Upon completion of my application.

[thepirateking]

I'll have you know, dearest authoress, that I have absolutely no intention whatsoever of "behaving myself" on my arrival in this sorry excuse for a port, and I hardly think there's a soul alive who could blame me for that. You're already depriving me of my ship and my--... my First Mate. I think a little disorientation and anger are to be expected!

And don't you dare bring my son into this. What on earth has he got to do with it? Remember; the more difficult you make things for me, the more difficult I can make things for you.

--Cpt. Elizabeth Turner

Comments

[theimp]

But if you must go, would you really prefer to leave him behind?

[thepirateking]

Never. I'm not concerned with whatever it is she thinks she can threaten me with by dangling the spectre of danger over my son's head. He's handled life aboard a pirate's ship just fine, and he's four years old.

I doubt there's much more she can do to us in this city that quite honestly hasn't been done to myself and my family already, and a thousand times worse.

[theimp]

Well... good. But then if Baedal is safer, perhaps it is not terrible to bring him there?

[thepirateking]

Let me be clear: I want my son with me. What I don't like is him being torn away from his family and his home and everything he's ever known only to start a new life somewhere else entirely from scratch. I'm not exactly thrilled about the prospect myself, but as it's unavoidable, I'm resigned to impotent fury, if that's perfectly all right with you.

[theimp]

Well, nothing could be more pleasant than understanding your motives, so I would have to say that suits me fine, thank you.

[thepirateking]

I'm ever so glad I could help.

[bottlearum]

[Have a snort of laughter.]

When have you ever behaved yerself? I can think of no such time.

[thepirateking]

[Oh. It's you. Have a begrudgingly fond smile, Jack.]

Jack. Perhaps you can think of some way to persuade her, since try as I might I don't seem to be making much of an impact. It's like trying to shout down a tidal wave, only I don't think a tidal wave would look so bloody gleeful about the prospect of upending my life as I know it.

[bottlearum]

[Pffft, begrudgingly nothing. You know you love him.]

Aye, luv. Tryin' t' reason with yer mun is downright impossible at times. I should know, me own's downright intolerable.

[thepirateking]

How precisely I'm meant to "remain calm" in the face of all this is entirely beyond me, and goodness knows she's been notably silent on the matter.

[a beat.] With my son involved! My son! I should have her at the end of my blade for this. [GRUMBLENUMPH.] And what James is going to do when the two of us suddenly disappear, I shudder to think. The man is many things, but being quick to deduce the supernatural nature of things has never exactly been one of them.

[bottlearum]

Ah, so that's where ye've been all this time, aye? With bloody Norrington?

[Pause.]

Wait, no. No. I swear he died.

[Now you've just confused him.]

[thepirateking]

...Well, he did. But you of all people should know how temporary that condition is these days!

[Thanks to Elizabeth's legendary guilt complex, SOMEONE took another little trip to World's End after Will went back to his ferryman-of-the-dead career. Hey, she needed SOMEONE to be her second-in-command! Especially when she found out she was pregnant. That was a fun day.]

...Really, it's a much less taxing of a journey the second time around.

[bottlearum]

[Have a smile, my dear Elizabeth.]

I wouldn't know, would I? I've never had to travel to the Locker to rescue a man I've killed.

Twice.

[thepirateking]

[Thankfully, Elizabeth is, by now, far too much of a pirate to let a little thing like the reminder that she has a tendency to be directly responsible, in one way or another, for the deaths of people she cares about do much more than annoy her.

But it's a very visible annoyance, at least. Small victories, Jack.]

Yes, well. I did ask him to come with me that time, you know. If he wasn't so bloody honorable I'd never have had to make that second trip in the first place. It seems to be quite a common failing of the men in my life.

[bottlearum]

[He will take all the victories he can get. Even if they are small.

He raises both of his eyebrows, as well as both of his index fingers.]

A common failing of the men, says you? I'd say the failing has more t' do with you, luv. Killin' all the reliable men in yer life don't exactly sound like the greatest plan I'd ever heard. And I've heard some bad plans in me life.

[thepirateking]

From your point of view, I'm sure it does. And for the record, I did not kill James. The sword of a crewman on the Dutchman was responsible enough for that, I think you'll find. And I'm still not certain as to whether Will qualifies as alive or dead in his current state, but considering I'm in possession of his still-beating heart in a box, one could make a strong argument towards the latter.

Though I'm still not certain how that could be remotely considered to be my fault. Even you have to admit he was rather determined to reach that goal regardless of the obvious consequences. What sort of wife would I have been to stand in the way of that dream?

[bitter? oh, a tad. Though it's probably just from, you know, being left utterly alone in the world and having to raise her and her husband's child on her own because he just had to become Captain of the Flying bloody Dutchman and abandon his wife and child for ten bloody years. nbd.]

[bottlearum]

[Jack's going to take offense to that, actually.]

I did you a favor, luv. It ain't my fault Bootstraps stabbed his own son. I did right by me. At least ye can see him every ten years instead of, oh, never.

[thepirateking]

I'm certain that will be of great comfort to his son, who is very much of the age where questions like "Why doesn't my father love me enough to come home" are asked of me practically every hour, on the hour.

[It ain't easy being a single mom, even when you're a Pirate Lord. Still, though, at least she's got Norrington to help out! Oh god that poor kid.]

[bottlearum]

Seems t' be a family tradition, aye? Turner fathers bein' unable t' take care of their sons 'cause of supernatural oddities.

He'll get over it. William certainly did.

[Hey, if you ask nicely, Jack'd possibly consider helping out. He'd be such a good influence on the kid! 8D]

[gramarye]

Threats don't really work... sorry. I think they think they are funny.

I'm sorry about your son. That's not fair.