Ro looked around awkwardly while everyone else chatted and ate, the occasional fuss breaking out. This was nothing, right? Just like being at camp... At camp with a bunch of people she didnt know. She picked up her tray of food and tried to decide who to approach.
A bunch of guys were sitting around a table at the back, chatting. A guy in green, two bluenettes and a little angel. She put her tray down on the empty bit of table and gave them a sheepish grin when they looked up at her.
"Mind if I sit with you?" She asked nervously.
"Yeah sure, whatever." Came a response from the rather cute guy with blue hair and the... Is that a tiara...?
"No, wait shes a girl..." The more manly of the four said.
"Come one Ike, shes new here..." Sighed the angel. The guy in green didnt say anything at all, he just gave her a faint smile and got back to eating his dinner.
"Kay... Wait, you callin me a girl...?!" Rose snapped, turning to the guy called Ike. She stopped herself quikly.
"Okay. Whatever." She said suddenly even more mbarrased and hurried off. Only then realising how stupid shed sounded. Way to go, Ro, make yourself sound stupid on your first day.
"Hey!" Said a sweet, high voice from behind as she walked past a table. She turned round to see a girl in a pink dress and blonde hair. She looked pretty, really, but Ro couldnt help think how impracticle those clothes would be for an actual brawl.
"Hello." She replied, mustering a smile and hoping she wasnt too red.
"You want to join us?" She said with a giggle. Great. Giggly girls. However Roses smile brightened slightly to be accompanied by a nod. She sat down next to a girl with blonde hair and wearing a tight blue suit.
"Welcome to smash mansion, Im Zelda this is Peach thats Samus, thats Mario thats Link thats-" Began the girl with brown hair, before she was interrupted by a "stuff it." From Samus. "Youll bore her to death on her first day." She finished.
"Youll learn everyones name eventually." Samus added with a flick of her hand. She poked at her dinner with the end of her laser-fork. Rose decided not to ask why she had a laser fork for fear of being poked by it.
After a good meal, some small talk and the insufferable giggling from Peach and Zelda, Ro headed upstairs. She looked at the slip of paper shed been handed.
"Room 15." She muttered ynder her breath, looking at the room numbers. 13, 14, 15... Ahh, 15. She paused, looking up and down the scutty damaged door. Talk about quality accomodation.
Oh well. A tent wasnt warm or comfy. This room would hopefully be warm. Shenpushed the door open a crack and glanced round.
Someone had done up her room for her before shed come. Despite the grungy orange appearance outside, the inside was lovely. There was a small rn-suite bathroom, and in the main room a matress lay in the corner, covered with a tapaulin. Just like being outdoors, but with a matress. She smiled. The walls were painted to resemble trees and a little fountain gurgled in the corner. She sighed, sitting down on the matress. She noticed what looked like a firepit in the center of the room.
"Huh..." She laughed. The probably had magic to do this place up, because she could swear she could hear the gently hum if the wind and the tweeting of birds. She dumped her bag down in the corner, lay down on her matress and decided to get some sleep.
All she needed to complete the country-side camping feel was a hoard of sheep, unlimited space and a mountain range in the distance. Other than that. She felt almost like she was at home.
She was awoken at some point in the night by a scream. She quikly ran out of her toom and towards the sound- still dressed in the combat trousers and camo hat as she had been earlier. She pushed the door open quikly when she reached the room where shed heard the scream. She could just hear sobbing coming from inside.
"Hello?" She asked calmly, forcing her voice to remain steady.
"Whos there...?!" Said a young, startled voice. She flicked the lights on to reveal herself to the little blonde boy who was lying crying on the floor next to... Another little bow covered in blood. She held her breath. Back away slowly, or get involved...? Get involved.
"What happened?" She asked cautiously, kneeling down beside the boy and rolling him over. She gasped as the still open, lifeless eyes of the little boy stared emptily up at her. She bit her lip.
The little blonde boy didnt reply. She sat, staring in horror for a second. Keeping her hand firmly on her penknife in her pocket in case the killer was still around somewhere.
It wasnt long before a small crowd had gathered, and Rose turned bright red. They where going to think she did it, werent they?
"I swear, I heard a scream and... And..." She started, trailing off as she began to hyperventilate.
"Hey, dont panic." Said a mans voice. She sidnt look up to see who had spoken, but it sounded somewhat like... what was his name...? Marth. She felt a hand on her shoulder and then looked up. It was Marth. She gave him as calmer smile as she could manage.
"Lucas, what happened?" He repeated Ros earlier question. Lucas gulped, looking up at the bluenette.
"I was asleep in my bed when I heard a scream and then I asked Ness if he was okay and nobody replied then I heard someone running... No two people then this girl came in and turned the light on then I see Ness isnt alrighr hes... Hes..." Lucas began to choke up sobs. Marth kneeled down beside him and gave the boy a hug.
