Chapter 12: Numinous
Numinous: (English) (adj.) Describing an experience that makes your fearful yet fascinated, awed yet attracted; the powerful, personal feeling of being overwhelmed and inspired.
'Where is he…?'
Nana's fingers tapped on the screen of her phone before sighing to herself and pocketing the small device. Twenty minutes had already passed since her sibling told her to meet at the common's lounge, but knowing him, another pestering message would not do much to his constant lateness. She chewed her thoughts over, her foot tapping impatiently and contemplated if she should return back to her room considering that she didn't want to waste away her Sunday afternoon.
Beyond the wide open windows, the glimmer of light hiding behind grey skies resounded a feeling of melancholy. However, it wasn't long until the young mountaineer's thoughts were quickly interrupted.
"Guess who…!"
She was caught off-guard when cool hands clasped around the young girl's eyes and face, who snorted after she swatted away the hands off her face.
"Har, har, very funny Popo," Nana stuck her tongue out and stood up, prodding her finger to her twin's chest. "Geez, what took you so long?"
"What?" the blue-hoodied boy shrugged. "It's not my fault you're came over too early."
She only rolled her eyes, and then grabbed his arm and dragging him towards the exit.
"This was your idea to meet up! Now c'mon! Let's go before the mini mart closes…"
A cool breeze greeted their faces after opening the heavy set doors and headed westward through the grassy courtyard and toward the school's recreational center and plaza. (1) The yellowing awning before them was no longer brimming with activity now that most of the students retreated into the comfortable indoors and away from the cold weather. Nana shivered and pulled the collar of her knitted sweater closer to herself when another torrent of mist brushed past her.
"Ugh, I can handle snow, but not the rain," she grumbled with a pinched frown. "Too wet and awful, and you just end up miserable and yucky."
Popo couldn't help but laugh at her apparent souriness. "Is that so? I'd take this over the scorching summer we had back in August any day!"
"Oh god, I forgot about that!" she finally smiled as she remembered their absolute shock when they entered the city on record-hitting temperatures.
"You'd nearly died, haha!"
"Eugh, don't remind me…" he groaned before quickly shaking his head. "I'm actually enjoying actually the normal weather, thank you very much."
"Popo…?"
The sudden dip in Nana's tone caught his attention.
"Hmm?"
"Do you ever miss home? Mom and Dad, and everyone back in the village?"
He blinked once, twice, then raised an eyebrow, "What brings this up?"
"I was just thinking about it the other day…" She paused for a second to adjust her bag on her shoulder. "About the last few weeks and how quickly everything changed…"
"See! I told you I could get it all of it on one trip!"
A flurry of snowflakes rode in on a gust of wind before the door was slammed shut. The triumphant wood retriever stood at the doorway with a rather accomplished grin underneath her pink hooded parka. One of the small bundles of wood fell from Nana's already full arms, in which she whistled innocently and kicked away.
"You didn't see that."
Her twin brother simply tsked, a freshly sharpened ax carried on his shoulders behind his head. "Hate to break it to you, but you still haven't broken my record…"
Nana's only response was unceremoniously dropping the wood on a separate pile on the ground.
"Well, your face hasn't broken your record, how 'bout that?"
"Dude, that doesn't make any sense."
"Your face doesn't make any sense – ack!" After blowing a raspberry his way, she ducks when Popo began flicking thick wood chips at her head.
Before the twins could start another war over spare twigs and dirt in the shed, her brother clasped onto a handful of logs from the growing pile and steadied his ax. Now with the harsh winter settling in the mountains, the twins would often alternate going out for firewood from the dense wilderness. Once their chores were done and their daily rounds around the village's borders were finished, the Ice Climbers would take turns braving the cold to fetch logs and upkeep the warmth in the frozen season.
"Popo…"
"What's up?"
Even with her hood up, her distant expression reflected of the iced glass pane. "Do you ever…wonder what's out there?"
"What, like penguins or something?"
"N-no!" she huffed indignantly. "You know what I mean! Like, out there. Beyond the village."
He returned a glance at her, snickering with a teasing glint in his eyes. "Nan, what'd I tell you about reading Mom's romance books…?"
"It was one time! Stop bringing it up!"
