Dark of the Moon (24/36)
Apr. 29th, 2006 01:54 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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hazelhawthorne's wedding in an hour (or less, hopefully, although ladymora and dr_mrow have yet to appear), but in the meantime, here's a little more Dark of the Moon. As always, my deepest thanks to hereswith for editing.
[24]
It was nearing the end of the first watch. Bill had just thrown in a hand of losing cards and was about to take himself off to catch a bit of shuteye when, to his surprise, the First Mate climbed up the Jacob’s Ladder of the Black Pearl, looking like the cat who’d got the cream and smelling, just faintly, of perfumed Spanish strumpet.
“God’s Teeth!” Bill exclaimed. “Get yourself over to the water barrel, Jack, and wash off some of that stink. What’d she do? Pour perfume on you?”
“It’s not near that bad!” Jack protested, making an elaborate show of sniffing at himself.
Bill’s fellow card players laughed, but Bill shook his head. “It is that bad,” he asserted, and added in a low voice, “Letty’s already fit to be tied. She’ll be like to murder you if you show up like this.”
“That right?” Jack chuckled.
“Ain’t no laughing matter, old son, not when you’re still cabin mates for the next week or more.”
“True enough,” Jack conceded. “Come keep me company while I wash up.”
Bill followed Jack abaft, to where the water barrels sat, brimming over with cool, fresh rainwater. Jack shoved a hand into his coat pocket and pulled out a cloth-wrapped object. “Here, hold this,” he said to Bill, with a gleeful look. Bill took it and immediately frowned. It was heavy, loose, and hard, like a…
“Bloody hell!” He undid the knot on the handkerchief (for that’s what the wrapping was) and his worst fears were confirmed. The Señora’s necklace! “Jack, d’you have a death wish?”
Jack, who’d taken off his coat and was pulling at the ties of his shirt, grinned. “Naw. It’ll be fine, Bill. You’ll see.”
“I’m like to see you gutted and laid out to dry,” Bill growled, “or flayed with a dull knife! She’s bound to know who did it!”
“Why?” Jack stripped off his shirt and tossed it atop his coat. “Half the town saw her wearin’ it --- anyone could’ve broken in an’ stolen it. Security’s lax, give you me word!”
“You were in her house!”
“Ah, but I was otherwise occupied, wasn’t I?”
“I don’t know. Were you?”
“Of course, had to distract her!” Jack batted his absurdly long lashes and murmured seductively, “I’m very, very good at distraction when I set me mind to it.”
Bill shook his head. “She’s bound to suspect.”
Jack shrugged and, toeing off his boots, said, “She can suspect all she wants, but she won’t tell. After all, what would dear Don del Amador say, hmmm?”
Bill nodded, reluctantly. “There is that. Don’t s’pose he’d be best pleased knowing she’d been entertaining you while he was away.”
Jack gave a snort. “She’d not sit for a fortnight – if he didn’t just chuck ‘er out the door. Jealous sorts, these Spaniards.”
“Aye. But he’d kill you.”
“Aye. But it’s a moot point. She won’t tell. Probably won’t even miss the thing ‘til we’re halfway to Barbados. Like I said: I distracted her most thoroughly. Sound asleep when I left.”
Bill smiled crookedly. “You’re a devil, lad. With the devil’s own luck. You’d best hope it holds.”
“It will,” Jack said, complacently, and taking up the dipper began to sluice himself with fresh water. “So Letty’s fit to be tied, eh?” he said, with studied nonchalance.
“She is. She’s been in your things.”
“What?” Jack frowned. “Which things?”
“Your sea chest. I took her some supper and lit the lamp for her, and she’d got a great mess of your things strewn about the cabin.”
“Damnation!”
Bill shrugged. “She was stuck in there alone all evening. You can’t really blame her.”
“I can!” said Jack, scowling. “She did it because she was vexed, is all.”
“Well, you can’t blame her for that, either, think on. You’d reneged on your promise to show her a good time. And she thought you’d be out all night with the Señora.”
Jack’s scowl held for a bit longer, then an eyebrow quirked, and finally a narrow-eyed smirk appeared. “Thought I’d be gone all night, eh?” He grabbed a clean cloth from a nearby hook and began to dry himself. “I daresay she’ll be in for a little surprise then, won’t she?”
Bootstrap frowned. “You be good to her, Jack.”
“And when have I been otherwise?” Jack demanded, exasperated. “I told ‘er to stay out of my chest, though, and I’ll be damned if she don’t owe a reckoning for it.” He took the wrapped necklace back, and returned it to the pocket of his coat, though he didn’t dress again, just grabbed up his clothes and boots.
“What sort of reckoning?” demanded Bill, suspicious.
“Ooooh, a terrible one. Terrible!” Jack shook his head sadly, all facetious drama as he walked away across the deck. “But it won’t be more’n she’s expecting, Bill, you may lay on that.” And the scoundrel winked, and flashed a golden smile.
*
TBC
hazelhawthorne's wedding in an hour (or less, hopefully, although ladymora and dr_mrow have yet to appear), but in the meantime, here's a little more Dark of the Moon. As always, my deepest thanks to hereswith for editing.[24]
It was nearing the end of the first watch. Bill had just thrown in a hand of losing cards and was about to take himself off to catch a bit of shuteye when, to his surprise, the First Mate climbed up the Jacob’s Ladder of the Black Pearl, looking like the cat who’d got the cream and smelling, just faintly, of perfumed Spanish strumpet.
“God’s Teeth!” Bill exclaimed. “Get yourself over to the water barrel, Jack, and wash off some of that stink. What’d she do? Pour perfume on you?”
