(no subject)
Norrington crossed his arms against the dark wood and rested his head on them, closed-eyed, and tried not to think about anything as he felt the intermittent stings of Sparrow pulling each piece of glass free, some of them very small or very deep, one by one from his skin. He could feel the warm trickle of fresh blood tracing thin lines down his back and shuddered slightly at what he must look like. Could he get any lower than this? He'd had that exact same thought a thousand times since his court martialling, and each time he had, indeed, fallen lower not soon after. If God was currently testing his mettle, He was doing a good job of it.
He idly wondered if this was what it would feel like to be slowly stung to death by bees as the plucking fell into a steady rhythm. He was beginning to doze lightly under the lingering effects of the alcohol as Sparrow slowly made his way down his back and was fighting hard not to fall completely unconscious. Sparrow already had enough ammunition to make his life a living hell of endless embarassment for the rest of his natural life as it stood. Would it never end?
Much of his childhood had been like today, mostly thanks to his elder brother Edward, who had always made him the butt of his cruel practical jokes that often ended up with James face-first in mud, upside down, with his trousers around his ankles, or any combination thereof. Edward was ever showing off for his friends, and, later, for girls. As he floated between waking and asleep, he briefly imagined his brother and Sparrow plotting together. They were much the same, really, finding mirth in the misfortune of others. He had to admit that his brother had never patched him up after he fell, though. He'd had to make his way home alone with a broken ankle once, after being chased up a tree by a mob of boys led by Edward and then harried out of it with stones. He'd never had made it if a passing farmer hadn't put him on his horse and taken him back himself. He did get some justice though, as his father had strapped Edward for it after he found out what happened. Their father was stern and strict, but not the type who used corporal punishment freely, and it was months before James was the victim of another prank.
As they grew older, the jokes finally stopped and Edward claimed that he really did loved his little brother dearly, but their relationship was still tenuous to this day. Edward had never actually apologized, but merely assumed that James would forgive him, and always seemed highly insulted when it was clear that James hadn't.
He idly wondered if this was what it would feel like to be slowly stung to death by bees as the plucking fell into a steady rhythm. He was beginning to doze lightly under the lingering effects of the alcohol as Sparrow slowly made his way down his back and was fighting hard not to fall completely unconscious. Sparrow already had enough ammunition to make his life a living hell of endless embarassment for the rest of his natural life as it stood. Would it never end?
Much of his childhood had been like today, mostly thanks to his elder brother Edward, who had always made him the butt of his cruel practical jokes that often ended up with James face-first in mud, upside down, with his trousers around his ankles, or any combination thereof. Edward was ever showing off for his friends, and, later, for girls. As he floated between waking and asleep, he briefly imagined his brother and Sparrow plotting together. They were much the same, really, finding mirth in the misfortune of others. He had to admit that his brother had never patched him up after he fell, though. He'd had to make his way home alone with a broken ankle once, after being chased up a tree by a mob of boys led by Edward and then harried out of it with stones. He'd never had made it if a passing farmer hadn't put him on his horse and taken him back himself. He did get some justice though, as his father had strapped Edward for it after he found out what happened. Their father was stern and strict, but not the type who used corporal punishment freely, and it was months before James was the victim of another prank.
As they grew older, the jokes finally stopped and Edward claimed that he really did loved his little brother dearly, but their relationship was still tenuous to this day. Edward had never actually apologized, but merely assumed that James would forgive him, and always seemed highly insulted when it was clear that James hadn't.