Re: Pirates and you bloody sure well know them too

[BariJoy]

The door of the ramshackle swamp house was unlocked. Jack strode in, a chilling bell chimed through the house. A dark-skinned beauty of a witch doctress entered the room.

"Jack," Tia Dalma smiled, as if she was glad to see him, "Jack Sparrow."

"Yep- still me," Jack answered, looking around the room, seemingly examining the artifacts that lined the walls and cluttered everything.

"You no come to see me for such a long time," Tia Dalma said piteously.

"Dreadful shame," Jack said distractedly, "I'm sure you've missed me terribly."

"But I have, Jack," Tia Dalma said, rather flirtatiously, "So very much."

[BariJoy]

"Be that as it may," Jack said, snapping back into reality, "I need a favor- a business transaction, if you would be so kind."

"Jack," Tia Dalma pouted, "You always need my help, but you never do what I wish."

"I'll bring you back a present from Isla de Fuego," Jack promised.

Tia Dalma's brow creased. "Isla de Fuego?" she was not entirely certain she had heard him correctly.

"Yes, Isla de Fuego," Jack nodded.

"Oh, Jack," Tia Dalma pleaded, "I have something you need to take with you. I would not give it to anyone else." Then she left the room. A few moments later, she returned with a box. She stood in front of Jack and opened it. Inside, was a compass.

[Gifty]

Atlantia: I docked and a few of my crew came with me into the house. I walked through the sim open door way hoping I wasn't walking in on anything important.

[BariJoy]

"A compass?" Jack asked incredulous, "Barbossa already has a compass. Why would the ship need another one?"

"This one is special," Tia Dalma insisted, placing the box on the table. She took the compass from it, and held it out in the palm of one hand.

Jack looked at it. "It's broken," he decided, "North is that way." The direction he was pointing was actually SouthWest, but, then again, it was hard to tell direction in the swampy bayous.

"Is no broken," Tia Dalma assured him, "It does not point North. It points to whatever the owner desires most."

Jack looked at where the needle was pointing unwaverly. "What exactly is it that you want, Tia?" he asked. He'd never seen a compass needle stay so still.

"It does not matter," Tia Dalma said quickly. She placed the compass in Jack's hand. "Now, the compass only cares about what you want."

[BariJoy]

Tia Dalma busied herself making a circle of objects on the table. "I'll show you what the compass does," she said. She instructed Jack to hold the compass in the center of the table.

The circle of objects included a bottle of rum, a sword, a model ship, a shrunken head, and many other things. At first the compass needle pointed to the bottle of rum.

Tia Dalma chuckled. "Jack, Jack, Jack," she said slowly, shaking her head and snickering. Jack made a grab for the bottle, but the witchdoctress beat him to it. " 'Tis mine, Jack's heart," she said, placing the bottle in a cabinet and shutting the cabinet door, "Make another choice."

[BariJoy]

The compass needle swayed and wavered, moving slowly around. At last, it came to rest pointing to the model ship.

"May I ask what the point of all this is?" Jack said, examining the compass.

"A form of soulsearching," Tia Dalma explained, "Each object represents your deepest wish. The desire that lies deep within your heart, influencing your every action. The rum bottle, for example, usually signifies a desire to cast off one's inhibitions, to not be subject to the judgement of others. But, you already don't care what people think. You chose it because of the rum."

"What's the ship mean?" Jack asked.

"What does a ship signify to a pirate?" Tia Dalma countered, "More than a piece of wood. More than a means of transportation. More than a home. You should know what the ship means, Jack. It means what matters most to you. What you cherish more than life itself. Freedom."

[Gifty]

Atlantia: I stood in the back of the room quietly and paying attintion to the conversation about this compass. True a boat represented freedom, and well Rum was good. what was the shrunken head?

[BariJoy]

"Freedom, eh?" Jack said, still studying the compass, "I'd rather have rum."

"Jack," Tia Dalma admonished, "You know that not true. I know it. The compass know it. You been raised to cherish freedom above all else, even rum."

"What makes you think that?"

"I do not be friendly with anyone until I know everything about them."

"Right, then," Jack said, ever so slightly creeped out, "One more question: what's the shrunken head?" He put down the compass and picked up the shrunken head, examining it.

"The head is a need to have control over others, to have supreme power over each and every living thing in this world."

"Interesting," Jack said, looking at the head once more then placing it back on the table. He grabbed the compass, putting it in his pocket.

"Keep your allies close, keep your enemies closer, keep your compass closest," Tia Dalma said darkly. Her manner changed greatly as she flirtatiously said, "Next time, I hope you come just to see me."

She caught sight of Atlantia. Her flirtatious, playful manner dissolved into a strictly business, emotionless guise as she said, "Yes, child?"

[Gifty]

Atlantia: " I'm helping Jack.' I said to the emotionless buisness tone. " Hope you dont mind to much." I said cracking a slight smile.

[BariJoy]

"A bit young, is she not?" Tia Dalma asked, looking from Atlantia to Jack, eyebrow raised.

