Chapter 14
After sealing the time rifts and getting back on the spaceship, Arthur and Hat Kid were greeted by Cooking Cat who was relieved to see the children safe and sound. For their efforts, she had treated them to dinner. The two children enjoyed the food she prepared. It was spaghetti bolognese and fruit salad. They also ate the rest of the cupcakes made by the cat chef.
After that, they decided to go to bed since it was late. Hat Kid had offered Cooking Cat to spend the night on the spaceship to thank her for the meal. The cat chef accepted and slept on some pillows she set in the kitchen. The two children were surprised by her choice of place to sleep, but she told them that it was fine and that way she could start cooking for them once she wakes up. She sure lived up to her name as 'Cooking Cat'.
The next day, after eating some breakfast, Arthur and Hat Kid were gathered in the main room to talk about their next move.
"I think Mafia Town has been pretty much picked clean of any Time Pieces left. I reckon it may be time to start looking for someplace else to look for them. They could be anywhere on the planet, so the question is where should we go look first?" Arthur asked as he was leaning against the wall, his hands on his belt.
Hat Kid put her hand on her chin in thought. Arthur had a point, there was no sign of any more Time Pieces in Mafia Town. Therefore it would be best to start searching elsewhere. The problem is this planet was huge. There could be thousands of places where her Time Pieces could have landed. So where could they begin their research without wasting too much time?
"What about Dead Bird Studio?" Cooking Cat suggested as she approached the duo. Arthur and Hat Kid looked at her curiously.
"Dead Bird Studio? What is it?" Arthur asked, raising an eyebrow at her.
"It's a movie studio that is located in the desert area past the ocean east of Mafia Town. Word recently got out that hourglasses falling from the sky have been seen landing in the area," Cooking Cat explained. Arthur and Hat Kid's eyes perked up with interest.
"Really? Can you show us where it is?" the twelve-year-old boy asked.
Cooking Cat nodded and motioned for the duo to follow her as she headed towards the window. The two children followed the cat chef. She pointed at a section of the desert area on the planet where a building could be faintly seen.
"It's right over there. I've never been there myself, but I've seen it on a map once," Cooking Cat said.
"Well, it seems like a good place to start. I mean, that's the only lead we've got for now," Arthur said, looking at Hat Kid for approval. The small girl nodded, agreeing that it was where they should go first.
"I've also heard that two movie directors are working there right now, and they don't really see eye-to-eye. They're both competing to win a trophy for the annual bird movie award," the cat chef continued. Arthur gave her a confused look.
"Annual bird movie award? You mean... birds are making movies?" the young boy asked puzzled. Cooking Cat nodded.
"Yes. One of the two movie directors is a penguin and the other one... well, I'm not really sure what kind of bird he is..." the cat chef said as she rubbed the back of her head. Arthur slowly nodded. It seems like Cooking Cat is not the only animal to act like a human. He should start expecting that, considering this world is different from his. "But the point is if they saw your Time Pieces, I'm pretty sure they'll want to use them as props to improve their movies," she added.
Arthur and Hat Kid both looked at each other worriedly. If these movie directors got their hands on the Time Pieces, that will make things more difficult. They really hoped that they could just tell them that the hourglasses belonged to them and ask them to give them back, but something told the duo that it won't be as easy as they hoped.
Arthur sighed and said, "Well, hopefully we can negotiate with them to get the Time Pieces back. We should hurry though. If you got wind of Time Pieces falling over there, then there's no doubt that Mustache Girl will be headed there too. We have an advantage on her though, since we can directly land at the studio. But that doesn't mean we should slack off." Hat Kid nodded firmly in agreement.
"In that case, I'll leave you to it. I must return to Mafia Town and prepare the next meals for the Mafia. I've left some food for you in the fridge. Just heat it up before you eat. If you need me for anything, just give me a call," Cooking Cat said as she wrote her phone number on a piece of paper and handed it over to them. Hat Kid took it and slid it in her pocket.
