Lost City of Atlantis (POTC 6) + Shorts

Chapter 4: Road to Xaymaca

I was so focused on encoding the chart, I barely realized it had gotten dark. Granted, I was under the deck in my cabin, but it did not feel that late. I sat on my cot with charts and papers surrounding me, with a feather quill in my hand and a small container of ink balancing on my knee.

I heard a knock at the door and I grumbled, "don't come in here."

There was another knock.

"Don't come in here," I repeated loudly. I didn't want anyone to distract me and make me lose my concentration. Jack opened the door and I griped, "I said not to come in here."

Jack glanced around thoughtfully, not caring about my request. He does not come down here much. He is usually up in his own cabin, drinking, or sleeping. He walked right up to me, using his eyes to look around at all my papers and I heard his fingers drum against the handle of his sword.

"What?" I asked impatiently.

"Reading, eh?" He asked with an awkward smile.

"Encrypting," I corrected.

"How do you like it?"

"I like how it gets to the point," I stated, looking up at him.

"It does?"

"That was a hint, Jack."

"Oh. Right then... well, I don't want to keep you from your brown study, but come up to the deck," he said, "I've got a surprise for you."

"What is it?" I asked.

"I'm not giving you a hint," he said, "I'm not that nice."

I huffed and said, "tu me soules."

He sniffed and said, "whatever."

"Mais laisse moi tranquille. Avoir du pain sur la planche," I stated and tried to get back to work.

"Come again?" Jack asked.

"Leave me alone, I have a lot of work to do," I translated. I looked up at him and asked, "do we have tea? Could you bring me down a cup?"

"We have old hock. You are asking far too many questions."

I sighed and said, "no... I think I'm going to zone out and stare at the wall and think my thoughts."

"It wasn't a request," he said.

"By the way, I discovered that—"

"No, don't tell me here."

"But—"

"If it's that important, have Scrum do it."

"Scrum can't even read," I stated.

Jack paused for a moment before he rebutted with, "he'll adapt."

My eyes grew wide. "He'll adapt to reading?"

Jack was silent but then answered, "yes."

"Jack, you should know that—"

"Oi! Shut it," he said. He started walking out of my room but a surprise swell made Jack trip into my mirror on the wall, causing it to fall and shatter to the ground. I sighed as he bent down to pick up the glass fragments, but when he tried to stand back up, his head hit the edge of my desk.

He scrambled up to his feet, holding his head, but did not have enough time to catch a container of black ink that rolled off the desk and landed on the floor. The dark ink splattered all over my floor, and all I could do was sigh.

"You are like a bull in a China shop," I stated.

"Join me up on deck, won't you?" He huffed and he left.