After Nana batted her brother away on the back, she slumped back down on the flat end of a large wood log with head resting on her hands.
"I'm serious...have you ever dreamt of what's really out there? Get away from this ol' town to travel the world and see new things, new people?"
Popo perched the handle of his ax next to his feet. "Well...now that you're bringing it up, that does sound interesting..."
"So you get it though! Right?" Popo was taken aback when his sibling stood up suddenly with an excited grin. "Don't tell me you've never dreamt of running away and going off on an adventure! Be a part of something that's - I don't know, big! Bigger than yourself!"
He finally stopped Nana prancing about with a firm hand to her shoulder.
"Whoa, chill out, Nana. You're starting to sound like that one Disney princess – the one with the long hair and stuff –"
"So? C'mon double P, don't tell me you actually want to stay here for the rest of your life like Ma and Pa..."
"Well no!" He was quick to insist, "But I think you're getting a tad bit ahead of yourself."
She raised her eyebrow, prompting him to confess, "I mean...yeah we've hardly ever ventured outside the province borders, and it would be cool to travel but..."
"But...?"
"Look, I don't know! Maybe the world out there isn't as interesting as it's cracked up to be."
Nana was ready to argue back when the high pitched sound rose above the howling wind outside. She paused and slowly turned towards the window.
"Did you…hear something...?"
"Not sure..."
The screech returned, louder and clearer, alongside the visceral roar of a ravenous beast rumbling outside their small shed. The climber twins immediately dropped the conversation and jumped into action, easily recognizing the sound of the infamous wild White Bear. (2)
"That definitely sounds like trouble!"
Popo faced Nana, who nodded as well. Within the next second, the two grabbed their large wood mallets left by the door side and ran out into the blizzard.
"Ahh…good ol' Captain T. If it wasn't for me, he'd be a goner for sure."
"Ahem, excuse you," Nana pulled back the glass door, leading into the large recreational center. "You do mean if it weren't for us, Popo."
The double doors of the old building lead straight into a wide and surprisingly modern lobby area. Although it has been around for nearly as long as the old academic halls, and still upheld the old brick and wood paneling from several decades ago, the Zell Rec Center was newly remodeled on the inside. Beyond the oval foyer, the center separated into several sections – on the left wing of the building were several empty classrooms and small spaces for extracurricular classes; the right side devoted to the sizeable bookstore next to a small convenience store. At the center was the entryway leading into Sakurai Junior Academy's multi-purpose gymnasium, housing both the fitness pool and a climbing wall.
"C'mon, we both know who really got the last hit on 'em."
The twins briskly passed through the lobby area and straight towards the mart, their bickering lost among a sea of conversations.
"That's only because I was busy trying to – I dunno – make sure Captain didn't fall off the cliff!"
"Details, shmetails – all that matters is that I won – oof!" Popo wheezed when his sister elbowed him in the gut.
"Quit yer' bragging and hurry up!" Nana flicked him on the forehead with her finger and leaned against the wall. "We don't got all day."
"Yeah, yeah."
The familiar doorbell jingled once they opened the door and entered into the food mart. With what little extra spending money their parents deposited into their student accounts, the twins would end up splurging and picking up snacks every now and then. Much to her dismay, however, the school's faculty strictly regulated what kind of food students could buy at the school's store, which meant banning several sweet candies and junk foods.
With a sad sigh, Nana stopped skimming through the snack shelves and moved over to the sliding door fridge. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Popo get approached by two others, the tall girl with pink, cropped hair and a blue sweater too large for her body, and the shorter, blonde bearing a long, green cap. A curious glance their way proved the former to be Kumatora and the latter, Link, next to her. (3)
It was always Popo who was always the more laid-back and approachable out of the two. As much as Nana put up a brave front, she wasn't exactly well versed with talking with everyone. She could hear the three of them converse next to the cashier, Kumatora laughing out loud over a joke. Nana yearned to turn around and join them, and yet something inside her kept her quiet and to herself.
Was it homesickness? Shyness?
At this point, she wasn't even sure herself either.
Maybe, just for now...it was for the best that she just stayed off in the corner.
"I cannot thank you enough for saving my life! I thought for sure I'd be a bear food!"
