Hey! I'm now up to nine reviews! That's almost TEN! Also, I think my dumb computer is finally letting me write my own reviews! YAAAAAAAY!
-----
"Why is it," Waddle Dee bemoaned as Adeleine administered an ice pack to his head, "that I can't go anywhere without being mistaken for something that might carry the plague?"
Everyone was sitting on the oversized, overstuffed bed in Kirby and Ribbon's hotel room.
"Well, you do kinda look like a rat," said Adeleine. "I mean, you've got the whole beady-eyed, ugly thing down."
"What? I'm not ugly! I'm ADORABLE! Way more so than any of you!"
"Dude, you talk without a mouth. That's not adorable, that's freaky."
"Hey! You wanna take this outside?"
"Come on, Waddle Dee, it could have been worse for you," said Kirby. "You remember when we went to the aquarium and they thought Dedede had gotten loose from one of the exhibits?"
"And they got him in that cage and tried to feed him fish heads?" Adeleine chimed in. "That was the funniest thing ever!"
"But did you have to get pictures of it?" Dedede asked grudgingly.
"Well, duh. Wouldn't you have?"
"Well, guys, I hope this has convinced you that this whole hotel thing was a big mistake," Ribbon spoke up. "Not only is it a complete waste of a weekend, but now people are getting beaten up – people besides Adeleine!"
"You know, Ribbon, to be fair, you're the one who beats me up most of the time."
"Quit trying to disprove my point! We're leaving now. And that's final."
"Ribbon, no!" everyone pleaded.
"Can't we put this to a vote?" Kirby asked.
"Fine. But my vote counts for five."
"Ribbon, please. We're all exhausted and we need a few days off!"
"Plus, I don't think Waddle Dee's in any condition to go anywhere," Adeleine added.
"Oww. . . my spleen hurts," Waddle Dee moaned.
"Maybe it would help if you took a warm bath, Waddle Dee," Kirby suggested.
Ribbon was already halfway to the door (dragging Dedede along with her), when she stopped dead and turned around.
"They. . . have. . . bathtubs here?" she said softly.
"Well, yeah, of course," Kirby replied. Then, with a jolt, he realized he might have just made a breakthrough. "And they have these cool little soaps and miniaturized shampoo bottles! And shower curtains!" he went on.
A very longing look crossed Ribbon's face, when suddenly she snapped out of it. "Wait! No! I know what you're trying to do! We're not staying here a minute longer!"
"Come on, Ribbon, you know you want to," Kirby persisted. "You remember when your hair used to be pink? It'll be that way again once you wash all the dirt out!"
"Plus, you'll be able to wash with soap for once!" Adeleine joined in.
Ribbon looked unsure what to do, glancing back and forth from the bathroom to the door for a long time. Finally, after what seemed like forever, she sighed in defeat.
"Well. . . maybe just a quick little bath."
"Uh, how about we take this thing off first?" Dedede said quickly, tugging at the tether.
"Oh, yeah, right," Ribbon agreed, and the two of them pulled it off before Ribbon slowly headed into the bathroom.
The instant she had closed the door behind her, everyone else exploded into cheering.
"You did it, Kirby, you did it!" Waddle Dee exclaimed, giving the pink puffball a big hug.
"Hey, what can I say? Personal hygiene: the surest way to a female's heart."
"Well, most females', anyway," said Waddle Dee, gesturing at Adeleine, who was busy cleaning her ear out with her finger.
-----
As soon as Ribbon came out of the bathroom, it was apparent that there was something different about her.
"Dude, what's wrong with her face?" Adeleine whispered to Waddle Dee.
"I think she's smiling."
"Ribbon knows how to smile? Where have I been?"
"Actually, I didn't know that either," said Waddle Dee. "Ribbon, you look like you enjoyed that."
"That felt great!" Ribbon exclaimed, twirling around with glee. "That was the most fun I've ever had since. . . I can't even remember! I'm gonna go take another one!" And she dashed back toward the bathroom.
"Ribbon, hold it!" Kirby intercepted her at the door. "You can't use up all the hot water like that!"
"Yeah! I'm makin' ramen tonight!" said Waddle Dee.
"And I was gonna throw a bucket of water on Adeleine the next time she walked under the window!" said Dedede.
"Now, see, that's why Waddle Dee's my best friend and not you," Adeleine told him.
"Guys, we can't do any of that stuff anyway. Ribbon said we have to leave," Kirby reminded the other three while surreptitiously winking at them.
"Well. . . ." Ribbon seemed to be debating the matter in her head. "Maybe we don't have to leave right now. . . is everything else here as much fun as taking a bath?"
"Well, actually, most of it is supposed to be a lot more fun."
"Really?" Ribbon looked delighted. "Like what?"
"Well, for starters, there's all that stuff you didn't want to do this morning."
"Hot dog! We've gotta do all of that! Let's go!"
"Uh oh. I smell a montage," said Waddle Dee.
