"Everyone calm down!" Goombella shouted. "Nobody leaves the building until we find out what happened here, got it?! Chef Shimi, Triss, you two get out of here and watch the exits! You both should know them better than anything."

"Yes, ba'am!"

"I really didn't want to be here anyway~*"

Toadette quickly scooched close to Goombella to whisper, "Hey, you sure that's a good idea? We can't rule out any suspects already."

Goombella's eyes were sharp, there was no doubting her. "I get it, but they're the least likely, y'know? Right now, we're understaffed, and I need you in case things go south. Even if one of them was the murderer, it's not likely they're both the murderer. One of them should alert us if anyone tries to make an escape."

Toadette nodded. Goombella was a quick thinker. She had to be. A Goomba in a city like this could find herself stomped into the pavement if she wasn't smart.

Kooper grinned. "Dang, I've heard all about you, Goombella, but you're even cooler in person! I'll admit, I'm not too experienced in this kind of thing, but if you want, Koops and I can help the others lock down the fort. We're not half-bad fighters!"

Goombella shook her head. "No. I need you guys here with me." She motioned to Mrs. Hisstocrat, her snake tongue licking flames.

"I'll, um, try my best!" Koops said, looking like he was ready to hide in his shell at any moment.

Toadette knew she had to support Goombella. She had a lot on her plate and was busy keeping everything and everyone under control.

She stepped forward towards the freshly made widow Hisstocrat. "What makes you so sure this was a murder?" Toadette asked.

First things first, get the obvious out of the way, kill some time, try to figure out what we're dealing with.

Mrs. Hisstocrat glared down at Toadette. "Because I'm not stupid, you lowly fungus! Look at my hubby's poor head!" she hissed. Toadette felt fire breath dry out her skin but waved it off. Mrs. Hisstocrat hopefully knew better than to gobble up a Toad in front of all these witnesses.

Toadette took a closer look at the corpse. "Scuff marks. Bruising. A big bump. His weak point was clearly exploited." She surveyed the surroundings, glancing at the roof of this tiny bathroom. "No damage on the ceiling. He didn't bump his head at least."

"I could have told you that!" Mrs. Hisstocrat said.

"Well you didn't." Toadette continued. "Other than his tunnel entrance and yours, Mrs. Hisstocrat, there's virtually no damage here or any sign of a struggle. Mr. Hisstocrat must have been taken out while he was unaware. We would have heard the fight or at least his theme playing if he'd been given a fair chance."

That quieted her.

Toadette turned back to the giant pink snake. "You were the one who found the body though, didn't you?"

She grinded her fangs together. "Just what are you implying?!"

"Suspicious," Kooper said.

"Just answer the question first and I'll tell you what I may or may not be implying later."

"Rude little girl! Do you know how much I'm worth?!" Mrs. Hisstocrat hissed. "Do you know who I work for?! My husband lies dead on the floor and you disrespect me!"

"Ma'am, I'm just trying to work as quickly as possible," Toadette said, trying not to roll her eyes.

I'll admit, it's hard to respect a rich jerk like this, especially one of Bowser's cronies, but she's right. Jerk or not, her husband's dead. Still up in the air if she killed him though.

"She works for Bowser," Kooper said, shaking his fist at her. Information they already knew, but he wasn't an investigator as far as Toadette knew. "I don't trust her one bit!"

"You horrible traitor!" Mrs. Hisstocrat screamed; her rage fixated on the Koopas now. "You defy Lord Bowser, you defy me?! How dare you even call yourself a reptile! People like you shame us!"

"Bowser's the lame one! If you had a clue, you'd have ditched him when you had the chance!"

"Kooper!" Goombella shouted, hopping between them. "Not helping!"

Koops pulled Kooper back who was way angrier about this than Toadette expected. Must have been a long history. Toadette understood the frustration at least. Bowser tried to call himself King of Koopas more than a few times, he gave Koopas a bad name.

"Hey!" Toadette yelled. "Let's all focus!" She threw what pride she had on the bathroom floor along with Mr. Hisstocrat's crown. Pride wasn't something she needed. "Mrs. Hisstocrat, I'm terribly sorry about what happened. I'm sorry about what I said and what Kooper said. If you could tell me what happened from your perspective, we might have a better chance at catching whoever did it."

Like most stuck-up rich people, a fake apology was usually all you needed. They lived in a world of fake apologies, of fake politeness, they couldn't tell when a commoner wasn't being sincere. They didn't think they were good enough to pull it off.

"Well!" Mrs. Hisstocrat said with a huff, turning away from the Koopas. "That's much better. Fine, yes, I will tell you what happened."

She cleared her throat and began. "I was enjoying my delicious dinner when my hubby asked me if it was okay to use the little snake's room. It had been a long time and I quite hated looking at him while I ate, so I allowed him to leave. After I had finished my meal, which was mediocre by the way, I noticed that my hubby had still not returned! I am often very generous I'll have you know; I give him up to 5 minutes to use the restroom before I call him crass!"