An older man in full mountain gear and standing twice the size of the small red toad, gruffly prodded the crackling firewood with a black fire iron.
"You do know that you were technically trespassing through our private property…"
"A-ahh...!"
The toad began to quake, sinking onto his knees and begged for forgiveness from the hardwood floor.
"P-please don't arrest me! I-I swear, I w-wasn't out to rob anyone or anything horrible!" he quivered, "I'll tell you everything – y-you can even verify my identification! I was told of a shortcut through the forest trail but I lost my map to the wind and then I fell off into a cavern and then –"
"Dear, I think you're being a bit too harsh on our guest here."
A gentle hand rested on the man's shoulder, to the toad's relief. The bearded man only responded with an unimpressed look while the twins on the pelt rug stifled back a laugh.
"How can I forget my manners so easily?!" He shuffled back up and stood proudly after adjusting his headlamp. "Captain Toad of the Toad Brigade, reporting for duty!" (4)
"My name is Lusa," the twins' mother sat down after wiping her hands on a dish cloth. "And this here stick in the mud is Anik." (5)
"Hmph."
"And I hope our children were polite enough to introduce themselves as well…"
Lusa's sent gentle, yet stern look towards the twins sitting to their left on the wool couch; Nana giggling over Captain Toad's exaggerated mannerisms.
"What were you doing 'round these parts?" Anik finally asked. "It's unusual to see someone of your standing all the way out here in the Northern Mountains." (6)
"Ah! Yes! About that!"
The captain reached into his remarkably large backpack and fished out a crinkled flyer.
"I happen to be an official recruiter for the large network of battle schools from the great capital of Nintendo Land City!"
Captain Toad continued on as both parents examined the pamphlet, the twins peering from behind.
"Our institutes are the top of the league in terms of education and training! We first and foremost specialize in training for the world-renowned Super Smash Brothers Tournament, but! We offer many different programs!"
Anik simply shrugged. "Hm. Ave' never heard of it."
"What!"
"But I have," Lusa took the flyer at hand and elbowed her husband. "Don't mind him, we know of the Smash Tournament, and I've heard about these schools dedicated to train for the world tournament. I just never knew they were sponsored directly from the city itself..."
"Yeah!" Popo piped in, perched on top of the couch. "We're talking bout' the big leagues now, aren't we?"
"Our largest schools are Fils-Aime Battalion and Iwata Academy, but..."
He hesitantly scratched his head after taking another look at the identical siblings – no doubt, they couldn't have been older than eleven years old at most.
"Ah! Wait a minute, what am I thinking!?" Captain snapped his fingers, "I believe Sakurai Junior Prep would be a perfect for them! Of course!"
"Hmm?"
"Excuse me?"
"What...?"
When met with a chorus of confusion, Captain bowed his head deeply.
"So sorry! I've forgotten to explain myself!" after clearing his throat, he continued, "Most of our battle schools aim for students who are 16 years old or higher – with a few exceptions. However!"
Captain pulled out another pamphlet, this time the name "Sakurai Junior Preparatory Battle School" clearly labeled on the front cover.
"Our city offers classes and training for our younger ones! Our Junior Battle School recruits gifted ones of a younger age by offering up to a 5-year program – a perfect fit for the twins!"
The twins' father eyed the brochure, doubtful.
"Sounds expensive."
"That's where I come in!"
The red toad confidently put his thumb to his chest. "As an official recruiter for the Smash Battle School Network, I personally handpick those who's ability or merit is one deserving of a full-ride scholarship!" (7)
"Full-ride?" Lusa repeated, wide-eyed.
"Yup! Tuition, room and board, school supplies - the whole shebang! In fact, I can even waive the mandatory preliminary tests! At least how I see it, saving my life is already a good enough assessment!"
He soon became quiet and his expression grew sheepish.
"I don't have much in terms of money or wealth. To be honest, I usually end up getting broke looking for lost treasure on my ventures. However! The least I can do is offer your children this!"
"Please consider this opportunity!" Captain Toad pleaded, "Many people would give up everything just for the chance to be accepted by any of our Battle Schools in the heart of Nintendo-Land! This is by no means a meager prospect!"
"This…this sounds too good to be true," Nana murmured after staying uncharacteristically quiet for some time.
