10; "Onward!"

In this chapter we watch as the crew of the Gray Riff search for Bonnie and the key to their phantom treasure.

 Tonio and the rest of her team filed off the Gray Riff and didn't bother to wait up for the other team while Captain Ross paid the docking fee.
 "Where to first, Lieutenant?" Tonio asked as she scanned the docks slowly, "How are we going to find this elderly woman? It's not like she's going to have a tattoo on her forehead that says 'Bonnie'." she sighed. Toube looked around and seen an alley to the far right, he started off in it's direction.
 "Hey... Where are you going?" Ian called after Toube and soon everyone was fallowing him.
 "Have you been here before?" Tonio asked, catching up from behind Toube.    "Nope." Toube replied, studying the streets furiously.
 "Then where are ya leadin' us?" Ian questioned, trying to keep up while running out of breath, Toube was a speed walker.
 "I'm not leading you guys anywhere. I'm an independent worker, leave me to myself and I'll get done what needs to be done." Toube said stopping at a large square at the middle of the town.
 "See that tavern over there? That'll be our base." Toube pointed to a small tavern with sigh that hung from above that read "Stargazer". As the group made they're way across the square to the tavern, Tonio noticed something; there where no children playing outside. You couldn't even hear a baby cry.
 The tavern was dimly lighted. It smelled of fish, both cooked and otherwise, and booze. It was wood, ceiling to floor and rotting everywhere. It appeared quite old. As the group took their seats at a large table to the back of the tavern, another patron seated at the far end of the establishment began to play a chilling tune on a three stringed guitar.
 "So..." Lieutenant Messa sighed, "how are we going to go about our search for this 'Bonnie' woman?" It was then where the group realized that no one had a specific plan as to how they would find Bonnie.
 "I suggest we all go off into different directions and search the town." Toube angled his chair back on two legs and kicked his feet up onto the table as a lusty blond waitress dressed in green came to serve them.
 "How may I be of assistance today?" the woman piped, she had a very shrill voice that was obviously natural.
 "Pint o' kill-devil, please." Ian said, it was barely noon and he was already getting into his cup, and with kill-devil at that. The woman nodded, "Anything else?"
 "We're good." Messa waved a hand in the air.
 "That may be the route you wish to take, Toube but not everyone is as independent as you. Tonio, what do you want to do?". Everyone at the table looked to Tonio, who began to turn red.
 "Oh, um... How about teams of two? I'll go with Toube, Jason can go with Toumas, Lieutenant Messa with Ron and Ian." Tonio came up with at the last minute.
 As the woman returned with Ian's drink he tossed her six shillings, normally with pieces of eight he'd only need to pay four but he'd ran out of his share of eight. Everyone gave a grin of agreement to Tonio's idea and stood from the table all except Ian, who sat drinking.
 "I'll just hold down the place 'till midnight." Ian waved lazily.
 "Fine, see ya then!" Toube waved as everyone else made they're way out of the tavern. The group split into different directions as they parted from the tavern.
 "So... How are you liking sea life so far?" Toube stretched as Tania walked along side him.
 "It's.... Okay." Tania shrugged, " It would be better if I didn't have to act like a man." she sighed. Toube gave her a glance accompanied by a small frown. How long would Tania be able to keep up her charade? If Captain Ross found out Tonio was in fact, a girl, both Toube and Tania would be done for.
 "Just don't get too careless around the others, if you get caught, that'll be it for the both of us." Toube warned.
 "I know..." Tania sighed even louder.
While walking down a quiet side street there was a loud bang in a building in front of Toube and Tania, along with a scream and a loud man shouting;
 "You can't do anything right, can you, Bonnie!?"

