MISS / SWANN*

Corset Bet

#ashortdropandasuddenstop

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James finally got the attention off of him, as the woman launched into her husbands many successful business, and what she knew about his importing and exporting and really James would rather pass out from lack of air than listen any more. But finally , after what seemed like hours, but was in reality minutes, Edith was called away to greet the newest guests. "Oh, Thank heavens. Thought she’d never stop" James uttered to himself.

Then, straightening up as his darling took hold of his arm, the pair headed out to the gardens. " Oh.. as well as one can expect.. after one of Edith’s long tales “ he uttered to her, but his voice was raspy and the corset– not being his size– was cutting into his ribs. He was definitely not fine nor comfortable. And really, he wanted nothing more than to rip it off.

elizabeth hummed quietly to herself, as they stood outside, a soft breeze blowing in from the ocean bringing the scent of salt air and a coolness. she looked over at him, her brows raised. she well and truly didn’t want him to pass out, so she reached up under the heavy wool of his coat, running her hand along the small of his back.

‘ well, you have done well, my handsome husband to be. ‘ with a deftness known only to women in corsets, she undid the laces on the corset he was wearing, letting the boning part along his chest and ribs, so he could take an actual full, deep breath. ‘ i think we can call the bet even as long as you never chide me for my issues with a corset again? ‘ she looked over at him with raised eyebrows and a smile.

firstlove-thesea‌:

Sparrow sighed, rolling his eyes at her in mild annoyance before even considering an answer to give her. Though then, at last, he said:

“I know so because memories of me past are very unlikely to be affecting anyone who happened to be not present there are the time. Besides,… the curse is lifted and Barbossa’s rotting down in his watery grave just as he bloody well deserves, remember? You were there on the Isla de Muerta that night.”

“As for the Pearl…” Jack then paused - mainly for effect - and waved a hand toward the wooden deck they’d just arrived on.

“Me fierce beauty is finally back in her rightful captain’s hands, exactly the way she should have been for the past decade. And so I can assure you, love, without a moment’s hesitation or even so much as a doubt, that she’s no longer haunted. There’s nothing whatsoever to worry about.”

‘ don’t remind me of that night. ‘ she wanted nothing to do with the memory of the isla de muerta, and had tried to shake it ever since getting free of it. she exhaled a sigh and dropped her hands into her skirts, and turned her attentions to jack.

‘ so what, exactly, do you need from me, if the pearl is back in the rightful hands of her pirate captain? ‘ she was tired of being on ships; nothing good happened on them, they were either being blown out of the water, or attacked by giant sea monsters.

and pirates. oh, gods, pirates. she’s had enough of those, too.

‘ so not haunted, got it. ‘

#firstlove-thesea

Corset Bet

#ashortdropandasuddenstop

ashortdropandasuddenstop‌:

James placed a hand on the table, the other on his midsections, where he could feel the ..torture device… pushing against his diaphragm and making it difficult to breathe. Part of him wanted to concede to her. To tell her just how right she was about this blasted corset and rip it off, just so he could take a full breath. None of that happened.

Instead.. James told himself to buck up, and poured them both a drink. He was only gone a few minutes, all in all , when he returned with a somewhat sour smile, mostly for Edith’s benefit, and handed his beautiful young bride to be her drink. “ Here you are, Elizabeth. Hope I didn’t make you wait too long. ”

He turned to Edith now. “ Terribly sorry to …interrupt ” He paused more so for a breath.. “ Please do go on.. I hear you have some rather fascinating stories about ….your husband? ” He brought his glass to his lips and sipped with the upmost etiquette.. doing a good job of pretending nothing was off. But in all actuality, he didn’t care really, he was being polite.

she looked over at james when he came back, and she reached up to take the glass from him — a brow arched when he posed the question about edith’s husband; it wasn’t the kind of story that elizabeth had been waiting to hear, but she wasn’t going to be rude. she wondered when he was going to give in to her, but she supposed he’d suffer this out. lifting her drink to her lips, she took a small sip.

after a few minutes of those monotonous stories, edith was finally distracted by some new guests, and elizabeth linked her arm with james and eased him away from the foyer, walking so he could get some air. ‘ how are you doing? ‘

Corset Bet

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James felt the carriage stop, letting them off just outside of the main doors and though maneuvering out put pressure upon his ribs, he managed with little trouble and once more offered his arm to her in gentlemanly fashion. She of course accepted his gesture and the pair left the shade and the breeze of the carriage.

