I would have liked to have gotten the chapter posted sooner, but with last-minute tests for school, I was a little busy today (also waiting for my much-anticipated winter break. :P).
Anyway, enjoy (and remember, always be on the lookout).
Chapter 3-The Arrival
Lunch at Peach's was as boring and uneventful as ever. With nothing else to talk about other than idle chit chat, the meal dragged on, only to be complimented by the sound of Luigi's clanging silverware as he tried to build a miniature house out of his fork, spoon, and knife, just to satisfy the boredom.
Other than that, Peach mentioned a few times about how she genuinely detested Lady Bow (on account of her 'snobbishness' and 'continual whining', as Peach put it), but also how excited she was to be flying in a high-class blimp.
And once they were finished changing, eating, and packing, they set out for the boat harbor, in hopes to arrive by seven-thirty. That way, they'd be able to dock in Rougeport no later than ten, and easily be able to situate themselves with a room at the inn...
"And there it is...Rougeport," Luigi said, pointing out the boat window upon the nearing city. Through the darkness of the night, the city looked like a shadowy, unwelcoming silhouette. It represented the very darkness that had once overwhelmed the town when the Shadow Queen had been revived. It was the kind of darkness that was meant for no laughing matter.
The three of them peered out the small windows, intently staring at the vast block of black that seemed to cover their view from any surrounding ocean. Rougeport was just...there...and so clearly, too, that even through it's profile, it looked so obviously visible...
"It looks so different at night," Mario observed, recalling how he had never quite seen the town from such a distance at such late hours. The time? 10:04 PM. They were running a little late, due to the princess's forty-five minutes of 'freshening up'. Oh, what a pain she was...
"Hmm..." Peach said, which was hardly saying anything. It was more of a groan of approval, if anything, "So I wonder if it's still the same...you know, all the criminals and low-lifes that hang around there...?"
"I'm sure..." Mario admitted, much to his disappointment, "I can doubt it's gotten better, but we can sure hope it has..." He let out a reassured sigh of relief, as though it indeed had gotten better. It was sure good to think so...
Luigi remained silent for several moments. His eyes were all about, not entirely focusing on anything in particular. He was, more or less, skimming the wide panorama that was displayed before him. But his unbreakable trance was, indeed, broken, by the sound of the boatman's voice.
"Docking at Rougeport in five minutes!"
Upon arrival at the dock, Mario, Luigi, and Peach all took a step off the boat, breathing in some fresh air. Fresh air...whether Rougeport had anything like such was actually a mystery, but they'd like to think that they weren't inhaling the gross toxins that lived within the city.
Peach yawned an over-exaggerated yawn, "I'm tired..." She looked at the two brothers. And much to her disappointment, neither of them contagiously yawned; she hoped this wasn't a sign that they still were filled with energy, "We really should go to the inn..."
As much as Mario would have liked to explore the town much more thoroughly, he sighed and nodded, "Alright, Peach..." The three then proceeded up the stairs, leading into the central part of Rougeport. And among them all, they all noticed one thing: it was all the same. Everything. Every speck of dust, every mark of graffiti (yet, of course, there was more of it, now), and every piece of trash that covered the streets still remained. It all just seemed to bring back some unpleasant memories.
"Heh, look at that..." Luigi muttered, pointing to some graffiti among one of the walls. Peach and Mario could only return his witty remark with a glare.
"You're such a child, Luigi!" Peach exclaimed, yet slightly laughing at the same time. Mario simply burst into laughter at the sound of her sudden outbreak. It seemed as though he was having some strange giggle-fit that was derived from the very sound of human existence.
"What?!" Luigi retorted, "Don't you think they should wash that off?"
Peach just rolled her eyes and laughed, "I wonder which idiot decided to write that..." She sighed, as they closed in upon the door to the inn. But for a dramatic moment, they all just stood there, staring at each other. The looks on their faces read 'which one of you is going to open the dreaded door?'. Yet, the reason the door could be considered dreaded was yet to be known...
"Or," Peach said suddenly, "Should we get the tickets now? Just to be safe...?" She watched as the two brothers exchanged one of their classic glances.
"I suppose..." Mario nodded, as they turned away from the door. Now it was time for them to head into west Rougeport. As they suspected, it remained unchanged, the only difference being that it looked even more grimy and grotesque that it had before. Didn't this city have any sense of cleanliness?
Luigi spoke up again, "Frankie and Francesca, isn't it?"
For a moment, Mario couldn't figure out, in the slightest, what his brother was speaking of. But as his mind became more adjusted to the past, he began to reminisce upon the times in which he was acquainted with the piantas.
Frankie and Francesca had recently married, being heads of the Pianta Syndicate of Rougeport. Being much more like that Francesca's father, Don Pianta, they received much more respect, even from the Robbo Gang of east Rougeport. Sure they weren't best buds, but the Don sure could be overly annoying at times...
Entering the item shop at the end of Rougeport, they encountered the shop owner, a female Boo, "Hello!" She called to the three, "How can I help you today?" She had such a welcoming smile on her face for having worked that entire day. Apparently she was just one happy person...err, ghost...
Mario pointed at her, "Peeka, isn't it?"
The Boo brightened up even more. Upon hearing her name being recognized, she, too, recognized the notorious man that stood before her. Why, it was the great Super Mario! The hero of the Mushroom Kingdom...the savior of the world! And my, he had the princess there with him, too! The widely-renown princess of the Mushroom Kingdom! And he even brought along some guy with a green cap! Oh, how wonderful!
"It's Mario!" She called, stating the obvious. Over-excited, she relaxed some of her enthusiasm with calming deep breathes. Once she found herself returning back to normal old Peeka, she added, "I-I can't believe it's actually you! After all these years!"
Mario simply laughed and gestured for her not to brag upon him like so. For once, he actually felt good getting congratulated...perhaps, for the fact that the girl that did the congratulating nearly got a heart attack..., "Aw...Peeka, I'm so glad you remember me,"
Luigi wasn't sure whether this was just some 'I haven't seen you for five years reunion, or if it was some strange love-moment going on. But either way, all he could do was sit back and grimace as his brother typically stole the limelight from the rest of humanity.
"How could I forget? You saved the entire world! The entire world! You really are amazing!" She laughed. And from behind Peach, Luigi could only find himself mocking Peeka's words with annoyance, "So what do you need? How can I help? Do you want some items? Aw, take some for free! Take one, ten, a hundred! Well, maybe not a hundred...but, still, take what you need!"
Mario laughed, "Well, actually. It turns out that I need a ticket for the Cheep Cheep Blimp. Could you just unlock that door up to the Pianta Syndicate?"
Peeka stuttered, disappointed, "Aw, well, actually...no one's in there now. Frankie and Francesca went home really early. They said they needed to relax a while. Sorry, but you'll have to come back in the morning..." Peeka seemed so disappointed that she couldn't be of any help that she would have owed her life to Mario if she could. To bad she was already dead...
"Oh," Mario mumbled, "That's okay. We'll see you early tomorrow, then..."
"Aw, okay!" Her face brightened up again. She looked so happy that her expression represented that of a lottery winner's. And with a wave of good-bye, she turned toward the counter, sad to see Mario leave...