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LADY OF THIEVES Author: cr8zee4rum Disclaimer: I do not own POTC. Summary: Jack and his crew are in need of some outside help to retrieve a certain trinket, and who better to turn to than the greatest thief the Spanish Main has ever seen? * * * * * PROLOGUE - Holly “Watch where yer goin’, wench!” The pirate shouts when you bump into him. You say nothing in reply but smirk triumphantly, feeling the cold metal trinket in your palm. Yet another easy steal. A black Mardi Gras mask adorns your face, and both your breeches and shirt are black. They are your nightclothes, your work clothes. During the day, you still usually wear breeches, though hardly ever your black ones since work and play should not be mixed. As you walk down the street towards the Faithful Bride, you nick a necklace from a whore’s neck. She is too busy with her client to notice anyway. What had started out as a mere means of survival on the despicable pit that you call home has turned into a huge success. The stories and fables that are told about you, never mind their falseness, are that to rival even Jack Sparrow’s. Ah, yes, Captain Jack Sparrow, you smile at the way his name sounds. He had docked his ship, the Black Pearl, an hour or so ago, and already he has a whore on his lap and rum in his hand. He is too old for you, but good looking nonetheless. A drunken man sways past you, which gives you the perfect opportunity to swipe his pocket watch. It will sell for a pretty penny. You smirk. Mr. Henry Hoode will be willing to pay a good price for all of tonight’s knickknacks. Tomorrow morning you would go to make the exchange. Well, ‘Holly’ would go to make the transition. One thing that Hoode doesn’t know is that there are no other persons helping you. ‘Holly’ is simply the name you use when the mask is off, though the name is just a fake as your title. The Lady of Thieves is a perfect title as far as you’re concerned; besides, no one needs to know your real name. Having stolen enough trinkets for the night, you decide to leave the noisy bar and return home. The crowded bar makes your job of slipping in and out unnoticed easy; a skill you have developed over the past few years. You are almost to the door when a nearby conversation catches your attention. “…Holly is one of her accomplices. She makes all of the transactions to Hoode,” the skinny Jamaican man explains to the portly man with large sideburns and the mulatto woman. The Jamaican man leans across the table and whispers, “They say that the Lady is the best thief in the world, and she’d steal the hair off of your back if given the chance.” “Hair off my back?” The mulatto woman asks, disbelievingly. “Aye, had it happen to one fellow.” You roll your eyes at the absurdity of the story. Sure, you are probably one of the best thieves in the city of Tortuga, but you highly doubt that you could steal the hair off of someone’s back. No longer interested in what the man has to say, you slip out of the door and walk down the street towards your house. Tonight you take a more direct route than usual, only turning down a few alleys. On the outskirts of the rowdy town is an abandoned inn, or well, most of an abandoned inn anyway. Part of it burned down many years before you were born, though it still has enough standing to make the place livable. The first level, like most of the current inns in Tortuga, is a bar, and the upper level is reserved for rooms, your room being the farthest from the front door. After you enter your room, you immediately slide the wooden crossbar in front of the door. Even if you are on the outskirts of town, this is still Tortuga, and you weren’t taking any chances. Before removing your mask, you strike a match against the heel of your faded black boot and light several candles. Once the room has been illuminated, you place your mask on the bed and proceed to empty out your pockets. Tonight was successful. Let’s hope tomorrow can be as well. * * * * * CHAPTER 1 - Sleight of Hand Henry Hoode owns a thrift shop just down the road from the docks. As usual, you walk into his shop straight into the back to his office and dump the trinkets from last night onto the desk. “Good mornin’, Holly,” Hoode says. He is a balding man, though the gray hair on his hands makes up for his shiny head. His dark eyes scan the stolen trinkets, calculating a price for the lot. Pulling at the stubble on his chin, he says, “Twenty-five.” “Twenty-five?” you exclaim, outraged at the low price. “The Lady said that she wants at least one hundred, but I’d be willing to sell for seventy-five,” you say in your sweetest possible voice. Hoode