Guess what, I'm still not done with the prologue! I don't know how, but I'm somehow dragging the simplest scenes out into thousands word monstrosities. But yeah, have some more exposition, I think that's like 90% of everything I write anyways so hopefully it's not too mind-numbingly boring. With any luck, the next chapter will be the last part of the prologue, since it was meant to be part of this chapter before I realized it was getting way too long for a single chapter. Boy I'm repetitive as crap.
"Alright, we're here!"
"Th-Thank goodness..."
Luigi stumbled off of Yassie's back once she had finally stopped, wobbling back and forth queasily as he tried to regain his balance.
"See, what'd I say, we got here in no time flat!" Yassie said with a smile, which quickly morphed into a frown once she saw the condition Luigi was in. "Er, perhaps I was a bit too fast...?"
"Mama mia..." Luigi groaned. "T-That was more than a 'little bit' bumpy... I appreciate the ride, but I think I'll just walk from now on..."
"Ooh, sorry..." Yassie said in embarrassment. "I guess that's why my parents told me to never forget my saddle..."
"Well, I guess all that matters is that we're here." Luigi said, giving Yassie a small smile of reassurance once his head had stopped spinning. Turning to look at his destination, he let out a whistle of astonishment once he caught sight of the building that no doubt had to be Merlon's house; a giant, mysteriously shimmering crystal ball that flashed and cycled with cloudy, pastel colors, with a door built into the side of it. "Wow, and I thought the Merlon that lived in Toad Town had a crazy looking place..."
"Oh, yeah, Merlon's house is one of the most easily recognizable landmarks in all of New Appelle." Yassie proclaimed. "He's renowned as the city's only trustworthy fortune teller, people come to him all the time when they have a problem and they can't figure out how to get past it."
"Yeah, sounds like a Merlon, alright." Luigi said. "Let's just hope he's in an understanding mood today..."
"Oh, relax, like I said, I'm sure he'll understand!" Yassie said, patting Luigi on the back encouragingly.
Taking a moment to psyche himself up, Luigi took out Merlon's letter and let out a deep breath, then marched up to Merlon's door and got ready to knock on it. As he brought his hand up, however, the door swung open from the other side, startling Luigi.
"Yes, yes, what do you want?" came the agitated voice of the person on the other side, a blue robed Shaman with a large white mustache and beady yellow eyes shining from within the darkness of his purplish-blue robe that Luigi instantly knew was Merlon. He looked at Luigi and Yassie impatiently. "I'm expecting a very important visitor today, so I'm afraid I don't have much time for either of you at the moment. If you need my services, then you'll have to come back later."
"W-Wait!" Luigi cried, sticking his foot in Merlon's door before he could close it. "Th-That's me, I'm the one you're expecting!"
"You?" Merlon asked, shaking his head at Luigi firmly. "My boy, I'm quite certain that you're off your rocker, you're not the person that I'm waiting for at all. Now, if you'll excu-" Merlon stopped mid-sentence and uttered a small gasp as he caught sight of the letter that Luigi clutched in his hand. Narrowing his eyes at Luigi, his voice took on a sudden change in tone for the worse. "What are you doing with that letter? The only person who should have that letter is-"
"My brother, Mario." Luigi finished, getting ready to explain his situation to Merlon. He didn't get a chance to, however, as Merlon immediately flew at him in a rage.
"YOU FOOL!" Merlon bellowed, grabbing Luigi by the collar and shaking him like a rag doll.
Yassie cringed at the sound of Merlon's less-than-pleased voice. "Then again, I've been known to be mistaken about these kinds of things in the past..."
"You great green buffoon, do you have any idea what you've done?" Merlon roared, as he shook the man frantically, glaring at him in a not at all understanding way. "You've doomed us all, that's what you've done!"
Luigi cried out in shock. "W-What?! B-But I, I, I...!"