James huffed a bit under his breath as she commented on the weather. It only made James that much more aware of the miserable humid scorching day it was, sweat was trickling down his neck and he was going to be panting soon if he didnt find a way to cool down. " Oppressively so.. “

And then the doorman greeted them, thanking them both for coming and opened the door for them, letting them in to the fine home where the gathering was taking place. James nodded and introduced them both, before entering.. where the Harrington’s were waiting to shake his hand, and greet Elizabeth .. complimenting her on her catch of man. ( At least, Mrs. Harrington did, while making eyes at James in the process. She was such a cougar that one ) But he was having trouble focusing on the conversation, overheating and trouble breathing.

James cleared his throat “ excuse me a moment… won’t you? “ before turning towards his beloved. “ I shall fetch us some refreshments.. “ and with a small smile, James left his dear Elizabeth’s side for only a moment to fetch her a drink. ( and try and get some air without Elizabeth seeing! )

she would never openly make light of james, or allude to anything improper — not in public, anyway. and so when they were greeted by the hosts, she was on her best behaviour, smiling. she knew that james was the prize all the women envied, and while she was never big on materialistic things (or being proud of having ‘won’) she was a little proud that james only had eyes for her. edith harrington was one of those women, and while she wasn’t shy about openly eyeing elizabeth’s fiancee,

elizabeth turned just so at the waist when james excused himself, smiling sweetly, because she knew he was getting hot and felt he was unable to breathe. part of her wanted to call off the bet, tell him he won; she didn’t want him passing out at the party. but she stayed put, sharing in genteel conversation with edith harrington as her husband went off to talk to some guests. a few minutes later, elizabeth excused herself to find james.

Corset Bet

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James wore a slight glisten , his hairline and neck damp with sweat as the heat of the day penetrated the carriage and unlike his lovely young bride to be, he did not have fan nor was it permissable for a man of his caiber to complain about the tempertautre.

The Commodore had been simply looking straight ahead, focusing on his breathing. On not taking too deep of a breath and trying not to dwell on just how hot he was.

Though she gained his attention again from the tempting offer to give up , but he was far too stubborn and proud to give her that win just yet. “ Not a chance. Now there is no sense in speaking about it.. all night. ”

she should have known he wouldn’t give up so easily, and when he told her there was no sense in talking about it all night, she gave him a little shrug as a way of acquiescing to his request. she reached out and patted a well-muscled thigh as a sign of empathy, not long before the carriage pulled up outside the harringtons’ mansion, as they were bestowed with the honour of hosting the gala this year.

the carriage driver got out, and when james did too, offering elizabeth his hand, she took it, placing her smaller one in his. smoothing her skirts down as her feet hit the gravel, she looped her arm through her fiancee’s.

‘ it’s awfully warm out. ‘ she snapped her fan open, fanning herself.

#firstlove-thesea #( interaction. )

firstlove-thesea‌:

“Oh yes, haunted it is, indeed. Haunted with memories of not so pleasant events as well as encounters in her captain’s past that said captain would rather forget about.” Sparrow said, matter-of-factly as he watched her closely.

“You, on the other hand, are, by no means, affected by them, which makes you all safe to set foot aboard me humble vessel with no reason to be worried or concerned.” the pirate added, slowly growing sick and tired of having to have this conversation right now.

“So up that gangplank you go, love. Come on! No use wasting time we don’t have anyway. Besides, there’s no other ship anywhere near this port and I’m guessing you are not intending to cross the ocean swimming, now, are you?”

elizabeth shot him a glare over her shoulder.

‘ how do you know i won’t be affected by them? it’s a haunted ship, jack. and i’ve had my fill of skeleton pirates and sea creatures and the whole lot of it. ‘ she sighed, and curled her fingers in her skirts, lifting them up as she began the walk up the plank — it felt much like walking off the plank, as she had done so before.

standing on deck, it seemed.. normal, all things considered, creaking and shifting as it rocked in the sea.

Corset Bet

ashortdropandasuddenstop‌:

With Elizabeth clutching to him, the pair strolled through the foyer and the coachmen opened the door of the carriage for her, and James helped her up into it as well, before following after. – Oh, he was quickly to learn that sitting was even worse than standing. The boned corset pushing into him moreso, enough to cause a small grunt, but he brushed it off.

She seemed to have noticed his displeasure because as soon as they started off, she questioned him again, but he was still far too stubborn to give up so soon.