Toadette didn't find much important here other than a pile of red flags.

"But it had been much longer than 5 minutes! Maybe it was 6 or 7? The nerve that husband of mine has sometimes… Well! As any wife should do, I smashed into the men's bathrooms to give my hubby quite the thrashing for humiliating me in public, but that was when I found him already thrashed! And quite too hard I must add! I would never kill my hubby, only injure him!"

Mrs. Hisstocrat tilted her head as she went into deep thought which was uncharacteristic for someone with unfathomable amounts of money. "Although, I suppose I would kill him if I ever caught him cheating on me or maybe if he threatened to divorce me for my money or if he had embarrassed me too much say in front of Lord Bowser…"

Toadette hid her disdain well enough. Mrs. Hisstocrat was very good at digging holes for herself, wasn't she? It was how she got around after all.

"But I assure you, I did not kill my husband!"

"I don't buy it one bit," Kooper said, looking to Koops. "What do you think?"

"I-I don't want to judge, but I'm with you on this…"

"Why you!" Mrs. Hisstocrat hissed. "I can hear you both! If I hadn't just eaten and lost my appetite, I'd be having turtle soup right now!"

"Just try it! Not surprised a murderer like you would be willing to murder again!"

"Cut it out you two!" Toadette yelled. She hated the idea that she was defending a millionaire, but she truly hated that she might let a murderer run free.

"Yes!" Mrs. Hisstocrat said. "Where's your proof that I did it then, hm?"

Kooper didn't back down. "Where's your proof you didn't, huh?! You're the one who found the body, you're the one who treats her husband like trash!"

Toadette leaned toward Goombella and whispered, "Should we stop them?"

"Not yet. I think this works for us."

Mrs. Hisstocrat fumed. "I was eating dinner for all to see! How could I have done it?!"

Kooper shrugged. "Not much of an alibi. For all we know, everyone saw you eat, saw you leave, and then next thing we now, your hubby's dead. Being in a marriage with you must be tough."

"EXCUSE ME?!"

Kooper didn't stop even when Koops hid behind his blue shell. "He must have been unhappy with you. Who wouldn't? You're lame, you're uncool, you're still with that dud, Bowser of all people? Come on. You must have had the chance to work for someone else, but you didn't. Your 'hubby' was sick of it, sick of you. But you couldn't get a divorce, oh no! If you got a divorce, he'd take half of everything you built, right? If he's dead, you don't have to give him anything."

"Wow… that was some great thinking," Koops said from behind.

Kooper grinned and gave another shiny thumbs up. "Thanks, bro."

"I've had ENOUGH!" Mrs. Hisstocrat bellowed; the entire establishment shook with her fury. Shockwaves sent glasses clattering and silverware clanking through the bathroom walls.

Kooper took a fighting stance, his scuffed and battered boots digging into the tile as he kept his footing. Koops followed along, his own roughed up boots looking ready to leap into the air and stomp on her weak point as well. "Go ahead, try us, lady! See what happens! Goombella, Toadette, you with us?! She won't stand a chance against the four of us!"

"No way!" Goombella shouted pushing them back. "This place has seen too much violence as it is!"

"It clearly hasn't seen enough!" Mrs. Hisstocrat roared as Toadette tried to coax her away with compliments.

"Let's just get out of this bathroom and cool off!" Goombella said trying to deescalate the situation. "I've already called the NDPD, they'll be here any minute!"

For all the good they'll do… Toadette made sure not to say that part out loud.

"That so?" Kooper said. "Well, you shouldn't need us around anymore, right? This case is solved!"

"Not yet," Goombella said. They walked back into the dining area, finding all eyes on them, including Chef Shimi and Triss. They didn't run when they had the chance. Not that it'd have done them any good, since if they ran for it, it'd be even more obvious they were the criminals. "You two in a hurry to leave suddenly?"

"It's, um, been quite stressful here," Koops said with a sheepish smile. "I'll admit, this whole ordeal has made me quite nervous."

Mrs. Hisstocrat appeared back at her table, angry veins still popping out of her scaly skull. She merely glared at everyone around her, clearly looking for someone to justify her rage-filled revenge on.

"Afraid we'll have to keep stressing you out a bit longer, Koops," Goombella said. "I think I've got a good idea who's done this, but I just want to make double sure I'm right."

Kooper nodded. "Hey, I get it. Like, we all know it's Mrs. Hisstocrat, but you gotta make sure it's all wrapped up nicely right? Besides, could always be a curve ball." He looked to the family of rich Bob-ombs. "Could be them, you know? Rich rivals and all. Quick explosion to the head and boom!"

