Chapter 7: Marker

Tintin used the phone booth to call the hotel receptionist to find out if the Professor had returned to the room. He found out that no one had returned to the hotel, so him and Jacq ran back to Vermont to find out if the Professor was still there.

They searched around in the studio asking the guards if they spotted anyone like the Professor walking around. Soon they were told where he might have seen him: the visual effects department. They walked through the special props, ramps, puppets, small-scale models, costumes of robots and monsters, and other interesting items that they needed to use for the visual effects. Tintin was looking around almost distracted by the wonders that this place had. He never imagined there was so much behind the camera. No wonder Jacq loved film. They reached the door through the other side of the room and arrived to find the Professor with Tulio. Inside were machinery to construct the visual effects, and next to the big table the men were working on a mechanical giant gorilla hand, which wasn't finished yet. It was most likely going to be used for Mr. Maroon's movie, but because of the budget cuts it was never used.

"Professor," said Tintin. "There you are! I'm so sorry! We forgot about you!"

"Oh hello, Tintin," said the Professor not hearing him. He was holding some button which allowed the gorilla hand to open and close. "Sorry I couldn't tell you earlier, but I couldn't find you. I was with Tulio. He was teaching me about the marvels of the cinematic world.

Tulio put down a paper with the diagrams of the hand. "I found him wondering around nearby, and I asked him whether he'd like to take a look at these things."

Then the Professor asked Tintin and Jacq to put on some goggles before he took out a special button which looked like a detonator connected to a core. The core was connected to a box with an item which looked like a small dynamite. "Look. Tulio told me what a squid was." They took a few steps back. He pushed the button and a small explosion came out. "A squib," said Tulio correcting the Professor.

Bang!

A small cloud of smoke came out of the box. They all took off their goggles and Tulio explained to Tintin, "It's almost like a firecracker. We use those for small explosions on set. We're trying to convince the studio to use the firecrackers to simulate bullet impacts on people. The only problem is that censorship won't allow us to use them, because they fear they'll be too realistic on screen."

"Well, maybe some day we'll see it," said Jacq. "Anyway, thanks for finding the Professor, Tulio. We completely forgot that the Professor was still here."

"De nada, Jacq," he put down his goggles on the table and then noticed her puffy eyes. "Ey, are you ok? You look like you were crying."

"Oh, me? Nah. It's… my script got rejected."

"Ah, I'm sorry."

"Yeah, that's ok. I've been rejected so many times I'm used to it," she lied. "So what were you doing here so late?"

"I was helping out the others move out some of the mechanics back into the workshop. Some of the crewmembers quit, and some filmmakers are refusing to continue the filming schedules. Have you heard about people unexpectedly quitting?"

"Yeah, we heard about it just recently," said Tintin. "Do you know anything else about it?"

"Mmm… not much I can say."

"Oh! I almost forgot!" said the Professor. He took out something out of his pocket and said, "Tintin. My pendulum was acting rather weird today. I went around the studio and found something." He put them on Tintin's hand. It was a poker chip, and it had in black bold letters "Pyramid Hotel and Casino".

"A poker chip," said Jacq. "So there is a link to Mr. Maroon and a casino!"

Tulio suggested, "Of course! There were rumors that gangsters were involved in the casino somehow, but that could have just been made-up. It could have come from a movie. So is Mr. Maroon in some trouble with the gangsters? Maybe owes him money?"

Tintin said, "There's only one way to find out ourselves."

Tintin and Jacq went off to the casino to investigate. Tulio had to stay behind for the visual effects department. The Professor stayed with Tulio to help him put the items back, and told Tintin and Jacq that he'd return to the hotel to get some sleep. However, he was noticing that his pendulum was still acting strange, and decided to look around after he was done assisting Tulio.

Tintin and Jacq passed through the nightlife of the Hollywood streets. Everywhere were tourists, and people who dressed up like movie stars. Tintin wondered why Jacq wouldn't speak to these people. After all, they seemed as lively as she did.

They arrived at a luxurious looking hotel with a giant glass pyramid on the top, and a large fountain in the front. They entered, showing their IDs to prove they were old enough to enter. In the reception, Tintin asked a tall man, "Excuse me, do you know if Mr. Maroon happens to go to this casino."

