Still the Worst Pies in London (open!)

[Mrs. Lovett]

Mrs. Lovett had always been an early riser. She'd been puttering around the shop since about 4 a.m., getting the first batch of pies ready for potential customers. Not that she really expected any, but stranger things have happened, of course. Still, here it was six hours later, and the bell over the door hadn't rung once. Sighing disappointedly, Mrs. Lovett drug a stool around behind the counter and took a seat, the heat from the oven warming her back.

Business was a hair away from dead lately. Ever since Mr. Todd left, taking Toby with him for some strange reason, she'd had to go back to buying the horrible meat from the market. Once customers noticed that the pies had gone back to normal, so did business. It was quite disheartening really. Still, she wouldn't give up. The little shop was her only livelihood, and she intended to keep it, booming business or otherwise.

But really, something had to give soon.

[Captain Jack Sparrow]

On an ordinary day, London was Jack's second favourite place to wander, alongside Singapore, of course. But today was quite different since he was running, not wandering, and for his life at that. He hadn't spotted the Royal Navy Officers until he rounded a corner and that was why he was now fleeing through the streets, keeping an eye out for an opportune hiding place.

Jack practically skidded to a stop outside a shop... a deserted one. Quickly glancing behind him, he noticed he'd lost them for the moment, giving him plenty of time to slip in the building. Doing so and breathing a sigh of relief as he shut the door, it only occurred to him at the last minute that he'd heard a ring. It must be an alert for customers, which meant Jack wasn't completely out of the woods yet.

He now spun around and spotted a woman sitting behind the counter. With a quick sweep of the room, he was relieved to see she was the only occupant. Hurrying up to the counter and out of plain view of the windows, he held up his hands for a peace offering, showing her he meant no harm.

"M'lady, if you'd kindly cooperate with me here and not reveal my whereabouts, I'd be greatly thankful." He studied her after speaking, hoping she would do said deed and not call for the authorities.

[Mrs. Lovett]

Mrs. Lovett watched in fascination as the man ran in, one brow quirked up nearly to her hairline. Well, this was certainly a way to liven things up! He seemed to be in a heap of trouble, this one did. The bell over the door made him momentarily pause, then he glanced around cautiously. Apparently, the fact that she was the only one in the room made him feel a little better. At his request, she nodded her head, hopping down off the stool. "O' course, dearie," she assured him, setting about closing the curtains and locking the door. "No one comes in 'ere anyhow. You'll be quite safe. Care for a pie while you wait? Drink?"

She didn't really expect him to take one. Hell, Mrs. Lovett herself could hardly stand to eat her own pies. She knew how horrible they were. Still, maybe since she was doing him a favor by not turning him over to the law, he'd be inclined to help her pay the rent? "Wot'd you do to get them all riled up?" she asked, nodding to the window where one could just barely make out the soldiers darting past. "Not of'en you see the likes of them movin' about that quickly. Things is always rather dull around Fleet Street, they are. Looks like you picked quite a good place to 'ide." No one could ever say Mrs. Lovett was lacking in social skills.

(bah, my most sincere apologies. I'm not feeling all that well, hence the craptastic post.)

[Captain Jack Sparrow]

(T'was nowhere near crap! No need to apologize, dear.)

Jack watched her every movement, from when the woman got up from her seat to the locking of the door. He was grateful for that, it would certainly stop his chasers from barging in and if they did decide to roam this very store, it would give him time to vanish. "Very much appreciated, to be sure." He replied when assured by the woman he'd be safe. "Ah, now a drink would be wonderful... wouldn't happen to have the strong liquids, such as rum, would ye?" He gazed at her hopefully, needing a good drink quite badly.

Jack looked to the window at the nod of her head towards it, watching them go by. He smirked at her, the one word on the tip of his tongue dying to spill out. "Pirate."

He was sure that would explain it all but it was after he said it that he realised that might freak her out. "Now, before you start thinkin' I'm a blood-thirsty murderer, I can assure you that is not the case. The Navy all over the seas have been after me since before my worst crimes... and said crimes are not to be feared, love. Just pillaging and pirating are enough for 'em to want to see me neck on a noose."

Fleet Street. He had not heard of the name but was glad nonetheless. While hurrying down said street, he hadn't had time to notice how busy it was or weren't but he took her word for it. "Oh! How impolite of me to barge in and not introduce meself... 'm Captain Jack Sparrow." Jack moved towards the woman, only just noticing how attractive she was now that his life wasn't hanging by a thread. "What be yers, hmm?" He asked, stopping just inches away from her.

[Mrs. Lovett]

"Anytime dearie," Mrs. Lovett quipped as she bustled around getting things a little tidied up. Might as well make things at least halfway presentable while he was here. Spic and span was her motto, afterall. Flicking a few roaches out of sight, she set about making a fresh tray of pies, determined to give him something to eat whether he requested it or not. She refused to let people walk away from her shop hungry. Even if they didn't actually eat, their appetite would certainly disappear for awhile, and if that was the best she could do, well so be it. "I don't know about any rum, but I've got some gin in the parlour. Will that do?" It'd have to, really. She felt simply terrible serving customers the cheap ale she kept in the shop.

The news that her current customer was a pirate didn't make Mrs. Lovett so much as bat an eyelash. After chopping people up and making meat pies out of them, not much phased her. "Wot you do is your business, dearie. We've all got to survive somehow. Though I do 'ope you don't end up on the noose. Horrible fate that is, and given for the slightest meaningless thing." She shook her head, dusting some flour off the front of her dress. Moving around the counter just as the man stepped forward, Mrs. Lovett nearly clocked her head against the other man's. She opened her mouth to utter an apology, but was cut off as she noticed how much like Mr. Todd this man looked. It was downright eerie, it was.