chews on the inside of his cheek, thinking it over. “Holly, I’ll give you fifty for the lot and a bottle of rum for the Lady.” “The Lady has no interest in alcohol, sir.” “Sixty.” “Seventy-five or no deal.” Hoode rolls his eyes, knowing that he cannot convince you of a lower price. “You strike a hard bargain, Holly; no wonder the Lady sends ye to do her bidding. Seventy-five in gold,” he agrees and walks back to his safe. While he is busy counting the gold, you pull one of the rings from the desk and pocket it. Hoode returns with a bag of gold, and you smile at him, nodding your silent thanks before leaving the shop. “Ah, Holly,” Hoode’s gruff voice calls to you just as you step out onto the cobblestone street. Dammit, he noticed. Acting innocent as always, you turn to face the man who is almost twice your height. “Give this to your boss. There’s big money in this job,” he hands you a sealed envelope and walks back into his shop. Maybe he didn’t notice, you muse, turning the envelope over. The seal, a small setting sun with a bird, is not one that you recognize. Shrugging you pocket the letter and stroll down the street. On your left is an alleyway that dead ends, but you duck into it anyway. Seventy-five gold pieces is far too much to be carrying all in one pocket through the streets of Tortuga; ergo, you slip some into each of your boots and spread more into other pockets. Satisfied with the money safely tucked away, you stroll back out of the alleyway and into the closest bar. * * * * There’s big money in this job. Of course that is only true if you decide to take this mystery job. You sit sipping your less-than-clean water and mull over your options. This job, if you take it, could let you have a large vacation, pay for new clothes and perhaps fund a few furnishings for the inn. And just imagine, it would be a feast every night, at least for a bit. Plus, there is a good possibility of getting off of this island for a little while, which could give you a nice mini-vacation. On the flipside, you don’t want anyone to think that you’ll always do little jobs like this. Your pick pocketing and bartering skills work just fine, so the need for this job is not entirely necessary. Besides, you have a hunch that this job will mean leaving Tortuga temporarily, and leaving would present the problem of getting (and even wanting to come) back. Though still skeptical, you decide to at least meet the sender of the request, or his boss as the case may be. Finding out a little more information before making the final decision won’t kill you, right? Right. * * * * The shouts, gunshots, and general roar of the town are still audible by the docks. The rumored Lady of Thieves stands facing the ocean as though waiting for someone. Your foot taps impatiently on the wood. “This job better be worth my time and trouble,” you mumble. “It will be, luv,” Jack Sparrow says, sauntering up behind you. You pivot on your heel to face him, and Jack nearly drops his bottle of rum at the sight of you. This can’t possibly be the Lady of Thieves! She’s far too young. “Luv, where’s your boss?” “I am the boss,” you smirk; everyone is always underestimating you because of your age. “How old are you?” “Does that really matter, Captain Sparrow?” you ask. “I am here on business. Hoode told Holly that this one is worth a lot of money.” “Ah, a businessman… er, woman, I see,” Jack drawls. “Well, luv, if it’s business you want, then perhaps we best find ourselves a place t’ do said business, savvy?” * * * * ‘More treasure than you can imagine’, the pirate has promised, and all you need to do is sail with him to England and retrieve a small locket. The job description seems easy enough, but because the request is from the Captain Jack Sparrow, your suspicions are high. He has said that the ship sets sail tomorrow at noon, which gives you plenty of time to make a decision. Noon also gives you a chance to get a little more information on both the pirate captain in front of you and his little adventure. Before Jack can order another round of rum, you push your still untouched mug at him. “I’m in no mood for rum,” you lie. “Have mine.” Jack raises the new mug in silent thanks and then takes a swig. “How is it that such a young lass is revered as being the best thief in the Spanish Main?” the pirate captain asks, still speculating your title. “I’m just that good.” “Uh-huh,” Jack pulls at his beard, deep in thought. “Prove it to me, luv, show me that you truly are the Lady of Thieves.” Not wanting to pass up such an easy challenge, you nod. “All right.” Quickly you skim the bar for a potential steal. The men at the table behind you are playing