Siren By The Sea (TAG: Norrington AU)

[esmeralda]

The French goverment was trying to form an alliance with the English, so they brought them the Festival of Fools as a token. It could have also been a ploy to get the gyspsies out of Paris. It wouldn't have surprised Esmeralda in the least. They could never really do it, though. They had yet to find the court of miracles still. Try as they may, Frollo and his men were as clueless as ever. The clan was careful about who they welcomed there. They barely breathed a word about it outside of the Court's walls. Gypsies were the best when it came to secrets....

The clan arrived the night before. She spent most of the morning by the docks dancing, Djali by her side as always. Sea men always were the most generous. Go figure. Esmeralda didn't mind men looking at her. She'd been getting attention from the time she was very young, it was just going to be apart of her life. Of course when they thought of her as property or became agressive that she would quickly tell them otherwise (even do more then 'tell them' when the situation demanded it). When gypsy danced it was how she expressed herself, and feel liberated. She'd wish she didn't have to do it for a living but it put bread on the table. She made some nice coin until some leutenant showed up and scoweled the other officers. Giving the man an eyeroll she resisted a comeback then since she had to get ready for the festival soon.

******************

Esmeralda peaked outside her tent to the crowd gathering in the island's square. A smirk made an appearance on her maroon lips. The head solider was taking his seat. It'd be her time to dance soon. Clopin danced and sang, building the energy of the crowd up. She heard the English were much more conservitive then the French but most seemed to be having fun. Aside from the ones scoweling and casting disapproving looks by the atmisphere.

She took off her robe and when she received her cue. As Clopin threw his arm down, she popped up from the little trap door and appeared on the stage in a cloud of crisom dust matching the dress clinging to her curves. She began her dance. Her movements were so reckless, yet purposeful. They were bold, lacking any signs of vulnerability. Bending, twirling, moving her hips. The men from the crowd yelled their vulgar comments, and whistles to which she played off.

Ever the entertainer, Esmeralda spotted the head solider. She danced over to him, swinging herself onto the ledge in front of him. She wrapped her scarf with celestial symbols around his neck. Esmeralda lowered her eyelids in a come hither manner, pouting her full lips bringing him closer, just a few inchs from his lips. Her expression changed as she shot him a wry smirk and pull his out down over his eyes and danced away from him. She was there to entertain, was she not?


She grabbed a solider's spear. She stabbed it in the stage and spun around it, landing gracefully as her dress tangled in the spear smiling widely at the crowd.

[norrington]

The French ambassador that travelled with the gypsies and other officials sat with Commodore Norrington as the colourful band of dancers performed; ever stoic, Norrington observed not with grim displeasure, but with a set expression of indifference, though his gaze did not impolitely wander from the performance. The bold gypsy in red had certainly caught him off guard when she leapt up to drape a scarf around him; instinctively he tried to resist her literal pull, swallowing uncomfortably at the close proximity between the two of them. But as suddenly as she had flown up to his chair, she was gone again; Norrington cleared his throat and adjusted his tricorn while ignoring snickers from of the locals.

When the dance had finished, he applauded along with everyone else and proceeded to discuss the show with the French ambassador and Governor Swann, offering carefully selected compliments. When their meeting had concluded for the time being he turned to leave when the governor kindly pointed out that he still had the scarf hanging around his neck.

“Ah, so I see,” was the nonchalant response. “Well I had best return it to its owner then.” He offered the governor a small smile before departing, inquiring with one of the other members of the gypsy troupe as to where the red dress gypsy’s quarters were and was directed to a tent. Now normally, Norrington was not a klutz, but just one tiny misstep and he was sent stumbling; trying to reclaim his balance he caught hold of the curtain of the tent, but accidentally pulled too hard and the whole beam came down.

[esmeralda]

Inside the said tent Esmeralda had just finished changing out of of her ceremonial red dress. She packed it away in her traveling bag. She had so little clothes to begin with but this dress was one she took extra special care of. She'd only wear it on the day of the Festival and very special occasions. For the moment she couldn't find the dress she'd been wearing that morning at the docks. So she changed into her green robe, that she mostly used for keeping warm back in Paris. It was hardly cold here now.

As she was tying her black waves back with her purple scarf is when she heard light footsteps. The gypsy let out a gasp while the curtain was torn away, grateful it hadn't happened moments earlier when she'd been changing. It didn't stop her from pulling her robe tighter to herself. She blinked, moving a wild lock of hair out of her vision. "Hey, you're not hurt are you?" she said to the person, thinking it must have been an accident. The gypsy woman arched an eyebrow at her visitor, the military man she'd dance for. "Yes, Solider?" she asked expecting the man to scold her for making a spectacle of herself, and at his expense- him. She bend down to pick up the fabric. "There was an easier way of getting my attention...."

[norrington]

Embarrassed was hardly the word he would have used to describe what he was feeling at this moment; humiliated was more like it! A glance up caught the woman drawing her robe about her and a light blush flooded his features; he was most grateful his eyes had been fastened upon the black earth beneath him. The words she delivered were cold, yet carried the same fire he had seen in her dance. Quickly, Norrington rose to his feet, adjusting his uniform as the wild creature stooped to collect the fallen scarf; he cleared his throat.

“The fall was purely an accident, I assure you,” he began. “I only meant to see your property returned.”

With a final sweep of his hand over dirtied cuffs and a quick adjustment of his wig and tricorn, he inclined his head courteously and turned to leave. Norrington paused at the tent entrance and stole a glance over his shoulder.

“If I may, your troupe’s performance was wonderfully done; Governor Swann has already offered his compliments to your government officials. Will you be performing again?”

[esmeralda]

Esmeralda wondered if there was something else he was wanting from her. He seemed so dignified to fumble like that must be painful to his ego. She saw he was blushing. Her lips did twitch a little. She quickly deguised it as if she discovered something in her teeth. The gypsy looked at him expecting an answer, much to her shock he wasn't there to scold her. Returning property? That was new. Most military men accused her of stealing just about everything she owned. "Well, thanks but it was a gift." she said handing him back the purple and gold scarf.

She offered a slight smirk before turning back to the table. Esmeralda turned around to face him as he spoke again. She did smile, a little more warmly then a moment before. "Two more times actually. Did you want to be apart of those shows too?" she teased. "Thank you...." she trailed off looking at him since she didn't know what to call him, other then 'solider'