Fighting in the Streets
Chapter 51 – Tom and Enrique
A/N: If you remember the small text I wrote at the bottom of the previous chapter, you'll be happy to know that it is true, as I am going very quickly with these!
Additional Note: If anyone wants a picture of a rough train map of the lands, PM me and I can send it to you.
February 17, 2015 – 2:30PM
Zephenwood, Southeast Résethal
Coming from the right, Tom and Enrique could see the train they were going to get on approach the platform. Whilst they were waiting they saw one train go by without stopping and two trains stopping at different platforms. As they got up and waited for it to stop, Enrique noticed a slightly recognisable figure go down the steps on to the same platform they were on. It was a female Koopa who he felt like he had seen before. The train stopped, and the figure noticed Enrique in the distance across the platform. Enrique noticed the Koopa as well, but tried to ignore her. The train's doors opened and he and Tom got on to the rather densely packed train. The train was coming from the south, so almost everybody on it must be from the Mushroom Kingdom. Enrique and Tom noticed this because a lot of the passengers on board were Toads. Still, there were lots of Koopas on board. There were no seats available for the two on the carriage they were in, so they had to hold on to the railings above. Since humans were the one of the taller species that lived in the lands, it was easy for the two to reach them. When they found a place to stand, they looked at eachother awkwardly, knowing and listening to the fact that a lot of people around them recognised them, and were being talked about behind their back.
This is the Platform A Off-Peak Service to: Nivurbia via Sigurk Station and Donut Plains. Calling at: Umbrock, Sigurk Station, Donut Fort Town, Donut Plains, Hulam, Rhonesu, Shiveria, and Nivurbia. Change at Donut Fort Town for trains to the Mushroom Kingdom. Change at Donut Plains for trains to: Donut Hills, Marble Towers, and the Delfino Kingdom.
"So... with all things mentioned before we got on the train, I take it we will be getting off at Donut Plains?" Tom whispered to Enrique, having spent the last ten minutes of the wait for the train talking about heading to Blockfort and knowing about the information given by Luke in regards to capturing Taur Rovin and Pom Pom.
"I believe there is a faster route at Hulam. There's going to be a train there that we will have to jump on immediately when this one stops." Enrique replied. "I think we will definitely be there... within two hours. That's for sure."
"Right." Tom replied whilst staring straight at Enrique as the train went onwards towards to the next station. Behind was a small map above one of the train's windows. It showed a linear path of the route, with several places with an asterisk. From what he could see, it looked like that once the train gets to Donut Plains, a perpendicular arrow indicates another train possibility going to Delfino Desert and beyond. Enrique was right, it is Hulam which has trains going to Blockfort, Sarlan, and beyond to the southwest. On the other side was an arrow marking trains going to Rhonesu, implying Shiveria and Nivurbia as well. The linear network map actually continued with Suhen after Hulam, and then Donk City. Whilst Tom was looking at the network, he became distracted by noticing Enrique's eye movement, frequently changing from looking ahead, and looking to the right.
"Everything alright, bro?" Tom whispered to Enrique, trying to get his attention. He snapped and looked back to Tom.
"Yeah." Enrique nodded, looking back to his right after seeing Tom look away. To his right was the window to the carriage in front. It looked just as filled as their one, but there were less people standing in the middle of it. Most people were on seats bar about three soon to be four as somebody just entered the carriage in front of theirs from the carriage ahead of that one. It was the same Koopa that Enrique noticed before getting on to the train. He grew uncomfortable standing up, watching the Koopa make their way slowly and discretely through the carriage in front of them.
The next station is: Umbrock. Change here for services to Sikóf, Castelia, and other Résethal towns and cities.
Enrique watched from the corner of his vision the Koopa making their way towards their carriage. By the time she got towards the middle of it, the train started to slow down as it approached the platform in Umbrock Station.
"Who are you looking at?" Tom turned his head to peek through the window to the carriage in front of them. The Koopa watching Enrique stopped moving and looked away from him and Tom, pretending to mind her own business on the platform. Unfortunately for her, Tom noticed her face turn away from them as he saw her. "You know that Koopa?"
"Not really." Enrique replied quietly. "I just know that she's... you know." Then he mouthed the word Hostile to Tom.
"Ah." Tom nodded, looking around at the few people on the train who were still staring at him. Tom looked back at them awkwardly and briefly, trying to look somewhere that wasn't making him look like he would interact with anybody.
