She's a Pirate (Jack Sparrow)

17. Negotiations

My only friend was the man in the moon, and even sometimes he would go away too.

~●~○~●~

After ten years, Jack Sparrow finally set foot onto the Black Pearl again. Bo'sun forcefully pushed him forward while Narissa followed after them, side by side with her father.

When Bo'sun released his grip from Jack's shoulders, Narissa approached the man. He looked around at the dark ship, from the helm to the top of its broken sails, searching for any damage on the vessel. A trace of longing and pain tainted his eyes. A slight frown sat between his eyebrows as memories of the ship flooded his mind. It was obvious that he had missed it terribly. She didn't know everything that he had done for the Pearl, she didn't know he had risked his life for it, she didn't know the agreement he had done to get it in the first place. But she did know the love he felt for it; other people wouldn't understand it, but she did. Jack without the Black Pearl was Jack without freedom. They should never be separated.

Narissa walked in silence towards him. She could almost hear his thoughts. "She's as beautiful as I remember her," she told him, referring to the ship as a female, like it was common between sailors.

A small smile played on Jack's lips and he murmured "She is. But I expected your father would have taken better care of 'er." He glanced at the ripped sails and ran a hand along the wooden rail with a sigh.

"You'll get her back. She's always been yours," she assured him, holding his hand in hers. Something made his heart skip a beat. Maybe it was the softness of her voice or the warmth of her hand on top of his.

"I will get her back." He wasn't sure what he was referring to. The ship? The woman in front of him? Both?

Barbossa stood between the couple, breaking their contact. He looked at his daughter and then at Jack questioningly, still wondering how they had found each other and why she had joined him. "You two come to me' cabin," he ordered and both of them followed him inside.

Barbossa sat at the table, a small monkey stood beside him. Narissa looked at the animal, who quickly left his place on the table and ran to her, settling on her shoulder. It wasn't the same monkey that accompanied her father years before; he used to have another one named Polly, but she unfortunately died when his ship was sunk, some months before meeting Jack. Apparently, he acquired this new monkey after Narissa left him.

While Jack didn't seem to give it much importance, Barbossa looked extremely curious at the animal's closeness to the woman. His pet didn't grow fond of people easily, but the monkey nestled his tiny head on her neck. She gently, but reluctantly, petted his thin fur.

"He likes ye'," Barbossa commented, but she decided to ignore him and simply sat at the desk in front of him. The monkey left her shoulder to run back to his master's side. The captain turned to Jack. "I can guess that you want to negotiate for the Pearl."