Kooper motioned to Chef Shimi and Triss. "Or even those two. I saw the way that lady verbally assaulted the waitress. Awful! One of these days she's bound to snap. Maybe Chef Shimi was insulted by her behavior too. A nice belly flop right on a guy's weak point's all you need."

"You've got a lot of theories about everyone, don'tcha?" Goombella asked with a smile. "Y'know, we could really use more thinkers like you."

Kooper grinned. "Ah, well, I am pretty cool…" Koops gave him a nervous shake on his blue shell. "But, hm, you know? I really do think you've got it all covered here. I just remembered Koops and I have a movie to catch and we don't want to miss it."

"Aw, already, huh?" Goombella shook her head. "Such a shame. You know, the NDPD really shouldn't be long. I'm talking any second they'll be here, covering this place head to toe in cops and eyes. You'd really be a huge help if you stayed."

"Dang," Kooper sighed with a big sulk. "Any second you say? Yeah, I mean, I'd love to help you more, but we just don't have time! We're gonna go, okay?"

Goombella nodded and gave them a wink. Toadette knew what that meant. She kept a close eye on the door. On them.

"Sure, yeah, why don't you guys just get on out of here? I know my friends better than anyone."

Koops hopped forward and let out a relieved breath. "R-really? You mean it? Oh, thank you! It's so good to have a friend like you who really understands us!"

"Of course, of course," Goombella nodded. "And say, since I know you two so well, I have to say, you must be thirsty after doing all that talking, right?"

"Huh?" Kooper asked. "I mean, not really."

Koops gave another sheepish smile. "Yeah, I'm good, but thank you."

"No, no!" Goombella shook her head. "I know my friends; I know you two! You're hard workers, you're real thirsty! You don't think I'd be wrong about my pal, Koops, right?"

Kooper scowled, but Koops stepped forward. "No, yeah, um, I guess you are right. I am a little thirsty. But can we make this quick? We really should be going." He was practically tapping his scuffed-up shoes he was so antsy.

"Won't be a problem," Goombella turned over to Chef Shimi. "Hey chef! Can you get these two a quick drink of water? Like really fast? They're totally in a hurry, so the quicker the better!"

"Of horse!" Shimi replied, flopping over their way.

"By the way," Goombella went on, eyes sparkling like a beautiful dagger. Toadette was entranced at how quick she was thinking, how dangerous she could be when it came to speaking. "Koops, we can talk about this later, but I gotta ask…"

Koops gulped. "Y-yeah? What's up?"

"You're with Kooper now, right?"

"Er. Mmhmm!"

Goombella's smile was as sharp as her fang. "How did Koopsie Koo take it? You and her breaking up and all."

"Er, um…" Koops started. Shimi's wet flopping was getting closer, louder. "P-pretty well? Not really a problem."

"Oh, really? That's so crazy." Goombella said pleasantly. "From what I remember, Koopsie Koo was really controlling and really into you. I'm surprised to hear she didn't flip out."

Koops was aggressively scratching the back of his neck now. Kooper's scowl was deeper than she'd ever seen from a Koopa besides Bowser. "Oh, um, yeah! Actually, Koopsie Koo did flip out pretty bad! I just, well, I didn't want to talk about it I guess, heh heh."

"That's so weird!" Goombella said, laughing sweetly. "Weird that you'd lie about that? Or maybe you just didn't know? Kind of like how you're getting your ex-girlfriend's name wrong?"

"W-what? What do you…" Koops was reaching into his hoodie, not scratching his neck. Kooper clutched his neckerchief.

"Her name's Koopie Koo! Not Koopsie Koo. My bad," Goombella laughed. "Totally my mistake."

"Huh? I, um, me too! I just heard you say it and…"

"I bring you two delirious water as quickly as possible!" Chef Shimi said joyfully. Only a Cheep Cheep could do this without hesitation. In the next moment, he pursed his lips and spat a rough stream of water out at the two Koopas.

"What the heck is your problem!?" Kooper sputtered, shielding himself with his dark blue shell rather than drink some nasty salt water from a fish.

"Ugh, you idiot, stop that!" Koops gasped between squelches, jumping into his shell.

Toadette looked on with bright eyes at Kooper's blue shell. Just as I thought. And Goombella found the perfect way to prove it without them expecting a thing.

Blue paint dripped off Kooper's shell, practically blasted completely off by Chef Shimi's over eager squirting. In its place, a bright curry yellow shell glowed like Power Star reward.

"What happened, Kooper? Lose your shell again?!" Goombella said triumphantly.

'Kooper' nearly popped out of his yellow shell in fright when he realized what happened. "You! What?! You! You…!"

"And Koops…" Goombella smirked. "Looks like your shell is green, but I know a certain Bro. that has a green shell just like you."

"Fine!" the yellow Koopa screeched, his cool shiny teeth gritted into a deep scowl. "So you found us out! So what?!" He pulled the 'handkerchief' over his eyes and it suddenly became a cool mask, a cool bandana, for an even 'cooler' guy.