Ro wanted to say something comforting, but what was there to say? The kid had just had his friend... Brother... Somwthing... Killed, and nothing was going to change that. She bit her lip again. She didnt look up anymore as she was aware of a few accusing glances and stares from the other smashers.
"Well find who did this ans make them pay." She said darkly, suddenly feeling less scared and more and more angry by the second. This boy was so young... He had ao many more happy years ahead of him, all to be taken away by one knife to the stomach weilded by... Someone.
"Alright I am going to investigate..." She said again, everyone was staring at her. Maybe she was getting to involved for her first night here? She let out a sigh. No, everyone else was just standing round gawking and looking bervous or fidgety.
She blushed again and stared at the muddy toes of her boots.
"Ill help ya..." Smiled Marth. Another guy with blue hair, she remembered him as being called Ike, also stepped forward.
"Me too." he said, leaning in and giving Marth a little peck on the cheek.
"M-maybe it was an accident...?" Said a terrified looking little angel. Rose put her hand on his shoulder.
"I guess well find out. If it wasnt an accident then we will make sure that bobody else gets hurt, kay?" She said to the kid. The quiet guy in green pushed through the crowd and stood by Pit. Pit glanced up at Link, then turned to Rose and said.
"W-well help with your investigation too." Link nodded, a little blue fairy that seemed to appear from nowhere fluttered around the crowd before sliding back under the guys hat. Rose smiled. Maybe this place wasnt so bad, maybe... After they got to the bottom of whatever happened to the poor littlw boy, shed enjoy it here. Maybe shed even have real friends here. The bountrt hunter, Samus also pushed her way to the feont.
"Ness was a good friend. I will beat some guys up for you, if it helps." She said, giving them a sad smirk, her eyes slightly rimmed with pink. She pulled a laser whip out her pocket and test-whipped the wall. Rose was somewhat scared of that girl. Better bot get on her bad side.
Mario and a little guy in a space suit came to the front and picked up the little boy.
"Mamma mia- this is an eventful night..." Said Mario, as a few pikmin appeared with a blabket and covered the little boy up. Lucas began to cry again and Marth hugged him tighter.
"Ha. It was probably an accident. That or suicide. The guys so pathetic I wouldnt be surprised." Snorted a very tall man with the same strange triangle pattern on his hand as Zelda and the green guy. A few of his friends laughed half-heartedly. She guessed those big thuggy guys were the bad guys from everyones games. A few of the smashers sighed or gave them mean looks. They shut up.
A while later, the investigating group were gathered in Links room. That was the green guya name, apparently he didnt speak. It was a nice forest-theme room- somewhat similar to Ros but with a proper bed and a bit more of a hylian feel about it, with a pretty castle painted on the horizon and all.
"So what we gonna do? I say set traps." Samus said, lounging back on Links bed.
"Ooh, I can make some good hunting traps..." Rose said.
Samus snorted. "Hunting... Traps...? That junk? No, too obvious. We need laser traps. Lots of laser traps to trap anyone sneaking around."
"Uh huh... No. Hunting traps are much more reliable." Rose retorted. How dare anyone insult her traps?!
"Lasers." Samus replied frustratibgly calmly, sitting up.
"Hunting traps."
"Lasers."
"Hunting traps."
"Lasers."
"Stop it you two..." Marth sighed, stepping in between the two heated girls. Rose obeyed, slumping down on the chair.
"Forget the traps, huh?" Ike said, "why dont we just hide... Hide and find out whos acting odd."
"We could do, but what would we do if someone was sneaking round and we didnt notice? How about we set traps and conduct surveillance?" Samus suggested.
"Hunting traps." Rose said, crossing her arms and glaring at Samus.
"Laser traps." Samus said, raising and eyebrow and glaring at Ro.
"Both." Butted in Marth, scowling. "Both work just as well." He sighed, nudging Samus over and sitting beside her on the bed. Link was gazing out the window. Rose couldnt tell if he was listening or not. Suddenly he gasped, turning round with a surprised expression on his face. Pit seemed to be able to understand that guy.
"What is it..?!" The angel kid said, rushing to the window. Marth and Samus soon followed while Ike and Rose glanced at eachother before following too.
"Let me see." Ike said, oushing Marth and Link out of the way. Rose stood on her tiptoes to see over Pits head. Pit might be young, but he was surprisingly tall. Or ro was a midget now. There, lying in a broken heap on the ground was the outline of a body.
"Uh... To Snakes room! Ike, hun, you go check on him." Marth said, his face becoming paler than it was before. The rest of the hurried down the corridor while Ike jumped out the window.
"What the-" Rose began, glancing back at the window.
"He can do that kind of thing." Marth said as id reading her mind.
Rose decided not to comment. However when they reached snakes foom, the door was locked tight.
