Kindred Spirits

There's naught, no doubt, so much the spirit

calms as rum and true religion."

-Lord Byron-


Chapter 20

The Holiness of Rum and the Honour of a Pirate

Will decided that he wanted to keep the pirates from exploding at each other again, so he thought that switching the topic from their current discussion about Jack and Devon's scars might be a good idea. The first thing he could think of that would interest a woman like Devon was the story behind their adventure a few years back.

Elisabeth soon jumped into the conversation, telling Devon her accounts of her abduction by Barbossa, the Isla de Muerta, the cursed treasure of Cortez, the medallion, about the Black Pearl being a floating home on the sea that gave refuge to an undead Captain and crew, and how Jack finally got his Pearl back after making quite a grand exit in Port Royal. Elisabeth giggled as she told Devon of how Jack had tried to woo her while they were marooned on that, as Jack described it, Godforsaken spit of land.

Then Jack, being the taleteller extraordinaire of the lot, took over and told his fellow piratess about how it had all really started. He told a grand tale about how he met Will how they had duelled and parried on the floor and in the lofts of the smithy, and how the story had carried out from that point. Of course his version was definitely much livelier than the tale the Turners told, and Jack added movements and impersonations to make it a feast for the ears and eyes to behold. He even used one of the pokers from the fireplace as a sword, since he wasn't too keen on facing Lizzie's wrath should he slash anything off the table or rip the fine burgundy drapes to shreds in his seemingly uncontrollable movements with a real sword.

Devon smiled and noticed that Jack was truly in his element. Sure sailors were the storytelling part of society, but pirates, and especially pirate Captains, were the best storytellers. That much she knew from experience, and all too well in some instances. Sure, they left out a great deal of the truth in any story and tended to add more detail than necessary, but they had a gift for leaving their audiences hanging on by a mere thread. And as far as she could see, Jack Sparrow was the top of the bill. When he acted out the role of Elisabeth in the story, he portrayed her with a hilarious falsetto, and Devon almost wet herself. But thank goodness she was able to keep control of that region of her body and the only fluids that managed to escape were the tears of laughter that trailed down her cheeks. Then Jack reached the part of the story where he and Elisabeth were marooned and told Devon how Elisabeth had burned all the rum there was on that little island, while Jack was sleeping no less.

'Ye burned rum?' Devon asked in shock, her snickers vanishing instantly like snow in the presence of strong sunlight, looking over at the porcelain skinned woman in front of her, absolutely appalled. 'What th' bloody Hell possessed ye ta do such a thing?'

Jack looked at Devon, 'Exactly what I was thinkin'. But she didn't jus' burn some o' th' rum ... she burnt ALL o' it, just tossed whole barrels of rum into tha' wicked bonfire o' hers!' His hands were waving around Devon's face as he picked apart the situation for Devon, and she could see the anger in his eyes.

'Ye burned all th' rum?' Devon asked again while she tore her eyes from Jack and travelled over to Elisabeth's visage. She really couldn't comprehend how someone would do such a dreadful thing, and on purpose nonetheless. When Elisabeth stayed silent, Devon prodded again. 'But why? Why would ye burn rum? Ye really burnt rum?'

'Yes,' Elisabeth sighed. 'I burnt the rum. One: Rum is a vile drink that even turns even the most respectable men into complete scoundrels. And two: I was trying to make a smoke signal in order to get us saved,' she said in exasperation. 'You are a woman – you should understand!'

Devon looked at Jack before she looked at Elisabeth, 'I might be a woman an' all, but above all I be a pirate, an' rum is th' fuel tha' drives us. Ye NEVER burn a pirate's rum doll. Ye should ne'er even so much as spill a DROP o' a pirate's rum. If ye ever burnt me rum, ye wouldn't have lived ta tell 'bout it o'er breakfast! This proves tha' Sparrow is quite th' gen'leman, might not be a respectable one mind ye, but 'e let ye live. Methinks he be more o' a gen'lemen than I.'

