Picked The Wrong Pocket, Open

[Myra Daniels]

Myra leaned her back against the stone wall behind her. She looked like she was resting or thinking, with her cap hiding her eyes. But in reality, she was watching very carefully to the crowds of people walking in front of her, minding their own business.

She had her long blond hair pushed up into a cap, brown color pants, a white shirt, and a vest covering it. She almost looked like a boy, at least from a far. Her chest was another problem that looked abnormal on a boy. Whatever, she would use cloth next time. She was in a rush.

Myra had to get gold fast, she need to keep with the rent for her home and buy food and essentials. So, she did what anyone could do to get a job. Steal or pick pocket.

‘Come on, come on,’her mind whispered, ‘Give me something to work with. Loose coin purse, pocket watch, anything…Oh, here we go, spotted one.’

She had her sights on a fancy dressed looking gentleman with a rather heavy looking coin purse attach to his belt. It was begging to be released. And he was distracted to! He was busy talking to some other gents, wearing fancy clothes as well. Oh, double plus. Myra doubt they knew how to fight, more worrying over their clothes then coins.

Myra straighten up and push herself against the wall. She walked calmly walked behind them, pretending to be walking by. She bumped “accidentally” against her target. “Sorry, sirs,” she apologized in her best guys voice (which sounded like a teenage boy), “Won’t happen again.”

They looked at her, or him, at disgust, taking note of her “rags” and dirt covered clothes. They turn back to their conversation and Myra was left to go home. She placed the heavy bag of coins in her vest’s inner pocket. Myra walked on ahead, looking forward to counting her loot and paying her stupid landlord his money. And she was almost home free expect…

“Stop! Thief!”

Oh, for the love of God! How was she found out? She heard the familiar boot steps of the guards (you know them by sound after a few years) coming her way. Now it was no time to count her coin, but to run like hell!

Myra kicked up her feet and ran as fast as she could. She would’ve run faster but the heavy bag of coin was heavy, it slowed her down. She didn’t want to let go of it just now, not after she worked so hard to get it.

She could see, at the corner of her eye, that guards gaining speed. She muttered a curse and tried looking for a place to hide. Pot, basket, under a barrel of heavy, behind something large…An alley way! A little cliché but it would have to do.

She had one in her sights but didn’t mean she missed one. Myra gave out a yelp as she felt someone or something grab her shirt and pulled her into the darkness of the alley way. “Oi! Let go!” she said, trying to struggle out of their grip on her shirt.

[Captain Jonathan Ballentine]

Captain Ballentine had recently just reached port in Tortuga for the first time in six years. He was still acclimatising himself to the weather, the accents, and the fact that he didn’t have to speak Spanish all the time now. So, paying for lodgings in Tortuga for the night was fair enough, but the dingy hole was awful. Yes, for a night out it was decent, but to stay over? He was sure that bed and breakfast would merely include someone spitting in a pot, complete with rainwater in a dirty mug. Not really his kind of scene.

Anyway, it was time for an excursion. Making sure that The Dalliance was secure, he paid another to take him to Port Royal. He could always hang around there for a while, see if he could make some decent contacts and then be on his merry way back to Tortuga if there was any problems.

So, Port Royal. Just as stuffy as it had always been. Taking time to wander around the island, so much had changed to Jon’s eyes. There seemed to be a whole new set of people there, like his old friends and allies had just picked up sticks and left all together, leaving behind a city full of strangers. No matter, his charm and warm grin would see him through: it always did, didn’t it?

What helped Jon’s excursion, of course, was that he looked like he fitted in. Bright, expensive looking clothes and a confident swagger lied to outsiders, telling him that he was rich and could defend himself. Well, at least the second part to that statement was true, anyway. So, complete with his trademark black sash tied around his neck and silk ribbon tying back his hair into a loose ponytail, the Captain carried on his merry way. He peeked into shops and taverns, getting a true feel of the place. It was nice, relaxing, and the rest of it. Far from heaven, of course, but it would do as far as a place to stay went, even if it was more expensive than Tortuga. Maybe he could blag for some discount, if he was careful with his choice of words.

However, not all of Jon’s wanderings were for the sake of wandering. He also happened to be checking out all of the alleyways, making sure that all of his old escape routes were still open and mostly ignored, just in case he did something and was caught. That was when he heard the ruckus about a thief. Poking his head out of an alleyway, he saw what looked like a boy running from guards, obviously searching for a place to hide. Smiling at the hapless pickpocketer, Jon thought he would do a little charity work.