"Thank you!" Hat Kid said with a smile.
"Thanks. See you soon, Cooking Cat," Arthur said with a smile.
"See you, dearies! Take care!" the cat chef said, smiling at the two. She headed towards the hatch and opened it, before jumping off to land in Mafia Town.
"Okay, let's check out that movie studio. You ready to head down?" Arthur asked Hat Kid. The purple-hatted girl nodded.
"Let's go then. Hopefully this will go down without a fight," the young boy muttered, hoping that their attempt at retrieving the Time Pieces will not end up like their encounter with the Mafia Boss this time.
Hat Kid opened the hatch and Arthur grabbed her hand. The two of them jumped off and aimed for Dead Bird Studio.
The duo landed in a parking lot, where a few cars were parked. But cars weren't the only things parked here, they could also see... a train parked on some rails nearby? What was it doing here?
As they looked before them, they saw a large building. The big sign at the entrance said 'Dead Bird Studio'.
"There it is. Dead Bird Studio... I don't know why I imagined it bigger," Arthur said with a shrug.
"Greetings, young ones."
Arthur and Hat Kid jolted at the unexpected voice and quickly turned around to look at the person who spoke. It was none other than the Badge Seller. It looks like their habit of randomly appearing behind them hadn't changed since.
"Oh, Badge Seller. Hey," Arthur said, not too surprised to see them appear out of nowhere. "What are you doing here?"
"Just passing by. I moved here after the recent... incident that occured in Mafia Town," the Badge Seller explained. Arthur and Hat Kid nodded understandingly. Right... The lava incident that happened in Mafia Town two days ago.
"Anyway, I may have something else to sell that might interest you, young miss," the Badge Seller said to Hat Kid. They pulled out a purple badge with a golden scooter drawn on it. "This badge will add a new ability to your Sprint Hat. When you equip it, you can summon a scooter and ride it to go faster than its usual speed. Very useful if you are in a hurry or if you just want to have fun. It's 500 pons."
Hat Kid's eyes brightened up in excitation. Riding a scooter? Heck yeah! She checked her pockets for pons. However, her smile dropped as she realized that she only had 185 pons. Not enough to buy the badge. If Mustache Girl hadn't stolen her pons the other day, maybe she could have afforded it. She sighed sadly.
Arthur noticed the girl's expression and understood what was the problem. He looked down at his pockets. Well... Maybe he could spare some of the pons he collected during his time in Mafia Town. It wasn't like he was planning to use them anytime soon anyway. He pulled out a few bags of pons and counted how many he had.
"145 pons. Still not enough... Sorry, kid. Can't buy the badge for you," Arthur said, giving her an apologetic look. Hat Kid nodded, before smiling at him. Even though she couldn't buy the badge, she still appreciated the boy's attempt to share his pons with her.
"Do not worry. If our paths cross once more, you can try to buy it again when you have enough money," the Badge Seller said with a smile as they put the badge back in their backpack. "Anyway, how is your quest to find the Time Pieces coming along?"
Hat Kid raised an eyebrow at them suspiciously upon hearing the sudden question. How did they know about her Time Pieces? She doesn't remember talking about them to the glitchy vendor.
"Don't worry, kid. They have their, uh, own 'ways' to know about all sorts of stuff," Arthur deadpanned, giving the glitchy vendor a knowing look. This statement made the Badge Seller chuckle in amusement. Hat Kid was confused by that response, but she simply shrugged. If Arthur said it was fine, then she had no reason to question it.
"Well, we've found nine out of fifty-six so far. Still a lot more to go..." the twelve-year-old boy said, still a bit discouraged that they had to find so many Time Pieces.
"The road may still be long and you might encounter a lot of danger on your way, but I can see it in your eyes... you are both determined. You two have different personalities, but your hearts are the same. Good. Pure. Combined together, there is a lot more than can be done," the Badge Seller reassured with a smile. Hat Kid smiled at the glitchy vendor, appreciating their pep talk. Arthur on the other hand was less convinced.