The train stopped and the doors opened. A few people got off of the train and a few people got on it. Enrique kept looking at the Koopa on the other carriage, and she kept looking away from both of them. She was staying on the train, and it didn't look like she wanted to get any closer to them.
"It's a good thing almost everyone on this train are southerners." Enrique whispered to Tom, both now looking back to eachother. "Because I have no idea what that person is doing here."
The train embarked from the platform, taking a huge left turn on the tracks to now face southwest. It was now heading in the direction to the mountains. A few minutes later, the train went straight past Tamman: A quiet town in the southern edges of Résethal that has a station that only operates trains at peak times. Enrique frequently watched the Koopa looking away. He could tell that she was either anxious or really paranoid, as her head movements were all over the place and in the corner of his vision he could see her when he looked away slightly.
The next station is: Sigurk Station.
A few more minutes passed, and the train slowed down and eventually stopped at the one of two platforms in Sigurk. In a small but busy town, several people entered the train and very few got off. The carriage that Tom and Enrique were on became a little more compact, but the one in front of them filled up very quickly. The paranoid Koopa moved down the carriage and tried getting across over to Tom and Enrique's carriage. The doors opened and Enrique and Tom watched the Koopa awkwardly brush past them, heading past them. She knew it was him, and he knew it was her, but there were so many people in the carriage, that causing a scene would not be appropriate for the people on board. Additionally, Sigurk Station was home to a few hostiles; part of a different group to the other ones such as the Takharim. Enrique watched as the Koopa stopped moving on the carriage, getting in the way of some people and being a door obstruction after it closed.
"You're not supposed to be in the way of the doors." One of the Koopas holding the railings in the carriage spoke to the paranoid Koopa.
"I'll move when they need to open." She replied softly.
"Her name's Verida." Enrique whispered to Tom. As he spoke her name out, the Koopa noticed his quiet voice and turned and faced towards him. Enrique noticed her looking at him and turned his eyes on her. For a few seconds, the two were locked and looking at eachother across the carriage. It rocked a bit shortly after, pushing Verida a little backwards. The movement distracted her from him and Enrique looked away.
"So, is she from the northeast?" Tom whispered to him, getting his attention and keeping him looking away from her.
"Yeah, her brother's behind bars. I don't know why she's here though."
"Maybe she's after you." Tom wondered. "What if she's armed?"
"She's definitely armed."
"Don't you think we ought to do something about it?" Tom asked quietly, and conveniently as the lights of the train turned on. It was about to enter a tunnel, one that would go on for several minutes. This was one of the many train tunnels that connected tracks from the north to tracks in the south.
The next station is: Donut Fort Town. Change here for services to towns and cities in the Mushroom Kingdom.
"In a matter of minutes, we'll be back in the Mushroom Kingdom. She'd get arrested pretty quickly if she showed signs of hostile activity." He looked back at her to see her distracted by the people touching and leaning on her. "I just want to know why she is here." Some more minutes passed and all that happened was Enrique watching the brief movements made by Verida on the train. The more she moved about the more he believed that she was here for him and that they didn't just coincidentally pass by. Verida was now considered an illegal, as she was a Résethal native who hasn't got any sort of citizenship in the south or laws involving the concept of Free Passage. She was only locked to the station platforms of any other town in the south until she could get a train back up north.
The passengers saw light again, and they were all officially back in the Mushroom Kingdom. Enrique watched Verida stare out of the windows to see the clean, green fields and plains that composed the surroundings of the Donut Plains. Heading further south, the train headed in to the town of Donut Fort, slowing down as it arrived at one of its platforms. Lots of citizens got off of the train and were met with Toad Brigade security guards patrolling the platforms en masse. Verida had herself be brushed by several people as she waited for the train to embark again. Since it was significantly less crowded, she managed to find a singular seat available for her. Tom and Enrique turned to look outside to see so many Koopas get inspected by the Toad Brigade operating at the steps down from the platform. There were still lots of people on the train, including many that boarded on at Sigurk Station. The Toad Brigade had to be sure that they didn't let any hostiles or smugglers get in to the kingdom.
"Enrique. She's not the only one looking nervous on board." Tom whispered to him on the train, still being watched by citizens. "Two on your far left, could be armed."
The next station is: Donut Plains. Change here for services to Delfino Desert and Eastern Delfino towns and cities.
"Good thing I am." Enrique grinned, brushing one of his pockets. "Hopefully we don't need to do that in front of all these people."
"I'm not sure." Tom worried slightly. "Any of these guys could just pull up on us, and it would be worth it for their lives."
