Chapter 6
"I think Marth is avoiding me." Peach said as she and Daisy walked into their English class.
"Really?"
"Yeah, we passed each other in the hall, and he didn't wave or anything. Just kept going." Peach sighed as she sat down.
Daisy frowned. "You think he knows about you and Ike?"
In an instant, a girl with light brown hair seemed to appear out of nowhere. "Wait, you're the girl Ike got the hickey from?"
Peach sat blankly for a moment. "Uh, yeah?"
"Sorry, I'm his sister Mist, and he refused to spill the tea." She laughed. "And I normally don't like fighting, but if you hurt him, I'll murder you."
"Uh, okay?"
Then, Mist was gone, back at her table alongside Mario. Oh, hell, like it couldn't get any awkwarder. Peach turned back to her tablet and sighed.
She hadn't really meant to bring Ike up to her room last night. Well, the better word was intended. But he was nice, and she just brought out the horniness in people. She didn't even have to try, really. She got who she wanted, when she wanted.
Ike was nice. He was strong and kind and respectful. Was she planning on dating him? She hadn't really thought about it, but she wasn't exactly opposed to the idea.
There were too many boys, and it had only been a little over a day. What was she getting herself into?
She decided to brave the chatroom. Of course, she was supposed to be doing the assigned reading and answering the questions on her tablet, but that could be done later. She had more important things to worry about.
[Console]: Welcome Peach T to the chat!
Axel R: welcome back, Fvck God
Demyx H: all hail
Olette G: do I even wanna ask?
Axel R: her friend Daisy found out how to bypass the swear filter
Axel R: then peach said she fucks a lot so here we are
For once, having a reputation as a slut kind of sucked. She started to feel bad that it was being discussed so openly. Still, she continued.
Olette G: Ay, nothing wrong with that
Peach T: that wasn't exactly what i said but okay
May M: but yeah, as I was about to ask, what do you all want to do when you grow up?
May M: well, before all this.
Demyx H: professional swimmer. Think michael phelps but hotter.
Paya S: Sorry! Been zoning in and out cause, you know, class
Axel R: u good cutie
Stahl B: I don't know, I was just gonna twork on my parent's farm.
Demyx H: *twerk haha
Stahl B: work oh my gods
Zelda H: I've always thought being a journalist would be cool! Or maybe a detective, or a researcher, or something where I get to talk to people and find things out. :)
Axel R: all hail our new leader Twork Boi
Axel R: sorry Fvck God
Sidon S: hey, i'm the best twerker here :(
Axel R: prove it, shark ass
Sidon S: after class, in the hall outside of the gym, me and you have a twerking competition
Aqua C: What's wrong with this chat?
[Console]: Say goodbye to Aqua C!
Axel R: lol i can't twerk, i have literally no ass
Rosalina T: :o
Peach T: oof
Demyx H: press f for Axel's ass
Sidon S: F
Sora H: F
Olette G: f
Axel R: at least some of yall want my ass
[Console]: Welcome Daisy S to the chat!
Daisy S: my condolences
Paya S: How'd we get to careers to this?
Paya S: also, i'd love to be a teacher
May M: i wanted to be a vet. Fitting, since I train Pokemon in the other world
Misty Y: lit, me too
Misty Y: pokemon I mean
Peach T: I was gonna be a model
Daisy S: florist for me
Axel R: jobs are for *******
[Console] Please do not swear! If you think this was an error, PM the console!
Axel R: why is p u double s y censored but not cock?
Peach T: sexist
Daisy S: fvck the swear filter, amirite?
[Console]: Welcome Marth L to the chat!
Paya S: it is odd
Fuck, it was Marth. She decided to take the opportunity to get out of the chat and start actually reading the passage. Still, she felt wrong not talking about him. She made herself a compromise: she'd message him, and then check after she answered a question.
[hey, you good? You seemed quiet.]
And then she started doing her actual work. She'd already finished three of the ten questions, and still no response. Maybe he was busy. No need to assume the worst. After her fourth question down, she checked once again and finally got a response.
