Soul Of The Matter

Nahodha flies across the Pearl, checking that each person is doing their job and their dæmons aren't getting in the way. She dives towards Abi, screeching as the frog almost jumps under Pintel's food. Gibbs's dæmon shouts back at her but moves anyway, scowling.

The falcon twirls, heading back down the ship and towards her human. Jack raises his hat to her and she rests on the stern, watching the sea move beneath her. Jack shouts for someone to take the helm, swaggering back to stand next to his dæmon.

'Everything in order?' He says, watching the crew go about their business.

'Abi was in the way but it wasn't a problem.'

Jack turns, leaning his forearms on the side. 'We're coming up to Egrin Island.'

Nahodha's head cocks. 'Is that important?'

He watches her out of the corner of his eye. 'They eat people's dæmons. Stay close, savvy?'

'Savvy.' She mocks, taking flight again. Jack watches her go, taking the helm back and steering slightly away from Egrin Island. He smiles as his dæmon flies over the seas, feeling the wind and water in feathers that aren't his.

Jack smiles and Nahodha caws. It's a pirate's life for them.

Haramia jumps over the masts of her new ship, checking everything was in order. The wildcat could run further from Will than she ever had now, checking one end of the ship while he manned the other. They were currently sailing underwater, ready to surface and rejoin the fight. Before they can, Haramia means to make sure the ship is completely ready.

'Everything looking alright, Captain?'

Two magpie dæmons have flown up to meet her, their humans manoeuvring through the gallows below. The dæmons of this ship don't need to be next to their men, don't have to be even close. Dæmon and human have already been separated once, brought back by the Captain. Haramia looks up, nodding.

'It's all good. Make sure everyone returns to their original posts and gets ready for surfacing.'

The two dæmons nod, flying back down to their men. Haramia leaps off the mast, catching one paw on the sail to slow her descent. She prowls over to Will, jumping up to drape around his shoulders.

'Shall we?' He smiles.

'Of course.' She grins back. 'Lets show them a real fight.'

The Flying Dutchman emerges from the sea, it's new Captain and his dæmon ready.

Alarch rests on Elizabeth's shoulder, looking down at the pirates leering at him. Their dæmon roar and squawk and make every other noise under the sun but the beetle just looks down at them, happy for once about the lessons her mother dæmon gave him about dealing with pheasants. Although Marda had said they weren't to be used for the people of Port Royal, they were still useful in times like this.

Ponuma leans forward from Barbossa's shoulder, nose almost touching the beetle. 'Scared, Miss Turner?'

Elizabeth turns, meaning the monkey has to scramble backward to avoid being touched. 'Scared? What of?'

Alarch chirps slightly, crawling to the top of Elizabeth's head. Barbossa scowls, taking Ponuma away and facing the pirates.

'What's the plan, Lizzie?' Alarch mutters. 'They want Miss Turner.'

'I never said I was who they think I am.' Elizabeth whispers back. 'One surname doesn't mean we are the right person.'

Alarch groans, knowing Elizabeth will take small things like that to the biggest extent possible. That sort of thinking has got them in trouble before. 'Do you really think they'll accept that?'

'No.' Elizabeth squares her shoulders and Barbossa steps towards her, Alarch glaring at the pirate.

Ponuna smiles at Jack from her perch on Hector's shoulder. Barbossa offers a treat to the non-speaking monkey before scratching his simian dæmon behind the ear. Moonlight seeps through the curtains, turning all three into skeletal monsters. Barbossa pushes Jack with one bony finger, telling him to go annoy the cabin boys. The monkey shrieks, running through the moonbeams to get to the door. Ponuna smiles after him, the fur growing on her face as the moon goes behind a cloud.

'What do you think about the voyage we have planned?' Barbossa drags his knife along the map.

Ponuna smiles. The route will lead them strait past Tortuga and Sparrow's island. They both know he isn't there anymore but the crew will love to jeer at the beach where they stranded him, laugh at the idea of their once Captain shrivelling to nothing on the island.

'I love it.' The monkey finally says, jumping down to poke at the nap herself. Her eyes trail down the map, towards another place,one they have heard the calling for.

'Let stop at Port Royal. Have a bit of fun.'

Barbossa laughs, gathering his dæmon up and walking outside. Both grin madly.

Jones looks out over his crew, watching them run about to get the ship working. Their dæmons are locked away below deck, to make them work harder, while Jones' is swimming beneath the ship, ready to come up at a moment's notice.

'Lost in thought, Davy?'

The Captain turns, raising an eyebrow at his dæmon, shaking the water off her skin. Armari gestures to the shipmen around her, shooing them away before they can offer her anything.

'Just checking up on the crew.' He smirks, tentacles bristling. Armari waves her own, scuttling forward to see him.

She first settled as a octopus but, like all men and dæmons on the ship, soon became more integrated with the see. Most would still see her as an octopus but, underneath her tentacles, there are crabs feet for scuttling, piranha's teeth for biting and a whale hide, to protect her.

'How's beastie?'