"I'm pretty sure I will not let that happen." Enrique laughed, looking down the carriage. "How's about we go up one just in case?" The two nodded and made their way towards the door to the carriage in front. The train began to slow down and stopped at the platform in Donut Plains' train station. Verida watched them silently and stayed still on her seat. Her eyes turned to two other people in the carriage assuming they were both hostile and from a different tribe. They noticed her as well, but they didn't make any more interaction than just mild eye-contact.
The carriage became filled with more people, and Tom and Enrique had to still stand. Their view of their previous carriage became obstructed by the others on board. Now they were surrounded by more Toads than Koopas, making them feel a little safer. The only thing they thought could happen would be a domestic terrorist incident or a radicalised Toad pulling up on them and firing. Besides the peak-only stations that the train would pass by, the two were to get off at their next stop. The train would go on to skip both Donut Hills and Marble Towers, both filled with sweets and candy. In this area, the two could see views of Candy Coaster and Cookie Village on their way across the northernmost edges of the Mushroom Kingdom, heading in to the disputed area.
The next station is: Hulam. Change here for services to Suhen, Blockfort, or Donk City.
More time passed, and the train stopped on the platform. The two got off and watched many citizens get off with them. To their surprise, Verida wasn't to be found on the platform after the train had departed and turned northwards again. Tom turned towards a screen showing the train times at the Hulam station, looking for one where they could get on and go towards Blockfort.
Due – Nivurbia (T) – P5
1 min – Zeltarc East via Allam Junction (D) – P4
4 min – Seven Farms (D) – P6
6 min – Aypyidaw via New Moon City (R) – P1
13 min – Yuonormahe via Palmwood (M) – P8
"Come on then, I told you we had to literally rush to the next train." Enrique grabbed Tom and rushed up the steps off the platform with him, heading towards the platform on the other side to see the train slowly arriving in. Thankfully for them, this train was far less crowded than the other one. Its destination is Zeltarc East, which is at the south-westernmost point of the Delfino Kingdom. If the train was not to originally start from here, then it would be from somewhere else nearby. Hulam Station was more of a junction-type than a vertex-type.
A/N: What I mean by this, is a vertex-type station would be at the end of most railway lines. A junction has multiple platforms going in several directions.
This train would embark and go on a long journey, but Tom and Enrique would only need to stay on it for one stop.
This is the Platform 4 peak service to: Zeltarc East via Allam Junction. Calling at: Ruhamir, Blockfort, Sarlan, Surjinhar, Allam Junction, Heroh, Cormalin, Hadrogar, Alubis, Techénne, Utrumont, Kalslarpa, Kalslarpa Valley, and Zeltarc East. Change at Allam Junction for several various towns and cities in Delfino. Change at Cormalin for services to Symaer, South Downs, and the Delfino Capital.
Tom and Enrique didn't realise the time. It was past four in the afternoon, so peak times were now in place. This meant they would have two stops.
"You didn't see that same Koopa get on this train as well, right?" Tom whispered to Enrique as they sat down next to eachother. People in this train seemed to be more occupied with their own matters, and few noticed or paid attention to either of the two.
"I didn't even see her leave the train." Enrique replied. "She's none of my concern for now."
The next station is: Ruhamir.
The train shifted along the tracks to be on the right-most side when it arrived at the platforms. This small lakeside town had four platforms, and the train arrived in on the second from the right. As it stopped and opened its doors, few passengers got off, and nobody got on their carriage. It now looked almost empty, with nobody sitting near either of them.
"Blockfort station is probably going to be very busy. When the doors open there, we get off as quickly as possible. Luke's been waiting for hours." Enrique mentioned to Tom, who nodded back in response. The two went on to spend the rest of their journey looking out of the windows, admiring the mid-afternoon sunny views of the greenery that surrounded the several small towns that made up the disputed area of the three southern Kingdoms. Right at the top of the Mushroom Kingdom, the Delfino Kingdom, and the Wuhu Kingdom were where all three bordered together, right before the foothills of the mountain range. It was one of the areas in all the lands that had the highest levels of security, with operatives from all three Kingdoms working there because the land is owned by all of them.
The next station is: Blockfort.
After the train took a huge left turn to face south, the surroundings began to change noticeably. The land became less green and started to turn sandy. Entering the boundaries of the Delfino Kingdom, the train passed through the edge of one of the many deserts in Delfino. Shortly before the train started to slow down, it went inside a hill, and became underground. The hill was situated against several giant block structures, indicating the bounds of the city.
