Wow! Everybody wants a sequel! I'm touched. *wipes away tear* But I'm
afraid my muse refuses to let me write sequels, it's a rather evil quirk of
mine. *ducks thrown vegetables* BUT, since you all asked so beautifully,
here's something I wrote specially for you. I offer up this humble
encore.epilogue.*thing* on the altar to my almighty reviewers. Enjoy! ^_^
....oh, and feel free to review.^_~
*********************************************************************
It felt odd walking down the streets of Tortuga wearing jeans and a T-
shirt. I noticed how the eyes of passers-by tended to follow me, but no one said
anything; quite possibly because Tortuga was used to seeing things out of the
ordinary. I glanced down surreptitiously at the smallish compass nestled in my
palm. The little sparrow lodestone was pointing forward and to the right:
looking up, I saw that it was directly indicating a rather seedy-looking pub by
the name of The Faithful Bride. I stuck the compass into my pocket, and couldn't
help but grin when my fingers brushed against the twenty-or-so gems also
currently inhabiting my jeans pocket. Thinking wistfully about the even larger
mound of treasure that was carefully hidden on my speedboat in the cove, I
approached the tavern in front of me, then pushed open the front doors and
entered warily. It was almost as dark in the pub as it was outside, but by the light
of a few candles I could see assorted pirates and other shady characters engaged
in various activities: sitting at the bar, chugging rum at tables, or merely
ornamenting the floor. My eyes searched the faces, looking for one in particular.
Finally, I heard a familiar drawling voice emanating from a crowd of men and
women of doubtful moral character that were clustered around a table in the
corner.
"So then I opened me eyes," the voice continued as I pushed my way
through the throng, "and there she was. An' what d'ye suppose the angel was
wearin'?" There was an expectant hush from the crowd. I squeezed between two
onlookers to see Jack, elbows on the table, smirking at his avid audience. He
leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes, stroking the air with an expressive
hand.
"Nothin'. Not a bloody stitch." There was an appreciative murmur from
the men in the crowd, and the women nodded to themselves, apparently taking
mental notes. Jack went on with his tale, eyes still closed as if visualizing the
whole episode over again.
"Then she took me teh her house an' laid me on the softest bunk ye can
imagine. An' she says to me, 'Captain, jest lay back and let me take care of ye.'
Then she did, mates, in more ways than one, savvy?" He opened his eyes to wink
at his audience. I grinned and smothered a chuckle. Jack's head turned at my
strangled laughter and I saw his eyes widen in surprise.
"Er.hey love, what a surprise teh see ye here." Everyone turned to look
at me as I smirked at Jack from across the table.
"Hello, Jack. Go on with your story: it sounded very interesting." The
pirate looked slightly alarmed.
"Well, there's not much else teh tell, really." The crowd sighed in
disappointment. Jack waved a hand at them. "Don't worry, mates. I've got more
tales where that comes from. Tell ye tomorrow, eh?" A few men cheered, raising
their mugs in salute, then the crowd dispersed, except for a few women still
stubbornly clinging to Jack. He pried them loose carefully, shooing them on their
way.
"Go on, lassies, I'm busy now." They flounced off, giving me nasty
glances that I ignored: my eyes were full of Jack. He grinned and pulled out the
seat next to him.
"Have a seat, love. Now tell me," his eyes narrowed as I sat down beside
him, "Did ye find it?" For an answer, I dug a large sapphire out of my pocket
and handed it to him under the table. He smiled roguishly as he examined the
gem.
"I'll take that as a yes. Lovely." he murmured, handing it back to me
only slightly reluctantly. "Take good care o' that." I rolled my eyes.
"Of course, Jack. Gem maniac, remember?" He smirked.
"'Course. So, love, what've ye been doin' with yerself this past year?
'Sides plunderin' treasure coves."
"Dying of boredom again, actually. But I managed to convince my parents
to come back to the Caribbean for the summer, on my own this time." Jack's
eyebrows went up and he scooted closer to me.
"All on yer onesies, eh?" I sighed.
"For now. Though," I looked up at him coquettishly, "I was hoping you'd
help me fix that." Jack beamed and wrapped his arms around me, pulling me
from my seat onto his lap.