"I asked for a Mr. Mario, did I not? You do realize that tampering with other people's mail is a federal offense, right?" Merlon said, not letting Luigi get a word in as he released him, causing him to crumple to the ground in a heap. "Why, I have half a mind to turn you in to the authorities myself. But there's hardly much of a point in doing so now that the world is doomed, now is there?"
"B-But I am a Mr. Mario, Luigi Mario!" Luigi cried, looking at Merlon pleadingly. "Please, let me explain!"
"There's nothing TO explain!" Merlon scoffed. "I asked for a hero, not a zero! You have no business meddling in your brother's affairs, you mustachioed moron!"
"Hey, Luigi's not a zero!" Yassie exclaimed in indignation, butting in to the one sided conversation. "Haven't you read his books? He's Super Luigi, he's already proven he's more than capable, so show him some respect!"
"Bah, anything that would 'star' him is obviously nothing more than dime store trash." Merlon stated, waving his hand dismissively at Yassie's claims. "What I need is the real deal, the genuine article, the one and only Super Mario, NOT some kind of second rate copy that can be manhandled like a piece of paper by an old man!"
"Well, TOUGH, because that's what you get!" Yassie said firmly, before hastily correcting herself. "Er, w-wait, that is to say, he isn't a 'second rate copy', I-I meant... Ooh, just listen, you old fart! The only reason he came here at all is because his brother was busy and couldn't be reached, so if anyone's to blame, it's YOU for not sending your dumb little letter sooner! Luigi could've just not come at all, but no, he isn't like that, he has more principles than that! Are you saying you'd rather have had that happen and have NO ONE here to answer your call?"
Merlon looked back and forth from Yassie to Luigi in consternation for a good minute, then finally grumbled. "...Come inside, the last thing I want to do is make a scene. You never know who's watching..."
"Well, it's a bit late for that." Yassie replied, glancing around at all the curious bystanders that had started to gather to watch the spectacle. "But whatever you say. Come on, Luigi!" Grinning triumphantly at Luigi, she followed Merlon inside his house.
"H-Huh?" Luigi stuttered, still dazed and on the ground where Merlon had left him. "Oh, r-right!" Jumping up, he quickly shuffled in after the other two, the door closing itself mysteriously behind him.
Inside, Merlon's house looked remarkably different from its exterior, appearing to be a regular, cozy house, albeit one with fortune telling instruments scattered about. It also, strangely enough, seemed to be at least twice as large on the inside as it was on the outside, a fact which baffled Luigi tremendously. He didn't have much time to dwell on it, however, as Merlon had begun to speak, still not sounding very happy with the way things were.
"What a fine mess this is..." Merlon stated, shaking his head in displeasure. "I should have foreseen this coming and just sent the letter to Mario directly..."
"Or you could've just used email." Yassie said flatly. "That's generally more reliable in this day and age, you know."
"Bah, you sound like my grandchildren." Merlon stated, folding his arms stubbornly. "I fail to see how something as ridiculous as that is any more reliable than my magic!"
"Um, isn't the situation we're in now kinda proof?" Luigi asked, earning him another scowl from Merlon.
Merlon grumbled in annoyance at the suggestion. "Hmph... Be that as it may, there are more important things to worry about right now. I can already tell it's going to be completely hopeless, but I suppose it wouldn't hurt to at least tell you guys what's going on, since we're all doomed now anyways."
"Oh, can it with the doom and gloom stuff already, will ya?" Yassie said, folding her arms and rolling her eyes at Merlon's overly-pessimistic words. "Just tell us what's so important already!"
"Right, well, I had this speech all ready and tailored for Mario, so now I'm going to have to go back through and say 'your brother' instead of 'you' the whole way through, what a pain..." Merlon muttered, shaking his head in disgust before giving Luigi a serious look. "But, anyways... As I stated in my letter, last night, I had a vision. A prophetic vision, if you will, because as you may know, those of my race have such visions a lot, and the things they see within very often come true more times than not."
"Yes, yes, get on with it, already!" Yassie said impatiently, not wanting to waste time if the situation was really as urgent as Merlon made it out to be.
