Thawing Ice, Freezing Fire
Business was booming at the deli that day, as always. It was summer, and there were families abound that went traveling downtown for some shopping and other affairs. Soon, the families would get hungry, and without a doubt they would look for the nearest place to eat in order to resume their playful activities as soon as possible. These families were heaven's godsend for places that never would have been able to fulfill their bills otherwise during other times of the fiscal year. Couples weren't forgotten either; they were an eager source of income for otherwise desperate eateries.
Thankfully, the Vegetarian Delicatessen – better known as the Veggie Deli - was present for all of the family and couple's ravenous needs! Hosted and owned by a beautiful, vivacious, and charmingly young-looking blonde woman, Peach Toadstool, fulfilling dishes were prepared freshly and quickly for people of all appetites and diets – yes, even meat-lovers. With fast and dependable service provided by some of the best servers around, affordable menu prices for entrees and desserts – but not appetizers – along with a finely decorated and well-maintained seating area, nothing in the Veggie Deli seemed as though it could have gone wrong or lost its status of stately perfection.
And nothing ever did, for the superior planning of the lovely Toadstool, which was just as consistent as the work ethic of her employees, made sure nothing went awry. The Veggie Deli was definitely the place to eat for anyone and everyone.
Although, if there was one thing that could be changed for the better in the deli, it was to stop with shoving down the rather excessive amounts of obvious self-gratification down everyone's throats. Some also had a few complaints about the air conditioning, which proved to be unsatisfactory at times. Still, those two minor – or major – flaws didn't detract too much from sales and business, as each and every day in summer the deli expected and had a full house.
As usual, business was booming on this particular day.
Nothing in the Veggie Deli seemed as though it could have gone wrong.
Today was just another one of those days.
It was noon, the peak of the lunch hour. Barging through the never closing doors was an incessant stream of mouths to feed, all chatting and garbling their mindless chatter as they waited to be seated. The waiters and waitresses definitely had their hands full with today's customers, but they were prepared with this sort of influx.
At the entrance, the greeter, a young boy with ruffled tufts of windswept brown hair, was handing out coloring platters for the children and business cards for the adults. In his ear was an earpiece, and amidst all of the hasty "Hello, welcome to the Veggie Deli!" greetings, the boy spoke quietly into the earpiece, relaying information to the waiters that led the customers to their seats.
"The next group is a family of three, one daughter," said the boy, handing out business cards in a frenetic pace as though he were a casino dealer.
The waiters could be seen dashing back and forth in the expansive deli, giving and receiving orders from the customers while being responsible for the task of bringing customers to their tables.
"Ah, welcome! You're a party of three, correct? Please, follow me," spoke a waiter with trendy blue hair, smiling at the arrival of three new customers, two parents and their daughter.
As he led the family to their table, he nearly crossed lanes with a gangly, mustachioed man pushing out a steel cart from the kitchen.
"Whoops, sorry-a for the intrusion," said the man hastily, tipping his head down slightly in apology and nearly causing his grotesquely-colored green chef's hat to topple.
The waiter responded with a weak smile and resumed leading his customers to their tables, while the man with the cart halted by a nearby table to present them their food.
The two cooks in the kitchen – three were too many and would spoil the soup – alternated roles of cooking the food and serving the dishes on a periodic basis, promoting overall efficiency. In the kitchen currently was the senior chef, who just so happened to be the older brother of the gangly and green-wearing man serving the food out in the open.
Everything was going great. The employees were doing their jobs, the customers were satisfied, and the deli was raking in the dough like no tomorrow. At the rate they were going, the deli might even break a new record in terms of daily profits. Such an event would require a celebration on the spot, of which everyone that could be seen would take part.
But there were two that were out of the picture. No one noticed, however, as it was the peak of the lunch hour and there would be a nonstop parade of people entering and exiting deli until three.
"I really can't believe we got locked in here!"
