The Wrecks At Sun Down

                                    

                                          
As I followed the busy crowd, I spotted Mr. Gates and the young boatswain, Billy, standing on a balcony while they surveyed a scene with two men debating over one painting who had copied the other in an ugly way. 
                          
"FRUIT, FRUIT, TITS, TITS, PLANT.... PLANT. IT'S THE FUCKIN' SAME!"
                          
~~~ 
                          
"COME UP HERE, CAPTAIN JONES!" He shouted and waved enthusiastically at me. I waved back and instead of using the stairs from the inside, I took a shortcut and climbed my way up with the wooden pole leading to the balcony they were on. It was worth almost the fall because it didn't take me as long as it would have taken me if I walked around.
                          
"Good afternoon, Mr. Gates and-...." 
                          
"Billy Bones." The younger man pushed himself back from the table to offer me his hand which I politely took. 
                          
"Good afternoon to you too, Billy Bones. My name is Naida." The boatswain nodded shortly and released my hand. 
                          
"I'm guessing you already know what happened?" Gates interrogated and I watched him sideways, raising one of my eyebrows before I closed my eyes for a short amount of time to indicate he was right. 
                          
"Yeah, I do.... it's hard to keep things quiet on such a curious island." I responded and noticed that Billy looked me up and down with a curious look in his eyes, no strange intentions behind it. 
                          
Something was on his mind. 
                          
"Captain Jones.... you're way kinder than the stories tell.... I doubt those rumours are real if I speak to you like this." Billy raised his voice in an uncertain tone, but still had the courage to talk about what was wandering around in his head and I appreciated it. 
                          
"Oh, Mr. Bones. Those rumours, or what ya want to call them, are real and if I'm being honest.... I'm not afraid to do it all over again. In fact I would love to use a new style of torture on that cook of yours." I kindly grinned and he immediately backed off a little, glaring at the ground. He wasn't afraid and it wasn't my intention to get him scared, but he did become more cautious about what I had answered. Mr. Gates silently laughed and Billy's alert face expression changed not long after Mr. Gates spoke up, saying he loved this town while still focusing on a not so smart captain and appraiser of Nassau arguing about the two complete unalike paintings. 
                          
"I'm sorry, weren't we supposed to be looking for the cook?" Gates watched Billy with a huge smirk on his face while Billy shrugged at me. 
                          
"We are, any luck?" Billy seemed more bothered by Mr. Gates than before and I raised an eyebrow as well. 
                          
Why was Mr. Gates sitting on the balcony all day? 
                          
Leaning over the railing, my eyes met those of the appraiser. Perhaps the cook was willing to sell the schedule, but that would betray his hiding spot. 
                          
"No, and I've looked all over. Meanwhile, you haven't moved from this stump all day." Mr. Gates stared at me silently and it appeared that he enjoyed annoying Billy. 
                          
"Billy, take a load off." I could see the young man sigh before slowly sitting down once again, his arms resting on the table. I myself sat down as well, but took a seat on the wooden railing of the balcony because there were no chairs left. The conversation between Billy and Mr. Gates was none of my business as the older man tried to make Billy feel better after lying about the page and so I switched my gaze towards the two debating men downstairs. The appraiser tried to explain that one was a beautiful masterpiece made by a famous painter and the other a copied abomination, but even so, the stubborn Captain kept his opinion. "Fruit, fruit. Tits, Tits, Plant.... plant!" I giggled to myself.