PRINCESS [Sarah Cameron] ON HOLD

Six

Kiara calls JJ over from the couch, and JJ jogs towards her. "Yup, yup, yup! Hot damn! Let's do it." He takes a big bite out of his sandwich before gagging and spitting it out. Parker laughs at her brother while John B opens the package. 

He reaches inside and pulls out a map. "Holy shit." Pope takes a look at the map and sees some markings on it. "Oh. X marks the spot." John B looks towards the writing on the sides of the X, trying to figure out what they were. "Longitude, latitude." 

JJ grabs the package and realizes that it isn't empty. "Wait, there's somethin' else in there." John B dumps it out and holds up a device. JJ looks at it, confused, before quietly asking his sister, "What's that?" 

She takes a quick look at it before whispering back, "I think it's a tape recorder." JJ nods in appreciation, knowing that no matter how much Parker teases him, when he is confused she will do her best to help him. 

The tape recorder suddenly starts playing, with a deep voice coming from it. "Dear Bird." Once again, JJ looks confused. "Who's Bird?" John B spacely answers, "That's what my dad called me."

The man's voice continues to play over the recording. "I hate to say, 'I told you so,' but I told you so. And you doubted your old man. I suspect at this moment, you're filled with guilt and self-loathing over our last fight, but don't kill yourself just yet kid. I didn't expect to find the Merchant either." The Pogues look at each other, each of them gaining an excited look on their faces. 

On the recording, it sounds like Big John is shifting stuff around as things clatter. "You were probably right to call me out. Wasn't exactly Father of the Decade. What can I say, kid? I could smell the barn. And hopefully, we're listenin' to this in our brand new sugar-shack down in Costa Rica, livin' off passive investments and pulling on permits."

Big John sighs loudly. "If not, and you find this for less than than optimal reasons, well, that's what the map is for. There she is, the wreck of the Merchant. If somethin' happens to me, finish what I started. Go for the gold, kid. I love you, Bird, even if I didn't always act like it." 

The Pogues can hear a vehicle in the background of the recording before Big John finishes, "I'll see you on the other side." They hear static, and then the tape recorder clicks off. 

John B sighs before he suddenly starts sobbing. Completely oblivious, JJ whoops. "Holy shit, he did it! Big John-- He found the Merchant--" Parker quickly pulls her brother down as John B struggles out, "Can you... can you please?" Parker grabs her brother and yanks him outside to yell at him.

"Could you be any more insensitive, Jayje? I mean, come on. Johnny just found out his father died. You can't fucking celebrate that, it isn't the time!" JJ looks at her like a wounded dog, hating it when she scolds him. He finally glances down at his feet and mutters, "Sorry."

Parker nods angrily, spitting out, "You better be."

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The group settles down on the dock, Kiara pulling out her ukulele and Parker pulling out her guitar. She started strumming a random tune and humming until she started playing Are You Bored Yet? by Wallows and Clairo. Kiara joins in shortly after, adding her ukulele to the mix.

They hear thunder rumbling in the distance, and they sit peacefully for a short while. JJ finally sits up and turns towards John B. "How much was it again?" John B doesn't look back from where he is sitting at the edge of the dock. "five hundred mil."

JJ sighs, before turning back towards the rest of the group. "All right, let's talk the split. Now, before we say 'evenly', may I remind you that I am the only one that can properly defend us from those groupers who were after us. Protection? Not cheap, okay?"