((Whew! Finally found time to sit down, write this darn thing, and post it for you all! This chapter was actually hard for me to write. I couldn't figure out how in the world I was going to continue with this story. I needed to add more fan-service in terms of characters, things, etc. and also had to bring in more character development for some of the lesser characters in the last few chapters I have available to write on. And then it just hit me a few days ago as to how I wanted to proceed...and here I am ladies and gentlemen, hoping that this new chapter shall appease you all for what is to come in the future and soon-to-be end of this fic. Here's to character development and tie-ins for later chapters!))
Mattao and Rock had finally finished their race to the kitchen, the blonde servant grinning with his hands behind his head as he was the obvious winner this round; sure he had taken some short cuts to outsmart the Reploid, but he wasn't going to let his taste of victory go unblemished. Rock himself was panting slightly and had laughed about the defeat, taking it in stride as he laughed with his new found friend. As they opened the doors to the kitchen, an arsenal of smells and sounds seemed to come from nowhere, making the two young men's eyes widen in astonishment.
In every nook and cranny of he kitchen, dishes and meals were being prepared; pastries, meats, pies, casseroles...almost anything you could think of was being created in front of their eyes. And at the heart of it all stood the chef, a rotund and stout green robot with a chef's hat and an apron, stirring a pot of stew as he fanned himself with a white and red striped japanese fan.
"Hey Auto*, how's it crackin'?"
At the sound of Mattao's voice, the robot's head turned to face him and "the prince", his red glass eyes slanted by almost hilarious looking metal eyebrows.
"Hey, no access to the kitchen until the feast is prepared for tonight!"
Rock blinked, suddenly realizing that the chef was addressing them. He had been so shocked and in awe by how much food was in front of him that he almost short-circuited into a state of frozen surprise.
"Aw come on man," Mattao frowned slightly, "Not even just a small...tiny...little dish for me and the prince?"
Auto fully turned to them, his spoon pointed at them. "I know what you are trying to pull, blondie! And it ain't gonna work today. Prince or no prince, you are not tasting my artistic creations until the set time they were intended! If someone dared to taste them now, their magnium opus of flavors and aromas would be-"
Mattao scratched his chin a bit, "No need to be so over dramatic..."
The eyebrows narrowed so Auto's eyes were slits and the sides of his mouth gritted into a frown, some steam escaping the sides of it as a testament to his growing anger. Running his hands up his arms as if to pull up his sleeves, he waddled over to Mattao grabbed him by the back of his shirt, dragging him out of the kitchen, ignoring Mattao's futile attempts to escape the robotic grip.
Rock simply took a quick one-eighty degree turn on his foot and strode out of the kitchen, just in time to barely avoid missing Mattao as he was thrown out, the servant landing on the ground near him. Looking between the chef and his friend, Rock sheepishly shrugged as a sign of apology, which only made the chef huff loudly and slam the doors behind him.
"Well that could have gone better..." Mattao sighed, rubbing the back of his head as he turned over and sat up. "That guy sure has a monkey wrench up his gears if you know what I mean."
Rock huffed a chuckle and held out his hand to help Mattao up. "Is he always like this?"
"Yeah, pretty much..."
The two stood in silence for a few minutes, looking around the hallway they were in. It was cut short however as Mattao stretched, cracking his knuckles with a grin.
"Well, if he wont let us in and have some grub the easy way, I guess its time for Plan B..."
Rock glanced at him, having a bad feeling about whatever the blonde was planning. But before he could say anything, Mattao was already walking down the hallway, the grin on his face never ceasing.
"Come on X...I know just what to do..."
Mattao led the young Reploid to a wall near the Dining Room and, after looking around to make sure no one was looking, pressed his hand into one particular area. A section of the wall nearby seemed to shimmer for a second before a hole materialized, the passageway beyond large enough for two people to walk next to each other and was high enough to where even someone as big as Captain Sigma could just fit through. Rock's face was one of surprise and alarm; a secret passages were something he figured every castle had for security reasons but...to actually see one! Taking cautious steps into it, Mattao waited till the Reploid was behind him before he hit the side of the wall where the opening was and the wall shimmered back into place again as if nothing had happened.
"Sure is dark in here..." Rock blinked as he tried to get his visual receptors to get used to the darkness around him. A sudden appearance of an orange light made him jump slightly, but he relaxed as he realized it was only Mattao with a flashlight looking tool.