"Honestly, love," he breathed onto my neck, "did ye really have teh ask?"
I twisted and pressed my mouth to his, effectively shutting him up for a few
minutes. His hands slipped from my shoulders to my waist, fiddling with the
buckle of my belt. My hands, meanwhile, were busy exploring under Jack's shirt.
I shifted on his lap to get better access, which he happily gave me. Suddenly, I
froze: the normally deafening tavern was deathly quiet. Jack's hands continued
their ministrations for a few more moments before he noticed it too. I met his
eyes, both of us befuddled, then turned to look at the rest of the tavern. Every
eye in the entire establishment was riveted on us. The avid silence was broken
only by a whispered, "Ten sez they goes all the way," and a faint clink of coins. I
looked back at Jack, grinning ruefully. The pirate was looking a bit nonplussed at
all the attention, though, I noticed, he didn't seem entirely displeased. His eyes
traveled over our eager spectators, then he raised an eyebrow at me invitingly. I
scowled. He sighed, a grin stealing across his face nonetheless, then stood up and
pulled me to my feet alongside him.
"Barkeep!" he yelled, though if he'd whispered he still would have been
heard clearly.
"Aye?" said the man, taking his chin from his hand.
"Two rums," ordered Jack, then he looked dubiously around at the
captivated crowd. ".to go," he added. There was a collective groan from the
audience and a muttered, "Damn," from somewhere near the back. The barkeep
set two bottles on the bar that were promptly snatched up by Jack. He flipped a
coin to the man with a cheery, "Ta!" then turned to me with a rum in each hand
and a grin on his face.
"Back to the Pearl then, love?" A smile stole across my lips as I took the
pirate's proffered arm.
"Aye, Captain." We sauntered out of the tavern, still aware of being
followed by many hopeful eyes. Jack paused thoughtfully on the doorstep, then
turned to the crowd. Tipping his hat, he swept an elaborate bow to the assembly.
"Well, ladies and gents, I think we'll call this an evenin'. Hope you
enjoyed the show. G'night!" There was a moment of silence, then a rousing, if
somewhat drunken, cheer rose from the patrons. Jack flashed them a golden grin,
then swaggered jauntily away into the night, with me laughing hysterically on
his shoulder.
....oh, and feel free to review.^_~
*********************************************************************
It felt odd walking down the streets of Tortuga wearing jeans and a T-
shirt. I noticed how the eyes of passers-by tended to follow me, but no one said
anything; quite possibly because Tortuga was used to seeing things out of the
ordinary. I glanced down surreptitiously at the smallish compass nestled in my
palm. The little sparrow lodestone was pointing forward and to the right:
looking up, I saw that it was directly indicating a rather seedy-looking pub by
the name of The Faithful Bride. I stuck the compass into my pocket, and couldn't
help but grin when my fingers brushed against the twenty-or-so gems also
currently inhabiting my jeans pocket. Thinking wistfully about the even larger
mound of treasure that was carefully hidden on my speedboat in the cove, I
approached the tavern in front of me, then pushed open the front doors and
entered warily. It was almost as dark in the pub as it was outside, but by the light
of a few candles I could see assorted pirates and other shady characters engaged
in various activities: sitting at the bar, chugging rum at tables, or merely
ornamenting the floor. My eyes searched the faces, looking for one in particular.
Finally, I heard a familiar drawling voice emanating from a crowd of men and
women of doubtful moral character that were clustered around a table in the
corner.
"So then I opened me eyes," the voice continued as I pushed my way
through the throng, "and there she was. An' what d'ye suppose the angel was
wearin'?" There was an expectant hush from the crowd. I squeezed between two
onlookers to see Jack, elbows on the table, smirking at his avid audience. He
leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes, stroking the air with an expressive
hand.
"Nothin'. Not a bloody stitch." There was an appreciative murmur from
the men in the crowd, and the women nodded to themselves, apparently taking
mental notes. Jack went on with his tale, eyes still closed as if visualizing the
whole episode over again.
"Then she took me teh her house an' laid me on the softest bunk ye can
imagine. An' she says to me, 'Captain, jest lay back and let me take care of ye.'