"Maybe... I don't know what a good heart is anymore... I'm not even sure what mine is..." the young boy muttered sadly. Hat Kid gave him a concerned look. Does he really think so little of himself, even after all the good actions he did in Mafia Town?
"You will find the answer soon, young man. Give it time," the Badge Seller said with a reassuring smile.
"We'll see..." Arthur said with a sigh. He really wished he could believe them, but he can't. The Badge Seller could see his doubt, but they decided not to push it. Eventually, this boy will learn and understand what they mean. It was just a matter of time.
"Anyway, I must be going now. I wish you two good luck in your quest. And if our paths cross again, come see me. I may have more items of interest for you both," the Badge Seller said.
"Okay. See you," Arthur said.
The Badge Seller nodded before they walked away. The children watched them go behind a car and disappear out of sight. The way the glitchy vendor leaves without a trace will always be a mystery. Arthur felt a hand on his shoulder, he looked to his side and saw Hat Kid giving him a worried look. She was concerned about him because of what he said earlier.
However, Arthur simply pushed her hand away and said, "I'm fine. Let's just go in already." He then walked towards the studio.
Hat Kid sighed as she followed him. She really wanted to help him, but the boy just keeps dismissing her concerns or attempts to talk to him. She hoped that one day he will be comfortable enough to open up to her, so she can help him through the struggles he is facing.
The two children walked through the automatic doors and into the studio. When they arrived, they saw two persons... or rather two birds arguing.
The one on the left was a... strange golden-yellow... bird or something? Probably an owl? A strange one if that was the case... He had two long ears, sharp teeth, and his eyes were invisible - probably hidden under all the feathers. He was wearing a black train conductor hat and uniform with a purple tie, black pants and shoes.
The other one on the right was a blue penguin with a disco getup. He was wearing a large black afro with a comb on it, large yellow eyebrows, star-shaped sunglasses, a red jacket with golden buttons, blue jeans with a brown belt, and high-rise red shoes that was giving him an extra height. He also had a hand-held microphone in his hand.
They must be the two movie directors that Cooking Cat told them about. And judging by how they talked to each other, she was right on the fact that they didn't see eye-to-eye. They were so focused on bickering with each other that they didn't even notice the children's presence here.
"This movie studio is too big for the both of us, DJ Grooves! The movie should be made by REAL birds!" the movie director on the left spat angrily in a Scottish accent. Arthur and Hat Kid looked at each other with a raised eyebrow. Was he a real bird himself? Well, they don't really want to know.
"You Moon Penguins are just gonna write some loud, noisy drivel! If I wanted a bunch of peck necks to dance around while on bird seed, I'd visit me grandchildren!" the strange bird continued, smirking at his last sentence.
''Peck neck'? Huh... Must be some kind of insult in this world... or at least for him,' Arthur thought. Well, it was definitely more polite than all of the ones he had heard in the past.
The other movie director, DJ Grooves, only smiled and said, "Nonsense, darling, nonsense! You Owl Express birds are just going to record another boring train-related western! You've done so for the last ten years, darling!" The strange yellow bird grew a shocked expression on his face.
"Wha?! No we haven't, yer buffon!" he huffed as he crossed his arms in denial. However, DJ Grooves's statement was proven to be true as Arthur and Hat Kid looked on the wall and saw different western movie posters pinned on it.
The fact that this movie director was producing western-related movies caught Arthur's interest, since he was a big fan of those types of movies as well.
"Conductor, darling, this year we'll be winning the annual bird movie award, as our new movie props will bring in the audiences!" DJ Grooves said as he snapped his fingers.
Four penguins wearing a black suit, a black and purple fedora, and sunglasses walked up behind the disco penguin, carrying a large glass container with two shiny items in it. Arthur and Hat Kid's eyes widened. They were Time Pieces!