dice. The cleanest of those men seems to have Lady Lucky on his side, but as you watch the game more closely, you notice that he has just a good of a hand as you. Before handing the dice to the next player, he switches them. His dice are loaded. “Luv?” You glance at Jack. “I know what I’m stealing, one moment.” As you walk past Jack, you accidentally brush his shoulder with your arm. “Hello boys,” you greet. “D’ya mind if I join in the game?” “Ye got money t’ bet with?” You match the ante without hesitation. “Pull up a chair, lass,” the man hands you the dice. Jack watches you over the brim of his mug as you continue to lose money, silently wondering what the point of this is. “Looks like Lady Luck isn’t on my side tonight,” you let out a frustrated laugh as the dice stop rolling to show a five and a one. After handing the dice to the next player, you say, “I’m calling it quits, gents. I think I’ve lost enough money for the night.” “And what pray tell was the reason behind that madness?” Jack asks when you return. “The man on my left was the luckiest of the group because has loaded dice, well had loaded dice,” you explain rolling the pair onto the table. “He now has a pair of mine. His trick was good, but mine’s better.” Still not convinced, Jack says, “A simple sleight of hand, almost anyone on this spit of land could do it.” You grin, mischievously. “Perhaps you don’t want this back then?” you ask sweetly, holding Jack’s compass in plan view. Jack snatches it from your grasp, but before he can question, you say, “I brushed against you as I passed. My sleight of hand is good.” * * * * * Captain Jack Sparrow had told you to think about his offer and left you with your thoughts in the Bride. You sit silently, still weighing your options, although the promise of that amount of gold is quite tempting…Glancing around the rowdy bar, you decide that a little time away from this island will do you some good. All right, that’s settled. Now all I need is some information on Jack Sparrow… Swiftly you slip out of the bar and onto the equally rowdy streets. “Hey lad!” you call to a boy about your age, maybe a little younger. He glances at you worriedly. “What d’ya know about Jack Sparrow an’ his ship?” “The Black Pearl is a cursed ship,” the boy says and you roll your eyes. Finding out more information is going to be tricky since Captain Jack Sparrow has just as many, if not more, tales surrounding him as you do. Though you won’t let that fact get you down, you need to know the risks that you are taking should you embark on this little quest with him. “Boy, what’s you name?” “Nicholas.” “Listen, Nicholas, I have a lil’ task for you, and if you do it, I’ll pay you, half now,” you place a few gold coins in his hand, “Half later. I need you to find out all the information you can on Jack Sparrow. Meet me back here at sunrise, a’ight?” The boy, Nicholas, nods, but before he hurries away, you grab his forearm. “And I don’t want any stories with sea turtles.” Hoping that this boy will not just spend the few coins you gave him and forget to return with information, you release your hold on his arm and watch as he hurries away. * * * * Wait till the boys hear about this! Nicholas thinks as he ducks into the Faithful Bride, knowing that it is the bar that Captain Jack Sparrow himself likes to drink at. The Bride is a good place to start, but he knows that he will have to use other sources later. For a moment he wonders why the Lady would want to know about this particular pirate captain, but only for a moment. Nicholas shakes his head, which makes the blonde curly tresses bounce. Gotta stay focused… The din of the crowded bar makes it difficult to eavesdrop unless one is right next to the table of the conversation. This poses a particular problem for Nicholas, but he doesn’t let it taint his outlook, determined to find enough useful information for the Lady. Slowly he slips through the crowd. “…ck Sparrow planning this time?” Glancing around quickly, Nicholas finds a suitable nearby item to hide behind. The portly man with large sideburns replies, “Hard t’ tell when it comes to Jack Sparrow, Ana; you know that. Though bringing another women on board…” he shakes his head at the thought. “From what Jack said she’s hardly a women, Gibbs,” Anamaria says before topping off her bottle of rum. “Why we need the Lady in the first place is beyond me.” Nicholas’s jaw drops, this is a good job. * * * * The crew of the Black Pearl hurries to load the supplies onto the ship. Out of their way you stand with a small sack over your shoulder, feeling out of place. Jack barks a few orders to his men and then upon seeing you, saunters up