"Mr. Maroon. Doesn't ring a bell. Let me check…" he took out a book of a membership club and read over the pages. "Ah! Here it is. Curtis Maroon." The man turned the book to show the name and picture. "That's him," said Jacq. "Hang on…" she read the date. "It's expired?"

"Yes, he hasn't been here for about a year or two," said the man. "Can't remember when's the last time he came."

Tintin asked, "So, do you know if there are any gangsters in here?"

"Me? Eh..." He went closer to the two and whispered. "I'd rather not talk about it. People spread out rumours here, and anything I say will ruin the reputation of this casino."

"I see," said Tintin understanding. Jacq noticed the receptionist's expression, and it didn't seem like he was lying. If anything, he was a bit unsure of the truth himself. Maybe gangsters were using the casino as a hideout, but some people didn't know about it.

Suddenly, as luck would have it, they spotted Mr. Maroon across the other side. "Hey, it's him," said Jacq.

"Mr. Maroon!" said the man grabbing his attention. Mr. Maroon turned around. He had a worried expression on his face. He noticed Tintin and Jacq and tried to ignore them. But the two reached him before he could escape. "Wait! Mr. Maroon!" said Jacq.

"I swear to God," said Mr. Maroon, "I have nothing to do with this!"

"It's alright, Sir," said Tintin. "We just want to ask questions."

"Really? I thought… I thought…. that you were going to put my picture on the front cover of the magazine… and expose me as a gambling addict. After all, you're a reporter, aren't you?" Jacq noticed that something about what he just said felt like a lie. It seemed like he was making that up.

"I am a reporter, but I'm not here for a story this time," said Tintin.

"Well, just in case, I am glad to say that it's been two and a half years since I last gambled. Those days are over… now unfortunately I'm addicted to chocolate. Gained a few pounds lately."

As they went to the hallway nearby, a more silent place, Jacq asked, "Tell us, do you know anything about who might have done those threats in Vermont?"

"I-I-… I know nothing about that stuff."

Tintin pulled out his poker chip, "Sir, we found this in the film studio. We don't know whether it's yours or how much it's worth-"

"Where did you get this?"

"Actually, our friend found it with a pendulum," said Jacq. "I don't know exactly how it works, but it did."

He grabbed the poker chip and said, "Look! Both of you! Get out of here while you still can. I have to go now. I can't be here." He tried to run away, but then Jacq stopped him. "Wait, what do you mean? Tell us."

"If you want to live, then you don't want to be involved. It's much better if you're seen without me," he continued to run. The two tried to follow him, but after they came out of the hallway, they noticed an emergency exit sign that was closing. They reached the door, but by the time they checked the exit, he was gone.

"Crumbs," said Tintin. "We lost him. But at least we know that there's something going on." They closed the door and entered the casino. Then Jacq had a strange feeling. "Hey, Tintin," sad Jacq, "Don't you get the feeling that we're being watched?"

"You have no idea."

While Jacq kept an eye to anyone who looked suspicious, they asked the receptionist again whether the owner of the hotel and casino was here, but it seemed like he was travelling at the moment. And they asked a few workers in the hotel about any signs of suspicion in the Pyramid. However, they were asked to leave, because they were being a bit too nosy. Now there was no point by this point to ask anyone else. Tintin and Jacq agreed that the next morning they'd go to the police station and find out more about links with the casino. Right now was half 'til midnight and the station was closed. Tintin and Jacq went with her to pick up the Captain and Snowy.

To their surprise, when they arrived at Sally's hotel room, they saw Snowy covered in pink ribbons, including one on his tail, and the Captain covered in make-up.

"Blistering Blue Barnacles!" said the Captain standing next to the bathroom. He probably had just woken up and seen his face. Tintin and Jacq just laughed at the sight of both of them.

Snowy said, "This is very bad for my reputation."

Leo said, "He fell asleep from all the ginger ale that he drank, and we decided to give him a little makeover."

"It suits him so well!" said Jim laughing along.

The Captain went in the bathroom and washed his face. "Thundering Typhoons! The eye make-up won't come off!"

