[Action]

[abidinglaw]

[After having shown his face little over the past few days – probably a joint consequence of not wanting to catch whatever Jack had and wanting even less to be press ganged into holding his bloody soup spoons – Norrington begins this morning absent from his bright and bedless bedroom. He wakes with the rising sun for a rousing stroll on the beach. On the way back, with Cullen house lit by the crisp light of morning, he recalls the recent ice storms and all at once he has a goal for the day. Assess the house for damages. If any housemates are home they might just hear some curious scrapings on the exterior of Cullen house, the occasional bangings, but most ominous of all will likely be the prolonged intermittent silences. Never you mind. It's probably just a woodpecker.

Later in the day he'll be in the village proper for the first time in days and days and days. The item shop is a high priority, and he spends a long time there scrutinizing things with narrowed eyes and a chin cradled in the crook made by his thumb and index finger. Later still, he'll be stopping in at Good Spirits for the sake of overhearing village-gossip. He'll even politely clear his throat behind one or two people in aid of this noble goal. It's amazing what a brief absence will do for a man's social skills.]

Comments

[abidinglaw]

With any luck there would be less banging around the house for a good few days, then. A victory for all involved.

"I am certain that Miss Sheena - whosoever she may be - is a worthy and respectable woman."

He must look quite the fool, mustn't he? Perhaps if he could snatch at the hammer-- but to do so would be to leave himself open. He'd need to wait for the right moment.

"And, moving swiftly on, I rather think you should be thanking for my contribution."

The admiral gave a gesture toward the house with his free hand, but sadly he did not manage to sweep that hand low enough to dare to grasp at the hammer.

[all7seas]

"Contribution? OH, you mean your contribution to Things That Threaten Jack's Sanity Today? Aye. Without yourself, that list would be very short indeed."

But his attention was captured by the gesture and he frowned as he observed the damage done by the weather. The broom, however, was not lowered.

[abidinglaw]

Ahah! A moment's distraction is all he needs to snatch the hammer and augment his ferocious appearance thus.

"Every little helps - and truly, I am only too happy to lend my assistance."

[all7seas]

A careful step back and to the side. Hammers beat brooms. Did hammers beat brooms? Paper beat rock. Rock beat scissors. He was going to beat the SNOT out of James Norrington.

There was a waggling of bristles as the pirate narrowed his eyes and took another sidestep. Circling.

"We're not going to find the proper siding this time of year. It's a spring project. Most we can do is patch it and protect it with tarp."

[abidinglaw]

If he threw the hammer he could probably make the pirate think twice. Aim for the chest. If Jack dodged he'd probably still have him in one shoulder or the other.

"Right you are then. Tarp. Do kindly lead the way."

Of course, if Jack was kept safely in front of him then there would be no danger at all.

[all7seas]

"No, sir. I do beseech thee to rabbit on ahead. I've some dusting to manage, you see. OH. There's a speck!" And the pirate lunged for the other man, determined to sweep him across the jaw in a not-very-clean sort of way.

[abidinglaw]

Norrington had the wall at his back -- he had not been matching the pirate's strafing because, really, what had he done to deserve any manner of attack? The bristled raked his face, but he pursued the shaft of the broom with the blunt force of his hammer.

Crack

[apirateslife]

"....You've BROKEN the broom!"

Well. At least some bristling had happened first.

[abidinglaw]

"Well, clap me in irons!"

He made a grab for the broom, now, or at least what remained in Sparrow's grasp. He was not hurt, of course. The bristles had whipped and scratched at his face, but there was barely a mark to show for it.

[all7seas]

"That's your game, mate, not mine!" And, in a huff, Jack flung the broom bits up onto the roof. Take THAT, you Morris-dancing-loving freak.

[abidinglaw]

Oh what a terrible shame. Now the menacing broom bits were out of reach of the pirate and at at once he was unarmed. Norrington, for his part, still had the hammer and the scribe -- and more, he now had the liberty to rub his itching broom-raked face.

"Boggit."

He said. It was a word that he had heard Jack use before -- though God knew what it meant. Probably something crass, but he expected that if Jack disliked the idea of playing the admiral's game he would like even less the idea of the admiral playing his.

[all7seas]

"Boggit."

Good. GOOD. The skin looked irritated! It looked uncomfortable! EXCELLENT.

"I don't think that word means what you think it means, son."

[abidinglaw]

"It means that I have this hammer."

He waggled the hammer.

"And you are unarmed. So yes, I rather think that you will be leading the way to the tarp after all."

[all7seas]

"Am I to gather that you think you can march me by hammerpoint?!"

[abidinglaw]

"Do not tempt me, Sparrow."

[all7seas]

"I'd like to see you try, Norrington!"

[abidinglaw]

"What do you plan to do exactly? Sneeze on me?

...

Please do not sneeze on me."

1/4

[all7seas]

[all7seas]

"Ah--"

[all7seas]

"Ah---"

[all7seas]

"AHCHOOOOO!"

One big sneeze, coming your way, James.

Okay no that was a joke tag.

[abidinglaw]

His sword was no use in this -- how did one parry a sneeze? And his back was up against the wall. He'd have moved sideways, but he'd never have outrun the noxious vapor, so he tried to pull his coat up over his face instead. It was the best he could think to do under the circumstances.

XD

[all7seas]

"Oh I do feel much better thank you, now that that miasma's been spewed out of my lungs! Like a new man!"

[abidinglaw]

No words, just this expression peeking out from behind a coat followed by one tall, broad-shouldered admiral walking in the opposite direction.

[all7seas]

"A tarp, then!" Jack called after him. "I'll fetch one when I next go to town, shall I?"