( ♞ | hxwlett )

- gameofdeception

         ^{❛ i’d have to admit that i have never been one for the SEA. ❜}

                    “ No? Then I must admit, you’ve made a questionable friendship with me. The sea is the only place I’ve ever truly felt at HOME. Does it frighten you? ”

(  ♞  | sheissyrena )

  She had first spotted him foundering in the sea like a nestling making its
  first attempt at flight. He resisted her arms that longed to help, twisting
  away from the safety she offered at every opportunity she allowed to
  slip by. Syrena set her jaw determinedly and redoubled her efforts, paying
  no heed to the struggles of the human as she towed him towards the
  sunlight that illuminated the underwater world. As they neared the surface,
  she pulled the man ahead of her so that his head would be the first to break
  out of the water’s embrace. The mermaid laid him down carefully on the
  beach and retreated to a polite distance, relieved to see his eyelids flutter
  slightly.

                   “You mustn’t sleep. You must get as far away from
                   here as you are able to. These waters are not safe.”

Will’s head spun unpleasantly as he fought to remain conscious, the world
tilting precariously on its axis as he lifted his head up again. Sand clung to
strands of hair, obscuring his vision even more than the black spots 
currently blooming at an alarming rate. Sliding an arm under his torso, 
Will slowly lifted himself up, stomach rolling as the dizziness increased
tenfold. The sun was far too bright, the sand too warm – everything was 
simply too much at the moment, and Will could feel his boy practically
pleading with him to give in to the pressing weight of sleep. It was funny
how similar this weight was to the weight of the ocean.

Startled by the return of the lilting voice, Will finally found the source of it.
A woman waded in the water, visible to the tops of her shoulders. There 
was an ethereal air to her, something that Will couldn’t quite place. She
seemed concerned for his safety, but it was she who would tire after 
continuously treading water. Her words didn’t make sense in his muddled
state, and he shook his head slowly. 

                            “ Just – give me a moment to find my
                              bearings.”   He asked, words punctuated
                              by a heavy breath that fell between each
                              one.

Will leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. He realized with a
start that he was still in the water, waves lapping at the lower half of his
body. He cast it a cursory glance, apprehension on his features despite
the fact the he knew nothing about the woman before him. The warning
stirred something in Will, though he still didn’t have the energy to move.

                            “ – What, might I ask, makes these waters
                              so treacherous? “ 

( ♞ | Tia Dalma )

   Her eyes lingered on him thoughtfully as he stood. Though the rest of the crew
   had moved quickly upon being reintroduced to their captain, William had lagged
   behind. It would have been clear to anyone with even a hint of observational skills
   that he was not as enthused about this journey as the rest, nor as happy about
   the prospect of rescuing Jack. And yet he agreed still. She found that very intriguing.

       “Or perhaps missed by one in pahticulah, hm?”

   There was a note of understanding in her tone as she moved away from him,
   gathering a locket into the palm of her hands from a tabletop nearby. The pad
   of her thumb ran across the top of the pendant as she turned back to him, a
   foreign softness in her features.

       “Yer love for her is strong. But ya must take care.”

   She fastened the locket around her neck, fingertips brushing across it absent-
   mindedly as she stared past him, towards the doorway – and further than that,
   to the sea.

       “Not all would be willin’ ta make de same sacrifice in return.”

Will did his best to keep his expression neutral, but even those who didn’t
know  him  all  too  well  would have been able to see the effect her words
had on him.  It was one thing  for  Will  to  have  his  own  suspicions,  but 
another entirely to have it confirmed by  someone  who  knew  more  than
the rest seemed to. Will’s gaze  traveled  to  the  seat  that  Elizabeth  had
only  just  vacated  not ten minutes ago, when she’d sat in  a  silence  that
still  managed  to  be   l o u d e r   than  anything  else  in  the  room. 

Tia  Dalma’s  movements  caught  Will’s  attention,  and  he  turned  back 
towards her, brows  furrowing  with  curiosity  as  he  caught  sight  of her
reaching hand.  The  locket  she  grabbed  was  one  he  recognized,  one
she’d  worn  before.  But  the  look  on  her  face  was  one that he hadn’t
yet  seen,  and  it  struck  a  CHORD  in  him.  There was a familiarity to
the  fondness,  one  that  made  his  stomach  churn unpleasantly given
the current events.  Will  listened  intently  as  she  spoke,  pieces of an
unspoken  puzzle  connecting  as  he  watched  her  move. 

          “ Do you speak from experience?”

He asked hesitantly,  eyes  drawing  back  towards  the  knife  in  his 
hands.  He pocketed  it  swiftly,  the  expression  on his face guarded
as  he  awaited either an answer or a  SHARP remark to remind him
of  his  p l a c e. 

