Wow guys, thank you
so much for the response for the last chapter! I am quite honestly astounded by it! I was going to wait to post this chapter until tomorrow or Thursday, but when I saw what everyone had posted...thank you so much. So, chapter 6!
Her Dance
The pair entered the Royal Anchor in silence, quite unlike the playful chatter they’d had going on when they had left. Josie noticed the change in demeanor and walked out from behind the bar to talk to them. She figured something had gone bad at jeweler Smitty’s. She’d had experience with Sarah firsthand, and knew the woman wasn’t the most approachable, or the most yielding.
“Welcome back,” she said, greeting them where they had sat in front of the fire. “Everything go alright with Jeweler Smitty up there? You got your money’s worth, right?” She was trying to get the pair to speak up. Their melancholy air was quite unnerving.
“Yes,” Kat replied softly, staring into the fire. She didn’t feel up to talking to Josie about what had happened at the moment.
Josie seemed to sense that this wasn’t the right time to pry. It would likely only make things worse for the girl. So, instead of delving into places she shouldn’t, she went over to the men playing music in the corner. She whispered something in their ears before going back to where Lawrence and Kat were sitting.
Lawrence was merely sitting there staring at Kat. He wanted to know so much, but he too was honed onto Kat’s emotions and just sat there quietly. While he stared at her, he admired her face in the firelight. Her profile was accentuated by the flickering light, and he admired the straight shape of her nose, her full lips, and the way her chin jutted out just a bit, as if she was challenging the world. He admired her long neck, and found his eyes drifting even more when both were startled by jumpy music being played in the corner by Sean Tones and Christopher Scott.
Josie came up to where the pair was trying to recover from the sudden burst of liveliness. “Come on and dance!” she told them, pulling them up. She was honestly trying to get them to wake up from the sudden melancholy. Lawrence shrugged and took Kat’s hand. “A dance for a poor sailor miss?” he asked with a twinkle in his eye.
Kat smiled at his antics. “I suppose I can spare a dance or two good sir,” she said playfully. The two walked out to the small, open area between the tables. Lawrence began dancing in a way that was completely foreign to Kat. It was a weird sort of jig where he spun around in a circle, tapping his toes and the heels of his feet. Kat looked at him strangely. “What are you doing?”
Lawrence stopped dancing and turned to Kat. “You can’t tell me you’ve never seen that before!” he said disbelievingly. “It’s got to be the most popular dance in the Caribbean!”
Kat rolled her eyes at him. “Lawrence, I'm brand new here. I don't know these things like you do.” Lawrence shook his head at her playfully. “Well then, I suppose I’m just going to have to teach you,” he grinned at her and started dancing again.
Kat scowled at him. “Lawrence, I don’t think that’s helping,” she told him, a bit annoyed. He grinned at her. “Can’t you watch and learn? Come on now, it’s merely step and tap and kick and tap.” He danced a little slower so that she could see what he was doing. Tentatively, Kat began to imitate Lawrence’s moves.
“Haha, there, you’ve got it!” Lawrence exclaimed. She spun about a little faster and moved her feet a bit quicker at his encouragement. Lawrence stopped dancing to watch her move. Kat was really getting into the dance now, smiling and spinning at an intense rate. Suddenly, she tripped, and began to fall over with a small yelp. Quickly, Lawrence reached out and caught her in his arms just before she hit the ground.
He grinned at her from where she lay in his arms. “Will I have to get used to rescuing you Kat?” he asked her playfully. Kat couldn’t speak from where she was positioned in his arms, terribly close to him again. Before she could do anything herself, however, she felt herself being righted and put back to balance on her own feet.
Lawrence had decided that he didn’t want to act upon his feelings at the moment. He sensed there was something in Kat’s past that wouldn’t let him get through all the way, not right now at least. If he had acted, things wouldn’t go the right way later, and for some reason, he wanted the opportunity for things to go the right way later. At this point, he held himself back, knowing that waiting was better. The turtle did beat the fox after all.