"How did anyone get in...?" Rose said, tugging on the door. She pulled her penknife out and found the toothpick qnd poked it into the lock. Maybe she could pick the lock.
Link tapped her on the shoulder ans pointed at the ceiling.
It was a plain white ceiling. Nothing special about it. There was the sound of running water in the pipes over head.
Link sighed, frustrated when the rest of them replied with blank expressions, even Pit.
He mimed out what looked like climbing a ladder.
"Uh... Write it down." Marth said. Rose dug some paper out her pocket and a pen. Link took it and scribbled some stuff down.
In hylian. Ro gave him an awkward smile, looking at the paper.
"Get Zelda to translate...?" Pit suggested.
Marth shook his head.
"No time. Gind some shrinking mushrooms and we can enter the room via the water tunnels that the pipes run through." Marth said. Link let out an annoyed grunt and bit his lip. Rose and Pit gave him a knowing smile which Link returned.
A painstaking half-hour later, they pushed open the trap door into snakes room and tumbled to the ground in a large heap.
The all sat up, groaning. "Its been so long that whoevers responsible probably gotten out by now... If they bought rope and spare shrinking mushrooms..." Samus grumbled, dusting herself off. They had a quik look around, finding nothing. They didnt check the bathroom, for the door was side open and theyd see anything odd.
Rose got out her penknife and attempted to pick the lock, while Link got out a clawshot and tried to find somewhere good outside to latch onto and get back to safety. Marth and Samus eventually sat down on a couple of boxes and made small talk.
After about an hour trapped in a dead guys room, Pit got up and walked into the bathroom. A second later he came out.
"Uh... I need to use the bathroom..."
"Why didnt you just use the one in here?" Samus said, gesturing over to the room Pit had entered a second ago.
"Theres a pikmin watching me..." He whimpered.
"What?" Samus replied, obviously not believing him.
"Could be a clue. Better investigate." Marth said, opening the door fo the room fully. And indeed, a red pikmin came bounding out. The poor thing was terrified.
"Ew! Ew ew ew...!" Samus yelped, junping up onto the box.
Rose gave her a strange look, put her oenknife away and walked over to the terrified little guy, picking him up from the waist.
"Come on, hes so cute..." She said to Samus, her voice becoming unusually sticky sweet as she stared at the little red thing she was holding.
"Seriosly?" Marth said. "Your both overreacting and Rose is getting all gooey! Are the pikmin barinwashing everyone or what?!" He said, letting out a small laugh. Link joined him.
"Why is he here though?" Samus said, calming down and stepping off the box onto the corregated iton floor. Why anyone would want a metal storage hold full of boxes for a room Rose did not know.
"When Olimar lets his guard down for wven a second the guys are all iver the place." Marth laughed, walking over to Tose and the pikmin and ruffling the little red guys... Flower head...?
Pit shrugged. "Its true. The pikmin will take over the world someday." He laughed. Everyone was considerably cheerful, considering theyd been one, maybe two, murders tonight. They heard a banging at the door. Samus slid under ghe box, Marth and Link pulled Pit into the bathroom. Rose yelped and dropped the pikmin who scuttled off under a box too.
Rose held her breath. She should hide. But thn the door broke down, revealing Ike.
"I was looking for you guys." He said, stepping over the rubble of the door and iver to a terrified Rose.
"Well, you and everyone else.. He said, looking around. Rose let out a sigh of telief.
"Its just Ike. Who thinks its clever to break doors down." She scowled.
"What? I thought the murderer might be up here... I was worried..." He said sheepishly. "Besides, I heard a scream. Or did Samus just see a spider?" He laughed good-naturedly as the others emerged from their hisinf spots.
"Yeah, it just startled me. Thats all." Samus insisted, glarinf at the littke pikmin.
"Is Snake okay?" Marth asked, taking Ikes hands.
"Im sorry..." Ike said, looking down. Marth looked down too, letting a tear trail down his cheek. Link looked surprised as Samus lets out a small sob.
"No... No..." She says, rushing out the door. Rose stays standing still as a statue. Shes scared stiff, also unsure what to say that wouldnt be awkward. Pit looks worryingly numb as Link picking him up in a piggy back.
"We should go." Pit says.
"Its 5 am... Lets all get an hour or twos more sleep..." Marth said, placing a hand on both Ro and Ikes shoulders and mustering as much of a smile as he can. Ike grips his hand toghly and the two walk out the door followed by Link and Pit whos fallen asleep on Links back. Rose follows, but she knows she wont be able to sleep with the constant fear that she might find herself, or someone else, decapitated in their sleep.
The second she reaches her room, she locks the door tight, locks the window, draws the curtains and boards up the trap door in her own ceiling. After an hour or so she does manage to sleep, but only restlessly.
Nobody else looks much better at breakfast that morning, except the few smashers who were able to get to sleep after the horrifying image of Ness with a knife in his stomach.