"Come on, Captain," said Tintin trying to cheer him up. "It's not so bad. It isn't the first time we were dressed up as women. It's not even my first time." Jacq remembered him telling her about a few instances when he disguised himself to save his life. Jacq continued, "Yeah! Don't feel bad. If it'll make you feel better, I dressed up as a guy once!" Everyone bursted out laughing.

Then the Captain came off, still with mascara on his eyes, and a bit of eyeliner underneath. Sally said, "He looks like a raccoon now!" Everyone laughed even harder, and even one of the girls fell off her chair and rolled on the floor laughing.

After being able to breathe again, and the Captain managing to take off most of the eyeliner and mascara, leaving him with feminine eyes, Jacq said, "Oh yeah! This definitely made me feel much better!"

"What do ya mean much better?" asked Sally still trying to take a breath. Jacq had to be honest and tell the girls about what happened with her script. The girls' expressions changed into worry. "Yeah, it got rejected again," said Jacq. "But it's really no big deal. I just have to forget about that now, and I'll work on my next project."

Then Sally asked, "Hey, sugar cube? Why not stay over tonight?" Jacq's eyes widened. "And don't worry about bringin' a pajama. I can lend ya one, or ya can sleep with anythin' ya feel comfortable in." All the girls agreed with Sally.

"That's a great idea!"

"We're planning to say up till late."

"It'll be so much fun!"

"Yeah! We can do your make-up and do your manicure and pedicure and talk all night!" said Andy who was talking almost as fast as Jacq, but could never reach her speed.

Jacq started to cheer up. "Well, I think I'd have some fun. Sure, what the heck?" All the girls cheered.

But right now the two men were tired, so they decided to leave now. Before they went to the elevator, Snowy started barking. He was obviously objecting to the pink ribbons, but the Captain asked Tintin not to do so until much later. The Captain wanted his self-esteem back. "Yeah," said Tintin, "Snowy does look adorable. He should keep that look for a while."

The girls said their goodbyes to the men, and Snowy followed them to the elevator with an extremely annoyed look on his face.

Xxx

The Captain was having a hard night in the hotel bedroom. When he walked back to the hotel, men who passed by were giving him a funny look. He had to keep telling people across the street, and as he walked into the hotel, that he didn't put make-up on purpose. The eye make-up was still a bit present on his eyes. He kept staring at Snowy. "Blistering Barnacles, even looking at Snowy can't make me feel better about myself. I have girly eyes!"

Snowy thought, "How about if I bite-off those eyes of yours then? It'll make everyone feel better."

The Captain looked at Tintin who was standing outside the balcony of the hotel. He was gazing at the stars a bit. "And what are you still doing outside?" said Haddock. "Get back in here. I want to get some sleep now!"

"I'm sorry, Captain," said Tintin with a bit of a distracted look. "I was just a bit concerned."

"Don't worry," said the Captain sarcastically. "You'll be able to think all day about your precious case."

"Huh? Oh right…" said Tintin. The Captain realized what had happened. The Captain asked, "You weren't thinking about the case at all, weren't you?"

"Not really?"

"How come you're always thinking about Jacqueline?"

"How did you know I was thinking about her?" asked Tintin.

"Sometimes you can be so predictable, laddie." The Captain sat down on his bed. He took off his hat and left it on the side table. Tintin sat down on the bed adjacent to the Captain's. "So you're worried about Jacq? About her script getting rejected?" he took out a pipe for him to smoke in.

"That's not all I'm worried about. She told me about what happened with her parents. They had a fight a few months ago and she hasn't seen them since. She was going through a lot of pressure at the time. It must have been why she spoke less to us."

"That's no good. But wouldn't Jacq need someone to talk to if she were under stress?" he asked lighting his pipe.

"I think so, but some people want to prove that they're independent and don't need help." Tintin remembered back to the conversation that he had once with her. He remembered her words, "…Maybe I have to get used to doing things on my own. I can't rely on others to do things for me. No matter how difficult the situation. If not, I won't be able to achieve my dream..." It seemed like a logical reason. "Either way," Tintin continued, "I want to be there for her. Even when she's helping me solve the mystery behind the threats in the studio."

