The Hangman's Jigg

[Selene Hastings]

• Date and Time: June 22nd, Around Noon
  
• Setting: In a large courtyard with the center of attention being on the gallows.
  
• Weather Conditions: Hot with a mild sea-breeze.
  

And she had woken up this morning feelings so good. She had had the feeling that today was going to be a good day, that maybe luck would be in her favor today. The past couple of days had been rather bad for the young Ms. Hastings seeing as the owner of the Tavern in which she worked was skimping on the usual pay for his barmaids and suddenly decided to up the price of room and board. Besides that little nasty piece of fate, she hadn’t had a good solid meal in the better of two days. Sure, scraps here and there were enough to tide her over, but what she needed was a nice feast upon which to gorge herself and seeing as the owner of the tavern and inn didn’t allow employees to eat there, well…life hadn’t been the most comfortable.

Today, however, when she had stepped outside the tavern and into the sunshine, she felt happy. Why she felt happy was unknown to her, but there had been a sudden surge of emotion through her so powerful and amazing that she had to smile as she took her first step down the stairs and onto the road that traveled along the docks leading to the center of town. Her arms swung leisurely by her sides, her favored though tattered brown sachet hanging over her right shoulder. In her mind, she fully intended to lift some coin from a person’s pocket or maybe some food from one of the market stalls. She couldn’t go without something in her stomach for another day or she feared she would faint. Of course, the morbid idea of fainting or dying for that matter didn’t cross her mind as she walked, the ocean lapping against the shores of Port Royal on her right and a multitudes of houses and taverns set into the small hill on her left. Today was a good day.

The shabby leather boots upon her feat stirred up a small bit of dirt as the cobblestone walkway turned into a dirt one leading into the center of town, the fellows she passed giving her a small tip of the head to a touch to their cap. They were well-respected gentlemen, some of them, while others were merely pirates out for a bit of looting themselves. And could Selene blame them for looting when times were so hard on her pirate brethren and the East India Trading Company out to kill anyone who even had their name whispered of knowing a pirate? And what with the recent loss of some important fellow from the EITC, the governors of Port Royal were cracking down harder than ever on their citizens. Selene had heard, from various sources mind you, that to be caught stealing would earn you a week, at least, in prison. But, to herself and with her peers, she laughed at the scare and fear that pirates had placed within the minds and hearts of navy officer, EITC member and civilian alike. For the pirates, it was a surefire win in their cause.

Chuckling to herself, Selene let her sea-green visionaries meander around the various faces and dress styles that she saw on some of the more “proper” women. To them, she could only arch an eyebrow and continue on her way, not minding that she was dressed in the breeches of a male and a shirt befitting one as well. She didn’t care that her hair wasn’t let loose like theirs and messily swept up and off her shoulders or that the only jewelry she possessed was a simple golden pendant that had been entrusted to her by her late mother and father. Just thinking about the pendant made her right hand traced to her throat while those slender fingers wrapped around the piece of gold, knowing in her heart of hearts that no matter how messed up it got, she’d never be able to trade it in. Not even for passage out of this god-forsaken port.

Ms. Hastings didn’t stop until she was at the fork in the road where she could either venture to the harbor or meander onwards to the heart of Port Royal, where all the easy pickings were. Standing there at the fork in the road, she looked down each way as if hesitating on a life-changing decision. But, it would seem that fate made the decision for her because the bell over the harbor began to toll and they only rang the bell now-a-days when there was a hanging…and usually, the only people hanging were the pirates. Knowing that going to the hanging would be a mistake in itself; Selene couldn’t help but turn her feet in the direction of the gallows and walked quickly through the people, hoping to see who it was so that she could pray for them that night.