Popo nodded along in agreement. "What's the catch…?"
"None, I swear to you all! But I must let you know that if you both do accept my offer, you must attend Sakurai Junior Academy for at least two whole semesters! Afterwards, you both will be given a choice to either renounce your scholarship and return back home, or continue to renew your attendance until you complete your program requirement to transfer to one of our other many schools!"
"Two semesters?" Nana blinked, "That means…"
'We'll be gone for a whole year.'
The room fell alarmingly quiet, the crackling of the fireplace blended with the background noise. All of a sudden, the whole world Nana knew felt uncomfortably big now. Toad, too, felt the heavy silence as well as he nervously scuffled his feet.
"If you need time to think about it –"
A high pitched chime rang out from the kitchen stove, to his relief. The twin's mother was quick on her feet and put on a cheerful smile.
"Captain, we'll keep everything you said in mind – but for now, would you like to join us for dinner?" she kindly offered. "It'll give you some time to rest your feet before you continue your travels."
"Ah…" Captain Toad hesitated before nodding enthusiastically. "If that's alright, I'd love to!"
"Nana? Hey, Nana? Yoooooo, Earth to Nana!"
"H-huh…?"
Nana's thoughts were interrupted by her brother's fingers snapping in front of her eyes.
"Man, you've been super zoning out all day. You okay?"
"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. Just thinking of stuff, that's all," She quickly dismisses him with a wave of her hand.
Popo looked unconvinced for a second, but shrugged it off. Knowing Nana, she'll come around to talk about it once she's comfortable enough to bring up what's on her mind. The two siblings continued down the same cement path back to the student lounge in the still quiet; the skies calmed down to a slight breeze, the air damp and cold.
"Popo?"
She finally broke the silence after a moment of her keeping her thoughts to herself.
"Do you ever regret leaving? Leaving the village to come here?"
"Do you?"
"Wait, what?"
Both of them came to a stop on the stone path, the student commons seen straight ahead in the distance. Nana eyed at her brother, making him chuckle.
"Nana, don't think I've forgotten how you were before we decided to come here."
Flushed red, she crossed her arms and pulled the collar up to her face again out of embarrassment. "I dunno what you're talking about…"
Popo grinned, before leaning back in a dramatic fashion. "Oh, Popo! Help me! I'm sooooo scared of the big scawy world – oof! Ouch!"
His banter quickly stopped after a prompt smack to the back by glass soda bottles inside a paper bag.
"Shut up, shut up, shut up!"
The twins' bedroom door was quietly shut with nothing but a slight creak, Popo silently slipping inside. The two shared a room together, their former bunk bed had been separated into two beds on opposite sides for a year now. He walked past over the haphazardly placed clothes and misplaced belongings on the ground and sat on the mattress. Nana was to his right, her back against the wall and her knees tucked in close.
"You know," he began softly, "Considering how excited you were earlier about leaving this place, I thought I'd walk in with you packed up with your boots halfway outta' door, not here sulking…"
"I know, and it's not that I didn't think about earlier I just…" she let out a sigh and buried her face into her legs. "…didn't think it would really just. Happen."
"Nan, I know you," he leaned over, shoulder to shoulder. "You always know when the answer is right in front of you, but somehow you second guess yourself. You don't have to hide what you really want to do."
"It's…it's not that."
"Then what is it?" Popo moved himself over so he was facing her. "Even dad said it himself – he wanted us to decide whether this was something we want to do or not, so don't pass this off for their sake."
Nana bit her lip with a sliver of hesitancy.
"Promise you won't laugh?"
"No."
He snorted when she began furiously kicking at his shins.
"I'm kidding! Kidding!"
She sat back down against the wall after calming down. Antics aside, she felt the need give her own brother an explanation. After all, he was thoughtful enough to check up on her after dinner.
"I'm not afraid, but I'm...I'm torn," Nana finally confessed. "All that stuff Captain talked about was everything I've only dreamed of but…"
"I'm really going to miss everyone. You, mom and dad, all our friends here…" She then scoffed to herself. "Pfft, definitely not Jerry though. Screw that guy."
"Dude, no one likes Jerry. Not even mom."
They both take a moment to laugh. For once that whole evening, the air didn't feel tense.
