The Grand Escape, && tag, miss elliot

[Jack Sparrow]

[Continuation of "I run with a d a n g e r o u s crowd"]

"I guess I'll accept that one...."

"Oh good," Jack said with a brief clap of his hands, continuing to weave his way through the do-gooders that continued to get in his way. "I highly doubt I could've come up with anythin' better than that if you paid me with Jones' heart."

Not a moment after he said that did he, in a way, regret it. It wasn't something that specifically should have been said, as it did, in a way, give out a part of his intentions. However, Taylor had no idea what it was that he was to do in the first place, so he was, more or less, safe at the moment.

"Got me?"

"Even if I don't, I'll figure it out," he declared, pressing through the final crowd of people and breaking out into the docks.

Before them was a line of ships, all varying in sizes and goods. It was a wonder that they were going to pick one of them, when it would most obviously be a much wiser thing to split up and take two. However, if they did that, there was no saying that the other would be safe on their own in the opposite boat.

"Which one?" Jack leaned over to ask the girl beside him. It really didn't matter to him; the only thing he was concerned with was the amount of rum on the chosen ship.

[Taylor Elliot]

<sub>Taylor grinned a little until he spoke of Jones' heart. Then, her smile slowly faded, like something was stuck in her throat. She closed her eyes for a moment as she swallowed hard, trying to forget he'd ever even mentioned Jones in the first place.

Jones was not one Taylor particularly wanted to discuss. Not even his heart would be an ideal topic of conversation for her. She was so disgusted, but also so terrified of Jones, that she was even considering getting on her knees and begging Sparrow to let her join the crew.

Then, she would be a shiphopper anymore. It was just sad, because in the back of her mind, she knew Sparrow would ditch her as one of the 200 hundred souls Jones wanted from him. How little Jack knew about how much Taylor really knew. It would be a crying shame once Jack found out he wouldn't be able to hand Taylor over to Jones because Taylor wouldn't be fresh meat.

"Good, I think.." she said, a bit quietly as she watched him push through the crowds, quickly following after him after she cleared her mind of everything, focusing on her plan. Focus, Tay, Focus... she thought to herself as her thoughts blanked, only the plan and the look of the ship stuck in her mind.

She looked at Jack once, then looked at the ships, examining each one carefully. " OK, um.. this easy.. The one that found me in Singapore," she said, looking over one in particular, pointing to it.

"That one, that's the one we want."</sub>

[Jack Sparrow]

"That one, that's the one we want."

Jack followed the length of her finger to the ship that she pointed at, nodding when he caught sight of a rather filled looking ship. Only a dozen or so workers were making their way to and from the decks, taking out barrels of drinks and crates of goods. It seemed good enough of a choice as anything.

"All right then," he said, and couldn't supress the slight tone of eagerness in his voice. "I'll assume yer ready, then?"

He didn't wait for an answer before he proceeded forward, taking long, slow strides, his fingers grazing over the hilt of his cutlass, the other hand resting on the rear of his pistol. It was more a precaution than anything; Jack doubted he would have to pull his weapons all too quickly.

He made his way to the board that connected the boat to the docks, hiding just off side it and waiting for Taylor to catch up to him. There were enough boxes around to hide them at the moment, which was more than a good thing.

When she arrived next to him, he didn't ask her if she thought she was ready, or she was nervous. No, if she had made the daring escape she claimed to have, this would be nothing. Instead, he asked her, "How long shall I be waiting for you, then?"

[Taylor Elliot]

<sub>Taylor forced a grin and nodded. " 'Course I'm ready," she said, crossing her arms a little. She watched for a moment before following, like she always did. She got a look at their body language, posture, gestures, anything that could give her a hint as to what they were thinking, how they were feeling, things like that.

Needless to say, Taylor was naturally observant. No, it wasn't because she was taught to study it. It was her instinct, habit by now, to just watch somebody's body movement and to be able to tell them apart like that was something she'd taught herself to do long ago.

"Waiting.... Just a few moments, I'll shoot through the wood if something goes wrong and we have to get out of there, a'right?" she said, raising a bit of an eyebrow.

She knew that some people had trouble following her crazy plans, but she had faith in Sparrow that he'd follow just fine. She checked her sleeves, to make sure where she knotted them together wasn't showing.

She nodded once to Jack as she walked up next the Captain, exhanging few words with him. He readily seemed to agree to let "him" back on. Walking on, she glanced back at Jack and as soon as she'd gotten on board, she flashed a thumb towards him, telling him everything was set.</sub>

[Jack Sparrow]

"I'll shoot through the wood if something goes wrong and we have to get out of there, a'right?"