" My dear Elizabeth, we’ve not.. even reached the establishment" he shook his head, even if he was resting his hand upon his abdomen where the pressure stemmed from.

The trip wasn’t very long, it was just on the other side of Port Royal , the venue large and already bustling. James suddenly felt a pit grow in his stomach , worried he would not be able to pull this off as he’d like .. and it was so damned hot today to boot.

oh, that norrington ego — she was hoping that their children wouldn’t inherit that particular trait from him, but she couldn’t tell the future. she took a glance out of the window as the island went by at a trot, keeping her breaths shallow and even — taking too deep a breath spelled disaster.

putting her hands in her lap, she was thankful she had brought her mother-of-pearl fan with her to help her with the heat — james was in wool and a a corset. ‘ that wasn’t my question, my love. ‘ but she slanted him a smile from under the shaded brim of her hat.

‘ if you want to secede at all, let me know, and we can take it off. ‘ she knew james wouldn’t give an inch, or give in, until they were back to the manor, and he had made it through the entire evening.

Corset Bet

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James was about to protest.. that this was ridiculous.. but she stifled it quickly with a kiss ( which he returned happily_ and that playful, almost impish smile of hers. Damn his unyielding love for her, she was the only one who could get him to concede.

" …. For the entire evening? " He questioned with a brow raised but , as not to be proven wrong, and so she couldn’t rub it in that perhaps this -boned corset– was indeed quite uncomfortable and her argument held merit, James Norrington huffed. “ Very well. I shall lead by example then. ” a flash of that in between sour smile and genuine one.

He offered her his arm once more, to lead her out to the horse drawn carriage outside.. “ Shall we then, my darling?” This was going to prove to be a very interesting evening. He had to not only navigate the party without her finding out how right she was, and at the same time, make certain that no one else finds out he’s wearing it!

she knew that james norrington was eternally stubborn — even if he thought she was right, she doubted that he’d ever readily admit it to her. ‘ for the entire evening, ‘ she repeated, because five minutes in a corset, no matter the demonstration, would never fully realize the true nature of women’s fashion.

she gently looped her arm through his, and walked with him as they descended the stairs, and though she could see he was having trouble, he was doing a little bit better than she thought he might. she ducked to get inside the carriage, and made room for him on the seat.

as the carriage driver slowly took off, elizabeth spoke to him over the soft clip-clop of the horses hooves. ‘ so, are you ready to admit it yet? ‘

#firstlove-thesea #( interaction. )

@firstlove-thesea

‘ you cannot be serious. i am not getting on that ship. not for all the gold in the world. it looks haunted. ‘ elizabeth was firm in her convictions.

Corset Bet

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James ‘s little moment of triumph ( or the cover up as it were ) began to crumble when she asked for a kiss. Something he would normally have jumped at the chance for, rewarded her with a momentary scowl. Though, he didn’t wish to let on. “ A kiss? Certainly.”

He placed both hands upon her shoulders and began to dip forward to meet her, but he found that to be near impossible. He tried two more times to find a comfortable way to bend, to no success , because every time he leaned forward it placed too much pressure against his ribs and he could not breathe at all.

Finally he took her hand instead and brought it to his lips. “ Forgive me but.. time is getting away.. from us.. now if you’ve had enough of a demonstration.. I will remove your corset and we will be off.” Oh how cute, he thought he was getting out of this!

his scowls were, for lack of a better word, adorable, though she would never tell him that — because who knew if he’d ever scowl again? she waited, patiently, for him to kiss her, and though she could easily remedy the situation by rising up on her tiptoes, she didn’t. let him find out how un-easy it was to bend over in a boned corset.

glancing down at her hand as he kissed her knuckles, and she shook her head, giving his fingers a squeeze. ‘ oh, no, commodore. you’re keeping that on for as long as i have to keep mine on. only then will you see how much of a torture device this really is. two minutes isn’t enough to test your theory. ‘ she finally rose up on tiptoes to kiss him, smiling.