to where you stand. “Made it I see, luv.” “Yeah,” you say, still watching the crew. “Where am I staying during this voyage, Captain?” If you say “my cabin”, I’ll have you castrated faster than you can say “opportune moment”. “In Anamaria’s cabin, unless of course you’d rather take your chances with the crew.” Your glare sends the silent message perfectly. “Thought not. Now, you got a name, luv?” Oh, bugger! You hadn’t thought of a fake name to give to the pirate Captain. ‘Holly’ is out of the question unless you want your cover blown. Should I just tell him ‘Miss’ or ‘Lady’ work fine? Wouldn’t that make me sound posh though? Jack watches as you debate what to tell him. “No name under the mask?” “Does it matter? Won’t you just call me ‘love’ anyway?” “And what of the crew, luv? Should they call you ‘luv’ as well?” Slowly you shake your head. “Then perhaps you should give me a name, eh?” You mutter your real name, and Jack smirks, which shows off the gold in his mouth. “Now that we’ve your name, perhaps the mask can come off so we can see the pretty face that goes with it?” “No,” you snap. Your source has been right on two things so far; let’s hope the rest of his information can be helpful later too. Jack holds his hands up palms facing outwards in mock apologetic form. “Didn’t mean any harm by it, luv, only a compliment. Though I wonder what your tan lines will look like after this trip.” “And I wonder what your tan line looks like from your bandana. You worry about your tan lines, and I’ll worry about mine,” you quip, walking up the gangplank and onto the Pearl, passing by several crewmembers on the way. “Cap’n!” Gibbs calls after you pass him. “What’s in yer head that’s got ye bringing another woman onboard? Women be bad luck, you know that.” “I think you’ll find the luck will be quite different,” Jack drawls, handing over the empty rum bottle to the quartermaster before sauntering off to speak with Anamaria, silently hoping that there will not be any slaps with this particular talk. * * * * * Like the rest of the crew, the mulatto woman helps to secure and load supplies onto the Black Pearl. Just before Jack reaches where she is, he rubs his cheek worriedly. Thankfully Anamaria does not wear any rings on her fingers; even still, his cheek has endured more pain than needed from her open palm. No slaps, please! He prays. “Ana, a word?” Anamaria passes off the barrel to the nearest crewmember and nods to Jack to show that he has her attention. “The lass, the Lady of Thieves, she can’t stay in the crew’s quarters.” “She is comin’ with us then?” “Aye, and since she is a lass, it would be appropriate for her to share your cabin…” Jack flashes her a hopeful grin, a grin that disappears almost immediately when he sees Anamaria’s displeased expression. “And jus’ where would I be sleeping?” “In your cabin of course!” Jack exclaims. “Now you two can have all those womanly gossips at night and…” he drops his hands to his sides, realizing his mistake. “Or you can jus’ ignore her at night; I’m sure she won’t be any trouble…” Ana raises her forefinger and points it menacing at Jack. “She better not be.” Jack smirks. With not a single slap so far, he chooses to continue the conversation. “Also, she doesn’t know much about ships, so if ye could keep an eye out for her…” “What?” Jack winces at her outburst. P’haps I should’ve left the conversation as it was… he thinks, wryly. “Jack, look at ‘er! She’s only a lil’ girl! We don’ need her, and I shouldn’t have to be the one to show ‘er the ropes! I will not be playin’ babysitter for some pickpocket! You’ve gone too far!” “Actually, luv, we do need her. She’s…ow!” Jack closes his eyes in frustration while rubbing his sore cheek with his palm. “Definitely didn’t deserve that one.” “Like hell you didn’t,” Ana snaps and storms up the gangplank. She slows as she passes by you on the deck. “I can always sleep in the crows nest if it makes you feel better,” you say. “Though I suppose that would pose a slight problem for the night watch.” Anamaria glares at you, continuing her way down to her cabin. “Do you enjoy slapping the captain? It does look like fun,” you call after her, which makes her pause briefly and smile. She turns and calls back, “Ye coming or are ye gonna sleep on deck?” Swiftly you snatch you bag of belongings and jog to catch her. * * * * Anamaria’s cabin is not overly spacious, but it still has enough room to fit both you and her comfortably. There are two chests at the far end of the room, one of which has clothes hanging over the edge. Candles adorn the room, and an unlit lantern sits on the ground beneath her hammock. Ana walks to the left wall and