Right along side the boy Jax moved from the common room back to the kitchen. Let the threesome play with their eyes, words, and posture, as nice as most of it was. He let himself think of the two finely crafted woman, their sways and stands, before he chuckled to himself and looked to the boy.

“Yes, stories and coins, what more could you want?” He chuckled, “But remember lad the reason for both.” He opened the kitchen door and looked around the surprising clean area, no dried on leftover food, no smell of aged drink. Jax moved to the cupboard and began to open a few. Must hide the good stuff in here somewhere. “Your Tante, nice as she is, tells stories, but I..” Jax stopped and hit his chest, “I tell real live adventures.” He opened another counter door.

“And that Captain, as wonderful as he is, gives you what he gives everyone, just a piece of gold, just something everyone trades, but I..” again he closed the door not finding a good bottle of anything, and hit his chest once more, “I give you magical luck of grand design.” He opened one more cupboard, still nothing of interest and closed it.

“What are we getting?” Jax looked around as the boy smiled and pointed to a tin box on the edge of the counter. 

“Pound Cake,” Luc almost giggled.

“Right,” Jax lifted the lid and saw the fresh golden loaf underneath. “You see boy, what I am giving to you was given to me by the Mistress Moon herself. Or so she helped and fought for from the beasts of the sea. You know of her of course? The Lady Moon?” He glanced to Luc, “We have a thing going on, her and I.” Jax wiggled his eyebrows up and down as if that would explain things. “She meets me each night and seduces me over and over. She found me when I was just a bit older than you and I have been her lover every since.”

“Plates?” Jax asked Luc reached to one of the cupboards Jax had already opened and began to get out a stack. Jax went on. “One night she was teasing me hiding behind thick dark clouds, roaring seas, and wicked winds as if I wouldn’t know she was there.” He took a plates from the boy’s hand. “Woman are like that, they tease and hide when they want to be caught and noticed.” He winked to Luc.

“I raised my head and my hand to the dark sky she was playing behind and demanded her to come to me. She heard my calls and lept to me with such force I fell from the deck of the ship and into the sea. Oh, I was the place I am most, boy, on a ship, of course.”

“Do you eat pound cake with fingers or forks?” Luc giggled and opened another small door . The small hands pulled out forks. “Where was I? Oh yes, in the cold dark sea. Now of course a smart boy like you would know if my lady the moon was hiding behind clouds it was because the sea was wild with winds and waves; taller than highest hill on this island and windier than the strongest gales. Into that I feel. The water was cold and the waves slapped me like a feather, pushing me this way…” Jax leaned way over and nudged Luc, “and that.” He leaned back the other way. 

“I can swim in the roughest of seas, of course, but my ship, without me was drifting in the wrong direction, away from me. So I had to swim with all my strength to stay close. But that is not the climax of this tale, oh no, net yet.” Jax took the pound cake off the serving plate and onto one Luc had given him.

“Should we cut it or just rip off pieces?” Luc giggled again and pointed to the block of wood with handles pointing out. “Ah yes,” Jax pulled out a sharp kitchen knife. “Right as I was near to the bow a giant, and I mean huge, bigger than this Inn, great white shark swam right up to me.Of course he thought I would be as delicious as pound cake. He opened his mouth sure that I was an easy treat.” Jax twirled the knife and stuck it right into the center of the cake for dramatic effect. 

“Not so fast little fishy.” Jax smiled. “I let him think he had me and I swam right into his mouth.” Jax pulled the knife out of the cake. “Then I floated around and punched as hard as I could through his teeth.” Jax laughed. “His mouth shattered and I caught the teeth as he sputtered me out back into the arms of my longing mistress moon. She let her light cast over the sea and the wind and waves stopped. She lifted me up on a moon beam and placed me right where I should be, at the helm." 

Jax paused letting the idea take hold as he cut the cake, in mostly even pieces. “I tossed her one of the shark’s teeth and if you look very close the next time she is bright and full you will see the tooth because she wears it proudly.” Jax put his hand with the knife right over his chest to show Luc where to look at the full moon. He smiled and put the knife back.

Quickly Jax opened his hand in front of Luc, “But one I saved and kept close to me for that one time I meet someone who will follow the lovely moon as I do. Someone who will count the stars and think of the seas. Someone who would know the powerful luck of a single tooth.” Jax opened his fingers and there in his palm was a big gray shark tooth. “Someone who seems to be you.”

Luc smiled and looked at the tooth for only a minute before he wrapped his small fingers around it. He looked up to Jax. Jax winked. “Now, you carry the cake because you got the coin and the payment. I’ll just follow behind after I Iook around just a little more.” Jax stood back. “Well, really, do you know where your Mama hides the special drink?” He laughed and shook his head. “No. no, forget that. Somethings just fade hard.” He ran one hand over his head sort of in his hair. 

“Onward, Sir Luc, and back to the curves, eyes and sassiness. Let them eat their cake.”