Chapter 29 Social Ineptitude
Sitting down on a rock beside the boardwalk with Scale, Lilac couldn't help but hang her head. She felt foolish, if she was being perfectly honest. The way that she had gone off on a rant directed toward that Toad made her think that she had been way out of line. After all, he was a complete stranger. A nobody, really, a nobody who had done very little against her in the grand scheme of things. Sure, he had acted like a jerk. But was that enough to warrant a huge scolding? Probably not.
Lilac shook her head. See, this was why she had trouble talking to people. Whenever she builds up enough courage to get up and talk to someone, it always backfires. Whether it was because she stuttered over her words, or said something unintentionally insulting, or because she launched into a rant about a topic that the other person had no interest in….always, always, ALWAYS she would be unable to communicate her feelings in an appropriate way.
This was ridiculous, positively ridiculous. What the World Eight was wrong with her? Seriously? She had always dreamed of being a journalist, and yet she could barely say two words to another person outside of her very tight knit circle of friends. How could she expect herself to get in front of a camera and talk to potentially millions of people viewing her through the screen?
She whimpered and placed her head in her lap. She couldn't. That was the answer; she couldn't. Might as well aim for a job that didn't require her to talk to anyone. She couldn't think of any jobs that fit that bill off the top of her head though, which only made her distress stronger. She sniffled.
"Kid?"
Lilac tried to keep the tears from falling. She had just ruined a Toad's day; she didn't need to bother Scale with her own social ineptitude.
Scale hesitated. He held out his hand, looking like he was about to pat Lilac on the back, or potentially give her a hug. However, whether it was because he didn't know what to say or because the thought of hugging her repulsed him, he didn't go through with it. Honestly, Lilac felt kind of glad. Saddened that the thought of touching her while she was crying made Scale pull away, but overall glad.
"Heyo!"
Lilac lifted her head. Peppy, Stormy, and Wendy were coming over. Lilac didn't even bother getting up to greet them.
"Well," Scale said once the girls had arrived. "Did you find what you were looking for?"
Stormy shook her head. "Nobody we talked to had even heard of the Sacred Stars, let alone where we could go to find it."
Scale nodded, frustration showing through in his expression. "That's too bad."
Wendy took a step forward. "Professor Scale, you seemed to know the general location as to where the fire star was. Do you know where the water one might be?"
Scale snickered. "Honestly, I'm surprised that you guys didn't ask me earlier." His face fell. "Unfortunately, I'm afraid I don't know. Out of all four of the stars, the water star is the one that has the least amount of research dedicated to it."
"Aww!" Peppy exclaimed, her face falling. She kicked at a sand pile. "Ding dang darn it?"
"Yeah, that is too bad," Wendy said. She took a seat beside Lilac on the rock, putting her head in her hands. "Without any information to go off of, it's possible we can't find it at all." Mist accumulated in her eyes. "And without all of the sacred stars…"
"We won't be able to free your brothers," Stormy finished.
Wendy nodded. The misery in her eyes made Lilac's heart ache. She was supposed to be a help to the Koopa Princess, and yet she had provided her with nothing.
She pat Wendy on the shoulder. "I'm sorry, Wendy."
Wendy nodded, very clearly doing her best to look strong. However, her attempt at doing so didn't produce the greatest results, as her lip quivered and her right eye twitched. This made Lilac feel even worse. She wrapped Wendy in a hug.
"I'm so sorry," she repeated. She squeezed extra tight, hoping to convey to the Princess that she was there for her in any way she could be.
Wendy placed her hand on top of Lilac's. "It's not your fault, Lilac."
Lilac seized up. "Well…" She carefully let go. "If it makes you feel any better, I DID come across someone who might have information."
Wendy, Stormy, and Peppy perked up. "You did?" Wendy asked.
"That's awesome, Lilac!" Peppy exclaimed. She pointed her finger to the sky. "The owner of the fire star is proud of you!" Fire erupted from her finger and exploded in a miniature firework.
Lilac actually managed to smile a little bit at that. However, the smile fell away just as quickly as it had appeared. "Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get the info exactly."
Stormy blinked. "Why not?"
Lilac sighed. Might as well tell her friends. If she didn't do it now, then the failure would eat away at her and make her feel even worse as time progressed.
So, she explained what had happened, not skipping over any of the parts. Once she had finished, she felt like crying all over again. "I'm sorry," she whimpered. "I'm really sorry."
There was a moment of silence before Peppy blinked. "For what?"
Lilac shook. "I…I was out of line, I made a fool out of myself with the rant, I screwed up the mission…"
Wendy placed her hand on Lilac's shoulder. She brushed her thumb against her friend's skin, which honestly soothed Lilac by the slightest margin.
"Lilac, you stood up for yourself. There's nothing to be ashamed of with that."
Lilac swallowed a lump. "But…I…"
"Lilac, it's okay," Wendy said. She smiled. "The Toad sounds like he was a real piece of work. It's perfectly fine to call someone out about something like that. In fact, I would argue that it's much better to do that than just being quiet about it."
Lilac pushed her hair out of her eyes. "But…I screwed up our chances of finding the star."
"No," Wendy said bluntly. "No, you did no such thing. In fact, if anything, you acted bold and brave." She beamed. "I'm proud of you for that."
"Me too!" Stormy said. She went up and placed her hand on Lilac's other shoulder. "I know it's always been a little hard for you to speak your mind, so the fact that you were able to say that stuff is a step in the right direction."
Lilac blinked. Bold and brave, a step in the right direction. With these words, words that came from her best friends in the entire world, she felt a little better. Because, they were right. Lilac had taken a step that she wouldn't normally take. She had showed that jerk of a Toad that wasn't going to let him walk all over her, or anyone associated with her. She hadn't thought about it that way before, but now…
Lilac sniffled and smiled. "Thanks guys." The volume she used was soft, but that didn't mean that it was any less genuine.
"Anytime," Stormy said.
"Yeah!" Peppy exclaimed. She jumped up. "You go girl!"
"You did the right thing," said Wendy.
Lilac smiled to herself. "The right thing." That really felt good to say that she had done the right thing.
"Uhh," Scale spoke up. "I hate to interrupt, but we are still nowhere close to finding the water sacred star."
The girls' faces all fell. That was, until Wendy looked Lilac right in the eye. "Lilac, who was the Toad that said he had info about the store?"
Lilac squirmed. "Uh, he operated the ball toss booth." She gave each of her friends a confused look. "But he wasn't willing to give any info to me. How are you guys going to get it."
Stormy had a twinkle in her eyes as she reached into her hammerspace. "Well…" she pulled out her wallet, the smile on her face growing bigger by the second. "I think I might have one way of getting him to talk…"