Chapter 25—Toadette in Blue
"You are so annoying," Flora said. Modest looked at Flora and rolled over, stretching and revealing the fluffy fur on his belly. Flora began stroking that fur until Modest finally decided he was done cuddling and got up. "Finally," Flora thought. Modest had an annoying tendency to curl up in the middle of the driveway when Flora or someone else in her family intended to go somewhere. Flora stood up and crossed her arms, looking with annoyed affection at the Scratch, who ignored her and started grooming himself.
"Okay, he moved," Maria called from the van. "Now how about you do the same?" Flora sighed and walked over to the van, getting in and sitting down in the front seat next to Maria. Flora's father was driving, Jenna in the middle with their mother and Jacob. Finally, Yesenia sat in the back with Arthur and Laura. Maria placed her feet on the dashboard and turned her head to face Flora. "Are you guys excited? We're going to Chai City!"
Flora sighed and shook her head. "I'm more nervous than anything else," she said.
"Well, I didn't decide to go to some stupid ball. For one thing, they only play classical music, for another, it's bound to be full of snobby nobles, and on top of that, it's a formal event."
"And I suppose dancing freestyle to deafening music next to complete strangers in half-naked clothing is more your thing?" Arthur asked sarcastically. Flora was able to get a good laugh out of that remark.
"Ha, ha, ha. Compared to some stuffy ball, yes."
"Oh, come on, it's not that bad," Yesenia said. "I liked the last one I went to. Would you go if Mark went?"
Maria rolled her eyes. She had made her crush quite clear, but the two of them were not even friends.
"Well, you're either coming with us or you're staying in a day care center," Joseph said. "Your mother and I intend to go."
"Can't we just stay in the hotel room?" Maria pleaded.
"You mean rooms, and the answer is no. You still have the day care choice."
Maria sighed, defeated.
"Now strap yourself in; we can't miss the train," her mother said.
Maria strapped herself in. The van pulled out, hitting a bump that encouraged Maria to take her feet off of the dashboard. The Scratches had been left in the care of a friend who also lived with a pair of Scratches.
Flora was quite nervous about going to the Union Ball. For one thing, it was part of a family trip to Chai City, a place Flora loathed for the most part. In addition, it was a public event that was more than likely to have news crews, meaning she would certainly be pestered by the reporters. Also, though, was the fact that Marta would likely be attending the ball, which meant a very impolite exchange between them was bound to happen. Flora's privacy was likely to be torn to shreds. On the positive side, she would get to dance with Nathaniel, but that made her feel only slightly calmer.
Flora looked back to the back seat. It was difficult to notice, but Yesenia had begun to lean against Arthur. Flora chuckled. "It was bound to happen," she thought. Ever since Yesenia had appeared in Xanria, Arthur had made it a priority to integrate her into the community, becoming close friends with her as a result. It made her wonder about what Arthur was thinking. He appeared to be tolerating her, but maybe he did not notice. When Arthur had something on his mind, he essentially built a mortar wall between himself and the world. Considering that Arthur had almost become a brother to Yesenia, the family was not reacting that oddly to the fact that the two of them were going to the ball together. "I'm becoming like Maria," Flora thought. "Arthur's probably just begun to treat her as a sister instead of a housemate. There's no reason to think they're in love; they're just becoming like siblings." Flora turned her head forward again after enough time.
"By the way, Flora, have you tried on the dress I made you yet?" Flora's mother asked. According to Arthur, she had sewn together a very elegant dress for Flora to wear to the ball. Considering how difficult it was to find formal wear that Flora liked, her mother had simply made a dress for her. Flora had not even seen the dress, but according to Arthur, it looked like the dress worn by the Toadette depicted in Shroomov's legendary painting, Toadette in Blue. Flora did not remember the painting (she preferred music and literature over visual art), but she had an uneasy feeling that the dress would be too revealing.
"It isn't too revealing, is it?" she asked.
"For you, it probably is a tad revealing," Flora's mother said. Flora was never made fun of, but she rarely dressed in a way that was even remotely suggestive. Her parents certainly approved of Flora's polite fashion sense, but since most clothing for ladies Flora's age was too revealing for her tastes, it did make her somewhat hard to buy clothes for. "I got the idea from a painting (a replica, actually) that Arthur showed me. Most of your body should be covered by it, but there will be a bit of your shoulders showing. Is that suitable?"
Flora sighed. "I guess."
"We can always get you a shawl if you insist on not showing your shoulders."