Lawrence took her hand. “How about you try that dance again…only, go a bit slower this time.” He gave her a smile, but Kat felt like he was holding something back. She knew though, like Josie and Lawrence himself, that now wasn’t the time to pry. She figured she could just enjoy herself for the time being before tomorrow, where everything would perhaps fall into place for her.
After she had gotten the hang of the jig, the music changed dramatically. It turned into a small ballad, not something to be dancing a jig to at all. The pair looked at each other oddly, and from the corner of his eye, Lawrence saw Josie wink at the musicians. So that was what was going on. Josie was trying to push the two of them together, making them dance and get closer. He sighed internally. He would have to fill her in later, if he had time.
Lawrence turned to Kat and offered his hand. “A final dance? This is probably more your style anyway,” he smiled. Kat took the offered hand and Lawrence pulled her in to him, putting his hand at her waist, with Kat placing her other hand lightly on his shoulder. Then, Lawrence began leading her through a slow, almost formal dance. He kept her closer to him than would usually be practiced in the high class parties of England, but Kat didn’t mind. The only people that could see them were the musicians and the smiling Josie from behind the bar.
The pair danced in silence for a few moments. Lawrence slowed them down and leaned to speak into Kat’s ear. “Kat, you know I’m leaving first thing tomorrow, yes?” he murmured breathily into her ear. Kat almost felt her knees buckle as his breath swept past her ear. “Yes,” she said just as quietly, nodding as well to show her confirmation.
Lawrence stopped their dancing. “I want to thank you Kat. This has been the most amazing day of my entire life.” He pulled away from her ear and looked her in the eyes. “Even with saving you,” he grinned.
Kat wasn’t completely getting what Lawrence was telling her. “Lawrence…you’re thanking me for your saving me?” she asked, confused. Being rescued isn’t something that’s commonly thanked for by the rescuer. In fact, the way she had seen it, it had always been a burden for the rescuer, not a shining light. Perhaps getting recognition is what would make the rescue better, but for Lawrence, there was some other happiness lighting up his face. It was just one more new experience for Kat that day.
He smiled at her and shook his head. “It’s almost like that Kat. It’s more like I’m thanking you for being here. I’m thanking you for walking into my life at this time when I felt like there was no purpose. Just thank you.” He pulled her into an embrace. Kat stiffened, her years of training in boarding and finishing schools kicking in. Then she figured that it didn’t mattered, and wrapped her arms around him as well, resting her head on his shoulder.
Josie looked upon the pair for a moment before turning away. This was their time, not hers. There’s no need for her to be a voyeur, intruding on something that was as peaceful as that. She stepped into the back room, the place where she slept at night, and considered the couple out in her bar. They looked so perfect together, but Josie knew that nothing would happen between them- not tonight anyway. Perhaps someday in the future, they could find each other again and find a way to beat the rest of the world together. Josie smiled a bit. She could definitely see them doing that. What a pair they would be, taking on the Caribbean side by side, with only the thoughts of the other’s safety. She chuckled a bit before setting her broom down in the corner and waited a decent amount of time before she intruded on Kat and Lawrence once more.
Back in the main room of the tavern, Kat and Lawrence finally broke apart. Lawrence stared at her almost sadly, as if trying to memorize her face. “I have to go now,” he told her in the same quiet voice as before. “I need to get some sleep before setting out tomorrow.” He glanced towards the back room where Josie was situated. “I arranged for a room here for you with Josie earlier. She’ll make sure you’re taken care of. Don’t worry about paying her though. I took care of that.”
Kat gave him a small glare. “Lawrence, you didn’t have to do that. I’m perfectly fine of taking care of myself. I can pay-” She stopped when Lawrence put one of his large hands over her mouth. “I told you not to worry about it. She knows your situation and she’ll take care of you accordingly.”
Kat moved his hand from her mouth and took it in her own. “How did you manage that anyway?” she asked, thinking she wouldn’t like the answer.