[I saw you and Ike had fun at your party.]
Fuck. So he knew. Oh well, what's done is done. [Yeah. Let's just cut to the chase. Are you jealous?]
Back to her work. Honestly, the passage was simple, just an article about snails. She figured the assignment was more to teach them about how most of their work would go than really needing to learn about all the uses for snails.
Fifth question down. Luckily, another response. [Yes, a bit. I hope you know I'm not a one night stand kind of guy. I'd hoped you were flirting with me because you wanted to be with me, not with just anyone.]
Understandable. She took a deep breath and thought about what she was going to say before responding. [I understand. I do like you, though. For you.]
Surprisingly, the reading was actually mildly interesting. Apparently, some sea-snails were used to make purple dye in ancient Rome. Still, she was eager to get back to the conversation.
Her heart sank. [Sorry, but I can't really believe that. We can still be friends, but I don't want you to flirt with me anymore.] Fuck. Fucking hell. Why'd she have to get carried away? She knew she shouldn't be too upset, considering she'd only known him for a day, but he seemed really nice. And cute.
She was too shallow for her own good.
[I understand. And yeah, of course still friends.]
Maybe she could prove that she really did like him for more than just his looks. Well, both to him and herself.
0-0-0-0-0
Olette Green wasn't sure exactly when she became friends with Hayner and Pence. When she was young, maybe 4 or so, her mom brought her over to Hayner's mom's house for a book club. Of course, the book club was for the moms (as proven by all the wine), so she was sent to play with Hayner and another kid Pence.
At first, they didn't get along. Hayner and Pence wanted to play trucks, and Olette wanted to play with the Barbies she'd brought (since she thought Hayner was a girl since it sounded like Hailey). They refused to budge, so she instead raided his bookshelf and read every single book. Unfortunately, most were pretty simple, so she finished them all within a few weeks.
And then, Hayner got a bunch of Legos for his 5th birthday, they finally had something they could play together.
When the three of them were the only ones in their highschool (hell, even in their small, beachside town in Georgia) to get invited to a prestigious private school, Olette was confused. She hadn't even applied, had she? Wait, was one of the scholarships they applied for an application to a school? All of the applications started to look the same.
Surprisingly, all of their parents accepted; even Pence's, who seemed like they never wanted to leave town for any reason, ever. Later, she worked out that the invitations must have been enchanted or something.
They weren't even special. They were just kids from another world.
Well, it was better than nothing. Georgia kind of sucked, anyway.
Olette realized how lucky she was to have had her friends at the school with her. All around her, people were transformed and alone.
She and the boys went into their seats in the arena. Malon joined them, and she was glad. Malon seemed like she really needed some normal friends.
"Hey, did you bring your swimsuit?" Olette asked.
Malon grinned. "Yep! Almost forgot, but I set an alarm on my phone."
"It's a perfect day for swimming; I can't wait!"
Before they could go off, Isabelle took attendance. "Oh, and one last thing! I opened up a poll on our class in the tablet! I figured we should go on a field trip next Friday, and I want you guys to pick where! Make sure to take it over the weekend! Anyway, you guys are dismissed, have a good rest of the day."
"Meet you two at the pool, okay?" Hayner said as the boys and girls separated and went to their respective locker rooms.
Olette grinned as she went into one of the stalls to change. She always loved swimming, and even though she preferred the beach, pools were a nice substitute. Besides, this one had a high dive, and even though she had never been on one, she was excited to try. If it was anything like Hayner described, it would be one of the best things she ever did.
"So, how are you enjoying school?" She asked Malon as they each went into a separate stall. "Meet anyone new?"
"I mean, a couple people. Turns out me and Hayner have General Science together, and there was this loud guy Jeremy in my History class. But yeah, it's hard to relate to people when they're all special and I'm, well, not."
