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"That's settled, then."

Elizabeth doesn't look particularly unhappy or angry as she steps around the groaning man at her feet and sheaths her sword. Her jaw is set and her expression is firm, but there's a sparkle in her eyes. Remorse is noticeably absent.

It hadn't been a fair fight, something else that doesn't appear to bother her, and the man had paid an appropriate price: not his life but his dignity, which is just as apt to further her reputation, she feels. There's certainly no shortage of laughter coming from the other men.

Tai Huang walks at her back. She keeps her head turned just enough to see him out of the corner of her eye as she takes the last few steps to the tavern door. Once inside, she nods to her man to have a look around and strikes a watchful pose against a pillar while she awaits his return.

The Empress and her crew are back in Tortuga, this time with a purpose.

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Gibbs is where you would expect to find him...half asleep in the back of the room, several empty mugs on the table.

Tai Huang recognizes Gibbs and calls the captain's attention to his presence when he presses a bottle into her hand. Elizabeth, who had been watching a rowdy group by the door, starts in surprise.

"Mr. Gibbs!" she exclaims, loud enough for a passing pirate to cast curious eyes over her person. Ignoring him, she gives Tai Huang a satisfied smile and makes her way to the back of the room.

Rather than offer a traditional greeting, she pours rum into one of the empty mugs and helps herself to a seat.

Gibbs snaps to. "Captain Swann...er, Captain Turner...um, your majesty..." He hasn't any idea what works best, but is glad to see her. "Welcome back to Tortuga!"

Elizabeth smiles.

"Captain Turner suits me best," she decides, placing the bottle on the table; she doesn't remove her hand. "It's good to see you, Mr. Gibbs.

"Where's Jack?"

Edited 2008-01-14 02:01 (UTC)

"He's gone to seek his fortunes, again. The Pearl was...reappropriated, I suppose is best how to say it, and Jack and I chose to part for now.

"And it's good to see you as well. How are the seas treating you, Captain?" He takes a good swig of rum, and relaxes a tiny bit.

"Did you?"

Mildly surprised at this news, she allows her gaze to slide toward Tai Huang, who is waiting, albeit with company, by the counter. But it's only a momentary glance, and she soon offers another faint smile.

"The seas," she answers slowly, "have been obligingly calm. I thought to return to Singapore, but it was made clear to me that wouldn't be a wise move. Have you been here all this time?"

Not that it's been very long, mind. It's just that time seems to move more slowly for Elizabeth these days.

It's been long enough for a pirate with little to do. "Here, and occasionally back at Milliways. Where else would a pirate go, even with the end of Beckett's Folly?

"I take it you still have Sao Feng's ship and crew at your call?" That should be obvious, but just as sometimes Jack has a first mate without a ship, Captain Turner might be commanding just the one man while considering her future.

"My ship," she corrects, a possessive glimmer in her eye. "And my crew. Those who remain, which is not an insignificant number."

Elizabeth lifts the bottle and holds it near her mouth.

"I've returned to Milliways and I have ample reason to continue doing so." She takes a drink to hide a helpless smile. "I saw Barbossa there. He told me he'd commandeered the Pearl. Poor Jack."

It's almost but not quite amused.

"And you have since parted ways... I wonder what fortune they seek this time."

"With any luck, they will find no fortune. It was made abundantly clear that my presence was not welcome. Which, given who Barbossa is, is fine with me." The hatred for the man who stole the ship twice is hard to miss.

That and Barbossa had mentioned leaving him on the dock, so she's not at all surprised. She tips another splash of rum in his mug and gives him a direct look.

"Have you considered taking berth on a different ship?"

"It wouldn't be the same without Jack, would it?" He asks this without really thinking, but that splash of rum perverse has the right effect on his gray cells.

"Captain...are y' suggestin' I sail with your crew?"

"I am."

It hadn't been her first thought when she sat down, but it might prove to be a mutually beneficial arrangement.

"A pirate with knowledge of and experience in these waters could prove useful on my crew," she says, and she's not talking about sailing experience. "In return, you'd be at sea again."

Elizabeth leans forward.

