" JACK, “ doe eyes roll to the back of her head, becoming more instinctive, the more she had been attracted to his company, like a magnetic force, so to speak. it was inevitable, that their paths crossed each time she would be called to the sea, seemingly appropriate that it would be entirely jack’s doing. “ if you’ve returned to formerly choose a side, i would suggest choosing the right one, this time. “
“Accepting, of course, that I was on the wrong side at any point – which I do not, by the way – “ Not that he would be offering the bonny lass any insights into why he thought as much. She had her opinions of him and she could sure as well keep them, for they held little impact on his awareness of who he was, regardless of what she might have to say about it!
“Your tone implicates upon me the notion that you might perhaps be considering yourself to be the right side.” A beat, not a hesitation so much as an inflection in and of itself, the silence more punctuation than conclusion. “This time.” His brows rose, as though imploring her to refute him on this score, before pointing out the rather obvious, “I’m not so certain that’s the case love. I may be in need of a more compelling argument.”
Jack was startled for a moment if only because he’d forgotten Turner had opted to tag along on this venture, and he was most unused to pirates willfully accepting untested ( or at least new ) leadership. Registering who he was dealing with however, made the intrigue die rather quickly.
“Yes well, seeing as you’re the one who married her I can’t say your position surprises me altogether much, dear William.” Unfortunately it wasn’t as though Jack could really afford to cast off the captain of the Dutchman and take on this adventure on his own. He could, but it wouldn’t be particularly advisable. Or easy. Better to keep things simple then.
Waving a hand dismissively, Jack sauntered away, checking the sails and tack. They were in close reach now, and there was little more the Freedom could do if they didn’t want to risk getting themselves in irons. Even a ship as good as this one would have little option but to weave her way across when the wind was against her heading.
The Dutchman, however, had no such restrictions – she sailed by magic and the will of her captain, the winds themselves and even law of the sea at times be damned. Timing in this was of the essence, he knew that all too well. So the question that remained was, did he trust William to do what would be necessary enough to get him to the island, and did William trust him enough to come back once he had acquired that which the king was looking for.
“Very well,” He decided, turning around and flashing a bright, disarming grin, “You’ve convinced me.” William had done no such thing – captain or no, the man knew nothing of sailing and likely had little notion precisely why Jack suddenly agreed to play by his rules. “I’ll sally aboard the Dutchman, you’ll take me where we ought to go, I’ll bring you
Teoxuacata’s bauble and off you can go to your bonny lass.”
It seemed a perfectly reasonable offer seeing as William couldn’t set foot on land and therefore Jack would indeed still be keeping up his end of the bargain to bring the necklace sought by the Pirate King and also providing a little extra assistance as if on account of being granted passage on the Dutchman rather than sailing there himself.
Leaving out the fact there was more on that island than a mere necklace ( however powerful said necklace might be, gold was its own power in these waters ) and that the Freedom would pick him up on the island ( along with said gold ) after the Dutchman had taken her leave, it was quite the magnanimous offer indeed.
There was always someone who had to be immature about this, but Jack didn’t much mind. Heavens knew the deck was aptly named, being as it was the one most likely to be smeared by passing seabirds. “By all means mate,” He nodded to where Ragetti was busy scrubbing, “I’m sure if you ask nicely, someone here’ll be happy to hand you a mop and bucket.”
It came as little surprise to him that the latest acquisition aboard the Pearl would be of a chatty disposition, at such a time when the rest of the world would much rather be sleeping. Contrary had always been the nature of Miss Swann, as far as he could measure, and for that he found himself indulgent of the question rather than insulted by any implications it may happen to carry, or he may choose to apply at a later time.
“Charting our course, such as it were,” It was all well and good to follow a compass that knew where you wanted to go – but having no notion where you happen to be was never wise for any man, least of all a captain. “And what of yourself? Not seasick are you?” He asked, giving her a critical look – he highly doubted that to be the case, but that didn’t mean he was going to risk getting anything on his boots if he could help it.
“Your tone makes the world sound bleaker for the belief you’ve found there, mate,” It was not an uncommon thing, to find sailors who had seen too much and found they’d had quite enough of all the strange the world had to offer. Generally speaking, it came off on folks much older and far more hardened than this lad seemed to be, which gave cause to wonder just what manner of hells he’d been pushed through to be so cynical already. “Am I to take it then, that you’ve lost all sense of adventure?” No point in recruiting a man with no will to enjoy the chase, now was there?
“Once is a long time past, old chum.” There was no denying that once, there had been a time in which Jack had held then-Sir Beckett in respectable esteem. They had their differences, to be sure, but so long as Beckett had respected the lines Jack would not cross they’d gotten on fair well.
When push came to shove however, their world views made it impossible for them to get on – more’s the pity, when one took into account what a fabulous pirate a man like Cutler Beckett could make these days, and with Jack now so rooted in the life, there was no more running from it for him to find even if he wanted to. Beckett had seen sure to that, whether he knew it or not at the time.
“What good is once, when what we’ve got ahead is now, mm?” The real question at hand, was just what to do about a certain, unexpected survivor of a war that never would have started without him in the first place. Seemed damn ironic that Cutler could escape the Locker, when he above all men deserved it most. Things were reaching a head with the crew – and Jack, admittedly, had yet to truly come to decide his own opinion of matters.
It was time, then, to come to terms. “How about we talk a little less about what was then, and a little more on what we should be doing – because if you ask me, this little trial period’s gone on long enough. I think it’s time we came to some conclusions, you and I – what say you?”
Jack knew, whole and fully well, that he had miscalculated by one or a dozen windows, and most certainly entered the wrong building. However, out of politeness he did make a slight show of looking around just to be doubly sure, before facing the rather befuddled lordling he’d stepped in on with the intent of escaping via that window.
“‘Fraid not,” He agreed solemnly, “Seem to have misplaced myself – happens all the time,” He offered a quick, disarming smile, and pointed toward the window before remembering that wasn’t how the gentry did things, and turning instead toward the door he’d just walked through. “I’ll see myself out, shall I?”
Ocean Archive 