Olette frowned a bit as she pulled on her orange one-piece swimsuit. "I mean, yeah, I get that. I talked to this girl Noelle in my Science class, and I think I know that guy. Jeremy Scott, right? From Boston?"
"Yup. He's… crass."
She packed up her clothes and tablet in her bag. "So, here's the thing. I've never really had a close friend I can do the whole gossip thing with, right? Hayner and Pence are, well, boys, and a lot of the girls at our school couldn't keep secrets for the life of them. So, mind if we give it a shot?" She opened the stall door and walked out, still wearing her flip flops.
"Sure! I didn't really have much of that either." Malon came out of her stall wearing a red and white striped bikini with cute little ruffles on the seams.
"Have you met any cute guys? Or girls, if you swing that way." Olette grinned.
Malon's face flushed. "Uh, well, not into girls, but… you know that guy Roy?"
"Roy Eliwood? Yeah, he's in my English class."
"Yeah, he's, like, super cool. I got to talking to him at Peach's party last night, and he's just really nice and funny and…" Malon almost swooned.
Olette laughed as she went towards the sinks. "What happened to making things better for yourself?" She pulled a tube of pink-tinted chapstick and put it on.
She laughed a little. "I don't know what was in that cake, but Roy and I really clicked at the party. He's just… great, you know?" Malon tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and smiled. "It's a dumb little crush, I know."
"Hey, nothing wrong with a crush! Honestly, with all the weird stuff, it's nice to have a normal teenage experience." Olette smiled and turned back to her.
"So, uh, what about you?"
Olette grinned. "Okay, like, everyone's hot around here."
"Amen to that!"
"Uh, let's see, standouts. There's this girl Kairi, who has this cheerleader vibe, but I get the feeling she's a secret emo or something. Like, yeah, pink and stuff, but there's just enough plaid in her skirt that goes from preppy to alternative. She has triplet sisters named Xion and Namine, but I dunno, Kairi seems the most approachable. I mean, obviously that guy Link, but I swear everyone I've talked to has a crush on him, so, like, I'll just admire him from afar." And then there was… crap, she walked into this one. "And, well, promise you won't tell anyone about this? Especially the boys?"
Malon zipped her lips. "Promise."
Olette bounced on the balls of her feet for a moment. "I, uh, haveacrushonHayner." Her face flushed instantly. "But I swear, I'd die if he found out."
The shorter girl grinned. "Dude, why not?!"
She sighed. "Well, uh, I don't wanna ruin our friendship, and, well… do you seriously promise not to tell anyone?"
"Of course, I promise!"
"I, uh, I think Hayner might be gay." Olette sighed. "I mean, he hasn't told me, but I'm usually right about this sort of thing, and… sorry, just needed to get it off my chest." She bit her lip. "So, uh, I don't want him to know I like him like that."
Malon frowned a bit. "I see. Well, there are plenty of other guys, right?"
Yeah, but none of them are Hayner. She sighed again. "Yeah, I know."
"We should head out. I'm sure they're waiting for us." Malon smiled weakly.
"Yeah, we should." Olette smiled as they headed out of the locker room.
When they got out, Hayner and Pence were waiting impatiently. "What took you guys so long?" Hayner scoffed.
"Girl stuff." Olette winked and placed a finger to her lips.
"Oh, hey, Olette, is that a new swimsuit?" Pence asked.
She smiled a bit. "Oh, yeah, I got it last week! Thanks for noticing!"
"Yeah, it looks nice!"
And so, the four went out to the pool. Still, Olette couldn't stop stealing glances at Hayner.
Maybe it was time to move on. There were so many people out there.
0-0-0-0-0
Link really wished he didn't have to have a job in order to afford his apartment. You'd think since he was required to be there to, you know, save the world, they'd wave the housing costs, but nope. Oh well, at least it gave him an excuse to earn some spending money instead of just bumming around and playing old video games and smoking pot.
Speaking of, his entire apartment complex smelled like weed. He hated the smell, but at least it meant he didn't have to be discreet, unless by some rare miracle someone came to his apartment.