As he passed, Jon quickly dashed in and out of the hidden side-street, grabbing the billowing shirt of the boy, dragging him into the shadow. The guards lumbered past, still shouting for the villain that stole from the gentlemen of the island.

“Now,… hang on a second, you’re a girl… no problem.” The lighter – yet still fierce – voice demanded that Jon let go. The disguise wasn’t as convincing close up. “And no need to thank me, of course,” the Captain then grinned, shaking his head. “I’m sure you would have escaped perfectly well without my help!”

[Myra Daniels]

“Now,… hang on a second, you’re a girl… no problem.”

No problem? What the hell did he mean by that? Myra tried to pull her poor shirt from his grasp. It was too dark to see who the devil pulled her in. But if it was one of those drunkards…oh, if he was going to try to get a feel, he was dead meat.

“And no need to thank me, of course,” the Captain then grinned, shaking his head. “I’m sure you would have escaped perfectly well without my help!”

She finally managed to pull her shirt from his grasp, rather angrily. “I don’t need your help. I can escape on my own, thank you very much!” she snapped, checking out the condition of her shirt. She didn’t need to pay to get a new one. She had enough money problems. “Why did you help me anyway?” she asked

[Captain Jonathan Ballentine]

“Oh, of course.” Jonathan rolled his eyes. Stepping back to let the girl pull her shirt away, the little light that could get into the alley showing the girl to be a pretty blonde. Well, what the Captain could see of her, anyway. If she wanted to convince herself that she would have evaded capture, then that was her business. She was absolutely wrong, of course, but that was generally the way of the common pickpocket.

Then came the question. “Couldn’t I just be an altruist?” he joked, before sighing. “Well, we’re all together on this, aren’t we? Part of the Code, I’d say.” Jon paused, thoughtful for a moment. “Hopefully, if I ever get into that situation in the future, someone will know that I’ve been helping out every so often, and will send someone to help me. Let it be part of the circle of life or something,” he finished, complete with a winning grin.

“Sorry, terribly rude of me. Captain Jonathan Ballentine, at your service.” The pirate introduced himself, even giving a small bow, despite the fact that it wasn’t the most practical of movements in a small side-street. “Do I get to know who you are, and why you picked a pocket when there were guards just past your group of overstuffed gentlemen, there? You’re either new at this, or just getting sloppy, which is a shame. I should really stop babbling, shouldn’t I?”

Even though the girl herself sounded more than a little sour, that didn’t mean that her rudeness would ruin Jon’s day. Everything was going rather well for him at the moment, and he was going to enjoy every moment.

[Myra Daniels]

“Couldn’t I just be an altruist?” he joked, before sighing. “Well, we’re all together on this, aren’t we? Part of the Code, I’d say.”

Myra raised an eyebrow at him, wondering who on earth was this man? Even by the lack of light, she could see the fine details of his clothing. He looked rich, but how come he knew the Code? How much did he know?

“Hopefully, if I ever get into that situation in the future, someone will know that I’ve been helping out every so often, and will send someone to help me. Let it be part of the circle of life or something,”

Myra scoffed, “Not a lot of people act out of kindness and don’t expect anything in return.”


“Sorry, terribly rude of me. Captain Jonathan Ballentine, at your service.”

“Captain? Captain of what?” she asked

She knew she heard that name before but she couldn’t pin point where. God, she silently prayed he wasn’t a guard of the royal guard or anything. That would mean she had been caught and sent to jail! Oh, not good.

“Do I get to know who you are, and why you picked a pocket when there were guards just past your group of overstuffed gentlemen, there? You’re either new at this, or just getting sloppy, which is a shame. I should really stop babbling, shouldn’t I?”

Myra let out a gasp, her mouth hanging open for a moment. “I’m not sloppy! Nor am I new!” she said in her defense “I…I just didn’t think clearly alright? People make mistakes so put a cork in it!” She said rudely. She didn’t need to be told her mistakes.

She was silent for a moment before speaking, “It’s Myra. Myra Daniels.”