A woman in a pink dress banged on the freezer door, shouting cries for help. Each pound reverberated loudly throughout the room, but the soundproof tendencies of the walls prevented their calls from reaching any outsider. She would have continued banging until her arms went numb until a voice called out from behind her:
"You'd better stop, Peach. There's no way that they can hear us out there. These walls are soundproof," said a low, rough, almost growling voice.
"Are you serious, Lucario?" asked the woman, turning around.
She found herself face to face with a jackal-like creature who had appendages that looked like dreadlocks growing out of his head. He was wearing the waiter uniform seen by the other workers out in the deli, aside from a few design changes due to the large spikes protruding from the chest and back of his hands.
Aside from Peach, the owner and manager of the Veggie Deli herself, she was stuck in their deli's meat locker with just one of her employees, Lucario. Both of them had apparently went into the freezer to restock the sausages since they were getting a bit low on hand, only to find themselves locked in when the door behind them shut suddenly as they entered. The two tried pushing against the door to get out, but the door simply would not budge.
Lucario nodded. "Of course I am. You were the one that asked me for the details of each room when we moved in here."
"R-Really. That's interesting. Are these walls really that soundproof?" Peach said, crossing her arms to keep in some warmth. "If so, then I should really get some of these walls installed in my own home, then."
Lucario ignored that last comment.
"These walls are the strongest when it comes to blocking sounds, and other things for that matter," Lucario explained.
Peach tapped the wall curiously. Were these walls really that strong? She swiveled on her heels to confront her fellow captive.
Lucario shrugged. "Why don't you take out your phone and try it?"
From one of her many hidden pockets, Peach pulled out a pink cell phone out of her dress. She flipped it open and saw that she had no reception at all in the freezer. Her phone was dead.
"This is the real deal... It even blocks phone signals," Peach said, feeling a peculiar mix of awe and fear.
"But why would a meat locker need such refined walls? If these are really that state of the art, I'd expect these walls to be installed in a museum or government facility instead of a small, downtown deli like ours," Peach continued.
Lucario shrugged. "I don't know; perhaps keeping cured meats fresh requires this kind of technology."
"Hm... This is still rather odd. I think I'm going to have another appraisal of these walls, not that I'm doubting your own inspection," Peach said. "I think I'm going to go to a professional company after this."
"Well, you'd might as well get the door lock checked out too. You also might want to add another way of opening the door instead of just by wheel. Actually, you should probably get this whole room checked out. Its entire design is pretty... faulty, to say the least," said Lucario.
"Yes, you're right. Perhaps it would be wise to install a lock and put a spare key in here. That will just have to wait until we're out of here, though. Thanks for the suggestion, Lucario. You seem to be rather calm about all this," Peach said with a small smile.
"There isn't much to worry about in this sort of situation. And you're rather calm yourself," said Lucario, crossing his arms indifferently.
Peach crossed her own arms and stared at the floor, watching puffs of air move about the room as the two of them breathed. When she looked back up, Lucario was surprised to see that Peach was different; her bubbly personality was gone.
"Haha. Well, I haven't been trying to think of the dire consequences. I'm not used to these kinds of situations," said Peach rather heavily. She then added in a quieter voice, "It's going to be fun wondering when I'm going to crack."
What a peculiar remark to be uttered by such an upstanding young woman, Lucario thought. Lucario watched the woman before him stand there, trembling, looking utterly incongruous with her pink dress standing out against the stark white and blue of the freezer, and of his own blue and black colors. No longer did she have any control over the outcome of the situation. Such a change could be rather alarming for someone that was used to being in charge. She was truly a fish out of water here, there was no denying it.
But did he dare try and console her? Lucario wasn't that good at that sort of thing. Perhaps Peach was overreacting; no way would his boss crack suddenly. The two of them have been in harsher situations than this, if only in the financial sense, admittedly. But psychologically, it was still the same.
"Can't we change the temperature? Make it a bit higher?" Lucario suggested reluctantly.
Peach shook her head.
"We would need a key to unlock the control panel, much less the thermostat. It's a security protocol," explained Peach.
"Then, why don't we try and see if we can find a way out. You know, pry the door open or something," Lucario said.