Right as he was about to get on his board and skate to work, his phone buzzed in his pocket. A snapchat from Zelda, asking if he wanted to hang out.
[Sorry, can't. Work.] He texted back before putting his phone back and heading off to work. When he got there, she'd responded telling him to have as much fun as possible and to be safe. He smiled a bit as he went inside and clocked in.
Stacking boxes in a freezing warehouse wasn't fun. It never would be. But repetition was soothing, especially when everything else was chaotic. Sure, it made his teeth chatter to the point where they might break, but it was more than enough money.
And so, as soon as he clocked in, he put on his company-issued jacket ("Shiveria Stock - Providing every restaurant with Freshly Frozen Food!" it read on the back.) and went to work loading boxes onto the carts that would be pushed onto the trucks whenever it was time to ship out. He slipped an earbud in and listened to the same few indie songs he could fit on his old ass phone. Maybe he should save up for a dedicated music player. After all, he liked supporting local bands.
Holy hell, the bands around there must be super weird. Link couldn't wait.
"Oh, shit, hey Link!"
Fucking hell, who was it? Link turned around to see Demyx coming up to him, wearing the same jacket. How long had he worked here? He also noticed that Demyx looked (and sounded) a bit more feminine, but he sure as hell wasn't going to comment on it.
"Didn't know you worked here! I only have a couple shifts per week, since I'm also a barista at Starbeans." Demyx grinned.
"Mm." Link nodded and continued his work, hoping Demyx would leave him alone.
"Look, uh, can I talk to you about last night?"
What happened last night even? Link just shrugged.
"I had no idea you lived right under Marluxia's apartment, and when you came up to complain, I think he just decided to be louder. I should have said something, but I don't want to get on his bad side too, you know?" He sighed as he grabbed a box and walked with Link. "But the thing is, I don't want to work with him to get revenge on the villain in our other life. Hell, honestly, I don't wanna fight the bad guys at all. I just wanna smoke weed and chill in the pool."
Honestly, Link could relate to that last part. "Why do you hang out with them if you don't want to?"
Demyx sighed. "I just really don't want to piss them off. Like, apparently we're all part of some ancient keyblade destiny or something? I don't know." He set the box on the cart and sighed. "Anyway, the point is, me and Axel are gonna try and get them to hang out at our place more. No idea if it'll work, but honestly, you seem chill and I don't want to bother you. But if they're still being loud and shit up there, you can come to my place and chill." He reached into his pants pocket and handed Link a key. "Knock first, but if I'm not there, feel free to come in and crash on my couch."
Wow, that was… trusting. Link took the key and put it in his pocket. "Uh, thank you."
"Yeah, it's not the first time I've had someone crash on my couch. I, uh, didn't grow up in the best of neighborhoods, so I'm used to this sort of thing." Demyx grinned. "And you seem like the kind of person I can trust."
Link looked at him for a minute. Yeah, he seemed like a bit of an idiot, but at least he was a kindhearted idiot. "Seriously. Thank you."
"I'll leave you alone now. And seriously, come by anytime."
Link promised himself he wouldn't take advantage of that trust.
0-0-0-0-0
"How was school, sweetheart?"
Zelda smiled when her dad greeted her as she walked into the kitchen. Despite having a busy job running a real estate agency, he always made time to be home when Zelda got there. At first, it was out of necessity, since they weren't always this affluent and the busses never reached their house, so he'd leave to pick her up and take her to daycare (or home, once she was old enough to be left alone until he could leave work for good and make dinner). However, even once Zelda could get rides from friends who lived in their neighborhood or drive herself, he'd still come home so they could talk about their days.
"It was good. I'm getting to meet a lot of new people from all over the world." And other worlds, but Dad didn't know yet. It was funny, he was the king in their old world. Zelda had never noticed how regal he looked, but with his big cloudlike beard and the cup of herbal tea sitting in front of him as he read the paper, she really could see it.
