“After that, more of them came swarming in. I was practically surrounded; no matter which I way I turned my head, there were goons ready to pounce on me.”

“Everything must have turned out alright if you’re telling us this story right now,” Quang remarked with a smirk.

“Let me finish my story, boy!” Rodney shot his former student a mean glare, making him lean back in his seat. “Now, where was I?”

“You were about to tell us how took on the rest of the Pearl Swan,” Selene said.

“Right, right,” Rodney said with a slight nod as his eyes looked back up towards the ceiling. “As I was saying, they had me surrounded. Couple of them had weapons, too. Knives. Bats. Crowbars. Anything they could get their hands on.”

“No guns?” Quang asked.

“They did, but those were more for establishing themselves as a threat. Like I said, the Pearl Swan likes to remain unknown. Someone getting shot on a movie set is bound to cause a stir. Of course, having a gun handy makes people more compliant when you’re robbing them.”

“Sounds about right,” Selene remarked.

“Anyways. The first guy steps over his floored partner with his knife drawn and ready to go. That’s when I could tell that they were all bark. This guy knew nothing about fighting. Must have been too used to people just giving in to his demands. He swings his hand back, all the way to the side. I could tell by the way he was moving that he was aiming for my arm with how wide his approach was. Gave me plenty of time to catch his arm on it’s way towards me.”

Rodney took hold of an invisible arm, twisting it upside down and using his other hand to chop at it’s intangible wrist.

“The fella starts screaming as his knife drops to the floor. Before he could use his other arm to try and free himself, I backhand him right in the cheek,” he said as he mimicked the motion. “I push him back because I see three more guys heading my way,” Rodney let out a chuckle as he leaned forward over the back of his chair. “I was a lot more reckless back then. Working as a martial artist in movies didn’t help with my ego, either. But when you see three men of that size just come charging at you, holding all manner of blunt weapons, it really instills a bit of humility. They had me pinned down in the center of the set, surrounding me in a triangle. Thank goodness my buddy Gui was there to back me up. I had worked with him on a few other films, so he knew what I was capable of. I hear him shouting my name. ‘Rodney! Rodney!’ I turn my head and see him standing up on one of the platforms, holding this big oar that was being used as part of the backdrop of another scene. He tosses it down to me and I grab hold of it.”

Rodney got up from his seat and picked up the plastic broom that was propped up against the wall of this studio. He held it in both hands, pointing the dusty and frayed bristles towards his visitors. “I take a step forward and swing the oar right in front of me,” Rodney said as he reenacted the motion, “And the guy ahead of me backs away. Then I use that momentum to swing it behind me in a half-circle. As I do so, the other two start retreating. But when you’re taking on three guys like that, someone is always behind you. And I knew that first clown was going to be gunning for me the second I took my eyes off him.”

Selene was enthralled as she watched Rodney turn around again, lifting the broom in an upwards motion, grazing the surface of his punching bag as he performed a rising slash. Quang, however, remained almost motionless as he sat with his foot resting on his upper leg and one arm folded over the other. On his face was a look of boredom.

“Knocked the crowbar clean out of his fingers. He falls to the ground, holding his hand while some guys from the studio keep him pinned down. I turn around and the last two are hesitant to approach. I keep the end of my oar pointed at them, like this.” The broom’s bristles were pointed back towards Quang and Selene as Rodney held it from his waist. “A few short thrusts in their direction and those two were too scared to approach. One of them was getting real nervous. His head was darting around, looking to see if he had any back-up coming. The moment I saw that he wasn’t paying attention, I thrust end of the oar into his hands.”

Rodney made a stabbing motion with the broom, stopping it a few inches from Quang’s face. He leaned back, his face souring as he tilted his head to get a clear view of Rodney. “Could you not?”

“The man drops his bat. Now he’s unarmed. I extend my range by holding onto the end of the oar and raise the weapon high before coming down on his head with the flat side of the paddle. He goes stumbling back like a drunkard before falling down. But that attack came at the cost of giving the other guy a moment to advance. The man comes rushing in, swinging the bat like he’s in the World Series. I was able to avoid the first slug that came towards my head but I had to back away and use the pole of the oar to block the next. The swing makes it crack in the middle and goes flying out of my hand and onto the ground. Now I’m backing away since I’m not going to be able to get in on this guy without taking a grand slam to my arm. I’m glad Gui was there to save my sorry-“

“You’ve never told this part of the story before,” Quang blurted out. “Now I’m starting to remember this one. Last time, you stopped at when you dropped the oar on the guy’s head.”

Rodney gave him another mean glare. “So you remember this story but you don’t remember The Pearl Swan?”

“I just tuned out the minor details like I do with the rest of your stories.”

“Did you listen this time?”

“Yeah.”

“Uh-huh. Sure.” Rodney placed the broom back against the wall and sat down again. “Well, I just wanted to let you two know that the Ingwersens and The Pearl Swan have gotten a lot more dangerous in the past few decades. Back then, they were just trying to get money out of anyone they could and getting laid out by a couple of stuntmen on a movie set. But they’re a different beast now. One with power. I’m worried that Vic might not know what he’s trying to get himself into. They’re not like Hudson and his Union. These folks have influence. They’re the ones who choose the mayor after all.”

“What?” Selene’s eyes widened. “They have that much control?”

“You thought those votes that you cast actually made a difference? The only ballots that matter in Isla Lucrecia are the ones that are green and have dead presidents on them.”

“Damn,” Quang said with a huff. “Now I’m more worried than ever before. Vic is going to get himself killed trying to mess with these guys.” He buried his face into his palms as he hunched over. He felt Selene’s hand pat him on his back as he let out a frustrated groan.

“What do you think we should do?” Selene asked while looking at Rodney.

“I think you should not get involved,” the studio owner replied, pointing his finger at Selene. She darted her head back, eyes open in surprise as she put her hand over chest.

“What? Why?”