"Well – wait a minute, what about you? The scholarship applies to you, too."
He leaned back and crossed his arms, his expression both thoughtful and nonchalant before shrugging it off.
"I want to go."
"Really?!"
"Geez, don't act all surprised!" Popo laughed out loud, "Of course I'd want to go! This is more than just a brand new adventure. Just think about what Captain said – this is a once in a lifetime opportunity! Something like this doesn't drop on our doorstep every day, you know."
"That and," he looked down at his hand before forming a fist. A spark of determination settled behind his eyes. "I want to get stronger. You and I will take over for Dad and protect this village someday. And when that day comes, we'll be ready. This is could be our only chance to get stronger and prove ourselves to everyone."
Nana let out a breath she was inadvertently holding in.
"I'm sorry, I just – I thought all this time…it'd be just me on my own. Thought you'd want to stay here."
"Nana. Don't you remember what we always told each other?"
Popo took both hands to her shoulders and turned her so her eyes faced him.
"We're in this together. Always."
"I wasn't that weird and dramatic, alright?!"
With a rough shove, Nana pushed open the door to her dorm room and tossed the paper bag of goodies onto the carpet floor. Popo was not far behind, catching the door's inevitable bounce back from the rubber door stopper to prop it open.
"I got it, I got it."
He flopped onto the light green bean bag chair set of on the corner of the room, courtesy of one of her roommates, Paula. (8)
"And! Besides that!" She tossed him a cherry soda pop, which Popo caught one-handed. "I've been doing just fine on my own. I mean, I've adjusted fine, don't you think?"
He only turned to face Nana with bemused expression.
"What?"
The large dorm room Nana shared was divided into three sections; the larger bedroom shared between Nana and Paula, the smaller and partially walled off bedroom claimed by the not-too-pleasant Wendy, and the narrow lounging area squeezed in between. (9) The girls had already furnished their home away from home – Nana's side of her wall strung old printed photos on clothespins and twine next to a few vintage movie posters, while Paula kept her desk neat and tidy, only a few black-framed pictures were placed between books on her bookshelf.
"Right, if running to your room every day after class like an ol' hermit is called 'adjusting', you've been doing a stellar job so far."
"Hey…! It's not every day!" Nana defensively pointed a salted pretzel stick at Popo's direction. "And sometimes I go to the library, too, ya' know!
"Okay, okay. Real talk though," Her brother got up and sat next on the foot of Nana's bed. "You've been acting kinda funny the last few weeks. Don't think I didn't notice you hidin' away at the store."
She leaned against the headrest of her bed, pouting between bites but said nothing.
Popo sighed again, but more out of sympathy than frustration. He knew his sister more than anyone else – as energetic and talkative as she was around him, he knew it took her longer to warm up to people.
"How about this?" He offered. "At least tell me you'll come down for dinner? No more being a loner, alright?"
A playful nudge managed to bring back a small smile. "Fine, fine. You're right."
Right then, there was a knock on the door and a flash of blonde and purple pigtails. (10)
"Elise?" Nana called out.
"Knock, knock, you two!" she playfully stuck out her tongue. "Got five more minutes before play time's over! At least, for this guy over here!" (11)
Popo sat up and dusted off his pants. "I'll take that as my cue to leave. See ya downstairs in a few hours, Nan."
"Oh, wait I – uh…"
Before she could finish, Popo left her room and shut the door behind him.
Six months and two suitcases later, the twins had packed up all their belongings and their wooden mallets, and headed on a flight over to Nintendo Land. While their first time on an airplane was exhilarating, they were soon greeted with one of the most humid, blistering summer days in the city. Captain Toad, who escorted them from the airport, had advised them earlier to wear light clothes in consideration of their arrival scheduled right in the dead middle of August. Despite wearing their thinnest clothing, Nana and Popo were very much miserable by sudden heat - Popo nearly passing out from heat stroke on the first week of moving in and remaining closely attached to the air conditioner in every building.
On the third week of August, Captain Toad dropped the twins off to their first Orientation Day at Sakurai Junior Academy. After a week of prepping the twins for the big day, Captain was still very hesitant on finally letting them venture on their own. He saw himself as their host parent during their time away from home and constantly fretted all day to their amusement.