"My, aren't we rude." Merlon huffed, narrowing his eyes at Yassie before continuing. "Anyways, in my vision, I saw a great calamity, the likes of which the Mushroom Kingdom, and the very world itself, has never seen. And yes, I know that's saying quite a lot, after all of the things that your brother has dealt with these past few years. No, this was a far more sinister, horrific fate than anything else that has threatened our beautiful kingdom and planet in the past. The very existence of life itself appeared to be unraveling, mountains melting, seas tearing, the sky falling, all thanks to the actions of a strange, shadowy group, reality seemingly bending and shaping itself to fulfill their every whim. My darkest fears were confirmed when I saw the artifacts that they had in their possession, the only things I know of that could cause such horrifying things to occur..."
"...Well? What were they?" Yassie asked after a moment, Merlon having stopped and hung on his last word.
"Hold your horses, I'm trying to build dramatic tension here!" Merlon snapped, eliciting another eye roll from Yassie. "But yes, only one group of objects did I know of that could alter the very fabric of reality itself... The Dream Casters."
"The Dream Casters?" Yassie repeated incredulously. "You mean those mystical stars from the old wives tales that supposedly can make any dream come true? I thought those were a myth!"
"Oh, they're no myth, my girl, far from it." Merlon said, shaking his head grimly. "I saw quite clearly what they were in my vision, and I have no doubt whatsoever in my mind that the objects were the Dream Casters."
"But how could objects as powerful as they supposedly are have existed for so long with no one being able to find them?" Yassie asked doubtfully. "And how can you be so certain that they're what you saw in your vision if no one has ever actually SEEN them?"
"Good questions." Merlon said, nodding in understanding of Yassie's skepticism. "But who's to say that they haven't already been found? Perhaps they have been, and the people who own them simply do not know of what they truly are. As for your second question, it's quite obvious. After all, what other group of seven star-shaped objects do you know of that can warp reality to match the dreams of those who hold them, no matter how twisted they may be?"
"Honestly? A lot, knowing this kingdom." Yassie said, instantly reminded of about a dozen other groups of mythical stars that she had read about over the years. "But then again, I'm not sure I've ever heard of any others that claim to be as powerful as the Dream Casters..."
"Um, pardon me, but what exactly ARE these Dream Caster things?" Luigi asked, having never heard of the things before in his life. "Do you mean to tell me that whoever owns these things can really make their dreams come true? Like say, for instance, if I had a dream that I was eating a big plate of delicious spaghetti, and then it turned into a monster and tried to eat ME, then that would come true? Because uh, I've kind of had my share of dream-related shenanigans for one lifetime as it is..."
Merlon sighed in disgust at Luigi's question. "Ugh, no. Bad question. VERY bad question. Not those kind of dreams, you simpleton, the other kind of dreams, the kind you have growing up, like dreaming to become an astronaut, or dreaming to have a million coins some day, those kind of dreams."
"Huh?" Luigi scratched his head, Merlon's description of the Dream Casters sounding all too familiar to countless other things that his brother had encountered during his many adventures. "But, aren't those just wishes? There are so many other groups of wish granting stars in the world, what makes these ones so much more powerful than any of them?"
"Because, dreams aren't the same things as wishes, as similar as they may seem." Merlon said. "Wishes are things that happen instantaneously, dreams are not. Dreams are much more powerful things than simple wishes, though many of them tend to be just as selfish and stupid as the majority of wishes are. The main difference, however, is that dreams are things that you can't simply wish for, they're things that take time to come true, things that the Star Spirits or whoever else cannot simply grant and that you have to work towards and put time and effort into making happen. Like, for instance, say your dream was to become the owner of some huge company, you couldn't just merely wish for it to happen; the Star Rod can't create an entire company just for you to own, let alone one that's considered huge and profitable in the eyes of the world. After all, if it would have just magically appeared one day, then how would anyone know about it? However, the Dream Casters work differently. They can easily help you achieve your dreams, because they will subtly warp reality and make it so that you get all the breaks, have everything go your way, all the way until your company has become the huge, multi-million coin business you dreamt it to be, because this way, the company and its growth naturally, gradually occurred, and people will actually know of its existence. Likewise, you can't just wish to become an astronaut, because your co-workers would have no idea who you were and no organizations would have it on record that you're actually an astronaut. With the Dream Casters, you would get all the opportunities in the world to become an astronaut, even if you had absolutely no way to do so before hand, and everything would go right for you until you became what you dream to be. What I'm saying is, the Dream Casters can grant things that no mere Star Spirit can, no matter how farfetched or ridiculous they may seem, as long as you have the will and patience to wait for them to come true."
