This story contains spoilers for both Luigi's Mansion and my personal works. You have been warned, proceed with caution.

All Nintendo characters (Mario, Luigi, King Boo Etc.) are property of Nintendo.

Chapter 1

First Arrivals

The building stood a few feet off a cliff overlooking a bay, surrounded on three sides by dense, black forest. It was huge, with elegant lines to its structure—almost a castle but not quite. It had probably been picturesque once, but that was a long time ago. Now it was a forgotten, abandoned husk: a shadow of something that had once been.

Thick clouds brought on a premature evening—something not needed given how short the days were here. Wind shrieked awfully through the bare trees, and the building added its own two cents to the situation, like an old man complaining about his rheumatism.

It started to rain.

Two massive figures glided over the gate, landing in the courtyard. Murzim landed first, dropping like a stone onto the liquefied ground. He threw back his weight hard, mud and grass splattering his heavy scales, straining to close his wings before being tossed into the building. Sasura landed a little ways beyond, obviously having the same problem. Murzim managed to recover himself, but Sasura wasn't so lucky. Another gust grabbed her and she spun across the courtyard, digging into the ground like a cat and screeching all the way. The little figure on her back—who was throwing their weight onto the outstretched wings, attempting to help them close—fell to the ground with a splat.

Murzim rushed to the aid of his sister, his own passenger sliding to the ground and running to the aid of hers.

"Are you alright?" asked Comet as she approached the mud covered, waterlogged lump. Novi pushed herself up and tried to brush the mud off her front.

"Yeah...

"Don't worry, this rain will wash anything off," said Comet. She gave a bat at the mud herself then grabbed hold of Novi's hand. "Come on."

Murzim had helped Sasura close her wings by now, and both dragons were loping for the shelter of the mansion eves. Comet and Novi ran as well, dashing after them.

"Are you alright?" Asked Murzim as they ducked beside his flank.

"Perfectly alright," said Novi, trying, and doing a reasonably good job, to sound cheerful. Comet let the answer stand for both of them. She took off her sodden pack and set it against the wall, sliding down next to it. Novi followed suit.

"The best thing is to wait for the weather to pass," said Comet. No one bothered to answer.

They sat there for a long while before the rain calmed, and by the time it had, no-one seemed inclined to get up again. Both dragons lay sprawled across the ground, liquid turf bubbling under their weight, staining their bright bronze hides a sticky brown. Comet had taken off her riding cloak and laid it across the ground, where she now sat, leaning against the wall with half closed eyes and head tilted back. Novi lay resting beside her, head in her lap, Comet's fingers tracing absently through her wet tangle of hair.

Murzim was the one to break the lull, heaving himself up and walking out into the remaining trickle of rain. He shook himself and stuck his nose into the drizzle, allowing it to wash away the mud, then turned back to the group.

"There's no reason to sleep on the ground with shelter behind us," he said. "We should look for a way in."

Comet nodded and gave her sister a little shake.

Groggily, the group got up, and with Murzim leading the way, followed the wall looking for any sort of entrance. It didn't take long, thankfully; the first corner they turned revealed what looked like a runaway kitchen garden, and eventually the door that accessed it.

Comet tried the handle, but it wouldn't budge. Whether the door was locked or just stuck, it was hard to tell. She grumbled, then rammed the door a few times with her shoulder, but all this managed to do was bring down a shower of peeling paint.

Comet took a step back, spluttering at the fluttering flakes.

"Maybe we can get through a broken window," She said when out of danger of sucking paint chips down. Without waiting for an answer, she walked down the wall a ways, inspecting the jagged edges of one of the lower windows.

Novi took her place in front of the door. First she gave it her own experimental shove. When that didn't work, she peeked in the crack between the door and the frame. A moment later she had her rapier out and slid it gently into the space. The wet wood hissed as the ionized blade slid along its length. When she pulled on the door's handle again it opened smoothly; the lock was disintegrated.

"That was smart," chirped Sasura, giving an affectionate snuff at her hair. "It's open," she barked to their companions.

Comet glanced over at them, and when she saw the open door fo herself, made her way back.