"When we get out, follow me." Enrique said again...
6:00PM
The Rovin Estate, Blockfort, North Delfino
"So let me just recall..." Tom began after noticing Luke's car still parked outside the Rovin Estate driveway. "You and Luke used Taur Rovin as a lead to find Pom Pom... and that you and Luke have them all trapped in here without any problem whatsoever?"
"Yep."
"And this is because the Delfino Capital authorities had them all arrested?" Tom looked a little confused, approaching the front entrance to the residence. The doors were ajar, and some of the lights were on inside.
"I'm not sure if every Rovin was arrested for taking part in that massacre, but the ones that live here? Yes." Enrique opened the doors more and let Tom and himself in, closing them and locking them behind him when they were inside.
"This place is huge." Tom took a few seconds to realise what the interior of the residence looked like compared to how it looked from the outside. The buildings from the outside looked like simple white blocks with patterns and windows, but the inside reminded him of your typical wealthy mansion from Earth. It almost felt like humans were actually the ones to live here to him. "I take it... Luke, Taur and Pom are the only ones here?"
"That's what I am to believe." Enrique replied, leading Tom through the main hallway and in to the foyer. Tom got out his phone whilst he was walking behind and texted Luke, informing him that he had arrived.
"Any idea where Luke is then?" Tom wondered, looking back up to Enrique.
"I'm sure he'll show up eventually. I don't really know my way around here, so it's best we stay in this room."
...
After about thirty seconds, the two started hearing footsteps coming from one of the staircases. They saw the shadow of a figure moving down them quickly. Luke revealed himself, and beckoned the two to follow him back up.
"Up here." Luke called out. "Try not to trip. These steps can be quite slippery." Tom and Enrique rushed up carefully and followed Luke through the corridors of the upper floors of the mansion. They slowed down after seeing Luke stopping at hallway junction. Ahead of them were formal closed doors, to the right was a chamber at the end of another long hallway, and to the right was another set of stairs going up to the top floor.
"Where's Pom?" Enrique asked, noticing something on the doors to the right after he had spoken. The doors were barricaded, and lights were lit up next to them.
"Pom's all the way down there." Luke pointed to the right, showing Tom the look of the barricaded doors. "Taur and his wife are up the steps and in their chambers. I have had them locked in there for hours, giving them their breakfast and lunch throughout the day. It's like I'm the one who owns this place."
"Taur has a wife?" Tom asked with a surprised look on his face.
"I think so. She looks more of a trophy wife anyway." Luke looked to his left.
"How are they doing... how are you doing? Is this what you've been doing all day? It looks like you're holding them hostage in their own home." Tom laughed, slowly approaching the stairs on the left before the others.
"You can thank this guy." Luke referred to Enrique. "Shysta was easy to keep in her room, but Taur needed a bit of convincing according to Enrique."
"The sound of gunfire made him listen to me." Enrique followed Tom up the steps. At the top, they could see the doors to their chamber at the end of a walkway, with tall, expensive windows giving an overlook of the estate and the town on the right.
"Are they still in there?" Tom asked, but got silenced immediately.
"Shh." Enrique crept forward, approaching the doors to check if the two were still there. He could hear quiet muttering between the two, confirming to him that they were both still there. He nodded to Luke and Tom, and crept back to them, heading down the stairs. "What we need to deal with first... is inside there."
"Now, we need to proceed with caution." Luke and Enrique began to creep right up to the barricaded doors. Pulling out his gun and keeping it down low, Enrique put his right hand against some of the barricades and slowly started to shove them off eachother, putting them on the floor.
"What are we to expect on the other side?" Tom asked looking slightly worried behind the other two. In the middle, he helped with them in removing the furniture that was used as barricades to keep the doors sealed. He got no reply from Luke or Enrique, so he stood back a bit and hoped for them to open the doors first. He heard nothing from the other side either, so he had no idea what to expect. Once all of the pieces were moved away from the door, Luke reached for the left door's handle. Enrique swapped hands for holding his gun and reached out for the right door handle with his left hand. Together they opened the door quickly and stormed in to the room. Luke stood behind Enrique and Tom soon followed, standing behind Luke.
"Stay back and on the ground, now!" Enrique shouted to the Koopa that immediately grew restless upon seeing the door open.