( ♞ | lordiism​ )

     ‟ Even hungry  dogs know better than to bite the hand
         that feeds them, Mister Turner. ”

         The tips  of  his  fingers  rested  rigidly  upon  the  tactical
         charts  as he turned to face his company, his unoccupied
         hand  tugging  lightly  at  the lace of his cuffs that brushed
         against his palm whilst he fell into an  unnaturally  poised
         stance for so dry a remark.

             ‟ Were your own terms not enough to satisfy you? ”

Will regarded the man before him with barely contained loathing,
lip curled upwards  just enough that it might have seemed like a
small  smile  were it not for the tense set of his  shoulders.  The
sheer  arrogance that rolled off of him in waves was insufferable,
and  Will  found  himself  wishing  it  would benefit him to run the
other man through with one of the many swords he’d created.

           “  Perhaps, but you’ll find that even the hungriest of
              dogs knows when it’s being poisoned  instead of
              fed. But it is not the terms I take issue with, rather
              the  purpose  behind  it.   You   never  wanted  the
              compass alone, did you.”

( ♚ | Elizabeth )

   The smithy was no place for a proper young lady, but Elizabeth could not bring
   herself to care about any implications that might come from her presence there.
   Her foray with the pirates had done nothing to slake her need for freedom; if any-
   thing, it had only served to intensify it. She longed for the sort of freedom that high
   society didn’t normally afford to women of her stature. But unlike the lot of them,
   she was fortunate enough to have a father who bent to her will more often than
   not and a fiance who understood her desire to escape her gilded cage.

   Elizabeth smiled across to him as she wandered aimlessly through the small
   building, examining things here and there. She felt oddly at home here, amongst
   weapons that might have made other young ladies swoon. But there was a
   curiosity within her about them, accompanied by a longing to learn to wield one.
   Their adventure on the high seas had reminded her of her inability to properly
   defend herself; that was a feeling she never wanted to endure again. With that
   in mind, she made a mental note to request Will’s assistance with the task later.

   With one furtive glance in Mr. Brown’s direction, Elizabeth made her way over to
   Will, happily taking his outstretched hand. It was such a simple gesture, and yet
   it was one that she had been deprived of for so long that she couldn’t help but
   take pleasure from it.

       “It’s such a peaceful night,” she remarked once they’d stepped
        into the coolness of the evening. It was a welcome change from
        the heat of the smithy. “It almost seems strange, after all we’ve
        been through.”

The warmth of Elizabeth’s hand in his own grounded Will more than
anything else ever had, and for an instant,  he understood how a great
ship could be held steady by an anchor. He also found that if this was
what it felt like, he could live his whole life anchored in place with this
woman by his side. The boyish smile on his face grew more relaxed
as Will quietly closed the door behind them, knowing full well that
Mr. Brown would sleep well into the next morning if left alone. Perhaps
it was the rule follower in him that had Will feeling a bit more on edge
as he let himself slip away from his place of work. Or perhaps it was
finally having found a reason to bend the rules just a small amount.

The city was quieter at this hour, only a few individuals making their
way down the cobblestone streets. The sun had only just begun it’s
final descent towards the horizon, and the warm rays of the setting
sun brought warmth to Will’s face. He swung his arm gently, keeping
his fingers interlaced with Elizabeth’s. There might have once been
a time where Will would have cringed at the eyes that followed them,
the disapproving stares that mixed with those of the openly curious.
But now, he found that he hardly noticed them. It was funny how much
changed once he managed to discover a world outside of his own, 
one where judgments were often withheld. 

Letting his thumb caress the back of Elizabeth’s hand, Will moved
a  bit closer, shoulders knocking together as they walked. 

                 “ I know what you mean. It almost seems like
                   a different world. It’s strange to think that 
                   nothing has changed except us.” He mused,
                   casting a glance towards the direction of the
                   ocean. 

He was loathe to admit the pull it had on him, but even now, the
smell of the sea brought back the memories of a rocking ship
beneath his feet, and the soothing sensation it brought. How 
strange that something that had very nearly been his end brought
nothing but sheer adrenaline. His brow furrowed at the thought,
but Will tried not to contemplate it further.

(  ‽  | Sparrow )

( will )

It seemed there could only be one certainty in this world: that a pirate 
would always find himself back in Tortuga sooner or later. As one of 
only a few safe havens for criminals and outlaws, the island obviously 
had its appeal, but there was more to it than that. For the likes of Jack 
Sparrow it held a distinct charm of its own; from the assortment of 
sights and smells to the pleasures and pastimes one could partake in, 
stepping off the gangplank and onto the dock almost felt like coming 
home.