"Big whoop! Like we care!" The green Koopa pulled his hoodie over his eyes and it turned out to be another matching bandana eye-mask just like the others.

"The Koopa Bros.," Goombella said with a sigh.

"That's right! I'm Yellow!" the Yellow one yelled, striking a cheesy pose.

"And I'm Green!" the Green one also yelled, shaking off his dorky sweater and shorts to show his 'cool' form.

They flashed a matching shiny thumbs up and said in unison, "We're the new and improved Super Ultra Mighty Koopa Bros. the Great! But you can just call us the Koopa Bros. still."

Steam hissed out of Mrs. Hisstocrat as she glowed with rage. "So you're the murderers!"

Yellow shook his head and wagged a finger at them, every single motion seemingly exaggerated for an audience. "Now hold on a second! We never admitted to being murderers! Only that we're the Koopa Bros.! Get your facts straight! You've got no proof you lame old hag!"

Toadette once again found herself coaxing the giant snake woman. "Hey, hey! Calm down, calm down! They're trying to rile you up! If you attack them first, you'll be the one in trouble!"

"Really?" Goombella wasn't impressed. Chef Shimi had flopped as far away from trouble as he could, as did the rest of the patrons. "So you two were just disguised as other Koopas for fun? Y'know, it's messed up to pretend you're gay!"

Yellow shrugged but it was practically another pose. He gave her two thumbs down. "So what if we were in disguise? We're the Koopa Bros.! Everyone would hassle us if we walked around normally!"

Green piped in with a shiny pointer finger saying, "Yeah! And we are gay, just not with each other! Plus, blanket statements like yours only make a potentially confused gay person afraid to come out, making them think they're faking!"

For once, Goombella took a step back, eyes wide. "Er. Um. I-I didn't think of it that way. I'm sorry."

"You should be! We've done nothing wrong!"

"Don't let them distract you!" Toadette shouted. Poor Goombella has always struggled with this.

"Shut it, mush head!" Yellow screamed back. "You Toads think you can walk all over anyone who isn't you!"

Toadette felt a pang in her chest. She was hit with a harsh truth during a time that really wasn't ideal.

"No, you shut up!" Goombella retaliated, albeit a bit lamely. "She may be a Toad and what you're saying might be true about them, but she's been trying her best to help me, darn it!"

"Tough words from a girl who's been pretending to be gay this whole night!"

Ouch.

"Quit deflecting!" Goombella cried. "You two are the murderers and I know it for a fact! You recently quit being Bowser's minions, didn't you?!"

Yellow and Green brushed off her verbal attack with ease. "Yeah, so what? I'd say that makes us the good guys doesn't it? We're on your side, so why don't you back off and bother someone who deserves it!?"

"It's never that black or white!" Goombella countered. "You went and made your own gang, you're trying to build an empire just as bad as Bowser's, maybe even worse!" The Koopa Bros. barely flinched. "Who better to help build that empire than a ruthless businesswoman like the Hisstocrats, right?"

"That's right!" Mrs. Hisstocrat added. "Those buffoons tried to strike a deal with me some weeks before! They tried to get me to stop working for Lord Bowser and work for them instead! Of course, I turned them down, they're nothing more than thugs!"

"You're full of yourself, lady! Like we need you!" Yellow pointed her way, but it was clear to everyone that he was still furious. "Still working for a loser like Bowser! Pah! He's lost his touch! There's territory ripe for the pickin' in this city and he sits back and does nothing! He had access to us, the coolest Koopas in his whole stinkin' army and he forgets all about us! All he cares about is that stupid Jr. brat that he picked up! Just because the little fetus beat us all in a fight once doesn't mean he's better than us!"

"You're too obvious!" Goombella growled. "You couldn't stand the fact that the Hisstocrats wouldn't work for you! You all decided to make an example out of her, huh? Decided to show the city that you're the new bad boys in town, right?! Murder her husband, that outta show her for shaming you all!"

Yellow fumbled but Green was quick to step forward. "Talk talk talk, that's all you people can do! Talk all you want, make up all the fun theories you like, next you'll be making conspiracy theory videos on the internet saying how there's a goddess in space and she's some plumber's mom! You've got no proof we did anything, and you can't hold us here any longer!"

"I can do more than talk," Goombella said. "I've got all the proof we'll need! For one, you two were missing when Mr. Hisstocrat went to the bathroom! Mind explaining that one?"

Triss waved her cute little arms in the air like a cheerleader. "Oh~! That's right! I remember those two Koopas weren't at their table when I went to give them their bill! Also, they didn't tip~*!"

"We, uh," Yellow started, his bandana getting soaked with sweat. "Had to also use the bathroom?"

Green nodded, but it was obvious he wasn't as confident. "Yeah! We're not that cool! Everybody has to go sometime!"