"Aye," Jack agreed, and watched as she made her way up the platform and spoke with the Captain of the ship. It didn't seem to take long before Taylor flashed him a quick 'coast is clear' sign, and he dodged around the crates and made his way up the plank himself with careful speed and delicacy.

She was a young girl, he had observed as he watched her make her way serperately from him. Perhaps she was too young to be doing such things as she was, but that was besides the point. They were making their way along carefully and intricately, if that was a word for it, and so long as they made it out of their alive, it was all good.

It took a while, perhaps a quarter of an hour, to find his way to the cellar, where he was to blast the hole through the wall of the ship - if he had understood the plan well enough, that is. However, first thing was first: he needed to find the supplies, and then a weakened spot in the wood.

Looking arond him, Jack found a number of kegs that remained, as well as a crate that undoubtedly held foods. Bringing them to the edge of the ship, he felt along the wall for a weak spot that he would be able to cut through given the right moment.

It was all going good, or at least, until the footsteps of men came down the stairs. He had little time to think; the only thing he thought to do was what he did. Grabbing the rafters above him, he pulled himself up, waiting in the structure beams for no more minutes as carried out a load of goods.

Breathing a sigh of relief, he let himself fall to the ground. Beginning his feeling of the ships sides, he finally found a spot where the wood gave way slight. "Ah ha," he muttered under his breath, and drew his pistol. There would be time to worry about being followed later; he didn't feel much in the mood for dulling his cutlass at the moment.

Cocking the gun, he aimed at the wood, and pulled the trigger. A bang resounded throughout the ship, and he was certain someone would have heard. At the same time, however, he heard the thud of something slapping against the water not far off.

Perfect timing.

[OOC: Is that what you had in mind for him to do, moreorless?]

[Taylor Elliot]

<sub>|OoC:Yeah, that totally works ;D|


Taylor glanced back from the corner of her eyes. Coast is clear, the crew is off.. she said, releived but also smirking to the fact that her idea was going all according to plan. She looked around the ship, her head turning only in the slightest motions.

She was careful, silent, only the softest noises of her feet on the wooden boards on the deck. She walked around for maybe 10 minutes or so, to make it look like she was looking for something. not pulling a crime, again.

She refrained from grinning as she found the nearest lifeboat, using the ropes to carefully lower it, hopefuly quiet enough that nobody would find her lowering a lifeboat. For that, she had no excuse. None at all for lowering a lifeboat.

Hearing foot steps behind her, most likely from a crew member, her hand tightened around the rope. She looked down into the boat, swallowing hard as she looked around one last time. She had minutes, and she had to do it now. Of course, the foot steps neared her quickly.

Without warning, she jumped off the side of the ship.

At that moment, a crew member walked by, noticing the lowered lifeboat. He looked down at it, the empty boat just swinging there. He shrugged it off, and he walked away to finish his job.

Taylor sighed of releif, her hands and feet clinging to the underside of the boat. She swiftly scaled the sides, climbing into the boat. She untied the blade from her leg, looking at the two ropes.

As soon as she swung, the ropes snapped and the boat fell. It hadn't been too far from the water, and it hadn't been nearly as loud as.. the pistol she just heard. She sighed shaking her head as she grabbed the oars, ready to go as soon as Jack got everything out of that ship, and fast.</sub>

[Jack Sparrow]

He stuck his head out of the hole that he had just made in the wall of the ship, pressing against the wood around it to break it. Water began to pour in from the lower opening, and he was pleased to know that things were working out according to plan.

Turning his head to the side, he saw Taylor just off to the side in the lifeboat, looking a little rattled. "Ai," he called softly to her, and waited for her to row the boat to the opening. Once she was there, he immediately began to put the crates and kegs into it.

It didn't take long for a number of workers to file into the cellars, all with their hands on their hilts or weapons drawn.

Drawing his pistol, Jack aimed it at one of the men, and said in a clear loud tone, "Gentlemen! I would well advise you to take a step back and to ignore wha' you see happenin' here," and at the last moment, pulled it upward and shot at the ceiling. A series of surprised yelps told him that everyone aboard the upper decks had been caught off guard by it. The men that had come to the lower decks of the boat began to curse and shout things, two fo them advancing.

He raised his gun once again, pointing it at the men's heads, switching from one to the next. "Don' move," he warned, backing slowly toward the hole in the ship, one final keg of rum tucked beneath his arm. When he had forced it backward through the ship and into either the boat or Taylor's hands - he wasn't certain which - he declared in a loud voice:

"Men, this is the day you shall always rem'mb'r as the day you almos' caught Capt'n Jack Sparrow!"

