Author's Note: Yet another chapter that didn't want to be written, as well as me being struck by a wave of depression and insomnia that keeps on persisting about staying. Still, I managed to finish, and things will finally begin to kick off now that Samus and her allies have arrived, though it will be a little while yet before the inevitable conflict between both parties involved.
I also want to point out that Mario and Luigi will not have their accents, I can't write accents for beans and due to being an old fart who grew up with the Super Mario Bros. Super Show, I tend to hear Captain Lou Albano and Danny Wells over Charles Martinet whenever I think of the plumber duo, sorry, please don't kill me!
Special thanks go out to my beta-readers, Ayaluki and CatSnievans, you guys are the best!
Disclaimer: As always, the Metroid franchise, the Super Mario Bros. franchise, the Pokémon franchise, the Super Smash Bros. franchise and all their respective characters are © Nintendo while the Castlevania franchise, its settings and characters are © Konami. My original character, Katja, belongs to me.
Summary: After his latest battle with his nemesis, Ridley crashlands in Wallachia, where he finds himself befriended to one of the local residents. Just how much can this meeting change him?
Warnings: Very AU, redemption fic, violence, language, OC, headcanon, eventual Ridley x OC (yep, I'm goin' there.)
Arc 1:
The Search For Simon
Chapter 6:
Cracks in the Stone
Three days came and went for the duo with little problems since Ridley's talk with the strange man, and the space dragon's injuries were healing well. By the fourth day, the smaller injuries upon his form had healed completely and the wounds on his arm and leg had healed over to the point where they no longer needed Katja's makeshift bandages, so only his side and wing still needed the extra care. Though it would take a while longer for his wing to mend completely, and though there was still some discomfort, the space dragon was able to stretch and move the appendage without being wracked by severe pain.
He was now limping far less and even though he was still flightless, he felt strong enough to go hunting for himself and had immediately set out in search of more substantial fare than Katja could provide for him. During the past few days, Katja had taught him the names of the creatures that lived within the forest, and after a couple hours of searching, he came across a small group of what he now knew were called deer. He'd swiftly killed and made short work of three of them before catching a rabbit and a couple of pheasants for Katja on his way back to the clearing as compensation for the food he'd taken from her while he'd been too weak to hunt for himself - and in order to keep up his façade of being someone she could trust. He also continued this intricate deception through his tales of exploring the many different worlds he would come across, which Katja always listened to with a look of complete awe. Of course, he was forced to edit his accounts (sometimes heavily) in order to continue keeping his true reputation a well-guarded secret from the girl, and while he found this to be annoying, he constantly reminded himself that this temporary allegiance would be well worth it in the end.
Deep down, whether he liked to admit it or not, the space pirate commander was grateful to finally have some intelligent conversation for once, which was a welcome change of pace after having been surrounded by people who respected him through fear and tended to keep a safe distance from him at all times.
During the time they'd been living together, Ridley had made certain to watch and analyze Katja to the point where he felt that he now knew and better understood her personality and habits. He found her to be kind, steadfast and honest, traits that had continued to manifest themselves through her words and actions since the night they'd first met. He figured such traits came not only with youth and inexperience, but from the girl's desire for companionship after having lived out on her own for quite some time. As for what unnerved the magic-user, the only subjects that irritated or rattled her were the mention of Carmilla or the threat of capture and persecution, and Ridley made sure to avoid these topics for the most part, only bringing one up whenever he felt like rousing her a little.
In regards to her habits, the draconic beast noticed that, when she woke at the start of her turn to keep vigil and when she changed off with him in order to sleep, she would pause to check their surroundings for signs of approach and would only either rest or go about her business once she felt that the coast was clear. Another habit the female human had is that she would skin most of the rabbits and other small mammals either of them would catch while out hunting and clean the furs. When he'd asked, she explained that certain people paid good money for the furs of certain mammals as well as for the feathers of some game birds, which was why she went out of her way to save both for whenever she would need to stop briefly at a town or village during her travels for either money, supplies or both. And lastly, once she'd finished tending to Ridley and maintaining their tiny campsite, Katja would move off to the opposite side of the large clearing to practice her magic in order to keep both Ridley and their campsite safe in case a spell were to go wrong.