-----
For the next few hours Ribbon led the others all around the hotel, desperate to cover every square inch of it. No one had ever seen her self-indulge so much. She did everything from getting a lengthy massage by the pool deck to raiding the ice cream parlor and making a sundae nearly as tall as she was. After visiting the exercise room, the sauna, the restaurant, and the TV room in under ten minutes, everyone else was exhausted, but Ribbon was getting more and more into it.
"What did you do to her?" Celia asked incredulously as she watched Ribbon furiously pounding on the buttons of one of the games in the arcade while downing a cherry soda.
"Well, really it defies explanation," Kirby said. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you.."
"She's on drugs, isn't she."
"No! We wouldn't do that to Ribbon! Besides, Adeleine's the druggie."
"I AM NOT! Stop saying that!"
"Ad, we all know you're lying. I mean, there's nothing else that could make you act as crazy as you do."
"I don't act crazy!"
"Yes you do!"
"That's it! You've insulted my honor! I CHALLENGE YOU TO A DANCE-OFF!" Adeleine screamed, striking the most intimidating flamenco pose she could. Kirby was rather speechless.
"Seriously, though, shouldn't she be on meds or something?" Celia asked Waddle Dee and Dedede, both of whom looked equally stunned.
"I've been asking that since the day I met her," Waddle Dee replied.
-----
That evening, everyone at the hotel was down at the beach on which the hotel was situated. The trees were strung with lights, and there was a live band playing some tunes as everyone in the congregation danced or chatted with each other. Kirby and Ribbon quickly found themselves sitting side by side, gazing out at the sunset over the ocean.
After a while, Ribbon turned to look at her friend. "Do you want to dance, Kirby?" she asked.
"Ugh, I dunno, Ribbon. If we do any more Sweatin' to the Oldies I think I'll throw out my back."
"No, I mean, do you want to dance right here? With me?"
"Oh!" Kirby looked surprised at the request. This was the first time a girl had ever asked him to dance. He wasn't sure how to answer.
"Don't worry about anyone taking embarrassing photos of us," Ribbon reassured him. "I hid Ad's camera."
"Dammit, where's my camera? I think Kirby and Ribbon are about to slow dance!" came a voice from somewhere in the crowd.
Kirby broke out into a smile. "Well, okay, why not?" he agreed. He and Ribbon got to their feet, took each other's hands, and started swaying back and forth to the light jazz music in the background.
"So, Kirby, is this pretty much how life is for you?" Ribbon asked after a moment of silence.
"How d'you mean?"
"You know. You're always so happy and so relaxed. Nothing ever gets to you. This is the first time I've ever felt like this, but is this just how you feel every day? With no worries in the world?"
"Well, yeah, I guess."
Ribbon shook her head in amazement. "Doesn't anything ever worry you? Don't you ever think about what will happen if we can't find all the Crystal Shards, or if the next time we have to fight Dark Matter we won't win?"
"Nope, not really."
"Why not?"
"Because you're here, Ribbon."
Ribbon immediately stopped dancing and dropped her hands. "Are you coming on to me?"
"What? No!"
"Yes you were!" Ribbon shot accusingly at him. "You were totally coming on to me!"
"I was not! Ribbon, I just meant that I think you're a great leader and I don't worry about that stuff because I know you'll be able to get us through anything that comes up."
"Oh. Okay," Ribbon said, apparently satisfied with that explanation.
"I think you're a good friend, too," Kirby felt compelled to add.
"Wow, gee, thanks," Ribbon remarked. For a moment they just stood there, smiling a little awkwardly at each other.
"Seriously, though, you were coming on to me."
"NO I WAS NOT! Geez, Ribbon, you're not even that cute!"
A little ways away, the other three were also hanging out together.
"Boy, this is great, isn't it?" said Adeleine. "I love dances!"
"I know! Jazz is my second favorite music genre!" Waddle Dee agreed as he danced enthusiastically around. "Right under gangsta rap!"
"Yeah, but the cocktails leave something to be desired," said Dedede, holding what looked like a drink.
"Dedede, that's the fingerbowl," said Waddle Dee.
If anyone present had ever wanted to hear Dedede scream like a little girl, they were quickly satisfied.
"I ALREADY HAD FIVE OF THOSE!" he wailed. "SOMEBODY GET A MEDIC! I THINK I'M DYING!"
"How 'bout I punch you in the stomach until you puke it back up?" Adeleine suggested.
"Okay, go for it!"
(This might be a good time to cut back to Kirby and Ribbon.)
"Kirby, I really ought to thank you," said Ribbon. "I'm sorry I was angry today. You guys really did me a favor. This has been one of the best days of my life."
"Hey, no problem," Kirby replied cheerfully, when suddenly he noticed something going on behind Ribbon. "Hey, why is Ad slugging Dedede in the stomach like that? And why does he seem to be telling her to keep doing it?"
"You know what, I don't even care. I'm already relaxed. Let's not ruin it."