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suffering-and-happy-about-it · 2 years

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The Criminal Mastermind, Part 1. (Love's Wrecks, Part 8.)

Description: Heartbreak is one hell of a bitch. And one Edward Teach could tell you all about it. Yet thanks to Fate being a little trickster, there’s a person who enters his life to remind him of how nice it is of having someone he can confide in, someone he can care about, and someone he can trust. To remind him, what it means to have a friend for better or worse.

Part Summary: Back on board the Revenge, the crew was up to its usual shenanigans - unfortunately, it wall becoming a bit too much for all of you. And therefore, you decide to figure out something that would allow you to have a break.

Word Counter: 6 K

A/N: Uh, so obviously I have disappeared for a long, long time and I had to find my way back into writing and continuing this series naturally. I had a plot point I wanted to get across in mind, I know what part of the story we are in. I just wanted to go back to approaching it with sense and emotion, and I found out that if I'll want to have the characters have a good dialogue, these chapters will be long as hell. Therefore, I decided to divide this chapter into 2 parts. :)

Tagging: @le--petit--croissant @missdictatorme

Series master list: h e r e | Series playlist: h e r e

Anyone on board the ship understood how it happened or how did you manage to lure Edward out in the first place, but they started seeing their captain way more than once every two, three weeks. Each noon, he’d take a stroll around the ship to check that everything was in place, so he could greet and chat with his crew before he'd disappear once more; it could be felt that the captain's presence is making everyone's mood a bit better. Besides boosting the overall morale, it ensured that Izzy's competencies as Ed's right hand were heavily reduced. Now, he couldn't bully anyone into oblivion no matter how much he wanted to - sure, you were still just "useless fucking fuckers", "a bunch of twats and morons" and "brainless idiots", but he couldn't throw anyone overboard just for his amusement. It could be felt that Edward is slowly picking up the reigns of captainhood by chatting with all the men and asking about what is on their minds, by giving them direct orders, and occasionally, he stuck around for long enough to laugh upon hearing their newest, craziest stories. This was pushing Izzy off his usurped pedestal - now, he pretty much resembled a small and ugly dog who was all bark and no bite, which was funny enough to watch in itself.

Captain’s presence could be also felt in the way boys approached their tasks, completing each one with much more enthusiasm and care than before. The ship was in a better shape now when compared to whatever you guys were doing in the past few weeks; by all means, it all looked the same, but it felt so different. It felt much better.

While clearing your throat, you wiggled to find a better position to lay in while putting one of your palms below your head. It was yet another lazy afternoon on board the Revenge, just after you and Pete finished playing a game of tennis in the subdeck - needles to say that he managed to roll you over once more simply because he knew the actual rules, while you had to learn step by step; sadly for him, you were catching up at a fast pace. Now, it was time to lay down, close your eyes, and suntan during your afternoon siesta. This time, Frenchie and Roach joined you; there wasn't a word spoken and the air was beautifully warm and humid just enough, almost refreshing.

Now, at this hour of the day, the sunshine was dim and less direct so it was pleasant for you to bask in it for hours on end. Sure, each of you had responsibilities they were supposed to be doing, but afternoon siesta was way more important than whatever it was all three of you were supposed to be doing. As you sighed, clearly lost in your thoughts, Frenchie turned his head to you and asked you about what you were thinking of. "I'm just thinking... It's amazing that we were able to get the captain out of his quarters, but he's still kind of meh and keeps to himself." - You mumbled, making both of the men hum in agreement. - "So... What if we'd prepare some sort of fun activity for him, you know? That's where I bumped into an issue - I don't know, what is that something that he enjoys? Something that really fills his guts with excitement?" "Let me see. The screams of innocent people, seeing ships going down in flames, watching his portrait on wanted posters..." - "Also, plundering, pillaging, stealing, setting stuff on fire in general, making people scared, I'm fifty-fifty on torture... Music and art if he's in the right head space. You can choose, really." - Roach counted on his fingers, making you lazily turn your head to look at him. "Is there anything that isn't listed as a crime except the last two?" "No, I don't think so." - Frenchie answered this time, Roach immediately seconding his words. - "It's a pirate captain first and foremost."

