(no subject)

Even though it's technically the same every time, Will never gets bored in the routine of bringing on board his passengers, looking them in the eye, and being able to address them by their own name, in their own tongue. He finds himself taking an interest in everyone, in wanting to know about their lives, and it becomes harder and harder to judge people by his previous standards of good and evil. Everyone he meets has a different point of view, and most are surprisingly happy to meet him. And yet, he still feels a conflicted sense of hope with every person they take on board before he looks at them. Hope mixed with dread that it might be someone he knew from a previous life. That it might be her, and his long wait to see her might at last be over, at the cost of her life.

Today, as always, it isn't her. But it is someone familiar: a man Will knew from Sao Feng's crew - a crew he called his own for a few minutes on board the Black Pearl - Da Bohai. He and Will never exhanged a word when they both lived - the fact that neither spoke the language of the other played a large factor here - but as Captain Turner welcomes him on board, Da Bohai's fingers close tightly on the Captain's wrist. Will looks down to see a makeshift rope tied around the sailor's wrist, a rope clearly plaited from a length of long blonde human hair.

"[For you,]" Da Bohai says urgently, passing him the rope. "[She charged me to find you.]"

Will's face is impassive as he nods and takes the rope, taking far too much care not to cut it at all. "[Thank you, sailor. You have fulfilled your final duty.]"

As his men show the newest passenger below, Will looks down at the rope, turning it over in his hands. He can feel at least two pairs of eyes on him, and knows that both his father and Norrington understand what he has, but that neither of them will say anything, yet.

He knows what to do as inexplicably and instinctively as he knew how to perform the Duty. He reaches for the silver charm around his neck, and for the first time since he picked it up, it hinges open to reveal a small locket like space within. Will places the lock of hair inside and clicks it shut again, when it appears to all eyes to be a formless shape again, with neither join line nor hinge visible.

Still avoiding the questioning looks of his crew, Captain Turner retires to his cabin. He's almost expecting the Garden to be right there when he opens the door, so he's rather disappointed to find it to still be his cabin.