Arriving at the gallows, she listened as the crimes were read off and three men were blindfolded, the different nooses slipping snuggly around their thick necks. Just by scanning their weathered faces, Selene knew one of the males to be Josiah, a brute that had often visited the place where she worked merely to agitate her for free rum and food. Seeing him up there, with his head held up so proudly, handcuffed and blindfolded, made her heart swell with pride as well as sadness. “By order of the king,” came the voice of one of the Navy officials, standing to the right of the hangmen and his captives. “You have been sentenced to hang by the neck, until death.”

After the last noose was fit around the neck of the last pirate, Selene had made her way half-way through the throng of people whom had gathered to watch the public execution. The upper class loved to see a “prate get what he deserves.” “They’re vermin, really,” said a man to Selene’s left, her oculars glancing in his direction while a hand was sure to slip down to her lower back, her lips set in a thin line as soon as she felt the hilt of the dagger touch her palm. It was always a reassuring feeling. The man beside him merely nodded and adjusted his glasses before placing both of his withered hands back again upon his cane. “Right you are. Hang by the neck, all of them.”

Grinding her molars together in an attempt to not lash out and strike the two where they stood, she turned her attention back to the three about to be hung, her stomach already starting to feel queasy. To think that she would never, ever see Josiah again in this life, that he would never darken the door of where she worked merely to bug her about that which she couldn’t give without proper payment. It was a shame, a damn shame, to die like this instead of out on the sea where a pirate should be laid to rest. Sniffling slightly, she watched solemnly as the hangmen stepped up to the lever, the rays from the sun beating down upon his bare pink flesh and making the droplets of sweat upon his skin sparkle like rare diamonds. His hooded head turned to the man in charge, waited to receive the nod of approval, and then curled his fingers around the latch which would drop all three into the trap door.

The rope would catch, and, if they were lucky, their necks would break and render them into the next world. The hangmen’s muscles tensed, a grunt thrown from his lips as he pulled back hard on the lever, the trap door suddenly swinging open while all three males fell through. Two instantly left this world though the third, Josiah, had his neck still intact and writhed back and forth in it’s clutches. Gasping, Selene tried to push forward through the people, her eyes fierce. “Cut him down!” she hollered, faces turning towards her in her eccentric state though no one moved to do anything. “Deixe-o viver!”

[The last statement was ‘Let him live’ in Portuguese. Someone wanna come and pull her away and crap? Heh heh, sorry for the novella. ^_^]

[Kaleb Burrows]

"Yo, ho, yo, ho, a pirates life for me." A quiet voice muttered from a ally, it was laced with boredom but quiet as a mouse. This man would not be caught at a port, not a bloody port. The only place that he would ever accept getting caught at is at sea... and maybe Tortuga, if that place was still alive and working. "We pillage, we plunder, we rifle and loot. Drink up me 'earties, Yo Ho! We kidnap and ravage and don't give a hoot. Drink up me 'earties, Yo Ho!"

The voice fell quiet as he heard oncoming footsteps, and the body of the man pressed up against the wall, waiting for the walker to pass. Kaleb was in a place slightly outside of town, and at this time of day everyone was gone to the city. Well most everyone, obouviosly there was a few stragglers. Once they passed, two young men who had no idea that he was there, Kaleb got up and looked outside the ally.

No one was there, other then the boys down the street, but they where talking loudly about girls to even hear Kaleb's footsteps as he started towards the city. He was running on empty, and if he did not get some food into his belly he was going to have to do something drastic, like steal candy from a kid or something. Just the thought of that made Kaleb smile as he walked into city, avoiding attention by making himself seem smaller and unnoticeable.

Green eyes tried to scope out victims. Some stores where here and there, talking loudly about their products to get passers-by to come to their shops, and ignore everyone else’s. What really caught his eye was a food cart, people filing around it buying food. That was good, lots of people meant lots of noise, lots of distraction. That meant that he could sneak in and grab something and be out of there before it was even noticed.

With a calm sureness about him he walked forward, watching everyone around, looking for a hole that his arm might shot in and out within a second, taking some back with it. He tired to look busy, so then no one would notice a stander-by just, err, standing by watching, waiting.