That is, if home hadn’t instead been an ebony ship he’d finally managed 
to retrieve from Captain Barbossa and his cursed crew – with the help 
of a certain blacksmith he was now intending to meet in one of the port’s 
many taverns. At times Jack still had to remind himself that he wasn’t 
dreaming; that after ten long years of searching and seeking revenge he 
had finally killed his former first mate and taken back the ship that 
rightfully belonged to him. So there was a flicker of pride in his features 
as he pushed the door open to the tavern and meandered across the 
room before his eyes met those of Will Turner, his lips quirking into a hint 
of a smirk.

       ❝ And if they had, would I have been able to count on another 
          of your daring, bordering on senseless, escape attempts? Or 
          was that just a one-off designed to impress your dearest Miss 
          Swann? ❞

There was a brief flash of golden teeth in the dim light as Jack took a seat 
opposite him, casting his eyes quickly about the room before he let himself 
relax a little. It was important to keep your wits in a place like this, after all, 
especially with the sort of reputation that Jack had. As his gaze returned to 
Will once more, there was an undeniable glint of curiosity present that hadn’t 
been there before.

       ❝ Or am I to refer to her as Mrs Turner now? ❞

Will would never admit it to anyone who asked, but a small bit
of relief washed through him as Jack made his way to the table.
Though the joke about Jack’s capture had fallen easily from his
lips, there had indeed been many moments in the last few 
months when he’d wondered if Jack would join the skeletons
at the bottom of the sea or hung for the world to sea. He was 
glad to see that it was not, in fact, the case. A laugh escaped
him at Jack’s comment, the corners of his eyes crinkling with
amusement. Shaking his head, Will slid the bottle of rum across
the table, the sound of heavy glass on wood only just louder
than the din around them.

                  ❝ Bordering on senseless?       I didn’t hear you 
                     complaining  when  I  sprung  you  from  your
                     cell. In case you haven’t noticed, my attempts
                     work out quite well.  E v e n t u a l l y. ❞ 

At the mention of Elizabeth, Will’s smile softened slightly, 
unbeknownst to the sap man. Despite the shorter time 
away from her, Will found he missed her even now. He’d 
managed to lose himself in thought for a moment, but 
was startled out of them at Jack’s comment. A barely
discernible red tint came over his cheeks, gaze traveling
quite subtly ( or so he believed ) away from Jack. The 
smile on his lips was one of barely contained pride, and 
a bit of the same shy young man Jack had first 
encountered a year ago. But there was glint of something
a bit more mischievous in his eyes now that hadn’t
been present before. 

                 ❝ You’re a bit early on that, I’m afraid. But in
                  a few months time, you may be able to 
                  address her as such.  ❞

Will’s cheeks burned a little bit warmer with the comment,
and he found himself reaching across the table to snag 
back the bottle he’d passed to Jack. Maybe it was for him, 
too, after all.

( ‽  | Sparrow )

It was funny how over the course of a few months, the drink that Will
had  become  so  accustomed to could return to the same hard  bitter
taste he’d  HATED  to begin with. The bottle of rum he held was warm
and  unfamiliar  in  his  hand,  but  there  was  a  bit  of comfort in it as 
well.        As it was,  Will felt himself beginning to loosen up with each
(small)  drink,  steadily  cutting  the  invisible  strings  that  made him
feel like society’s PUPPET. Tortuga offered him the taste of freedom
that   he’d  come  to  miss,   and  already,  the  rules  of  high  society 
were  l e a v i n g  him little by little.

Back pressed to the wall of the tavern he’d entered, Will let his eyes
wander  across   those  that   had   gathered   around  various  tables. 
The sound of raised voices and loud laughter formed its own melody,
one  that  made  Will’s  lips  twitch  upwards in amusement.  He was 
comfortable like this,     on the EDGE of the lifestyle here in Tortuga, 
more a witness than one who partook in it.  As it was, he was only on
the island for a single reason.    If he’d been told a year ago that  he’d
one day WILLINGLY seek passage to Tortuga to meet a pirate,  he’d
have been horribly offended and dismissive. But now,   it was exactly
what  he  found  himself  doing.  The  thought  was  enough  to   make
Will  pause  before  taking  another  slightly  larger  swig  of  the  still
rather full bottle. It wasn’t exactly for him, after all.

As  the  individuals  at  the  table  before  him  vacated  their seats in
favor of  c h a s i n g  after  ruffled  skirts,   Will  moved  forward   and 
slid  into  one  of  the  chairs.  Setting  the  bottle  on  the  table,      he
leaned  backwards,  drinking in  the room  and  waiting on the arrival
of  the  one pirate he’d agreed to see.            Moments passed before
the  sound  of  a  familiar  voice  was  finally  heard,  and  Will turned
to seek  out  the  newcomer.  Recognition   flashed   across  his  face,
and he finally allowed himself to  r e l a x  into the chair.

                                       ❝ Here I was beginning to think that Norrington’s
                                       men had made a prisoner of you after all. ❞