Will couldn't help but laugh and Elisabeth soon joined him. Giggles and chuckles filled the dining room after Devon's comment.

Devon continued her rant in spite of the chuckles and laughs from the Turners. 'Rum is cherished, rum is sacred, rum is precious, rum is holy. Ye never EVER burn rum!' she practically shouted at a flabbergasted Elisabeth.

Then she turned to face Jack once again, 'Such a terrible waste o' perfectly good rum. It's not in th' code, but if I were a Capt'n I'd be damned sure tha' I put it in meself! Ye never EVER burn rum!' Devon slammed her fist on the table, cutlery jumping in the air, dishes rattled and she had a look on her face that described quite a terrible sense of loss. And it hadn't even been her rum to begin with.

Jack hadn't laughed along with the Turners. After all, rum was something serious to any pirate. One just doesn't make fun of rum. He just sat there thinking about what the Hellcat had just done. She had come to his defence, hadn't she? Well not exactly his defence, but still to the rum's defence, and with that she just earned herself a medal in his book.

Will knew there was something behind pirates and their rum, but he found that he just had to ask what it was. 'What's the deal with pirates and rum anyway?'

Devon rolled her eyes at his sheer stupidity and looked to Jack, 'Ye sure tha' this be Bootstrap Bill's son? How can 'e be half pirate an' not know?'

Jack flashed a golden smile at her, 'Oh but he is! He's jus' been out o' th' water fer too long. That an' he can't hold his liquor ta save his life.' Jack and Devon both chuckled at the indignant look on Will's face.

After she'd finished chuckling at the young blacksmith, Devon pondered the story of the curse, and found it very interesting, so she began to wonder if the Inca treasure that her shipmates were going after might have an ancient curse on it as well. But she shrugged it off, since Devon wasn't really one to believe in fairytales or ghost stories. Devon wasn't superstitious either and thought that whatever the three people that shared this table with her had encountered, would or could be logically explained. But Devon did not share her opinion of this with the others out of politeness.

When she had heard Jack Sparrow had lost his beloved ship twice to the same man who was supposedly cursed, she had felt truly sorry for him. Cursed or not, Barbossa was a name that was always linked to trouble, to murder and now to mutiny as well. She had never met the man, but even from the stories she had heard about him, she knew she strongly disliked the man. Jack Sparrow had ended Barbossa's life, and also rid the world of one big good-for-nothing scumbag. He should get a reward fer tha'... Devon mused while she munched on her bread once more.

'Could you please pass me the milk, Jack?' Elisabeth asked while she used her silverware to cut her bread into petite squares and took tiny bites from her fork.

'There ye go luv,' Jack said with his mouth full as he passed the milk over to her. 'Now all I be needin' is a lil' somethin' ta wash this down wit' meself. Could ye please be so kind as ta pass me th' rum?'

Will rolled his eyes, 'For heaven's sake! This is breakfast Jack! For breakfast most people drink milk not rum. The sun has just risen and already you want to drink?'

Jack took a large bite from his sandwich and munched on it 'But I'm not a normal person now am I?' Jack said with wink to Devon. 'An' yer point would be what exactly whelp?'

'Milk is good for you!' Elisabeth said, while she gave him a lecturing glance.

'Yeah, yeah, drink yer milk, eat yer veggies and ye'll grow up big 'n strong! Yadayadayada....'

Devon grinned, 'Ye could try ta do so too, dear Capt'n. Maybe ye'll grow up big 'n strong one day.'

Jack tossed the remains of his buttered bread at her head, but she instinctively ducked before it could hit her. It hit the wall behind her instead, stuck to it, and left a nice greasy stain along the wall as it slowly slid down.

'This isn't an invitation fer a food fight now is it, Sparrow?' she said with a playful twinkle in her eyes.

Both the Turners stood up and Will raised his voice at the two elders in the room, who were not acting like it, and shouted, 'No!! No food fights under this roof! It's enough to tolerate your bickering as it is. You two act just like children, now sit down and eat your breakfast like the adults you really are!'