"Can't. I don't mean to be a Negative Nancy, but I know that such tools are not readily available in this particular meat locker," Peach said. "Crowbars are out of the question."
Apparently, Peach had forgot the meaning of improvising.
"We could always use a makeshift crowbar," Lucario said. He gestured at the many shelves of meat behind him. "Out of one of those metal rods."
"Even if we were to make one, there wouldn't be a place where we could insert the crowbar," Peach explained. She gave a glance at the freezer door, whose titanium walls were packed with all sorts of dense materials that couldn't be penetrated with even a drill. "And the door's components are of the highest-grade, aren't they? I really doubt that we would be able to budge it even a picometer."
"I agree," said Lucario, nodding. "We don't have the resources at our disposal to be able to get out of this mess."
Peach was a little surprised to find Lucario agree with her. She had thought it would've taken a little more convincing, since she knew that Lucario could be in some ways rather stubborn. But the point Lucario brought up chilled Peach even more than his acquiescence.
"So, the only chance we have at escaping is by someone else opening the door for us?" Peach asked, furrowing her eyebrows a bit.
Lucario looked up at the ceiling, trying to avoid her gaze. He couldn't retract his statement now, but perhaps saying it early would be for the better. Delaying from saying the inevitable would only serve to dampen their worries further later on.
"Yeah. Unless the wheel on the outside is also broken, we're going to have to wait for some outside help," said Lucario grimly.
Peach put a hand to her mouth.
"Oh... no! What if no one notices that we're gone?"
Lucario scoffed at this. No one would be able to not notice that the most important lady of the deli had gone missing.
"The chances of us freezing to death in here is a lot lower than the chances of no one noticing your disappearance. Especially since the deli will be a lot quieter when you're gone," Lucario said, rolling his eyes.
Apparently, Peach had fine-tuned out that last comment, as she said without sounding hurt:
"Oh, but this freezer has a unique cooling system, didn't you know that, Lucario?"
For the first time since their getting trapped here, Peach saw Lucario blink stupidly in surprise. It was a cringe-worthy moment for him, but Peach immediately wished that she could have gotten a picture of this rare instant of his astonishment. She wondered at the reason for his surprise. Was he afraid of the cold? Or was he simply surprised that she had more knowledge than him about this freezer he supposedly examined?
"W-What?"
Even his voice got higher! Imagine that, the stolid Lucario acting like a worried puppy. She had definitely hit a weak spot of his. Was this the only one, though? Only time will tell.
Peach smiled a bit craftily. In a flash, Peach was twirling around Lucario, skating circles around him miraculously in her high heels while crooning an explanation:
"For the previous owners of this establishment, apparently they did need some special treatment for whatever they were keeping in here – seafood, probably; it wasn't always a meat locker – so you were right in the fact that this freezer is indeed special. Perhaps they had bad heating systems back then, but any unusual change in the temperature in the freezer will directly impact that of the temperature of the deli, which can explain why some say we have faulty air conditioning."
Lucario had his ears flat against his head, trying not to look at the twirling woman around him.
"I also noticed the strange way the cooling system worked when I was looking at a detailed bill of our electricity usage," Peach continued, continuing to skate around him. "Apparently, the temperature dips up and down in a wavelength-like scale, much like a sine curve. The temperature reaches a zenith and nadir at six hour intervals, which are 2°C and -60°C, respectively."
That cold?
"But the good thing is, is that we're approaching the peak and not the bottom," Peach added, concluding her speech. "So the temperature should be increasing, in case you were worried."
Say something like that sooner, woman!
"R-Really? That's good to know," said Lucario, trying his best to mask his relief.
Peach swiveled to a stop and placed her arm on a nearby wall protrusion, looking satisfied with herself. She bent back further, and placed a bit too much weight on her resting arm, as suddenly the protrusion gave way beneath her, almost causing her to trip.
"Wah!" Peach exclaimed, as the object beneath her snapped and fell to the floor.
Lucario whipped around at the sudden noise.