Then it happened, a hole so small that his hand would just barley fit, but with practiced quickness his hand came in, grabbed twos something’s, and pulled out. Kaleb walked away like nothing was wrong, but in his hand as he placed it inside of his tattered coat was two medium apples. Good, one for now, one for a moment after that.

Taking out and munched on it, taking a huge bite and loving the sweet wetness as he chewed it. Good, this stuff was full of sugar, and he needed energy. What better way then something sweet?

His feet took him to the Gallows, and Kaleb rolled his eyes, making to turn away. He hated this place, hated hated hated! It had too much death around it, too many of his friends had died here, too many pirates. Then his green eyes caught the site of the men waiting to die and he found himself frozen in place. He did not know any of them, not personally, but he had seen them around, knew them as pirates.

Moving slowly forward as the man read off the crimes and other things he was half way at the end, saying a silent prayer for them. Most did not think that Pirates went to heaven, but Kaleb thought they did. What fun would be heaven without a pirate to push your limits and steal your things?

The lever was pulled and most of the men died instantly, one still hung by a thread, moving around making sounds that hurt the ears. Everyone waited until he stopped kicking, probably making bets on how long it would take. Then a woman jumped forward, yelling to stop, yelling something that he did not understand at all.

She was a pirate, surely, and Kaleb jumped forward also. He took her hand, his green eyes looking scared but reassuring. The other hand fished out the smaller apple and placed it in her upheld hand and then yanked her away. Men were looking at them, trying to think about what to do. Kaleb could sware that although Pirates have no education they think faster then these idiots.

He kept pulling her, and they were a few blocks away by the time that others made the bright (And right) decision that those two where pirates and that they should take chase. Before they got close however Kaleb had pulled her into an ally, hand pushing on her shoulder to hold her back as he watched the people run past guns high and ready to kill a pirate. Stupid them, Pirates would know to look in an ally but ever would others think that.

Once they had all passed he turned to the woman, slightly angry that she now had his apple but relieved that no one had caught them. "Are ye crazy?" He asked, his voice husky from the rush, "Do you wish to join yer friend at the gallows?"

[Lexi, if you dont agree with the g-mod tell me and I will change it, I just thought that since she had the apple she might just follow him, or atleast be tugged along as she ate it. If not tell me and I will prompty change it ^^]

[Selene Hastings]

Even though her words were urgent and filled with the want for someone to react to them and do as she said, not a soul moved. The hangmen merely turned his hooded eyes on her and tipped his head to the right, the still writhing Josiah making Selene’s stomach turn over like the waves on the ocean, seeming to break against her rib care and force her want to vomit higher into her chest. Besides the urge to suddenly spill forth the acid from her stomach (seeing as she hadn’t eaten anything), she could feel the tiny pinpricks behind her sea green eyes and suddenly, they were almost burning. It was her body telling her to cry which was something no self-respecting pirate did…ever.

Visionaries that mocked the tint and hue of the mighty ocean flickered from unconcerned face to faces that held the expression of puzzled amusement. She could already see that, in some of their minds, they were wondering if she, Selene, were a pirate herself or asking themselves why a pretty young girl like herself would want a pirate cut from the gallows. She could see it in their eyes that they were questioning and uncertain and Selene knew, by looks alone, that shouting out for them to cut down Josiah hadn’t been the wises of her choices. Swallowing thickly, she look a small step back as the master of the gallows, the male calling out the crimes of the pirates, turned his eyes on her and narrowed them. That’s when she knew she’d be chased for sure.

A fleeting look at Josiah was given before another step was taken back even though her ears had already caught the soft click of a barrel being loaded and a shout of an order in the distance. And she had felt so good when she had woken up! How had the day turned so horrible, so quickly? Knowing that another shouting escapade wouldn’t help the slowly dying Josiah, Selene swallowed the want to scream out to him and turned, rather too quickly only to bump into someone. At first, she immediately thought it to be one of the guards that were seen rounding up pirates and parading them to the gallows like cattle. Only when she looked up from the strong chest she had bumped into and into the startling emerald voids did an odd calm come over her. He wasn’t going to hurt her.

