I stared at Captain Jeu's hand for a second before looking back at his face. He has the most charming smile I've ever seen! A smile that could melt and break even the iciest and hardest of hearts. His brown eyes twinkled with such genuine and sincere friendliness. I continued to study his features in hopes to find any imperfections but the more I stared, the more charismatic he got. Why is it that I always get tangled up with handsome pirates?

"Is everything alright, Miss?" he asked, his smile not leaving his face.

I shook my head quickly, "Pardon me, it was very impolite to stare. If you'll excuse me," I said and sidestepped to avoid him. Then, I found the exit and walked out the store.

To my surprise, Captain Jeu followed me until he was walking beside me. I looked up at him and he smiled as a response.

"Can I help you?" I asked.

"A ravishing woman such as yourself should not be wandering the streets without an escort, don't you agree?" he replied with that charming smile not leaving his face.

I forced a smile to be polite. "I did tell you I'm a pirate. I could protect myself, thank you very much," I responded.

He chuckled, "We are in Shenz. No one needs to be protected at Shenz. It's the most peaceful city you'll ever find."

I looked at him, "Which exactly proved my point," I said and increased the speed of my paces.

Captain Jeu matched my speed. "Ah, but I wasn't talking about protecting you," he replied, his voice laced with alarming sweetness.

I sighed and stopped my tracks to face him, "Enlighten me," I said.

His eyes twinkled, "As I have said, I would like to accompany you on your late afternoon stroll."

'Suave.' My left brow arched and began to continue my walk. Captain Jeu did the same beside me. I stopped again, "I'm sorry but I am refusing the offer. You see I should not talk or walk with a stranger," I told him.

Captain Jeu chuckled and reasoned, "But I am no longer a stranger. I just told you my name. I am Jeu, a pirate and a captain. If you look at it, you are THE stranger because you have not given me the pleasure of knowing your name just yet."

'Men and their maneuvers.' My brows furrowed and then continued to walk again. Jeu matched my steps and we were walking beside each other once more. "So, you shouldn't be walking and talking to me because I am a stranger," I retorted.

Jeu chuckled one more time, "But you see, I do not mind talking and walking with a stranger, especially one such as gorgeous as you."

I stopped abruptly and placed my free hand on my waist, "Tell me, what do you really want?" I asked, annoyed.

Jeu leaned forward so our faces were very close to each other. The twinkle in his eyes vanished and was replaced with interest and a hint of desire. "You," he said it directly.

I swallowed hard at the nearness of him. My face felt warm after hearing his last response. His mannerisms were so familiar. He was just like… just like Jacob. I stepped back after making a realization. He straightened up, pleased at how I reacted.

He crossed his arms. "You piqued my interest, Miss," he said and looked at me intensely.

This smells trouble so I had to get away. I scoffed and arched my brows. "Well, mine isn't," I quipped and scurried off.

I heard Jeu chuckled and not a second later, he was beside me again. "Let me accompany you," he insisted.

"No, thank you."

"Ah, but I do not take no for an answer."

Jeu was persistent so I hastened my steps. The sooner I get away from him, the better. Yet, every time I quickened my steps, he would make his strides longer. As a result, he ended up still walking beside me, despite my efforts. However, I'm not one to give up just yet so I began to jog. That was a wrong move on my part because the moment I did that, my right foot landed wrong and I tripped. Jeu quickly assisted me by grabbing my elbow to prevent my fall. His hat fell instead and exposed his short wavy brown hair.

He smiled at me again, "That was the second time, Miss. I might come to the conclusion that my presence is making you weak at the knees."

I rolled my eyes and shrugged his hold on me. "On the contrary, captain. Your presence makes me want to run away."

He laughed and when he did, several of the women on the streets of Shenz noticed him. "Tell me your name."

I smiled at him mockingly, "Not a chance."

"Then, I shall give you one. How about Angel? Because I didn't believe in heaven, until I saw you."

I groaned. "You can't be serious." This was becoming very… oddly familiar. Do pirate captains meet and exchange notes on what to do when women do not want to give them their names?

He smirked, "Very serious. You're Angel until you tell me your name."