Stepping back slightly He jumped out of the hole, landing safely in the lifeboat, watching as the men struggled to fit two at a time through the opening, ignorrant of the water slowly pouring into the ship.

[Gah, crappy. Sorry! ><;]

[Taylor Elliot]

<sub>Taylor had quickly helped to get most of the supplies into the small boat, then watching as Jack seemed to be met by some angry looking crew members, and their captain as well.

The captain looked at Taylor with a glare, whom just gave him a wink and tipped her hat, but she'd only done it to anger him further. She grinned with a bit of success as the captain stormed out of the cellars.

She watched as Jack, armed with a pistol, threatened the crew as he held back the last keg of rum which Taylor quickly and carefully loaded onto the boat with the rest of the things as he continued to talk.

"Men, this is the day you shall always rem'mb'r as the day you almos' caught Capt'n Jack Sparrow!"

Taylor rolled her eyes almost at his little speech, but it made her laugh a bit. She'd heard about him saying that whenever he got out of a tight situation like that, but she'd never actually heard him say it until now, and it just made her laugh.

Gripping the oars tightly, Taylor swiftly and firmly rowed out of there fast too. Sure, she was very skinny, but like stated before, it was all muscle that she had on her. It was just the fact that sometimes she barely got to eat that she was so skinny.

"So, where to?" she said, looking at Jack, but also glancing back to watch where she was going, but also to see if the crew of the other ship were following.</sub>

[Jack Sparrow]

Once in the small rowboat and fit with the number of goods and boxes - as well as a good many yards out from the ship - Jack let out a victory laugh. "Won'erful!" he exclaimed with a lift of his arms.

His eyes remained locked on the ship for a matter of moments, watching as the panicked men realized that there was no catching up now, and that their ship was slowly sinking beneath the levels of the sea. "Jolly good fun tha' was," he concluded with a lively note in his voice as he turned around to face Taylor, who had taken to rowing them away immediately.

"So, where to?"

"The Pearl is docked off around the cliffs," he told her with a contagious smile spread across his face. "If we cu' through the shallows, we shou' make good time. Howev'r, we'll risk bein' caught that'a'way."

It was a flip of the coin, more or less, that decided which way they would take, and much less literally than it sounds. The choice could either lead to victory, which was above all else needed, or failure, which could only bode evil for the two. For a long moment he thought, debating mentally which would be the best choice.

"Through the shallows," he declared finally.

[Taylor Elliot]

<sub>|OoC: I'm getting all cautious now.. do you think that if I eat a funny tasting salsa, will I become all.. contaminated?|

Taylor laughed a little, watching as he yelled enthusiastically. Indeed, it was rather great that they'd done it and been able to get out of there like they had. Not everyday was one able to pull that sort of thing off, so it wasn't pure luck, it was pure skill.

She nodded, grinning. " I agree," she said, glancing back every once in a while to make sure she wasn't going to ram the boat into anything. She didn't want to crash the stolen life boat and have to swim all the way to his ship with the goods on her back. No, that would not be pretty.

Quicker, yet risking being caught. If they could get out of the situation on the ship, she reckoned they could get out of anything hurled at them through the shallows as well. She also didn't want to have to row for another century, so yes, the shallows would have been her pick.

Taylor nodded when he decided. " Tha' was my pick as well," she said continuing to row their way to the shallows. Her arms weren't strained, her hands werne't shaking.

For once in her life, she felt calm, like she wasn't running from her future. All she knew, was that would be her future, on the Dutchman, if she could not escape it. She'd realized that 5 years ago, and ever since she'd been escaping.</sub>

[Jack Sparrow]

"Tha' was my pick as well."

"In the same state of min', you an' I are," he told her with a warm grin as he pried open one of the crates to check what it was that they had lifted. There was a total of four of them: large enough in size to fit a number of large melons, but most obviously not enough to keep the crew satisfied on a trip to Tortuga.

Inside the first one was a wide assortment of dried fruits: everything from peaches to plums, all sat arranged in the box with some sort of unnatural care. In the second was what seemed to be a number of different types of crackers and breads, possibly the most filling of things that would have been lifted.

He cast his gaze up to Taylor for a moment and asked her, "Do yeh think we should've go'en more while we 'ad the chance?"

Waiting for the reply, he closed the second crate and moved on to the third, upon which he found more crackers and the likes. The final crate had containers of pre-served jerkies, something that was rare upon finding and more than valuable. "Jackpo'," he breathed, closing the box and setting it aside with the others.

[Haha, poor you. Sorry it's so short!]

