#Jackie will never tell Ed that her vacation is actually just her watching how he's doing from an inn nearby

[izzy-b-hands]

"No," Jackie shakes her head. "You are in charge, Ed. You and Roach."

"Yeah, but Stede-"

Jackie rests a hand on his shoulder. "I don't want any genitals or genital pirates in my kitchen. Jackie doesn't fuck with the health code."

Ed tries to nod along. "Right, but Stede won't be-"

"Have fun, be safe, and if you destroy my business," Jackie smiles and kisses Ed's cheek. "I'll destroy you."

"Don't know that I'd hate that," Ed admits. "If the destruction might go down the way I think it would..."

She laughs and slaps his ass on the way out, suitcase in hand.

They can do this. It's like a trial run for his own restaurant, sort of. And he does owe Jackie a favor (though what pirate doesn't at this point, he could also argue.)

But he never would, because he's as excited as he is anxious, standing in the empty bar that for the few weeks they're there, will be Blackbeard's Bar and Grill and Souvenirs.

--

"How the fuck are we behind on garnish?" Ed snaps. "It's leaves, more or less! Just put them on the plate!"

"And ruin the entire plating?" Izzy scoffs. "Ed!"

"Stop being extra fussy and please just put them on the plate," Ed sighs and reaches for the bundle of cilantro himself.

"People don't even like cilantro that much," Pete adds as he passes by to drop another order (written hastily by the combo front of house team that Stede, Lucius, and Frenchie have become.)

"We're running behind!" Roach shouts. "I have lamb ready to go, so the garnish and sauce had-"

Izzy dodges past Ed with a couple of ready plates, and he takes the moment to breathe.

It is chaos. It really is. But the kitchen smells amazing and the food that's going out looks good.

They can do this. They can actually do this.

He can do this.

--

"He's asking for another discount," Lucius groans. "Because, and I quote-"

Lucius rolls his eyes so hard it looks like they might roll out and away across the floor. "You left a hole in his life. Get it, Ed? Because the cannonball left a hole in his-"

"Oh my god," Ed interrupts with a growl, midway through tasting the first dessert to go out. "He's been here all lunch AND dinner service like this, and I'm literally not charging him for anything."

"He's been paying for things anyway," Lucius pulls a random assortment of coins from his pocket. "Like, just handing me some more at random whenever I walk by. Do you want to cut him off...or..."

Ed gently pushes the first finished desserts tray towards him. "Tell him he's helping test this part of the menu for free."

"We literally have been packed ever since lunch," Lucius says. "I think we know the menu works."

"Not this bit of it," Ed protests. "Besides, I used to make some of these for him when we sailed together. He's drunk, right?"

"That feels like asking me if the sun is warm."

"Right, so he'll be even happier with a bunch of comfort food in front of him," Ed continues. "You've got this, go on!"

"Could slap my ass to really motivate m-"

He only taps Lucius' ass, aware he might be taking the joke a step too far, prepared to apologise and step back.

Lucius grins. "Slap it harder next time and I'll even sit and talk with Jack to keep him out of the lobster tank."

Ed blinks. "What. Wait, Lucius, people choose from those to eat, what did Jack-"

The tray is up and he watches Lucius dart back out to the dining area in a beeline to Jack's table.

"He probably just took a bunch out to set free," Izzy says in between helping plate desserts. "Someone go check the outhouse, please."

"Wh-" The Swede is the first to pause in his work, keeping a fruit reduction from burning on the heat. "Why would they be there?"

"Because why not," Izzy snorts. "It's Jack."

"Does he actually care about setting them free?" Pete interjects as he whizzes by to snag a few finished plates. "Ed, boss, important question, what is this dessert here and is there enough for us after? Or maybe you need help tasting the next batch-"

"I'm saving enough for everyone, and you'll find out then," Roach interrupts as he finishes the main portion of another plate. "I haven't helped run a kitchen like this in ages and I have a system for saving some food and it's working! Get out before you ruin it!"

"Excuse me for being hungry!" Pete snaps.

"We're all hungry," Ed says gently. "Pete, how many more tables left?"

"Like ten," he replies miserably. "We just started serving dessert, you know that."

"Here," Ed sets a dish of the pudding aside and snags a spoon. "Take a moment and eat a little. But you have to wait and have the rest of the courses with all of us."

Pete wraps him in a hug, face smashed into Ed's chest. "One of them told me his drink tastes like piss."

"Does it?" Ed asks as he pats Pete's back.

"Yeah. He'd been an asshole all night, so Wee John called Jack over to the bar because he said to get him if anyone wasn't respecting us and he-"

"Yeah," Ed sighs and makes a note to ask Jack not to piss in the drinks of other customers, no matter how irritating they may be. Or at least to wait until they'd paid and save it for the last drink before they left. "It's okay. People suck, but we know you, Fang, and Ivan have been doing your best out there serving. Let me take your current order out, and you just eat."

--

"I'm saying it tastes like piss," the pirate growls. "And I'm not fucking paying."

"Interesting choice to make," Ed nods, picks up a plate of cake, and smashes it into the man's face as hard as he can. "Anyway, Lucius will process your final bill and be over with that shortly! If you have any other questions about your meal tonight-"

"We're good," the man's companion squeaks. "Thank you for the dinner service, Blackbeard sir."

"You're welcome," Ed smiles. "Tips aren't necessary, but they are appreciated by our front of house and serving staff!"

A handful of coins is shoved into his hand, well over what their meals cost even with a tip, before the companion dashes off into the night.

"I'll send Buttons over for you," Ed says to the pirate groaning and bleeding all over the tablecloth, head resting on the shards of the plate. "He's part of our security and sourcing team."

"Sourcing?" the pirate whimpers.

"Meat for the menu has to come from somewhere," Ed grins and slaps the man's back before walking back to the kitchen.

Buttons probably won't actually slice and dice the man up, but then again....well. Roach himself had said it, meat was meat, and since Jack was leaving them short on lobster...

--

"That was exhausting," Stede lifts his glass of wine as he stands from the head of their shoved together tables. "Almost everyone I spoke to was demanding and rude. I think...I think I hated it. But at the same time, I'm ready to do it again tomorrow."

"That's just customer service and food service especially, mate," Frenchie says, already sipping from his own glass. "And, if I'm honest? Sort of how it was dealing with you at first."

Stede nods. "That explains so many dinners...well. Anyway, the important thing is we survived! And did well, or so I'm told."

"We broke even and then some," Ed says. "And added seven more noses to the Nose Jar!"

"We're about to eat, can we please not talk about the nose jar right now?" Jim asks. "Especially since Olu and I were the ones to get in there and-"

"Ahhh that's enough," Stede's face pales. "Ed. To you. To a new, if temporary adventure. To-"

A lobster sails across the room and smacks him square in the face.

Ed tells himself not to laugh, but he can't help it.

"Ed," Stede says tensely. "Olu. Jim. Everyone, actually. I have an idea about banning problem customers, and that we might try it on-"

"He gave the lobster back at least," Ed giggles.

The tension folds into the moment of silence, and he worries Stede might actually be upset.

"He did," Stede shakes his head. "Out of seven, but yes, he did. I'm going to call that the end of my toast for my sake and the lobsters."

Stede sits and they finally get a chance to dig in themselves.

Some of the leftovers are a little cold. There's not as much sauce leftover for any of the dishes as Ed had been hoping there would be.

But everyone is quiet, happy, and eating like they've never been fed before, and that's even better than seeing the paying customers devour it.