"These shiny things fell from the sky! They will light our movie sets and fill them with glimmer!" Dj Grooves said elegantly. The Conductor only huffed in response.
"Oh yeah? Well, this time around, we're ALSO spicing it up with our newest movie props!" the strange owl said as he turned around and made a motion with his hand.
Four owls wearing different colored coats and hats approached with a glass container that had three other Time Pieces inside of it. Arthur and Hat Kid glanced at each other worriedly. Like they were fearing, both movie directors had their hands on the Time Pieces. This was going to make things much harder for them.
"These hourglass thingies will be the grand jewel in our train heist western!" the Conductor said as he crossed his arms smugly.
A long awkward silence occured in the room as both directors stared at their competitor's glass container, and after a few seconds, realization hit the both of them.
"WHADDA WHAT?!" the Conductor yelled in shock, causing Arthur and Hat Kid to jump in surprise. The strange owl's shocked expression turned into a angry one and he said through gritted teeth, "You no-good dirty peck necks! You copied our props!". DJ Grooves calmly huffed at the sudden accusation.
"I would never, darling! Clearly you're the one who took inspiration in my flashy new props," the disco penguin said, crossing his arms. The Conductor growled in response.
"That does it! Get outta here with ye, I've got a movie to record!" the strange owl hissed angrily, pointing at the double doors leading to what seemed to be DJ Grooves's side of the studio.
"Fine by me, darling. But we'll be the ones who win the annual bird movie award, mark my word!" DJ Grooves said calmly. Then he and the penguins who are carrying the glass container with the Time Pieces inside walked towards the double doors that led to their side of the studio. As soon as they walked inside and closed the doors behind them, the Conductor smirked and cracked his knuckles.
"Oh yeah?! Let's see how well ye do when you can't get into the reception!" the strange owl said, picking up two wooden planks, a hammer and a few nails, and walking up to DJ Grooves's double doors. He then proceeded to board up the doors, locking the moon penguins inside.
"GWAHAHAHAHA!" the Conductor laughed manically. His evil smile suddenly dropped as he realized something. "Oh wait, shutting the peck necks inside the studio will force them to work harder."
Arthur snorted and quietly whispered, "Idiot," forcing Hat Kid to suppress a laugh.
The Conductor shrugged and walked away, heading towards the double doors leading to his own side of the studio.
"Alright, time to go, owls! Let's make our killer movie!" he ordered. Before heading inside, the Conductor looked at the receptionist and said, "Oh, and receptionist, can yer PLEASE close off that vent already? I don't want the smell of penguin to come anywhere near my crew!", pointing up at a vent where the cover seemed loose. The receptionist simply gave an uninterested nod.
The Conductor then headed inside the studio, along with the four owls carrying the glass container.
"Heh... It's like watching two cats fight over a piece of meat. Kinda reminds me of us when we first met," Arthur said to Hat Kid with a chuckle, making the small girl giggle. Indeed, back when they first met and were forced to team up with each other, all they did was bickering and fighting. It was strange to remember that now that they are allies.
The two children looked up and saw two signs pinned on the wall. 'No humans allowed in!" was written on one and the other said 'Only birds allowed in!'. Looking at the double doors on each side, they were both guarded by either an owl or a penguin. It meant that they couldn't get in the studio through the double doors.
"Well, it doesn't seem like we're going in through those doors. I guess we can talk to the receptionist and ask to meet both movie directors. Hopefully, they'll agree to give us our Time Pieces back," Arthur suggested. Hat Kid nodded.
The duo walked up to the counter to talk to the receptionist. He was a rather tall owl with red feathers, wearing a white t-shirt and dark blue pants with suspenders. He seemed busy typing something on his computer.
"Uh, hello?" Arthur carefully greeted. The receptionist glanced away from his screen and noticed the two children standing there.