She supposed he'd find out someday. Apparently, some people around the town knew their origins. Why weren't the parents told, then? Maybe they'd be told later. Still, having to hold her tongue was… unfortunate.
"I'm glad you're adjusting well." He said, sipping his tea. "Your mother would be proud."
Zelda smiled weakly as she sat at the small breakfast table with him. "Thank you."
"Unfortunately, I am going to have to get back to the office tonight. However, I was thinking that tomorrow, we could have a father-daughter dinner at that little Italian place we saw? What was it, Mario's?"
"That sounds wonderful." She paused for a minute. "I'm on my own for dinner tonight, though, it seems."
Her father sighed. "I know. I was hoping that this move would make things better, and I do hope that as things settle down, we'll be able to spend more time together. However, I did put a little extra spending money in your account so you can treat a couple of your friends to a dinner, if you'd like."
Zelda thought for a moment before grinning. "Thank you!" And she knew exactly who she'd invite. She got up and grabbed a cookie from the jar (Dad always liked to bake some in his spare time). "Oh, I hope work doesn't keep you too late."
"It is what it is. Have a good time, Zelda."
She gave him a quick hug before going upstairs, eating the cookie as she texted Link.
[Sorry, can't. Work.]
Damn. She texted him to be safe and have as much fun as possible. She really hoped it wasn't personal, that he really was just busy. Then again, he seemed like a homebody. Oh well. Who to invite next. Oh, Daisy and Peach! After all, they treated her to some delicious cake. She should pay them back. Luckily, she figured out how to create a group message on the school messaging system, so she created a private group with the two and texted:
Zelda H: Hey guys! Wanna hang out? There's a couple of places on Ms. Shephard's scavenger hunt down on Main Street, so we could knock those out if you all wanted to!
Daisy S: sounds good lol
Peach T: sure! also good to know group messages are a thing lol
Zelda H: Sweet! I can pick you guys up in a few minutes if you want, or we can wait. My schedule's pretty flexible tonight.
Peach T: ye sure, just give me a bit to fix makeup and stuff.
Zelda H: Oh, wait, Daisy, where do you live lol?
Daisy S: with peach lol
Zelda H: Oh, okay! Wait, are you two sisters?
Peach T: cousins, actually! was easier for her to move in with us than have both our families move out here, you know?
Zelda H: Ah, makes sense. Well, message me when you're ready.
With that, she went to get ready herself. Mostly, it was just a change of clothes, but she did reapply her lip balm. She never wore a whole lot of makeup, usually just some deep brown mascara, a tinted lipbalm with decent SPF, and some concealer if there were any noticable pimples. Sure, makeup was fun, but she didn't always have the time. After a few minutes, Peach said she was just finishing up and that she could head over, so Zelda got in her blue SUV and drove over. It seemed a little wastefull, but both their houses were up on hills, and she figured no one wanted to walk all the way over. So, she pulled up to their gate, showed the guard her school ID, and drove up to the circle to park.
She texted that she was there, and Daisy opened up the front door and waved her in. Damn, she really wanted to keep the AC going for a bit. She turned off her car and went inside.
"Hey there, girly!" Daisy said, pulling her into a hug. "Peach is taking a bit longer than expected, but I figured you'd rather wait in here than in the car."
"Thank you." Zelda smiled as she looked around. She'd been here before, but man, it looked nice.
Heels clacked against the hardwood floors as a blonde woman who looked just liked Peach walked in from the living room. "Oh, you must be Zelda! The girls told me they were going to hang out with the girl next door. Honestly, had I known we lived right next to someone the girl's age, I would have introduced us." She laughed a little. "Sorry, I'm Peach's mom, and Daisy's aunt. You can just call me Juliette." She extended out her hand.
Zelda shook it. "Nice to meet you, Juliette."
"Oh, my God, sorry I took so long!" Peach said as she nearly ran down the foyer steps. "I just couldn't get this wing right for the life of me!"