Though some of her more powerful spells (such as the wave she'd raised, frozen and shattered back at the river days ago) made him antsy, Ridley was always certain to watch her in order to better analyze her fighting style in preparation for the day he would no longer have any use for her. As Katja'd explained to him the first full day they'd known one another, she'd practically achieved mastery over fire, ice and water magic while she still had a way to go in regards to her wind and earth magic. Between the two, earth magic tended to give her the most trouble due to its steady and unyielding nature as an element, and so, she tended to rely upon the more responsive elements whenever she needed quick results.
From what he'd seen, she was capable of conjuring both fire and ice from nothing, and she was further able to change ice to water and back again with relative ease. When it came to her wind magic, he realized that was how she'd been able to move the two cyclops bodies (as well as, he realized with unease, himself) while he'd been unconscious the night he'd first met her.
These magical abilities of hers, he surmised, were indeed something to behold, and he could see why most people would be terrified of Katja if they ever learned what she was capable of... and why this Carmilla wished to see her dead. Still, it bothered him that Katja's gentleness and goodwill towards him hadn't diminished over time as he thought they would and, the longer this went on, the more this made him feel uneasy. He knew that it would be easier if she wasn't so trusting, since one had no way of telling if someone would suddenly turn around to use you if you didn't use them first, after all. This logic, however, didn't seem to apply to Katja and he was unsure why.
That is, until the night terror happened on the morning of the fifth day, while Ridley had been sleeping.
The blinding white lights glared down at his prone form and, barely clinging to life, the space dragon could only just register the cold touch of metal underneath him, along with the bindings that held his limbs and tail still. Suddenly, he felt the bite of white-hot pain as metal was driven into hard scales and the delicate flesh that lay underneath, this pain enough to make tears stream from his eyes as he screamed, the sound echoing off the nearby walls.
"Stop..." he gasped, his voice barely working as he met the cold stares of the surgeons. "Why do this...? I don't need..."
"It is because you are valuable," came a metallic voice that he recognized instantly, the nearby monitor humming to life to reveal the visage of Mother Brain, her single eye staring deeply into his own amber ones, though he could barely make out her form onscreen through the film of tears that had been brought on by the excruciating pain that barely seemed to subside. "Because you need to become better, faster, stronger."
"Mother, you're mistaken," he forced his reply through the pain past vocal cords that barely wished to work, "I don't need this... I'm already... perfect..."
"You are not. A perfect being would not be barely clinging to life, Ridley," the AI stated, and the space pirate commander felt an unsettling chill fall over him at her words: "A perfect being would not need to be altered. Continue."
"As you will, Mother," the surgeons replied, saluting as the monitor blinked off, leaving Ridley to his fate.
"No... don't... STOP...!"
More unbearable pain as more pieces of hot metal were forced to merge with tough hide and tender flesh, and his screams sounded far away, as if he were watching this torture from somewhere nearby rather than feeling it first hand, until a fresh wave of pain jolted him back into his broken form.
On the verge of panic, he forced himself to shift his gaze about the room, searching for a means of escape before movement upon the edge of his vision caught his attention. This movement came from beyond the static actions of the surgeons, and Ridley felt a surge of hope when he saw Katja standing upon the catwalk at the back of the room, staring down at the floor.
Katja... his friend!
He yearned to reach for her, but he was too weak to move, knowing that he would be unable to break the binds that held him fast to the operating table. Still, he knew he needed to get her attention, for she would easily be able to help free him with her magic.
"Katja!" he called to her, his voice hoarse and wracked with pain. "Katja, help me!"
The human girl slowly looked over at him, and if he'd been able to move, he would've flinched, for this... this wasn't the the Katja he knew. She was something different, and this change startled and unnerved him. While she was physically the same person, it was her eyes that were different: rather than holding the kind warmth he'd been growing used to, their hazel depths were cold and hard, the whites reddened and irritated as if she'd been awake for days upon end... or crying.
It was as if someone had drained all of that trust and kindness from her and left a cold, bitter husk of her former self. To see that she'd undergone such a drastic change frightened him to no end.
"Katja..." he rasped, "what happened to you...?"
"You," she hissed, her tone chilling him to the bone, as if she'd suddenly struck him with one of her ice-based spells. "You're no better than Carmilla. You lied to me. You hurt me. I hate you."