"Oh, hey lil' chirpers. They're recording right now, so no one is allowed in," the owl said dismissively.
"Look, we'd just like to talk with the movie directors. They have something that belongs to us and we'd like to have it back," Arthur insisted.
"Not my problem. We're only insured for bird staff. Letting you in would be a liability! Besides, they have no time to be bothered by kids," the receptionist replied firmly. "Don't even think about sneaking inside."
"Hmm..." Hat Kid hummed, putting her hand on her chin as she considered the option. The receptionist noticed that and gave her a stern look.
"I'm serious. If I catch either of you in the studio, you'll receive a ticket so big you'll be in debt for years," he warned in a serious tone.
"Calm down, buddy. We're not here to cause trouble at all," Arthur said in an irritated tone.
"Good, I'm gonna hold you to that. And I wouldn't recommend changing your mind, young man," the receptionist answered sternly. Arthur rolled his eyes at him in response.
"Whatever. Come on, Hat Kid," the young boy said as he walked away. Hat Kid sent a glare at the receptionist before following Arthur. The receptionist gave her an unamused look, before looking back at his screen and continuing his work.
The duo stopped at the corner of the room to discuss their options. Arthur glanced at the receptionist to make sure he wasn't looking. Thankfully, he was busy with his work and didn't pay attention to the children.
"Guess they're not letting us talk to the directors either. I don't know about you, but I think we're a bit out of options here," Arthur whispered to Hat Kid.
The purple-hatted girl put her hand on her chin in thought. If they weren't allowed to go through the doors or to speak with the movie directors, the alternative would be... She looked up at the vent that was still not fixed and smiled mischeviously. Arthur gave her a confused look before he looked behind and realized what she wanted to do. He looked back at her and shook his head firmly.
"Ohhh no... No, we can't do that, kid. If we get caught, you know we'll be up the creek without a paddle!" Arthur whispered anxiously, trying to change the girl's mind.
Hat Kid crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow as to ask 'You got a better idea maybe?'.
"Don't give me that look! This is a bad idea. I don't know, anything seems like a bad idea at this point..." Arthur whispered, before he sighed and looked down as he put his hands on his hips. He didn't want to get in trouble. He had been in enough trouble with his dad and other people before, he didn't want to add more to the pile.
He looked up again, but noticed that Hat Kid was no longer here.
"Hat Kid?" Arthur asked in a panicked tone, as he looked around frantically. "Don't tell me she..." his sentence was cut short when he saw Hat Kid standing in front of a sunglasses dispenser. He let out a sigh, relieved that she didn't go to try and reach the vent.
"What are you doing, kid?" the twelve-year-old boy asked puzzled as he joined her.
Hat Kid didn't answer and simply cranked the lever of the dispenser excitedly. A pair of sunglasses fell in the receptacle. The small girl smiled and put them on. She turned to look at Arthur and gave him a huge grin, while putting her hands on her hips proudly.
Arthur shook his head in amusement and said, "You are something else. You know that?". Hat Kid teasingly stuck her tongue out at him. She cranked the lever again and received a second pair of sunglasses. She took them and handed them out to Arthur so he could try them on.
"Nah, I'm not putting that on. I'll look stupid," Arthur said, shaking his head.
"Please?" Hat Kid pleaded as she slightly pushed her sunglasses down and looked at Arthur with puppy eyes. Oh God, not the puppy eyes... The way she was doing it was making it so hard for him to resist.
The twelve-year-old boy sighed in defeat and said, "Alright... I'll put them on." Hat Kid grinned victoriously and gave him the sunglasses. Arthur rolled his eyes and put the sunglasses on.
"So... am I a star yet, kid?" Arthur asked jokingly. Hat Kid giggled in response, before clapping her hands excitedly. In her opinion, the sunglasses looked good on him.
The small girl wanted to take another pair of sunglasses to add them on her face and make herself look funny. She cranked the lever again. However, the dispenser suddenly malfunctioned and blew up on the spot, startling both children. All that was left of the machine now was the glass container with sunglasses comically placed on it.