"Come on, it's this way. Try not to make too much noise though..."
The Reploid nodded and followed the servant down the corridor, trying his best to be as quiet as possible. "How did you find this?"
Mattao looked back at "the prince" and smirked, "What, you think only the royal family and the higher ups in the castle know about these?"
Rock hesitated in his steps as he realized that he almost let it slip that he wasn't the prince. However, to his relief, Mattao had turned back to the path they were on and shrugged.
"Axl told me about it," He stopped as they reached a fork in the path, cocking his head as if to listen for something but then chose the right hand path and continued on his way. "He figured everyone should know about these things just in case."
Finally, the blonde stopped and held a finger to his lips before pointing to the end of the passageway. Rock glanced in that direction and almost jumped as he realized they were looking into the kitchen, Auto's back to them both as he hummed a merry tune. Looking at Mattao with a panicked expression, the servant responded with a smirk, winking as he turned and walked casually to the apparent hole in the wall. The Reploid waved his hands for Mattao to stop what he was doing, frantically trying to coax him away from being seen as Auto turned to them fully, checking on a pie he was making. But as soon as the blonde got to the edge of the hole, he lazily leaned back and crossed his arms, the smirk still plastered on his face as he stared at "the prince".
Rock couldn't believe it. How in New Arcadia could he do that? He was literally leaning on nothing but air! And Auto...how was he unable to see him?!
"One-way mirrors, aren't they just handy little buggers?"
The Reploid blinked, "Wait...he can't see us?"
Mattao rubbed a finger under his nose in a taunting fashion and giggled, clearly getting a kick out of his friend's response. "Nope, ol' Green Bolts won't even know we are here! Just as long as we keep quiet anyways.."
Rock felt himself sigh with relief; if he was as human as Mattao was, he was sure to have had a heart attack. Looking past the servant and into the kitchen, the Reploid took some time to study the secret one-way mirror as he walked up to Mattao, nodding as he finished his analysis.
"Are there more of these doors?"
"Yeah, almost every single room has a secret passage, but not all have the one-way mirrors. Don't really know why..."
With a shrug, Mattao turned back to the entrance to the kitchen and held a hand up, "Go hide back down the passage. I'll give you a signal when its safe to get he food ok?"
"The prince" nodded and went back towards where they came, waving to show he was far enough away so he wouldn't be seen, which Mattao returned with a thumbs up. Waiting until the chef had left the kitchen entirely, Mattao crouched low and pressed the panel for the entrance to open before he snuck into the kitchen. Making sure the coast was clear, he grabbed a dining cart and began putting an assortment of foods onto plates, stacking them professionally so none would fall off. The food he took was not much, just enough so the two of them could have a good lunch. They were also dishes that Auto would not notice if they disappeared, so there was no way for him to ever catch on unless he somehow noticed them.
After a few more things, Mattao went back to the panel, being careful not to make too much noise and always watching the door that led back in just in case Auto came back. However, as if by a stroke of ill-fated luck, he heard the doors open and Auto's grumbling voice follow suit right when the cart had gone halfway inside. Thinking quickly, Mattao shoved the rest of the cart through and quickly hit the panel to hide the secret passage, crouching silently behind one of the tables where they cut meat and poultry with a grimace of worry.
Meanwhile on the other side, Rock had awaited patiently for Mattao to do his work, watching in awe as the young man expertly evaluated and took certain foods while also placing them on the cart in a neat and proper manner so none fell off. And all seemed to go according to plan until Auto had shown up, and he too expressed the same showing of fear of Mattao being caught. He barely had enough time to catch the cart as the blonde pushed it through, almost losing a plate of turkey if it wasn't for his foot pressing it against the frame of the food cart. He would eat that one for sure, no way Mattao was going to get food someone had stepped on after all the work he did.
Looking back at the kitchen's entrance, he and Mattao seemed to exchange a look before the blonde went to peek around the table he was behind; clearly he was thinking about what to do and how to proceed. He himself would have helped him, however the food cart was now his responsibility and Mattao couldn't see him anyways thanks to the passageway's one way mirror. How was he going to get out?
But then Mattao seemed to get an idea, and the Reploid blinked in surprise as the servant turned his attention back to the passageway's entrance and make certain hand gestures, giving "the prince" a form of code. It took Rock a moment to process it, but he finally nodded: Mattao wanted him to go back the way they had come through the passageway with the food and to meet him in another room of the castle. With a sigh, Rock turned the cart around to wheel it back to the entrance, hoping his friend would be alright.