"But I don't wanna sink another ship, guys, that's all we're about these days. Wasn't the French one enough for this week? We split the treasures and all of the sweets pretty equally. And we also traded all of the captives for a decent amount of gunpowder." - One of the guys wanted to object, but you shushed them even before they managed to take a breath. - "I remember that happening just because Wee John was giggling as he rolled the barrels on board - he even wished them good night. You all got your fair share of plundering this week." "Uhm, Y/N, I don't know if you caught up with that information yet..." - Frenchie sat up, waving his palms around in a grandiose gesture. - "But you are kind of a pirate now. That's kind of what we do, it's our whole thing."

For a bit, you were looking at each other; you were furrowing and Frenchie was looking at you with his mouth open and eyebrows rose, as if he was waiting for the information to click inside your brain; at which you had to roll your eyes and scoff. Roach, on the other hand, couldn't be more unbothered by the topic of your conversation - he rose his hands above his head, spreading all over the wooden part of the deck. He loved to tan. - "Okay, fair, you got a point Frenchie. Nonetheless, I don't think that's what I'd like to do to cheer him up." "Fine, what would you like to do, then?" "What about something that can be could be taken as a minor offense? Let's steal a... Barrel of oranges or a bolt of fabric." - You proposed, having Roach giggle and Frenchie look at you with confusion.

"I don't recall that anyone would be calling Blackbeard the 'Orange stealing pirate'. Let me tell you that if you'd be out there pirating on your own, you'd be a horrible pirate." - The man muttered, laying back onto the deck himself as he shook his head with peals of genuine laughter. Stealing oranges, wow. You could be out of this world at times. "If I was somewhere out there on my own, I wouldn't be in the pirate business at all, just to remind you." - With that, you picked yourself up and stretched your back with a long, lazy yawn. The sky was slowly getting darker, so it was an ideal time to brew some tea and carry it to Edward's quarters. - "You two better come up with something interesting then, sir pirates. I'm off!"

While humming one of Frenchie's lute songs you walked into the kitchen, just to see absolute havoc breaking out in there. Swede was laying on the kitchen table, screaming for his dear life, while Buttons was standing at the head of the table - holding a cleaver risen above his head. The smile he had on his face was terrifying, to say the least.

Olu must've found this situation going on since he was trying to defuse the situation; he was asking Buttons to take it nice and easy, to put the cleaver down, and to talk it through... As a crew. Needless to say, it had little to no effect on Buttons. While the three men were to screaming at each other unintelligibly, you carefully tiptoed behind Buttons, knocking the cleaver out of his palm. The blade of the kitchen tool slid into a small cranny between the wooden planks, not falling through thanks to the handle. Which, of course, prompted Lucius to squeal in surprise. As everyone in the kitchen fell silent, you could hear Lucius' mumbling coming from the subdeck before he fell silent.

"What in the world is going on here? Are you two rehearsing a murder scene up in here or is it that finger thing of yours, Buttons?" - You asked tiredly, snatching the cleaver away from Buttons' proximity to put it back in its place, nudging his shoulder. It was the finger thing that was driving Buttons in the last few days, so you knew that he neither Swede planning on performing any sort of play anytime soon. - "That's the third time this week alone, Buttons. We're getting fucking sick of it. Olu, take that poor man away from here and tell Pete to look after him for a bit, thank you." "But..." - Buttons objected, making you turn your face to him once more. "No buts or butts. Come on, what did we say about eating, sewering, or cutting parts off your crewmates, eh? This is also Roach's favorite cleaver, he would get upset if you'd..." - With an exhale, you put a pot of water on the stove to start brewing, leaving your elbows on the counter with your eyebrows risen. Olu was helping Swede off the table in the meantime.

"Olivia told me I need to finish this ritual before the next moonglow baskin'." - The guy told you with a serious expression, rising his chin up and popping his eyes out as he tended to usually do when he wanted to appear terrifying or mysterious. Unfortunately, it was to no avail. - "Need to get one finger, notin' more." "And I'll tell you once again that there are various ways of acquiring a human finger. You can haggle it on the black market next Harbor day or something! Mother of Christ, you don't cut it off your friends! We kinda need the crew around in case you haven't figured yet."