"I'll be fine. Besides, you said it only showed a bit."
"I'm very grateful for the dress you made me," Yesenia cut in.
"Well, thank you, Yesenia," Flora's mother said.
"I wonder how it'll fare at the ball," Arthur said.
"Well, it's short enough for the fast dances, so I'm guessing it'll do just fine," Yesenia said. "By the way, Arthur, are you a good dancer?"
"Good enough."
Yesenia laughed, causing Arthur to smile and turn just a few units redder. Yesenia had a very innocent-sounding laugh that would make nearly any Toad blush. Maria was quite envious of that laugh, as she had said many times. Why Yesenia was having so much fun was beyond Flora, though. Considering that she had run away from home and was being searched for all over Birabuto, Flora thought Yesenia would have been quite nervous about being seen at such a major event. However, she seemed quite content. Perhaps life in Xanria had calmed her down—she certainly seemed less anxious compared to when she lived in Naritsya.
Flora felt the van slowing down and going over speed bumps, indicating that they had reached the station. From Xanria, they would take a train to Natsyanyu Central Station, and take an express train to Chai City from there. Thanks to the mountains, the trip would take about three hours, but thanks to the close proximity to Gantrai, the trip was quite short compared to train trips from across the district. She had brought along some books, so she was not particularly concerned about getting bored. As for the main trip, the cabins had already been divided: Flora and Arthur, Maria and Yesenia, Jenna and Laura, and Jacob would sleep with the parents.
The station was not exactly large; it was just a simple two-platform depot with a ticket booth and a sheltered outdoor waiting area. Of course, Xanria was far from large to begin with. The freight station, though, was far busier. Thankfully, the passenger railway used different tracks. A single café kiosk and a news stand comprised the services. Flora looked at the timetable and searched for the train her family was taking.
NOW APPROACHING AT PLATFORM 1: LOCAL SERVICE TO NATSYANYU CENTRAL. CALLING AT: YELTRAT, PRATRA, NIKTAI, AND GVARVAT.
The train pulled up and let off a small group of passengers. Flora led the way aboard.
The trip to Gantrai was rather uneventful for the most part. Jacob played "killer floor" on the empty seats, telling people they were dead whenever they walked through the car. Flora found it rather entertaining, but she felt that way about almost any small child. A Toad that appeared around college age tried to start a conversation, but Flora, not willing to have a repeat of her first trip to Chai City, simply gave the fellow no recognition of his existence. After enough time, he called her a snob and went off.
The main trip, though, posed a rather welcome encounter. In the news car was none other than Luigi. Flora, not feeling like reading, decided to start a conversation.
"I didn't expect to find you in Sarasaland," she said. Luigi turned his head and put on an expression that suggested hard thinking. "Flora," she said, taking the hint.
"Right, now I remember," Luigi said. "Did you receive a call to duty again?"
"No. Nathaniel invited me to the Union Ball."
"What a coincidence. That's exactly why Daisy and I are here. Are you still just friends with him?"
"No, we're quite deeply in love now. By the way, what's the Koopa Kingdom like? I've always wanted to go there."
"Well, until King Jacob started his rotten war, the Koopspiyskaya Koopray was especially beautiful. I settled in Shellfino. It's a rather small town, but that suits me and Daisy just fine. The fields there are just wonderful; the Mushroom Kingdom has nothing like it."
"Why are you in Sarasaland if you're fighting a war?"
"Partially because Daisy wanted to go, partially because King Bowser thinks Princess Peach wants to ally with Sarasaland for the duration of the war."
"Well, most of Sarasaland favors the Koopa Kingdom. Still, how exactly did the Mushroom Kingdom conquer so much land?"
Luigi laughed very loudly at that question. "Do you really think the Koopa Kingdom's weak enough to let the Mushroom Kingdom just walk right in and claim the country? Prince Bowser came up with the most ingenious plan: evacuate the southern regions and meet the Mushroomers with only enough resistance to hold them off. The Koopa Kingdom has had only a hundredth of the losses the Mushroom Kingdom has suffered. When King Jacob sent his troops in, the towns (with the exception of a few major cities) were all evacuated and had only small battalions of Koopa troops. We slowed the Mushroom advance, waiting for winter to force the Mushroomers to stop. The Mushroom Kingdom had been battering away at the Wall of Koopva for three years with no success! Finally, King Bowser got sick of waiting for the Mushroomers to run out of troops and ordered me to start an offensive. We've barely started, but we've already reclaimed Amprakhan. Morale in the Mushroom Army is extremely low; we're expecting to have the Kingdom defeated by 1900. Also, King Jacob is supposedly getting ill. The bottom line is that the Mushroomers never even had a chance; we had the whole thing planned out: wait for the enemy to get tired, then wipe them out with minimal losses. The winter's claimed more enemy troops than the battles themselves."