I shook my head and continued walking, again. This time, I did not speed up. I already know that despite my protests and rejections, he would still do what he wanted to do… JUST. LIKE. JACOB. So, when Jeu caught up and started walking beside me, I did not bother to escape. It would be futile anyways. I will not waste my breath nor my strength trying to shoo him away.

"So Angel, could I invite you to grab a bite?" Jeu tried.

"No, thank you."

He chuckled. "Whose crew do you belong with?"

I remained silent. If I could not make him go away, I could just ignore him and continue on my way. The sun was beginning to set and I was still a long way away from the docks. So, I doubled the speed of my steps. I did promise Neville that I would be back by dusk.

Jeu did not leave. Even if I was quiet the whole time and he was the only one talking, he did not leave me. He was with me until we reached the docks. Gondro, Elgo, and Sandlot just got off Labyrinth and were walking towards us.

"Miss Darling," Elgo began. "Neville was getting worried sick about you. You should hurry back."

I nodded, "Where are you going?"

Sandlot replied, "Meeting Puma and the others at a tavern."

Gondro narrowed his eyes after noticing Jeu, "And you are?"

"Captain Jeu, mate," he said and tilted his hat.

Elgo's eyes widened, "Captain Jeu, the strategist?! Your reputation precedes you, Captain! Your escape tactics are still unrivaled."

Jeu chuckled, "And you are?"

"Elgo of Labyrinth," he said and pointed at us. "They're my crew mates."

Jeu's eyes glinted with mischief, "Labyrinth, eh? And Angel's part of your crew?" he said and motioned to me.

"You mean Miss Darling? Yes!"

Jeu looked at me and smirked, "Darling, eh?"

I did not respond. Instead, I turned around and walked to Labyrinth where I knew Neville and good food were waiting for me. I dare not look back so I did not see a scheming devilish smile forming in Jeu's lips as I walked away from him.

*****

After eating my dinner, I went to the main deck to practice target shooting with my newly acquired revolver. I was hoping to find Lowen but like most of the crew, he was merrymaking. Still, I knew how to set up for target practice so I just did it myself. I was about to aim and shoot but noticed that my revolver was a bit different from my other pistol. When I pulled the trigger, nothing came out.

"New gun?" It was Jacob.

I nodded in response. "I'm quite clueless on how to use it though. The merchant did say it is easy to use."

Jacob held out his hand and I gave him the revolver. He quickly looked at it. "Do you have ammunition?"

I nodded and handed him the box. He took six bullets and put those in the revolving cylinder. Then, he showed me how to do it so I could load the gun myself next time. When it was ready, I aimed and shot. It was a clean hit. I chuckled.

"What happened to the one I gave you?" Jacob asked.

"I had to trade it for Thaddaeus, Tibet, and Puma's freedom. The mermaid Coralyn became obsessed with it because of the ivory handle," I explained.

Jacob furrowed his brows and did not respond.

"Are you angry? Was it special?"

"That was my first pistol," he said and sighed.

My mouth gaped, "Oh, I am so sorry. Why would you give me something that was that special, then?"

"Because you are special," he replied and smiled.

I felt my cheeks get warm so I looked down. Jacob chuckled at my response.

"You should have two," he diverted the topic because of my discomfort.

"Two what?" I asked and looked back up at him.

I nodded but then bit my lower lip after realizing something, "I do not have any more money."

Jacob chuckled. "I'll give you one tomorrow," he said.

I was about to refuse his offer when we heard a call. "LABYRINTH! PERMISSION TO BOARD!"

Jacob and I went to look at who it was. It was someone unfamiliar to us. "WHO ARE YOU?" Jacob asked.

"I am Mik, Captain Jeu's first mate. I have a message from the Captain," he said and waved a piece of paper.

Jacob's face became concerned after recognizing the name, "Permission granted!"

Mik came and handed the letter. Then, he left right away. I was curious about what Jeu had to say so I stayed and waited for Jacob's reaction. Jacob hissed after reading the letter and looked at me.

"You did not tell me, you had an encounter with Jeu," he said.

I shrugged my shoulders, "I did not know that it would be important."

He sighed, "He challenged me to a duel for you."

I gasped, "WHAT?!!!"