"I mean to make a name for myself."

Gibbs does think this over. A woman captain would be...difficult. But Captain Turner the female is not exactly the ordinary woman, is she? Never mind that she is the king.

"And your crew would be willin' to listen to my...suggestions for navigating these seas?" Being a pirate, issues of color and place of birth mean little to him, at least compared to the men of his age. But that isn't to say he'd be welcome among a crew that has its own way of doing things.

"They would, especially once they realize the... value of your advice."

She'll make them listen.

"Would you be willing to sail for a female captain?" she asks with raised eyebrows, then takes a drink.

"I won't deny that I've long thought that women on the seas are not the best of luck," he says a bit boldly but in a rather friendly tone. "But to sail with someone who doesn't seem to regard luck as somethin' work mentioning would change things.

"And to sail with the Pirate King...it's been many years since anyone has been able to do that."

Smirking, Elizabeth wonders if she looks as smug as she feels. They'd returned to Tortuga to listen and gather information, but this is an even better plan. And his opinion of her title and what it means is refreshing after her conversation with Barbossa.

"Luck will only ever get you so far. You have to handle the rest yourself," she remarks, tapping her bottle against his mug. "Are we agreed, then? I thought to sail for Nassau with the evening tide. It would be a pleasure to have you aboard the Empress, Mr. Gibbs."

"Nassau...I haven't been that way since my Navy days. And what will we be lookin' for there, Captain?" That would be a Yes, wouldn't it?

And deep down, Gibbs hopes that the forces of the sea and the wind forgive him for serving with a woman, since even if she's capable, there is something strange about it.

That it would, and Elizabeth, on the other hand, feels there something strangely right about it. After all, Gibbs was there at the beginning.

She purses her lips and takes a moment to respond.

"Opportunity. There's a shipping lane to the north." If she recalls correctly. "As I said, I mean to make a name for myself. The other pirate lords, particularly Mistress Ching, will see me as an easy target." She hesitates, an odd look in her eyes. "I'd prefer to continue preying upon those who deserve it, but that's not so easy to determine now that Beckett is dead, is it?"

Oddly enough, it's the worry that she will undoubtedly disappoint Commodore Merriman that's really holding her back.

"No, it won't be. But then, it never truly was." Not that he or Jack ever worried about that. "And it won't be easy, even with Beckett and his task force gone. I think that whoever is still sailing these waters in the name of the King...of the English king...won't take kindly to a return of any pirates." He's also thinking of Lyon, though he never met the man. But his reputation is widely known in Tortuga.

"What we might need to do is get a feel for things in Nassau. Keep unseen at the docks for a few days, listenin' closely. Your crew will stand out, I fear, but neither of us is known there." Yet.

"It is well that we have both proved ourselves worthy of a challenge," she says, nodding. "Yes, I think that's best. There are any number of interesting things we might learn. And if we ever discern what it is Jack and Barbossa seek, either here or at Milliways..."

A slow, faintly predatory smile.

"...I am not above finding it first."

If Gibbs feels a bit guilty about getting to any prize before Jack, he's not showing it. And the Code would state firmly that you don't let anyone - even a friend - beat you to the prize.

"If that's what the fates and the sea bring, that who are we to argue?"

And no pirate who's in his or her right mind (or who's met Captain Teague) would go against the Code...

Elizabeth looks pleased with his answer. "Indeed.

"Until tonight, then? I paid a boy to watch the ship and alert me if anyone disobeys orders and makes ready to sail. I think I'll pay him the rest of his due and begin preparations in earnest."

It's possible she learned from Jack and Gibbs' misfortune.

"Until tonight," Gibbs says with a starling amount of excitement. His long slow days in Tortuga, as relaxing as they have been, are about to end, and the chance to seek a fortune is ready to start anew!

"Good."

Elizabeth stands, equally excited by this turn of events, and sets the bottle in the middle of his mug collection. A nod to Tai Huang, and she smiles.

"I'll be seeing you soon, Mr. Gibbs."

And she walks away, head held high.

Edited 2008-01-14 21:00 (UTC)

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