-
The wooden docks were treacherous, making Mutt trip on more than one occasion. Mutt hauled his duffel strap higher over his shoulder. As they got closer to the docks, the crowds became thicker and it was getting harder to weave himself and his abnormally large bag through them. He was quickly regretting having packed so many clothes and Short feared, not nearly enough tools. His father's gun, though, was packed securely on his right hip. His father's bullwhip tied firmly on his right. As far as Mutt was concerned, he had more than everything he needed.
"Com'on, Shorty, wait for me," Mutt droned, not too inclined to carry his heavy bag any faster to catch up with his Asian companion. It was far easier to try and make him slow down.
"You know, I can't believe I lied to my mother to come along with you on this stupid Chinese vacation, and you didn't even buy us boat tickets."
"I can't believe she believe you are going to English boarding school!" Short laughed. "And I do have ticket. Just not paper one."
"I didn't think the boarding school thing was that far fetched. Besides, she believed it, didn't she? And what do you mean not paper tickets? What other kind of tickets are there?"
"You have no faith and bad attitude, Mi-ter Jones. Not anything like you father."
"Hey!" Mutt said angrily, grabbing at Short's sleeve with a harsh glare of warning. "No more comparing me to my father. In fact, no more talk about my father period. No more. Got it?"
Short nodded seriously, and shook loose from Mutt's grip.
"As long as you fix your bad mood," Short bargained. "Walk faster, we going to miss the boat."
Short led them to a ramp to a pristine ship, very large and elegant in fashion, and Mutt couldn't help but be a bit impressed. He made his way through the line to get up the ramp, but was stopped by the ticket master, a much taller and more heavyset man than he.
"Where do you think you're going?" the older man asked. His breath smelled awful, so Mutt turned his head to the right in order to spare his nose.
"Sir, we need to go to China," Short explained to the man.
"Yeah, no kidding," the bearded man scoffed at Short's accent. He shoved him back away from the loading deck. "Last call to board the Luminous!"
"Sir, I know your captain, he a friend," Short went on, stepping up once more.
"And I know the Queen of England," the man replied, shoving him right back again. "Back off."
"Yeah, nice plan, Shorty, now what?" Mutt hissed at Short under his breath.
"What is ze problem, Williams?" called a familiar voice from on deck, one that made Mutt cringe. "Can't afford ze passage?"
The crew around Roux laughed.
"I believe zere is still room on zat tugboat," she pointed off somewhere in the distance and giggled at her own joke.
Mutt rolled his eyes.
"I believe zat you win the irritating award," he mocked. "Com'on, Shorty. We don't want to be on the same vessel as her anyway."
"This is only vessel, Mi-ter Jones," Short declared.
Suddenly the pudgier man perked up at the sound of a familiar name.
"Jones?" he repeated. "As in…"
"As in Henry Jones Jr., Indiana Jones, my father," Mutt said with a nod, showing the man a picture of his father he carried in his wallet, and even a school I.D. to take away any lingering doubt.
"They say you captain owe him one," Short informed.
"Honestly," Roux burst out from the distant railing of the ship. "Just because zey drop a name means you let zem board for free? Well, MY father was ze--"
"I don't care who your father is," the heavy man interrupted. "This kid is Dr. Jones's son. Come on up."
"Thanks!" Mutt said with a broad smile, shooting a victorious smirk up at Roux just to rub it in. She 'humph'ed in that way she did to him often, turned on her heel and left.
-
The dining hall was just as extravagant as everything else in this ship. The floors were hardwood, polished silverware on every table, chandeliers as lighting overhead. Mutt regretted not dressing better, like all the other guests eating dinner here. Then he remembered it was not in his nature to care about that sort of thing.
Mutt sliced his steak quickly, stuffing more food into his already full mouth. Never knew when one would get to enjoy food again, not in the traveling business. He nodded at the older man across from him in gratitude.
"Hey, thanks for the supper," Mutt spoke through his food. "It's delicious."
The captain, a Mr. Wentworth, nodded in amusement at the boy and his Asian companion, in an apparent race to see who would empty their plates first. He was a round, happy old man, with silver sideburns that morphed into his mustache, a funny sight to behold. Like any proud Englishman, he held a pompous air about him that only was characterized by his outfit typical to a sea captain. He twitched his mustache and grumbled like a horse.
"Nonsense! It's the least I can do for the son of the man who saved my life and the lives of my finest crewmembers back in the Mediterranean. Now, getting back to that very story…"
The captain was very much obliged to tell the son of Indiana Jones the tale of his father's heroics, a story which Mutt was very interested in. Any man that spoke well of his father, and even of his adventures firsthand, was alright by him.
"--Water was overwhelming the main deck by then, and everyone resigned to the fact that we weren't going to make it…"
"Mi-ter Jones, excuse me," Short whispered to Mutt, tugging on his sleeve. The captain went right on talking, not seeming to notice.
"Excuse you? Why, did you burp?" Mutt asked back, just before Short arose from his seat. Mutt followed Short with his eyes, as the skinny Asian walked around the ballroom floor to the entrance of the dining hall.
Then Mutt noticed that at the entrance stood none other than Roux Belloq. And, as odd a sight as it was, it was Roux Belloq… in a dress. A sleeveless red number, with a puffy bottom, even black high heels and short black gloves.
Mutt glared at the devil in a dress, thinking she could parade around here in a sweet little number and be welcome in the same room as him. Well, obviously Short seemed to think so, as the obviously smaller boy swept up her hand and kissed it. She laughed at something he said, and smiled at him.
"Traitor," Mutt grumbled under his breath.
"Sorry, what was that?" the Captain interrupted his own story to ask. Mutt shook his head to signify it was nothing.
-
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review.
Signed,
--RedRogue