"I should go first," she said as she approached.

"I know..." said Novi.

Comet raised an approving eyebrow at the slagged lock, then peered into the black hole beyond the frame. It was dark inside, too dark to make out much of anything.

Something slid into her free hand; she looked down to see Novi pushing a lantern at her.

"Thank you," Comet said, flicking it on and holding it up.

She looked into the doorway again, squinting past the white-out caused by the sudden light. In front of her climbed a short, steep stairwell. Beyond, as she suspected, rested what was left of an old fashioned kitchen. She mounted the stairs cautiously, cracked tiles shifting under her feet. It was a lot bigger than she anticipated, with what appeared to have been a servants dining room stretching away to one side, drifting off into undisturbed darkness. It was suppressingly quiet.

"It doesn't look like it leaks." She spared a glance at Novi. Her sister stood in the doorway watching, uncertain as to whether that last statement was her cue to follow. Comet gestured with her head, and Novi stepped up the stairs to join her, boots sounding loud on the stone steps.

Comet could see by the way Novi walked that she wasn't going to stop behind her. She stepped forward herself, and they moved into the middle of the kitchen, more or less being driven by Novi. She was exhausted but her curiosity was thoroughly piqued, and it wasn't hard to see why.

The building had obviously been deserted for ages. Despite that, everything was in surprisingly good order. Cobwebs peeked from the corners; there were two broken cups on the counter and a bent spoon under the burrow; but other than that, everything was in its proper place. The furniture was remarkably undamaged, and the table even had a soft dust cloth draped over it, as if the owner had intended to come back some day. Novi was fascinated.

A horrendous scraping destroyed the silence. Comet whipped around to see Sasura worming her way up the stairwell. She had managed to force her head and shoulders through the doorway, and was twisting in almost a corkscrew to get the rest of herself through. She clawed at the stairs, but their hard, polished surface gave her no grip; all she managed to do was mar them with massive spider scratches.

"Stop it, stop!" shouted Comet.

Novi ran back to help her. Comet set down the light and followed.

"You're going to get stuck," said Novi. She looked over the situation, trying to find what she could do.

"I'm fine," Sasura growled. "I almost have it.

"Go back!" ordered Comet, "This isn't going to work."

Sasura huffed and twisted her neck to glare at Comet; her tone was obviously not appreciated.

"Just go back," Comet repeated, attempting a less severe tone. "We'll find another way in."

Sasura huffed again, untwisted, and began to back out. Or at least she tried. Her eyes widened as it hit home exactly how bad a situation she was in. Sasura pulled back again and again, efforts deteriorating into a panicked thrash. Behind her the wood frame buckled and cried.

"Stop! You're not helping! You'll take the front of the building with you!" yelled Comet.

Novi ducked forward between Sasura's flailing talons and grabbed hold of her massive muzzle.

"You're fine, it's fine," she said gently. "We'll help you out, just calm down."

Sasura stopped her thrashing, breathing heavy and ragged.

"Okay," said Novi, rubbing her hand over Sasura's nose. "Just hold still."

The dragon gave an embarrassed grumble as Novi clambered over her shoulder into the stairwell. There was a white flash as she created a light.

"You've got spines embedded in the door frame."

"Move forward," said Comet, peering as best she could into the jammed stairwell.

Sasura shifted, invoking a yelp from beneath her.

"Wait, let me move!"The light dowsed as Novi scrambled as fast as she could back over Sasura's shoulder. Then fell flat on her face as her cloak snagged on the dragon's shoulder crest, or at least she would have if Sasura hadn't caught her.

The dragon set her down and shifted again, trying to pull forward, but the stairs still refused her any grip.

"Now what," she said, then squawked as she was butted from behind.

Murzim pushed her again. There was a pop, a splinter of wood, and Sasura jarred forward.

"That should do it," said Comet. "Now turn sideways."

Sasura lay down on her side and carefully, Murzim dragged her out.

A long silence hung in the air.