"G-get me out of here you filthy twigs!" From the unique female appearance, Tom knew that this was obviously her. She was chained up to the wall at the other end of the room, and she kept using her brute strength in attempts to break the chains and escape. Every heave she made was as much of a fail as the previous one, but she still kept trying. The room looked like another ordinary room in the house except everything in it was removed. This old storage room was emptied and temporarily used as a prison for her being kept under the occupation of the Rovin family. "One perfect heave and I could break out of here and stomp on all three of you in this room!" She yelled again.
BANG!
Enrique shot the ground in front of Pom, creating a loud noise that echoed through the corridors of the floor.
"Ha! You think a tiny bullet is going to do anything to me?" She kept heaving in position, trying to break down the wall she was attached to with the chains.
"What about a machete, or a falchion?" Luke spoke in turn, saying something that he knew could frighten her. Pom Pom turned around and stopped pulling on her chains. "So you know that's what happened to your brother's arm?"
"How did you know that?" Tom whispered to Luke quietly.
"How did you know about that?" Pom asked him as well. "You weren't there that night!"
"Do you really think that his arm would just stay there without anybody noticing?" Luke stood in front of Enrique, causing Pom to lean back against the wall, cowering away from him. "Footage from the Mushroom Kingdom says otherwise. One of us found the arm, so that I could find out how it was removed."
"You've been running and hiding for all these years." Tom added. "Everyone you have tried to associate with has been as bad as you are. You and your brother's crimes are greater than anybody else's; anybody who is still alive."
"Your time has come." Enrique said bluntly, raising the gun back to Pom's face.
"No!" She reached out for the gun in his hand, taking a bullet right to her own instead. Pom shouted and screamed in pain for a few seconds. "My time is not over!" She kept wailing on the spot on the floor. Enrique shot again, this time further down her arm.
"Enrique, stop!" Luke pushed him aside and watched Pom scream and shout. "Let her have her words. We'll be taking her to Mushroom City anyway."
As Tom was about to say his input, he was immediately interrupted by the touch of two things being pushed on to his back. He looked around and saw two Koopas, both pressing guns on to his back.
"Speak and you're dead." Taur whispered right up to Tom's ear, grabbing it and lowering his head for him to reach it. As Luke and Enrique were still looking at Pom, they hadn't noticed the Koopas entering the room from the back.
"Fine! How are we going to take her in anyway? She's massive." Enrique asked Luke, still paying attention to Pom.
"Quietly, step aside, and face that corner of the room. Shysta, keep your gun on him." Taur whispered quietly and at the same time, a few steps behind Luke and Enrique. He moved Tom aside and made him walk a few quiet footsteps to the corner. Tom grew very nervous, but had to contain himself to save his own life.
"We'll find a way. We can get the Brigade in here once she's finished with her words. Pom Pom, have you got anything else to say?" Luke and Enrique still stared at her, now seeing her sit down on the floor with her arms in the air chained up to the wall. The two still didn't know that they were being held at gunpoint by Taur behind them.
"I have an easy way out of this!" She cried. "I can confess you everything. Everything you need to know about Koopak. I know where he is!"
"Tell us where he is then!" Enrique yelled, picking up his gun and aiming it on her face this time. He kept his distance as he didn't want to endure another surprise attack from her. "Tom you need to take note of this. Odds are we're going to have to hunt him down as well... Tom?" Enrique turned around and froze upon seeing Taur's pistol looking straight at his face.
"Enrique, move!"
BANG!
...
BANG!
Luke leapt on to Enrique, pushing him aside. As he landed on the floor, Luke was kicked aside by Pom, unknowingly landing on Shysta Rovin, who was on the other side of the small room. Shysta had fired but the collision from Luke caused her arm to aim upward and fire at the ceiling. Tom flinched in his position and turned around, tripping up on both Luke and Shysta falling on to him. Enrique fell against Taur's feet. The Koopa's hands were shaking and the pistol was slipping from his grasp. Shysta quickly got up before the other could react, and grabbed Taur, putting him back to reality and making him run out of the room together.
"Fuck!" Luke shouted. "Taur's getting away!" He yelled at Enrique and moved away from Tom, lying against one of the other walls of the room. Enrique opened the doors and hid immediately after seeing Shysta opening fire on them, missing every shot.
"She's still armed. I'm going after her." Enrique picked up his gun and ran out of the room once he saw that Taur and Shysta had turned left at the corridor junction.
"Tom. Take Taur's gun and go and join Enrique." Luke coughed and remained on the floor in immense pain. Tom shuffled over and grabbed the gun, noticing the wound that struck the side of Luke's back.