[Captain Jonathan Ballentine]

“Well, then, just call me a whole new breed, then!” His bubbly attitude didn’t change just because some girl had decided to be unhelpful. Jon just couldn’t help himself. It was a bright day, it was obvious that the guards still overlooked the most obvious places to hide, and he had easily passed off as one of the many landed gentry on this silly little island. Maybe he would try a simple case of pick-pocketing himself a little later on. When everything had quietened down, obviously.

At her rather crass question, Jon looked rather smug.He left behind another grin at his answer. “I’m the proud Captain of a wonderful ship… The Dalliance. Of course, I wouldn’t bring it to Port Royal, not after the last time it was here, just in case people remember me. It’s over at Tortuga.” He shrugged. “You know how it is. You can have enough of cutthroats and the rest of it sometimes, so I decided that it would be a nice change to see the other side of the coin, so to speak. Now I’m here, saving you. Or not saving you. Whichever you prefer,” he winked.

It was fun to see the girl squirm, not realising yet that the dear Captain was just having a joke. Well, it may be at her expense, but he didn’t mean any harm by it: that was just the way he was. He had done allsorts, met all kinds of people, fought with even more, and still finished with a smile on his face. Okay, he was no Jack Sparrow, but he had his own little way, and his own little niche. Jon may not have been the most famous pirate that sailed the seven seas, but he wasn’t exactly unforgettable. Even if his dress sense was recognised instead of his name, it was still a laugh.

“Well, nice to meet you, Miss Daniels. I would still imagine that we should leave the shadows, before someone thinks I’m propositioning you, mind. I doubt the guards will recognise you without that boyish behaviour from earlier, hmm?”

[Myra Daniels]

“I’m the proud Captain of a wonderful ship… The Dalliance. Of course, I wouldn’t bring it to Port Royal, not after the last time it was here, just in case people remember me. It’s over at Tortuga.”

Myra felt like hitting herself in the head. She couldn’t put the two and two together. The Dalliance sounded like a fancy dancy royal navy ship but he, the captain gent, couldn’t possibly have put his ship near Tortuga if he was a captain of the royal navy.

“You’re a pirate?” she asked, a bit surprised, he didn’t give off an air of a pirate.

“You know how it is. You can have enough of cutthroats and the rest of it sometimes, so I decided that it would be a nice change to see the other side of the coin, so to speak. Now I’m here, saving you. Or not saving you. Whichever you prefer,”

Myra rolled her eyes at his later comment. She could’ve gotten away easily, she had been on the streets long enough to every niche and corner of Port Royal. It was just a bad stroke of luck that guards saw her.

“Well, nice to meet you, Miss Daniels. I would still imagine that we should leave the shadows, before someone thinks I’m propositioning you, mind.”

Myra placed her head in her hands, shaking it. “Like you are my type,” she mumbled, a bit angry that he said that.

“I doubt the guards will recognise you without that boyish behaviour from earlier, hmm?”

She bit back a laugh, “Yeah, if I walk out without my cap on, with my hair down, the guards won’t recognize me. They are thick headed around here.”

[Captain Jonathan Ballentine]

With the girl finally realising that he wasn’t a gentleman staying on this fine island, Jonathan grinned, nodding his head at the answer. Anything more than a head movement overheard would be incriminating, and so far Jon had never been imprisoned. Well, bar for that birthday joke when he turned twenty-one, but that was just the boys in the Navy having fun. Plus, it was only for an hour or so, to scare him. In that sense, everyone was really glad that the man had a sense of humour, and always laughed about it, even if he had been terrified for a little while. Anyway, the man never wanted to be in a cell for real, considering the number of pirates that he had helped to catch during his years of service. Seeing pirates hanging from rocky outcrops also helped to make him not want to be captured, of course.

The Captain raised an eyebrow at Myra’s comment, though. He couldn’t help himself. “Ahh… okay. Right. Now, prostitutes don’t often get to pick their clientele, Miss Daniels. They have to take whatever money they can.” Even though there was a slightly sharp edge to his tone, Jon still managed to smile. Over the years, he had met quite a number of prostitutes, and very few did what they did for fun. They were desperate women for one reason for another, and he felt terribly sorry for them – even if he didn’t use their services.

Giving the woman a look, he then left the shadows, head held up high. As soon as Myra followed, he would be able to look at her properly, and see what she really looked like. The darkness easily deceived, even if it was during the middle of the day. That was why pirates and thieves preferred to operate at night, and why upright citizens were worried as soon as the sun started to set. It was just the way of the world. “The coast is clear. And unless you’re in the right frame of mind, I wouldn’t use this part of the street to… conduct business. Too close to your escape routes.”