"Mama mia..."
"The thing about the Dream Casters, though, is that the more you have, the more powerful their effects are." Merlon continued. "This is likely why no one has ever noticed any changes in reality as a result of them, as I doubt there are more than one of them in any given location, and even though they're plenty powerful on their own, any changes they would cause would be very subtle and drawn out over time, and they'd probably be incapable of casting any of the crazier dreams. If they were all brought together, however... Well, reality itself would kneel to you and your whims, no matter how horrible, selfish, or literally impossible they may be. Of course, this is all according to legend, so they may work differently than that. But after what I saw them do in my vision, I can't help but believe that every word of the legend is true."
"So basically, what you're saying is, this shadowy group or whatever somehow got ahold of these things and is using them to destroy reality?" Yassie asked, not particularly looking forward to the answer.
"No, not exactly." Merlon said, shaking his head. "My visions are never of the present, they're always of an event that may happen in the future. However, seeing as the future hasn't happened yet, that means there is a chance that it can be altered or averted completely. And that's where the rest of my vision comes into play, the part that was so important for your brother to have known about. You see, after I had that first harrowing vision, I immediately had another one, this one of a man whom I'm certain was Mario, the resemblance was uncanny. This time, HE was the one who had possession of the Dream Casters, having traveled far and wide alongside an assortment of companions to collect them, and he used them to fight and defeat the shadowy group. Except... Something seemed 'off' about this vision... I can't quite put my finger on it, but something about it definitely seemed wrong. It was almost as if someone had altered or interfered with my vision in some way."
"How is that possible?" Yassie asked in astonishment. "How could anyone else have even known you were having a vision, let alone have been able to alter it?"
"I'm not sure how anyone could have known about it, but I've heard tales from my ancestors that those who have a very powerful grasp on certain forms of magic are capable of invading such visions and changing them to their will." Merlon explained, letting out a sigh that showed he wasn't particularly aware of how it worked either. "I will say though, that shortly before and after I had my vision, I had that distinct, paranoid feeling of being watched by somebody, and it only makes me more convinced that someone somehow altered my vision. Why, and how, I don't know, but its made me wary to trust anyone with this information, seeing as how they could be affiliated with whoever it was that altered it, likely someone from the shadowy group itself. What I do know, however, is that your brother was the only one who could prevent this all from happening. Without him, the world is doomed."
"No it's not!" Yassie said emphatically, standing up from her seat in protest. "If what you say is true about your vision being messed with, then who's to say the whole part about Mario wasn't made up entirely? Maybe they just WANT you to think that Mario is the only one who can stop them, you ever think of that? And if that's the case, then they'll NEVER expect Luigi to be the one to stop them! Come on, you obviously must have SOME sort of faith in him, you wouldn't have trusted us enough to tell us all of this otherwise!"
"No, the only reason I told you two all of this is simply because I know trying to do anything is fruitless at this point, as I said." Merlon rebutted stubbornly. "Without Mario, the Dream Casters are free to fall into the hands of whoever those freaks are, and we're powerless to stop them."
"No, you're wrong!"
Merlon and Yassie both cast surprised looks at Luigi, who had stood up from his own chair and was staring strongly at Merlon.
