Trip of a Century

Part 1 Chapter 7

The Ferry Ride

Aiden opened his new bag and started rifling around to see what was in it. On top was an ID badge for a caucasian sapiens man with brown hair. It said he was twenty three years old. He held the picture up and looked at his brother. He thought it was close enough to pass. “Here ya go, Gain. You’re Kurt Andrewson of Australia. Who’s in yours?”

Gain rolled his eyes and unzipped his bag. He pulled out the badge on top and laughed. Then he showed it to Aiden and said, “And you’re Portia Mathewson. Also of Australia.” The image was of a young caucasian lata-brevis woman with long, blonde hair. It said she was twenty years old.

Aiden thought he was better looking. He held the picture next to his face and said, “I don’t think I can pull that one off. I haven’t the hair for it.”

Gain pulled a blonde wig out of the same bag, grinned, and said, “I think it’s time to play dress up.”

Aiden grinned and the brothers swapped bags and then headed toward two doors with a sign overhead that said RESTROOM. Aiden took one and Gain took the other. Both knocked. Nobody answered so they went in and locked the door.

Aiden started rifling through the bag and found a makeup kit, a one-piece swimsuit, sunglasses, a shaving kit, some outer garments, some undergarments, a pair of canvas flats, a hand towel, and some feminine hygiene things. He stripped down to his boxers but the only trouser-like garment in there were black leggings and those weren’t going to go over. He decided to take the boxers off and try on the fancy knickers. He adjusted himself as he looked back at his butt. Not too bad, he thought. I need breasts, though. He put on the bra that matched the knickers, then he stuffed a pair of socks in each cup. He looked at the picture and thought, Hmm, a little bigger. He dug into his own bag and pulled out another pair of boxers and stuffed each side of the bra with a pair of shorts. Satisfied, he put on a short red skirt and a black turtleneck sweater. The leggings and sweater were tight but they stretched. The leggings were a bit short but he straightened his own socks out and they bridged the gap. The shirt was probably long on the owner because the length was perfect for Aiden. The skirt probably went below the owner’s knees but was more like mid-thigh for him. The shoes didn’t fit him so he kept his black combat boots on. He put the wig on and topped that with his tan cowboy hat. Satisfied with the outfit, he dug into the makeup. He pulled out his new, government-issued mobile and looked up a makeup tutorial. When he was finished he thought, Damn, I’m a sexy woman. Wait, I’m Australian. He said out loud to the mirror in his best Australian accent, “Crikey! Good arvo, Cunt. You look bonzer!”

He then decided to move his things into the white bag and move the extras from the woman’s bag into his black one. He walked out with the white one in his hand and left the black one in the restroom, tucked under the sink.

Gain was already standing outside. They both burst out laughing when they saw each other. Gain was dressed in a khaki utility kilt complete with belt bag, and a black and red flannel shirt. The sleeves were a little short so he rolled them up. He was wearing his own combat boots with black socks just clearing the top. From mid shin to his knees was bare. He had topped it all off with a red beanie. 

Aiden recovered first and said in his best Australian girl voice, “Crikey, is that a snag in your pocket or are you happy to see me? You can look but don’t touch, cunt.”

Gain said in his best Australian accent, “Oy…there’s a ‘roo…there by the barbie. I better get my thongs…ya cunt.” Aiden thought it was the worst impression of an Aussie he had ever heard.

Aiden noticed they had drawn attention from a couple of passengers. On one side, a handsome young sapiens man with golden skin and white hair was looking their way. On the other, a young, fair-skinned dryadis woman in a green dress peeked over her screen at them.

Aiden grabbed Gain’s elbow and guided him away. Then he said quietly, “Maybe it would be better if you just didn’t talk.”

Gain said, “Yeah. Maybe. Did you find any clues in yours as to where we’re going? I found lotion, sunglasses, a hand towel, and some random things like a globe keychain.”