As the two of them walked up the concrete steps and into their new home for the next year, Nana spotted a few other students on their way in after sending their goodbyes to their friends and families. An excitable girl with messy neon-pink hair and a red floral dress was seen punching her older brother on the arm after giving her blonde Shih Tzu friend a hug goodbye. Another boy, whom they would later know as Link, was bidding his elderly grandmother and little sister goodbye before passing by them on the stairs. Off a few meters away, a shorter, more timid boy was tackled by the taller Kumatora, who proceeded to give the prior a playful noogie.
Despite being nearly shoved over to the side by a wrangle of Koopaling siblings on their way in, Nana could feel the rising excitement of the new school year in the air.
Mid-afternoon.
She couldn't shake off the uncomfortable feeling of loneliness once she unlocked the door to her assigned dorm room in the Ruby Dorm Building. Suitcases still in hand, Nana frowned with a 'hmph' upon walking by the door to the smaller room in which a paper sign was clumsily taped on.
.
.
"already taken, don't bother
-wendy"
.
.
She finally dropped her bags next to the two empty bunk beds in the larger room, plopping down on the naked twin mattress. She knew she had to get used to the idea of being separated from Popo now that they traveled across the globe to live in the prestigious prepatory school. Even after weeks being among the bustling city, the culture shock of how vastly different this world was compared to her small hometown hasn't worn off yet. Her realization of finally being here, all on her own, had caused her heart to skip a beat.
Had she been ready for the adventure as she always had imagined in her head?
The brunette quickly sat up straight, a steadfast look rose on her face. No way could she think this way after both her and her brother making the big decision entering such a prestigious school.
Her eyes glanced out the window, where the glowing sun was past high noon and the heat radiated from behind the glass. Perhaps a walk outside in the fresh air could clear her thoughts.
After all, the day was past its peak temperature and there was a large athletic field on the west side of campus that she had yet to explore.
About half an hour later, Nana made her way past the track field and was already passing the soccer field. As much as she loved being around her brother, there was something about being able to enjoy being alone outside with nature. Other than the hot artificial grass stinging the soles of her shoes, she clearly was lost in her thoughts. She wasn't distracted enough to run into any obstacles, but enough to pay no mind to her immediate surroundings.
KA-THUNK!
A flying baseball buzzed past her and smashed square into the chain link fence next to here. Soon after stumbling back with hand clasping her heart, the ice climber turned around furious, ready to shout out a hasty insult to the offender whose bad aim nearly took her head out.
However, words failed to leave her mouth the minute she faced who was responsible.
There, off a few yards away stood a baseball capped boy, his tossled onyx hair set apart from his sun kissed face glowing in the afternoon sun. Nana was completely awestruck, her initial anger melting away at the sight. Suddenly, everything felt like slow motion, as if she gazed upon clear sky for the first time.
For the first time in a long time, she was speechless.
Perhaps the boy with such a charming smile and gentle eyes would take her heart and –
"Hey idiot! Can't you read the sign?! Don't walk right in the middle of the baseball field!"
– pile drive it straight into the dry Astroturf.
The once starry-eyed young girl was visibly stunned.
Embarrassed.
Mortified.
Along with a string of other words she didn't have time to look up.
"W-w-well, maybe you should have watched your aim! Dumbass!"
Nana managed to spit out before angrily stomping away on the opposite direction. She couldn't comprehend how such a cute guy would be the biggest loudmouth she's seen on campus so far.
...alright, he is pretty hot, but still!
Damn how looks were deceiving!
She furrowed her brow when her mind was brought back at the glaring memory once more. Oh how it infuriated her how this…this dumb Ness guy managed to make her feel this way. Which, in turn, drove her more up the wall.
After listlessly spinning on her desk chair, she saw the picture frame atop Paula's desk – particularly the one nestled in between her large textbooks. The photo looked about to be taken one or two years ago, it being of herself and a group of childhood friends. Among two boys was the familiar face of Ness, holding a cheeky grin and rabbit ears behind her bow-tied head.
For whatever reason, the sight of Paula and Ness together made her feel…unpleasant.
Not in an uncomfortable bad way, but in a…not good, jealous way.
'Oh no.'
