Drabble Series: 'An Execrable Business' (26/?)

[dwgm]

350 words of breakfast with the captain, theme: "Advance". Many thanks to my dear hereswith for beta reading, editing, and excellent suggestions.

Previous bits...

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 19. Awe 20. Cross 21. "You've made a big mistake" 22. Heroism 23. Gold 24. Echo

25. Greed

And here's today's...

26. Advance



~ An Execrable Business, continued...


After Barbossa left, Joe said, quietly, but with conviction and a worried look, “That is a dangerous man!”

Jack shrugged. “He’s all right, mostly. I’ve known him a long time, he was second to Tobias when I came aboard the Pearl. It don’t sit well with him that I rose from bilgewater stowaway to the captaincy. But he’s a good sailor and a handy swordsman to have at one’s back. We’ve saved each others’ hides a time or two.”

“You trust him?” Joe sounded incredulous.

“Wouldn’t go that far,” Jack said, then called, “Come!” for there’d been another knock on the cabin door.

It was Bootstrap who came in and closed it behind him. “You've a silver tongue in that head of yours, Jack. Barbossa looks almost pleased! How the devil do you do it?”

“That’s why I’m captain, ain’t it?" Jack poured out more rum, a tot for each of them. "Here, Bill, have some breakfast.”

Bootstrap rolled his eyes some, but he accepted the glass. “Got those fellows stashed in the brig. They’re a bit worse for wear, but they’ll live.”

“Good. We’ll toss ‘em overboard when we set sail. They’ll probably make it to shore from here, if they can swim. In the meantime, I’m pleased you’ve begun passing the word for the lads. Time and tide, and all that. I want to start provisioning soon as it’s light. Fortunately we’ve plenty of scratch to fund this charitable venture. Good thing I like you, Bill. I wouldn’t do it for just anyone.”

“No. And you wouldn’t do it for me, either.”

Jack pouted. “I might do it for you. I was thinking about it.”

Bill shook his head. “I’m looking forward to meeting your new ‘cabin boy’. She must be something special.”

Jack’s brain conjured a vision of Nell as she had appeared on her return from the springs, and he could not maintain the pout, not for the life of him. “You might say so,” he said slowly, as though even-handedly considering the assessment. But when Joe started laughing, Jack couldn’t help grinning like a fool.


TBC...

Comments

[luvvycat.livejournal.com]

Hee hee! I like how Bootstrap well and truly has Jack's number in this chapter! He knows Jack SO well! :-)

Also good to see how Joe has Barbossa's number, too. I can see where Anamaria gets her "sharp-cookiedness" from! ;-)

Another fantastic installment! Looking forward to when Nell at last comes aboard, and makes her acquaintance with the Pearl and her crew (and vice-versa!) ...

[geekmama.livejournal.com]

Bootstrap has known Jack just as long as Barbossa, but liked him from the start (see tessabeth's In the First Year of their Acquaintance).

Won't be long at all now before the Pearl sets sail! Thank you for commenting, and so quickly, too!

[mindyracal.livejournal.com]

I can't wait for the adventures at sea! Woot!

[geekmama.livejournal.com]

Soon!

[aravah.livejournal.com]

Great instalment. :) Looking forward to more.

[geekmama.livejournal.com]

Thank you! More in the morning. :))

[djarum99.livejournal.com]

Jack has it baaaad :-)

I really like Joe, and of course he's right about Barbossa. And Bootstrap is right about Jack and loves him anyway :-)

Thanks for posting these every day! I look forward to each one ♥

[geekmama.livejournal.com]

Glad you're enjoying the snippet-a-day, it's been fun to write that way, too. More in the morning! Thank you for commenting!

[florencia7.livejournal.com]

"Good thing I like you, Bill. I wouldn’t do it for just anyone.” / “No. And you wouldn’t do it for me, either.” / Jack pouted. “I might do it for you. I was thinking about it.”" - That was just PRECIOUS! ^^ I loved it! Awesome dialogue.

This is a such a great tale! I can't wait - as always - for the next installment :)

[geekmama.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I'm so happy you're enjoying it!

[pearlseed.livejournal.com]

Oh, my, Jack Sparrow, do you suppose there's a heredity thang to himself--all tricksters before and most after somehow related, 3rd cousins or some such--I swear I can just see his sparkling eyes, then his sweet pout--and hear himself clear as I hear my gatitos cussing for supper. I know he can be a hard scary man, steel himself to whatever is at hand (that look on his face when he kills Barbossa, man!). Yet even knowing that, I'd trust him and thank you for more story.

[geekmama.livejournal.com]

Hee! But you're right, he's trustworthy, when it really matters. So happy you enjoyed! More in the morning. And thank you for the comments! :))

[kseenaa.livejournal.com]

Oh, wonderful. :-) Joe is perfectly right, as Jack will soon know I guess. And Bill is just wonderful here. :-)

[geekmama.livejournal.com]

Jack is wary, but not wary enough, as we know. So happy you liked this!

[compassrose7577.livejournal.com]

Bill knows Jack all too well! But then, these guys have spent enough time together, what with the hours and hours, days and days, weeks and weeks, and months and months of time on their hands, how could they not?

Don't answer that! They're men. 'Nuf said.

Hopefully, Jack is planning on untying these guys before he pitches them over the rail... or maybe not. If they were meant to live, they'd find a way, wouldn't they?

".... grinning like a fool..." Ahhhh, that paints a picture!

[geekmama.livejournal.com]

Ahhhh, that paints a picture!

It's an awfully cute grin. ;) So glad you're enjoying the story!