Well, he wasn’t going to hurt her a lot. He grabbed her arm as soon as she tried to recoil from him, her own gems of light turned fierce. “Faria bem soltar me bruto!!” Selene shouted in Portuguese, a rough translation landing somewhere in the neighborhood of ‘let me go brute.’ And with that scene, every eye that had been on the swinging pirates at the gallows had then turned to them, some men and women taking steps back as another sharp order was barked out and this time it was accompanied by running feet. A stabbing knife of panic swept through her as her eyes swept through the crowd, noticing how civilians were stepping back and males with guns were trying to get close to them. Oh, this was so not good.

Yet, the male pirate whom had grabbed her obviously thought he knew what he was doing because he pushed an apple into her free hand and turned quickly, nearly dragging her along with him. It wasn’t that Selene wasn’t looking forward to going with him (any place was better than getting cornered and gunned down); it was just the shock value of everything that was going on. It was getting to be a strain on her tired brain and hungry stomach. Nevertheless, the duchess followed her rescuer closely on his heals, ducking into an alleyway with him as soon as he did. However, she didn’t appreciate the way he pushed her against the grimy alley way and peaked out to watch their pursuers run by like he was in charge. Selene hated men like that and promptly let him know by slapping his hands away from her shoulders, her brows making a V above her exotic eyes.

His turning and snapping at her did nothing to help the situation either. “Ele não era meu amigo!” she responded heatedly before shaking her head, trying to clear the inferno of rage and frustration she felt at having watched a practically innocent (innocent by pirate standings anyway) die at the gallows instead of out to sea. And not just any old pirate, but one she knew. It was a shock to her and that shock suddenly came crashing down on her. Gasping slightly, she sunk to the ground in a heap, her knees arching up against her chest, the apple being forgotten as it rolled from her hand onto the ground. “Oh Josiah,” she whispered, her eyes starting to sting against, the palms of her hands rising to press against her startling optics.

Her head bowed forth, strands of wispy locks falling from her messy horse-tail as her shoulders shuddered with emotion. “He wasn’t my friend,” she finally said after a moment, though her face was still covered by her hands and her forehead was still resting against her knees. “Josiah just used’ta bother me for a bit a rum now and again when he came ta port. Sometimes, he’d bother for room and board…he neva had ta money ta pay, though.” Sniffling slightly, she shook her head once again while her hands arched up over her face and whisked away the strands that had fallen forth, whipping them behind the curve of her ears. “Those bastards killed him. Killed a good man, a good pirate, just cause they dun understand our ways.” Her Portuguese ancestry made her words lilt slightly, some of them slurring because of her accent though mostly everything she was saying came out in alright English. After all, she had been brought up by an officer in the EITC who wouldn’t allow her to speak in her native tongue or any other tongue than proper English.

Selene’s head then rolled back, touching the wall behind her with a very small ‘thunk.’ The back of her hands were used to wipe away stray tears that had fallen before ebony lashes parted and allowed her to look up into the face of the man she had willingly followed. Arching a slender eyebrow slightly, she tipped her head to the right before posing her question. “I owe you thanks, dun I?”

[ muse kinda died off at the end. hope it was alright Tauni! ^_^ ]

[Kaleb Burrows]

He felt her small slap as he held her back, but hardly cared and kept the preasure. Men were still passing every now and then, shouts and growls, guns cocking and swords unsheathing. Kaleb could almost sigh that he had only been there for half a second, thus no one would ever notice him again. The woman, however, had more of a problem. She had been there for ages, watching as her 'friend' hung on a line dieing. Might they have remembered a pretty face like that? Would they kill her on site, or kill someone that looked like her? Kaleb sighed again, hoping that they did no such thing. Sure, he was pirate, but they were fools, to kill at the very mention of a Pirate or the looks of one. They did nothing to them, they where just being pirates.

