Jeff the Accountant Escapes the Wretched Burning Depths of Hades

Lucius Spriggs, Teacher

Blackbeard and Lucius made themselves comfortable; as comfortable as possible, in the sparsely furnished, dimly lit room Blackbeard had commandeered as his office.

"Okay, what's the help you want, Ed? Are we still okay with 'Ed', or..." Lucius's prodding brought an expression to Blackbeard's face somewhere between threatening and disagreeable.

The scribe realized that he would need to become bilingual. With English as his first language, and "what does Blackbeard mean when he says that or has that look on his face" as his second.

"Address me how you wish. I only require respect when you do so."

Blackbeard's expression was, in Lucius's estimation, serious, but not threatening. "Ed, what is it you want help with?" he asked.

"I want you to teach me to write."

Thinking for a moment, Lucius replied "uh huh, okay. Give me your gun."

Removing the pistol from it's holster, Edward asked "Are you bargaining?" He handed the pistol to Lucius.

The scribe was sure of Ed's tone and facial expressions. Agreeable and a little amused; ready to get down to business.

"Am I to teach you to use that thing in exchange for you teaching me what I ask?"

Lucius turned the gun over in his hand, aloofly. "Mmm, no, I don't think so. Just not my thing, guns. Beautiful metal work, though"

"Then why..." Blackbeard started.

"I don't want you to have access to this when the words on the page you're trying to decipher cause you irritation."

"What? Oh - you think I need you to teach me to read. That's not what I said. I want you to teach me to write. I can read, boy. Get this - I can even read music!" "Guess you didn't expect that from your ol' captain. Just can't write. Was never patient enough to master it. Plus, everyone was always willing to just have me make my X and call it a day."

"Okay, well that's, that's different, I guess. I think we can make that happen." Lucius said. "It's not something I've ever tried, but what the heck? If you're game..."

"I want you to take this seriously, boy."

Blackbeard was definitely sad when he said that. There was no mistaking his tone or expression or posture. At that moment Lucius felt a lot of sympathy for his "ol' captain".

"This is really important to you." Lucius said.

"It is. I mean, you've damn near written a whole book for Stede. As his scribe, keeping his journal. I'd like to be able to write...just a few lines." Ed was a million miles away. "...just a few words."

"So Blackbeard hopes to find him?" Lucius thought. "To find Stede somehow?"

"So." Blackbeard brought himself out of his melancholy. "Where do we start?"