"Hehe," said the Captain as he was puffing his pipe. "Looks like I don't have to follow you on your adventures anymore. As much fun as I have with you, I'm much too old. You have someone else around your age to be with. And she doesn't seem to mind when you… Tintin?" he noticed Tintin dazed off again. "Huh?" Tintin came back to the room. "Sorry, I was thinking about Jacq."

"… Tintin," asked Haddock. "Are you in love with Jacq?" Tintin gave a similar reaction to Jacq when the Captain had told her something very similar. Tintin looked both surprised and confused. The Captain didn't want to imply that Jacq loved Tintin, but it wouldn't hurt to ask Tintin if he loved Jacq.

"In love? Well… I-... um... just..." He started to hesitate and stutter his sentences. "I-I don't think I should even talk about it with you. You said you don't know anything about love, right."

"Oh, it doesn't matter. I'm still your friend, and I want to listen."

"What even makes you say it's love I'm feeling right now?"

"If I had to think… You complement her more than you're usually supposed to, you think about her even when you're on a date with someone else, you become distracted when you're thinking about her, you got excited when you were danced with her once, and when you were going to visit her. Even right now I still see you excited." Tintin realized it and looked down at his hands. They were shaking and they were sweating. Almost like he was both cold and hot at the same time. The Captain continued, "I'm not saying that you are in love. These are just signs I noticed. Maybe it's all too fast," he repeated what Jacq had told him once.

"I… I don't know. Is that what I've been really feeling this whole time?" He remembered back to his date with Miss Martine. He did think about Jacq the rest of the night. Was it because he wanted to have a date with her instead?

"You don't need to answer me now," said the Captain. He didn't touch his pipe for a while.

"Well… you're right. Now's not the time to answer these questions. We have to solve a mystery right now. I shouldn't be thinking about any of this, just as Jacq shouldn't be worrying too much about her next script." Tintin stood up and grabbed his pajamas. He spoke rapidly, but still not as fast as Jacq could talk. "I'll leave that all for later. Right now the priority is Vermont Studios. I can't allow myself to be distracted." He went to the bathroom to brush his teeth and change into his pajamas. The Captain hoped he didn't say anything wrong, or that Tintin was in some sort of denial.

But then Tintin said before shutting the bathroom door, "Although I do really like Jacq. She's a great person, and a great friend. There was never any doubt about that." The Captain smiled at Tintin's last comment and continued to puff his pipe.

Then the Professor came back. "Cuthbert, where have you been? It's past midnight!" said the Captain.

"Oh, you're still awake," said the Professor. "Sorry I'm late. I wanted to investigate something else my pendulum spotted, but I was forced to leave. They were closing the studio, and I couldn't continue, especially since it was dark. But Tulio allowed me to find out more the next morning."

"Alright. Just don't do that again. I want to go to sleep early. I had enough things to worry about today and I'm extremely stressed."

Then the Professor noticed his face. "Why Captain, you have beautiful eyes."

"I'm giving you a chance to take that back," said the Captain.

"And… my goodness!" he said turning around and noticing the dog covered in ribbons. "I didn't know Snowy was a girl this whole time!"

Snowy barked at the Captain, begging him to take off the pink ribbons. The Captain said, "Shut up. You like it."

Xxx

As the night progressed, the girls were doing each other's manicures, and girls were doing Jacq's hair into waves, and some girls were putting on Jacq's make-up on. She started to look more beautiful as they worked on her face. Later, the girls decided to gossip about each other, including asking Jacq what she might have discovered. Jacq didn't mention Mr. Maroon or the casino. She didn't want to risk the chance of a rumor spreading out, especially with girls who loved to gossip.

Later at night, with Jacq's hair now looking like a movie star, the girls started to teach Jacq one of the dance numbers they were doing for their movie. Jacq was feeling part of a group for a long time. She had no need to worry about any deadlines or any film shoots. Right now she felt like she belonged in this group of people, just as much as she felt a part of Tintin's world. As Jacq and Sally sat down on some cushions next to the bed, Jacq thought of something. "Hey, Sally?" she asked after Sally was done talking. "Sorry to change the topic so quickly, but… do you consider me a friend?"