Jack turned to Devon and whispered none-to-softly, 'Tells us ta act like adults yet he lectures us like children...'

Will raised his voice again, 'Well then act like your age and you won't hear any complaints from either of us.'

Devon gulped down her milk, leaving a white moustache to grace her mouth and said, 'Jus' drink th' damn milk, Sparrow. Lest they try ta bottle feed us...' before she licked the remaining milk off her lips.

Jack couldn't take his eyes off Devon's lips and the sexual innuendo she just made by licking the white fluid from them. 'I wouldn't complain if it were rum instead o' this damn dairy, tho' I also wouldn't complain if ye be breastfeedin' me either.' Oh God, why – just WHY – did I jus' say tha'?!?

Elisabeth wanted to explain to Jack that technically women could not produce milk until they were with child, but decided against it. Somehow she thought that the pirate would consider that useless information.

Devon hissed between her teeth as she gave him a venomous glare, 'Drink it, Sparrow! I be findin' it extremely bloody 'ard ta control me hands again... it seems tha' they just wanna rip those cute lil' braids o' yers off o' tha' darlin' lil' chin.'

Instinctively Jack caressed his beloved braided goatee as if to protect it from the hands of the wicked piratess.

The look in Devon's eyes and the reaction from Jack made the Turners chuckle once more. But it was that livid look that Devon gave him that made Jack take a swig from his glass. He made a face as he gulped it down. Not that it was all that bad, but he just preferred his drink to be something that would leave a burning, warming sensation in his throat along with the feeling of bliss that followed path of the liquid. This was just a plain flavoured cold fluid that babes drank, and that made him shudder at the mere thought.

Devon smiled, for she had made him cave, and she thoroughly enjoyed that feeling. 'Good boy,' she said, while she stood up from the table to walk over to Sparrow. She hit him firmly between his shoulder blades 'Now be an even better boy and burp...' She could barely suppress her grin as she taunted Jack. What she didn't expect was that Jack would tilt his head and look at her with a pseudo-innocent smile as he let out an enormous milk-belch right in her face.

'Jack!!' Elisabeth shouted in exasperation.

Devon looked at Elisabeth, 'Charmin' specimen, this one is...' she said amusedly while she jerked her thumb over her shoulder to point at Jack.

Jack simply smiled, 'One tries luv...'


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All in all, breakfast at the Turner's had been an enjoyable and educational experience for Devon. But now, after they all had finally finished their breakfast in an almost civilized manner, given that the pirate duo refused the offered silverware and preferred to eat with their hands instead, it was at last time to say their goodbyes.

Devon hugged Elisabeth warmly, 'Thanks ever so much Mrs. Turner. An' tha' be fer both yer hospt'tality an' fer 'elpin' me. I won't ever ferget what ye an' yer 'usband 'ave done fer me.'

Elisabeth took the older woman's rough, yet warm hand in her own, 'Please, do call me Elisabeth.'

Devon gave her a warm smile, 'Very well then. Elisabeth thank ye fer everythin', it's been a pleasure ta meet ye,' she turned around and faced Will, 'an' ye as well o' course. Thanks fer lettin' us hide here fer the time bein'.'

Will smiled. 'It has been my pleasure, Miss Duville.'

'Devon...' she said warmly, her weathered voice as smooth as velvet. Hmmm.... If I'd 'ave all o' th' time in th' world an' yer wife wasn't such a nice person, I sure as Hell would've fancied meetin' ye b'tween th' sheets, dear William. But on second thought methinks I'd be a lil' too much fer ye ta handle....

'Then it has been my pleasure, Devon,' he said with a slight regal tone in his voice as he shook her hand. 'Feel free to drop by again. You'll always be welcome here,' he said warmly.