"Just because my brother isn't here doesn't mean it's hopeless, he's not the only one who can get things done, you know!" Luigi stated, shaking his head sternly before pointing to himself with his thumb. "I'm here, and I can do ANYTHING my brother is capable of doing, including saving the world! I'll collect those Dream Casters before the bad guys can and keep reality from splitting apart, just you watch me!"
"Yeah, you tell him, Luigi!" Yassie cheered, happy to see her hero finally showing the braveness that he was so famous for... In the books, at least.
"Hmm... Well, you're certainly deluded enough, I'll give you that." Merlon said, folding his arms and staring back at Luigi, whose confidence remained unwavered. "...I suppose I really don't have a choice. You're apparently the only chance we have left, stars help us all... But fine, so be it. If you truly think you can fill in for your brother, then who am I to stop you? Perhaps I'm wrong, and you truly will be able to save us all... Though I highly doubt that. Still, it's better than nothing, I guess."
"Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence." Luigi said dryly.
"Why are you so negative for, anyways?" Yassie chimed in, thoroughly annoyed by the shaman's constant pessimism at this point. "What makes you so sure that your first vision is impossible to stop without Mario?"
"You would be too if you'd seen what I had." Merlon said darkly. "This shadowy group, I have never felt such evil in my life as that I did radiating off of them."
"Can you, uh, tell us anymore about them?" Luigi asked hesitantly, wanting to know more about his enemy but at the same time, not really sure if he wanted to hear about them at all.
"If I could, I wouldn't be calling them a shadowy group, now would I?" Merlon responded dismissively. "I couldn't make out anything about them, I saw distorted eyes and evil grins shining in the darkness and that's it. It's almost as if they were blocking me from being able to recognize them as anything more than dark, shadowy blobs. All I know is, whoever it is that we're dealing with, they're very powerful, very evil beings, so if you're really planning on going through with this, you'd best be ready for the fight of your life."
Luigi looked from Merlon to Yassie, both of whom stared back at him expectantly. Letting out a deep breath, Luigi nodded and stuck his fist out. "I'm ready for anything. I'll show you and everyone else that I'm just as much of a hero as my brother!"
"For all of our sakes, I hope you're right." Merlon sighed, rubbing his temples wearily. "By the way..." he stated, turning his attention back to Yassie. "I don't believe I caught your name, what exactly are you doing with our, er, 'hero' here? Would you happen to be a traveling companion of his?"
"Oh, no, I was just showing him to your place, he saved me from getting mugged, so I figured it was the least I could do in return." Yassie explained. "My name is Yassie, sir, I've come to you a few times over the past couple years, but I guess you get so many customers that you wouldn't remember anyone in particular's face."
Merlon took a moment to study Yassie before speaking. "Hmm... Ah, yes, I do remember you. You're that film student, the one with the steadily dropping expectations of what you wanted me to see for you, correct?"
"U-Um, yes sir, th-that would be me..." Yassie replied, surprised that Merlon remembered her but not too thrilled to be reminded of the nature of her past visits to him.
"Right, and I do believe the last time you came to me, you were merely asking what to do to get out of this city, hmm?"
"Y-Yes sir, that's right..."
"I believe I told you to ask me again later, if I'm not mistaken..." Merlon waited for Yassie's nod of confirmation before continuing. "Well, it's later. And as promised, I now know the way for you to leave this miserable place: follow this fool."
Yassie jumped up in shock at Merlon's suggestion. "W-What?! M-Me?!"
"Yes, 'y-you', you silly stuttering girl." Merlon repeated. "If he has any hopes of taking on these people and getting to the Dream Casters before them, he's not going to be able to do it alone. No, he's going to need all the help he can get, because if Mario required assistance in my vision, then this guy will probably need at least three times as much."
"Jeez, would you stop that already?" Luigi said in annoyance.
"Right, right..." Merlon muttered, not particularly taking Luigi's words into consideration. "Anyhow, this is about as good of a chance as you're going to get to not only get out of here, dear girl, but to also fulfill the things that you had asked me to help you with in your earlier visits. Besides, you seem to know your way around a lot more than he does, and I'm afraid if I were to send him out alone, he'd be hopelessly lost within the hour."