"Is it really that easy?"
"By all means. In fact, we've started a naval assault on the west coast. As I said, the Mushroom Kingdom doesn't stand a chance."
Flora chuckled. "For so long, you and Mario had been King Jacob's tools. It's so weird to see you a Admiral in the Koopa Troop."
"Well, I'll be honest. While I'd much rather have Mario alive, his death really opened my eyes to who I was really serving. I'm glad to be serving the Koopa Kingdom; it makes up for all the years I've wasted with the Mushroom Kingdom."
"What about the Boo Kingdom?"
"We've done all we can to help out there, but our focus is on the western front. The siege of Gusty Gulch still hasn't been lifted, but King Boo has continued to be a thorn in King Jacob's side the size of King Bowser. Even after five years, the Boo Kingdom capital holds strong. Also, Foggy Bay is not worried in the slightest about a siege. They know the war will end soon, but they're prepared for a siege and they expect to last until the end.
"As for poor King Peasley, that's another story. When he joined the war on our side, the Mushroom Army overwhelmed the Beanbean Kingdom. King Jacob was actually quoted as saying, 'We can finally purge the world of those green-skinned monstrosities.'"
"How awful. Wasn't there a peace plan, though?"
"Cackletta ruined that chance. Besides, the Beanbean Kingdom is only half the size it was before King Edward's time. Most Beanbeans still hate the Mushroomers for taking their land. Anyway, King Peasley knows the Beanbeans have no chance of winning, so he's now just hoping to last until the end of the war. It's really disappointing how much chaos the Mushroom Kingdom has caused. When David I, the first human on this world, seized power in the Toad Kingdom, things took a turn for the worse. He pushed for war and conquest, and so did his descendants, eventually leading to the founding of the Mushroom Kingdom under King Edward.
"Everything taught in the Mushroom Kingdom's schools places the human rule as benevolent, superior, and just. Learning in the Koopa Kingdom showed me just how powerful Mushroom propaganda is. It is no wonder the Kingdom makes war with other nations—anyone who learns the truth abroad is a threat to the Mushroom Kingdom's stability. When I told the truth about Mario's death, I was branded a traitor and had to flee. I am hoping Peach will start an era of tolerance, but I suspect this open war has ruined any chance of that."
"Humans have just brought so much chaos—no offense to you and Daisy—to our world. I never thought about it, but they're the cause of the Poison Mushroom Kingdom, as many call it."
"I take no offense; our arrival was like a foreign disease to which you have no inbred immunity. I just hope I can find the cure. Right now, it seems the best cure is to prevent humans from gaining political power. Of course, most humans would call that discrimination."
"It is."
"I know that, but the problem is that humans will take advantage of the kindness of others to fuel their own greed. King David was put into a position of power and look what it has led to. Thanks to Sarasaland's strict traditions, though, humans had a much smaller effect. The problem, of course, is that they still managed to teach greed to others."
"Don't blame humans for all of that. We had greed before humans were here. They just happened to have more greed."
"Well, I'm in full support of the Koopa Kingdom's war effort. As King Bowser said, 'It's high time those arrogant Mushroomers learned their place!'"
"Well put. I'm behind you all the way."
"There you are!" a female voice said. "Could you at least tell me where you're going next time?"
Luigi turned his head and saw Daisy.
"I left a note on your bunk in the cabin," he said.
"I didn't see any note. Maybe it slid off." Daisy noticed Flora. "Let's see… Flora?"
"That's right," she said.
"Where are you heading?"
"Chai City. My whole family's going, as a matter of fact."
"What for? The Ball?"
"Yes; Nathaniel invited me."
"I thought you two were just friends."
"Not anymore. In fact, I'm in full-out love with him."
"I had a feeling something like that would come along. Well, from what I do know of you, I think you'd make a wonderful wife for him. Or is it too early to consider marriage?"
"I… would like to marry him, but he thinks it's too early right now. We're being cautious, just to make sure we're right for each other."
"And you're both being loyal?"
"I am, and I hope I can say the same of him."
"That's good to hear. I still remember how long it took for Luigi to ask me the big question."