Devon grinned. 'That be a lovely an' generous offer ta be sure, William, but I'm positive tha' th' Authorities won't allow me ta visit all too of'en. They're prob'ly busy makin' warrant signs tha' won't do me any justice at this very moment anyhow.'

Jack overheard their conversation and couldn't suppress a grin at Devon's statement. Visions of his warrant signs came to mind and he was certain that they most certainly didn't do him justice.

When he averted his eyes from Devon and Will, he walked up to Elisabeth and hugged her. 'Take care lass. An' take care o' th' whelp fer me as well. An' who knows, maybe next time I drop by ta visit ye'll 'ave a lil' whelp of yer own.'

Elisabeth slapped Jack's arm, 'Don't tease my husband like that, Jack. And there are such things as baby girls too, you know?'

Jack shrugged his shoulders, and when he realised he couldn't think of a suitable name for a female whelp he left Elisabeth's side and began to rifle through some of the drawers of the cabinet in their dining room. Whelpess? No, no, tha' won't do. Whelpette perhaps?

Devon smiled, 'Thought ye said th' man be a eunuch, toad brain. Ye jus' luv ta keep contradictin' yerself, don't ye?'

She glanced over to the cabinet and looked at him with narrowed eyes, 'An' are ye intendin' ta steal their silverware or fine china, Sparrow?'

He shot a pointed look at her and found her with a large grin on her face, 'One does not steal from nice people, remember prick?'

He silently dropped the silver napkin holders back in the drawer and closed it casually.

Will looked at her and Devon winked at him, 'Projectin' insecurities, remember lad? An' don't worry I don't think Elisabeth would settle fer anything less than a real man, am I right Elisabeth?'

Elisabeth smiled and nodded.

'See? No worries then!' Devon shouted with glee 'After all, Jack 'imself couldn't even woo her properly, since 'e's a bit insecure 'bout 'is manhood an' all....'

Will and Elisabeth chuckled and Devon gained a pinch from Jack. 'Truth hurts don't it, Sparrow?'

His face nuzzled hers and he whispered, 'I can vaguely recall wooing a certain raven haired strumpet las' nigh'...'

Devon grabbed hold of the two small braids in Jack's goatee again, and yanked his head down ever so gently, while she whispered, 'Wooin'? Tha' be what ye call it? Methinks ye mean droolin', oh dearest Capt'n o' mine. Methinks ye've let more saliva drip onta th' floor than a lama would've or could've done.' Then she let go of the braids, and patted him teasingly on his cheek.

Jack's left eye started to twitch again and he forcefully grabbed her wrist, pulling her along with him, 'Time ta go now, ye nuisance!'

'Aye Sir!' she mockingly saluted and followed it with a holler, 'Bullet!!!! Get yer tail over 'ere!!'

The small bulldog crawled out from under the table wagging its tiny tail as Devon leashed it.

Devon caught Elisabeth pouting while she looked longingly at Bullet. After she heard Elisabeth sigh, she placed a comforting hand on her shoulder in compassion.

'Yer gonna miss 'im, won't ye?'

Elisabeth nodded, softly chewing on her bottom lip.

'I'd leave 'im 'ere if I could, but truth be told, I be lost without 'im. Maybe one day I'll return 'ere, after Norrie's forgotten 'ow much he wants me an' he'll be havin' them sweaty dreams 'bout another blushin' virgin...' she paused and a devilish glint showed in her blue eyes, 'I'll buy ye a pup of yer own.'

Elisabeth's face lit up after hearing Devon's words, a bright smile formed on her lips. Jack and Will couldn't suppress their grins. Will was grinning, because he knew Devon Duville wasn't a blushing virgin anymore after last night. And Jack grinned, because he knew Devon Duville had been far from a virgin to begin with.

Elisabeth hugged Devon in an almost suffocating embrace. 'You would? You would buy one of those little puppies for me??'

Devon smiled while she tapped her finger on her chin. 'Well, I prob'ly wouldn't buy one lass, but I could bring ye one. Pirates honour,' she stated and placed her right hand over her heart.