"What if ya gimme one of yours, lassie?" - Buttons asked with his eyes narrowed, walking closer to you. Whatever happened to him, he was seriously out of touch this time, freaking you the hell out. And, of course, of all people, he had to corner Swede... The biggest blunt man on the ship. "Out. "Won't even hurt a bit, I promise." "I said out. Go. Now. Bye." - And with another exhausted sigh, you watched as Buttons walked out of the kitchen with intense mumbling right as Olu came back. After Buttons was truly gone, you both just leaned into the counter and stretched the napes of your necks, not believing anything that was just happening right in front of your eyes.

"What is going on? It's been barely two days since Buttons attempted to cut Fang's finger off while he was asleep - good thing Jim was coming back from the toilet that night." - You said, walking to the stove to check the pot, steering the water a bit. - "Why would anyone in their right mind want to cut off someone's finger anyway?" "Something tells me you've just answered yourself." - Oluwande muttered out, watching you prepare the tray and the tea itself. - "In their right mind, see? We don't know where is Buttons from, but people must've been insane there. I think we all need to catch a bit of breath, you know? We need to relax and have a bit of fun. The last two weeks were a killer, even Jim is pretty on edge the last few days."

"Uh-uh, that's not a bad idea, Olu. Truly. What do you usually do when you need to catch a bit of breath? Haven't been part of this kind of crisis yet." - While asking the question, you were preparing also a piece of pie on a small plate with gold-laced edges, your newest savaging find. - "Do you... Tie Buttons to the musk so he wouldn't eat anyone on the ship? Let Swede pretend he's your mermaid by letting him sing all day long? Maybe a bit of wrestle matching in the subdeck with Pete and Wee John? Hard to tell, actually."

"All of that sounds tempting, one way or another." - The man answered with an amused scoff, helping you fetch the sugar and milk. - "Truth is that any of us really knows. It was usually Stede who made us slow down and sit down, who came up with a certain activity and let us do that until we talked about what was going on inside our heads, because he believed bottling everything up hurts us even more. I can see in hindsight that he knew what he was doing, it was pretty relieving." "Stede sounds like a really wise man." - You smiled sentimentally, pouring hot water into the kettle, preparing the herb mixture to brew.

"Well, since you bit the topic of Stede... How are things the captain? Have you talked about them yet? Or anything else he should know?" - Olu eyed you down, holding the door open for you as you balanced the tray in your palms. - "We did... If Stede's what you're talking about. I mean, he definitely didn't share the details, but I came to my understanding of how everything went down. There are other things I still need to tell him, but, all of them are tricky." "Don't bottle it up." - Olu sighed. "As I said, Stede is a wise man." - With that, you set out on your way. - "Oh, by the way, Olu." - You whispered, turning your head back to Olu, making him come closer. - "Go to Lucius and ask him for another fairytale book, we're almost done with Andersen." "Will do, ma'am."

As usual, Edward was sitting in his huge, plushy chair - this time, he was sitting in front of an opened window with his ankles laying in the window frame as he stared onto the land appearing on the horizon. Upon watching you enter, the man sent a smile your way before picking himself up and helping you set the tea. After the whole 'basking in the moonglow' hurray project you came up with, something had shifted between the two of you - you couldn't quite put your finger on it or name it, neither you wanted to, but everything suddenly felt more personal from that point on... The atmosphere was different. And it necessarily wasn't a bad thing. Oftentimes, Edward started noticing small itsy-bitsy details you'd never suspect him to register; one time, that was a week ago, the man extolled the fabric of your new shirt which was given to you by Lucius, freshly cleaned and everything. He also noted that the color of it suited your eyes very nicely - and you'd never suspect the man could be into anything fashion-related in the first place. Lucius, upon hearing the prases you've been given, grinned and bumped your shoulder with his palm.

This time certainly wasn't going to be an exception. Just upon looking at you, Edward noticed that the black circles under your eyes deepened a bit and that your eyes weren't as glowy as per usual, immediately chiming in on it. - "Well, you're looking fucking exhausted. Something happened, something I would need to know about? Are they giving you a hard time?" - The captain said as he poured you a cup and pushed it closer to you, trying not to dwell on you with his gaze for too long. "Buttons tried butchering a member of the crew again, Swede from all of the people this time. Remember how I told you about the whole Fang thing? How Buttons wants someone's finger?" "Mhm, certainly do." "That nut job just picked up Roach's best cleaver and cornered Swede on the kitchen table... And you know how simple can Swede get at times, so he was just lying there like a dog waiting for his treat. I swear... If Buttons murders someone, it's not on me."