[Myra Daniels]

When he nodded at her question for being a pirate, Myra got a little excited. She wondered if she could convince him to take her aboard as a pirate. Just to get off this silly rock and actually go exploring. But that would be too easy, right? Pirate captains don’t usually take women on board unless its for their pleasure or for ransom purposes. Maybe Captain Jonathan Ballentine (a little fancy name for a pirate) was different. But Myra was used to disappointment, so he saying no would do no harm to her pride.

“Ahh… okay. Right. Now, prostitutes don’t often get to pick their clientele, Miss Daniels. They have to take whatever money they can.”

She rolled her eyes, “I know what a prostitute has to do to get money. Trust me.” She said, bitterly at the occupation of a lady of the night.

Her mother was force to be one and Myra knew exactly what women like her mother had to do. It was not for their own enjoyment, unless they just liked money. It was never the bigger sum of money verse the good looks on the gentleman. It was always about the money.

Myra watched him leave the alleyway, but she still saw him outside of it. She couldn’t go out of this alley dressing like she did now. Just because some of the guards were stupid and thick skulled, didn’t mean all were. Someone, even a citizen, might see her walking out and know her by her state of clothing or face. That’s why she was always prepared.

Slipping out her loot, she had the strings of coin purse between her teeth as she unbuttoned her vest. She turned the vest upside down and inside out. There were several series of buttons along the edge of the vest. She unbuttoned each one and flapped the vest out. A trail of fabric followed. It was a thin cloth that was easily placed in the hidden pocket and once taken out, it could be an easy excuse for a dress. Her invention.

Myra wrapped the vest/dress around her waist and buttoned it. Taking off her cap, she looked like a farm girl or at least close to it. She smoothed out her hair, getting rid of cap hair. She also didn’t look like she was a lady of the night with Captain Johnny outside the alley way.

“The coast is clear. And unless you’re in the right frame of mind, I wouldn’t use this part of the street to… conduct business. Too close to your escape routes.”

Myra placed the bag of coins in…well some well private. She walked out of the alley way, rolling her eyes at him. “I’m not a prostitute, Cap’n, if that is what you are thinking.”

[Captain Jonathan Ballentine]

Jon gave the tiniest hint of a smile at Myra’s darker thought. She knew what it was to be a prostitute, then? That sentence gave up a lot of possible information. As a great reader, the Captain could pretty much create a life for Myra, whether it was true or not. A prostitute from a prostitute, now sick of her trade and learning pick-pocketing instead, so she could stop servicing random men? Perhaps lying about her experience as a pickpocket to hide her past, perhaps? It was probably unfair that Jon smiled, but he had heard those kinds of stories from either his own old crew or from crews of other pirate ships. They all liked to try to turn to piracy in the end, simply because of the supposedly glamorous lifestyle. Oh, Jon wished. Glamorous? He could hardly say that for his men, could he? Just because he was well dressed, that didn’t mean that everyone enjoyed the same kind of false splendour!

Glancing back into the alleyway, Jonathan noticed that Myra was carefully redressing herself, so he deliberately averted his eyes. It was rude to try and get his own free little ‘peep show,’ so he didn’t do it. Jon had never done anything with a prostitute bar drink and serve on the same ship as a few, and he didn’t want to give the girl any ideas or anything like that. The last thing he wanted was to be begged for something like that. Which had also happened before. Funny, that.

So, whilst he was waiting, Jon’s hands found their way clasped behind his back as he subtly checked out the long, cobbled street. The sea breeze was lovely, despite the fact that it was better out on the waves. As gentlemen and ladies passed him, Jon even gave a ‘good morning’ nod to them, accompanied by a well-meaning smile. It was like one of those ‘we’re rich and know it’ club smiles, and worked every time. One gentleman even dropped his hat when he tried to tip it, and Jon, of course, gallantly rushed to pick it up for him, allowing the other man to go about his way. Lacking a small purse of change hanging from his belt, of course. Jon was good.

When Myra finally came out of the shadows, Jon gave her a noncommittal hum to her claim that she wasn’t a prostitute. Turning to face her with his back to the street, though, Jon grinned. “Care to share?” He pulled the small purse from his shirtsleeve. Of course he was smug. “And you say you’re supposed to be good at this?” he teased.