"Wait! I-I..." he trailed off when he saw another familiar form materialize to Katja's immediate left, towering a good foot or so over the girl, and Ridley was barely able to voice a snarl of hatred as he recognized this new form as that of Samus Aran.
"You...! Get away from her...!"
"Why?" the older female human sneered, glaring down at him, her blue-green eyes filled with hatred. "I told her everything you kept hidden from her so you could weave your web of deception. I saved her."
"You don't care," came a new voice, this time low, guttural and masculine, and Ridley's eyes widened when he saw the ghost of Kraid materialize to the right of the two humans, his tri-eyed gaze narrowed in contempt. "You never cared for anyone but yourself."
"You should have told her the truth," said Gray Voice as his ghost materialized to the left of Samus, the chozo's gaze holding pity. "But, instead, you chose to create yet another enemy."
"I... I couldn't tell her!"
"Indeed you couldn't," Gray Voice agreed, "because you're a coward who only wishes to preserve himself in the end."
And with that, the spectres of the avian humanoid and the giant reptile faded from sight before the forms of Katja and Samus turned their backs to the bound dragon, the older human placing a steady hand upon the younger girl's back as they, too, faded from his sight, leaving Ridley to his fate.
"No... NO!"
Nearby, Katja jerked in a mixture of fear and surprise when Ridley suddenly bellowed in his sleep, the cry wracked in both pain and panic as the big dragon thrashed about, his eyes still tightly shut, indicating that he was in the midst of a particularly horrible nightmare.
"Ridley, what's wrong?!" she cried, jumping to her feet when worry for him overrode her fear when she realized that he was in danger of jarring his wing or, worse, rebreaking it. "Stop, you'll hurt yourself!"
She ran to his side, managing to dodge his wildly flailing limbs as he fought to free himself from imaginary bonds that held him fast. As she drew close, however, she froze when Ridley's eyes suddenly snapped open, their luminescent amber depths glazed over as they fixed solely upon her, a low snarl leaving him.
She cried out when, faster than she could follow, he leapt at her, and she felt the air forced from her lungs as she fell hard onto her back, the lanky space dragon looming over her as he pinned her against the ground with a large hand against her chest, his eyes burning into hers as he lowered his head to her, bared his teeth and growled deeply. While she knew Ridley as a predator, she'd always seen him firstly as a sentient being and, in spite of how rude and stubborn he could be, as a kindred spirit. While he'd been harsh with her back at the river and when she'd struck a chord with him over his scars, those reactions paled in comparison to his current behavior, where he was controlled by his baser instincts.
The comparison made her blood run cold and she shuddered, feeling something wet crawling down her face. Wait, when did she start crying?
No, he's still in there, she reminded herself, forcing her fear back, he's trapped in that nightmare. I need to do anything I can to help him.
"Ridley..." she managed to gasp out, wishing that he didn't have her arms pinned so she could reach out to touch him. "It's me... Katja..."
He snarled again, his nostrils flaring... before he paused, his eyes widening as he caught her scent.
"Ridley," the magic-user tried again, forcing herself to keep talking in hopes that she had a chance to reach him. "It's okay now, it's me, Katja, remember? I've been taking care of you since your ship crashed. It's me, your... your friend."
"Friend...?" he growled, his voice nothing but a guttural rasp before his eyes seemed to clear, the last of the night terror freeing him as he returned to his senses. "Katja...? What happened...?"
He blinked, confused, before he focused on her and saw what he was doing, and he quickly released her and backed away. He heard Katja gasp for breath as she remained there lying on her back, a hand pressed firmly to her right side as she gave vent to a pained groan. He approached after a few minutes of hesitation, only for the girl to shudder and recoil when he tried to help her sit up. Her current behavior was worrying to him, for in the brief time he'd known her, she'd never flinched away from him like this before.
I... must've really jarred her this time.
You're lucky you didn't inadvertently kill her, 'Gray Voice' snapped in his mind, but Ridley paid no heed to the voice as he tried to focus on what was currently happening.
"Katja, I-I didn't..." Ridley muttered, freezing when she raised her free hand towards him, nervous that she was about to cast a spell in self-defense. The space dragon relaxed slightly when he saw no hints of magic, but when he studied her more closely, he felt a coldness fall over him as if she'd struck him with one of her ice-based spells.