"Settling down and getting married was not high on my list in the middle of a war," Luigi said. "I certainly wanted to marry Daisy, but at the time, my priority was duty, not love."
"Even though he said that, he finally did propose in '94. The first thing I said was 'About time!'"
All three of them laughed at that.
"It had gotten to the point that Daisy had to visit me in the Koopa Kingdom if she wanted to see me," Luigi said. "It wasn't exactly fun having all the soldiers laugh at Daisy's comment."
"Well, I would have laughed," Flora said. "It's not exactly what—" Flora turned around when Maria tapped on her shoulder. "Yes?"
"Are you ever gonna try on that dress?" Maria asked.
"Why do you care? You hate formal wear."
"I just want to see how you look in it. Besides, I don't even have a dress yet."
"Didn't some dress code get enacted after that incident last year?" Daisy cut in.
"Yes," Luigi started, "and I'm very glad it was finally enacted. All those suggestive dresses the young ladies wore last year made it almost impossible to see anyone dressed politely."
"I doubt they'll enforce it," Maria said. "I've been getting away with backless tops at my school for years."
"Don't be so sure," Daisy said. "According to the article, special suits and dresses will be provided for anyone who fails to comply."
"And they'll probably be as stuffy as ever. Anyway, let's go, Flora."
"Fine," she said.
Maria rushed Flora off to her cabin, which Arthur politely left. There, Maria hastily opened the suitcase and began tossing clothes all over.
"Maria, I'll find it," Flora said, closing the suitcase. In a few seconds, she had found the dress, which, fortunately, was quite easy to put on. Maria sat down on the lower bunk and laughed.
"Well, you sure look like Mrs. 17th Century," she said between bursts of laughter. Flora looked in the mirror, taking a look at herself from several angles and finally putting a satisfied smile on her face.
"It's a little too open, but I like it," she said. "I hope Nathaniel won't have too much trouble remembering where my face is."
"Nathaniel won't, but other guys will."
"May I come in?" Arthur asked from the other side of the door.
"One moment," Flora called back. After putting away the mess Maria had made and neatly folding her casual clothes and putting them on her bunk, she opened the door.
Arthur spent a few seconds looking, then said, "You look beautiful; Nathaniel will certainly say it, too."
"Thank you," Flora said. "Maria thinks I look silly, but she'd say that about almost any formal dress."
"Not Yesenia's," Maria remarked. "She looks adorable in it."
"She looks adorable in anything," Arthur said. Maria and Flora both opened their eyes extremely wide as though Arthur had just confessed to murder. After his face got red enough to affect his cap, he continued with, "That does not mean I love her; it just means she looks good."
"Maybe," Maria said. "Ztars, what I'd do for her looks."
"She is practically a sister to me; falling in love with her would be nearly incestuous in my case."
"She certainly likes you, though," Maria said. "She just won't shut up about how nice you are and all you've done for her and how she's so excited about dancing with you and Arthur this and Arthur that and things that would make a blind person see that she likes you." Arthur opened his mouth to speak. "And don't say 'of course she likes me,'; you know what I mean by 'like'."
Rather than say anything, Arthur walked off, still as red as Mario's hat. Flora closed the door, giving both herself and Maria a chance to laugh.
"I'd always suspected something was going to brew between them," Flora said. "Try not to rub it in too much." She took a few deep breaths to calm down, then continued, "Arthur might be telling the truth, so don't go off telling Yesenia Arthur loves her."
"Oh, come on; you saw his face—he loves her."
"Do you remember what happened when you thought I was in love with Ben? It took months to convince him I only considered him a friend thanks to your intervention."
"Well, everyone—including Ben—thought you loved him. I get your point, though; I won't tell Yesenia what happened."
"Good."
Maria walked out of the cabin, leaving Flora to get back into her casual clothes. She suspected it would be only a few hours before Maria told Yesenia that Arthur loved her. Such were Toadettes Maria's age: all they were interested in was who had a crush on who, and their gossip was a lethal weapon when questionable couples were concerned. "I'll have to remember to see a replica of Toadette in Blue," Flora thought as she put her dress away.
Author's Notes: For those of you unfamiliar with Russian visual art, one of my favorite paintings in Konstantin Somov's Lady in Blue, which is the reference in this chapter. Also, I mean no offense in using the name David; I hold no grudge against any religion and was just using the first names that came into my head. Finally, I plan on starting another story: Shellfino, the tale of Luigi's adventures after Mario's death--in particular, the war mentioned in this chapter and his relationship with Daisy.
This also takes the story past the 75000-word mark.