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Pirates of the
Chapter Two The sky was already beginning to lighten before the Captain gave permission for the crew to begin moving down to their bunks. The two newest members were looking decidedly dead on their feet, unaccustomed to such late nights. They had worked hard, however, knowing that it was best that the Pearl be far away from Port Royal as quickly as possible. The two women would share the small cabin usually reserved for the first mate, which Anna Maria had occupied alone before thanks to the insistence of Gibbs, who held Anna Maria in a sort of grudging respect despite his superstition regarding women and ships. Elizabeth, upon finding this out, was greatly relieved. She was perfectly willing to do the work required of a pirate. She didn't even mind being dirty. However, she didn't think she'd be able to sleep in such close quarters with that many men. "T'ain't nearly as grand as any governor's mansion, Miss Elizabeth," Anna Maria said, smirking, as she showed Elizabeth her new quarters. There were two bunks on opposing walls, and a few garments were hung on hooks embedded into the walls. "It's perfect," Elizabeth said, and she had to admit to herself that it was. It was tiny, especially for two people to share. There was a certain dampness to the bedding and mustiness about the room, but it was perfect. Especially to one as tired as she was. She smiled and headed toward the bunk that was obviously not in use. Will was heading down to the crews' bunks when he met up with Gibbs, who promptly grabbed his shoulders and turned him around the other way. "Jack says you're 'is cabin boy, so into his cabin you go," he said, chuckling. "Besides, there ain't no room down there and I doubt you want to share a bunk with any of the lads." "I-I uh, I guess I c-can do that," Will stuttered and bit back a yawn as he was thrust up the stairs and into the Captain's quarters. He stood for a moment, once in the door. There was no bunk, instead there was a large bed that appeared to be bolted to the floor. A desk sat at one side strewn haphazardly with charts, compasses, a quadrant and an astrolabe. There was a table, much smaller than the one in the galley, with two chairs. Jack's paraphernalia was everywhere in the cabin. His most cherished "effects" were, of course, kept on or near his person at all times, but there were other things that made the cabin so undoubtedly his. Jack stepped into his cabin to see the boy standing in the middle of the room, bewildered. Gibbs had just taken over the watch and he'd come to his cabin for a bit of well-earned shut-eye. He couldn't help but chuckle as he stepped around the boy and started removing his trousers. He was still wearing what he'd had on beneath the priest's robes, which was decidedly cleaner and in better repair than his other clothes. He jerked the ribbon out of his hair and ran his fingers through it scowling. It was much easier to keep out of the way in the braids. He turned around and looked at the boy again, only to find the boy looking at him with an even more confused expression on his face than before. Perhaps he'd misread things. He'd done so before when he'd gotten ahold of a particularly potent bottle of booze. He fiddled with the hem of the shirt for a moment before letting it be. "Ah, come 'ere me lad. We're just going to sleep," Jack said, truly too tired for much else. He thought he saw a bit of disappointment in the lad's eyes. But then the boy yawned and nodded, falling into a heap on the bed without removing so much as a boot. It had been a long day. Jack had been awake for nearly twenty-four hours himself, but he didn't know that the idiot Norrington wouldn't strike out after them. He removed Will's boots himself and arranged the boy so that he was properly on the bed before collapsing to his own pillow. He finally had the boy in his bed. He could wait for the rest. Elizabeth awoke as Anna Maria bustled about the room getting ready for the new day. The other woman continued about her morning ablutions, unaware that her cabin mate was awake until she removed her shirt and was greeted with a loud gasp from the other bunk. "What happened to your back?" Elizabeth asked, unable to tear her eyes from the stripes that crisscrossed the flesh exposed to her. "A foreman's whip," Anna Maria said, sighing as she pulled on her clothes. "Because I wouldn't open my legs for him in the middle of the cane field. Or anywhere else, for that matter." "My God," Elizabeth exclaimed softly. She'd heard of such things, of course. Her father'd been part of the abolitionist movement back in England. She knew that people still kept slaves in many parts of the Caribbean, but she'd never been confronted with it face-to-face. She felt as if she needed to apologize to the other woman, but she wasn't sure why."So you see why I don't understand your need to run from something like what you had back there, little girl. I'd take a life like that over what I had any day." With that, she walked to the door and strode out, leaving Elizabeth feeling guilty for ever thinking that she'd had no freedom. Will awoke and turned over to find his Captain humming happily and sitting on the floor between the legs of a beautiful woman in nothing but his shirt. Anna Maria was sitting in one of the chairs, a comb in hand, skillfully twisting Jack's hair into its numerous braids. Occasionally she would reach into a small bag and pull out a bead or bit of thread, weaving it into his hair. Her hands flew seemingly of their own accord as the two discussed upcoming plans. When she finished, she tied a familiar red scarf around his head and patted him on the shoulder. Jack stood up and grinned at Will."So, William-me-lad, are you ready for your first day as a real pirate?" Characters, settings, and titles
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