"Oh gosh, I... I don't know what to say..." Yassie exclaimed, before looking at Luigi hopefully. "Would you really let me come with you, Luigi?"
Luigi shrugged and nodded in confirmation. "Sure, why not? I'm always happy to have company, doubly so if it helps you out too."
"Wow, that's..." Yassie's eyes filled with glee as she broke out into a huge grin, jumping into the air in celebration. "That's awesome! I can't believe it, I'm going to be going on an adventure with the REAL LIFE SUPER LUIGI! Oh, you won't regret this, Luigi, I swear!"
YASSIE JOINED THE PARTY!
Yassie is a world-wise Yoshi with knowledge beyond her years, a keen filmmaker with a penchant for information. She can tell Luigi about any place, person, or object they encounter on their journey, even things that she should have absolutely no way of knowing about whatsoever, such as the personal information of random townsfolk in places she has never been to once in her life. In battle, she can use her Tattle ability and trusty camcorder to record and divulge an enemy's strengths and weaknesses to Luigi, or scramble some heads with an expertly aimed Egg Shot.
"Oh man, this is the best day ever!" Yassie exclaimed, still giddy with glee and unable to contain her enthusiasm. "Gosh, I can't believe I'm saying that when I was just getting mugged not even twenty minutes ago..."
"Yes, well, now that that's all settled, we should really stop wasting time and get down to business, shall we?" Merlon suggested, clearing his throat with a great 'harumph' to ensure he had Luigi and Yassie's undivided attention.
"Sounds good to me, but uh, how exactly are we gonna go about finding these things?" Luigi asked. "If they've been undiscovered for all this time, then how are we gonna know where to even begin looking for them?"
"Normally, you wouldn't, but as it just so happens, an old acquaintance of mine who has a home on the other side of town next to that abhorrently named 'Helping House' happens to have an odd fascination with the things, and luckily enough, I believe he is actually in New Appelle right now, conducting research on something or other. Hopefully, he'll be home, but you may have to knock loudly, he's usually so invested in whatever he happens to be working on at any given moment that he tends to drown out the world around him. But, if anyone would know where to go to look for the Dream Casters, it would most definitely be him."
"Oh, I think I know the place you're talking about, it's that weird looking building with all the machines built into it, right?" Yassie asked.
"That'd be it." Merlon said with a nod. "Now, don't let him scare you off, he has a reputation for being a bit, shall we say, 'eccentric', but there's no smarter mind in the Mushroom Kingdom, so I'm sure with all that he's researched about the blasted things, he'll have figured out some way of finding out their locations."
"I have this awful feeling that I may know this acquaintance of yours..." Luigi muttered, not sounding too enthused at all. Sighing, he shook his head and nodded. "But, I guess that doesn't really matter here nor there. Thanks for all the info, Merlon, I promise, we won't let you down!"
"I hope not, dear boy..." Merlon said, shaking his head solemnly. "If you ever happen to get lost or stuck on your journey, however, do feel free to come see me, I should be able to use my powers to help you. For a small fee, of course."
"Gotcha." Luigi said, giving Merlon a thumbs up in confirmation. Turning to Yassie, he put on his game face. "Ready to save the world, Yassie?"
"Yeah, you bet!" Yassie replied, nodding her head rapidly. "Come on, I know just where to go! And uh, don't worry, we can walk this time. That way, I can show you around the city while we're at it, since our destination is basically all the way on the other side of town anyways."
Luigi gave Yassie a nod. "Let's get going, then! Seeya Merlon!"
"Good luck, both of you." Merlon said to the two as they headed out his door, waving him goodbye behind them. Watching them disappear from his doorway, Merlon hung his head and sighed. "...Because boy, are you going to need it."
"Eee, I still can't believe this is happening!" Yassie squealed giddily as she walked alongside Luigi down the rather quiet for the city street that Merlon's house was on. "Going on an adventure with Super Luigi to save the world! This is so exciting!"