"What... What did I hit?" Peach asked, clutching her head, feeling dazed.
She gasped upon realizing what she had laid her arm on. It was the temperature control of the freezer, thoroughly obscured from common view as it was located between two shelves. And of course, by chance, Peach had picked that to lay her arm on.
The temperature needle, indicating the current state of the room, was visibly dipping as they knew it. The two of them watched as the needle slowly turn counterclockwise, going from a tolerable temperature of 0°C slowly to -10°C.
And the worst part was that the lever controlling the temperature had broken, which meant that they had no control over the temperature.
Outside, the cooks and waiters had their hands full, as younger chef of the two, Luigi, pushed in a cart full of empty dishes and trays back into the kitchen, where his older brother was cooking up a few dishes along with some Toad workers. Mario, who was cooking some sausage links, looked up upon hearing Luigi's arrival.
"Ah, you're back, Luigi!" Mario greeted, giving his brother a brief glance before pouring the steaming sausages onto a nearby plate.
"Yessiree! I'm-a here to pick up the next batch," replied Luigi.
"Okay-a! Remember that we're switching off in a couple of minutes," said Mario.
A windy gust blew past him as Luigi whipped the cart around the kitchen, deftly picking up finished dishes lying on the counters to either side of him and putting them on the cart. They quickly bid each other good-bye and returned to their duties, with Mario looking a bit forlorn watching his brother go.
"He's-a grown," said Mario, taking his chef's hat off for a moment to fan himself. "How long have we been in the business? Five-a years? It's-a hard to believe."
A Toad had suddenly ran up to him, bearing a plate of slightly charred asparagus.
"Head chef, we have a bit of a problem here," said the Toad, holding his plate up. "The oven's been malfunctioning. We haven't been able to turn down the heat, for some strange reason."
Mario put his hat back on. Looks like it was time to go back to business. With his eyes ablaze and mustache bristling, he answered:
"Take me to it!"
In two quick strides, Lucario had crossed the room and was pointing an accusing finger at Peach, baring his feral teeth.
"Great, it was cold enough as it is, and now it's going to get even colder, thanks to you!" Lucario said, looking furious.
"I didn't mean to do that, I swear it!" Peach said, putting her arms up.
"I'm going to sleep," Lucario grumbled decisively, turning around and walking over to a crate on the opposite side of the room, where it was farthest from the air vent.
Peach watched as Lucario climbed up and huddle into a fetal position. She placed her hands on her hips.
"So you're just going to leave me here, and let me brood all alone?" Peach said, trying to him.
Lucario didn't reply. Peach gave him one last glare before turning away.
"Fine then. Be that way!" Peach said, huffing as she stepped over to a crate herself, located directly opposite of Lucario.
Honestly! She hadn't meant to hit that lever. She was just looking for something to lean on, and lo and behold, that lever was the closest thing. Lucario should have known that when you were in a freezer like that, a room covered with ice, the floor was slippery and made skating dangerous. She needed to have had a handhold somewhere, or else she'd never be able to stop skating! And what was ten degrees lower any big difference? Peach would have expected someone like Lucario with his coat of fur to be immune to the cold, but apparently, that wasn't the case. The way he reacted earlier was definitely peculiar, now that she thought about it. Did the cold really irritate him that much?
There wasn't else evidence to go upon in the way of this mysterious weak spot of Lucario's. Peach suddenly realized that she felt tired. The shock and energy she had initially felt in getting stuck in a freezer was getting sapped out of her. Staying in a cold place was definitely not good for her health, she realized. If the two of them, by any chance, were trapped there, there would be no chance for survival. At best she'd extend her life a few hours if she slowed down her body processes as it was during sleeping. Perhaps that was why Lucario went to sleep; not because he was angry with her, but for survival! Yes, that was certainly it. She was about to go to sleep herself, until something caught her eyes.
"Wait a second, is that...?"
Peach got up and walked over to a corner shelf, where slabs of assorted hams were piled up on top of each other. She bent down on her knees and rummaged through a particularly large pile of hams on a bottom shelf. After a few seconds, the princess stood up, clutching in her hands triumphantly her buried treasure.