Jack tugged at her sleeve, 'We really need ta get going now, luv (cough) TART.' Jack bit the inside of his lip, how could he have made such a mistake again?? He had said it and even worse, he had really meant it, before he had only just thought about it. The word had just slipped from his lips, almost naturally. He had called her "luv" before, but that had been mockingly, now he had spoken it in the same way he had pronounced her given name in last night. And that, to Captain Jack Sparrow, was rather disturbing. Not only were his mind and heart betraying him, his mouth had also started to do so as well.

Devon flashed him a lecherous smile, 'Patience be a virtue Sparrow. But I see it ain't one o' yer best features now is it?'

Did he jus' say luv like 'e really meant it? Nah, probably just me damn imagination.

'C'mon Bullet, we've got a ship ta commandeer!' Devon said and she took rather large steps to beat Sparrow to the door. She placed her tattered hat on her curls, pulled it slightly southwards to cover her eyes again and tugged down her sleeves. The dragon had to be hidden again. Jack followed her example and hooded himself with his beloved frayed tricorn on his wild manes. Once again, the daylight would be their worst enemy. The trick here was to mingle. But for these two extraordinary and quite eccentric pirates, blending in with the crowd was as easy as finding a needle in a haystack. Captain Jack Sparrow would stand out in a crowd of even a million. And as for Devon – The Dragon – Duville, well, she wasn't a hard one to miss either.

They would have to be quick, slick and bold, Jack thought. He looked at the sassy smart mouthed woman that had made his world rumble ever since that night in The Treasure Chest, and knew they would pull it off. The way they had pulled off their escape yesterday, without even planning it at first, had made him realise something. He and the tart thought alike. Not only that, but they made quite the team. That fact had been proven again in the night they had shared. And it was something about that made which him uneasy, but right now he only saw the benefits. They could pull it off together. They would pull it off together. As long as she would keep her mouth shut, that was. That and she'd have to loose the damned dog.


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Meanwhile in The Hazard's armoury:

Dacosta found himself bored without the company of the ship's master gunner. He had been assigned to Dee's tasks, since he would usually assist her with the work in the armoury, whenever she actually let him assist that is. But being down in the bowels of the ship in the semi-dark without her snide remarks and obscene jokes was just downright boring. He even found himself missing her bickering, nitpicking nature and the pranks she used to pull on him when they were down here. He looked around and found himself wondering just how he had cleaned only a few of the ships cannons, even though he had been down there since the crack of dawn. Devon used to work at lightning speed, so by this time she would've already finished all the canons, checked both the powder and ball supplies and still would've found the time to harass several crewmembers as well.

Dacosta couldn't help but smile. He hated her guts sometimes. Hell, there were many times when he had asked Drake to maroon her or toss her overboard when she had made fun of him and taunted him. But in the end, after years of working side by side with her, he learned to deal with her impious behaviour and had unknowingly found a friend for life in his mystical superior. If only there could be more than just friendship...

Dacosta knew he wasn't the only one aboard the Hazard that had sinful, sweaty, and wet dreams about her, but he also knew that Devon was a tease and would never let any of the crew come near her in that way. He grinned impishly while he worked on yet another cannon, finding himself sinking deeper and deeper into his reverie all the while. Oh, she was the Queen of sexual innuendo's... Like that one time they had been in Singapore, and had all a drink in that bar Devon's friend's brother owned after Devon had finished tattooing a crucifix with the good Lord Jesus on Jameson's back, and she did a very impressive number with a banana.... Of course Devon had been drunker than a fly that had fallen into a rum barrel, and all of them present, even Drake, had been intoxicated with both the rum and her performance. But oh, by Mary and all things holy, how he had wanted to be that banana.... But even then, she had not let any one of the Hazard crew lay a randy finger on her. She had teased and turned her crewmates on, but ended up leaving the tavern with some foreigner. It only occurred to him some time later that the foreigner had been no more than a Singapore native. Then the ghost of a smile that he had from the memory of Devon that night vanished as he stared around him.