Luigi looked at Yassie in bemusement. He had to admit, her enthusiasm was rather infectious, to the point where he was even beginning to get excited about the prospect of saving the world, nevermind all the inherent danger that it would entail.
"What's it like, Luigi?" Yassie asked all of a sudden, causing Luigi a bit of confusion before she continued to clarify. "Going on adventures and saving the world, I mean. I've hardly ever been outside of New Appelle and my hometown, so this is all really new for me."
"Er, well, I dunno. It's pretty fun, I suppose." Luigi said, after taking a moment to think. "I mean, discounting all the horrible monsters and dangers you stumble into along the way. I have to admit, its been a while since I've done this kind of thing, usually Mario makes me stay at home to watch over the house."
"Aw, really?" Yassie asked disappointedly. "How come? I thought you guys went on adventures together all the time!"
Luigi coughed, not quite sure how to answer Yassie's question without making himself look bad. "Well, we used to, sure, but these days, Mario tends to leave me behind due to my, er, less than sterling reputation as... Well, a coward..."
"A coward?! You?!" Yassie exclaimed in shock, not believing Luigi's words. "How could anyone think someone like you is a coward, let alone your own brother?!"
"Uh, that's..." Luigi trailed off, rubbing his cap and sighing. He didn't want to ruin his reputation in the eyes of the seemingly only person on the planet who thought he was anything more than a yellow-bellied wimp, especially not if he was going to be traveling with her. Horrible memories of the way his old partners felt about him came creeping up and he had to quickly shake them away. Looking back up, he turned to Yassie and shrugged his shoulders, letting out a fake little laugh. "That's something I don't know, I guess someone who isn't a fan of mine must have spread some nasty rumors that just snowballed out of control. Rumors can be powerful things, after all."
"Jeez, that stinks!" Yassie said, before giving Luigi a reassuring look. "Don't worry, I'm sure once you save the world, those rumors will be put to rest but good!"
"H-Ha, yeah, I'm sure they will..." Luigi agreed, though not at all in a convincing manner. Thankfully, Yassie seemed oblivious to it, still caught up in her excitement, and so Luigi decided to quickly change the subject. "S-So, you said you're a film student or something, Yassie?"
"Huh?" Yassie, still off in her own little world of hype, let out a small gasp before snapping to attention and beaming proudly at Luigi. "Oh! Yeah, I'm studying to become a film maker, or at least, I was. I've always loved reading about the world, but I never got the chance to leave my home town for most of my life, so it was always my dream to be able to travel the world and record it all so that other people in my situation would be able to see it too. And so I saved up all my money and moved here once I was old enough, planning to create a documentary about living in the big city from the perspective of someone who had lived in a small, residential town their whole life as the first in a long line of films. Of course, being as naive as I was, I didn't realize that such a documentary would become the most depressing endeavor of my life. To make a long story short, things haven't gone the way I thought they would, and if I were to make the documentary I was planning on, no one would want to watch it because not one good thing happens in it at any point."
"Oh..." Luigi muttered, casting a sympathetic glance at Yassie.
"Oh, but don't worry!" Yassie said, speaking up before Luigi could apologize for bringing it up. "Like Merlon said, this is the PERFECT chance to turn my fortunes around! I mean, anyone can make a dumb ol' documentary about city life, but NO ONE'S made a documentary about saving the world before! Just think, Luigi, if we really do save the world and I get it all on film, then everyone will be able to see the real you!"
"Th-The real me...?" Luigi repeated, to which Yassie nodded her head happily. Luigi could merely wince at the thought of it, seeing as how his vision and Yassie's vision of the 'real' him were radically different creatures. Putting on another fake grin, Luigi sighed inwardly to himself once he realized just how difficult this journey was going to be.
"...Oh boy..."
Oh right, I should point out, I haven't actually played either of the latest Paper Mario and Mario & Luigi titles, so apologies if anything I write clashes with things that are canon in them or anything of the sort. I think I might have already said this? I don't know, my memory is trash, good god.