Comet stood at the top of the stairs, hand over her nose in frustration. Misty rain leaked through the broken windows, its soft drip pattering up from the stretching darkness. When something skittered near the floorboards, she started. Novi pretended not to notice.

"Now what?" she asked quietly, glancing up at Comet.

Comet took her hand off her nose and took stock of the situation. Novi sat on the bottom step, looking up at her in a tired, anxious way. Outside the door, she could make out Murzim's claws, pressing massive holes in the sodden turf. She couldn't see Sasura, but knowing her, she had probably slunk off in shame. This whole situation was a disaster.

"We'll figure something out."

"You two should find an adequate place to rest," said Murzim.

Novi sat up quickly, looking much more awake and none too happy. Comet saw the danger; Novi was more likely to sleep on the ground than leave Sasura in the rain. She gave a hesitant cough, but Murzim saved her the trouble of making a case.

"Sasura and I will find a different way in. We will be comfortable enough. Even if we can't another entrance we will be fine. This will be a good experience for her."

Novi sighed, and her look faded.

"Okay."

Murzim puffed, his universal cue he wanted to discreetly talk to Comet. Comet glanced at Novi; the sooner they found a place to sleep the better, but this room wasn't ideal. If they wanted to look for somewhere better, though, they needed to move soon. But Novi had energy left in her still. She was fine for now, at least for long enough to see what Murzim wanted. Comet stepped out to meet him.

The rain had almost stopped by now. But the sky was still a royaling black, and there was no telling how long the lull would last. The night seemed even darker with the light of the flood lamp seeping through the door behind her.

"I assume you'll be going further in," Said Murzim.

"Probably. I would prefer a room where the door actually closes."

He nodded. "Choose where you like, but I would be most comfortable if you were near a window. So we can see where you are."

"Of course."

There was a brief silence.

"You aren't terribly satisfied with this place, are you?"

"Not particularly, no."

"Is there a reason? Some concern?"

"It makes me uneasy," said Comet, then paused at Murzim's questioning look. "There's nothing wrong with the castle. I'm probably just edgy: over tired. It's better than half the places we've stayed before, and definitely preferable to under one of those trees," she said, motioning with her head. "Having Novi here is making me overcautious."

"Maybe that's not a bad thing," he replied gently.

Comet Shrugged.

Murzim gave a low grumble.

"I hope this humor of yours passes with some sleep, little one," He said, the growl creeping over into his tones.

"Probably," said Comet.

Murzim huffed, stood up, and gave a light shake.

"Sasura and I won't go far, we'll be there if the need arises," He said more gently, giving her hair a snuff. "Good night."

"Good night, Murzim."

With that, the dragon turned, squelching along the side of the building. Comet went back inside.

Novi still sat on the stairs, now fully awake and looking reasonably concerned.

"Is everything alright?" she asked.

"Yeah, everything's fine, Murzim just wanted to compare plans. They need us to find a room with a window, so they can know where we are."

"So we're moving."

"We should head at least a little further in. See what we can find."

Comet propped the garden door as close to closed as it would allow. After the nights circumstances it was in quite a state; it hung on half a hinge, paint stripped off the inside by Sasura's rough hide. That was saying nothing about the slagged lock and the devastated frame. It certainly wouldn't keep anything out.

"Why can't we just stay here?" asked Novi.

"Because we need somewhere with a door that closes."

"Murzim and Sasura aren't outside?"

"They aren't anymore. They went looking for a place to rest. I—" she stopped, listening, eyes darting around the room. She could have sworn she had heard something, a hissing, spitting kind of noise. But all she saw was Novi, looking rather confused.

"Come on, let's go."

Silver white orbs drifted around the room, milling in a silent display of tension. The air pricked with the ghosts' anticipation and more than a little unease.

They were coming. They were here. Both of them. How had they both managed to make it here at the same time?

King Boo rested in the center of the silent chaos, a pillar of collected, if slightly forced calm. Many of the boos flocked close to share this feeling of confidence. Or, at least, mock confidence.

This was not how things were intended to go. The idea had been to encounter the brothers separately. King Boo took special pains to make sure this wouldn't happen. But somehow, it still happened.