Aiden put on his stolen sunglasses and said, “I had a swimsuit in mine. I think maybe we’re going to some kind of exclusive spa or hotel getaway. Like maybe a corporate retreat type of thing. Or maybe it’s a cult get-together.”

Gain shrugged. “Mine had swimming shorts in it, too. Guess we’ll find out, Portia.”

Aiden said, “Yes we will, Kurt.”

On the way, they both got chilly and threw their jackets on. Aiden’s duster looked okay with Portia’s outfit. It worked better with the hat. Gain’s jacket, however, just made him look more ridiculous. Aiden hoped it would distract from any discrepancies between his face and his badge picture.

After about half an hour, Gain nudged Aiden and pointed behind the boat. “We’ve left the bay.”

Aiden looked up and replied nonchalantly, “Yep.” Then he went back to playing with his handheld.

When it was his turn, Hassan showed his bag to the woman gatekeeping the ferry boat. She nodded and he continued onto the ferry. There was plenty of room for all of the passengers so he had no problem finding an empty seat. One of his favorite things to do was people watch and this seemed like the perfect opportunity for that.

He watched people of all shapes and sizes board the ferry. Well, all healthy shapes and sizes anyway. They did all have to pass a rigorous physical and mental health screening. Even the children. There were probably a hundred passengers altogether. He guessed that there were other ferries scheduled for other days. They probably wouldn’t be done shuttling passengers up to the ship for a few more days.

He noted a sapiens man and a lata-brevis board together with two duffel bags each. The white Janus bag plus a black one. He thought it odd and their body language showed that they might be somewhat nervous. They looked for seats and moved out of his sight. Then he noticed a commotion from the boarding ramp. It appeared that two people were being denied entry but he couldn’t make out any details.

After the ship was underway, Hassan got up and walked slowly around, looking at everyone. He noted a couple of women with purses in addition to their Janus bags but nobody else had an extra full-sized bag. He made a full circuit and hadn’t seen the two young men. As he made his way past the restrooms there was an oddly dressed sapiens man standing outside them. He appeared to be waiting for someone. At his feet were two bags. A white and a black. Hassan wondered if there was some sort of special exception. He took his seat and pulled out his handheld so that he wouldn’t stare.

A few minutes later a lata-brevis woman came out of the restroom with her white bag in one hand and a tan duster draped over her arm. She and the sapiens man began laughing at each other as if they had just heard the funniest joke. They had some kind of awkward verbal exchange that Hassan couldn’t quite make out the words of but he thought he heard Australian accents. They could have been New Zealand or UK accents, though. It was hard to tell.

The two of them appeared embarrassed and looked around. He thought the woman noticed him watching. The pair of them quickly moved off to find their own seats. Hassan noticed a dryadis woman in a green dress on the opposite side who had also seen the exchange. She appeared amused by it.

Biene found a seat near the restrooms and put her Janus bag on her lap. She couldn’t forget it that way and she didn’t want to end up like the couple in line behind her who seemed to have lost their bags and were denied entry. That was a shame. This wasn’t a cheap mission to join–she had saved up for a few years and got some help from Daz–and most people would have given away or sold everything at this point since they weren’t planning on ever coming back so being turned away could be life-destroying. At least I would have Daz to fall back on, she thought. Hopefully they could get that sorted out in time to catch another ferry.

Biene turned and watched the bay go by and enjoyed the smell of the breeze off the sea water. After a few minutes, she heard raucous laughter and turned to see a lata-brevis woman and a sapiens man who appeared to be enjoying themselves. She noticed their shoes and thought, Oh my god, what are those? Are they both wearing combat boots? Then she thought, A brown boot would have been a better idea for him. Khaki, though? If you’re going to wear a kilt…why do I care? Dwarf mama-san is hitting the look, though. I like her makeup.

Biene watched the couple as their conversation appeared to devolve into awkwardness and the girl led the guy away to their seats. She thought the girl made eye contact with her so Biene smiled. With nothing else to pull her attention, she returned to watching the bay until they left it and then continued watching the ocean to their destination.