“It’s not near that bad!” Jack protested, making an elaborate show of sniffing at himself.
Bill’s fellow card players laughed, but Bill shook his head. “It is that bad,” he asserted, and added in a low voice, “Letty’s already fit to be tied. She’ll be like to murder you if you show up like this.”
“That right?” Jack chuckled.
“Ain’t no laughing matter, old son, not when you’re still cabin mates for the next week or more.”
“True enough,” Jack conceded. “Come keep me company while I wash up.”
Bill followed Jack abaft, to where the water barrels sat, brimming over with cool, fresh rainwater. Jack shoved a hand into his coat pocket and pulled out a cloth-wrapped object. “Here, hold this,” he said to Bill, with a gleeful look. Bill took it and immediately frowned. It was heavy, loose, and hard, like a…
“Bloody hell!” He undid the knot on the handkerchief (for that’s what the wrapping was) and his worst fears were confirmed. The Señora’s necklace! “Jack, d’you have a death wish?”
Jack, who’d taken off his coat and was pulling at the ties of his shirt, grinned. “Naw. It’ll be fine, Bill. You’ll see.”
“I’m like to see you gutted and laid out to dry,” Bill growled, “or flayed with a dull knife! She’s bound to know who did it!”
“Why?” Jack stripped off his shirt and tossed it atop his coat. “Half the town saw her wearin’ it --- anyone could’ve broken in an’ stolen it. Security’s lax, give you me word!”
“You were in her house!”
“Ah, but I was otherwise occupied, wasn’t I?”
“I don’t know. Were you?”
“Of course, had to distract her!” Jack batted his absurdly long lashes and murmured seductively, “I’m very, very good at distraction when I set me mind to it.”
Bill shook his head. “She’s bound to suspect.”
Jack shrugged and, toeing off his boots, said, “She can suspect all she wants, but she won’t tell. After all, what would dear Don del Amador say, hmmm?”
Bill nodded, reluctantly. “There is that. Don’t s’pose he’d be best pleased knowing she’d been entertaining you while he was away.”
Jack gave a snort. “She’d not sit for a fortnight – if he didn’t just chuck ‘er out the door. Jealous sorts, these Spaniards.”
“Aye. But he’d kill you.”
“Aye. But it’s a moot point. She won’t tell. Probably won’t even miss the thing ‘til we’re halfway to Barbados. Like I said: I distracted her most thoroughly. Sound asleep when I left.”
Bill smiled crookedly. “You’re a devil, lad. With the devil’s own luck. You’d best hope it holds.”
“It will,” Jack said, complacently, and taking up the dipper began to sluice himself with fresh water. “So Letty’s fit to be tied, eh?” he said, with studied nonchalance.
“She is. She’s been in your things.”
“What?” Jack frowned. “Which things?”
“Your sea chest. I took her some supper and lit the lamp for her, and she’d got a great mess of your things strewn about the cabin.”
“Damnation!”
Bill shrugged. “She was stuck in there alone all evening. You can’t really blame her.”
“I can!” said Jack, scowling. “She did it because she was vexed, is all.”
“Well, you can’t blame her for that, either, think on. You’d reneged on your promise to show her a good time. And she thought you’d be out all night with the Señora.”
Jack’s scowl held for a bit longer, then an eyebrow quirked, and finally a narrow-eyed smirk appeared. “Thought I’d be gone all night, eh?” He grabbed a clean cloth from a nearby hook and began to dry himself. “I daresay she’ll be in for a little surprise then, won’t she?”
Bootstrap frowned. “You be good to her, Jack.”
“And when have I been otherwise?” Jack demanded, exasperated. “I told ‘er to stay out of my chest, though, and I’ll be damned if she don’t owe a reckoning for it.” He took the wrapped necklace back, and returned it to the pocket of his coat, though he didn’t dress again, just grabbed up his clothes and boots.
“What sort of reckoning?” demanded Bill, suspicious.
“Ooooh, a terrible one. Terrible!” Jack shook his head sadly, all facetious drama as he walked away across the deck. “But it won’t be more’n she’s expecting, Bill, you may lay on that.” And the scoundrel winked, and flashed a golden smile.
*
TBC
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no subject
Date: 2006-05-02 12:48 am (UTC)*snort* It's the "just faintly" that has me rolling.
"You're a devil, lad. With the devil's own luck. You'd best hope it holds."
"It will," Jack said, complacently
Don't know whether to bounce or chew my nails - Jack's youth is showing and I'm wondering if he may be a tad too sure of himself. And nervy! Shame on him, getting his nose out of joint about Letty rooting through his trunk - poor girl had to have been bored to tears just sitting in the counter.
"What sort of reckoning?" demanded Bill, suspicious.
"Ooooh, a terrible one. Terrible!" Jack shook his head sadly, all facetious drama
Oh dear, I'm snorting again. Terrible reckoning indeed, if it begins with shirtless Jack.
But, oh, he's run off with the Senora's necklace! This cannot be good, not one little bit. *begins gnawing on a knuckle*
And you've posted more already!! *bounce, bounce*
no subject
Date: 2006-05-02 05:40 am (UTC)Yes, he's awfully sure of himself here. Hasn't realised how those lightly made enemies come back to haunt one.
Mmmm... yes. But on the other hand, he's been consorting with the Senora, so I wouldn't expect Letty to give him the time of day -- at least until she cools off.
Thanks so much for the lovely comments! They are, as always, most appreciated.
no subject
Date: 2006-05-02 11:15 am (UTC)Random thought: hope the Senora didn't have long, sharp nails or Letty's likely to clonk him over the head with his seachest!