"That sounds like something I'd laugh at, not gonna lie." - Edward muttered out with a scoff in while pushing another chair next to his one; this one was for you. He wanted you to join him in staring at the mainland on the horizon... Which certainly could be another relaxing activity to do in the afternoon. You caught yourself enjoying it quite a lot. "Fun? Try coming and calming the havoc down; Buttons hissing and mumbling god knows what, Swede is screaming at the top of his lungs and Olu is sweating, waving his palms around chaotically, trying to defuse the tension; God bless him. And after we managed to get Swede out, Buttons turns to me, and will all the audacity he asks me, if I'd give him my finger." "If it gets fucking bad, you know you have my permission to lock Buttons in the closet until he gets over it." - The man reminded you, sitting beside you while letting out a long exhale.

"Well, while talking about 'getting over it', there's this one thing,, actually." - You assumed, leaning into the back of the chair with a contained smile. - "Shoot, I'm all ears." "Olu said that the crew used to do some stuff which let them express what was worrying them, back in the day... What I mean is that they got it all out and felt better afterward, you see?" - Even though the pitch was subtle and you didn't mention Stede's name either, Edward precisely knew what you meant. Grinning, he hummed and prompted you to carry on. - "I wondered if you'd maybe know about something? These guys really need a breather." "Sorry to disappoint, but none of that was never my area." - Blackbeard muttered almost immediately, using the tone that usually signaled you to back off. For a moment, you were both silently staring off into the distance; you didn't speak up solely because you could basically hear the thoughts going through Edward's head.- "On the other hand, if you'd come up with something, full send it. I'll make sure Izzy won't bother you."

"I'm taking your word on that." - Agreeing on said matter, you started asking him about his day and what was on his mind, chatting away as you always did. And as per usual, it turned into a pretty interesting conversation and to your surprise, you learned that Edward is planning on anchoring in one of the nearby towns to restock. But this time, it wasn't to be any small village located at the end of the world but rather a whole ass big town. At first, you didn't seem to realize what he was trying to get across, yet when you did, you froze for a bit. "Oh." - Was all you said upon the realization. The next question was uttered in a quiet trembling voice that almost brought Ed's heart to the edge of breaking. - "But... I'm a member of the crew now, am I not?"

"You adapted well and did everything you had been asked for and even more than that, for sure, but, you see..." - The man clicked his tongue and looked at you with an unhappy furrow. - "There's this whole drama about you being the wife of Judge Trott and I don't think I'll manage to change Izzy's mind this time." There was a pretty long moment when you two simply remained staring back at one another, the idyl being suddenly thrown out of the window and long forgotten. To be frank, you hoped that maybe, just maybe, Ed would forget about the whole selling you into slavery ordeal.

Since you've joined the crew, you have found yourself at the center of defusing many conflicts... For example, it was you who talked Wee John out of trading two barrels of gunpowder for one of the teacups Edward really adored, it was you who spoke to Roach regarding his torturing tendencies (and persuaded him into not giving in to them) and first and foremost, it was you who was spending their time reading the crew bedtime stories; if he'd need more proof, it was you who came up with the birthday party idea and who also swayed said birthday man from cutting a finger off his crewmate - multiple times. Blackbeard's men liked you, they were glad that you were around... And you knew that Ed must've been enjoying himself to one degree or another. Given how quickly all emotion evaporated out of your face, Ed could easily recognize that you became distressed. The glow out of your eyes disappeared altogether, your lips were opening and parting on their own as you tried coming up with an answer, shaking your head in the end. With a sigh, you put your cup on the side of your chair and picked yourself up to clean the morning tea off the table so you could leave the cabin. At least he told you only the day before you were supposed to go which was pretty considerate of him.

You could... Spend the night on your own at the very beginning of the deck; there was a small, secluded corner right under it, a small ridge that was hardly accessible for everyone but you. It was Lucius who told you about the spot and you went there anytime you simply needed to catch a breath. The night was seemingly going to be warm, so the air would be gently breezing, letting you close your eyes as you'd breathe in the fresh, salty air and let droplets of water fall on your skin. It would be pretty nice to do before you'd have to... Work somewhere in utter, deep dirt while listening to every order and get whipped in case you would misbehave - in case you wouldn't be considered to be just a piece of meat.

