The first thing Jack had noticed about his newest and only prisoner was that her eyes matched the exact color of the ocean. He wasn't the type to go all sentimental about things like that, but he hadn't been able to resist the feeling that he was being sucked into the dark depths. That is, before those same eyes were forced to close under his hand. Under the first crack of his compass did the woman fall, her body limp at his feet. He didn't want to hit her, but she would only suffer from a headache when she next woke.
"Who is she?" Jack asked as his crew approached. They skidded to a stop when spotting her on the floor. Ragetti hesitated and pushed Pintel forward. The balding man wrung his hands, staring up at his captain.
"Well, sir... I was purchasing some company for the night when that woman attacked me. Claimed to be the whore's daughter and was protecting her mum." He said.
"Almost broke me foot." Ragetti muttered under his breath. Jack nodded slowly and moved the body with the tip of his foot, eyeing the woman. She was slender and looked nothing like a whore's daughter. Her skin was slightly tanned from probably being outside a lot, and her straight black hair framed her high cheek bones. He was confused as to why she was wearing men's clothing, but he knew a bonnie lass who did the same thing in the past.
"And you chased her onto my shop, why?" Jack looked back to his crew.
"N-No reason... She brought it upon herself, sir." Said a different man.
"Right because if you weren't fools enough to keep your tempers in check for at least a second, we wouldn't have an unneeded passenger. Gibbs, she can sleep in the brig. Let her have something to cover with." Jack waved them off, but the entire crew remained where they stood.
"But Captain, it's bad luck to have a woman aboard." Gibbs said. Jack went to speak, but he was cut off.
"We ain't got no time for a captive." Ragetti said.
"I-" Jack went to speak again, but no one was giving him the chance.
"Why do we have to bring her? She ain't going to be any use to us, unless..." Pintel nudged his friend and laughed. The others joined in, advancing on the woman's body.
"Oi!" Jack grabbed his pistol and fired it into the air, the sound stopping his men dead in their tracks,
"I said take her to the brig. No one will lay an ill-intended hand on the missy, save for me. If you remember, I told you all I wanted to make our presence here unknown, but you made it ridiculously clear that we are. We haven't time to drop her anywhere, so do as I say. Gibbs, brig. The rest of you slimy cur get ready to make sail."
"Aye..." Everyone but Gibbs left to do their jobs. Lifting the girl gently, Gibbs took her to the brig. He'd set her in one of the cells, tossing in a blanket when he returned with one. He made to lock the door and leave her in the inch of water that was sloshing about, but then he reconsidered. Gibbs stepped in and unfolded the blanket, laying it over the curled up body. She looked innocent while lying there, and it made him feel bad.
"Lock her up?" Jack asked once Gibbs returned to his side.
"Aye, captain. No need to worry, she's not going to get out." His first-mate assured him. Jack gripped the pegs on the wheel and smirked, swaying with the movements of the ship as it began to leave port.
"She shouldn't, 'less she thinks like the whelp." Jack said, looking to Gibbs. A smile crossed the man's face. Will Turner was, indeed, the captain of the Flying Dutchman, but he was still the eunuch he had met back in Port Royal.
"We don't be needing another one of him." Gibbs muttered.
They weren't getting another William Turner, but a woman who was determined to be set free. Naomi shook the door of her cell as hard as she possibly could, screaming up to the decks. Only twice did someone come down to tell her to shut up, but she refused both times. And as hard as it was to ignore her curses, Jack was smiling. The others were more than annoyed with her, but the captain wasn't going to allow them to progress with their methods.
"No doubt she learned her screaming from her mum, eh?" Jack nudged Gibbs as he manned the wheel, compass in hand. Gibbs grunted and felt his black and white beard.
"As familiar as it sounds, it kept me up all night." He complained. The rest of the crew would have agreed with simple body language; their movements were lagged and motivation scarce. If not for Jack's telling them to work, they would have likely went down to the brig and tossed her to the sharks. Jack, on the other hand, didn't mind. He liked the sound, as perverse as it was.
"Bring her up." He said. Gibbs went wide eyed.
"She's a she-devil, Jack! Tear us limb from limb she will." He said fearfully. Jack frowned.
"You're afraid of a little biting and scratching, mate? In that case, I think I'll fetch the lass." Jack took a step, but Gibbs stopped him before he took another.