She stood up and paced around the room. These complicated emotions Nana began to feel inside herself was bubbling over which caused her to feel tense and restless. While she longed on becoming more comfortable with new roommates and classmates, she currently had no one to talk to about her feelings, let alone deal with her sporadic moodiness. Sure her brother was a good listener when he wasn't teasing her all the time, but hell would freeze over long before she would even come to him for love advice.
'Ugh! No way!'
Nana could already imagined being laughed out of the city once Popo blabbed to everyone at school who she liked.
And yet. She did have one option left.
All her feelings, all her secrets...she could vent out in writing. She realized that one way or another, she had to get everything off her chest. Weighing all the options, the idea of all her secrets safe and tucked away behind a word document seemed the most secure. Nana did keep a tight grip on her personal belongings, and her roommates - or at least Paula - weren't the snooping kind.
No one would know.
No one must know.
As dear as he was, not even her own brother.
Nana glanced at the clock, affirming that she did have an hour or two left before dinner was served. Opening up her pink netbook and pulling up a blank WordPad file, she cracked her knuckles and began typing away.
.
.
"Once upon a time, there lived a girl…"
.
.
Nightfall.
Skyland's royal exhibit was much more open than Tena last remembered. Across the tiled floor and ivory walls, the large room was impressively empty in consideration how the entire marble monolith was created to share Skyland's most prized possession to the world, as well as commemorate the kingdom's legendary heroic swordsman.
Each glass casing held inside a Sacred Casket, an amber treasure chest with thick silvery lining. And in each chest the Three Sacred Treasures, holy weapons used by none other than the Hero Pit. A mere servant angel, only armed with only the Mirror Shield, the Wings of Pegasus, and the Goddess' Arrow of Light, managed to rescue the Goddess Palutena of her imprisonment by the malicious and cruel Medusa, the Deity of Darkness.
Against all odds, the cursed angel of no flight bravely defeated the wicked Medusa; his courage and determination fended off the all-consuming darkness that threatened all life on Earthania alongside the Five Swordsman of old.
Her chest felt a painful squeeze when catching a glimpse of the flat golden nameplate in white engraving, 'In remembrance of the Legendary Pit of the Past and his insurmountable heroism and selfless sacrifice. May the Goddess Palutena guide your spirit back home in our time of need.'
The graceful noblewoman instinctively traced her fingers across the thick glass display and closed her eyes. Breathing deeply, Tena could sense a sort of energy resonating from within the caskets, fading but unwavering. With a sigh and a sad smile, the white-gowned woman stepped back to gaze at the whole display.
'How I long to return to time when everything was simpler.'
Lady Tena's reminiscence did not last long, as she felt a loud vibration coming from her phone. She quickly turned her head to check behind her, making sure no one was within hearing range before digging into her bag to pick up her cellphone.
"Hello? Pit? What are you calling at this time of night?"
Out of the corner of her eye, she eyed back at the glass displays again.
Something wasn't right.
"Archery? …Oh Pit, how could I forget after you've reminded me twice today! Yes, I know – I'll be there at the meet-up this Friday…"
Despite her cheerful tone, Lady Tena was sure she felt a shift in spiritual energy reaching beyond the outer realms of the cosmos. She could feel her dread returning.
The growing empty void, which once stayed quiet for so long, had finally called out her name.
To be continued…
Author's Note:
*insert apology for late update here*
But I did it! And that's all that counts!
I'm also dead! So right now, you a reading the words of a dead author. Who stayed up past 4 AM finishing this godforsaken chapter HOLY COW.
I do sincerely apologize for the delay – the last few weeks, I just got stuck and hung up on this chapter. I feel like I say this every chapter, but it's hard to get the creative juices flowing when you're stuck in a rut. Including juggling two jobs, writing the new chapter was on the low priority for a bit. But I do want to mention that although this chapter was focusing on a different cast of characters, we'll be heading back to Fils-Aime Battle School and Iwata Academy in the next chapter.
Right now, I'm preparing for Sakura-Con this year, so I really wanted to squeeze in another update before getting sucked away on cosplay stress. I won't blather on much in the Author's Note, but just now that I plan on putting this up before going to bed, and I intend on coming back to edit the mistakes. So if you see any grammar issues, rest assured, I'll fix them as quickly as possible.