Goombella was dumbfounded. "You went to the bathroom during a murder and you're trying to tell me you didn't commit it?!"

Yellow grinned. "We didn't notice! We were too focused on our disguises and worried how the general public would perceive us! It's a lot of pressure you know."

"You're both insane!"

"It's still not proof we're murderers!" Green added. "You've only proven that maybe we can be a little dumb sometimes! Just like everyone else really. Pobody's nerfect and all that. We're really just like everyone else!"

Toadette grimaced. Weren't they just talking about how cool and perfect they were a minute ago…?

"Fine, fine, you want to play that way?!" Goombella took a step forward. "Why don't we see just how stupid you two really are then? Give us your shoes!"

Yellow and Green froze like a Yoshi in headlights.

"What's the matter?" Goombella grinned. "Your shoes have been looking pretty scuffed up anyway! How are you supposed to look cool when you're walking around in raggedy boots with the scales of Mr. Hisstocrat's head on them!?"

Yellow and Green screamed in unison as Goombella's accusation bonked them into submission. The duo fell onto their shells from the sheer force of it, unable to get back onto their feet.

Meanwhile it gave everyone the ability to see the truth. Specks of royal blue glimmered on their soles, scales of Mr. Hisstocrat!

Goombella moved in closer to her downed enemies. "That's right! You two jumped on his weak point while he was unaware! You're deadly ninjas, aren't you?! Of course you could wipe out a boss like him in one go and as quietly as possible! You'd never be able to take them on both at the same time, so you had to wait for the perfect moment to strike! When no one was around! When the scary Mrs. Hisstocrat wasn't looking!"

Toadette felt pride swelling up in her chest. Goombella was just so perfect! Toadette knew those two Koopas were up to something, but she would have never been able to put it into words like Goombella did.

"Argh, no way!"

"Impossible!" the two ninjas screamed in cliché defeat as cliché ninjas usually did.

"Now give up and come quietly!" Goombella ordered. "Toadette, tie 'em up with something until the others show up."

Toadette nodded, snatching up a free tablecloth cover. As she got closer to the struggling Koopa Bros. on their backs, she noticed a gleam in their eyes.

"You think we're goin' out without a fight?!" Yellow screamed.

"Take this, you Goombrat!" Green yelled. In a flash, the two dove into their shells and were a spinning tornado of terror heading straight for Goombella.

Without a word, Toadette dove in and grabbed Goombella, dodging their X shaped shell tackle. The Koopa Bros. slammed into the walls like a couple of pinballs but clearly weren't calling it quits.

"Mrs. Hisstocrat!" Toadette yelled, helping the squishy Goombella to her feet. "Don't let them escape!"

Yellow and Green shells shot for the exit like a Bullet Bill, but they were soon met with a terrifying earthquake of pink slithering and fiery fangs. "Ohoho, it'd be my pleasure to rid the streets of these low-level thugs!"

Green and Yellow shrieked in unison, their arms and legs scrabbling along the carpet as they put the brakes on their spin.

"Let's see how you fare with a Hisstocrat when you don't cower in the shadows!" Mrs. Hisstocrat was having way too much fun…

"Screw this!" Yellow dashed in the opposite direction, Green tailing close behind with hissing fireballs chasing them both. "There's bound to be another way out! Probably the kitchen!"

Toadette was way ahead of them, little feet pumping as fast as she could. She'd spent a long time in a construction job before this, her running and jumping skills were on par with even the most colorful of plumber! With a well-timed stomp! she landed on Green's shell and stopped him in place. Next she kicked Green as hard as she could into Yellow who was still barreling towards them.

The two slammed into each other with a satisfying clunk! and sent the ninjas spiraling, eyes dizzy and swirling.

"Give it up!" Toadette huffed, noting how much her little foot hurt from that kick.

"No way, nerds!" they screamed back, practically breakdancing onto their feet. "Now you've all messed up! Get ready for our special Bros. attack! Tower formation! Oh yeah!"

In a blur of yellow and green, the two Koopas stacked on top of each other with a flashy sparkle, grinning like idiots. They began to spin and spin and spin, like two tops somehow giving each other unlimited energy despite the laws of physics.

"We've gotta hit them together!" Goombella shouted, jumping out of the way from a supersonic pair of Koopa shells.

"Little pests!" Mrs. Hisstocrat hissed, her fireballs unable to keep up with their speed as they pinged and ponged against the table and walls, throwing food and patrons into a panic.

"Ahahaha!" Yellow and Green cackled like maniacs. "And this is just two of us! With the rest of the Bros. we can take over the city! We made short work of your lame husband and we'll take out anyone that stands in our way!"

Glass shattered, wood splintered, and helpless citizens shrieked. It was chaos in the Excess Express Cuisine, but it was nothing Goombella and Toadette hadn't seen before. These two ironed out chaos like it was a wrinkle on a shirt. They lived in chaos, they walked down the street and waved to chaos on the sidewalk and then did a job for little old Mayhem and Wacky Hijinks across the block.