There was stone between them again when she looked up, the pained tears in her eyes accompanied by fear silently telling him all he needed to know, and Ridley felt himself shiver as he remembered what had followed in regards to her behavior - no.
No! He shook himself, the metaphorical wall of stone disappearing when he made eye contact with her again. It wasn't the night terror. Katja was still staring at him warily, but her eyes still held the concern he'd come to know from her. So, no, not the night terror. This was reality. Katja was Katja, scared currently, but she was still the same person he'd come to know.
As much as he tried to force himself, he found that he couldn't speak. Instead, he felt some unknown instinct slowly stir deep within, coaxing Ridley to lower himself closer to the girl's level before he crooned softly at her, trying to reassure her as a parent would reassure its offspring even though he himself was still rattled beyond belief.
He saw her draw a deep breath as she tried to recollect herself, and he heard himself croon softly a second time when he saw her face contort in pain.
"I'm okay," she assured, addressing them both even though he heard her voice trembling with every word, "nothing's broken, I promise."
"Katja," he tried again, his voice barely wanting to work, "I... I'm..."
"It's not your fault," she replied simply, quickly wiping her face with her sleeves before she looked at him again. Her fear was forgotten when she caught sight of him, and it shocked her to see how utterly pitiful he looked currently. He'd always been so stubborn, proud and unshakable, and the stark difference was unsettling. He was shaking from how badly he'd been jarred from his nightmare, his head held low and his wings and tail drooping to the point where they were laying limply on the ground as he avoided her gaze. Aside from how badly he'd reacted to when she'd struck a chord with him before, albeit through anger instead of through self-shame, Katja was reminded that, for as unflappable as he seemed to be, Ridley could still be hurt emotionally, like herself and anyone else.
If anything, Katja should've remained wary and afraid of him lashing out at her again, but she remembered - she knew - that, despite his outward appearance and predatory nature, he was still sentient and capable of being hurt. Looking at him then, seeing him so upset and shaken, she felt her heart go out to him. What he needed right now was reassurance and, more importantly...
What he needed, even if he could never admit it himself, was a friend.
And so, without giving herself any more time to think it through, Katja sidled closer and threw her arms around the space dragon's bony shoulders, hugging him tightly as she moved to rest her head against him.
Ridley gasped, both his mind and body freezing as everything came screeching to a halt in light of the girl's boldest action towards him yet.
"You scared me," she whispered, shuddering, "you weren't yourself."
"Katja, I don't-"
"I'm sorry you had that horrible experience," she continued, pausing to take a deep breath before she pulled back to look into his eyes, her own filled with a mixture of concern and reassurance as she spoke again: "As vivid as it may have seemed, it was nothing more than a dream, all right? You're here with me now, you're safe, and I promise you that I won't abandon you."
A part of Ridley that he usually listened to demanded that he shove her away and stop acting so weak, that it was utterly pathetic that he'd fallen so low to the point where a human girl was trying to comfort him and that he didn't need her sympathy - her pity! He was Ridley, damn it! He was the most feared being in the galaxy! He was the Cunning God of Death!
And yet... and yet he could still see the glaring white lights of the operating room, still feel the white-hot metal being forcefully grafted to his still-living body... and he could still hear the voice of Mother Brain telling him that these painful changes were warranted... that...
That he wasn't perfect.
But... he felt Katja's arms around him: warm, gentle and real. In that moment, Ridley realized that, for once in his life, he wasn't being used for the personal gain of another in spite of being allowed to do what he pleased. As he looked into Katja's eyes, he saw nothing but her desire to help him recover from the pain, nothing more. There were no hidden motives or agendas, just her desire to be there for him when he needed it...
... Like now.
It was a feeling that was downright strange and alien to him but, without realizing what he was doing, the space dragon shivered before he wrapped his arms firmly around the slender girl and pulled her as close to himself as he could before resting his head against her back, not caring that her long hair was tickling against his face as he shut his eyes tightly and took a deep breath, allowing her scent to calm and reassure him. He felt Katja return the gesture as her arms once again slid around his shoulders, and she would whisper gentle reassurances whenever he would begin to tremble again.
Eventually, his emotional exhaustion caught up to him, and Ridley fell into a deep dreamless sleep, leaving the human trapped in his hold, unable to move. When he woke later that afternoon, he found that she had stayed with him, just in case he were to slip back into that or into a different nightmare altogether.