"Y/N, come on, I didn't mean it like that. I don't want you to go." "I just... Forgot about this entire deal. For quite some time, this ship started feeling like home to me, I've..." - You wanted to tell Edward how much you appreciated his hospitality and that thanks to all of his men, you felt like you found a place to which you belonged. They were treating you as their equal, always made sure that there was anything bugging you off or ailing you, who made you laugh all the time, and who felt like... Family. As insane as it seemed, they felt like family. All of them. - "It's nice that you'd like me to stay and join your crew for a bit more, captain, but... Honestly, it'll just be better to get on with it like the civilized, adult folk we are." Upon hearing your tone and all of the posh, formal phrases you decided to use, Edward rolled his eyes and scoffed without any sign of amusement.

Frankly, Edward was keen on forgetting the whole deal too - you weren't by any means the best pirate he had bumped into, quite the opposite in fact. But by being your least-pirate self, you were proving that even an ordinary posh lady could be helpful. And... The man even had to admit that his selfish self wasn't ready to see you go just yet; as of that time frame, you were the one who was taking most of the baggage off his mind, who talked to him about everything and anything, someone who became his great friend, who made him feel there's still light and love present in the world around him, that he doesn't have to be only the Blackbeard everyone was so terrified of and... He liked you. In what way precisely Ed wasn't sure yet, he simply knew that he liked having you around.

"Shut it for a moment, will you? I totally put it wrong. The last time I made a similar pack with Izzy, I wasn't able to change his mind and it almost cost us the life of the entire crew - he's very stubborn and vengeful when it comes down to it. But I haven't said I won't be trying to change his mind again." - Saying that, the man stood up and watched as you put the porcelain down, looking back at him. Your expression hasn't changed a single bit; if anything, you were looking more pissed than before. - "Fuck, listen - I appreciate you as my company, wench. You're everyone's friend and the crew would mutiny and throw me overboard if I'd let you get sold off now. Regardless if you're the wife of Judge fucking Trott or not, why would I care? If you'd like to get out, just say the word. I'll make it happen. If not... Stay for now."

"Are you being serious or are you just making sure I won't freak out?" "Listen closely." - Blackbeard pointed his finger at you and furrowed, his already dark eyes darkening a bit more. - "I've been a lot of things throughout my life, okay? A captain, a pirate, a whoreson, a murderer, a plunderer, a thief... But I've never been a fucking liar." It was this statement of his that brought to the other topic you wished to discuss. The longer you've been putting on the Mrs. Trott mascarade in front of Edward, the worse you felt. By that point, it felt like it didn't even matter if you were just a simple servant or a posh lady, it wouldn't change anything about the dynamic you and Edward carefully created step by step.

Edward Teach might not have been a liar, but you sure were... Weren't you? The silence in the cabin was getting pretty loud as you slowly inhaled, leaning your palms into the desk of the table. It was probably the time to tell Edward that you might've not been exactly who he thought you were the entire time, it was the time to get it off your chest. No way in hell he'd get a lot of money for you, in case anyone would pay him for a mediocre-looking slave like yourself. Especially if the entire story behind it was crafted by you, Olu and Frenchie. Did Trott even have a wife? How on Earth would any of you know? You were just mediocre fucking pirates trying to make a living.

"It's pretty strange to bring this up, but I already knew it would come sooner or later. We need to talk about something, I feel like." - The entire posture of your body was telling Edward that you weren't feeling comfortable at all; your gaze was shooting all around the room while you started to tap a melody onto the wood. - "Just promise me you won't freak out or anything. You see, it's funny, but my name..." The confession was on the tip of your tongue and it almost flew out of your mouth; but at the last second, Izzy swung the door wide open. If that didn't happen, you'd tell Teach all about how you came up with a cover-up story and you'd explain to him that you were just a poor servant who was sailing along with their ma'am and found themselves caught up in the middle of a naval battle. That's who you were and against all the odds, you were pretty positive about Edward being cool with it - for some reason, you were positive that this could be a hilarious story to bring up at some pirate gathering or whatnot; if pirates gathered, that was. Yet, the moment was disrupted when you stepped away from the wooden desk, shyly looking away while picking up the tray once more. As soon as Izzy started rambling about Buttons' deteriorating mental state, about which you already reported to Edward, you knew that the chance was gone. And you also acknowledge that it will take you a long time to gather up enough confidence to bring it up again. You disappeared quietly, without interrupting the conversation; mainly because everything Izzy historically muttered to the captain was hilarious in itself and you didn't wanna miss a word from the rat's monologue. Just as you were closing the door, you nodded at Teach with a genuine thankful smile and left them to it.