"The hell?" Arthur asked confused.
Unfortunately for him and Hat Kid, the receptionist saw that and he let out an exhale in annoyance.
"Not even a few minutes here and you're already causing mischief. Come over here," the tall owl sternly told the duo. Arthur and Hat Kid gulped and nervously walked up to the counter. They watched as the receptionist printed something out.
"That's the fine for property damage. I expect you two to return the aforementioned amount of pons next week," he said in a serious tone, handing them the printed paper. Arthur took the paper and read it. His and Hat Kid's eyes widened and their jaws dropped when they saw how much they had to pay.
"3,000 pons?! You trying to ruin us or what?!" Arthur asked in a shocked and angry tone. Seriously, how can they even repay this? They barely had 400 pons altogether.
"That was the price it costed. Next time, think twice before messing around with private property!" the receptionist answered angrily.
"And how are we supposed to repay that?! We don't have enough!" Arthur retorted with a glare, waving the fine in his hand back and forth.
"Not my problem! Get a job or something! Now scram before I'm forced to call security!" the receptionist replied harshly, pointing at the exit. The two children gave him a nasty look.
"Bastard..." Arthur muttered, before he walked away furiously, with Hat Kid following him. He stopped in front of the exit, looking at the fine, then at the vent where Hat Kid wanted to sneak through. With a firm nod, he put the bill in his pocket before looking at Hat Kid.
"You know what? We don't got much to lose at this point. We sneak in through the vent, retrieve the Time Pieces ourselves, and get out before anyone sees us," Arthur whispered to Hat Kid, making sure that the receptionist wasn't listening. Thankfully, the tall owl had gone back to his business on his computer. "As for the bill... well... we'll worry about it later." Hopefully, it won't matter since they are living on a spaceship.
Hat Kid nodded firmly in agreement. Since they were now indebted and kicked out of the studio, sneaking inside to retrieve the Time Pieces was their only option. That should also teach the receptionist a lesson for being so rude.
Looking around for a way to reach the vent, the duo noticed that DJ Grooves's trophy case could give them enough boost to make their way up to it. While making sure that no one was watching, they quietly climbed up on the trophy case and tiptoed to try and reach the vent. Unfortunately, the receptionist turned his head at this moment and spotted them.
"Hey! What do you think you're doing?! Get down from there!" he shouted angrily.
Drats! They have been spotted! Arthur and Hat Kid quickly hopped their way up to the vent. Hat Kid quickly ripped the vent cover and climbed inside, followed closely by Arthur. The receptionist growled as he watched the children disappear out of sight.
"Fine then! I'm calling security!" he muttered angrily, picking up the phone and dialing a number. If these kids were planning to cause trouble in the studio, then he will have them sent to jail at once.
A/N: Hey everyone! So here it is! Dead Bird Studio! As you can see, Arthur and Hat Kid are already in trouble, but we all know who is gonna save them from that. I'm sure you are all impatient to know which director will win the award in this story. Don't worry, the answer will come in a few chapters. It's just a matter of time. ;)
Anyway, time to answer some reviews!
To Katoptris12: Yeah, Arthur's sarcasm is also one of the things I like to write about him. And indeed, he struggles a lot with the idea of being called a hero. It's definitely something new to him. You'll soon see his reaction to DJ Grooves's kindness. ;) And nope, I'm not gonna say who wins now. I'll let you guys find that out in a few chapters. ;)
To Maoshin: I couldn't agree more. ^^
To Mad King C: First time is always the hardest. Don't worry, I feel you. Anyway, thank you!
To PatoMayo: Who said it was going to end? This is only getting started. ;) Although Arthur doesn't consider Hat Kid a friend just yet. He's still dealing with trust issues at the moment. But things will change soon. ;)
That's all for today, folks! See you all in the next chapter!