The experience had left him rather unsettled well into the night to the point where he began to feel a tight feeling within his chest, as if it had been clamped in a vice. More importantly, this tight feeling within his chest would worsen whenever Katja would give him that warm, trusting look and while this change was slight, it hadn't escaped his notice, and it would turn out to be the first change of many to come.
For little did he realize that part of this pain was the result of cracks forming within his stone heart.
One thing that constantly bothered him in regards to the night terror was a certain word Katja had said to him, which had, oddly, been the catalyst that had allowed him to regain his senses.
A little word known as 'friend'.
Shit, she couldn't see him this way... could she? Even with how he tried to keep her at arm's length?! It bothered him to the point where, two days after his night terror, he decided to finally find out for himself if this assumption was true or not.
"I'm curious," he said that evening while they'd been idly chatting after a meal of venison, "did you travel with anyone before you met me?"
"Yeah," she replied softly, "I did shortly after I ran away when... when Holly was persecuted and killed. There were three people and a dog, and I'd tried to be careful about using my magic around them out of fear that they would tell someone and have me killed, but they understood."
"Where are they now if they'd accepted you, Katja?" he asked, curious about why she was alone. He saw sadness flash across her hazel eyes for a moment and assumed the worst, but he held back said assumption until he gained an explanation from her.
"We traveled together in Moldavia for a couple of weeks, but..." she trailed off, her hands clenching in her lap as she fell silent, and her voice was soft when she continued: "I was always terrified of accidentally hurting them with my magic or that they would end up persecuted and killed for aiding me, so I had no choice but to part ways with them. They're not from around here, so I hope they're doing well."
Ridley frowned, her words making him think back to his time on Zebes with Kraid for some strange reason he couldn't really fathom. While the hulking brute had been nice enough to him, Kraid never really could hold his end of an intelligent conversation even though Ridley was the only one who could understand his guttural roars and, thus, acted as an interpreter for the big reptile when he needed to talk to their fellow Space Pirates.
I suppose he was the closest thing I had to a friend before, Ridley thought, feeling the metaphorical vice squeezing his chest, though he chose to dismiss it. Though I never really thought of it that way until now...
He hadn't seen nor heard anything of Kraid since Zebes, and Ridley had known that nobody would care to tell him what had become of the giant reptile since it had been obvious, given how Ridley had barely escaped with his own life.
Deep down, he knew that Kraid was dead, but the life Ridley led didn't allow him to show any weakness, he couldn't afford to or risk losing the position of power he'd worked so hard to achieve, so he had moved on and chosen to forget even though...
Even though, it had never felt like the correct thing to do.
The space dragon chuffed softly, forcing the memories of his deceased comrade to the back of his mind where they belonged. He blinked when he felt a light touch against his arm, and he glanced down to see Katja looking up at him, a frown of worry creasing her features.
"Were you thinking of someone?"
"I was," Ridley replied, his voice sounding wrong to his own ears, and he cleared his throat to fix it. "An... old friend I haven't seen in years who fell in with the Space Pirates around the same time I did. I'd... rather not talk about it, at least not right now."
"I understand," the human soothed, her gaze softening when he met her eyes, and the tight feeling in his chest grew worse until it reached the point where Ridley had to look away as he took a long, deep breath.
"... Thank you," he rumbled, moving to lay his head down on his folded arms before he sighed. "Maybe I'll tell you about him when I feel comfortable enough to remember him again."
"I would like that, thank you," she replied softly, gently patting him on the arm before she pulled her hand away. "And I'll be happy to tell you more about my friends as well."
The dragon grunted in acknowledgement, not feeling comfortable with returning such a sentiment. Damn it, was he actually starting to trust this human to the point where he was willing to share such personal information about himself?! Shit! No, it was because he could finally admit that he missed Kraid, not because he was beginning to see Katja as... as a friend! That's all it was!
... Wasn't it?
"Katja," he said, breaking the silence that had fallen over the two of them, though he didn't feel comfortable enough to look at her yet. "What you told me that morning before... did you mean it when you said that..."
He swallowed thickly after trailing off, somehow managing to remain calm as he forced himself to utter the question:
"When you said that... you were my friend?"