Then she did, mates, in more ways than one, savvy?" He opened his eyes to wink
at his audience. I grinned and smothered a chuckle. Jack's head turned at my
strangled laughter and I saw his eyes widen in surprise.
"Er.hey love, what a surprise teh see ye here." Everyone turned to look
at me as I smirked at Jack from across the table.
"Hello, Jack. Go on with your story: it sounded very interesting." The
pirate looked slightly alarmed.
"Well, there's not much else teh tell, really." The crowd sighed in
disappointment. Jack waved a hand at them. "Don't worry, mates. I've got more
tales where that comes from. Tell ye tomorrow, eh?" A few men cheered, raising
their mugs in salute, then the crowd dispersed, except for a few women still
stubbornly clinging to Jack. He pried them loose carefully, shooing them on their
way.
"Go on, lassies, I'm busy now." They flounced off, giving me nasty
glances that I ignored: my eyes were full of Jack. He grinned and pulled out the
seat next to him.
"Have a seat, love. Now tell me," his eyes narrowed as I sat down beside
him, "Did ye find it?" For an answer, I dug a large sapphire out of my pocket
and handed it to him under the table. He smiled roguishly as he examined the
gem.
"I'll take that as a yes. Lovely." he murmured, handing it back to me
only slightly reluctantly. "Take good care o' that." I rolled my eyes.
"Of course, Jack. Gem maniac, remember?" He smirked.
"'Course. So, love, what've ye been doin' with yerself this past year?
'Sides plunderin' treasure coves."
"Dying of boredom again, actually. But I managed to convince my parents
to come back to the Caribbean for the summer, on my own this time." Jack's
eyebrows went up and he scooted closer to me.
"All on yer onesies, eh?" I sighed.
"For now. Though," I looked up at him coquettishly, "I was hoping you'd
help me fix that." Jack beamed and wrapped his arms around me, pulling me
from my seat onto his lap.
"Honestly, love," he breathed onto my neck, "did ye really have teh ask?"
I twisted and pressed my mouth to his, effectively shutting him up for a few
minutes. His hands slipped from my shoulders to my waist, fiddling with the
buckle of my belt. My hands, meanwhile, were busy exploring under Jack's shirt.
I shifted on his lap to get better access, which he happily gave me. Suddenly, I
froze: the normally deafening tavern was deathly quiet. Jack's hands continued
their ministrations for a few more moments before he noticed it too. I met his
eyes, both of us befuddled, then turned to look at the rest of the tavern. Every
eye in the entire establishment was riveted on us. The avid silence was broken
only by a whispered, "Ten sez they goes all the way," and a faint clink of coins. I
looked back at Jack, grinning ruefully. The pirate was looking a bit nonplussed at
all the attention, though, I noticed, he didn't seem entirely displeased. His eyes
traveled over our eager spectators, then he raised an eyebrow at me invitingly. I
scowled. He sighed, a grin stealing across his face nonetheless, then stood up and
pulled me to my feet alongside him.
"Barkeep!" he yelled, though if he'd whispered he still would have been
heard clearly.
"Aye?" said the man, taking his chin from his hand.
"Two rums," ordered Jack, then he looked dubiously around at the
captivated crowd. ".to go," he added. There was a collective groan from the
audience and a muttered, "Damn," from somewhere near the back. The barkeep
set two bottles on the bar that were promptly snatched up by Jack. He flipped a
coin to the man with a cheery, "Ta!" then turned to me with a rum in each hand
and a grin on his face.
"Back to the Pearl then, love?" A smile stole across my lips as I took the
pirate's proffered arm.
"Aye, Captain." We sauntered out of the tavern, still aware of being
followed by many hopeful eyes. Jack paused thoughtfully on the doorstep, then
turned to the crowd. Tipping his hat, he swept an elaborate bow to the assembly.
"Well, ladies and gents, I think we'll call this an evenin'. Hope you
enjoyed the show. G'night!" There was a moment of silence, then a rousing, if
somewhat drunken, cheer rose from the patrons. Jack flashed them a golden grin,
then swaggered jauntily away into the night, with me laughing hysterically on
his shoulder.