Page 19 of Shinji Takahashi: Into the Heart of the Storm

Oliver just gave a weird little smile, then sighed. “Well, come on, both of you. I think we’re going to have to go talk to the captain.”

Mano was not happy. He stood behind his desk with his arms crossed, glowering down at Roux. His jaw was tight, his expression like a thundercloud. His office, Shinji noticed, was full of things like rabbit’s feet, magic 8 balls, and four-leaf clovers. A rusty horseshoe had been tacked over the door, and a shaker full of salt sat on a corner of the desk.

“Well, this is annoying,” Mano said at last. “A stowaway. On my ship. Do you know how unlucky it is to have a stowaway on board? Not to mention all the legal headaches I’m going to have to go through because of this.” He snatched a rabbit’s foot off his desk and squeezed, while shooting a

rueful look at Oliver. “Too bad the old method of throwing them overboard in a barrel has fallen out of favor.”

“I know.” Oliver shrugged. “But we can’t do anything about it now,” he told the captain. “We certainly can’t turn around and go back. Hightower is still out there, trying to get to the wreck before us. If we slow down, for any reason, they’re going to beat us. The kid is just going to have to stay aboard the ship until we reach land again.”

“That’s fine, but what do I do with him until then?” Mano asked. “I’d feel bad locking up a kid, and there’s really nowhere on this ship I can put him even if I wanted to.”

“Shinji can keep an eye on him!” Phoebe volunteered, making both Shinji and Roux start. “He’s got a good head on his shoulders and a good moral compass. Plus, they’re about the same age, so they should get along fine, right, Shinji?”

“Sure,” Shinji said flatly. “Because I get along so well with everyone my age.”

“Hang on,” Oliver said, raising a hand. “I don’t know if I like that idea. No offense, kid,” he went on, glancing at Roux, “but I was raised by pirates and cutthroats. I know what they’re capable of.”

Roux shrugged, as if he was used to this kind of treatment, and raised both arms away from his sides. “You can search me if you want,” he told Oliver. “I left my shiv in my other bag.”

“Oh, Oliver, he’s not going to do anything,” Phoebe

interjected. “He’s just a boy. Besides, Shinji has the magic of the guardian looking out for him. He’ll be fine.”

Roux blinked, as if he wasn’t entirely sure he’d heard that right. Shinji saw Oliver stiffen, as if he, too, realized Phoebe had blurted something about Shinji’s magic to a complete stranger. But Roux didn’t say anything, and after a tense moment, everyone acted like they hadn’t heard Phoebe’s strange statement.

Mano observed them both for a few seconds, then sighed. “I suppose that will have to do,” he muttered, and knocked the surface of his desk three times. “We don’t have an extra cabin, so that means you two will be bunking together. I’ll have someone scrounge up a sleeping bag. Look, kid…” He glanced at Roux and raised a large finger. “Don’tget into trouble. I don’t want to see you wandering around my ship by yourself. There are still a few large barrels belowdecks; if anything goes missing, you might find yourself floating back to Pula. Understand?”

Roux’s lip curled up in a smirk, and he glanced at Shinji. “Guess you’re coming with me to the bathroom, then.”

“Can’t wait,” Shinji replied, just as sarcastically.

“All right, kids.” Oliver shook his head and took a step back. “You can hash it out in your room. Let’s go, before the captain makes us all walk the plank.”

“There you are,” Lucy greeted when Shinji walked out of his room a couple hours later. “Oversleeping again, I see. Did you hear? The captain has some kind of special

announcement to make this morning. There are rumors going around that we had a stowaway on board last night.”

“Yeah, about that…”

Roux stepped through the door into the hall behind him. Lucy’s eyes got huge.

“You!” she snarled, making Shinji flinch. “What are you doing here? Why…?” She paused a moment, then drew in a breath as she figured it out. “You’rethe stowaway,” she said accusingly. Reaching up, she quickly snatched Tinker off her shoulder, ignoring his startled squeak, and stuck him in her pocket. “Why are you in Shinji’s room? What were you trying to steal?”

“Calm down, Snowflake,” Roux said. “Your robot rat is safe; I’m not going to steal anything.” He shot her a wide grin, making a great show of looking around. “I just wanted to see your ship, that’s all. And your captain decided to let me stay aboard. So, I’ll be hanging out with Shinji until we reach land. Hope that’s okay with you.”

Lucy’s face darkened, and she glared at Shinji, who raised his hands.

“Hey, don’t look at me,” he protested. “I had nothing to do with this. I just found him hiding out in the lower decks last night. We went to see Oliver, talked to the captain, and somehow, I got stuck with him.”

“And we’re best pals already, right, Shinji?” Reaching out, Roux looped an arm around Shinji’s shoulders before Shinji could stop him. “So, you might as well get used to me,

Snowflake,” he told Lucy as Shinji pushed him away. “You’ll be seeing my face a lot.”

Lucy glowered, then took a breath and drew herself up, that chilly air of Hightower settling over her like a cloak. “I see,” she commented, in a voice as cold as ice. “Well, if the captain made the decision, then it’s already done. But that doesn’t mean I trust you. Stay out of my room, and don’t touch Tinker. If he ever goes missing, I’ll know exactly who to blame when I inform the captain.”

Turning, Lucy strode off down the hallway without a second glance at either Shinji or Roux. Shinji groaned. He had a feeling that he was going to be stuck between Lucy and Roux, and that as a result, the race to the shipwreck had gotten even more interesting.

“Brr.” Roux mock-shivered and rubbed his arms. “I don’t think she likes me very much.”

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