moves the little table further from the corner. “I’ll get ye a hammock, and ye can set it up here.” She leaves the room only to return a few moments later with the promised hammock bundled in her arms. “Here,” she dumps the bundle into your arms, “Now I have t’ get back on deck. Don’t get in the way.” “Wasn’t planning on it,” you mumble as she leaves. You sigh, this is gonna be a long trip to England. As you settle into your temporary room, you run through the information that Nicholas had given you this morning. He didn’t make any mention on the mulatto woman, Anamaria, although some of the other crewmembers that you saw on the docks were mentioned, proving that his information is at least somewhat accurate. After the hammock is hanging to your satisfaction, you sit down in it, pull off your mask, and place it in your lap. You run your hands through your chestnut-color locks to detangle it before putting it in low pigtails. Glancing down at your lap, you debate whether or not to put the mask back on; after all, Jack had brought up a good point about your tan lines. They probably will look rather ridiculous if you keep the mask on during this trip. Not on the first night. You decide, replacing the simple mask and walk onto the deck. It’s the first time you’ve ever been on a ship, and you’re not planning on staying below the entire time. As you step onto the deck, a sudden realization hits you. I’m on his turf now. Quickly you shake your head; you just have to keep your guard up and wits about you. The crew is busying themselves while Jack barks orders, waving his arms about, extravagantly. As one of the crew passes, you knick his earring and pocket it. The fact that he didn’t even flinch in the slightest when your fingers had unhooked it makes you smile. I’m good, you think smugly. Jack calls your name and motions for you to go to him. As he speaks, he takes no heed to your personal space, invading it freely. “After we’re out to open sea, I’ll introduce ya to me crew, so meet me at the helm, savvy?” “I am not a dog, Captain. I won’t just come whenever you call.” Jack frowns, but something behind you catches his attention and he shouts an order to the crewman before answering you. “As your Captain…” You roll your eyes. “Fine, pull rank on me. The helm it is.” * * * * Several hours later you approach the helm as promised. Jack’s eyes are focused on the horizon, so if he has noticed your approach, he hasn’t shown it. He whips open his compass, studies it for a moment, adjusts the wheel slightly, and then snaps the compass shut. “Woof.” Jack chuckles to himself. “Thought you weren’t a dog, luv?” “Ah, well dogs usually get treats when they do what their masters want. I am in it for the possible treat,” you reason. “So let’s get this over with quickly.” “Aye,” he says, slipping a rope over the wheel to keep it steady. Jack leads you down the stairs onto the deck. “All hands on deck!” It amazes you how quickly the crew complies. “Right, now this lil’ lass is the Lady of Thieves and she’ll be joining us on our lil’ venture t’ help us retrieve a few things. Treat her like you would your mother, savvy?” The crew’s replies range from simple nodding of heads to “aye’s”. Damn straight you better not touch me. If you do, I’ll kick your sorry arses from here to East India. Jack leads you to the portly man, Gibbs, the superstitious one; you smile when you’re correct. “He’s the quartermaster. And this is Anamaria, the first mate, but you already met her, aye?” “Pleasure, I’m sure,” you nod in their general direction with a false smile plastered on your face. Gibbs nods in return and then returns to his duties, and you think that you hear him muttering something about ‘bad luck’ before he takes a swig from his canteen. “Now, lass, Ana will be teachin’ you the ropes…” “Wait what?” “Ye didn’t actually think you’d get a free ride?” Ana asks. You roll your eyes, knowing that it was stupid of you to think that in the first place. “Fine, fine. The only thing I won’t do is cook, got that?” “You’ll do what Ana tells you to.” “Right, and when your ship is on fire because I burnt something, you just remember that I did what Ana told me to,” you snap, yet you instantly regret it upon seeing the look on Jack’s face. “Don’t. Ever. Threaten. Me. Pearl. Savvy?” He turns and saunters back up the stairs to the helm. “Ooh, big scary pirate captain is protective over his ship! Don’t threaten my ship,” you mock under your breath. You exhale and turn your attention to Anamaria. “So what am I doing?” Anamaria grins, thinking that teaching you might not be as bad as she originally thought. “Cooking,” she jokes, leading you below. TBC... |