Chapter 8 Man Without a Plan

The castle seemed all the more inviting when Roy and Sage returned. The Koopa troopa servants were extra smiley and chatty. The common room was sparkling with color. The lights didn't blind Roy like they normally did.

Roy smiled. His heart was fluttering like a tiny little butterfly. His knees were bucking underneath his weight. Cupid had certainly been working overtime today.

"Well, looks like I did it," Roy said as he took a seat on the common room couch. The cushions hugged his shell and caressed his skin. Sage nodded.

"You did decently. It could have been better, though."

Roy felt a small pang, but it quickly melted away when he remembered the sparkle in Celia's eyes.

"That's true of pretty much everything that I do. Not to mention, she said yes right away. I actually can't remember the first time a girl said yes to me."

Sage nodded again, although he did it with less intensity. He glanced around the common room. He seemed to be taking in its features, assessing it for any cracks and nooks. He rubbed his arm as if he were nervous. He rolled back his hair and let out a sigh.

"If you don't mind, I would like to take a walk around the castle."

"Okay, sure," Roy said, although Sage was already making his way to the door by the time he said that. "Do you need a map or a guide or something?"

"No. I'll be fine," Sage responded.

With that, the koopa boy was gone. Roy shrugged and got into a relaxed position on the couch. As he started to channel surf, he felt much better than he had earlier today. His stomach wasn't doing three sixties like it was before. The sights and smells of the common room seemed to be welcoming him, congratulating him. The purples and blues of the walls seemed to be saying "you're the man, Roy!" Roy chuckled.

"Why thank you, walls," he said out loud.

At this time, Roy's siblings entered the common room. Iggy, who was at the front of the pack, looked at Roy in interest.

"Hey Roy. Ecstatic to see that you have returned."

Roy chuckled.

"Yeah, I've returned all right." He sat up when he saw what was on the TV. "Oh sweet, Double Intrigue again!" Roy focused his attention on the episode, which just so happened to be one of his favorites.

"So," Wendy said as she slowly approached her brother. "How did it go?"

Roy smiled.

"Awesome! I have a date with her tomorrow."

"Really?" Lemmy asked as he spring forward intensely.

"Yep. You might be looking at Celia Patch's new boyfriend."

"Well, that's good!" Larry said. "I guess this was a nice birthday for you!"

Roy chuckled again with a smug hint of satisfaction.

"It was. It really was." He directed his attention toward the show again. "Man, Sasha has really lost some weight."

This time, Morton stepped forward.

"So, what's your plan for tomorrow?"

Roy glanced over at Morton, blinking as he did so.

"Come again?"

"Well, you're obviously going to need a plan for tomorrow," Iggy said. Roy thought about this before giving a little shrug.

"Well, I figured I would just take her out for lunch."

"Okay. But do you know where you want to take her?" asked Larry. Roy thought about it.

"Well, no…"

"Do you know what you want to wear?" asked Wendy.

"Do you know what you're going to say?" asked Lemmy.

"Did you choose a place that has at least decent feng shui?" Iggy questioned.

"Do you even have a plan, Sasha?" asked the show.

As all these questions were being pulled on top of Roy, he felt his insides start to tighten. Soon, it got so bad that he had to excuse himself.

...

Sage slowly sauntered down the hall. The place was a little dusty, but overall decent. He passed some Koopa troopa servants who were hard at work. He passed by paintings of the great Koopa Kings, all stern and intimidating. He enjoyed the red carpet underneath his feet. It brought him back.

He thought about the encounter Roy had with Celia. It seemed to have gone well, which brought Sage some form of reassurance. He could now breathe easier. If Roy was going on a date with Celia, that meant that his work here was done. He could return to the future, relax with his parents and have fun with his sister. The twentieth Mario Kart was just released and he was desperate to play it with her.

Just as Sage was thinking about this, a sharp pain spread through his body. He put his hand to his head and gritted his teeth. He saw that he was flickering again, and flickering hard. Once it stopped, he groaned and stood up straight.

"Dang it," he muttered under his breath. He started making his way back toward the east wing. He made his way up the stairs and marched down the hallway. He found Roy in his room, sulking. Sage let out a sound that sounded like a cross between a groan and a sigh.

"Are you okay?" he asked slowly. Roy feigned a smile when he saw Sage.

"Oh, yeah. I'm fine."

Sage started to flicker again. The sensations traveling through his body felt like cramps turned up to a million, bee stings dipped in peroxide. Once the storm cleared, he glared at Roy.

"You're a terrible liar. What's the problem now?"

Roy hesitated before speaking up.

"I'm a little worried about the date."

"What? Celia was really happy to accept the invitation. What could possibly make you worried about it?"

Roy shook his head.

"I just...I think I might need a plan. And the problem is I am horrible at coming up with them. How do I know where to take Celia? How do I know what to say to her?"

Sage inwardly groaned. He really had to do everything, didn't he?

"Just take her to some place you like!" he said. Roy glanced at him with worry in his eyes.

"But what if she doesn't like the place that I like? What if lunch isn't enough for her?"

Sage shook his head. He should not be taking part in this. This was Roy's date with Celia, not his.

"Dude...come on! You're overthinking it! Just take her to lunch and say nice things to her! If you're worried that is not enough, then take her to a carnival or a movie or something like that."

Roy still looked hesitant.

"I don't know if I'll be able to do that without screwing up." He turned toward Sage. "Do you think you can come with me, so you can tell me what to do?"

Sage blinked. Then he groaned.

"Fine. I'll come with you," he said with an exhausted tone. Roy grinned.

"Thanks, Sage."