"No, no, you've got it all wrong. If I was going to shoot someone in the chest six times and then tell them 'you're not wounded too seriously', I'd save the line until after they died. It sounds way more condescending that way." Magolor spoke into the monitor with a lighthearted smile on his face.

"Are you really trying to tell me that you're not like him because you're worse?" Taranza was in his room at Castle Dedede, speaking to his desktop computer.

Magolor had been away from Popstar for several weeks, and although he didn't disclose where he was or what he was doing, he kept in touch regularly. "Or better, depends on how you want to look at it. You should continue, though. The credits haven't rolled yet."

Taranza continued the game he was playing quietly. "Okay. If I wasn't hooked before, I am now. That was really good."

"I'm glad you're enjoying it, because it only gets better from here. The true ending is- hold on a minute." Magolor moved out of the frame.

It sounded like he was talking to someone at the door. "Ah, hello. What brings you here at this hour?"

The voice that responded wasn't one that Taranza recognized, but it sounded like it belonged to a woman. "I've been working on another phase of the defense. I'd like your help designing it. You would remember more about it than I do, after all."

"I'd be happy to help you later, but I'm in the middle of some important business at the moment. I don't know when I'll be done, but I don't imagine it will be any more than another five hours."

"Five hours? What important business could you have that would take that long?"

"I'm investigating some blueprints of ancient societies. There's definitely a link between the three of them, and it could be a major breakthrough if I find it. This could explain so much that we don't know about my origins!" Whoever Magolor was talking to, they weren't hearing the truth from him. Taranza could tell by the general situation and his tone of voice that he was completely ad-libbing the whole thing.

"Very well. I will contact you tomorrow. Bye!"

Taranza heard a sound of the front door closing, then Magolor re-entered the frame. "I hate that bitch."

That comment was so unexpected, Taranza couldn't help but laugh. "I sincerely hope you don't say similar things about me behind my back."

Magolor grinned and cocked his head to one side. "If I did, you'd never know."

"Any chance you'll tell me who that was or what she was talking about?"

"Ah, yes. That's Susie. She's talking about some security system for her company, which I am keeping a very close eye on because I will be robbing them shortly." Magolor was consistently unnerving the way he can say the strangest or most disturbing things without changing his tone of voice at all. Even to Taranza, who found he could read him better than most people, Magolor's way of saying something so out of left field with such natural contentment felt like a slap to the face.

"I… where do I even start with this?"

"Maybe try the start." Magolor offered.

"Okay, isn't Susie the name of-"

"Yep."

"And is she the same-"

"Yep."

"But now you hate-"

"Yep."

"And she owns a-"

"She's a secretary."

"And you're helping-"

"Yep."

"Even though you-"

"Uh huh."

"And alongside all this, you're-"

"That's it."

"Okay, I get it."

A few hours later, Taranza had beaten the game, and was talking about it with Magolor. "You're telling me there are people who excuse his actions because he has prosopagnosia? It sounds like it'd be awful to have, but killing every other character in the game multiple times isn't something you can excuse with 'they all look like monkeys, Your Honor'."

Magolor giggled. "The judge at his trial would hear that and let him off the hook for sure. No way he goes to prison after calling a dead man a monkey. Not a chance you can get convicted after pulling that out."

Even if it was through a computer screen, something about hearing him laugh like that made Taranza feel warm inside. "Are they ever going to explain the mummy? Ever?"

"There is a sequel for a reason, you know." Magolor, meanwhile, seemed to be a little distracted.

"Hey, are you all right?"

"Oh! Yes, yes I am. I'm just expecting a call soon. I'm a little on edge about it, I guess." Magolor rubbed a hand behind his ear.

"It looks like you have a lot going on at the moment, I hope I'm not taking up too much of your time…"

"No, of course not! I don't want you to think of yourself as a burden. I spend this much time talking to you because I want to. If I didn't, I'd just pull one of your eyes out."

The sound of the door opening was heard through the screen. "Give me a moment." Magolor exited the frame. "I know I said you were welcome to come in, but at least knock first."

A different voice that Taranza also didn't recognize responded, probably male. "Hah. Did I interrupt something private?"

"Not exactly, but I'd prefer you not risk it in the future."

"Just wanted to make sure you're not doing something stupid. You didn't do anything reckless lately, did you?"

"Nope. Playing it safe, just like you suggested. I'll be designing most of the security, so I should be able to have a plan set up in a few days."

"That's good. You have a talent for this kind of thing, don't you?"

"Uh, I don't really want to think about that." Magolor sounded uncomfortable. Was this person antagonizing him? Taranza was faintly aware of one of his hands balling into a fist.

"Ah. I see. That must have been very difficult for you." Taranza's hand relaxed at the sympathy in his voice.

"I-I don't understand. Just what is it that you think I'm talking about?"

"Heh… nothing. Don't worry about it. I'll check in again in a couple days, so take care of yourself, alright?"

"O-okay. I will. See you later." Taranza heard the door close, and then Magolor re-entered the frame. "I'm sorry about that, where were we?"

"Who was that? It looks like that discussion rattled you."

"I'm fine. I just wasn't expecting to hear that from him. He's usually much more… I don't know the right word, but I've never seen him be like that before. Although, I suppose it makes sense that a guy like him would have that side."

"Is he an accomplice?"

"You could say that."

"Who IS he, though?"

"I think it'd be funny if I didn't tell you."

"Look, Magolor, do you really think this is a good idea? You're going to steal something valuable from some big company, and you don't see any problem with this? I know you've done some irresponsible things in the past, but what are you even trying to accomplish here?"

"These people are evil, Taranza. They've been destroying ecosystems for years! I'm trying to stop them, by taking them apart from the inside out. Well, the closest thing to that I can come up with, at least."

Taranza couldn't think of a way to respond. "What happened between you and Susie? Why do you hate her now?"

Magolor grimaced. "It's nothing that complicated. Really, just a very long string of annoyances that led me to despise her. The first thing she did when I saw her again was try to hug me, despite knowing everything that's happened to me and being there for most of it. Once, I tried to tell her a funny story from the souvenir shop, and she laughed before I got to the funny part. Not to mention all the planet destroying. If her father had any idea who she was, he'd be proud of her for being just as much of a cheap, soulless, greedy slimebag as he is." He looked up to the ceiling. "It's fucked up that I can't go say that to her face, it really is."

Taranza considered for a moment. "I was going to at least pretend I had any moral qualms with this idea, and then realized I couldn't come up with any. Stay safe."

Magolor winked. "You know I won't." The screen flickered off.

Out of everything Taranza could have been thinking, the prevailing thought was one he wasn't really expecting to have at all.

I miss him already.