"Er, I'll do it." And so he did, but not without a fight. Naomi wasn't as vicious as Gibbs and the others claimed, but she had a fire in her. When she was jerked and pulled up the stairs, Jack went straight to staring at her body. Her clothes were soaked from laying in the water, her hair matted to her face and head.
"Stop touching me!" She yelled, struggling greatly.
"I don't think you'll be saying that for much longer, missy." Jack said, approaching her. Naomi stopped instantly and stared up at him, shrinking a little. The grimy, greasy and toothless men she had seen didn't intimidate her in the slightest, but this one did. The tri-corn hat, piercing brown eyes, dreads falling to his shoulders. There was a cutlass and pistol on his belt, and that was mostly the reason why she had gone quiet. Not to mention, she had done the math. This was The Black Pearl and she had been dragged to this certain man. There was no doubt in her mind that he was Jack Sparrow, the very same one she had read about.
"What are you going to do with her?" Ragetti asked eagerly. Everyone had crowded behind Naomi and Gibbs, watching and waiting.
"There are plenty of things I could do to her, some of them more pleasant than others." Jack said, running a finger along the drooping collar of her too-large shirt. Naomi growled.
"I pray, for your own good, that you won't do that again." She said. Jack smirked and leaned closer to her.
"You're in no position to be making demands or prayers, darling. You're on my ship, and you'll do as I say and say nothing when I'm doing. Savvy?" He said. Naomi leaned her head back, but she could only go so far when Gibbs held her hands behind her.
"Dirty pirate..." Naomi said under her breath. Jack smirked, the same smirk he used when he had knocked her out cold the night before.
"That I am, love. You want to find out how dirty I can really be?" He tempted, moving Gibbs away. Naomi gasped and stumbled back, sending a swift kick to the one thing that made Jack a man. His hand caught her foot and pushed her back, his crew moving back to allow her room to fall. A cutlass was drawn quick, the tip pointed to her throat.
"You've got two choices. You can work on me ship and live, or I can throw over and feed the sharks. Up to you, but I think I know which one you'll like better." He said. Naomi breathed heavily as she stared to the glinting blade, her eyes going up the entire length. They stopped at Jack, mainly his eyes.
"I'll work for you... when pigs fly." She spat. Jack snarled and pushed the tip under her chin.
"You'll be wishing you could fly soon enough, love." He said. Naomi frowned when she was hauled to her feet and dragged back down to her cell. Gibbs was less rough about it this time, letting her step in herself.
"It's not my place to be saying this, but it might be best if you do as he says. Jack's not the kind to kill someone without a very good reason. Don't give him a reason... I'll be down to bring you food." Gibbs looked down to the floor, taking his leave. Naomi grabbed the cell door and watched him leave, sighing once he was out of earshot. She eyed the blanket that was bobbing along with the water, but she wasn't dreading the cold and unpleasant sleep she was doomed to endure. No, she was wondering if what she had said was wise. No... She knew she had made a mistake. Instead of taking the easier path, she had thrown her life away.
"It's not like I wanted to be on this ship in the first place. If they hadn't tried to buy mum..." Gripping the bars, she groaned and let her head hit them once. Her forehead rested on the rusting metal, eyes on the floor. She felt horribly betrayed by her family and fate. Her father had left because he didn't want any children, her mother and sisters were earning money in the most despicable way possible, and now she was sitting in the brig with her feet soaked in an inch of cold, rancid water. She had no idea how she was going to get out of this, or what she'd do if the pervious even worked out.
'But you have to admit, it's rather exciting being on a pirate ship.' Said a voice from no where. Naomi blinked and looked around, but no one was there. Then she realized it was her voice, but it was inside her head.
"Oh, bloody... I'm talking to myself." She muttered.
'Everyone does it when they're lonely, scared, worried...'
"I'm not scared." She said strongly, gripping the bars tighter. There was a small chuckle inside her head when she said this, but she was trying to suppress it.
'You're very scared, kid. You don't want to die, yet your stubbornness is going to result in your body being bait. To be honest, I'm a little scared myself.'
"Oh, shut up. You can't be scared because I'm not." Naomi sighed.
'Why fight it?'
"Because there's nothing to fight. If I was scared, they'd know it and something worse might happen." Looking to the stairs that Gibbs had lead her down, she'd narrow her eyes.
