Tintin: The Sinner of Satchsweet IV
Title: The Sinner of Satchsweet
Authors: ArethaHelena and Rachel (~RaltheCommentator)
Rating: PG-15
Summary: When Rastapopoulus discovered something crucial to Tintin, he decided to use it against him.
Genre: AU (NOT taken from ‘Past, Present, and Future’ and ‘He’s the Boy’, but have several characters, relevance, and storylines from them). Haddock did not raise Tintin in this story, he lived with his parents until they died and he was moved into the orphanage. But still, Myriam hated him with a passion.
Warning: Violence
A/N: This is based on my Tintin RP with ~RaltheCommentator. When the RP turned into a simple story, that’s what happened to this one. I hope you readers like it, and I apologize if there was some irrelevance and stuffs. In my RP with Ral, I realized that the first scene in here (Haddock’s Plan) was actually happened in the middle of the night (which explained my dry humour of ‘It’s already midnight, Captain’ ‘Tomorrow then, lad’ in chapter 3). I unconsciously changed the time, and I do apologize to RalTheCommentator.
Prologue: What I Discovered Chapter One: So-Called Vacation?
Chapter Two: What I Found
Chapter Three: Let Me Tell You
Chapter Four: Scheduled for Demolition, No Trespassing!
Tintin's childhood house surely was visible from Marlinspike, but it took them almost half an hour to get there. When Tintin, Snowy, and Haddock were on their way to the reporter's childhood house, the two men were excited. About the terrier, he was actually a bit lazy for an adventure today. He preferred to sleep in his room, relaxing himself along with the day's cloudy weather.
Tintin really wanted to show his childhood house to his best friend, although there was nothing to be proud of the battered house. Meanwhile, Haddock was really curious of where the boy was raised in his childhood.
"According to your instructions, we're here," Haddock announced. Tintin smiled broadly and looked up to the house. And then, words died in his mouth. Without a word, he suddenly rushed out the car, followed by a shocked Snowy.
"Blue blistering barnacles!" Haddock shouted, hurriedly rushed out the car. "What on earth...?" His words stopped too, as their hopes were spoiled of the words in front of the house.
SCHEDULED FOR DEMOLITION: NO TRESPASSING. BY ORDER OF THE MAYOR.
The whole front porch was marked with police tape, and a more formal document declaring the legality of the demolition taped on the door. Haddock frowned at the sight, and looked at Tintin who was nothing more than dumbstruck. And even Snowy was as shocked as his master.
"Billions of blue blistering barnacles! What on earth is going on here?! Tintin?" he called. "Tintin?"
The boy didn't answer. He stood still, but Haddock eventually could see that he was trembling. The sea captain began to worry. He approached the reporter and shook his shoulders. "Tintin, Tintin! Wake up, landlubber!"
It seemed that Tintin hadn't recovered from his stupor yet. Snowy, who had, followed Haddock's actions by biting Tintin's trousers, growling as he did so. "Tintin! What's wrong with you?!" They tried to snap him out his shock, but they seemed failed.
Tintin stared at the house for a while longer before a sound resembled a scream came out his mouth. "My house! No! MY HOUSE!!"
Tintin tried to launch himself forward, obviously wanted to get into the house. It was Haddock's turn to be shocked. But he still had his steely grip (and Snowy still had his steely bite) on Tintin, so he could easily block the young man's attempted act.
"Stop it, lad! Come on, we can come up with something," he said as he half dragged Tintin away the house and into the car. He pushed Tintin, a bit forcefully, to the passenger's seat. Before he went into the driver's, he shouted, "That confounded house!"
Suddenly, a new voice stopped him from getting into the car.
"Oi! What's all this?!"
Tintin hurriedly rushed out the car. Snowy followed, probably thought that they wouldn't go back to Marlinspike for a long time. Haddock snapped his head and saw a man in uniform, unlit flashlight in his tight grip. A constable, both Haddock and Tintin thought.
The constable continued to seethe. "Can't you read?! You're trespassing on forbidden territory!"
Haddock knew that he could ask this man. He glanced at Tintin and knew that the word 'forbidden territory' shocked him all down his toes. So he took the charge. "Sir," he asked politely (he could be as polite as the gentleman Monsieur Tintin if he wanted to!) "Do you know why this place is going to be destroyed?"
The sea captain felt weird of asking that question. It was Tintin's job to ask questions. But today seemed to be the weirdest day of his long life, so why not adding another oddity? Haddock snapped his head when he heard the constable's answer.
"This house is under Marquis di Gorgonzola's name, and will be destroyed in order to make a flat. Now get outta here before I have to use the hard way!"
Of course, being the usual hard sailor he was, Haddock began to swear with his usual pack of words. He half hoped that Tintin would snap out his stupor, but even his words failed to bring him back to reality. His eyes were still as blank as a new sheet of paper.
But somewhere between Haddock's swears, Tintin's face began to change. He looked like he would lash out and kill the constable. Haddock, who realized that it could be dangerous, gripped the lad once again, feeling his trembles. And it stopped Tintin's constant tremble and his expression softened.
Haddock looked around, from the constable's disgust expression to the small post that surely was the constable's. His eyes blinked in interest when he saw what he liked to saw. And then a quick idea sparked in his mind, making him automatically dragged Tintin out from the constable's sight. Tintin let himself be dragged to the end of the street, and he was surprised when Haddock leant toward him.
"I saw some bottle of whisky near him, Tintin. He obviously is drinking." Haddock said. And before the lad had the chance to reply with his usual dislike remarks around Haddock's drinking interest, he said, "Listen, I have a plan."
Tintin's eyes widened. It was unusual for his best friend to have a plan. That was Tintin's job. He was too surprised to let out more than, "Tell me."
"Sneak into the place, while I drink with him." Tintin almost laughed. He had known Haddock for years; surely the sea captain would take that part. Drink with the constable? Haddock would really love to do that. It was the most enjoyable task, for him.
"Thanks Captain! It's brilliant!" Tintin beamed at him. Haddock had the right to looked sheepish this time. "It's nothing compared to yours, lad. But remember two things, Tintin." Haddock's words poked Tintin's curiosity.
"And... what are they?"
"First, be careful. And second..."
"Hm?"
"I had to let out some of my best whisky, lad. Don't forget to pay it back to me."
Tintin couldn't hold his laugh. "Alright, Captain." They went back to the car to find the constable was gone. Haddock glanced at the small hut and saw that he was drinking while listening to a small radio. He winked at Tintin before said (almost shouting actually), "You'll have better whisky tonight!"
And after that, they left to Marlinspike, preparing themselves.
**
From nearby, some hobos were watching from the filthy streets. Rastapapoulus was hiding with them in an abandoned apartment house. The master criminal was staring out the window. A huge smirk came to his face as he looked at the abandoned house and orphanage.
"Boss!"
The short man looked back and gave the hobo a 'come hither' motion. The bum obliged, and whispered to him, "He's here. He's got his blood good and boiled now. Didn't know what he and his drunken old pal were talking about, but we surely can manage them."
Rastapapoulus only laughed, his laugh could make the bravest man on earth flee. "Just the way I'd hoped. Now, you know what to do," he said. He handed the hobo about 200 Euros. The hobo smiled crookedly, making his face looked ten times scarier.
"Do not forget to prepare Satchsweet's basement, too. We're going to have some fun with our dear nosy reporter."