(no subject)

[bringmethatnpc]

The Black Pearl lies off the coast of the island garrison-- far enough out to be safe and almost entirely hidden in the darkness, particularly on a night like this.

All is quiet-- or mostly.

Waiting alone for the captain's return, save for the bottle of rum that's his frequent companion, Joshamee Gibbs is singing as he staggers down the deck.

"Fifteen men on a dead man’s chest, yo ho ho and a bottle of rum!"

He chuckles and pauses for a drink.

As he does, fog wraps around the ship with chill damp fingers. The pull of the wind against the sails hisses as softly as the water against the Pearl's sides, while ropes creak against the strain of the sea-anchor.

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[bringmethatnpc]

And the offerings are accepted, or so it would seem. In truth, the ocean has a long history of such things. Any sailor worth the salt could tell you tale upon tale of the dead who've gone down into watery graves, held closely to the secretive bosom of the sea herself.

(Most are never heard from again, but some; aye, now, some are. Oh yes, some are.)

One by one the wooden coffins float along, past the waves and into the calmer waters beyond, following a moonlit path under the stars.

[bringmethatnpc]

The coffins drift together for a time, eventually separating as eddies and currents spin them around.

One, in particular, seems very interesting--perhaps by virtue of its path, almost arrow straight, out to deeper water, or perhaps because it seems to have attracted the attention of a curious low-flying black bird.

Would that Noah's raven had such luck as this one, perhaps, because the presence of these coffins gives it a place to rest its wings, gather its strength, and


rap rap rap

find some food?

[pirate_jack]

Rap rap rap -- rap rap rap ---

BANG!

Feathers scatter everywhere as the bird goes flying abruptly into the air, driven skyward by the force of the bullet.

From inside the coffin, a hand shoves through the newly created hole, clutching a pistol. It's quickly followed by an arm, and then Captain Jack Sparrow forces his way through the coffin lid and sits up, looking around.

He holsters his pistol in order to retrieve his hat, straightening it and brushing it off before setting it firmly on his head. Once done, he looks around once more, this time noticing the scattered and floating feathers.

"Sorry, mate."

With a shrug, Jack reaches into the coffin and wrenches a skeletal leg from its other occupant. As he begins to use it as a paddle, he inquires idly,

"You mind if we make a little side trip?"

There's no answer.

"I didn’t think so."

With that, he sets off toward the distant Pearl.

[creator_raven]

Something bumps into the bottom of Jack's coffin.


Then the bone paddle is snatched away.


And then two hands emerge from the water, and a sopping wet body pulls itself up, black eyes glaring at Jack.

"That, I think, was remarkably stupid. Also salt water burns."

Raven makes a face, pulling back the neck of her shirt to double-check her death-wound.

Ostensible death-wound.

"It is good I remembered to be clay, perhaps."

[pirate_jack]

Jack raises his hands in a quick defensive gesture, starting,

"Now, luv -- let's not be hasty, there's no reason to do anything stupid--"

He can't help but grin, though.

"--besides, I told you I shot the monkey when he stole my hat! 'S only fair."

[creator_raven]

Raven wrinkles her nose, reaching up and over to tug, very lightly, at Jack's hair.

"You will get yours, I think. Eventually."

She's still dripping wet.

"Though probably you are safe from the monkey."

[pirate_jack]

"Not that monkey," he mutters darkly. Jack makes a face at Raven as she pulls his hair, then grins even more wickedly.

"Always do, luv. I always do."

[creator_raven]

She grins back, black eyes wide and bright and laughing.

"We are almost alike in that, perhaps."

[pirate_jack]

Jack touches his hat in amused acknowledgement, neglecting to argue the point, then holds out his hand.

"Now, if you'd be so kind as to return me oar?"

[creator_raven]

Raven looks down at the leg in her hand, then looks back up at Jack.

Her eyes are still black and bright, but the laughter is gone.

"I am, I think, not often kind. But there are exceptions."

And then she darts forward, mouth pressed to his, tongue flicking along the seam of his lips.