"Luke... Luke!" Tom rushed over. "Luke, you're going to be alright. Turn over." He moved his body slightly, causing him to wail a bit more.
"Ha-ha!" Pom laughed from her spot in the room. "Puny humans. Too weak for bullets? Going to die? I've got two in me. Strengthen up!" Tom looked back to Pom and shot her in the foot, causing her to scream and moan yet again. Her thick skin and muscles were of a very rare breed of Koopa. Similar Koopas of the same build are her brother and Mac. Pistol bullets didn't get very far through their bodies, making them able to withstand a few of them as no vital tissue was affected. Shots to the face and heart could be fatal for them, but having only shots to her hand, arm and foot, Tom felt like she would be able to be captured still alive. Tom assessed the wound and saw that the bullet seemed to have struck the edge of his body and only cut through the skin and straight out the other side on a near-parallel angle. Luke was bleeding, and in a lot of pain, but he couldn't find any sort of centre to the wound.
"Come with me. Do you know where the bathrooms are in this house, or a supply room?" He helped lift Luke up, looking back at Pom in the process. "We'll be back to deal with you later." He growled, taking Luke out of the room.
"Maybe I should have just stayed at home like usual, and taken care of Will." Luke joked as he limped down the corridor with Tom.
8:00PM...
Tom always trusted Enrique, and could always rely on him to get back to him eventually. He was still in the Rovin Estate, but Luke and Tom hit the road in Tom's car, heading out of Blockfort with some bandages and tissues to stop the bleeding. Tom was driving, and Luke was lying on the seats on his side in the back. Tom had texted Enrique, telling him that he was heading out of the town with Luke and bringing him back to the south. He didn't get a response back from Enrique, but he was shown a read receipt, meaning that Enrique saw the message. That was enough for Tom to know that Enrique knew and that hopefully he would see him back at home as well.
Enrique was still spending the evening searching for the Rovins. The house was huge, and had multiple floors and corridors. Unaware of any secret exits or passages that the house-owners may have accessed, he spent more time searching for them until he found out that he had searched everywhere. He knew that the Koopas didn't escape from the front entrance because he chased them past it at one point and to a different part of the house. Eventually nearing the sunset, he came across the same junction as before once again, seeing Pom very tired and looking down.
"Hey!" She snapped at him. Her wounds and bleeds had dried up and numbed parts of her arm and leg. She still felt a lot of pain from those locations, but it became more tolerable. She had a new problem now, hunger. She hadn't eaten since the night before, and every time she did it was given to her by Shysta, who now is no longer in the residence. "If you're going to take me and not immediately, I suggest you make me something to eat."
"I need to make myself something to eat first." Enrique replied back to her from the other end of the corridor.
"Make me something to eat, now!" She shook her chains in aggression. Enrique pulled out his gun again and showed it to her. "OK, fine! Fine..." She slouched and sulked in the room. "Go and make yourself something and then give me something too. I've got to eat too."
"I'll see what I can find." Enrique turned around and headed down the corridor on the left, leaving Pom's sight.
The kitchens of the Rovin residence were clean, polished and fully up to standards. Presumably managed and used mostly by Shysta, all the food was kept nice and neatly in the cupboards and fridges. Some cutlery and cutting boards were left out, since Luke was using them earlier in the day to make breakfast for both Shysta and Taur when they were still here. Enrique wanted something easy to make, or just snacks, since he wasn't in the mood to prepare a full dish for him let alone for Pom. Thankfully he found a pack of biscuits that he could munch on for himself. As for Pom, there was a fruit bowl that looked recently restocked. After getting a few tissues, Enrique grabbed two bananas and the pack of biscuits, taking them with him as he returned back to Pom Pom's prison chamber.
"He's arrived!" Pom shouted with excitement upon seeing him with food. "Biscuits and bananas? I guess that will do." Enrique tossed her one banana, and a tissue for her hands to use after.
"When I've had some, I'll give you some more of these." He showed her the biscuits and started turning his back on her, heading down the corridor towards the steps leading up to Taur and Shysta's bedroom. As he got to the top of the stairs, he turned to his right to look beyond the large windows. The sun had set, and the sky was dark. Blockfort was looking better than ever at night-time. The lights were lit in the city, and the streets were busy and occupied. Everything seemed better for the people living here now that the Rovins were no longer a problem to them. There wouldn't be any allies or bodyguards running the streets and scaring away the children. Most of the Toad and Koopa kids were able to play about on the streets in the evening because it now felt safe for them. Unlike Uldersal, this town was now able to go back to normal after the threats here were dealt with.