 Toube looked at Tania, who flashed an excited glance at him.
 "Come on." Toube started off down the road sprinting, Tania ran after him. As the two reached the wooden door of the structure Toube kicked it in and the two looked inside worriedly. In the front room of what was a small apartment building an elderly woman sat crying on the floor, a broken dinner plate lay on the floor next to her, food splattered on the woman and floor. A scruffy looking old man stood over her, fists clenched and teeth grinding, the gray bearded and balding man was obviously intoxicated.
 "Wh-who 'er you?" The elderly man stepped close to the two. The woman on the floor let out a loud sob as she cried.
 "Shut up!" The man looked down and kicked the woman in the stomach.
 "Hey, hey! That's enough!" Toube dashed into the room and took the elderly man by the shoulders, pushing him away from the woman. Tania went to the woman's side and helped her up.
 "Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?" Tania asked, leading the woman out of the house.
 "Yes, I- I'm fine... Th-thank you." The elderly woman shook violently in fear.
 "Where... Where do you think yer taking my... My wife?" The man tried to stagger forward but Toube held him back.
 "Away from you. She doesn't need this." Toube let go of the old man and walked out of the house after Tania.
 "You wench!" The elderly man picked up a large piece of the broken plate and attempted to throw it at the group, but missed terribly and it flew down the street before it hit the ground with a light shatter.

 Once the three; Toube, Tania, and the elderly woman Bonnie, where a safe distance away from Bonnie's house they stopped to talk. Bonnie had managed to calm down a bit.
 "Thank you so much, children." Bonnie thanked  Toube and Tania.
 "Not a problem, Ma'am." Tania smiled.
 "But, Miss, did I hear your name was Bonnie?" Toube asked, though he knew what he heard.
 "Yes, my name is Bonnie." The woman looked at Toube questioningly.
 "But my name matters not now. Is there anything I can possibly do to repay you two for saving me from my husband?" Bonnie asked.
 "Oh really? Well..." Tania sighed, "we are looking for the key to the Maysla Bell Tower... We heard from... Charles Vasquez that a woman named Bonnie would have it."
 "Charles?... Young girl... Your face.... My granddaughter?" Bonnie reached out and touched Tania's cheek.
 "Wha-what?" Tania's face took on a look of utter surprise. Toube's mouth dropped.
 " I thought that face looked familiar, you... Are you Charles' daughter?"
 "Yes Ma'am." Tania replied, her voice beginning to strain.
 "Why... Child... I'm your grandmother. Your father... He's sent you to meet your old grandmother." Bonnie stared into Tania's eyes, tears beginning to stream down her cheeks.
 "My grandmother?..." Tania blinked in disbelief, and then flung herself into the elderly woman's arms.

"Ah, yes. But you... You want the key to the Maysla Bell Tower?" Bonnie pulled out of the hug. "Might I ask why?"
 "I've taken to the sea with this man here," Tania looked over to Toube who smiled when he noticed he was being talked about, "his name is Toube."
 "It is very nice to meet you." Bonnie nodded at Toube.
 "Well, I'd hate to interrupt your little adventure. Here you are." Bonnie chuckled and pulled a rusty, water damaged key from her blouse. She pulled the silver chain from her neck.
 "Thank you so much, Miss Vasquez." Toube nodded his head at the woman as Tania took the necklace from her.
 "But what are you going to do about your husband? It doesn't seem safe to return home just yet." Toube folded his arms across his chest in thought.
 "I have a friend on the other side of town with an open room for me. I can wait out the night there. Thank you children. But we all should probably be going to where we wish to be, the moon will be high in the sky soon, and the wild dogs will come out* to eat soon." Bonnie chuckled.
 "Ah, yes. Thank you, Bonnie. Let's go, Tania." Toube turned on his heel and began to walk back to the tavern. Tania looked at her newly discovered grandmother.
 "Goodbye, Tania. Have fun." Bonnie smiled as Tania closed her arms around her grandmother one last time before turning and walking away close on Toube's heels.

Author's Note

I decided that I'd change the format for the next five chapters of ILWH, if I like it, I'll keep using it. Also tell me what you think of it, if enough people like it I guess I'll keep using it.
* - A tale told for a long period of time around the Alabastor/Rustboro area to keep children in at night. The tale tells about wild dogs emerging from the Rustboro forest when the moon is highest in the sky to feed on anything they can find, including small children.