"Ah-ha! I've got it!"
While the cooks were going in and out of the kitchen trying to cook and serve their orders as fast as possible, the waiters had a momentary rest with a short stoppage of customers. Pit, who had just finished leading a pair of apes to their table, ran up to the service desk, where Marth was overseeing the restaurant's duties.
"Ah, hello, Pit," Marth said, looking down at the tired boy in front of him.
Pit pulled at his collar, pining for coolness. He shook his head and said:
"Hey, Marth. It's steaming in here!"
"Is it? I'd always thought it was the perfect temperature," said Marth, unfazed.
"It's not. Some of the customers are complaining as well," Pit said, gesturing at the tables.
Marth turned and was surprised to see that a family of Yoshis had left with their plates unfinished. Customers really were leaving! But, was it really because of the heat?
"Are you sure about this, Pit?"
"Oh, believe me, I'd understand heat better than anyone. It's definitely the heat," said Pit, pulling off his bowtie now.
Marth hastily put it back on for him, rather forcefully.
"Pit, you know we have to stay in uniform."
"Fine," Pit reluctantly agreed. "But we have to do something about this heat, or else we're going to be losing potential income. And my bodily fluids."
Even though Pit was a junior compared to him, Marth trusted his judgment. Marth quickly got up from his seat and said to Pit:
"Alright. Let's go take a look at the thermostat."
"Ooh, let me try it!" said a happy Peach, giddy with excitement, her energy having returned in an flash.
Lucario woke up with a small start right as Peach headed to the door, whose reflective surface gave him a sense of double vision coupled with his waking relapse. Great, two Peaches were two too many.
"What... What the heck?"
Peach was wearing a fully hand-embroidered parka filled with frilly laces and decorative gems that gave the coat more a sense of being used as a fashion statement than as utility. Feeling exhilarated at her stupendous discovery, Peach floundered around the freezer performing pirouettes along the iced floor, looking no less than a professional ballet ice skater. It was a miracle, considering the size of the room and the fact that Peach did not even have any skates on.
After Peach had finished her small circuit, she stopped and performed a curtsy, eagerly awaiting her applause.
No such thing came.
Instead, Peach found a thoroughly fuming Lucario sitting in front of her, giving her a glare that would scare even a lion. She found no courage to speak, and clutched at her sleeves in fright.
"And where did you get THAT."
It was not a question; it was a command. Peach, for all of her orderly and professional handling of modern business, had a few screws loose when it came to dealing with unforeseen situations. But she definitely had enough screws tightened in her head to know when to act curtly, when an obvious predator was around.
"Erm... I found it on a shelf," Peach squeaked. "Nana must have left it here during her shift the other day."
Lucario glared at her.
In an attempt to prevent – or accelerate, Peach didn't know which – shutdown, Peach's thought processes went thus: Was there any room to run? No, they were in a freezer. But there was always the possibility of the air vent, though she grudgingly doubted that she would be able to fit in it. Any distractions that she could keep her mind to dwell on? Not really. The only things in the room were meat and shelves. Although, that pig's head looks awfully... no, don't think of that. Are there any topics that she can change to? Perhaps the proposition of a possible escape plan? But wait, that would mean she'd have to think of one first. Peach was in a pickle here.
Lucario, still staying still as a statue, said to her, "Peach."
Just this one word was able to snap Peach back into reality. Had he noticed her thinking?
"Y – Yes?" Peach answered meekly.
Wait a second! Why was she being so afraid? She was her boss here, and could fire him at any time. But perhaps Lucario knew that she wouldn't fire him, or perhaps the reason for her meekness was due to the fact that these previous few hours might be their last, and such consequences didn't really matter in the end. Yes, this might be the end. It was definitely too early for her to succumb to such a fate of death at such a young age. She had too many regrets.