They tensed their feet, dug into the carpet, feeling the other's presence as they prepared. Yellow and Green screamed towards them, a tornado of green and yellow, laughing all the way.

"Now!"

Toadette leaped into the air and stomped right on Yellow's shell, skidding the two of them to a stop.

"What the heck?!" the Koopa Bros. spat; their balance skewed. It didn't damage them in the slightest, but it did throw them off formation.

Before they could get back up, Goombella's thick skull was already flying straight at them. Bonk!

Yellow and Green let out a yowling scream, tongues waving in agony as they fell apart like bowling pins under Goombella's powerful blow. The Koopa Bros. fell flat on their backs once more, but this time they were dizzy, tired, bruised, and a little charred from fireballs. Toadette used this time to tie them up in a tight knot with the tablecloth cover like she had planned before.

"Gah, are you serious?!" Yellow wailed, his legs kicking on the floor. She tied them onto one of the Excess Express's fancy iron support beams. There was no way they were escaping this time.

"Beaten by a Toad and a Goomba?!"

"Red's gonna call us cringe!"

"And for once, he'd be right!" Goombella said triumphantly, golden hair glowing with energy. It was moments like this, when she stood tall (as tall as she could) and basked in her achievement, their achievement. Toadette's heart pounded in her chest with exhilaration.

Goombella was so strong! She was so cool! Even though the world was cruel, always stepping on her, always against her, these moments when she prevailed so wonderfully always left Toadette in awe of her.

When the NDPD showed up, Toadette was surprised to see more than just Toads. It was still mostly a Toad force, but she did spot a Shy Guy, a Paratroopa, and even a Boo. The Booliceman lifted the Koopa criminals by their shells and proceeded to phase through a wall before a pair of clunks! reminded him that Koopas couldn't go through walls.

They were clearly still rookies, but they'd grow. Hopefully.

Ted N. Toad let out a sigh of relief once Officer Guy and the Booliceman got the Koopa Bros. through the door with only a few accidents. He looked to Ex-Captain Toadette who was standing next to Captain Goombella and said, "Thank goodness you were here, Toadette! I'm not sure what would have happened without you."

Toadette didn't need to look to know Goombella was frowning.

Ted wasn't the best at picking up signals. "I, well, I left my bazooka at home again, so we're really lucky to have you on the streets helping us out."

"I'm not helping you guys." Toadette crossed her arms. How many times did she need to say it? What was it going to take for them to realize it? "I'm helping the people of this city because they need it. I'm helping Goombella because I care about her, not where she works."

Ted blinked in that slow fashion that said he didn't really understand the difference. "Well! Whatever the reason, we're really lucky! And Goombella's lucky to have you!"

Toadette said, "That's not—"

"Three cheers for Toadette!" Ted interrupted, completely oblivious to his superior standing right next to her. Or maybe he was aware of her, but simply didn't think much of her? Either way, Toadette was fighting the urge to clock the guy right in his squishy face. "Come on everyone!"

"Hip hip, hooray! Toadette~*!"

"Ship Ship, hooray! Toadette!"

"Ohoho, I do rather like that mushroom girl!"

Goombella let out a tiny sigh, the noise completely overtaken by cheers and positivity for Toadette.

It's not right. This always happens. They give the credit to me even if I'm not working for them anymore! They're cheering for me and I should be feeling proud. I should be feeling happy, but it's just ticking me off!

"Hold on a sec—" Toadette tried to say.

"You're the best!"

"But it wasn't—"

"What would we do without you?"

"Stop, listen—"

"You're a hero, Toadette!"

Toadette couldn't take it anymore. Fury was bouncing around in her rubbery mushroom cap like a couple of Koopa shells.

"DON'T MESS WITH ME RIGHT NOW!" Toadette finally screamed, silencing everyone in the restaurant. Working in construction, Toadette learned she would be forced to deal with a lot of harassment and generally obtuse laziness. This was her go-to line when she needed people to actually listen to her. It never failed.

They never expect a cute pink girl Toad to get angry. They never expect steam to hiss out of her face, see her cheeks puffed up because she's so mad! It only made her angrier that it worked! Why did she have to get furious for anyone to listen!?

"You should all be cheering on Goombella, too!" Toadette said to the wide-eyed group. "She did way more than I did! You shouldn't even be cheering me at all! It should be all for Goombella! But you guys always overlook her!"

"I gave her a free peel for her heroics before this…" Chef Shimi muttered.

"That was before! What about right now?!" Toadette didn't let him finish, he would just distract from her point.

'She knows what she wants, and she takes it.'

Goombella likes a girl who takes what she wants, right? Well, I want her! I want her and I want people to see how great she is! I want people to see more than just me, more than just her! I want them to see us!