I want to apologize for the back-and-fro flashbacks used in this chapter. When I was storyboarding this months ago, I thought the idea of flashbacks would be interesting, but later on, over half-way through the chapter was when I realized it was quite repetitive and changed the tone several times - hence it taking much longer to finish. Despite it all, I stuck through with it, but learned to reel in on the flashbacks next time.
Also! After reading this chapter, I know what you're thinking! There are a lot of pink-haired girls here!
Well...jokes on you!
In this instance, it would make it more difficult for "certain people" to find Robin's location while she's laying low at Fils-Aime! A logical reason I totally did not make up on the spot!
*cough*
Please stay tuned for the next chapter, Recumbentibus, coming soon!
- A. Mitsuni
Reviewer Responses:
"MoonSpiritGuardian: Eep, Roy x Peach interactions! I'm already squealing inside . Keep up the great work and can't wait for more to unfold :D"
Thank you so much, dear friend! Haha, yes I finally came around to revealing one of the ships in this fic. I'll admit, this was one of the first ships I sailed when first coming into the Smash fandom years ago. And now that Roy's back in as DLC, this has fired up my love for this ship! By the way, I saw your update on your fic – I hope to finally sit down and read it after being crazy busy the last few weeks! Hope you stick tight for the next chapter!
Index:
(1) Sakurai Preparatory Battle School, similarly to the Battle Schools all over the city, has a recreational center for its students. Aside from it being a place where students can work-out and train during their free-time, it's also the building where the school's various extracurricular activities and after school classes and tutoring are taken place.
(2) In the Original Ice Climbers video game for the NES, one of the final bosses in the vertical platforming game was a bipedal White Bear.
(3) Kumatora is a playable character in Mother 3, from the Mother/Earthbound franchise. Tomboyish and brash, she is one of the members in Lucas' party. Similarly to Ness and Lucas, she can fight using psychic abilities (PSI). Link mentioned in this specific instance is Toon Link from Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker. In this universe, both Links are simply called "Link" – both named after Link of the Past, Hyrule's legendary swordsman. When in the presence of each other, the younger Link is known as "T. Link".
(4) Captain Toad is a side character who first appeared in Super Mario Galaxy in the Super Mario Brothers franchise. Hailed as the leader of the Toad Brigade, he provides help to Mario in the aforementioned game and its following sequel. Eventually spawned a spinoff known as Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker. In this instance, Captain Toad's occupation as a recruiter requires him to venture off into various places, looking for potential candidates for the city's several Battle Schools and Academies.
(5) Lusa and Anik are non-canon names for the Ice Climber's parents.
(6) The geography of Earthania is vast and diverse, including a multitude of continents, kingdoms, and nations. In this instance, the Ice Climbers live in the Northern Mountain territory, one of the northern subarctic territories under Eagleland's jurisdiction.
(7) Official recruiters for the Nintendo-Land's large Battle School Network (BSN) have the authority to accept or deny potential candidates for scholarship programs offered by various schools. Full-ride scholarships are fully funded by the federal government, and are only reserved for those who display great heroism and bravery.
(8) Paula is a playable character in Mother 2, otherwise known as Earthbound, from the Mother/Earthbound franchise. Kindhearted, yet capable, she resided in the town of Twoson and later joins Ness' party after he rescued her from a kidnapping. Just like Kumatora, she, too, has PSI and healing abilities.
(9) Wendy O. Koopa is one of the Koopaling siblings from the Super Mario Brothers franchise. She is the only female in the group. Her personality is girlish, outspoken, and bratty, always pushing to impress her father with bad and mischievous deeds.
(10) Elise is a playable character of the Conquest and Revelation route in Fire Emblem Fates, the latest installment in the Fire Emblem franchise. Her starting class is Troubadour, and she's the youngest child of the Nohrian royal family.
(11) In this instance, Elise is informing the Ice Climbers that visitation time for guys in the girls' dormitories is almost up. Visitation Period, like many other schools, is in the afternoon during the school week and evenings on the weekends. During this time, students may visit the dorms of the opposite gender. Guidelines include doors must remain open under staff supervision.
EDIT: Wording. Grammar. More wording.