"I feel that in my soul, to be honest." Zelda smiled. "You ready to go?"
"Yep! Oh, hey Mom! Bye Mom!"
"Be safe, girls!" Juliette waved as the three girls left.
When the girls got to the car, Daisy immediately yelled "Shotgun!" and went to the passenger door. Peach laughed and shook her head as she got in the back. As they started driving, Daisy took the aux cord and started playing something a little more poppy than Zelda preferred, but it was at least okay.
Soon, the private suburb became just part of the town. As she drove along the main road connecting most of the city (Funnily enough, it was called Bridge Parkway, not Main Street) she could see the tall tower of Ninten Academy peaking up in the distance. She noticed that it was pretty isolated, marking the edge of town. It didn't seem like that, considering right across the street were houses and a couple of restaurants, but she supposed that yeah, it was kind of far.
As she turned off Bridge Parkway and into Downtown, she smiled. It didn't have all the huge skyscrapers like many, instead being a quaint area with mostly brick buildings. Sure, a few apartment buildings were taller than others, but they still topped out at a few stories.
"Oh, shit, is that Rosalina?"
Zelda glanced over to the sidewalk, and yep, there she was, wandering aimlessly a little bit ahead.
"Let's pick her up and see if she wants to hang out." Daisy grinned.
"Oh, yeah, let's!" Peach agreed.
With a chuckle, Zelda pulled into a spot (thank God that she didn't have to parallel park) near her as she passed. Peach rolled down the window. "Hey, Rosalina!"
Rosalina turned to them and waved.
"Get in, Princess, we're going shopping!"
Zelda honestly didn't expect that to work, but Rosalina got into the car. "Hello."
"Hey! We're going down to Main Street to explore. Is that alright?" She turned around in her seat to look at the newcomer.
"Funny, I was heading that way myself." Rosalina smiled softly. "No matter what path I choose, I always seem to end up exactly where I need to be…"
Zelda smiled as she pulled out of the spot. Daisy and Peach gossiped back and forth as they drove the rest of the way. After a few minutes, they found a spot and parked. "Alright, so, I have the list of scavenger hunt stuff with me, so we can head directly for those or just hit them up as we see them."
"I'd say just do them as we go." Peach said, and then she got out.
The rest of the girls got out, and then they started walking down Main Street. Luckily, Zelda had found a spot right at the begining of the shopping area, so they'd be able to see a lot of the stores. She preffered this kind of setting to a mall. Though, if she really wanted to visit one, there were a bunch in Phoenix.
The first shop that caught anyone's eye was Mettaton Merchendise. It seemed to be a store dedicated to… some guy? They all shrugged and went inside.
"Oh, customers! Honey, power up the register, because we're about to make a sale!" A tall man who looked like a younger Fabio announced. He approached the girls and slicked back his hair. "Hello, wonderful fans! How can I help you today?"
"Fans?" Peach asked.
The man gasped. "You mean, you don't know who I am?!"
"A radio host, right?" Rosalina said. Honestly, Zelda had no idea if that was right or not.
"At least someone appriciates my work! But, I also host a game show, a shopping channel show, I do theater. I, Mettaton, do it all!" He looked at them, clearly waiting for them to be impressed.
Zelda wasn't particularly impressed, but she could admit that he seemed to be a busy man.
"And tell me, do you girls go to Ninten Academy, by chance?"
"Yep!" Peach smiled.
Mettaton leaned in a bit. "I'm actually a robot, in my other world! Your science professor, Alphys, created me to be a super star. Oh, and fight humans and collect their souls, but we've moved past that." He laughed a little. "My husband over there, Papyrus, is a skeleton! Isn't that delightful?!" He motioned over to the bald guy with a goofy grin and a basketball themed shirt, who waved at them.
"Heh, does that mean he bones you?" Daisy chuckled. Zelda glared at her. How rude!
"Hey, no puns allowed!" Papyrus yelled, seemingly not carign about the sex joke. "That's my brother's job!"