"Goombella is the smartest, coolest, strongest girl I know!" Toadette said, adrenaline still pumping from their previous victory. "If you really thought I was so great, if you truly believe I deserved to be cheered for, then you'd know how much I love Goombella and why she deserves the cheers more than anyone!"

In an excited huff, she wrapped her arms around Goombella and held her big squishy body up and planted a kiss right on her cute lips. She felt the way Goombella's fang moved in shock, felt the hot breath against hers, but she eagerly accepted it all, accepted every part of Goombella in front of everyone.

The crowd of onlookers were shocked into silence.

"T-Toadette, what are—" Goombella stuttered out after breaking away from their kiss.

"Three cheers for Goombella!" Ted shouted, clapping.

"Woo hoo! Goombella!"

"Aw, yeah, Goombella!"

"You're the best!"

Toadette did her best to hold Goombella over her head, to let her be seen by everyone. Goombella turned as red as a Shy Guy, but she must have been loving it. Toadette finally allowed herself a proud smile.

Once things had finally calmed down and the NDPD had left and Mrs. Hisstocrat's lesser snakes had cleaned up much of the debris (at a reduced price), Toadette and Goombella could finally enjoy their dinner in peace.

Goombella stayed uncharacteristically quiet through most of it, only saying a sheepish, 'Thank you,' here and there to Shimi and Triss when they delivered their food. She didn't comment on how scrumptious or 'totally yummy' her roasted mushrooms were, mostly resigning herself to absent-minded chewing and staring out the 'window' nearby. The same cardboard cactus must have zoomed by almost a hundred times.

Toadette figured it was just because she was tired after the fight, or maybe it was the shock of having Toadette finally confess her feelings! Or maybe it was just she wasn't used to so much praise for once? Either way, Toadette decided to let her recuperate.

"Toadette," Goombella said finally.

Toadette snapped to attention, her mushroom tails wagging in excitement as she nodded. "Yeah? Hey, what's up, girl?"

"That was messed up of you," Goombella said, still staring out the window, the cardboard cactus zooming by again.

Toadette's heart sank like a Thwomp. She was so happy, so excited before, but… "H-huh? What, um, what do you mean? I…"

"You really put me on the spot, y'know?" Goombella's eyes only briefly met Toadette's. They were so sad.

Toadette choked back a gulp. She really messed up, didn't she? "I, um, I didn't mean to! I just, everyone always overlooks you, and it's so frustrating, and I…"

"I know they do," Goombella sighed. "I know. I know. I know it's a little messed up of me, too, but I'm kind of mad that the only reason I got that praise was because of you. It feels like I didn't earn it, like, I didn't do anything. I'm just friends with you and got lucky, y'know?"

Toadette fiddled with her fingers, unsure what to do with her hands. "I'm—I'm sorry. I really didn't mean it to be like that."

Another sigh. "I know, I know, you were just trying to help, I can't be mad at you for that." Goombella gave one brief smile, as if to soothe the anxiety in Toadette's heart. "Maybe just whisper and ask me next time, yeah? I know I'd say yes if you asked, but I'd feel better if you got my permission first." Her frown returned, but at least her gaze stayed with Toadette's this time. "I'm angrier with everyone else for making me feel this way, for making you feel like you had to do that."

Phew…

"But it wasn't just that," Goombella added, and once again, Toadette felt her blood turn as cold as a Snow Pokey. "You kissed me and confessed to me in front of a ton of people."

Does she really not feel the same way?! Was I misreading everything again? Oh no… Toadette had to fight her old instincts of running away crying like she used to do when she was younger.

"I'm really sorry, I just, I don't know, I was excited and I remembered you saying before how you like a girl who takes what she wants and I took it too far and…"

"Hey, hey, girl, it's okay!" Goombella said, eyes wide with surprise. She must have never seen Toadette turn into a crying mess, right? It was a trait Toadette tried to hide now that she was older. She didn't ever want to seem like those panic-filled Toads, even if she was one.

"I'm—I'm really sorry, still."

"Well!" Goombella's lips formed a confused line. "I'm glad you are, I guess. I totally forgot I even said anything like, 'I like a girl who takes what she wants.' You really do listen to me, don't you?"

Toadette nodded.

"But, still, I don't think I was ready for that." Goombella couldn't help but return to the fake window and its moving fantasy. "You really put me in an awkward position and, again, it felt like something I had no control over, y'know?"

"I know. Sorry."

Goombella's face flushed bright red. "Er. Um. That isn't to say that I hated it or anything, y'know?"

Toadette nearly slammed her hands on the table. "Really?!"

"I just, um, think maybe, er, again, if you had asked my permission and maybe in private… I'd, um, I'd…" She inhaled, having trouble breathing. "I'd tell you I feel the same way about you."

