crowded around the dock, along with several merchant sailing vessels. Perhaps the one that stood out the most was a very peculiar vessel anchored right at the end of the dock. This particular ship had the ability to match any vessel in speed in the Spanish Main. As The Black Pearl rocked from side to side with the late afternoon tide, passers by would often stop to gape in awe at such a magnificent vessel.
Captain Jack resided in the cosy pirate pub known as The Tempting Mistress, where he sat by a corner table, to avoid watchful eyes. There he rested, repetitively digging his knife into the table, trenching out a gaping hole in the woodwork. He sat with his head bowed, shading his face with his hat. Goblets of rum and other assorted alcoholic beverages were arranged around the table, one for each member of the crew who joined Jack at the gathering. Barbossa sat adjacent to Jack, his arms folded across his chest, in contemplation. He had a majestic appearance about him, enhanced by his signature oversized feathered hat. He had not said a word, only continued to ponder the subject in question. William Turner was welcomed into the group, bringing new drinks. William was the only member of the group who was freshly groomed, appearing in laundered clothes and shaven. Compared to the rest of the crew, he did not share the same pirate demeanour, appearing somewhat of an outcast within the group. This was very true, for William held many moral values the vast majority of pirates did not. Kohler, resting his elbows against the table stood guard, keeping an eye out for any eavesdroppers. He did not care much about his presentation, his clothes and dreadlocks ragged in nature, his gruff look warding off unwanted visitors.
"Down to business." Barbossa stated, breaking the initial tension of the group. "We can go no further with this venture until we validate the facts, we cannot just work on rumours." The group hushed, leaving the only sound to be heard Jack casually digging his knife into the table. "They must have started somewhere." Kohler began gruffly; keen to advance into new territory on the already extensively broached topic. Barbossa nodded in agreement. "Most likely starting here. We must trace it to its beginnings." Barbossa countered. "Yes, yes. That is all very well, the question is, how do we go about finding it, with nothing but a rumour to go on." William piped up. The group sighed, having nothing more to contribute to the discussion, maddened by the endless circle of repetition. Barbossa had noticed Jack's lack of involvement to the conversation, and became immediately suspicious. Jack always had something to say, thus Barbossa knew he had uncovered something. After a long silence within the group, Barbossa continued. "What about you... Jack?" His voice was low; convinced Jack was concealing something relevant.
Jack looked up, allowing the light of the candle to illuminate his features. Taking a swig from his goblet, averting his eyes away from Barbossa's wary gaze. "Eh?" Barbossa smiled, confirming his judgement. "Jack, care to enlighten us on any information you have uncovered about Cortez?" Jack did not respond for quite some time, while the remainder of the group focused their attention to Jack, Barbossa eyeing Jack's every movement with great scrutiny. "I'm working on it." He countered, his response singular, showing not the slightest desire to elaborate. "Hmph, well you'd better work a bit faster Captain. The crew are getting anxious." Kohler acknowledged. William chuckled lightly at the comment. This was indeed true, the crew was beginning to question the success of the quest, and the Captaincy of Jack, though many of the crew were too preoccupied with women and alcohol to pay any attention to current developments.
Jack felt pressured. Jack was Captain; he decided when the ship docked, and when they leave. He was indeed making progress; he just needed to figure out how to get to the girl. She was tricky, and was not easy to seduce, unlike so many others ignorant of the intentions of Jack's charms. Jack knew he was capable of such seduction, and indeed had plenty of incentive. He needed that manuscript, and the pressure mounted on him to recover it. He was not inclined to share what he knew with the group, most especially Barbossa. While the captain and the first mate shared a bond, and indeed some level of friendship, Jack was wary to trust.
Tired of the constant and seemingly endless bickering about the rumoured treasure, Barbossa and Kohler retired back to the comforts of the Pearl. William, as if reading Jack's train of thought, spoke. "You know Jack, they care for treasure more than anything. They will follow you for whatever length of time, until it is located. They are fuelled by greed. The burden you feel is pointless." He stated humbly. William was indeed right, and Jack knew this well. He considered William's point of view, and thought he was missing out on a golden opportunity to use his power to his advantage.