[Taylor Elliot]

<sub>Taylor nodded with a smile. Obviously they did think alike. This was very odd. The person she'd immediately hated upon meeting was the one pulling a theft with her, and now laughing with her. She never quite understood how this happened, especially this being the first time she'd ever met Jack Sparrow.

Taylor looked as he opened the crates. She didn't mind, she didn't have to eat. She had bread and rum hidding away for her own use, which she'd stolen as well. She of course, just had stolen them, and she'd hidden them right after she'd gotten off the last ship.

"Aye, but you don' need to worry 'bout tha'," she said, almost yawning, trying to keep herself from it. Her father always told her yawning was impolite, but they were contagious as well. She had done it on purpose in a dinner party once, and everyone in the room had yawned.

"If yer ship is belayed near the cliffs, I'll show yeh where I keep what I've stolen, and we can take the crates from there too," she said, blinking repeatedly. No, you cannot fall asleep. You're not done here yet, don't sleep now, you can do that later, she thought to herself, shaking her head quickly to wake herself up.

Taylor grinned a little when he spoke and closed the final crate. " Got lucky, did we?" she said, still smiling, still rowing, trying to keep herself awake. She hadn't slept for a day or two. She'd escaped, drifted, and been picked up a few days ago. She hadn't been able to sleep on the ship in fear Jones would be there, but now, she was quite content that she was safe, but she didn't know why.</sub>

[Jack Sparrow]

"If yer ship is belayed near the cliffs, I'll show yeh where I keep what I've stolen, and we can take the crates from there too."

He raised his brows just slightly, pulling his hat off his head and setting it down beside him in the ship on the seat. All the time he had been docking off side Port Royal, and he hadn't noticed someone had been hiding goods there? Well then. That's in'eresting.

"Am I to be assumin' tha' you 'ave enough to keep the crew of the Pearl content till we pull docks at Tortuga?" he asked of her skeptically, though he highly doubted that he shouldn't have faith in her.

"Got lucky, did we?"

He smiled at her, his golden teeth undoubtedly showing once again. He had only a matter of moments to wonder if it had reflected the light into her eyes or something foolish like that before he noticed that she had been yawning not out of boredom, but rather exhaustion.

Reaching forward, he asked of her, "Wan' me to take 'em for a while?" He didn't wait for an answer before snatching the paddles from her grasp, settling himself with his back to her to row their way along into the shallows of the water.

It was, most likely, a smart idea for Jack to be in control, for he knew better where the Pearl was docked in comparison to Taylor's idea of it.

[Taylor Elliot]

<sub>Taylor nodded to him. " Mhm. I have tons in there, and it for some reason doesn't spoil 'round there. Neve' knew why, but I keep all of me things back there," she said smiling faintly, remembering how everytime she came to Port Royal, she'd hidden things back in her little cove.

She had bread, rum, scones, krimpets and just about every other kind of pastry, mainly because the last ship she'd robbed solo had been a ship carrying a bunch of pastries. It had been a little disappointing that she'd only gotten them, but she had a lot of them, that was for sure.

Taylor hadn't even been able to say anything before Jack had swiped the oars straight out of her small, but strong, hands. She blinked, rubbing her eyes against the ratty, torn up gloves on her hands. She'd cut them or ripped them to show her fingers. Since they were already black, she rubbed them against her eyes, smearing some of the kohl, but not on purpose.

As Jack had gone to rowing, Taylor skimmed a hand through the water, wetting her fingers a little and poking at the corner of her eyes a little, forcing her eyes open with the salt water.

That was another thing her father had taught her. She was starting to wonder why she never asked him why exactly it woke you up, and it was bothering her now because she never really knew.</sub>

[Jack Sparrow]

"I have tons in there, and it for some reason doesn't spoil 'round there. Neve' knew why, but I keep all of me things back there."

He continued with the strokes of the paddles, making his way slowly down the length of the shallow water, not daring to splash around more than necessary. There were undoubtedly a number of guards above that would be able to spot them and gun the pair down in a matter of moments had they been seen, which was not high on his list of future goals.

Turning his head in time to see her dip her hand in the water, he countered, "An' wha' do yeh do in the case of being looted by our fellow chauvinistic pirates?"

It was only a matter of milliseconds before Taylor rubbed the salty sea water in the corners of his eyes, something he had seen a number of others do, yet could never understand the reason behind doing. It stung like a beast for a long minute afterward, and the fair majority of the time was far from worth doing.

And so he voiced his question, asking, "Why in Jones' pitif'l locker woul' yeh do somethin' like that?" An odd grimace appeared on his face as he turned back around, focusing on the rowing once more.

[Short and sucky again, sorry!]