Well...he had gotten himself into quite the pickle: here he was in the middle of a kitchen, hiding behind a table so the grumpy cook couldn't see him. What was he gonna do...?
Peeking around the table's other side, he began to re-analyze the situation. Auto always walked around the kitchen as he worked, doing more than one thing at once. He also liked to hum or sing to himself so that he could focus, a typical thing for anyone to do as they worked. This time was no exception...
"If only I had Item-2, Id be able to cross to the other side with ease.."
Mattao winced from the sound of Auto singing...he wasn't bad by any means, but the fact that he never really practiced didn't help either. Waiting until his back was turned, the blonde quickly rolled across the table and slid under one of the giant fridges that held the delicious dessert sweets, barely fitting beneath it.
"...But no matter times I try...I can't beat Air Man!"
Auto was now dancing around the kitchen with a broom, tidying up as he fried some eggs in a skillet at the same time. Truthfully, Mattao liked watching Auto work; the robot was surprisingly graceful and a true artist with anything he did. But now was not one of the moments he would like to stick around. Not when food and the Prince were waiting for him.
Slowly crawling out from under the fridge, he waited until Auto wasn't looking to get up and hug the wall, sliding to the other side as he eyed the door that was only a few more feet away.
"I can't dodge his tornadoes no mater how many times I try. Even when I get behind him and keep shooting. I still end up getting blown away by his wind. I have also tried the often-abused repeated pause technique, but its kinda meaningless against the tornadoes. So in order to win for sure next time, I'll be stocking up on nothing but Energy Tanks."**
Just as Auto leaned down to check on a pie in one of the ovens, Mattao made a break for the door in a silent run. Nearing the door, he quickly slid to a stop and went through the door in one move, closing it behind him so it didn't make a noise. As soon as he made sure the door wasn't going to move anytime soon, he spun around and hugged the wall so he was out of eye sight, just in case Auto stuck his head out to check on the noise. However, the cook didn't seem to make any sign of checking on a noise or any commotion, so he relaxed and wiped his brow. Walking to his meeting place with the Prince, he shot a fist into the air with a triumphant grin.
Rock blinked in surprise as he saw Mattao walk around the corner, and the two shared a handshake and a pat on the back in victory of their success.
"All the food safe and secure?"
Rock nodded, handing the servant a well deserved leg of turkey, "Were you seen?"
Mattao smirked a chuckle, "With Auto singing, there is no way he could have heard me even if I ran for it!"
The two exchanged a bout of laughter as they ate, Rock taking an apple and some cheese as they sat on the floor of the room with their loot.
"So...now that we are finally with food in our stomachs, what did you want to tell me about Iris?"
The look on Mattao's face slackened and his face blushed again. "Well...okay first things first, she and I do not have a lovey-dovey relationship going!"
Rock swallowed some of the food he was munching on and tilted his head slightly, "...So why do you act all weird whenever someone brings it up?"
"I only act like this because certain people like to spread rumors..." Mattao's tone was growing darker and more annoyed, his eyes staring at the floor as he took another bite.
Rock chewed on his lip nervously, he didn't mean to upset Mattao like that. He was only asking a question that his computer mind deemed logical. But dwelling on the topic made his memory banks suddenly trigger a certain memory, way back when Roll's grandfather was still alive. The young Reploid had asked a question to Roll that clearly upset her and at the time he never understood why it gave her that reaction. Why would someone get sad or angry or flustered over an honest question? Why couldn't everyone be logical like him?
And that was when Barrel Caskett sat down with Rock on his knee, telling him about how the world works. How sometimes, people and robots, can interpret things the wrong way, or based on their past, they could recall things they wished not to. It took Rock many hours to fully understand what the old man had told him, but once he realized the meaning he took it to heart instantly.
Before he could apologize or say anything to Mattao, the servant had sighed. Running a hand through his hair, he closed his eyes for a second and then nodded. "Sorry...I just get really bummed about the whole thing is all."
Rock stayed silent, letting him continue. After some time, Mattao rested his back on the wall and he took a deep breath.
"Before I was a servant in the castle, I was just an average guy on the streets of Neo Arcadia. No one really paid me any mind and I in turn didn't give them any. You know, life outside the castle is pretty hectic, your highness. I mean every day it..." He stopped for a second and bit his lip, "S-Sorry, I didn't mean to start a rant."