Another breath, a beat of hesitation, and the oar is left behind as Raven vaults skyward, vanishing in the waiting dark.

[pirate_jack]

Jack looks up after her in surprise.

"Now that's very interesting."

After a moment, he shrugs, and resumes paddling his makeshift boat toward the Pearl.

[bringmethatnpc]

Gibbs is startled from his drunken reverie by the overdue arrival of his captain. And promptly sobers up.

He goes to help Jack aboard, and is not too happy to be confronted with a complete set of leg bones, intact.

"Not quite according to plan." He doens't know what the plan was, but it's clear this wasn't it.

[pirate_jack]

Cotton hurries up with Jack's coat and drapes it over the captain's shoulders. Meanwhile, Jack explains, with elaborate accompanying gestures,

"Complications arose, ensued, and were overcome."

Satisfied that this explanation is sufficient, he saunters off.

[bringmethatnpc]

Gibbs isn't satisfied. Not by a long shot.

And so he follows, never one to follow good sense leave captains unquestioned.

"You got what you went in for then?" Which, considering that Jack has no treasure chest, no crown of gold, not even a barrel of rum, must be rather small.

[pirate_jack]

"Mm-hmm."

He turns to look at Gibbs as he walks, brandishing a folded scrap of cloth in a smug manner.

When he turns back around, however, he's confronted by the Pearl's crew -- en masse and looking rather grimly displeased.

[bringmethatnpc]

Gibbs speaks for the crew, and speaks in a tone that is probably less angry than the others would use.

"Cap’n, I think the crew - meaning me as well - were expecting something a bit more substantial, a bit more shiny, what with the Isla de Muerta being reclaimed by the sea, and the treasure with it." He was willing accept that trading the island for their escape from Norrington was fair bargain. But only because there is supposed to a next treasure.

[bringmethatnpc]

The crew's input wasn't asked for, but they're giving it anyway.

"And the Royal Navy chasing us all around the Atlantic."

"And the hurricane," calls another pirate.

They hadn't signed on for storms like that; something unnatural about it, they had muttered darkly in the days following the hurricane.

Come to think of it, they're muttering darkly now, too, in agreement with the two men who had spoken. They're also looking at the captain with entirely unfriendly faces.

[bringmethatnpc]

Indeed, it would seem that Gibbs is the only friend Jack has left. And even that might be reaching a limit.

"All in all, it seems some time since we did a speck of honest pirating."

[pirate_jack]

Jack looks at all of them in silence for several seconds, then says to Gibbs,

"'Shiny.'"

It's very thoughtfully said, almost as though Jack's focused on something else altogether.

[bringmethatnpc]

"Aye, shiny." Gibbs never likes seeing Jack like this, as if his mind had left his body for a stroll.

[pirate_jack]

Wonder if this lot'd think it 'shiny' enough if I'd found a way to sail me Pearl through the stars instead of through time itself, as before? Or if they're after a much more pretty treasure like Cortez's cursed gold, like Barbossa--

With mordant humor cracking dryly through his tone like a whip, Jack confronts the crew directly, asking,

"Is that how you’re all feeling then? That perhaps dear old Jack is not serving your best interests as captain?"

[bringmethatnpc]

In the echoing silence, not a crewmember speaks. Cotton's parrot, however, is completely immune to atmosphere, and cheerfully squawks,

"Walk the plank!"

[pirate_jack]

In the space of a single heartbeat, Jack's got his pistol cocked and pointed as he snarls with true anger,

"What did the bird say?"

[bringmethatnpc]

To their eternal shame, the entire body of pirates shy back. Cotton shiftily covers his parrot's beak. One rallies, resentment enough to overcome caution, and jabs a finger at the cloth Jack holds.

"Do not blame the bird. Show us what is on that piece of cloth there!"

Which is, of course, a cue for Jack the undead monkey to make a dive for it with an angry hiss.

[pirate_jack]

Having a bloody rotting undead monkey snarling in your face is a good reason to jerk backwards-- which he does. Reflexively, Jack fires at it, but the pistol misfires with a single spark.