She replied to him in a language that he did not know, much less understand. Great, a foreigner! Just what he needed right now, to save a pretty pirate who did not speak his tongue. But wait, she had said real English words at the Gallows, right? Then she had to know English, or at least some of it. Looking back into her exotic face he watched as she crumpled onto the ground, back against the wall. She looked as if she might cry, and he backed up a step. Crying ladies where never good to be around, they where always yelling and then bawling and then yelling some more. It was scary, really, when a lady cries because you never ever knew what they where going to do.

The apple rolled away and he gently grabbed it in his rough hands, bringing it up to his tattered shirt to rub off the dirt and grime it had collected on its short journey on the ground. The woman muttered a name, her voice laced with sadness. Josiah, Kaleb thought in his head, trying to come up with a face to shove on the name. All that came up was the man on a rope dangling, still kicking and dieing quickly. No real face, for Kaleb did not watch the face, not wanting to look into the dying eyes.

She went on to explain how she knew him, how he would beg for food and a warm place to sleep. Kaleb had never really asked for food, he had always, from a young boy, been able to 'collect' his own food and money from those around him. He even 'collected' his defense from them, the long bladed knife that was attached to his belt at this moment in time.

Her accent was laced heavily in her words, but Kaleb was glad to announce that he could understand most of it, and then piece the other words in their places that he missed. She talked about the Royal Navy and EITC for a moment, grinding her teeth at the thought of them. Kaleb's face looked hard for a moment also, knowing that they, and all other pirates had a common enemy.

"And they never will, lady pirate," Kaleb said, his voice calm but his green eyes betraying how nervous he still was. There was still others around, although highly muted as they traveled far away. They must have found a false lead to still be hunting them. Kaleb flashed her a smile, dirty pirate teeth gleaming in the high sun. "Thanks?" He said, kneeling down, "Pirates never give thanks, take you can get," he let her finish out the rest 'give anything back' and then put the small apple in front of her face. "Ya need to eat, it will be ye feel better."

[Selene Hastings]

“Aye,” she murmured in a distant tone, as if she were thinking about something more than what her lips were volunteering. Those whom secured jobs with the EITC as well as the Royal Navy were considered a lucky bunch to most of the civilians because they were respectable positions for any man to carry. However, Selene didn’t see it like that. They were bound to such strict rules, rules that could never ever be broken and had to report to a government official who ruled their life. A pirate’s life was vastly different, holding loyalties only to self, crew, and captain. If given the chance to trade her current position for one of “honor,” she’d turn it down at sword point.

“Give nothing back,” she whispered, having heard the familiar phrase being passed around at the tavern in which she worked. It was a familiar phrase that many of her pirate brethren toasted to, one that she raised her glass to as well when the time was appropriate for it. Grasping the offered apple in her hand, she slowly gathered herself to her feet and dusted off her breeches, shaking her head slightly. She shouldn’t have gone to the gallows, now that she reflected on the decision she had made. The same thing always happened; she got extremely sad and usually cried while walking away from a hanging while others openly cheered. Then again, those who did openly cheer were the same ones who held “respectable” positions in high society.

“I’m Selene,” she told the male, holding her free hand out to him while the other raised the green apple to her mouth and she took a bite, enjoying the crisp freshness that swarmed her mouth. Her taste buds tingled automatically and she chewed almost thoughtfully, licking her lips as soon as the piece was swallowed. “Obrigado,” she said, raising the apple in his direction as thanks. Looking out from the alley, she her jerked her head in the opposing direction that they had come before proceeding to walk in that direction, the noon sun making her flesh heat up as soon as she stepped from the cool shadows of the alley back onto the road.

Ever watchful incase someone thought they’d get the upper hand on the pair of them, Selene kept a careful watch of eyes that lingered too long upon her or the male beside him, noticing when others directed their eyes away from them. Yet, every step that she took made butterflies flitter around in her stomach along with the pieces of apple that she was consuming. “How long ‘ave you been in port?” she asked suddenly, darting those gems of sea-green to his face before darting back to those passing before them.