'Then why are you shaking?' With that said, the crazy feeling she got when talking to herself vanished. She let go of the bars and stepped back, staring down at her hands. They were shaking terribly, as was the rest of her body. Under the cold and wetness, she could tell it was from fear. Shuddering, Naomi fell to the back of the cell and sat against the wall, covering her face. Her plan to be rough and tough was failing, and now she was doomed to be crushed by the sea.
"No, I can't. I'm not going to let myself die." She muttered, face still buried in her hands. She knew she would have to accept everything Jack said, no matter how silly the order, if she wanted to live. That was what she wanted, at least until they next reached port. Naomi hoped that was soon, but her only chance to ask forgiveness was when Gibbs clumped downstairs to give her dinner. It had been a good few hours since she was last put in the cell, and she was hungry.
"How are you?" Gibbs asked, closing the cell again. Naomi shrugged and shoveled in her food, setting the plate down once she was done.
"Tired, full, sore, wet, cold... Normal, right?" She said, staring at him. Gibbs nodded and sighed.
"Listen... Jack's willing to give you a second chance. The others aren't to pleased by the idea, but it's only up to you and him." He said. Naomi stretched her arms up and tilting her head, groaning.
"Previous conditions still in play, I assume?" She asked.
"Aye."
"Fine. I suppose I'll work for him, but I'm to be treated like everyone else." Said Naomi. Gibbs shifted uncomfortably.
"That's not for me to say, so it's best if I take you to him." The door was unlocked again, but Gibbs didn't take her arms. Naomi cautiously stepped out and to the stairs. There was no way she was going to jump ship, so there was no reason she needed to be bound. Gibbs lead her to the helm where, as expected, Jack was standing. Another man was standing near him, one that had a brightly colored bird on his shoulder.
"Shark bait. Shark bait." It squawked, flapping its wings. The man holding it, covered its black beak, glancing to the girl. In the short while that she had been prisoner here, she had gained a reputation. That one night of hateful screaming and curses had earned her the name 'She-Devil', though she wasn't fond of it. She was expected to be a wild woman now, one who was going to tear into any man that dared to even touch a hair on her head. Naomi knew she could do it if she was provoked, but now wasn't the time.
"Cute bird..." She muttered.
"You should hear him sing." Jack said, finally shifting to face her. His hands were still on the wheel, but his eyes were on her.
"Bet it's lovely." Naomi looked down, avoiding looking into his eyes. There was something about his eyes that both calmed and infuriated her, and she had no idea which feeling would come out if she looked. Jack smirked and leaned against the wheel.
"So you've agreed to work, have you? Pull your weight?" He asked. Naomi looked up.
"What makes you think that?" She asked. She was going to work, but she wondered how he knew.
"I figured you'd put up one last fight before being tossed overboard. Since you've become to calm, I'm guessing you're admitting defeat." He said, poking at her nerves. Naomi grimaced and took a step forward, but Jack stepped back and frowned, "Why aren't her hands tied?"
"Sorry, captain." Gibbs made to grab her hands, but Naomi whipped around and pointed at his pudgy face.
"Touch me and I'll use you as a club." She said. Gibbs paled a little and stumbled back. Jack raised a brow.
"You're a tough girl, I'm sure you can handle anything thrown at you." That's when a rag was literally thrown at her. Pintel snickered from where he was, but dashed away when Naomi pulled the cloth from her face.
"Yes, captain..." She was finally bowing down to his ways and authority. They had made it appear as if they hadn't been listening, but some of the crew groaned.
"You'll polish our boots every night-"
"What for? Can't you take care of your own things?" Naomi asked, frowning. Jack went silent when she interrupted. When she saw a flash of anger in his face, she stammered. "Sorry. Polish the crew's boots, and...?"
"Scrub the deck clean, and any other odd jobs I'm in need of seeing be done. And every once and a while, you'll have a special job." Jack winked and motioned for Gibbs to take her away. Naomi's jaw dropped. All pirates had on their minds was rum, treasure and women. She wasn't going to let herself be used in that sort of way, but it didn't hurt to do a little hard work. She thought it would be better than being treated like a lady, like all she was capable of doing was being pretty and standing. No, Jack was right. She was going to pull her weight around her now. But it wasn't as simple as she thought it was going to be.