"Whatever you're thinking," Jack said quickly, "S'wrong. I am in no way more than friends with this young captain."

Tia Dalma looked rather uncertain about this. "You be needing anything, child?" she asked Atlantia, "Your fortune told? a good luck charm? You be needing one if you're going with Jack."

[Gifty]

Atlantia: " What'ev you might think Yee be the one to know. I not be knowing such things yet I'm 15." I said to her smiling.

[BariJoy]

"Jealous, Tia?" Jack chuckled at her expression.

"I be no jealous of a little girl," Tia Dalma said, retreating behind a shelf of artifacts.

"If you say so," Jack snickered and took a swig from the rum he'd stolen from the tavern.

Tia Dalma emerged holding an amulet on a gold chain. The amulet looked rather like a ship. On the back was engraved a picture of a small songbird. She held it out to Atlantia. "Be warned, child," she warned, "Pirate men be more trouble than they worth."

[Gifty]

Atlantia: " I know more than I mi' look like. Been on the sea since I was a wie tot." I told her taking the amulet and putting it around my neck.

[BariJoy]

Tia Dalma nodded approvingly. But she was still a bit worried about exactly how close Atlantia was to Jack. True, if she was 15, it wasn't as if the two were separated by any more than 9, possibly 10, years of age difference. But, still...

"Keep that necklace close to your heart, child," she instructed, "The ship protect ye on your journies. The engraving focuses it, makin' it more potent against or for one thing or another." This engraving was a small songbird. A sly little rogue with supreme confidance in its own ability to survive and thrive. A quick-witted trickster who used its voice, rather than talons, to escape trouble. A sparrow.

[Gifty]

Atlantia: I nodded. " Thank yee. " I said to her. I looked at Jack who had a weird expression on his face. Like he might be holding something back.

[BariJoy]

"Well then," Jack said at length, finally snapping back to reality, "Let's be off. Goodbye, Tia." He seemed altogether too eager to be out of there, and all but ran out the door.

Tia Dalma's parting words to Atlantia were these, "Take care, child. Finer women than yourself have been ruined by a voyage with a pirate."

[BariJoy]

((Bump ))

[Gifty]

Atlantia: " I am a pirate." I said to her as I fallowed Jack out. I walked down the ramp from her house to the ships.

[BariJoy]

Jack shook his head in disgust. He watched Atlantia come down the docks. "Well, what do you think of the voodoo queen?"

[Gifty]

Atlantia: " She's great." I said smiling. Knowing this should annoy him the most. " Well so you have a history with her. " I said laughing.

[BariJoy]

Jack met that proclamation with a raised eyebrow. Though he knew enough of human nature to realize she was just trying to be annoying, it still worked. He was rather taken aback by her question though. She had picked up on that, then. Still, he just might be able to sidestep answering the question directly. "And, what makes you think that?"

[bookcrazI]

Book: I sat cramped in the tiny barrel waiting for the druken pirates to pass out so I could get out and get some food. These pirates were such idiots that they didn't know that I was stowing away on thier ship to where ever the hell they were going. I think I was in some ship own by a Jack Sparrow but all I got were mumbles of what a luney he was and how he was unfit to captin a ship like this. I felt the boat run aground and two thumps on the floor indicating that I could get out, I couldn't help but wonder where we were. The main problem of stowing away was that half the time you didn't know where you're going let alone if you have a chance to get some food in your scrawny stomach. Even I, tiny and short, needed a fair amount of food. I was starving most of the time but that was the life I had to live with.

good?

[BariJoy]

The crew, none too happy to be in the bayou swamps where the voodoo queen practiced her dark magic, stayed below deck, where, hopefully, they would be safe from any stray curses. Barbossa, who was second in command under Jack, stood at the head of the group of pirates. "Ay, lads, lads!" he called for attention. After a few moments, the clamouring pirates finally were still and silent.

"The time is almost ripe," Barbossa continued, "Once good ol' Captain Sparrow," he said the name as though it disgusted him, "Has led us to the last piece, we shall rebel. The time has come for-"

"Mutiny!" almost all the pirates rang out.

[Gifty]

Jack met that proclamation with a raised eyebrow. Though he knew enough of human nature to realize she was just trying to be annoying, it still worked. He was rather taken aback by her question though. She had picked up on that, then. Still, he just might be able to sidestep answering the question directly. "And, what makes you think that?"

Atlantia: " They way you lo'k at 'er." I said to him smiling wide. " So where dose the fancy compass say you want eh Jack?" I asked raising an eyebrow and grinning.

[BariJoy]

For a moment, Jack didn't know how to respond to that first part. At length, he admitted, "Well, we have known each other rather well for some time now." In response to her question, he pulled out the rather plain looking compass. "Fancy compass says..." he watched the needle swing around until it finally landed still, "Go that way."

[Gifty]

Atlantia: I yelled to my crew. " Get your sorry selves up and ready to cast off." To jack afterwards. " Great. and what lies that a ways?" I asked him.

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