It was hard to keep yourself relaxed and make sure your mind was in order as you tried to fall asleep. The men were sleeping around you, snoring loudly; Frenchie, who was commissioned with having the night watch sleeping in the crow nest as well. The air was warm, the sky was clear and the ship was swaying gently from side to side, but even the view of the stars wasn't enough to lull you to sleep. No matter how much you tried, even through believing in Ed's promise, there was some sort of panic arising inside of your chest. You were so off, in fact, that when you heard the crew yapping and bicker during dinner time, you just stabbed the tip of your knife into the wooden deck, storming out of the room with little to no explanation just so you could take in a fresh breath.

The entire morning, as you prepared the ship for docking and made sure that everything is tidied up and in its place; like the rigging and the lock on the door leading to your gunpowder supplies since Wee John was weirdly keen on staying behind just to look after it. Olu and Roach, as usual, put together a grocery list that needed to be bought so you wouldn't starve for the next week. The entire time, your stomach was grumbling and your palms were shaking as you attempted to fold the ropes into neat loops and knots, just as Buttons taught you; everyone else seemed to be in a good mood overall, they were ready to spend their afternoon in a normal city for one... Not realizing that your entire future might've been on the line that morning. And you weren't to ruin the mood for them.

By the time Pete and Olu disembarked to make sure the ship is properly anchored and to talk to the person who was overseeing the docks, you were practically breaking down. The worst part was that you were barely being overly dramatic; there were tears in your eyes, your breathing was incredibly shallow, and your head? Your head was empty. As you saw Izzy eyeing you down upon walking out of Ed's quarters, you knew that this was the moment of truth - now, your breath hitched entirely as you watched the man back, furrowing at him while holding the wooden railing in your palm. And in the last moment, Edward embarked from behind Izzy, dressed up in his captain attire. This was when most of the crew turned around to look at them with genuine surprise in their expressions, watching both of them descend the stairs while walking closer to you. - "Mrs. Trott." - Blackbeard nodded with all due politeness, prompting Izzy to talk.

"I and the captain were talking about what we should do with you for the last half an hour." - Every word Izzy had gritted through his teeth while pretending that he has at least one ounce of respect for you was harming him internally, for sure. Last few weeks, you got used to bickering and spitting various phrases at each other since he was the right hand and you knew very well that you could talk back at him anytime you wanted... Because Edward liked being around you and thus, speaking while pretending you're at least somewhat respecting one another was rather complicated. - "And we agreed that we wouldn't get any sort of good coin for you here, at this fucking end of the world. On top of that, the morons would've most likely arrested us if they'd gotten to know that we captured you. Therefore, Jim and Olu will keep a close on you. If you say a word to anyone, wench, I swear to Kraken that I..." "That's enough." - Just as Izzy's facade started to break, Edward put his palm on Izzy's shoulder and pushed him away from you.

As the statmenet ran through your mind, it was easily read that you were outright confused, attempting to pick up whatever Izzy was laying down. They wouldn't get paid properly? Yeah, right, no surprise there; you were barely worth a hen, let alone a pouch of gold. Arrested? For abduction? But then... Oh, you realized, your gaze flickering between the two men. It all clicked together. Holly hell... Edward did it - he managed to either talk Izzy out of selling you entirely or he managed to sway him some other way. Whichever of these two options, you were grateful beyond any reasonable reason; without realizing you were doing so, you caught Izzy's palm to shake it. - "Thank you so much, sir. So, so, so much." "Stop, for fuck's sake you wench, let me go. All of you other idiots, come here!" - While taking in a deep breath, Izzy stepped aside and started adjusting his shirt; he did that anytime he got uncomfortable.