Sitting on Taur's bed, Enrique watched down on the city, munching on the biscuits and going through the other banana. He got out his phone for the first time today, seeing several messages yet to be read. Most of them were from Tom and Luke, but there were a couple from Peach, Daisy, and Neodjan. He went to check Neodjan's message first, as there not as many from him as everyone else. He had texted Enrique to inform him that his services have finished, for he has finished surveying Zeltarc East. Neodjan spent the morning on an underground train going through the Zeltarc Bay to go from Zeltarc East to Zeltarc West, crossing the Delfino-Wuhu border in the process. Enrique was now too far away to be worth being involved with Neodjan's searches. Eoréc was still with him, and they have recorded no more hostile activity along the southern coast. Their part of the investigation alone was almost at an end. They only had Zeltarc West, Wuhu Island, Palm Shore, Cheep Cheep Beach, Twin Peaks and a few small towns lying near the coastline. Going any further in to Wuhu would be difficult for them as the regulations set by the Wuhu government (an independent sector to Peach's control) would make it more difficult for them due to the influence of the Mushroom Accords. Although Princess Éclair had given up her position to rule the area, those in charge of it have gone through a lot of debates and arguments over who would take the power of it. The other day, Enrique had overheard Peach talking with others about rumours of a different human girl trying to run for the occupation of ruler of the Kingdom, but nobody really knows about this person at the moment and it's not on her priority list of matters to deal with.
He came to Daisy's texts next. There were only a few, but more than Neodjan's updates. The latest one was just 'where are you?' sent in the morning before the race, but the other messages were about her asking him if he wanted to go to the beaches with the others, if he was making any more trips to Résethal, and his opinion on Peach... Enrique decided to not bother responding back to her, and wait until she sends her next message to him.
Peach's texts were the most recent, with some only being sent an hour ago. She was asking for updates on his and Tom's whereabouts. Enrique responded to her saying that they're with eachother, and that they will be able to get to Airship Fortress on time this time. She also asked him how Luke was, where he just responded with a simple 'fine, why?'
Tom's messages were already read by Enrique, but by read, they were just 'seen'.
'I'm out with Luigi tonight. I'll see you at the race tomorrow.'
'Where are you?'
'Bro'
'Everyone is waiting for you'
'?'
'Where did you go?'
'Don't tell me you've vanished again, I'm going to Zephenwood train station'
'IDK if you knew but Luke got shot saving your ass. Thankfully it's not fatal though. He's been bandaged up and I'm driving home with him in his car. Hope you find them, I know you can : ) .'
'Did you get them?'
Enrique would have to respond with a fat 'No' to him, but at least he still had Pom in the mansion with him. He sent Tom the first message, but then followed it up with some more text.
'They must have escaped through some sort of back door. I lost them in their own house which is probably expected. I am still here in the estate with Pom Pom. We are having dinner. We need to do something about her. Maybe we can get George and Toby to help bring her back to Mushroom City. If we are to do that, then we will need some means of breaking off the cuffs and knocking her out. I am going to search the estate for any keys to her cuffs.'
'I am going to sleep here for the night most likely. It is deserted. I will lock the bedroom that I will sleep in so the Koopas won't be able to find me if they ever come back. This is a big if anyway. Either tomorrow, or after Airship Fortress and Mario Kart Stadium, all of us need to come back and bring her to Peach. This would reward us with a lot. Alternatively, we can use her for our own. Maybe we could use her to find her brother or any others involved with the Asquias. What time is tomorrow's race?'
Enrique rarely texted people, but when he did, he was the type to send singular paragraphs instead of several small messages at once. He was done with the biscuits, so he got off the bed, took the banana split and the packet, and headed back down to the floor below to see Pom.
"I'm hungry." She carried out her last syllable, moaning once again at him. Enrique tossed her the biscuits and she offered him her banana split in exchange. He let her go at the snacks, and left, heading back down to the kitchens to find more food. Now knowing that he is going to sleep here, Enrique went in to the kitchen and found some cooking implements to make himself a more filling meal. Whilst cooking, he received another text back from Tom. The race was at 6pm, so he had plenty of time tomorrow to perhaps deal with Pom Pom. The only problem for him would be seeing if everyone else was able to make it there in time. Blockfort was somewhat on the way to Airship Fortress. Although he didn't know exactly where it is, he knew that it would be somewhere near Bowser's Castle. Blockfort is north of Mushroom City just like Bowser's Castle is, but far more to the west whereas Bowser's Castle's land area is where the mountains, the coastline, and the border between the Mushroom Kingdom and the Résethal lands meet up. Tom also told him that Luke's unable to come tomorrow. He's in so much pain and he needs to rest and let his wounds heal. George and Toby were able to come, but Tom added that it might not be worth it as somebody would need to be there to look after Will and it wouldn't be worth taking Pom Pom as a captive without everyone being there to help out.
