An Ill Wind
Nov. 30th, 2003 07:28 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
niankhsekhmetThis is one of the stories for Ile de Torture on Pan Historia. This will also be crossposted to ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
barbossa_ficeventually.
Port-au-Prince had a wide, perfectly situated harbor. A strict system of liberty was enforced on the Reaper, Douglas told me, to insure that a viable, protective force would remain aboard at all times. The men were all assigned numbers and a lottery was conducted. The first wave would be loosed on the city's pleasuring districts only after the first agreements for the sale of wares and goods were made. Fortunately, the Harbormaster was an acquaintance of Douglas' and had suggested several merchants who would be interested in acquiring our varied cargos. It was the voice of Mr. Bishop, who spotted the presence of three ships anchored off the quay that spelled trouble for Douglas and all of us who were on board the Reaper.
Mr. Bishop fairly loped to Douglas' side as the men continued lowering the sails. Pointing across the bay, Douglas sighted down Bishop's arm to the unmistakable Black Sailed ships, anchored there. I watched as his gaze narrowed and heat welled up and colour rose in his cheeks.
"Barbossa, " Douglas growled, as if it were a curse. And i'faith my fair lover's face had become like ruddy granite.
Gawd damn bloody hell!" Douglas bellowed, "He would have to be here! " Douglas turned away, irritation clearly written upon his face. Both Mr. Bishop and I stared at him expectantly.
" Barbossa and his cronies are here," Douglas exhaled sharply, grinding his jaw," Tell the men their liberty will have to wait. "
"Aye, Sir," Bishops face wrinkled in disgust like a puckered persimmon as he swaggered off to spread the word amongst the crewe. Agitated murmurs spread quickly amongst them and I knewe that something must indeed be awry.
"Who is Barbossa," I frowned and then asked innocently as Bishop was coming back toward Douglas and I, "and why no liberty for the men?"
Douglas opened his mouth to answer, but closed it again abruptly, as if he did not trust himself to relate a reliable explanation to me. Instead he swatted at Bishop's arm grimly, insisting Bishop tell me instead. As Mr. Bishop nodded, Douglas stalked down to the waist of the ship with his thumbs shoved in his belt, his body rigid.
"Hector Barbosa's head of the pirate league what issued Dawg an invitation to join up with 'im and his crew, " Bishop tore his eyes from Dawg's scarcely controlled ire and glanced briefly at me a'fore fastening a dark look on those hideous black-sailed barqs that were anchored menacingly in the bay.
"Douglas declined? "I ask't him, noting that my voice was now barely above a whisper.
"Aye, Miss Fanny," he said, " he did, after a fashion. " Bishops stubbled jaw went rigid for a moment. " Captain Dawg didn't too much like the way that Barbossa made his proposal."
Bishop craned his neck and turned, scouring the lads that were teeming up onto the waist for a glimpse of Barbossa's ships. He searched for one face, and when he caught sight of Blind Pew, he pointed to him, " See that there blind man? "
I looked down onto the waist below the quarterdeck, a young lad among the Reaper's crewe known as Blind Pew was ripping the shirt from his back, baring himself to his mates with a hatred burning in his face.
"Aye," I said looking back up into Mr. Bishop's face, "I knowe him. I have spoken to him before."
Bishop jerked his head as Blind Pew turned so that his back faced Mr. Bishop and I. What I saw made me gasp in horror! Into the white of his youthful skin, the letters J-O-I-N had been carved viciously. The scars had healed well enough, but the marks were raised and angry pink in contrast with the lad's fairness.
"That, Miss Fanny, " Mr. Bishop said, "would be Captain Barbossa's invite."
TBC
barbossa_ficeventually. Port-au-Prince had a wide, perfectly situated harbor. A strict system of liberty was enforced on the Reaper, Douglas told me, to insure that a viable, protective force would remain aboard at all times. The men were all assigned numbers and a lottery was conducted. The first wave would be loosed on the city's pleasuring districts only after the first agreements for the sale of wares and goods were made. Fortunately, the Harbormaster was an acquaintance of Douglas' and had suggested several merchants who would be interested in acquiring our varied cargos. It was the voice of Mr. Bishop, who spotted the presence of three ships anchored off the quay that spelled trouble for Douglas and all of us who were on board the Reaper.
Mr. Bishop fairly loped to Douglas' side as the men continued lowering the sails. Pointing across the bay, Douglas sighted down Bishop's arm to the unmistakable Black Sailed ships, anchored there. I watched as his gaze narrowed and heat welled up and colour rose in his cheeks.
"Barbossa, " Douglas growled, as if it were a curse. And i'faith my fair lover's face had become like ruddy granite.
Gawd damn bloody hell!" Douglas bellowed, "He would have to be here! " Douglas turned away, irritation clearly written upon his face. Both Mr. Bishop and I stared at him expectantly.
" Barbossa and his cronies are here," Douglas exhaled sharply, grinding his jaw," Tell the men their liberty will have to wait. "
"Aye, Sir," Bishops face wrinkled in disgust like a puckered persimmon as he swaggered off to spread the word amongst the crewe. Agitated murmurs spread quickly amongst them and I knewe that something must indeed be awry.
"Who is Barbossa," I frowned and then asked innocently as Bishop was coming back toward Douglas and I, "and why no liberty for the men?"
Douglas opened his mouth to answer, but closed it again abruptly, as if he did not trust himself to relate a reliable explanation to me. Instead he swatted at Bishop's arm grimly, insisting Bishop tell me instead. As Mr. Bishop nodded, Douglas stalked down to the waist of the ship with his thumbs shoved in his belt, his body rigid.
"Hector Barbosa's head of the pirate league what issued Dawg an invitation to join up with 'im and his crew, " Bishop tore his eyes from Dawg's scarcely controlled ire and glanced briefly at me a'fore fastening a dark look on those hideous black-sailed barqs that were anchored menacingly in the bay.
"Douglas declined? "I ask't him, noting that my voice was now barely above a whisper.
"Aye, Miss Fanny," he said, " he did, after a fashion. " Bishops stubbled jaw went rigid for a moment. " Captain Dawg didn't too much like the way that Barbossa made his proposal."
Bishop craned his neck and turned, scouring the lads that were teeming up onto the waist for a glimpse of Barbossa's ships. He searched for one face, and when he caught sight of Blind Pew, he pointed to him, " See that there blind man? "
I looked down onto the waist below the quarterdeck, a young lad among the Reaper's crewe known as Blind Pew was ripping the shirt from his back, baring himself to his mates with a hatred burning in his face.
"Aye," I said looking back up into Mr. Bishop's face, "I knowe him. I have spoken to him before."
Bishop jerked his head as Blind Pew turned so that his back faced Mr. Bishop and I. What I saw made me gasp in horror! Into the white of his youthful skin, the letters J-O-I-N had been carved viciously. The scars had healed well enough, but the marks were raised and angry pink in contrast with the lad's fairness.
"That, Miss Fanny, " Mr. Bishop said, "would be Captain Barbossa's invite."
TBC
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no subject
Date: 2003-11-30 05:38 pm (UTC)That is so cool. Ok, ok, now I need to take a quick refresher course in English slang...::snickering::
A whole fleet of black sails.....heheheheh!! Methinks they really know how to Raid and Pillage! ;) I cannae help but admire that.
no subject
Date: 2003-11-30 05:59 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-11-30 06:10 pm (UTC)Which is smart. Far too clever. You're inspiring all sorts of things here... :)
(and I promise not to nick the idea of the black fleet of barqs. ;))
no subject
Date: 2003-11-30 06:46 pm (UTC)But then again, I'm sort of twisted that way! ;-)