Ridley's and Mikoto's First Island

"Soooooo, Ridley, know any good sing-a-longs?" inquired Mikoto. Ridley looked up from his silent guitar strumming to look at Mikoto. His amplifiers lay across from him on the other end of the boat.

The two of them were sailing in a little boat with enough food to last them the rest of the way to the next island. "Music is made to be heard," pronounced Ridley. "All good songs have no words to them for then people listen to the music not the words. It is want makes all songs universal!"

Mikoto looked at Ridley for a second, with a serious look on his face. "Okay, so no sing-a-longs…I can deal with that…how about riddles?" Ridley slammed his head into the palms of his hands. He started muttering something along the lines of 'why me?'

Mikoto interrupted his pains with a sudden shout. Ridley looked up. "Land ho! Land ho!"

They soon docked their ship into a local harbor. Mikoto jumped out. Ridley was a bit more calm and walked out steadily. The town stretched out in front of them. Several buildings were gigantic and stretched out. Mikoto glanced from side to side trying to find the best place to go first. Mikoto started to run away, but was held on firmly by Ridley's hand.

"Listen, Mikoto, first off we need to see about getting a navigator," said Ridley. He glanced back at the little boat behind them, "possibly a bigger boat while he are at it."

"Nope," said Mikoto firmly. Ridley looked at Mikoto. "A cook comes first! We need good food if we plan to sail the seas."

"Yeah, but we need a navigator to be able to sail the seas, so a navigator comes first!" shouted Ridley.

"COOK!" screamed Mikoto back.

"NAVIGATOR!" shouted back Ridley.

"COOK!" "NAVIGATOR!" "COOK!" "NAVIGATOR!" "CCCCOOOOOKKKKKK!"

A devilish grin appeared on Ridley's face. "How about this? If a navigator joins the crew first, you relinquish your title as captain to me and become the chore boy…"

Mikoto thought for a second. "And if I win?"

"Then…" Ridley looked franticly about the boat. He stopped when he saw his guitar. "Then I will learn some sing-a-longs just for you."

"Deal," shouted Mikoto. "You better get a sing-a-long book ready for me!" Mikoto rushed off into the distance in order to find a cook.

"I really did get stuck with a fool for a captain…he is willing to give his position up just for me to learn some songs." Ridley shook his head. He noticed Mikoto getting father and farther away. Ridley rushed after him.

"Aaah," screamed Mikoto as he tripped over something. He looked behind him. A man wearing huge work boots and baggy jeans. The man's flannel shirt had thousands of dirt specks on it. His face was hidden due to his cap. He was holding some packets of seeds in his hands. Mikoto reached down a helpful hand to pull the man up. "I am so sorry, man, I had no idea you were down there. I didn't see you. If there is anyway at all I can make it up to you, let me know." Mikoto shuffled around in his pockets. He pulled out some dust, some sheets of paper, and a pencil. He shrugged it off. "I would give you money, dude, but I am broke." He looked around the place. He saw a bar a few more steps away. "I got some business I need to go do, but…" he saw the bathrooms. "Hey there are some bathrooms! Why don't you go cleaned up in the boy's bathroom and you can meet me over at the bar and we can discuss how I can make you feel better." Mikoto rushed to the bar leaving the man standing there.

Mikoto broke into the bar and ran up to the barman. "Excuse me, sir, do you know if they are any good cooks around here?"

The bartender looked at him. Another kid. "Sorry, sonny, but it will cost you."

"Can I pay you in dust? I got no other currency on me right now," said Mikoto.

The bartender laughed. "This is a bar! Either pay or leave! Or you can pay and leave, I don't care as long I get money!"

"Oh, come on!" shouted Mikoto. "Just give it to me for free!"

"I only give free things away to women!" shouted the bartender. "And you are not a woman!"

"Fine, I didn't want to have to do this, but you left me with no choice!" shouted Mikoto. He turned around and faced the opposite way of the bartender. His body shrunk into a small dog-like form. "PUPPY DOG EYES!" Mikoto swung around on the stool. Both of his normally perky ears were laid flat on his head. His two green eyes shimmered with genuine sadness. His bottom lip formed the smallest of a pout. Even his rugged and jagged fur seemed more calming.

Bartender didn't even put up a struggle. He couldn't look away and he couldn't say 'no' while staring at a face like that. How could anyone? The man slammed his face onto the table. "There's Drury, Jacob, Gwen, Bardroy, Stefani, Washi, Ming…" the man continued to spout random names for the next few minutes.

"Okay, how many of them are interested in joining a pirate crew?" asked Mikoto.

The bartender looked bewildered at the small dog sitting on his barstool. "A pirate crew? You are the captain of the Pirate crew? Which one?"

