(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.

Comments

[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.