Oh, how unlucky she was to die so young with some unrequited love. Well, she'd need an object for affection first, but bah, those were trifling details! Maybe her knight in shining armor would be the one rescue her from this freezer, if the goddesses of fate were kind to her. Who would it be? Young and innocent Pit? Regal and refined Marth? The dashing Mario, or handsome Luigi? Any one of them would be lovely. Ah, the possibilities!
Lucario watched Peach's scared and pitiful expression slowly mold into one he was all too familiar before: daydreaming Peach. This time, Lucario decided to not take any action in stopping Peach's drooling and simply glared at her, looking disgusted.
It took a minute or so for Peach to realize what she was thinking – and how she was acting. With a start, Peach wiped her mouth and looked stricken with herself.
"Um, er..." Peach began, looking around the room guiltily. "The cold sort of got to me."
What a terrible lie. Peach had presumably five layers on, whereas Lucario only had his fur and coat – but not a fur coat like what she had. Compared to her, Lucario's protection against the cold was a lot more demure; his attitude, not so much. Not that she had any right to complain.
But Lucario's attitude was to be expected. She was expecting some sort of scolding response not only for her sorry excuse. She could imagine it now: "You've got some gall, Peach, for making me feel this way. It's almost criminal!" said Peach's imagined Lucario tragically, holding his forearm against his forehead while propping his head back. Or something like that.
Much to her surprise, Lucario did none of the sort and resorted to giving her that death glare of his for a few more painful seconds. Once Peach held the eye contact hesitantly but surely for a few seconds, Lucario turned away; he had seen enough.
But wait! Before he did turn away, Peach caught a lustful sparkle in his eyes. It was a scant difference, but Peach definitely noticed a change in expression in Lucario, if only for just a brief moment. Was he falling for her? Now this was a surprise.
But before she took this shocking new development any further, Peach must not let these thoughts take control of her! She wouldn't want Lucario catching her drooling again. That was supremely vital. So Peach kept her cool, and kept her pouted face directed at Lucario's direction, but a person as sharp as Peach would've noticed the leering glare in her eyes. Fortunately for her, Lucario was preoccupied with other matters, namely, how to get out of this freezer.
To Lucario, these not-so-exciting turn of events were not entirely unforeseen for him, apart from the getting trapped in a freezer part, anyways. As someone that had worked for and known Peach for years, he was all too familiar with Peach's frequent daydreams. Even normally during the work day, Lucario could see Peach drooling over some fantasy at her work desk, probably dreaming about bathing in money. Sometimes, he wondered how such a person could have reined in a business' leashes so easily. Handling all of those responsibilities was not an easy task, that was for sure. For Peach to be able to do that almost effortlessly, that was one thing he admired about Peach; she was a woman that could get the job done if she put her mind to it. Not to mention her generosity with her employee's paychecks. Now, if only Peach would be a little more forgoing with that newly found parka of hers...
After a few minutes of silence while the two reflected on their thoughts, Lucario found his own peace disturbed when Peach said:
"Wolf would have been proud of you."
Lucario whipped around, a look of utter disgust lighting up his cool, blue eyes.
"What."
"For that glare you gave me earlier. And the one you're giving me now. Wolf would definitely have approved," said Peach happily, giving him a sincere smile.
Tears welled up within Lucario's chest, but not for sentimental reasons of the overjoyed kind.
At least offer to share the coat! You're the one that has a frilly, fluffy dress on, dammit!
The deli's thermostat was located conveniently right beside the kitchen. On top of it was a glass case that had an old fashioned key lock, which was just as Peach described it. Every control panel had its own glass case whose guarding potential was impeccable. Most of the time. It could still be broken.
Mario, who had just finished tuning up the unruly oven, pushed through the swinging kitchen doors, feeling ready to switch places with his younger brother. He was about to take another further step outside of the kitchen until he heard a loud, "Ow!" come from beside him.
Curious, Mario looked around. He was surprised to see the waiter Marth, of all people, crouching by the kitchen doors clutching his head in pain. Mario walked over to him and laid a reassuring hand on his shoulder.
"Are you-a alright, Marth?" Mario asked. "What hit you?"