"Anyway, feel free ask me any questions about my merchandise. Or, of course, my favorite subject, me."
By the time Mettaton was done and the girls could get their bearings, Rosalina had already wandered off. They eventually found her, looking in the clothes and accesories area. Most of the clothing was bright pink and black, plus way too avant garde for everyday wear, but she could appreciate the effort put in. The accesories were more of the same, but Rosalina had found a chunky necklace that she liked. More power to her.
As she looked around, she felt strange. This guy was mostly selling stuff with his face on it. At some point, she heard Peach and Daisy snicker. She went over, and they showed her a mug with a cartoon Mettaton making a silly face. Yeah, it was kind of goofy, but… oh, wait, oh God no! That was that hentai face that people put on jackets! Noooo!
Did… did Mettaton know? Was he aware of what that face meant? He had to be, right?
"I'm totally buying this, by the way." Daisy chuckled.
They had all had enough, so they went to check out.
"AH, YES, THIS MUG! IT'S OUR MOST POPULAR ITEM. I'M HONESTLY NOT SURE WHY." Papyrus said as he rung Daisy out. It took all of Zelda's willpower to hold her tongue. He rung out Rosalina for her necklace, and then they all left the building as fast as possible.
"Okay, so, uh, am I on drugs or did that really happen?" Peach said, barely holding in her laughter.
"It's real. Oh God, it's real!" Daisy howled with laughter.
After a moment, they calmed down. Next door was a place that looked like it used to be called Grillby's, but most of the sign had been scratched off, and 'sans was written off to the side. "Hey, this place is part of the scavenger hunt. Take a selfie with Sans at 'sans."
"Well, shit, can't be as weird as the last one, can it?"
They went inside, and it appeared to be just a living room. A bald guy in a blue jacket and basketball shorts sat in a reclining chair. "yo." Zelda couldn't describe it, but it sounded like he was speaking in all lower case.
"Uh, is this a shop?" Peach asked.
"nope."
The girls all looked at each other. "Uh, are we supposed to be in here?" Zelda asked.
"make yourself at home." He said, flipping through the channels on the TV. It all sounded like static.
They all looked at each other and shrugged. "You're Sans, right?" Peach asked.
"i think so."
"Uh, we're supposed to take a selfie with you for Ms. Shephard's scavenger hunt." She said, taking out her phone.
"oh, you're toriel's students." He got up and walked over. "she's an old friend of mine. though, i guess in this world, we've only known each other for a few weeks now. feels like longer." He shrugged.
They all grouped up, and Peach held out her phone. Lucky, everyone could squeeze into frame. "everyone say 'funny bone'.."
"Funny bone!"
Peach showed everyone the picture. It turned out pretty well. "I'll send it to you guys to turn in."
"oh, and if you ever notice toriel in a bad mood, tell her a skeleton pun. i'd give you an example, but i'm… bone dry." Zelda swore she heard a 'badum-tss' coming from… somewhere.
"You're Papyrus's brother, aren't you?" Rosalina said.
Oh, duh. Of course he was. "sure am."
"Anyway, we should get going. Nice to meet you, Sans."
"come back anytime."
The girls left. "Okay, that was weird too!" Peach laughed.
"I just wonder why his house has an open sign." Daisy smiled.
"I think he just wants friends. I mean, that's one way to do it." Zelda said. "Wouldn't be my method, but you know."
The four of them walked for a bit before popping into Able Sister's Boutique. Finally, a normal shop. The clothes were a bit quirky, sure, but some of them were really cute. Zelda found a flowy white tank top (because you can't have enough of those) and held it up. "What do you guys think? Cute?"
"Oh my God, I just noticed how cute your pants are!" Peach said. "Oh, and the top looks adorable."
"What kind of flowers are those?" Daisy asked.
"Oh, thank you guys!" Zelda looked down at her mom jeans. "I actually stitched the flowers myself." She ran a finger along the the flowers. They had five petals, each one white with a light blue patch on the inside. "I don't think they're real, since I just designed them as I went." Though, now that she knew about the other world… maybe it wasn't her imagination. Maybe it was a memory. "I've always called them Silent Princesses."