"Why of course I do. What makes you think I don't?"

"Well… I don't spend as much time with you as other girls. I don't go partying or gossiping with you and the other girls. That is until tonight."

"It's a different kind of friendship. Some friends spend a lot of time with each other, and some don't spend that much time, but they still keep in contact somehow. Don't let anybody make ya think there's only one way to do things."

"I guess… I feel bad that I won't spend much time with you or the Tapping Sisters, but hopefully I can-" Suddenly, something came to Jacq and she gasped. "Hey! I have an idea for a movie!" she said to Sally. "OH BOY! OH BOY! I can just imagine it in my head!"

"Not now, hon'," said Sally. "You can't have any script ideas worryin' ya right now. You're supposed to relax now. Have some fun, for once."

"No! Wait! You don't get it! It's a super awesome idea for a comedy!" said Jacq with a huge grin on her face. She started to speak faster and faster as she continued. "Just hear me out: We have a guy who's out of business, and he decides to form a group of dancers out of young ladies to make a profit, but ends up making a hit and starts to really like this group of girls! I can just imagine the jokes in my head! They're hilarious! And they form a friendship and a bit of struggle goes on, as they try to organize the shows—" Jacq stopped herself and gasped again. Jacq's grin was gone. She had a sudden realization. Sally hated it when Jacq's mood changed so quickly. "Holy Guacamole… I…"

"What's the matter?" asked Jo.

"Nothin'," said Sally. She stood up and brought Jacq to the kitchen and asked, "Now can you tell me?"

"I… I love movies."

"No kiddin'."

"That's not the problem. The thing is that everybody's been telling me that I was meant to act and to dance; that I had no talent in writing or in making a film. I know that a long time ago I could write, and that I truly wanted to become a filmmaker, but that there was something missing right now. While I was working on my previous scripts, they were horrible, and now I think I know why." Sally started to understand where Jacq was going with this. "Sally, I realized I do love movies. But I've been failing this whole time because I thought there was only one way to do things. It's almost like what you just told me now: there shouldn't be just one way of making a movie. I don't have to follow every step the great filmmakers do. Maybe I need to find my own way of doing things. Maybe I just need to be myself."

"… Wow. I guess that makes sense."

"But without you guys, I don't know if I'll be able to write the script properly. I need something to keep me inspired, and you'll all be too busy to spend real time with me."

"Then maybe you should find some inspiration to continue writin'."

Jacq thought about it. She closed her eyes and thought of the first thing that popped into her mind. She opened her eyes and whispered, "Tintin."

A/N Yeah, late again. I'm gonna have a bit of trouble continuing the fanfic because of uni, but I'll try to finish as many chapters as possible. I got a lot of writing to do, including writing my film blog and some stuff for uni. I guess the amount of time it takes me to post a chapter is compensated by the word count! I write so much each chapter!

I gave you guys a little film history by mentioning the Motion Picture Production Code. Before the U, PG, PG-13, and R ratings and stuff, there was the Production Code. It was adopted in 1930, but enforced since 1934, until the late 1960s when movies like Bonnie and Clyde challenged the Code, and was eventually dropped. Ever wonder why older movies didn't have swearing or any sexual content or real blood? That's because the Code censored and controlled what they believed was appropriate and inappropriate to show on screen. Then came the New Hollywood era (1967-1975), which was probably the most influential period in American cinema history. It was a big reason why the Production Code was eventually dropped and replaced with the rating system. Go do some research on it. It's really interesting!

This was a really funny chapter! I love the whole joke of Captain Haddock with make-up, and Snowy with pink ribbons. And Calculus thinking that Snowy's a girl. After all, his name is Milou in the original language. XD

But I also wanted to continue developing the love story between Tintin and Jacq. Tintin is gradually falling in love with Jacq and realizing his feelings, while Jacq in the previous fanfic had a more instant connection with him, but similarly here it took her a while to realize what she felt.

What'll happen in the next story? When will Tintin express his emotions? What does Mr. Maroon have to hide if he's quit gambling? Does it have to do with any gangsters at the casino?

Thanks to all the readers who commented! If anything, I love your reviews! Please continue to read and review each chapter! Cya later!