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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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"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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