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dwgmAnother 500 words of the story referencing the 'Captain' theme, with thanks to ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
hereswith for beta reading, editing, and suggestions.
1. Tortuga
2. Happiness
3. Festive
4. Last Minute
5. Calm
6. Truth
7. Bargain
8. Spook
9. Down
10. Wounds
11. Moon
12. Monsters
13. Beauty
14. Name
15. History
16. Service
17. Advice
18. Captain
~ An Execrable Business, continued...
The Jolly Mon was a trim, sweet-going vessel, and Joe was justly proud of her. She was as near new as made no odds, freshly painted white with red trim, her name picked out in black and gold. Her single big square sail caught the morning breeze, and she skimmed lightly over Tortuga’s sparkling bay to where the Black Pearl was anchored.
“Ahoy there!” called a voice when they were within hailing distance. It was Bootstrap Bill, waving at them over the taffrail. “Where the devil have you been, Captain? The Pearl missed you last night!”
“And I missed her. Toss down the ladder, will you?”
“Aye aye, sir!”
Bill vanished from view, reappearing amidships to carry out his orders as Joe expertly guided the Jolly Mon alongside.
Joe said to Jack, “I’ll do some fishing and return for you. An hour?”
“Aye, thanks, Joe.” Jack deftly clapped onto the ladder and scrambled up and over the Pearl’s side.
Bill was waiting. “Not like you to abandon your best girl all night. The distraction must’ve been something special.”
“She was.” Jack chuckled, and turned to look back toward the beach, and the edge of the forest where he’d last seen Nell before Ana’d led her away. “Is.” He glanced around, but the ship was virtually deserted yet—no surprise—and all was as neatly stowed as when he’d left the day before. “Come with me to the cabin, Bill, I’ve something to tell you.”
Bill got virtually the same account that Joe had earlier, with the addition of a few details about their dealings with Claypool’s men and their stay at Sally’s (the Battle of the Broom being omitted as irrelevant).
“So we’re off to England, Bill, as soon as we can gather the lads, take on stores and head out. I know you’ve been wanting to go, and plenty of others do too.”
Bill shook his head. “Jack, we’ll miss most of the season here. I know we’ve done well this spring, more than well! But Barbossa—“
“Devil take Barbossa!” said Jack. “He can sign on with another ship if he don’t want to come. I’m the captain! And who knows but maybe we’ll get a prize or two off the Canaries, like we did a few years ago, eh? But it’s likely Nell’s family will be most appreciative, in a verbal and a monetary sense. Savvy?”
“You don’t know that her family’s wealthy. You don’t know her last name!”
“No, but I’ve a good feeling about this. You’ll understand, I’ll introduce you when she comes aboard. She’ll be sailing as my cabin boy, though, and stay in here with me.”
“With you? What’s her family going to have to say about that, I wonder?”
“Nothing. I’ll hire some lass to play gooseberry when I take her home.”
Bill shook his head, but a smile was starting, too. “You’ve got it all planned out already, don’t you?”
“I do.”
“So, we’re going home.”
“We’re going home,” Jack grinned.
TBC…
hereswith for beta reading, editing, and suggestions.1. Tortuga
2. Happiness
3. Festive
4. Last Minute
5. Calm
6. Truth
7. Bargain
8. Spook
9. Down
10. Wounds
11. Moon
12. Monsters
13. Beauty
14. Name
15. History
16. Service
17. Advice
18. Captain
~ An Execrable Business, continued...
The Jolly Mon was a trim, sweet-going vessel, and Joe was justly proud of her. She was as near new as made no odds, freshly painted white with red trim, her name picked out in black and gold. Her single big square sail caught the morning breeze, and she skimmed lightly over Tortuga’s sparkling bay to where the Black Pearl was anchored.
“Ahoy there!” called a voice when they were within hailing distance. It was Bootstrap Bill, waving at them over the taffrail. “Where the devil have you been, Captain? The Pearl missed you last night!”
“And I missed her. Toss down the ladder, will you?”
“Aye aye, sir!”
Bill vanished from view, reappearing amidships to carry out his orders as Joe expertly guided the Jolly Mon alongside.
Joe said to Jack, “I’ll do some fishing and return for you. An hour?”
“Aye, thanks, Joe.” Jack deftly clapped onto the ladder and scrambled up and over the Pearl’s side.
Bill was waiting. “Not like you to abandon your best girl all night. The distraction must’ve been something special.”
“She was.” Jack chuckled, and turned to look back toward the beach, and the edge of the forest where he’d last seen Nell before Ana’d led her away. “Is.” He glanced around, but the ship was virtually deserted yet—no surprise—and all was as neatly stowed as when he’d left the day before. “Come with me to the cabin, Bill, I’ve something to tell you.”
Bill got virtually the same account that Joe had earlier, with the addition of a few details about their dealings with Claypool’s men and their stay at Sally’s (the Battle of the Broom being omitted as irrelevant).
“So we’re off to England, Bill, as soon as we can gather the lads, take on stores and head out. I know you’ve been wanting to go, and plenty of others do too.”
Bill shook his head. “Jack, we’ll miss most of the season here. I know we’ve done well this spring, more than well! But Barbossa—“
“Devil take Barbossa!” said Jack. “He can sign on with another ship if he don’t want to come. I’m the captain! And who knows but maybe we’ll get a prize or two off the Canaries, like we did a few years ago, eh? But it’s likely Nell’s family will be most appreciative, in a verbal and a monetary sense. Savvy?”
“You don’t know that her family’s wealthy. You don’t know her last name!”
“No, but I’ve a good feeling about this. You’ll understand, I’ll introduce you when she comes aboard. She’ll be sailing as my cabin boy, though, and stay in here with me.”
“With you? What’s her family going to have to say about that, I wonder?”
“Nothing. I’ll hire some lass to play gooseberry when I take her home.”
Bill shook his head, but a smile was starting, too. “You’ve got it all planned out already, don’t you?”
“I do.”
“So, we’re going home.”
“We’re going home,” Jack grinned.
TBC…
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no subject
Date: 2009-01-28 02:31 pm (UTC)Yes indeed. Interesting times ahead.
gooseberry = duenna, or chaperon
Thank you so much for reading and commenting!