"I did," she replied gently, smiling warmly when he shifted his gaze to her. "And I apologize if it was too bold a statement to make, since we haven't known each other for very long. I didn't want to assume-"
"No it's... it's fine," he interjected quickly, "Really, it's fine. I'm just... not used to someone so readily using that term to refer to me, that's all."
"I understand," the human replied softly before she sighed and moved to push her brownish-blond hair behind her shoulders, the beads clinking softly from the movement. "And I promise I won't hold it against you if you don't feel the same about me."
"Why wouldn't I?" Ridley asked before he realized he'd even spoken, and the space pirate raised his head before focusing his attention upon her. "It's just difficult for me to believe that, well... Just look at me."
"I am," she replied, and he saw her gaze harden, her tone darkening when she spoke again, "to be honest, I don't understand why people refuse to take time to see what lies beneath someone's exterior. Sure, someone may look like a baneful monster, but that doesn't always mean they are."
Ridley's eyes widened considerably at the terrifying familiarity of her words, a cold shiver crawling down his back when a rather unpleasant memory came bubbling to the surface:
"Even if you look different... You're not scary... We can still be friends!"
No... NO! He bared his teeth as he clutched at his head, his eyes squeezed tightly shut. Leave me alone, leave me alone, LEAVE ME ALONE!
"Are you okay?" she asked, her voice soft and holding a tone of worry.
"Y-yeah," he muttered before he gave his head a hard shake, chasing the memory back to where it belonged in the darkest reaches of his mind. "Just a bad memory."
"I'm sorry," she replied quietly, her gaze softening when he looked at her again.
"Don't be," he chided, "you're not the cause." But your words did hit rather close to home...
"I feel bad for bringing it up," she admitted, "and I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable."
"You didn't," he replied, feeling his chest tighten at the white lie and he took a breath to steel himself before he rose to his feet and moved closer to where she was sat by the campfire. He leant down to gently nudge her shoulder, keeping the contact brief before he pulled back. "And, yes, I see you as a friend as well."
"Thank you, Ridley," the human replied, and he barely kept himself from wincing when he saw her practically beaming up at him as she reached out to touch the bridge of his muzzle for a few seconds before pulling her hand away. "That means a lot to me."
After that conversation, more changes began taking place, the first being that he had meant it when he'd said that he saw her as a friend. The vice-grip feeling in his chest would also grow worse to the point where he had difficulty breathing whenever he found himself having to lie to her, and thus, he would change the subject in order to keep from doing so as well as, more importantly, to alleviate the pain. It was, perhaps, also the reason why he found himself volunteering to help her search for the herbs she needed for her medicine and remedies and why he'd even begun offering to share his kills with her even when she wasn't hungry. It was also why he realized that he no longer felt revulsion whenever she would touch him and why he'd started staying close to her whenever he would rest or during conversations.
Yes, something had changed, and though it bothered him, deep down, he realized that... he didn't really mind said changes, even if, sometimes, they left him feeling unsettled; as having someone to talk to after living a life of self-caused isolation was (as much as he would never outwardly admit it) a rather welcome change of pace for once.
Still, it wasn't enough to keep him from thinking of his revenge against the Hunter, for nothing could sway Ridley from this personal goal of his... especially not the beginnings of a friendship that would merely be fleeting.
There was far too much hatred between himself and Samus Aran by this point, after all.
High above the heavens, near the planet's orbit, a golden craft coalesced into view, accompanied by a brief flash of light. Within the cockpit sat a tall blond woman clad in a sleek, form-fitting suit which was sky blue in color. Her face was set in stern determination as her blue-green eyes swept over the various controls.
The signal's last location was near that anomaly we just passed through, but now it's gone. Ugh, you're not escaping that easily, you son of a bitch.
"Hey, Samus," called a male voice, rousing the woman from her train of thought as she turned to address the one who'd spoken to her. "Take a look at this."
"What've you got?" she asked as she rose from her seat and moved to stand at the short man's left, her eyes widening at the sight of a very familiar planet's surface staring back at her from the screen. "Oh, shit. If Ridley's here, we need to find him and fast."
"I feel guilty for you getting sidetracked from this bounty," the man said, "but I'm grateful that you took the time to help me rescue my friends... and Bowser. Still, I wish there was some way we could pay you, given your chosen profession and all."