Corset Bet

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James slipped the waistcoat back on, to cover the corset, and keep it hidden from view. Then, finally, the heavy, blue, woolen brocaded coat back over his shoulders. Of course most wouldn’t be able to tell, just that he seemed more fit if that was possible. And as he was just replacing the white cravat, he turned to find his beautiful fiance’ in her stunning green gown and he was breathless for more than one reason.. Though, her cute little pout brought a small smile to his lips, but it was shortlived. So far, doing a good job of feigning a dignified and striking persona when it was clear breathing was going to be an issue the rest of the time he wore this.

he took a few steps toward her, and found himself having to take in shallow breaths. “You see.. nothing to.. ” he was drawing in another shallow breath. “ ..it” give it time Elizabeth, he’s not used to the physical constriction!

her lower lip rolled under her teeth, and her pout turned into an attempt at not smiling. she had to say, he looked quite regal, even in a corset under all his uniform, and she stepped forward to adjust his coat, and his cravat. she was trying not to tease him, or make any fun of him — though it was terribly difficult on her part. she could see he was having an issue breathing, but that too she kept to herself.

‘ oh, absolutely. nothing to it. you’re doing great. may i have a kiss? ‘ because he’d have to lean down to kiss her, and the corset made that hard too.

Corset Bet

#ashortdropandasuddenstop #( interaction. )#( :D )

ashortdropandasuddenstop‌:

James let out a loud groan as she pulled it as snug as it would go on his firm, toned body. And he realized he should have breathed in before she pulled snug because now it was difficult to draw in a breath. “ You.. clearly did that on purpose. “ he accused, sounding a little winded. Though it did make him look slimmer and caused him to stand straighter, if that was even possible!

But as the future Mrs. Norrington surveyed her handiwork, James lifted his head defiantly.“ Hardly. As I said.. just a triviality. “ he refused to give up that easily, even if it was incredibly uncomfortable and made breathing difficult.

of course he would be so stubborn as to not want to admit he might possibly be on the wrong end of the argument. she rolled her eyes where he couldn’t see, and sarah helped her into her gown — a stunning green number, in a soft silk with lace accents, and an embroidered stomacher.

‘ of course you’re not going to tell me it’s constricting. ‘ she had to admit, it would probably look good under his uniform, but he was already a fit, toned man, with a body that would make adonis proud.

Corset Bet

#ashortdropandasuddenstop #( interaction. )#( what if he finds out he likes it )

ashortdropandasuddenstop‌:

James only glanced at her once as she wrapped the item around him, and began to pull tight as she laced it, one row at the time. It wasn’t often he let himself be goaded into something– but this was to prove a point and she had to learn not to challenge him.

And as it began to tighten James lifted his chin. This wasn’t so bad- yet. But as she pulled hard lacing up the back, James grunted. “ … Elizabeth” he gasped out.

“ Must you …pull it that.. tight?” And she wasn’t even done lacing yet!

‘ james, i’m not even done. ‘ and to make her point, she pulled it snug. ‘ it won’t fit you as it does me, but i can get it close without breaking a rib. ‘ there’s a pause. ‘ maybe. ‘ she was teasing. she finished lacing it up and had made it as tight as she could without making him pass out (like she had).

she stepped back, hands on her hips. ‘ are you ready to concede yet? ‘

Corset Bet

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James tossed his coat over the back of a chair, loosened and removed his white cravat, until he was standing in but his breeches and white undershirt before the two women. Of course his wig and hat were still in place. Arms lifting for her to wrap the damnable piece of wardrobe around him. " Indeed.“ He was curt and irritated, giving her that simple one word reply as she dressed him .

elizabeth had to laugh, the consternation on his face was, dare she say it, adorable. james was older and less prone to outbursts, as she was — he didn’t fuss often, and when she pushed him too far, he was bound to push back. but she also wanted to tell him he looked handsome — no need to boost his ego right now.

she stepped forward, wrapping the corset around him, before stepping round the back to begin lacing it. tightening it, one row at a time.

Corset Bet

ashortdropandasuddenstop‌:

Oh, that did it. The challenge voiced by the clever woman behind the door was enough for this to turn into genuine bet. The flustered Commodore huffed out. “ Nonsense! ” And with that, that door knob turned and the door opened to display a rather irritated Commodore Norrington, already slipping out out of his brocaded blue coat.

“ There is nothing I cannot manage, least of all wearing a piece of clothing. And if it will finally put this tiresome argument to rest, so be it! ”

when she saw him, his brow furrowed and his cheeks flushed — elizabeth had long learned how to rile james up, and now had been no exception to the rule. she smiled triumphantly, and sarah moved to get her other corset, handing it to elizabeth.

‘ oh, you think that, do you? well, let us see, commodore norrington, just how well you do. ‘ she was curious, it probably wouldn’t fit probably, but it would prove her point.

Corset Bet