How it could have gone wrong, the one thing in this whole venture he actually planned for, he didn't know. On top of that, there was another complication. Somehow, they had got through the wrong door. How they broke the seal placed there, King Boo couldn't guess. At least someone had noticed in time to relocate the ambush and clear the resident ghosts from the area.

But those weren't thoughts for now. For now, he would improvise.

A scout darted into the room and flew straight to the king, interrupting his contemplations.

"They're here! They're at the door!"he squealed. The room broke into silent panic.

King Boo risked a chirp. It got instant attention from all present. Without a sound, he drifted behind one of the pieces of furniture. The rest of the boos followed his example.

King Boo was mildly surprised when the scout followed him to his hiding place.

"Sir, I—" he began, as softly as his urgency would allow.

King boo raised an arm to quiet him.

"Have they made any other detours?"

"No."

"Are they on route to this room?"

"They're coming up the stairs now, sir."

"Good," said King Boo, letting his last inklings of tension melt away.

"But sir I—"

"Silence," said the King gently. The scout didn't dare speak again.

Comet tramped up the stairs holding the light high, Novi stepping at her heels.

The room beyond the kitchen was a huge servant's chamber. If the dragons were able to get through the door there would have been plenty of room for them here. Comet ruled it out as a place to sleep, though. Some sort of thick, luminescent webs laced shut a few doors leading off the chamber. Novi almost poked the stuff when Comet wasn't looking. Why, or what she had been thinking, Comet had no idea. Those webs might not be uncommon in places like this, but they did not exist were the two of them were from. Comet wasn't keen on meeting whatever made them. Not tonight.

This turn of events hadn't helped Comet's view of the place. She didn't say anything, though. With a few precautions, they'd be fine—it shouldn't be hard to prevent being walked in on by oversized spiders.

Whatever the creatures infested the downstairs, the upstairs seemed clear. That's were Comet and Novi were going.

The upper level was open to the hall below—which is how they knew there were webs up there. It was a banister ringing the chamber with closed doors branching off it at regular intervals. Comet tried the first door, but it was locked—or at least badly stuck.

"Should I..?" asked Novi."

"No, don't bother," said Comet.

She tried the next one and then the next, moving around the hall until they found one that opened. Comet pushed it in slowly, shining the light over the room beyond.

The boo's excitement surged as the door gently swung open. That excitement was soured, though, at the torrent of burning white that flooded inside. King Boo hissed. The light they carried was a powerful one. Why did they have equipment like that? As his vision adjusted, he realized something else very wrong: They weren't the right people.

The figures in the doorway did appear to be human, but they were nothing like the brothers he expected. The first was tall, her copper curls suggestive of Sarasaland, but her dark skin seriously undermined that assumption, as did the sharp angles of her body and face. The other was smaller, younger, and more like the humans he was used to, but there was an air about her as well, something undeniably foreign.

Who were they? Why were they here?

They hung in the doorway, waving their light in the most frustrating manner, ignorant that they stood in a room stuffed to the brim with boos. The older stepped forward, the younger trailing behind.

King boo sensed they were ill at ease, or at least the older was. But it was a vague feeling; he doubted they truly expected anything. It would be easy enough to deal with this pair of bedraggled, uninvited intruders. Even with that blasted light, they were unprepared and unsuspecting. But the way these two wandered wasn't purposeful. They were likely here to shelter from the rain, and that was all. They would wander away and sleep-then he could deal with them at his convenience. His true quarry would soon arrive; the Mario Brothers were the ones who truly required the ambush.

The rest of the boos watched tensely. They were supposed to wait for the king's command; now that his mind was made King Boo hoped the resolve of his loyals would hold. He could feel the tension vibrating around him, thickening the air until he could hardly believe the humans couldn't sense it.

The two took their sweet time deciding what they would do. They meandered into the middle of the room for no apparent reason, the younger poking at everything. Eventually, mercifully, they made their way to a side door, a locked one.

"Open it," the king hissed to the scout still at his side. The little boo vanished and darted to the door, flicking into the lock just as the human's hand rested on the handle. It opened without a sound, and the two disappeared into the hall beyond, shutting the door behind them.

