CHAPTER SEVEN: Beach, Skull. Skull, Beach.

Jolly Roger Lagoon was very quiet this time of the year. The cold weather and densely salty water mostly diverted the valuable sea life that provided a source a source of sales there, and since there was no connection to the ocean, no ships could harbor in to trade. It was quite a recession.

Jolly Roger himself however, was very loud and cheery this late in the evening. He and his partner, Merry Maggie, were puzzling many a sailor in their Quiz that night.

"Do you give up, my lad?" asked Jolly, "You can walk away whenever you wish."

"Er...uh, gimme a minute here, said the hairy sailor, "I know it's in Southport..."

"Come on there, big boy, " said he jolly frog, "we can't wait forever, you know."

"...ah, is it... Tuskeneesee?" he asked.

"You got it right, my big hairy-chested fellow!" cried Jolly before jumping up on the table and doing a jig. He sang, "Hurray, hurray for the sailor man, who makes me feel so--"

And at that moment, Kazooie, Bottles, and his wife and children burst through the door.

Jolly Roger was so surprised at this that he fell into a sailor's lap. "Ooh! Gave me a start, you did."

Kazooie stared. "Um, sorry to interrupt your uh..." said the Breegull, looking at Roger laying over the sailor.

Jolly jumped up. "Please excuse me. What is it you'd be wanting from me at this hour?"

"A room for six, er, Jolly," said the bird. The mole spoke. "We need a place to hide from Klunty until we can figure out a plan to revive Banjo, and maybe destroy the witch for good this time."

The happy and carefree one pulled out his reservation book. "Well, we have two vacancies available; one room with two beds, and another room with one bed."

"Okay, so the wife and I can share one bed," said Bottles. "Goggles and Speccy can sleep in the second, and, er..."

"Hey... wait a sec!" said Kazooie, "then there's one bed left!" Where will Bone Boy sleep?"

"Molting bird must mean, where SHE sleep!" uttered Mumbo, detesting sleeping on the ground. "Mumbo not sleep on cold floor..."

"Well, it's either that, or you can both sleep together..." said Jolly Roger with a grin spreading across his face.

Kazooie and Mumbo stared at each other in surprise. "YOU CAN HAVE THE BED," they both said simultaneously to each other.

"So it's settled," spoke the jolly barkeep. "Now, to the matter of payment..."

Kazooie checked her feathers. "Oh, I'm all out of doubloons," she said. "Didn't exactly get a chance to go to the bank today."

Mumbo searched his grass skirt. "Nope. Mumbo is broke."

"Well I don't have any," said the mole, "do you have any, honey?"

"Don't 'honey' me!" snapped Mrs. Bottles. "It's because of your rush to get me here that I don't have my purse."

"Mommy, why are you fighting?" asked Goggles.

"We're not fighting, dear," she said, "we're just having a conflict of ideas, that's all."

"I'll say!" said Kazooie. "Now how the heck are we going to pay for the rooms?" It was then that a thought struck her.

"Um, Jolly?" said the Breegull. She walked over to Roger and whispered something into his ear, pointing occasionally at Bottles.

"Uh huh, uh huh... Ow, you poked me with your beak..." mumbled Jolly. He then giggled.

"So we have a deal then," said the bird.

"Yes we certainly do," said Roger.

Kazooie turned to the rest of the pack. "Okay, let's get our things into the rooms," she said, and ushered the others to do so.

Bottles scratched his head. As the bird was entering her room, he asked, "What did you say to let us stay for free?"

"Oh, nothing..." said Kazooie coyly.

The mole turned to Merry Maggie as she smiled back. She winked, blowing him a kiss.

Bottles swallowed hard.