In the moment's shock that results, the monkey snatches the cloth from Jack's hand and goes bounding down the deck, followed by shouts of alarm.

Jack doesn't bother shouting. He snatches a pistol from Leech's belt and fires again.

This time the shot hits. The monkey goes tumbling, then scurries for the safety of the rigging, leaving the cloth lying on the deck.

[bringmethatnpc]

Gibbs watches the whole sorry sight. No, he isn't fond of the monkey, either. But he wonders how a man who spend years not using his one shot wastes them so.

"You know that don’t do no good—"

[pirate_jack]

"Does me!" he snarls, while Marty hurries down the deck to retrieve the fallen cloth.

[bringmethatnpc]

Marty scurries after the cloth, grabbing for it before the monkey returns. Every pirate onboard has learned to move quickly in such instances. That monkey will snatch anything if but given the chance. Or second chance.

The cloth might not be shiny, but it is clearly important in some way. He unfurls the edges, looks and holds it up for everyone else to see.

"It's a key!"

A bit of a let down, really.

[pirate_jack]

"No!" Jack moves forward quickly, retrieving the cloth from Marty and swinging around to display it proudly to the crew as a whole.

"Much more better. It is a drawing of a key."

[bringmethatnpc]

Almost as one, the pirates lean in and squint at the cloth.

Yes, it's definitely the drawing of a key.



Expectantly, they await explanation.

[pirate_jack]

He looks right back at them, just as expectantly. Silence descends, broken only by the sounds of wind and sea.

More explanation. Right.

"Gentlemen," Jack says finally, "what do keys do?"

[bringmethatnpc]

A few crewmembers shuffle their feet, while still others look back and forth between Jack and the drawing.

Wait for it...





"Keys... unlock things?" Leech eventually hazards.

[bringmethatnpc]

Now things seem to be looking up!

"And whatever this key unlocks, inside there’s something valuable. So we’re setting out to find whatever this key unlocks!"

[pirate_jack]

"No," Jack declares confidently.

He walks over to Gibbs, explaining,

"If we don’t have the key, we can’t open whatever it is we don’t have that it unlocks. So what purpose would be served in finding whatever need be unlocked, which we don’t have, without first having found the key what unlocks it?"

[bringmethatnpc]

Gibbs is able to translate Sparrow-speak into English. Usually.

"So we’re going after this key?"

[pirate_jack]

He leans forward and tells Gibbs in a low voice,

"You're not making any sense at all."

A pause, and then Jack looks around at the crew as he calls out clearly,

"Any more questions?"

[bringmethatnpc]

In Marty's opinion, it's the captain that's not making much sense.

"So," Marty asks, "do we have a heading?"

[pirate_jack]

Jack raises a finger.

"Ah! A heading!"

Turning his back on the crew, he snaps open his compass and looks down at it.

"Let's sail in a ..." He raises his hand, pointing to starboard-- to fore -- to port -- to aft --

"... in a general..."

The compass spins back and forth, refusing to settle on a heading. Jack sighs, and points firmly to starboard-- then, as the crew turns to look where he's indicating, he flings his hand out to port decisively.

"... that way direction!"

[bringmethatnpc]

"Captain?" Gibbs stares blankly.

[pirate_jack]

He snaps the compass shut and turns around again. Jack gesticulates with the cloth drawing to emphasize his words as he says,

"Come on, snap to, make sail, you know how this works."

With that, he strolls off nonchalantly through the crew towards his cabin, flapping the cloth at them to clear his path as he goes.

[bringmethatnpc]

He goes to the port rail and hops up on it as he looks to see if there's anything visible in the captain's 'that way direction.'

There's not. Marty's not really surprised.

As Gibbs comes up beside him, he seizes the opportunity.

"I didn’t want to say anything – but the captain seems to be acting a bit strange..." Marty thinks this over, then shrugs. "...er."

[bringmethatnpc]

Gibbs nods slowly.

"Setting sail without knowing his own heading? Something’s got Jack vexed. Mark my words: what bodes ill for Jack Sparrow, bodes ill for us all."

Gibbs then goes off to figure out That Way. After which there will be more rum.