"Me and my musician don't have a name yet," said Mikoto. "But we'll probably go with something cool like…Wolf Fang Pirates or Musical Hound Pirates, something like that. OR maybe even the Riddle Pirates!" Mikoto took out a piece of paper and wrote 'Riddle Pirates' down in a very sloppy handwriting.

"Well, Drury's way too old to go on an adventure like that," said the bartender. "Jacob's afraid of the sea. Gwen hates pirates, and Ming is well Ming is Ming. So that leaves you with the other ones named."

"Cool," said Mikoto. "So many to choose from…" He counted them all on his hands. That's nine!" Mikoto returned to his human form.

"Wait, I named at least 16 cooks!" said the bartender. "What happened to the other ones?"

"Washi is a stupid name," said Mikoto. "What is it Portuguese or Russian?"

"You can't judge a character's attitude by his name!" shouted the bartender. Ridley walked into the bar. "Like that guy with the green Mohawk…you can't judge a book by its cover either. He looks stupid, but I bet that he is a genuinely nice guy."

"No, he's a fool," said Mikoto.

"Really, why?" asked the bartender.

"He's my musician and we have a bet," said Mikoto. "I bet him that a cook is more important then a navigator while out at seas. And that I can recruit a cook faster then he can recruit a navigator."

The bartender just started to realize the depths of Mikoto's ignorance to the world. "What did you two bet? Who'd wash the dishes?" The man laughed.

"Nah, that's stupid! If he wins he becomes the captain and if I win he's got to learn some sing-a-longs!" shouted Mikoto. Ridley sat down and nodded at Mikoto and the bartender. He had a big smile on his face upon seeing that Mikoto had failed to recruit a cook, yet.

The bartender ignored Mikoto's last sentence. He sighed. Then a young lady entered the bar. Her blue eyes scanned the bar real quick. She then started to quicken her pace to the bartender and Mikoto. Her black hair flowing behind her. Hints of blue developed in it with every step. She was wearing a short skirt barely covering up to her knees and an orange shirt. Her sandals made little noise on the hard wood floor.

She stopped behind Mikoto. Her face red with anger. Mikoto looked up at her a big goofy smile covered his face. "I'm sorry is this your seat. Give me a second, I'll get up…" before the last word left his lips the girl's open palm made contact with his cheek making the loudest slapping sound ever heard.

Mikoto was on the floor in an instant. Ridley over him checking the swollen red cheek he now possessed. Mikoto managed to pick himself up into a sitting position. He looked at the girl. "Why did you hit me?"

"'Let's discuss how I can make you feel better.' Remember those words?" asked the girl.

"Oh, the man I tripped over earlier today! Was he your boyfriend?" asked Mikoto. The girl leaned in and delivered another powerful slap to his other cheek. "What? Your brother?" Another slap rammed into his face. "Why do you keep hitting me?"

"That man was me!" shouted the girl. Mikoto looked stunned. He was slapped again, this time by Ridley.

"Why did you hit me?" asked Mikoto.

"For mistaking this lady as a guy!" shouted Ridley. "Do you know how many nights she will toss and turn remembering you?" The girl slapped Ridley across the face. "Why me?"

"I can slap this fool myself!" said the girl.

The bartender jumped over the bar and grabbed the girl by the hands. "Listen, Bardroy, I know what they did to you couldn't have been worse, but trust me in your work clothes you do resemble a guy." The bartender was sent to the floor by another slap from the girl.

"Bardroy?" said Mikoto out loud. The girl looked at him.

"Yeah, that's my name. Why do you care?" said the girl.

Mikoto's eyes lit up. "Will you join my pirate crew? Please, I really need a cook!"

"What? First I beat you up and then you ask me to join your crew? Are you ill?" asked Bardroy. She was a little taken back by the request.

"Yeah, he's something along the line of mentally ill," said Ridley. He had a worried look on his face. "You should definitely not join up with our crew. At least till, you know, we at least get a navigator. Yeah, we don't even have a navigator how is it going to feel to be marooned on a small little ship with two guys for…a year maybe even more! We might be forced to eat if we are not fed."

"If that happens, we'll just eat Ridley first," said Mikoto "actually you might be able to make him taste good. I think he'll taste good with ketchup." Ridley jumped back a few feet staying away form Mikoto.

"I'm sorry," said Bardroy. She was staring away from Mikoto avoiding eye contact. "I can't…I just can't join up with you and your…one man crew." Bardroy ran out of the bar.

"Don't ever ask her that again," said the bartender. "She has a reason for not wanting to join up with you pirates…it all started long ago…" the bartender was interrupted by Ridley.

"I'm sorry to tell you this mate, but Mikoto left," said Ridley. It was true. The little half-dog, half-man ran out after Bardroy. "But, hey, I am about to lose our bet, anyways, so I'll hear your story."

Next Chapter:

Bardroy's Past