[Kaleb Burrows]

She slowly stood up, brushing off her pants and regaining her breath and composer after the run and breakdown. He waited calmly, eyes darting from side to side every now and then, making sure no one had caught on that they where the ones that the navy was after. And talking about the navy, the men were far away now, Kaleb no longer heard their shouts. Did they give up or still following a false lead? Burrows hardly cared, as long as they were away from him and other pirates.

They both walked away from the dank ally, into the bright sun. The smell of the rolling sea hit them, blowing their hair slightly, and he breathed it in, taking his own deep breath. The sea always clears Kaleb, and any other pirates head. It makes you feel refreshed and almost at home, all he needed was the sway of a boat and a captain shouting orders at him. A map on a wood table would have been nice too, one with a huge red X on it.

She stated her name, and Kaleb wrote it down in his head. Selene, that name did fit her pretty face but sounded slightly too soft for a real pirate. Was she a soft female pirate, one that likes to stay in the ship and make the men pay her for a night? She did not look like one, but looks are hardly anything to personality. She took a bite of the apple and then said something like Obrigado. Selene Obrigado? That’s a nice name.

"Good to make your acquaintance, Selene Obrigado," Kaleb said, not knowing that her last name was nothing close to it. That word was nothing to his tounge, and she did say it after her first name, so a last name it was! "I am Kaleb Burrows." He waited for her reaction, did he have a name for himself? Surely not, for he had done nothing truly pirately, at least nothing notable.

He sighed as she asked how long he had been here, and replied, "Too long, mate, much too long." He waited for another moment as she led him onwards, thinking, green eyes intense. "About a year here, a few months at other ports before that. It’s hard to find a boat to board these days, aye?"

[Selene Hastings]

When he said her name, or what should’ve been her name, she couldn’t help but laugh. It wasn’t forced or snide, but throaty and full-hearted, almost warm to the ears. Her cranium was soon shaken back and forth, the pinpoints of light set in her skull turning from their vigilant watch of the open road and the citizens of Port Royal to the eyes of the male beside her. “No no no,” she said, chuckling some. “Orbigado is ‘thank you’ in my native tongue. You see, I’m Portuguese. I came to London when I was very small. My last name is Hastings, taken from the man who found and raised me.”

At the mention of her fallen mentor, Selene’s face suddenly took on a shadows expression and her eyes wandered away from Kaleb’s. She was thinking, reflecting more so, on the life she had with her Jonathan, on all the things she had learned from him before his untimely death. Still, when she told some of the man who had brought her up and who had died on the sea, most of them all met her with the same questions. Why didn’t she have the pirates for what they had done? Why hadn’t she had the pirates who kidnapped her arrested and hung at the gallows? Why in the world had she turned pirate herself? Some of these questions she could answer, but the last and most frequent she still couldn’t come up with a response for.

Ridding herself of the thoughts, she took a final bite from the apple and tossed the core onto the road, a nearby seagull swooping in and carting it off before the sun baked away what was left. Swiping her mouth with the back of her hand, she tired to relax as Kaleb started to speak but she kept feeling as if there were someone watching her and the male beside her, waiting for them to fall into some kind of trap. She hated that feeling, the feeling of being watched, of being stalked by prey and herded like cattle. It wasn’t her cup of tea in the least. Letting her eyes glance around, she returned her attention on the male with a blink before speaking.

“Aye,” she agreed, nodding her head up and down. “Extremely hard. Seems everyone is too scared ta come ta port now-a-days. Though, I long ta sail on another ship again.” Sighing wistfully, she latched her hands behind her at the small of her back, feeling the heat from the sun creep down her unshaded neck and warm the upper part of her shoulders. “Been here for three years ta date,” she confessed, looking away in embarrassment. “No pirate should be away from da sea for so long a time, Kaleb.”