"Agreeing to help me find and take down Ridley is payment enough," Samus replied, turning her attention to him. "Normally I work alone, but I'll make an exception this once." And only this once.
He was a short, stocky fellow clad in a set of blue overalls over a red shirt, with a pair of off-white gloves and medium brown shoes. A red cap hid most of his dark brown hair from view, a white circle with a capitalized 'M' set within the center.
His younger brother, who sat to his right, was taller and more on the slim side. While he was wearing a set of blue overalls, brown shoes, and off-white gloves like his sibling, the younger man's undershirt was green, matching his cap, which had a similar white logo, though with a capitalized 'L' instead of an 'M'.
These "Mario Brothers", as they tended to refer to themselves, were a strange sight, even to a person who thought they saw everything. No, it wasn't every day that Samus ran into people who could gain strength from... eating mushrooms... or who could conjure fire with the aid of certain flowers. At least they learned quickly, both having taken to the monitors and their controls after only a few training sessions.
Still, there was no way these two could be any help to her against someone as brutal as Ridley, but the bounty hunter kept this to herself as she raised a hand to pinch the bridge of her nose, only to glance to her left when she felt a slight weight settle upon her shoulder with a soft sigh.
"Pika?" he asked, his beady black eyes holding concern as he slicked his ears back for a few seconds. "Pikpika pika Chupi?"
"I'm okay," the woman reassured, reaching up to run her hand over Pikachu's short fur, and she allowed herself a small smile when the yellow mouse-like creature gave a soft, high-pitched squeak at the attention. Ever since she'd rescued him from being used as a living battery from that facility a few years ago, the little Pokémon had refused to leave her side. Deep down, Samus was grateful for the company, though she would never admit it.
"With the signal practically cold, we have no choice but to scan the surface for him," Samus concluded after a few moments of silence, though the very notion of having to guess irritated her to no end. "Let's pick a hemisphere and go from there."
"Righto, Boss Lady," Luigi replied with a salute, and the bounty hunter barely fought back a sigh when Mario leaned over to elbow him in the ribs.
I just hope we're not too late.
Back within the clearing he'd called home for the past week, Ridley's amber eyes snapped open before the lanky space dragon swiftly rose to all fours, his tail lashing in unease as he glared heavenward, a low growl sounding in his throat.
"Ridley?" Katja called, but the space pirate kept his attention fixed upon the night sky. "Are you okay?"
"Gather your belongings. I believe it's time for us to move on," he stated, his gaze slipping over to rest upon the human at where she stood close to his left. "Start dismantling the campsite, it's no longer safe here."
"Good," she replied, her words causing him to finally turn his head to look at her. "I've been wanting to leave for a while now, but I..." she trailed off, a light blush of embarrassment coloring her cheeks as she looked down at her boots. "I never wanted to say anything because I didn't want you to feel like you've been a hindrance to me."
"It's fine," he assured, leaning over to gently touch the tip of his muzzle to her shoulder, an action he'd found himself doing quite a bit lately, though he kept the contact brief. "Could you stack the shrapnel closer together? I plan on getting rid of it. I can't risk others finding it once we're gone."
"Excellent point," the girl replied, nodding in agreement as she raised a hand to touch one side of his muzzle, the contact lasting for only a second before she turned her back to the large reptile and moved back to their tiny campsite, her cloak swishing about her slender form. She'd been wearing it more often, he'd noticed, but felt no reason to bring it up, as the coloration and continuous loss of the surrounding trees' leaves along with the decrease in temperature told him all he needed to know.
Ridley found himself smirking in silent commendation at Katja's forethought when he saw her moving the shrapnel closer to the point of the escape ship's explosion, though the larger pieces gave her a bit of trouble, so he helped her to move those ones before he cautioned her to stand back.
He glanced towards where he'd last seen the magic-user, making sure that she was well out of harm's way before he took a deep breath and exhaled, the high-pitched whine of his plasma breath sounding across the clearing as he reduced what remained of his escape ship to nothing but a molten mess.
When he turned to check on his companion, he saw that she'd already doused the campfire and he did what he could to help her make it appear as if the clearing had been untouched aside from the scorched area caused by his ship crashing a week prior.
Little did the pair know, however, that their luck was on the verge of soon running out.