Ahhhh...the blimp ride begins.

And, thankfully, I've been managing to write one or almost one chapter a day (unlike before). Unfortunately these writing streaks usually only last for a few days, but now I'm keeping up better with the posting.

Chapter 9-And So It Begins...

It took only a matter of fifteen minutes to get everyone situated properly into there correct room. Sure there were a few mishaps, caused mainly by the senseless people who didn't understand a few simple words of instruction.

Due to the fact that each room could hold a maximum of three people (two on the bunk bed and one on the oversized couch), they faced inexcusable problems with their seven-man party. But instead of taking up a third room, Goombario offered to simply sleep on the ground. And although he didn't want to, he understood fully that the blimp didn't exactly have a surplus of extra bedrooms.

In Mario's enclosure, room 4, he found himself settled with his brother and Peach. Painfully in a far-off distance, their friends had to take room 10. This not only meant for a long and not so lolling walk, but also meant that they'd have to travel through many rooms, including the 'cafeteria', as it was called.

"Look at them..." Peach watched carefully out the window at the horde of on-lookers outside. They stood positioned, watching intently, as though they were about to witness some historical phenomenon. She almost wanted to laugh at their obvious envy and desire to be pampered in such a luxurious place, "Why are they standing there like that?"

Luigi murmured, his attention now grabbed by Peach's almost mesmerized comment, "Hmm...maybe they've never seen a blimp before?" Peach wasn't sure if Luigi was just playing dumb, or if one person could really be that stupid. The blimp's existence marked an important and inevitable concept in the town of Rougeport, due to its massive frame and continual need to depart and arrive.

"Or...maybe their watching they're loved ones off? Or friends?" The princess wasn't entirely in the mood to make foolish and senseless assumptions, so she decided to state a clearly and possibly plausible explanation. And although Luigi seemed to not realize his stupidity, he also overlooked and completely ignored Peach's words.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

There was a loud thumping on the other side of the door. Whoever it was must have had some biceps of steel, because that knocking was practically enough to break the door down. Mario was almost afraid to answer it, wondering if some crazy body-builder stood angrily on the other side.

"Hey Mario!" No, not quite a body-builder. Actually it wasn't even a man. And yes, this was severely to Peach's dismay...it was Bow. Mario wasn't sure whether or not ghosts could get muscles, but the sound she'd produced was enough to make you think so, "Hey...why is your room so big?! Did they give you a bigger room? That's so cheap! I want a big room, too!"

"Umm...Bow?" Lakilester coughed. She turned at him, seemingly out of breathe from her wild chanting, "I'm pretty sure our rooms are the same size. Don't you think?" She wanted to deny it, but then again, she was never really that good with comparing things at different times. So she decided to allow him to be right...for once. Or else, perhaps, she'll unleash her full power of ghostly muscles upon him?

"Anyway," Peach interrupted, "Have you guys seen the blimp? What's on it?"

Sushie was the first to answer this time. Perhaps Bow was a bit too out of it to butt in as quickly as she normally would. Not that anyone was complaining, but it seemed highly remarkable to know that someone of than the ghost was speaking, "Well, there's a really nice store on the far right in the back. It's kinda hard to notice, but it's there. Bow and I wanna check it out. Typically, the others to don't wanna. They said it'd be too 'boring'..." Sushie rolled her eyes.

Lakilester just stared at her, which went unnoticed to her eyes. Instead, she was too busy exchanging some looks with Bow, to notice.

"And I saw a really neat looking buffet at the end of the blimp! Speaking of which...I'm getting pretty hungry," Goombario added, who was, unsurprisingly, starving from the inside and out. Typically he worried most about food, much like a snobby aristocrat would who had all their necessities catered to them on silver plates. But, they all knew Goombario wasn't snobby...and he certainly wasn't an aristocrat...

"Hmm..." Mario said, rubbing his stomach, as though he were in the perfect mood for a giant bowl of pasta with meatballs. And knowing him, that's exactly what he was thinking. Really, though, in his mind...what could beat food? He thought it to be the most satisfying contentment one could possibly wish for. And better yet, it came in all flavors and types, defining food as one of the most underrated substances recorded throughout the world. Whether he was right, no one knew...but he liked to think himself like so to influence himself mentally the wonders of food, "I think I could go for a nice meal right about now..."

"I agree..." Bow added, surprisingly hungry. Usually ghosts weren't the hungry type, so she explained to them in one of her rants and raves. But whether such a rule applied to her, no one really knew. It probably did, but didn't seem to say so in this particular situation. And by the way she was acting, she'd be ready to take a cannibalistic bite out of any one of them, right there.

"Well then..." Luigi said, "How about we go? Goombario, where did you say it was?" He glanced at the Goomba, who took a few moments to think before he made his reply.

But he never got that chance. Instead, his voice was cut off by the overpowering and sudden voice of the man over the intercom. His 'make me mad and I'll kill you' kind of voice silenced everyone, as though he were capable of knowing if they defied and ignored him, "We will depart shortly. If you do not have a room, please refer yourself to the back of the blimp, and ask for assistance. If you need any help, please ask any of the conductors. They will place themselves all around the blimp. You can't miss them. Thank you for riding the Cheep Cheep Blimp,"

And then they felt a movement. It was sudden and jerky, but once they realized they were off the ground, they felt so free. They felt so weightless. It was incredible, looking out the window, knowing you were slowly ascending into the cloudy heights above. And with that wonderful feeling of flying, they all took a relaxing moment to realize how lucky they truly were. It was right about now that they understood quite how envious those mesmerized watchers felt. And as they slowly drifted too high for the grounded eye to see, they were just happy that none of those watchers were them...

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