Marth stood up, shaking his head a bit. He pointed an accusing finger at him.
"You. The swinging doors..." Marth groaned.
"Eh? Did I do that?" Mario said, scratching his chin.
"Did you do what?"
Pit had popped up, out of rather nowhere. He looked at Marth, who was looking fine and dapper now, apart from the furrowed glare he had between his eyes.
"Sorry, Marth, I was just handing out a few business cards to some official-looking businessmen. So what happened?"
"I had-a hit him with the swinging doors," Mario answered. He turned to Marth. "Sorry, Marth-a."
"It was my fault for standing right next to them, Mario," Marth said. Then, he added, "And please don't call me Martha."
"What did-a you guys come here for?" Mario asked.
"To change the thermostat," Marth answered.
"Ah, I was just about to do the same thing," said a voice behind the three of them.
The trio turned around to find Luigi, pushing back his cart carrying tottering piles of empty dishes.
"Some of the customers have been complaining," Luigi said.
Pit gave Marth a triumphant grin. Marth, ignoring him, walked back over to the thermostat and gave it a quick look. What he saw shocked him. He gasped.
"W-What is it?" Pit said, peering over Marth's shoulder.
Luigi let out a small whistle.
"It's eighty-five degrees in here," Mario said, bewildered.
"Only one thing could have caused the temperature to shoot up this high," Marth declared, turning around.
The three others looked at each other, immediately sharing an equal understanding.
"The freezer!" they all exclaimed.
Corners were generally sulky and depressive, due to the less light it receives and conglomeration of sharp edges compared to the rest of the room. People feeling equally sulky inhabited them, and today, Lucario took up residence of one in the Veggie Deli meat locker.
Peach couldn't bear to watch Lucario wallow in this gloom for any longer.
"Um, Lucario," Peach began, unsure of how to approach him. "Are... are you alright?"
There was a moment's pause before he replied.
Grudgingly, in a tone that was as cold as steel, Lucario said:
"I am perfectly fine, Peach. You hear me? I'm perfectly fine."
"R-Really? W-Well, in that case, everything's settled then. Maybe we can try looking again for a way out," Peach said, looking relieved.
Lucario simply stared at her, dumbfounded. Could this woman get any sort of message at all through that dream-stuffed head of hers?
He opened his mouth, ready to tell off Peach for her obliviousness, only to be stopped in his tracks by an action he himself had done earlier while in the freezer. In two quick strides, Peach walked over to him and wrenched off her parka.
After one brief moment, Lucario found himself wearing Nana's fluffy pink parka. Lucario gazed down at his new garments, and then looked up back at Peach, unsure of how to react to this.
Peach made it easy for him by telling him with a beaming smile:
"There! I knew you were cold, Lucario. That pink flush beneath your fur... Well, here's the parka you needed. I'm wearing a pretty thick dress, so I'm going to be alright if the temperature is getting too low for your tastes. Only someone like – "
"Sorry, Peach, but I can't accept this."
Peach was appalled. Was he taking this gesture the wrong way? No, no, this was not what she intended!
"W-What? All I'm doing is an act of kindness, and I noticed... just how cold you were," Peach said, pausing once when she realized the impact of her words.
Lucario couldn't possibly be thinking that Peach was examining him, closely... As though she were infatuated with him? No, that wasn't right at all!
"No, that's not the reason. I just don't like to wear pink."
Cue unladylike jaw drop by Peach. The woman in the pink dress recollected her composure instantly and said with dignity:
"Well, I'll have you know, pink is a very – "
"But I appreciate it. Thanks."
Peach paused again. She didn't know whether or not to commence with jaw drop number two or to heave a sigh of relief.
Lucario gave her a small smile. The first one today, Peach noticed.
"I know it's cold, but there's no need for you to give up your amenities for someone like me. I have my aura around me, which can keep me warm," Lucario explained.
Lucario told a more credible lie than Peach's, that was for sure. No way in purgatory would something like his aura be able to do such a thing. But he needed some excuse to get Peach off his tails.