While Izzy told the crew anything you needed to do in the evening and what were a few exquisite specialties you needed to haggle somewhere on the market, you and Edward stayed behind and leaned your elbows into the railing. With a grateful smile and glow in your eyes, you looked up to Teach and nodded at him. - "Thank you." "I didn't manage to change his mind entirely, but I bought you a few weeks." - Edward muttered back, smiling back at you unknowingly. - "You're welcome. I'll need to make him busy, though; I came up with some fortuitous task, so..." "Sounds like you're gonna have fun, eh?" "Don't make me sell you." - Edward muttered silently, noticing that Izzy is already leaving the ship while still mumbling nonsense angrily. Since you could hear that he was joking, you just scoffed and waved at them as they left the deck. - "It's still on the table."

You still did just as you had been told to do; you were following Olu and Jim around, marking this as yet another of your Harbor days. This one, though, was more special than all the other Harbor days; this time was big and modern, showing off everything that modern society was proud of. Each of the women was dressed in expansive dresses, having jewelry hanging on their necks and ears; their wigs were almost hilariously big and their faces were drenched in make-up... Oh, home sweet home. While exploring the town, you bumped into a few curious shops you visited; there was a store full of luxurious expansive fabric, and a butcher filled with fresh pieces of meat which you all watched with your mouth open. And then, you saw it - all three of you were standing in front of it, looking at the building sitting in the middle of the plaza. Jim and Olu were discussing the architecture and exterior of the building with quite serious faces, yet your expression remained too dumbfound.

"That's it." - You mumbled quietly, shooting your gaze back at the fabric shop. The bank, the fabric shop, a bit of acting, pulling out a fuckery while engaging the entire crew... You'd kill two birds with one stone. - "Oh dear, that's it. I just figured it out." "What did you figure out?" - Jim asked you upon noticing that you were really out of it, looking at the fabric shop, then turning your head to the bank and back to your fabric shop. - "Are you okay, Y/N? You're not looking good." "I figured it out. The activity that will allow you to take a breather. We are about to rob a bank... But with a twist."

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wellamarke · 5 years

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Alright. This is going to be shorter than I planned because I keep tying myself in knots over the very first shot, but I'm going to skip straight to my main point about the Dashing White Sergeant, which is this:

Nobody gets to dance with the person opposite them in the circle.

That is not how the dance works. In DWS, you dance with two people: the ones either side of you, in your row of 3. Yes, to be fair, you join hands and walk back and forth to meet your opposite person, but that person never gets your hand. So, how, pray, do we get this:

AND this:

Well, it's because, in what is arguably his boldest move since 'carrots', Gilbert breaks the set and spins Anne over to his side:

When what they're supposed to have done is this:

ie. Diana, Gilbert and Jane should have performed a straight swap with Caleb, Anne and Charlie. That twirl? Does not exist in the Dashing White Sergeant.

This absolute... opportunist, sees his moment and risks throwing the whole dance just to get to hold Anne's hand. I'm so proud.

The first time they come into the centre he's all smirky, because yes, being face-to-face is fun and an excellent twist on their usual head-to-head. But that's not enough, he wants to dance with her. He's going to get his hand-hold after 3 years of waiting for it, damn it all.

(I know, I know, I'm coming late even to the Netflix release and I've missed the intense week-long dissection of the scene by literal months, so obviously all this has been said. But it's NEW TO ME and I haven't seen the text posts so I'm going to still talk about it).

There is so much metaphorical resonance here.

The two positions (beside and opposite) are supposed to be irreconcilable in the dance. Anne and Gilbert are two people who so often oppose each other but, when it comes to things that really matter, they are on the same side. Likewise, the parts of the dance they spend opposite each other are fleeting, and for the main section, they are on the same side.

Both Anne and Gilbert are the center dancers of their row (the center is the only person who dances throughout - all 4 corner dancers wait out certain bars). This mirrors how both of them have their own storylines, concerns, goals etc in the show. But when Gilbert breaks the set, positioning Anne as to his choosing, he doesn't make her a corner dancer. Instead, she becomes the center dancer of his line. What an interesting fact about the axis on which Planet Gilbert spins.

Even when they're part of the same row, things aren't straightforward: there's a third person involved. In real life it's Winnie; in the dance it's Charlie. Gilbert watches Anne with Charlie and has to wait out the bar. Anne will have to do the same with Winnie.