Lastly, Luke's messages were plentiful and big. Most of them were him describing what he did throughout today, including pictures of the food he prepared for the Rovins. He noticed that the chopping board he used to prepare the food in the pictures he saw was the very same one that he was currently using to make his food. Enrique was surprised to see Luke being able to use the things in the cupboards and fridges in the Rovin residence to make lentils and fruit salad for the lunch and breakfast for them respectively. Luke was definitely the type of person to tell people his entire life story in-depth. Tom's last messages sent to Enrique recently stated that their decision to go to Blockfort tomorrow was cancelled, and that Tom would instead spend the morning and early afternoon with the others in Mushroom City before heading up north with Luigi and Mario to Airship Fortress for race 20. The end of that race will also decide what races 25 to 28 will be. Enrique remembered the fact that his was not even chosen yet. There is a two-thirds chance that his would be selected, as there are four to choose, and only six to choose from. What he couldn't remember was whether or not all of the races would be determined tomorrow. Since there is only six, he may have thought that Peach said something about revealing the rest, finishing up on the series as a whole. Thirteen to go and Bowser's chances of winning are still reasonably high.
6:00AM – The day after...
One thing Enrique forgot to do before heading off to sleep in Taur and Shysta's bed was to close the curtains. The light of the sunrise shone right in his face, waking him up earlier than what he wanted. He did have eight hours of sleep however, as once he finished his dinner he relaxed for a few minutes and soon went to sleep straight after, using and cleaning someone else's toothbrush and toothpaste to brush his teeth beforehand.
He looked out the windows and saw another clean view of the sky and the town. It looks like the weather had cleaned up after being dull and cloudy for a few days. Another thing he also forgot to do was close the doors of Pom Pom's prison chamber. Hopefully when he goes downstairs she will still be asleep on the floor in there and not be awake to annoy him for more food.
Enrique crept down the stairs, taking the turn and seeing the doors and lights still on and left unattended to. Pom Pom looked to be fast asleep with her arms on the ground and the chains slightly loose to help her with her sleep. The doors were wide open still, and he could see all the way from the stairs that her wounds were patched with the tissues given to her from yesterday. They looked like they stuck to her blood. Hopefully she wouldn't get an infection from the wound... not like Enrique cared anyway.
Being able to creep past her without waking her up, Enrique ventured down the floors back to the kitchens once again, finding some cold baked food wrapped up in the cupboard to have for breakfast. He grabbed another banana and an apple from the fruit bowl, and took out the jug of orange juice from the fridge to complete his breakfast. He was amazed to see so much familiar things that were also used by rich Koopas in the Delfino Kingdom. Having no proper idea how the Rovins got all their wealth, he was amazed to see such a lifestyle they could live, and a healthy one too.
Overnight, he received another text from Peach. He checked it now whilst he was eating away. It was a message of her reminding him when the race was, just in case nobody else told him. She also stated that she 'hoped' to see him arrive early, as she has something to say to him in person. Enrique responded back to her with a simple 'OK' and carried on with his food. He simply decided to prioritise himself this morning. With the race in less than twelve hours, and nobody else to deal with today, he thought to use this time relaxing and enjoying the hospitability of the Rovin estate before heading east. After he had finished his meal, he put the plates away and headed out of the room and down to the ground floor. He entered the foyer and ventured to the front entrance, where he wanted to take a breath of fresh air outside the main entrance to the estate and take a nice, relaxing stroll through the town. He was looking forward to seeing the heat hit his face yet again.
Hold on a minute. The front doors didn't seem to want to open for him. It seemed like they were locked on the inside as well as from the outside. He had no idea how this could be, since when he arrived, the doors were ajar. Why would they now be locked he thought?
"What?" He tried fiddling with the handles, but nothing seemed to happen for him. A few seconds later, he looked up after hearing the sound of a gun being loaded and pointed towards him. Behind him was a female Koopa, and she was a lot smaller than Pom Pom.
BANG!
...
EOC: the next race, Airship Fortress, will be in the next chapter... or will it?
See you next chapter!