To him it seemed as though the whole ship was empty without her. Not only was it because she was a stunning, breathtaking woman and could be pleasurable company if she chose to be, but just because she was always unmistakably there when she was aboard the ship. There was no way anyone could ignore her. Devon always made damn sure she got her share of attention. He grinned to himself, she wasn't always pleasurable company. Devon could be a huge pain in the arse. And the worst part of that was how she so enjoyed being a huge pain in the arse.

When Drake came downstairs to see how Dacosta was doing, he too was overwhelmed with Devon's absence.

'Awfully quiet without the spitfire 'round ain't it, mate?' he asked while he glanced around the armoury.

'Aye, Sir. Do ye think she managed to escape? Since I be assumin' she got 'erself caught when she didn't return tha' night.'

Drake rubbed his chin in thought. 'Well, she's done it b'fore. I think that we jus' 'ave ta keep faith.'

'But if she did escape, how will she be able ta get out o' Port Royal?'

The Captain frowned, his brushy eyebrows pulling together, and deep wrinkles appearing on his brow, 'Dunno, chap. She's an inventive woman, an' 'sides that Sparrow's there... they're bound ta run in ta each other. They're like magnets. Ye've seen yerself how they keep running in ta each other. An' when they meet I'm sure 'e'll give 'er a passage ta Bermuda.'

'But what if she don't meet 'im again?' Dacosta spoke, concern lacing his raw voice.

Drake studied the face of his gunner, 'Ye miss 'er dontcha?'

'Nay, jus' a wee bit worried 'bout 'er safety. She bein' a woman an' all...' he said flatly, though his eyes gave him away.

'She's missed by the lot o' us, mate. An' shell meet 'im, no doubt,' Drake spoke firmly, although he had a hard time convincing himself of the same hope as well. But then a small smile graced his lips as a thought occurred to him. 'She said she 'ad 'er heart as a compass right? She'll find her way back ta us.'

'Ye think she even got hold o' that map?'

'Sure as hell hope so, otherwise it would all 'ave been in vain.'


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Captain Jack Sparrow never did like dogs much. The scurvy mangy ones that would sniffle his feet in Tortuga always made him wrinkle his nose in disgust. And that rotten British mutt that guarded the blasted keys of his prison cell in the Fort in Port Royal constantly brought back bad thoughts and memories. Hell, after a while he had even fallen to his knees in order to persuade that damned mutt to bring him the keys. And this one, the one that was leashed to the dark haired piratess, was probably filled with fleas, and that made him frustrated like hell. This particular dog could very well be the one reason they could fail in their escape. After all, it had gotten her caught once.

Her brass voice shook him from his reverie, 'Dreamin' with yer eyes wide open, eh, Sparrow?'

Before he could open his mouth, she continued, 'Fancy that. Dreamin' at nigh' in th' dusty recesses of one's mind 'bout unfulfilled desires an' ungrasped opportunities only leaves one wakin' in th' morning wit' th' realisation t'was a vanity. But th' dreamers o' th' day are dangerous, 'cause they can act their dreams wit' open eyes an' make it possible.'

He stared at her with an open mouth. Now tha' was deep. Never ceases ta amaze me. Love that 'bout 'er. Before he could risk his life or betray himself again and say it aloud, he cleared his throat, 'Stop blabberin' nonsense, tart. Take a right 'ere. We ain't 'ere ta discuss th' wonders o' th' world if ye remember correctly.'

'An' there I was thinkin' how we could philosophise 'bout th' deeper meanin' o' things in th' middle o' th' streets...' then she felt his hands in her back as he shoved her forward.

'Keep yer mouth shut fer once an' at leas' try ta focus!' he shot at her.

'I'm focussing!' she snapped while she continued walking in the direction Jack had forced her in.

But then, suddenly, she stopped mid stride, and caused Jack to run into the back of her, and was anything but gentle when he did so.