"You're really talented!" Peach grinned.
"Aww, thank you!"
The girls went throught the rest of the shop. Rosalina didn't buy anything, and Zelda only got the tank to, but Peach and Daisy each got quite a few things. As long as they could carry it, she supposed. After they checked out, they left and continued walking down the street.
"Oh, hey-a, Peach!"
The four turned to see Mario standing in front of a restaurant (aptly named Mario's. Oh, sweet, that's the one Dad had said!) twirling a sign.
"Oh, uh, hey Mario."
"Would you ladies like-a a bit to eat-a? We've just-a expanded our-a menu!" He grinned.
"Me and my father are actually coming here tomorrow night for dinner!" Zelda said.
"That's-a wonderful! See you tomorrow-a!"
The four kept walking, and Peach seemed… quieter. "You good?" Zelda asked after they were a bit away from the restaurant.
"Yeah. It's just… I dunno, I get wierd vibes from Mario." Peach shrugged. "Like, I'm supposed to be his girlfriend or something in our other world, and I think he's hoping that'll happen here, but… I don't think that's what I want."
Zelda frowned a bit. "Well, I mean, you shouldn't feel obligated. It's your choice." Of course, she didn't have any experience. Everyone from her world that she'd met, she got along with, except for maybe Midna (who, to be fair, just seemed uninterested in friends at all).
"I know." She sighed. "I just feel shallow."
Daisy's stomach growled. "And I feel hungry! Are there any restaurants on the scavenger hunt?"
Zelda looked. "Yeah, it says to take a picture with any Starbeans sign. Sound's like a Starbucks, but maybe they have actual food, too."
"Sweet, let's go!"
And so, they found the Starbeans on the next block. They took a selfie with the sign before heading in. All the coffee blends seemed to be named after various laughs, and even their soda was called Chuckola Cola. Luckily, they also had some sandwiches, so it could be their dinner too.
"Get what you want, I'm paying." Zelda said.
"Aww, you don't have to." Peach said.
"No, it's my treat. You guys made some of the best cake I've ever had." Zelda grinned.
Each of them got a different kind of coffee and sandwich and agreed to let everyone try everything. The sandwiches were good, since it's hard to go wrogn with meat and veggies on good bread, but the coffees were… something else. Not only were they named after laughter, they tasted like it too. It was hard to describe, but she felt like she could drink it all day.
"You know, there's so many shops here." Peach sighed.
"Yeah, and we haven't even hit the square yet." Zelda smiled a bit. "Should we call it tonight and come back out here some other time?"
Daisy shrugged. "Yeah. If every shop is going to be as exhausting as Mettaton Merchandise, I think we might die."
"Alright, then it's settled." Zelda smiled.
Today was a good day. She'd made a lot of friends, and seen a lot of new stuff. She always liked trying new things, and this town was full of them.
0-0-0-0-0
A/N: Holy shit that was a long one. Peach got herself in trouble, Olette set up some future love drama, Link made a friend, and Zelda… oh my god, the shop segment was fun to write. A lot of the shops will be taken from the games, but things like Shiveria Stock and Mettaton Merchandise are my own creation.
Anyway, Last Name Explanations:
Olette Green (Kingdom Hearts) - She has green eyes and I'm lazy.
Jeremy Scott (Team Fortess 2) - Yep, it's Scout. Last name will be explained next chapter.
And yes, I'm including TF2. I was debating this for a while, but I decided that Scout is my loud baby and I need him here to balance out the sad shit I'm writing for a TF2 fic that's not really about the game, moreso a way to get my feelings about the hurricane out. The other Mercenaries will be townies. Medic is one of the school nurses. Demoman runs a bar. Soldier is a military recruiter who will yell at EVERYONE in the cafeteria. Anyway, see you guys next chapter.