Chapter 15 Clown Prince of Koopas
Celia got up from her chair just as Lemmy rummaged through the bag he had brought in. He threw item after item out of the thing, clearly intent on finding something specific. The sight he produced reminded Celia of a tiny Monty mole as it dug through the dirt, flinging mounds of soil every which way as it tried to make itself a new home.
"Almost, almost," Lemmy said as he dug deeper. He buried his head in the bag until he was about halfway through it, leaving only his dangly little legs visible to everyone. "Yes, I found it!" He pulled himself out of the bag, and to Celia's shock, the item that he had was a torch. It wasn't lit, at least not yet, but it still made her nervous. The others seemed to agree with her as they stared at Lemmy as he gripped the torch with a grin.
"Lemmy," said Wendy, "are you sure using that is a good idea? Don't you remember what happened last time?"
Lemmy giggled. "Don't worry, Wendy; I'll be fine."
As Lemmy made his way over to the far end of the dining hall, Ludwig leaned in close to Wendy. "This is Lemmy we're talking about. The whole concept of good ideas is completely lost on him." This got him a slight slap in the chest from his sister.
"Okay!" Lemmy exclaimed. He cast a grin in Celia and Roy's direction. "Are you two ready to see the Clown Prince of Koopas put on a show?"
Roy grinned. "Sure!" He looked toward Celia. "You're going to like this. Lemmy is really talented."
"Of that, I have no doubt," Celia said with a smile. Well, actually, she kind of did doubt that thanks to the display with the snake bite earlier, but she wasn't about to ruin the potentially funny moment.
Lemmy grinned so widely it looked like he broke his face. "Alright, everybody! Take a seat and allow me to do my thing!"
Everyone took their seats at the dining table. As they did, Lemmy got his ball, a box of matches, and a jukebox. He brought them all to the far end of the dining hall. He turned on the jukebox, allowing a funky tune to play. To Celia's amazement, he managed to stand on his ball without any trouble, almost as if he was born riding the thing. He lit the torch, and Celia's eyes grew wide as she saw it change color from orange to red, from purple to teal. The sparkling and crackling of the fire made Celia's heart pump.
"Okay!" Lemmy laughed. "Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to the Amazing Lemmy Show!" Just as the intro music to the song ended, Lemmy began to sing.
Welcome to the show
I hope you'll all enjoy
The funkiness is of the charts
So please just watch this boy
.
As he flies and rolls around
The room that we are in
He'll try to make you all laugh hard
And wear a happy grin
Lemmy began rolling around the dining hall. As he did, he juggled the torch around. The smile on his face was one of the most infectious ones that Celia had ever seen. She herself felt a smile grow on her face as Lemmy threw the torch up toward the ceiling. She watched in awe as it moved around in the air, writing something with the multicolored sparks it produced. In the end, the sparks ended up spelling "Lemmy: The Clown Prince of Koopas." Celia clapped her hands together, but Roy stopped her.
"Don't clap yet. The show isn't over."
So, Celia lowered her hands and watched Lemmy continue with his show.
This….is the show to end all shows
This….is a true joy to see
This….is a wonder to behold
So all my friends, oh please oh please
Keep your eyes locked onto me!
With that, the tune picked up at an alarming rate. As he sang, Lemmy twirled around and bounced on his ball, doing backflips and the like.
This is all going well!
I know that for a fact
So please pay attention
As I'm performing my good act
.
Can you please appreciate
The work that I will do
Because my friends I am doing
This work just for you
With that, Lemmy threw the torch up into the air one last time. When it was in the air, he did a backflip. Spinning around like a surfer, he did flip after flip. The torch, as it spun around, created a dazzling light show. The colors blend into Celia's eyes, making her feel like she was watching the Northern Lights of Frosted Glacier. Lemmy slowly fell back down toward the ball in a way that honestly looked like it was defying the laws of physics. When he landed, he got on his tiptoes, extended his arms, and smiled. The torch, which by this point had exhausted all of its flames, fell back into his hands.
Celia grinned and stood up. She clapped like a seal. Seriously, that was incredible! She loved it; she loved it so much that she wanted to see it again! She had no idea how Lemmy was able to pull off such tricky maneuvers and stuff like that, but she was definitely impressed.
The other Koopalings, sans Ludwig, also clapped (Ludwig just crossed his arms and gave a bored yawn). Lemmy beamed, jumped off the ball, and took a bow.
"Thank you! You were an amazing audience!" He got out of the bowing position and picked up his ball. "I am glad that you all appreciated it."
Ludwig snorted. "Appreciated is a very strong word," he grumbled under his breath.
Celia gawked at him. How could he not be impressed by this?
Lemmy, by contrast, just giggled. "Come on, Luddy. You don't have to be so grumpy about this just because I put on the act." He puffed out his chest and giggled. "If anything, I think that act was particularly hot!"
Celia blinked before snickering. Oh wow. She had not been expecting that. At all. Not only was Lemmy a clown prince, but he was also a pun master? He really was the embodiment of comedy.
Ludwig rolled his eyes. "Ha ha ha, you're so funny."
"Thanks!" Lemmy said, completely missing out on the sarcasm. He turned toward the others. "What did you guys think?"
"I loved it!" said Wendy.
"The fire show was really neat!" said Larry.
"I am curious as to what chemicals or magic you utilized to make the flames shift color like that," said Iggy.
"It rocked!" said Roy.
Lemmy beamed. "Thank you, guys!" He turned toward Celia. "And what did you think?"
Celia smiled. "I liked it. It was very well done."
"Heck yeah it was!" Lemmy did another backflip, landing perfectly down on the floor. "I may be small, but I can leave a big first impression!"
"That you can," said Celia.
Roy then took a step forward. "Say, it's getting late. Don't you think we need to show Celia where she is going to be staying for the night?"
"Oh!" Iggy said. "Very sensible suggestion, older brother." He stepped toward the hybrid and took her hand. "Miss Patch, please follow me. I will show you the guest bedroom on the east wing's first floor."
With that, Iggy led Celia away. They wound through different hallways until they got to the room that was assigned to her. It wasn't much; just a simple stone walled room with a bed and a dresser.
"So. What are your initial impressions?" asked Iggy.
Celia grinned. "I like it. I like it a lot."
"Good." Iggy adjusted his glasses. "Do you wish to join us for dinner later on?"
Celia nodded. "Oh, yes. That would be nice."
"Splendid." There was some level of discomfort in Iggy's eyes as he said this, one that was strong enough to be noticeable.
Celia blinked at him. "What's the matter?" When he didn't respond, she scrunched up her brow. "What's the matter, Iggy?"
Iggy shook his head. "Nothing. Nothing is bothering me." He turned toward the door. "Dinner will be in about an hour."
With that, he left. Celia wondered why he was so uncomfortable around her. Was it because she was a hybrid? Oh dear developer, that was it, wasn't it? Celia felt bile rise to her throat. She shook her head. She wasn't going to let someone belittle her and make her feel like crap just because of her ancestry.
At least, not again.