At the end of the dance - literally in the last few bars - he returns Anne to her original position. In practical terms, this means Mrs Lynde doesn't have anything to complain about, as there's no evidence by the end that the set was ever broken. In sneaky terms, it means he gets to finish the dance face-to-face making eyes with Anne, and not Jane or Diana. In heartbreaking terms, it foreshadows how (at least for now) the discoveries made during the dance aren't going to change their relationship, as everything goes 'back to normal' on the outside. In romantic terms, it could be seen as Gilbert saying: "I want you by my side, but in the end, I'll put you before myself" (in the sense that 'before' can also mean 'in front of').

Breaking the set ought to have thrown everything off - if nobody else moves, Gilbert has put Anne next to Diana, so the boy-girl-boy-girl pattern is lost. The fact that the dance is able to continue means that others have moved to compensate. Crucially, one of them is Diana, who is best placed to perform damage control as it's her spot Anne's moved into -– foreshadowing her manoeuvring the situation on the train and saving the day! But it's not just Diana: everyone in the set will have noticed the shift – mirroring how the whole of Avonlea are basically aware of how these two feel about each other before they are.

Or, in more mathematical terms, the other 4 people in the set, shifting to make way for Shirbert, represent the 4 people with the most to say about Shirbert: Jane plays Winnie (telling Anne she isn't engaged to Gilbert; this parallel works weirdly well since Jane and Gilbert are seen dancing together, and Jane's traditional values mirror Winnie's 'expectations') Diana plays herself (being the person best placed to call Gilbert out the train journey, and being the person best placed to compensate in the dance itself, since Anne's in her spot. Damn, she even does the callout opposite him in a train carriage, a position usually held by Anne). Charlie plays Cole (telling Anne about Gilbert's crush; interesting, then, that Charlie's got a crush on Anne) and Caleb Lynde plays Bash (knowing about Shirbert before so much as meeting Anne; and would you LOOK at that, I was about to say I can't find a link between Caleb and Bash, but the link is MISS STACY!)

Most dancers look in the direction they are skipping in for the circle part of the dance: Gilbert and Anne look dead across at each other before the swap, and then after the swap:

...yeah, they're looking at each other the whole time, even for the direction change - which means that one of them is always skipping 'backwards' (sideways, but against the direction they're facing, led by the other). If that ain't a metaphor for trust, I don't know what is. Also, they will each be the backwards-facer for the same amount of steps, and if that ain't a metaphor for compromise... you get what I'm saying.

I will probably think of a few more resonances after posting this, and yes, I know that I'm reaching on some of it, but even without all that symbolism, you HAVE to hand it to Gilbert. As far as he knows this might be the only time he'll ever get to dance with Anne, so he's going to make the most of EVERY SECOND, and dance more with her in that one rehearsal than any other couple in the room have managed in two.

Something else I like, as well, is that he knows the format of the dance from watching the initial demonstration - so he COULD have tried the spin in the first run-through. But he doesn't do it until he gets the vibe from their first face-to-face that Anne, maybe... isn't opposed to dancing with him. (Also, he waits 'til he's invalided Moody out of the running, freeing his buddy up to give them some nice twinkly backing music... Gosh, Gilbert, how far back does your web of cunning go?!)

Just as a parting shot, I'll point out that Miss Stacy is the one who pushes Gilbert (nonsensically) to the other side of the room, where Anne ends up. I say nonsensically because at the beginning they're standing like this:

with Gilbert being the ONLY boy on the right hand side of the room, so no way should he be moving across. What actually needs to happen is that two boys from the left should go to join him. Gilbert should have stayed put. But no, Miss Stacy wants him over there:

She ships it, y'all.

Gilbert then stands for a bit in the middle of the room, foreshadowing his indecision/being torn between two options later on:

Look at him, stroking his chin, all confused! Thankfully, Mrs Lynde is there to park him firmly on the left side of the room, ensuring proximity to Anne. Thanks, Rachel. Thanks, Ms Stacy.

And most of all, thanks to whoever choreographed this scene! It took me so long to get a comprehensive look at Gilbert's actions because I kept getting distracted by everything else that's going on: Ruby, Tillie and Jane are all wonderful too, and let's not forget Moody and Charlie partnering each other just before Mrs Lynde yells 'stop'. Wonderful. Perfect scene is perfect.

#awae #anne with an e #shirbert #gilbert blythe #anne shirley cuthbert #gosh this got very long #meta #awae meta

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