SWEET NICOTINE | pope heyward

03, discovery session

"the place she's at won't let visitors till tomorrow morning."

"Okay well, that gives us from now, till then to figure out this damn key on our own" AJ turned, already looking through the papers. She felt the spot next to her be taken and she didn't need to turn much to realize it was Pope.

"you two work on it, I need a break" John B sunk into the couch with a beer and AJ barely reacted to his words. Her eyes scanned every page.

"Okay, do we have anything to go off of?" AJ asked, looking at Pope.

"I mean, I think Limbrey slipped when we were talking. She said this key leads to the cross of Santo Domingo"

"Santo Domingo? I know that. Uh" AJ turned to her bag and grabbed the book on the top, flipping through it until three pages fell out.

"Santo Domingo, Santo Domingo" She repeated under her breath as she used her finger to look over the page. "Santo Domingo" This time it was an announcement and Pope's attention was fully on her.

"The cross was a gift from New Spain to the Spanish king." She slid the paper to Pope and his eyes widened.

"Guys come look at this" Pope turned in his seat and the pogues got up from their spots across the room. "holy shit" JJ was first to react at the larger than human sized cross.

"That was a gift?" Kiara scoffed.

"It was widely considered at the time to be the most extravagant tribute ever from the provinces."

"naturally" Sarah's comment made AJ laugh a bit but she continued to read.

"It was lost off the coast of Bermuda in 1829"

"not Bermuda" JJ groaned.

"Why is it always Bermuda" John B reached forward and AJ handed him the papers, watching as the brunette boy made his way back to the couch. The others followed him and AJ turned back to the papers still scattered on the counter.

"Okay, well those four work on that, we should try to find something out of these on that key," AJ said and Pope nodded.

"so, what's with the lady that wants it?"

"I don't know. I got this letter telling me to meet her in Charleston. She kept talking about this key that I had no idea about. Almost kidnapped me. She used this tape she has to exonerate John B as bait. I mean she's for real, she does have it"

"John B's already out"

"but this tape would put Ward away for what he did"

"so we really want this tape, but the only way to get it is to give her this key" AJ spoke and Pope nodded, even though it was a statement and not a question.

It wasn't long until the rest of the pogues were coaxing Pope and AJ away from the messy table and back to civilization. The two over-exhausted teenagers not matching their energy. Even though the energy was sort of off.

AJ could sense the tension between Sarah and John B and when they joined the group again, she could sense some between Pope and Kiara. The girl not close enough to any of them to ask.

John B offered her a place to stay as they figured things out and she did eventually take the offer after trying hard to deny. Even with the tension, the rest were also staying so AJ set up camp with the others in the living room.

The pull-out couch was far more uncomfortable than AJ anticipated it but the exhaustion of the last two months paired with that day was enough to knock the girl out the second she had a light blanket placed over her.