Sisters in everything but blood

| Chapter 2 |

Julia, Diana, and Jack were now nearing Port Royal, the girls trying to get the water out of the small boat, Jack was perched on the mast looking over at the harbor. The three then look over at the skeletal remains of four pirates, still clad in buccaneer rags, hang from gallows erected on a rocky promontory. There is a fifth, unoccupied gallows, bearing a sign: PIRATES - YE BE WARNED. The three pirates salute to the corpses, Jack taking off his head. "Oi! Jack! Stop sunbathing and get the hell down here!" Diana calls, waving the bucket threateningly in his direction, Julia glaring up at him. He huffs but comes down, helping the young women with the water. It seems like The Jolly Mon won't be setting sail anytime soon...or more like ever again. Jack then steps back to the tiller and using a single sheet to control the sail, and the Jolly Mon comes around the promontory, the whole of Port Royal laid out before them. A huge British dreadnought, H.M.S. Dauntless dominates the bay. But Jack's attention is on a different ship: the H.M.S. Interceptor, a small sleek vessel with rail guns and a mortar in the middle of the main deck. It is tied up at the Navy landing, at the base of the cliffs below Fort

Charles. "That ship?" Julia asks, pointing at it. "Aye, that ship." He grins and the girls look at the ship judgementally, before looking at each other and back at Jack, they give him grins and nods, approving.

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Once they reach the harbor the three pirates are perched on the mast, backs straights and giving so signs of concern about the slowly sinking ship under their legs. Once they reach the harbor the three of them step onto the wooden planks at the same time. The ship disappearing under the water right after. They continue walking as if nothing happened when the Harbormaster walks up to them with a small, skinny boy following, the man is clad in rich clothes, his accent is as British as it is snobbish. "It's a shilling for the dock space, and you're going to have to give me your names." Diana scoffs behind her hand at how important the rat is acting, she would rather punch him then give him her money. Julia elbows her slightly, as much as she hates these guys too, they have to play their roles for now. Jack turns to the harbormaster with his typical charming, mischievous smile. "What do you say to three shillings, and we forget the names?" He tosses three shillings onto the ledger. The Harbormaster considers, then shuts the ledger on the coins and steps aside. "Welcome to Port Royal, Mr. and Misses Smith." Jack gives him a half-salute as he goes past. Dia making a mocking face at him once his back is to her and Julia hiding a smirk behind her head, as they pass the small boy who was by the harbormaster's 'station' Diana takes the money pouch, looks inside, pull out her own and puts some of her money inside the other pouch, leaving a nice amount in her old. She then tosses the old one to the small boy, smiling. They continue walking and look across the water toward the Interceptor and smile.

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Two sailors on sentry duty, Murtogg and Mullroy, take advantage of what little shade there is on the dock. But when Jack with the girls saunters up, they are immediately on alert. "This dock is off-limits to civilians." Jack looks surprised, of course faking it along with the girls. "Sorry, we didn't know." Music drifts down from Fort Charles. Julia looks up, shielding her eyes. "Some sort of to-do up at the fort, eh? You two weren't invited?" She asks. "No ... someone has to make sure this dock stays off-limits to civilians." Diana steps up next, playing along. "That's a fine goal gentlemen. This must be some important boat then." Mullroy then corrects her. "Ship." Diana makes an 'o' face. "Ship." Murtogg speaks up next. "Captain Norrington's made it his flagship. He'll use it to hunt down the last dregs of piracy on the Spanish Lake." He looks rather proud at that. Diana can't get herself to hate that tho, he actually seems kinda nice, both of them, they aren't snobby little minions. "Commodore." Mullroy corrects his friend. "Right. Commodore Norrington." Murtogg corrects himself. Jack speaks up next. "That's a fine goal, I'm sure ... But it seems to me a ship like that-"He gestures at the Dauntless. "- makes this one here just a wee superfluous." The girls nod along. "Oh, the Dauntless is the power in these waters, true enough – but there's no ship that can match the Interceptor for speed."Murtogg says helpfully. "That so? I've heard of one, supposed to be fast, nigh uncatchable ... the Black Pearl?" Jack says, adding dramatic pauses. Mullroy scoffs at the name. "There's no real ship as can match the Interceptor." Murtogg then looks at his friend, brows furrowed. "The Black Pearl is a real ship." And here is our distraction. "No, it's not."

"Yes, it is. I've seen it."

"You've seen it?"

"Yes."

"You've seen the Black Pearl?"

"Yes."

"You haven't seen it."

"Yes, I have."

"You've seen a ship with black sails that's crewed by the damned and captained by a man so evil that hell itself spat him back out?''

"... No ."

"No."

"But I've seen a ship with black sails."

"Oh, and no ship that's not crewed by the damned and captained by a man so evil hell itself spat him back out could possibly have black sails and therefore couldn't possibly be any ship other than the Black Pearl. Is that what you're saying?"

Ok, what?.

"... no."

"Like I said, there's no real ship that can match -- Hey!" He turned around to the trio. But they're not there. Murtogg and Mullroy look around, spot Jack standing at the wheel of the Interceptor, casually examining the mechanism, his companions sitting on barrels. "You!" The trio looks over in exaggeratedly innocent surprise. The sailors hurry toward the gangplank. "Get away from there! You don't have permission to be aboard there!" Jack spreads his hands in apology.

"I'm sorry. It's just such a pretty boat. Ship." The sailors study him and the female duo suspiciously. "What are your names?" Murtogg ask. "Smith." The pirate trio replie together. Mullroy asks the next question. "What's your business in Port Royal, 'Mr. and Misses Smith'?" His friend then quickly adds. "And no lies!" Jack decides to confuse them again. "None? Very well. You've rumbled me. I confess: I intend to commandeer one of these ships along with my two companions, pick up a crew in Tortuga, and go out on the account, do a little honest pirating."

"I said, no lies!"

"I think he's telling the truth."

"He's not telling the truth."

"If he were telling the truth he wouldn't have told us."

"Unless, of course, he knew you wouldn't believe the truth if he told it to you." Diana adds in 'helpfully'.

Murtogg and Mullroy consider that point... and look confused.