I was right! I was right! Oh, I'm so stupid, but at least I was right! I hope I didn't ruin it…

"And, er…" Goombella gulped. She tried to make eye contact but reverted to that quick cactus whenever it came by. "Don't get me wrong, okay? I know that I've been leading you on a bit. I know I haven't been perfect either. I, er, I kept 'pretending' we were on a date for some reason and making a joke out of it."

Toadette's chest didn't feel as heavy as before. She was still scared, but Goombella was here and she was certain as long as she tried her best, Goombella wouldn't leave.

"It was a little frustrating, I admit."

"I know, I know!" Goombella groaned. "I know there were other times you've tried to tell me how you feel, I realize that now. I'd either stop you or shrug it off like a joke because I was, I don't know, I was afraid? Honestly, I'm not sure what I was afraid of, but I guess I just figured there was no way you really loved me. Like, c'mon, who'd love me, y'know?"

"Goombella…"

"I know! I know." Goombella sighed again. "It was easier on myself to pretend it wasn't real, I guess. But I'm, y'know, realizing that wasn't fair to you. Or myself."

"I'm still sorry for doing all that in front of everyone."

"It's okay. Just ask beforehand. And, um, from now on I promise to really listen to you. I won't make you feel like you have to make some grand gesture to get through my hard head. So, like, yeah. I'm sorry, too."

The honesty felt so refreshing. Toadette felt like she drank a gallon of Honey Syrup! "I promise. I might do something wrong again, but I promise to try to do better."

Goombella smiled. "Yeah, that's okay! I'll probably mess up again, too. I promise to try and do better, too, y'know?"

Toadette was so excited. She hadn't felt this way in so long. "So, does that mean we're…?"

"Girlfriends?" Goombella said with a grin. "Yep, I guess so! I agree to the terms and services!" They giggled together at her weird joke. "But, like, speaking of, I did have something I want to give you. I think maybe I wanted to tell you my feelings with this, but, well, you already did that…"

"Sorry," Toadette said, but she couldn't help but keep smiling.

"No, no, it's okay." Goombella rustled through a tiny bag that appeared at her side. Toadette always wondered how Goombella pulled things like this out (books, cellphones, etc), but knew better than to ask. "I honestly probably would have still chickened out and pretended it was a friendship gift rather than a symbol of how much I lo-like…lo…" She sputtered as if she was trying to reboot her tongue and get it working. "I got you this gift to show you how much I love you."

Goombella placed a little box on the table with her mouth. It was wrapped in a ribbon patterned with pink mushroom polka-dots.

"Is that for me?" Toadette asked, frozen in place with pure bliss.

"No, it's for the Hisstocrat." Goombella rolled her eyes and laughed. "Of course it's for you, you weirdo! Go on, open it, girl!"

But it's so perfect, already! Toadette carefully unfurled the ribbon, making sure not to tear or scuff anything up. She held the little item delicately in her hand, noting how cool and smooth it felt, just like Goombella.

"It's a badge! I got it custom made from Rowf's shop," Goombella said proudly. "It gives +5 Flower Points when you wear it. I know how tired you get, so I figured it's perfect for you."

Toadette simply stared in awe at its shiny brown surface. "It's a chestnut…!"

Goombella's fang shone. "Yep."

Toadette held the little round badge next to Goombella. "It looks just like you…!" Just without the face and the hair and all that.

"Yep! A little tacky, I know, but whatever. I've heard people say Goombas look like chestnuts, so I thought it'd be a kinda subtle way to show I'll always be with you. You'll probably be the only one who gets it, but that's sorta how I want it, y'know?"

"I love it so much! I'll wear it always!" Toadette quickly pinned it to her vest and already she felt excited tingling in her fingers, in her chest. Was that the Flower Points or was she just so happy?

"You don't have to wear it right away, sheesh!" Goombella laughed.

"But I want to!" Toadette said. "I didn't know you were getting me a gift or else I would have gotten you one, too!"

"It's okay, don't worry about it. You're always there to support me. That's good enough."

"Oh!" Toadette, again, nearly slammed her hands on the table. "Now that we're girlfriends, I'm going to take you on so many dates and give you so much stuff! You have no idea!"

"You don't gotta do that."

"But I want to!"

"Ahaha, fair enough! Girl, you're super cute when you get all spunky like this!"

"Same to you!"

Goombella and Toadette finished their meal together, chatting and bantering with each other happily the whole way. They made sure to share a Mushroom Ice Cream plate with a side of Chocolate Mushroom Cake. It was good, despite the mushrooms, but really, they were just happy to share something sweet with each other.

When their dinner was over, they promised to do something like this again, and the moment that they waved goodbye to each other to head home, you could bet your best badge that they were at their phones sending each other funny messages and goofy gossip the second they were apart.

Good guys, bad guys, murders, or just regular old dates, it didn't matter what this awful world threw at them. As long as they were together, they'd do just fine.