Jones grins, picking her up to rest on the helm. The Kraken, as much a part of his soul as Armari is, had been let out on an island, to get all those who thought they could run from him.

'Great.' Jones smirks, looking over his crew. 'Ready for another feast.'

Tia Dalma smiles as the waves pass over her dæmon's face. The mortal men still believe her shark-soul is with her, is in the bucket of water they brought for him. Even if she is trapped in mortal form, her dæmon is still free to move magic, to return to the sea and swim away from her.

'Calypso.'

She turns, eye wide but realises she is not bearing through her ears. Mar is circling back to her and, within seconds, he has burst back into the room, straight into his bucket.

'Armari.' He mutters, seeing her confusion. 'I saw Armari.'

A wistful look passes over her face before contorting into rage. The man had loved her, and she him, but that had crumbled easily, and he had forgotten her. Now she is trapped in a mortal cage and he won't come.

'Forget her.' She hisses, placing a hand on Mar's head. He nods, though looks like he want to say something.

'It won't be long.' He smirks. 'They will release us and then we can return to our love.'

Tia Dalma smiles, stroking his skin as noise echoes throughout the ship.

'Or maybe our love will return to us.'

Lord Cutler Beckett, Governor of the East India Trading Company looked down the map, finding the islands he knew pirates liked to frequent. He will have to burn each one to ash, if he were to truly be Commander of the Seas. No man can command while piracy still reigns, his father alway taught him.

'Found them all yet?'

Beckett gestures his Doberman dæmon forward, allowing her to see the marking he had made. Normally, Sinjora will stand guard, waiting behind the door to catch any intruders unawares. They didn't get to the position they did without making any enemies.

Sinjora turns to face the door again before replying. 'Send Jones after the bigger ones. Make a statement.'

Beckett resists rolling his eyes. Such an action was beneath him. 'Jones can't go on land, especially since we got rid of his pet. How is he supposed to make a statement?'

Sinjora grins wickedly. 'He still has a crew doesn't he. They can his dirty work while he does ours.'

Beckett nods, a similar smile decorating his face for a second. Then his expression neutralises and he pushes her slightly towards the door. 'Can't be caught out, can we?'

Sinjora bows.

A dog dæmon can mean two things; hardworking or loyal. No one would question that Commodore James Norrington possessed these qualities, except, perhaps, the man himself.

'You're going to get us caught.' Norrington hisses, glaring at his dæmon as she shifted from one foot to the other.

'No one's around to hear us.' Perdis whines, her chocolate ears drooping slightly. 'I'm just worried.'

He sighed, patting the labrador's side and looking from side to side. As far he can tell, everything is still going fine, as the sailors begin to climb over the ropes. Elizabeth watches them go, Alarch buzzing around her head. He needn't worry, Perdis had checked the ropes and the security a dozen times. Of course, she is hard working to a tee.

Perdis turns and snarls as one of Jones' soldiers starts walking up the stairs, confused and talking far to loudly. Norrington moves to meet him, trying to stop what he knows is about t happen. Beckett would question his loyalty, tell him he is an insult to his dæmon's form.

Perdis presses against his side as he cuts the rope to drop Elizabeth. He is loyal, more than anyone, just not to Culter Beckett.

Kunula looks at the prisoner, all trying to reach for her, as she holds the keys in her mouth. The dog shakes her head, turning away from them and trotting down the corridor. She needs to find the right prisoner before the night is up. No one ever notices when the prisoners go missing, just like no one ever notices that she's a dæmon.

The dæmon moves past one of the guards, brushing against his leg to keep up the act. The voodoo that has been worked on her and her man meant that she wasn't pained by it, neither was he. It did make their life easier, allowing her to run away from him and sneak onto other ships, make them believe she was just a mutt washed up.

It was really to trick people really.

Kunula comes to the cell she was aiming, watching the prisoner with a smile. He is looking through a big book, old and wrinkled and she has to snarl to get his notice, dropping the keys.

'Hello dear.' Captain Edward Teague says, smirking at his dæmon and putting down the Pirate Codex. 'Come to set me free?'

Kunula laughs, throwing him the keys.

Joshamee Gibbs jumps awake, scrambling away from the corner and slipping over the mud and dung. Realising he has managed to end up in the pig pens again, he sighs, flopping back down and hearing the mud squelch under his legs. His entire face drops, glaring up at the heavens as if they are completely at fault.

Probably are.

'Still complaining?' Abi yawns, crawling out of his pocket. The frog seems to think it's comfortable in there but Gibbs has never understood her love for cramped spaces.

'How can I be still complaining? I've only just woken up.'

The frog shrugs, hopping onto his lap and letting him brush off the dirt. 'You were complaining last night, I figure you were just carrying on.'

'Last night?' Gibbs frowns. He doesn't remember any of last night.

'Yeah, when Jack lost the card game and managed to get us in a fight. Ya couldn't stop whining, even when you were throwing punches.'

Gibbs rubs his forehead, trying to bring the memories back. A shout raises his head and he watches Jack run across the dock, screaming excuses behind him and fleeing from the many soldiers, women and drunkards following him.

Bloody pirates.