Lawrence smirked at her. “Let’s just say I owe Josie a favor or two now,” he said slyly. “Now shush, or I’ll never get out of here.” He took the hand that was holding his and brought it up to his lips. Gently, he brushed his lips across the back of her hand, the way a gentleman would. “Until next time Kat Crestshot,” he murmured against her hand.
“Until next time Lawrence,” she said, just as soft. He let go of her hand and it fell to her side. She watched him go into the back room to say goodbye to Josie and watched him come back out to walk through the front door of the tavern. As he opened the door, he glanced back at her, catching her staring at him. He shot her a smile and then he was off into the night.
Kat watched him leave while unconsciously rubbing the place he had kissed her hand. Josie had come out when Lawrence had left and saw the young woman standing there, staring at the door. She had seen what was between Lawrence and Kat, but decided not to say anything.
“Kat,” she called out, pulling the young woman out of her reverie. Kat turned around sharply to see Josie standing there. “I’ve got a room for you if you were planning on sleeping tonight,” Josie told her. She turned and walked to a door next to where the musicians had recently been, expecting Kat to follow. Tentatively, she did, pursuing Josie through the door and up the stairs that lead to a few small rooms. Josie was waiting at the end of the hall next to an open door.
When Kat reached her, Josie led her into the room. “This is yours for as long as you need it,” Josie told Kat, her arm sweeping across the small quarters. There was a single cot in the corner of the room, along with a mirror and a small desk next to it. There were a few drawers for clothes and such, but other than that, the room was very sparse. It was probably only 12 by 14 feet is what Kat was guessing, with a window on the wall at the foot of the bed. She nodded to herself. It would do for now. She had to get herself situated somehow.
Josie watched Kat eye the room critically. She got the feeling that it wasn’t at all what the girl was used to. However, she noted Kat’s nod and felt content with it. She was aware of how little Kat had, so she figured she could let her slide on payment for a few days while Kat got on her feet. Besides, she must have been blind to not see how captivated Lawrence was with her, and that added with Lawrence’s request to take care of her, Josie figured it her duty to her old friend.
Kat finally turned to Josie after her assessment of the room. “Thank you very much Josie. I can pay you now if you’d like…” Kat reached for the bag of gold in her jacket pocket. Josie leaned over before Kat could pull it out, pushing her hand gently away from the jacket opening.
“There’s no need to pay me Kat,” she said kindly. “I want to help you out, to get back on your feet. If providing a room is a small part of that, I’m glad to be of help.” Josie smiled at her. “Now, go ahead and sleep. After the day you’ve had, I’m sure you need some.” She backed out of the door and closed it behind her, leaving Kat in the room alone.
Kat sighed and felt her shoulders slump. She truly was tired. The drawers were right in front of her, so she took the gold and the chest out of her jacket and set it down in the top drawer. Her rusty little cutlass was unclipped from her belt and set on top of them, and Kat finally took of her thick coat and laid it over it all, closing the drawer with a small thud.
She walked over to the bed and sat down heavily. The bed wasn’t the most comfortable of things; It was a bit hard and lumpy, and the sheets were coarse, but it was something better than a hard floor in an alley somewhere on the island. Kat slipped off her boots and slid under the thin cover that was provided for a blanket. She tossed and turned restlessly until, finally, she fell asleep.
It's not really the most fun chapter in my opinion, but I like it well enough. Next chapter we get a little more on track with the game story, but I don't think that will last long. However, I'm still writing it, soo.....
Ok, so if you were tuned into this story before the previous chapter, new chapters will be coming slower than usual. I'm no longer on spring break, so I no longer have unlimited time to write. Also, I have a theater production coming up soon, so that makes even less time while we try and make everything perfect before opening. I will try my best to post once a week though. I think I'm too invested in this story to stop now.
Again, thank you so much for the review last chapter. Please, keep tuned in to this story, because it is going to get past the initial nooby Kat stage. Constructive criticism is welcome and actually invited. Thanks for reading!
-Kat Crestshot