"Oh, really?" Peach said, looking a little crestfallen. "I feel as though you really still need this more than I do." She paused for a moment.
"But, I – I understand."
Lucario held in his own sigh of relief. Any released vapor would have tipped off Peach immediately.
It was too bad she had already caught on.
"But I find it a bit odd, considering the demeanor you had before. You're acting quite the gentleman, now, aren't you?" Peach said slyly.
Lucario flushed.
"What are you talking about? I was just moved by your gesture, that's all," he said, looking rather miffed.
"Did my generosity get the better of you? I never thought that you would be so eager to please, even when we're trapped in a freezer," said Peach, winking at him charmingly.
Femme fatale! My, how the tables have turned!
Lucario was trapped. There was no way out of this one. Not unless...
A large clanging sound suddenly struck through the room. Peach and Lucario paused in their banter to turn their heads simultaneously towards the source of the noise.
To their disbelief, the freezer door was grating against the floor, slowly shifting its weight of a few metric tonnes. The door was opening! Someone had noticed after all! At last, their escape was here!
A cold mist rushed out of the freezer, obscuring view of its insides. The two cooks and two waiters shielded their eyes at the immediate clash of hot air and cool air that created a soothing moist atmosphere. After a few seconds, the group was surprised to see two silhouettes appearing from amidst the mist.
"Peach? Lucario?" Mario exclaimed, gawking at the two nearly frostbitten people in front of him with complete disarray etched on his features.
He had barely any time to take in the situation when he felt a full body tackle knock him to the ground.
"Oh, it's you, Mario! My hero!" Peach squealed, burying her face into the cook's warm clothes. "I was freezing to death in there!"
Mario didn't quite know how to respond to this. To compensate for his mixed emotions, he patted his manager gently on the head.
"Er, there, there, Mario's-a got you now. But Peach, you should really go to the hospital for this, or get some rest, at least. Lucario, too."
It wasn't a surprise that his concern only served to embolden her ego even further. Peach dropped herself into his arms and tragically put a forearm over her head as though in agony.
"Oh, Mario! How you flatter me so... I am quite alright, thank you," said Peach. "The bills would be terrible if we were to let something as little as this hospitalize me."
"How long were you two in there?" Marth asked, incredulous.
He had already given his coat to Peach, who accepted it gratefully. Pit was eagerly stripping down his clothes for Lucario, much to his disgust.
"Long enough that we could have frozen solid!" Lucario said rather vehemently, brushing some frost off of his clothes.
"Well, it's a relief to see you two safe. Although, the real reason for us opening the freezer was so that we could fix – " Luigi began, only to have his lips clamped forcefully shut by Marth.
"We were so worried about your disappearances," said Marth. "We'd better listen to Mario and get you two some rest."
Lucario walked over and clamped a hand on Marth's shoulder. Marth shirked at the cold contact.
"By the way, I know what all of your intentions were," Lucario whispered quietly into Marth's ear.
Marth shivered. Talk about a sharp-eyed server that didn't only let tips out of his sight; he was an eagle!
"Now that you guys are out of that freezer, I hope you guys are feeling a bit better! I know I sure am!" said Pit, feeling relieved for having gone commando.
"It's a shame that you couldn't be with us today, but I'm-a very glad to see that you two are alright," said Mario, helping Peach up. "Rest assured, we've got-a the workings of the deli working in perfect order for you when you're up to it."
"Oh, don't worry, Mario. I'm sure I'll be back on my feet in no time!" Peach said, touched.
"Geez, do you have to say it so energetically? You're making me look bad for wanting a short rest," said Lucario, sighing.
Peach flashed him a smile. She told her little friend not to worry; she would be getting some rest as well. Getting stuck in a freezer was no picnic, that was for sure. Even though the experience would be a haunting one that would also definitely be a story to tell – or not tell – her family in the near future, Peach felt overjoyed by one particular triumph uncovered in her bout with the freezer.
It looked like Lucario had some weak spots after all!
A/N: My pacing is terrible.