Chapter 6.2.: Time to Organize
After Peach collapsed on the floor, King Bob-omb put her on his shoulder to carry her around easily. Since under a fetid bridge was hardly a place to discuss anything, the group decided to go back at the cottage where Mario and those who were already in Everbright rested two nights prior; or at least sit in the lounge area and let their legs rest. Kammy bursted through the entrance like she was some kind of VIP.
"We are the entourage of Princess Peach of the Mushroom Kingdom, so five...maybe six couches for us and a lot of Koopa Tea while you're at it. C'mon,snappy, recepctionist!"
"Oh...ehm, s-sure thing. Right away!" Whistley was completely taken by surprise as she was busy filling up a suitcase and hastily hiding it, like she didn't want anyone to even notice. As she was busy setting up the place, since fortunately for her the cottage was empty until the gang showed up, her dad came down the stairs waken up by all the ruckus.
"Oh! Good morning, dear guests. Whistley, you take care of things,right?"
"D-don't worry. I got this, pops."
"Yeah, sure hope so. Well then, i'll go changing mattresses. Enjoy your stay, everyone."
The group ignored this whole exchange; they already had a lot on their plates as they were. After the sofas were all in position, King Bob-omb gently put the exhausted princess on one of them along a giant sack he was carrying with him while Kammy started laying some kind of map on the central table and scribbling on it.
"Ok, you guys. In her in-between moments of drowsiness, the princess tried her best to get me, King Bob-omb and the green pet up to speed, so in an effort to be concise i'll-"
"Ehm, at the risk of being rude Miss Purple, why did you self-appointed leader all of a sudden?" Abruptly interrupted Octobert.
"At the risk of being mean myself, are you someone important?"
"That's rich coming from who popped out of nowhere and started shouting like an auctioneer, as if i'm supposed to know what you're all about."
"Uhm, perhaps i should put you back in your place, you cheeky brat-" Fortunately, the exhausted royal of the Mushroom Kingdom pacified the two litigants,if only by reawakening and with a voice reduced to a faint whisper.
"I beg of you, i can only deal with so many headaches." Strangely, a weak smile was betraying her lips, but everyone present thought it was simply because she wasn't entirely there at the moment.
"Long story short...(yawns for three seconds straight), at the moment we've no idea how many Glimerimmel...rimm...zzzzzz...GLIMMERING stones are out there or their location." The princess was clearly struggling to not pass out.
"That means we will split up. In mixed groups of course, so that certain...components among us won't harbor any funny ideas."
"I'm so glad i've almost died for you and be rewarded with such trust." Peach ignored Bowser's remark.
"I'll pretend you never said that, but since you're implying to be staying here while keeping a good chunk of Mushroom Kingdom's best here as well, who's gonna run the reign in our absence?" Kamek asked perplexed.
"Toadsworth will take my place until the crisis here in Everbright is resolved." Mario was as surprised as the rest of the gang after that declaration and asked the elder toad if he wouldn't prefer to stick here by the side of the princess.
"After much pondering, i've concluded this is the best solution. As much as i would convince myself of the contrary, these old bones would only be an hindrance if anything else. Besides, with you and your brother here Master Mario, she couldn't be in better hands."
"This kind of humility is rare nowadays, you should be proud Toadsworth. At any rate, we need to rest for the upcoming journey, so i took the liberty to fill our monetary capacity,so to speak. Good thing Kammy was more than willing to handle the withdrawal for me." Peach slowly opened the mystery sack, almost bursting with sweet, sweet coins.
"Still, don't spend it foolishly; I can't risk to empty the kingdom's finances,even for you. Now if someone was so kind to pay at the counter for me...I talked more than i should have in my...condittttttiiioooo...zzzzzzzz."
Kamek let out a resigned sigh and proceded, together with her master, with a hasty check-in, unaware that a unwanted listener eavesdropped on them during the entire conversation through an open window.
"Well, guess i've brought this upon myself with my lack of conviction, don't you agree, Alexander? If we want to avoid any unnecessary setbacks, we'll have to strike some alliances too, even if means trying to to approach the...ugh...Luminescence's fanatics."
In the meantime, back at Castle Cristallisè...
King Shineard is in the middle of a meeting with his "private investigative force" to discuss the development on the Glimmering Stones situation,togheter with a brief summary of everything else. Unfortunately, the news are less than pleasant.
"The research of the Future Believers's base still proves unfruitful,and that's also how the Absorbilite mines will soon become if we leave the place deserted as it is now. If the place wasn't still so unsafe from all the structural damage-" The Everbrighter was mechanically reading down the piece of paper like a student in an interrogation going down the drain and the king had enough of such incompetence from who are supposed to be his best men
"Tell me something i do not know." Said Shineard exasperated.
"My Lord, problems keep piling up one after another-"
"As well as your excuses since, if i counted the days correctly, it's been more than two weeks now that we are running in circles. What progress have you made besides removing the dust off your chairs with your rear ends?" The king just needed smoke coming out of his ears and he would be literally fuming.
"I have to say...that was quite disrespectful of our efforts, even more so given your position."
The rest of the force gave him a collective look as to say"What the hell are you thinking?", only to turn their Lord and seeing him rubbing in face in silent realization of his childish behaviour. Suddenly, three knocks coming from the door broke the tension and Shineard offered himself to see who it was while inviting the man who had the gall to talk back to him to continue the meeting without him for the next couple of minutes. It's even a familiar face at that.
"Oh..., you are one of the guards i met before i had my talk with Perturbantur. Zincliff,was it?"
"I'm...actually surprised and flattered you remember me, My Lord. But to more important matters, i'm here to discuss about that...beast."
"Oh for Luminescence's sake, this day just keep getting more stressful by the minute!"
"Ehm...actually My Lord, the prisoner has been released the last night and, if what my collegue has heard from the Scientific Division is correct, it should be traveling east through CertainRuin Gallery, towards Encreport, where one the Glimmering Stones is located. Kept under control by the Blitzentain collar which construction you requested, of course."
"Ah, excellent. Maybe this day is not a lost cause just yet. Good job, soldier. You can return to your post now.
"It's nothing, King Shineard. Just...If an unimportant prison guard can express his opinion..."
"Proceed."
"Are we sure this creature is to be trusted? What if it finds a way to escape our control and resume its atrocities once more?"
"Trust me, during our agreement it was obvious that neither of us was under any delusion of keeping faith of our word. However, as my late concubine used to say in her youth "Desperate times and all that."" He boldly declared that to the guard and probably himself as he went back into the meeting room.
A.N.:Sup? I know, another short chapter after almost two weeks...again. I'm the middle of school and i'm being buried under three thousand other things so i'm doing my freaking best to cut some time for story. Hopefully,i should be able to post the next two chapters in a matter of days,which will focus on what Leanandy and Toadenise are up to. Once again,thank you for your patience and i'll see you in the next chapter.
P.S.:I couldn't leave this chapter so short, so i thought"I might as well put an update on what Shineard is handling things." I'm sorry for this late addition.