Blinking, she brought herself back to the conversation at hand, just in time to catch introductions. "Mrs. Lovett, son," she replied quietly, taking a subconscious step back. They were just a tad too close for comfort at this point. "Pleasure to meet you. So, shall I get you that gin?"

[Captain Jack Sparrow]

Jack once again watched her bustle around the store, not at all disturbed by the insects or vermin that seemed to cover the place. After all, a ship can get quite easily rat infested after a long voyage and being a pirate, he'd learnt to get used to the disgusting setbacks. He pulled a face at the pastries she was currently busying herself with and curiously, he wasn't as hungry as he'd thought previously. But the drink still sounded like a good idea.

"That'd be fine, my dear. Any grog will satisfy a pirate, I assumed it is well known we cannot be so fussy?" Jack raised an eyebrow, slightly teasing her but all the while wondering just how much knowledge she did have on his kind. Perhaps it was best if she had none on the matter after all.

"I always say, any act of survival, good or bad, is alright as long as the survival part is succeeded." He quipped back, before adding, "That makes two of us, but I'd assume that's it. Then again, I would draw quite a crowd that would very much enjoy witnessing the end of ol' Jack. Last time, I had a miraculous escape with the help of a lad but I highly doubt I would be so lucky a second time around." He paused for a moment, finding himself actually realizing just how much Will Turner had saved him from death. Oh well, who knew where the lad was so it wasn't to be pondered on.

Jack caught the look she gave him, as if she recognized him. That couldn't be possible... could it? He frowned now, becoming slightly worried at her sudden silence and behaviour change. He was more than sure he'd never seen her in his life... perhaps she'd spotted him from a distance or whatnot. "It would be very much appreciated, indeed." He answered, still a little wary.

[Mrs. Lovett]

It may well have been common knowledge that pirates such as the one in her shop weren't fussy about what satisfied their thirst, but it was new to Mrs. Lovett. She never really ventured far beyond Fleet Street, and it isn't as if many women stopped to gossip with her. Most people seemed to keep away from the likes of the baker, and after awhile that fact didn't bother her so much. Surely, she'd enjoy to have company every once in awhile, but most people found her downright odd. And she wasn't about to change her way of living to make other people happy, that's for sure.

"I like to do me best to keep people happy. Customer's always right, y'know," Mrs. Lovett quipped as she headed into the parlour, searching for the bottle. The one good thing about Toby not being around anymore was that she always had a full bottle on hand. She hated never being able to offer her few customers more than that ale, which was enough to burn the hair off your head. She could use that for scouring her oven, she swore. (And occasionally did. It worked quite well, actually.) " 'Ere we are," she said as she came back around into the shop, dusting off a glass she pulled from behind the counter and filling it halfway. "You sure you wouldn't care for a bite?" Mrs. Lovett wasn't always the best salesman, but you couldn't blame her for trying.

Noticing how on guard he suddenly seemed, she realized how her expression may have put him off and chuckled at herself. "Forgive me starin'," she offered apologetically, dusting her hands off after putting a fresh tray of pies in the oven. "You look quite a lot like the gentleman who used to rent the loft above me shop, see, and it caught me by surprise. I assure you you're perfectly safe 'ere."

[Joon]

'Oh my London is simply amazing!' this is the thought that goes through Joon Pearl's head while walking around the streets of London. Stopping on a curb she looks up from her map to find herself in front of a Pie Shop that seemed to be closed but she could just barely hear voices inside the shop and inside her head.
Smiling softly to herself as her stomach rumbles from walking around all day she quietly but firmly knocked on the door hoping to catch someone inside before they went away.

[Captain Jack Sparrow]

"You know when the customer's service is valued such as ye just stated the place is bound to be a good one... on a good day." Jack added the last part to his sentence with a slightly haste tone, as if to apologize for seeming to mock Mrs Lovett's shop since the place was currently empty. After she'd gone to fetch the drink, Jack wandered around the small shop, poking at this and that but disappointingly didn't come across anything worth taking. Even though this woman was being kind, he was still the thieving pirate he'd always be and more often that not, he acquired the items without them ever knowing.

Upon hearing her voice announcing she'd found the liquor, Jack swaggered back to the counter and took the glass, raising it to her in appreciation before downing it. After pulling a face and sticking his tongue out, he set the glass back down. "Better than nothing, I suppose." The smell of the pies made him lose any potential appetite but the poor woman seemed desperate for a sale... not that he would be likely to actually hand money over for a pastry.

"Alright, why not, aye?" Jack screwed up his nose after she'd turned her back to place the pies in the oven but replaced his expression once more before she saw it. "Someone who looks like me, you say? Not as in, exactly the same?" That didn't sound good... if someone were impersonating him they'd be giving his name an even worse one and he was already being hunted. "Where'd this gentleman..." But he was cut off by a sudden knock at the door. He threw Mrs Lovett an accusing glare, thinking she must have alerted somebody when she went to the parlour. Instinctively, Jack pulled out his pistol. "Who'd you contact?" His voice had lost all other tone but stern and alert and his eyes darted between the door and the woman.

[Joon]

After waiting a while and hearing no one reply Joon just about up and walk all the way back to her Inn to eat, but is stopped by hearing a gruff male voice from inside the shop.
'Thank goodness it might not be closed yet!' she thinks knocking again. "Hello?" she calls through the door. "Can whoever in there is the owner open up? I was wondering if I could get something to eat. I've been walking all day and I'm really quite hungry!"
'Thank you captain obvious.' Snorting sarcastically at the voice in her head's comment and her stomach growling again she stands patiently waiting for someone to answer.