When he was sure they were gone, King Boo drifted into the open. The rest of his subjects followed his lead; it was obvious that they were confused and not altogether satisfied with how things had panned out.

"Well done," he said as the scout abandoned the lock. The little boo was vibrating with nerves.

"I assume that was what you were trying to tell me?" the king asked, gesturing to where the two strangers had disappeared.

"Yes sir."

"Why didn't we attack?" piped up a boo from the gathering.

"Because they aren't our target," said King Boo, loud enough for everyone to hear with no mistake.

"They will be dealt with at the right time, but for now we have other, more important guests coming."

He glanced at the boo who had announced the two as the Mario Brothers in the first place. "Follow them, and report to me where they go."

The boo darted away instantly, glad to get off with such a slap on the wrist. The rest stood to attention as their king restated their orders and reset the ambush for their still expected arrivals.

Comet shut the door behind them as soon as they left that room. The longer they were here the more displeased she grew with the situation. She had the feeling she was being watched and didn't like it; they were getting out of this place the second the weather allowed.

Novi had definitely picked up on her unease by now. She had stopped wandering ahead, sticking close behind Comet instead. Though her actions seemed more out of consideration for her sister than concern on her own part. She seemed to chalk Comet's feelings up to rodents, general stress, and maybe the one bat they had managed to disturb. Comet had mixed feelings about this, but at least Novi was happy.

"Are we going to stop soon?" asked Novi.

"Yes," said Comet. "Just finding a good room."

Novi nodded and tried door handles along the hall, Comet following her example. Most all of them were locked, and the few that did open revealed less than preferable quarters. Eventually they did manage to find a room that suited them. It wasn't a bedroom, more of a sitting room, but it had a window and neither of them were in a mood to be picky.

Comet set up the sleeping rolls on the floor while Novi arranged their supplies and propped the lamp up in front of the window.

"You're a mess," she commented as she joined Comet by the two piles of blankets.

"You are too," Said Comet, "But there's not much we can do about it."

She dropped down into the blankets. Novi gave a quiet sigh and took off her own cloak, folding it gently. Comet reached over and wiped a smear of mud off her forehead.

"We'll go down to the water tomorrow, get cleaned up. Wash the cloaks too, they need it."

Novi smiled and gave a sort of half nod, placed the muddy bundle at the end of her bed, and crawled under the blankets. It didn't take long for her to drift off after that. Comet tried to follow her example: sleep before her less than savory thoughts crowded in. She turned over and inched her pallet closer to her sister. Novi was sleeping like a rock, one hand thrown over her face to block out the light. Comet smiled to herself and pulled her own blankets over her head. Everything was fine. She was thinking about it too much.

More Notes for the Interested

This story is a character test run.

Basically, a character test run is inserting someone of your own into another person's world. In essence, it's just an OC insert, but there are a few key differences.

An OC tends to be created for infiltrating other people's stories—whether they be a world jumper who visits all the stores or someone custom crafted to fit somewhere specific. They rarely leave the worlds they visit—unless they're the world jumping kind—and even then, usually don't wind up with world of their own. The only way a character leaves the realm of the 'OC' is if their creator becomes attached to them and gives them a world all their own.

Character test runs are that, only backwards: they involve characters who already have their own stories—usually unpublished projects still in the making—and are just stepping out for a bit of fresh air and a heaping dose of character development. Screen time is development time for characters; the more you write for them, the better they get. A character test run allows you to give even minor characters time in the limelight without the fuss of messing up the plot and cannon of your work.

The characters causing trouble on this occasion are Comet, Novi, and their guardians Murzim and Sasura.

Why did they wind up in Super Mario? I have no earthly idea; it just sort of happened. I think I wanted to see how they'd clash with Princess Peach once, but that still doesn't explain why they ended up in Luigi's mansion of all games.

It is what it is, though, and it has turned out pretty fun, so I'm not complaining.

That should be all you need to know about this, so I'll quit drowning you in blathers. I hope you enjoy the story.