"Please continue," Rock stayed focused on what Mattao was about to say, intrigued with the story that was playing out.
Mattao blinked. "...Well uh...Anyways one day I was making my rounds as usual and I bumped into Iris. She was out on some errands for the castle and bumping into her had caused some some of her bags to spill out onto the street. Since I didn't know who she was, I figured she was another person out in the cold like me so I decided to help her. Man, the whole time she was nervous and asking for my forgiveness for bumping into me and how she should have been watching where she was going." He chuckled at the memory. "I obviously told her that she didn't need to apologize because I bumped into her...and then we randomly had a decent conversation after that."
"Well that's one way to start a conversation," Rock chuckled. "I'm assuming you both had a lot in common?"
"Not really, but it was nice to talk to someone who was so interesting. She told me all about the castle and the royal family and the whole time I just had this feeling of...I guess awe? I mean compared to the streets of the city, a castle was like Heaven. We talked so much that I didn't realize that we were walking up to the castle gates and before I knew it, I was being stared down by Repliforce guards and their threats of throwing me in the dungeon for coming too close and for harassing a member of the castle! I thought my goose was cooked, but right when they were gonna grab me and drag me off who knows where...he appeared..."
"He?" Rock leaned in closer. Who was Mattao referring to?
"Zero***..."
The blue and cyan Reploid blinked, trying to process who this Zero could be. No memory or data was listed in his data banks...But Rock figured he should play it cool just in case. "Zero saved you?"
"Right? Of all the people who could have saved me that day, Zero was the last one I was expecting. But yeah, I guess seeing me with Iris, he thought I was her friend or something so he made them let go of me and even apologize. Can you imagine that: Zero, Lord Light's most trusted Hunter, apologizing to some street urchin like me!"
Hunters...the name made Rock shiver slightly. He didn't know what a Hunter was, but from the sound of it the title was one to be both feared and respected. He was about to ask about the subject when he notice Mattao look up at the ceiling, as if lost in his thoughts.
"What happened next?"
Mattao shrugged, "Well Iris told everyone I was a new servant to the castle and that it was my first day on the job, and somehow everyone didn't ask twice on the subject. Colonel was a bit suspicious at first, but I guess since I actually was working hard and was responsible and courteous he left me alone. He still doesn't like me hanging out with Iris though cause..."
Rock shifted in his seat, a soft smile on his face "You do have feelings for her."
The blonde rubbed the back of his head, a blush back on his face. "Yeah...Colonel is really good at reading people and one day he took me aside and asked me to back off. The royal family, as well as those in their service, believe in finding a strong, compatible suitor to have an actual relationship or marriage; family lineage and all that crap. And Iris, as you know, is already in love with another so it wouldn't have worked anyways. Plus me being a human and her being a robot also doesn't help either..."
The Reploid's smile turned into a frown almost immediately; the idea of a human having feelings for a Reploid, or vice versa, always made him a bit happier inside. But hearing how poor Mattao had his heart shot down like that... if both sides learned that they could co-exist in the same way as the other, then peace would be an easy thing to handle once in a while.
Silence filled the room as the two sat there, the food they had worked so hard to gain now almost forgotten. A sudden soft, almost inaudible chuckle escaped from Mattao's lips as he closed his eyes.
"I am no philosopher by any means but this whole thing with family lineage and social standings...it's all one big joke."
The Reploid stayed silent, placing a hand on the servant's shoulder. Nothing else needed to be said, for both understood how the other felt, even though they didn't know it themselves.
Author's Notes:
*Auto (classic Mega Man series) – First appearing in Mega Man 7, Auto
** "You Can't Beat Air Man!" - The song Auto was singing was a part of the song "You Can't Beat Airman!" If you want to know about the song, check this link here: /memes/cant-beat-air-man-air-man-ga-taosenai
***Zero (Mega Man X series) – A Reploid in the same Maverick Hunter Unit as Mega Man X, he is one of the few who sense X's full potential. Completing his missions with speed and precision, Zero is second only to Sigma as an A Ranked hunter. To X, Zero is the only one he can truly respect and confide in, and this has lead the two Maverick Hunters to become close allies. His weapon of choice is usually the Z Saber, which closely resembles a light saber from Star Wars.