Several drinks later, Jack had retired back to the Captains quarters. He sat at his desk, maps and charts spilling over onto the floor. Several scribbled notes were scattered around, empty ink bottles and broken quills littering the surrounds. Jack sat sprawled out, resting his feet on the desk. His bandana was pulled down over his eyes, his hat covering most of his face. Occasionally sipping a bottle of rum, his thoughts drifted to Angelica. Something about her stumped him, and he couldn't quite figure out what. Jack knew feminine creatures well; he had become adept at understanding their needs and desires, being incredibly successful at riddling them out. However, it was difficult for Jack to scheme against someone he couldn't understand.
He just needed time to manipulate that Angelica, though he didn't exactly have a wealth of ideas. He seemed stuck on this one. Something was very different about her, from the way he first laid eyes on her; she most certainly did not fit the stereotype. A young novitiate, sneaking around the great library of knowledge late at night, going through the old manuscript of Cortez. Everything about her seemed out of place, which made her only the more difficult to read. He sighed in his hopelessness. Resigning to his rum, Jack started to drift off into a dazed sleep.
Just before the alcohol started to take hold of him, he was rudely interrupted by his first mate. "Jack, ye drunken scoundrel." He greeted cheerfully, giving a low bow to the captain. "Hector." Jack mumbled, peeved. Entering the captain's cabin without the slightest respect for Jack's ordered chaos, he tossed things aside and pulled up a chair. "Jack, to be cooped up here like a caged sparrow, absent of a woman, you must be troubled" Jack acknowledged him with a smirk. Barbossa eyed him suspiciously, before continuing. "You must admit Jack, even you can't successfully conceal much for too long." There was a long silence, with no sound to be heard apart from the waves lapping against the hull. Barbossa's grin quickly disintegrated at Jack's lack of input into the discussion. His eyes hooked onto the bandana shielding Jack's eyes. "Jack. I have never given you reason not to trust me." Jack considered this. Despite his lack of trust in Barbossa, showing an incomplete trust for the first mate was not wise. Against his better judgment, he conceded. Lifting his head up and pulling up his bandana and hat, he responded. "There is a girl." Barbossa looked at Jack in astonishment, as though not believing Jack to be capable of being troubled by a woman.
Of all the years Barbossa had known Jack, he had never heard a word about women. They came and went as passing fancies, which ended at the end of each port. The topic was never breached, apart for whenever Jack flaunted his 'intuitive sense of the female creature'. "You have never been one to not be able to acquire your desires, lad." Barbossa continued. Jack nodded in agreement. "This one's different." She was indeed, though how, Jack could not say. "Tell me something, Jack. How does she, in any way, relate to Cortez?" Once again, a short silence passed between them. "She doesn't." Jack stated, trying hard to suppress any emotion likely to give his lie away. "Come now Jack, I know she does." Jack eyed Barbossa, curious. "Do explain." Barbossa laughed at Jack's play of ignorance. "This venture was your idea, Jack. The one thing you seek, and yet you have discarded all discussion of the topic of late, nor have you made any movements to continue the search." Not many people could understand Jack, but Barbossa knew Jack well. Jack did not bother responding, only watched as Barbossa make movements to take his leave. As he turned his back towards the door, he spoke. "Just don't forget, Jack. This is what you want most, just like myself and the rest of the crew." Jack contemplated Barbossa's words. He knew he wanted that treasure, though he wasn't quite sure if it was the only thing he wanted…
~End of Chapter Three~
Well, there you go. I hope you like where the story is going, Angelica and Jack will be returning in the fourth chapter, this time to have a proper meeting. From there on in the storyline will become more fixated on them. Thankyou for reading, I do hope you will review. Without you reviewers, there is no story! Hope to see you in the fourth chapter; I shan't keep you waiting very long for it.