Chapter 9: Paradise
A/N: I think I got this chapter out sooner this time...? And it's longer, too. So long that I'm going to have to split it in two. Enjoy.
Wasn't long after that we were walking through the streets of Mafia Town again, looking for two specific friends of ours.
However, we couldn't find them anywhere, so I suggested we head to the mafia headquarters again. The kid agreed, and off we went.
When we made it there and ventured inside, I was very surprised to see Moustache Girl sat down at a table, not making a fuss or anything, even though there were many Mafia Goons around.
I wasn't sure what was more surprising: the Mafia leaving her alone, or her leaving them alone.
I tapped the kid on the shoulder and motioned toward Moustache Girl. She noticed her.
Without a word, we both walked over to her.
"Of all the places I would've expected to see you sitting down peacefully, it was definitely not here," I said.
The red-hooded girl nodded slowly.
"Yeah, it's a surprise to me, too," She grumbled, "CC somehow convinced me that I shouldn't mess with them. Something about 'just trying to live their lives' and that they were 'trying to be better people'. Honestly, if she hadn't taken me in I'd have probably laughed at that."
"So, you've made a truce with them?" The kid asked.
"I guess," Moustache Girl replied, "I'll always hate them. Always! But at this point... I'm tired of trying to play hero. Every time I try to do good, I make things worse. So I just want to live a normal life."
"That's all that can be asked of you anyway," I stated, "Where is Cooking Cat anyway?"
"She's busy talking with the Mafia Boss," She answered, "That's why I'm here in the first place: I'm waiting for her to finish so we can go home."
A smile crept onto her face.
"Never thought I'd ever be saying that again," She said sheepishly.
She then cleared her throat.
"So! Why are you two here anyway?" She asked.
"It's the kid's birthday and she wanted to come here," I explained.
Her smile disappeared.
"Oh," She said blankly, then shook her head. "I guess that makes sense."
It seemed fair to assume that I'd stirred up painful memories...
We sat in uncomfortable silence, and I waited for Cooking Cat to appear.
It felt like forever before she finally did, and she saw us and immediately walked over.
She seemed to be in a sour mood... something uncommon for her.
"Hello, dears," She said, "Good to see you again."
"Is something wrong?" I asked.
She shook her head.
"Oh, it's nothing important," She replied, "Come, let us have you two at our home as guests for dinner."
Guests?
I looked at the kid, who smirked and shrugged.
...Sure, why not?
So, the four of us got up and left. The two showed us how to get down the 'normal' way, (somehow they were able to float down to the ground like us... did everyone have a Hover Badge like mine?!) and Cooking Cat led us through the town to one of the humble, small houses that you could find all over the town.
She led us inside, and it was just as humble on the inside as on the outside. A living room with a couch, some chairs, etc.; a hallway leading to a few rooms, and just generally what you'd expect in a humble little abode as such.
She told us to make ourselves at home before running off into the kitchen, so we sat down on the couch. Moustache Girl remained standing.
"What's it been like living here?" I asked her.
She shrugged.
"Definitely beats what I had before," She said, "I feel like I actually have a home again."
"Well that's great to hear," I replied, "How's she been treating you?"
She chuckled, then scratched her head uncomfortably.
"Oh, she's great," She said, "She almost acts a bit... motherly, I guess? It's weird, and I can't go have my fun anymore because she won't allow it... but I kinda missed it being that way."
I nodded.
"...I still wish I still had my parents... but this is the best I'll ever get."
... Yeah... that made sense, for how long she must've been alone... yeah, having someone to take care of her again must've been a dream come true, even if it isn't her own parents.
She then cleared her throat uncomfortably.
"...Well, anyway, wanna hear some funny stories I have about messing with the Mafia?" She asked.
"Do they involve murder and bodily horror?" The kid asked bleakly.
"Uh, no," Moustache Girl replied, "I wanted to do that, but I never got the chance to. Probably for the better, am I right?"
"Yeah, definitely," I grumbled, "Sheesh."
"So, wanna hear em?" She asked.
I looked at the kid, who nodded.
"Sure," I said.
So, for the next while, Moustache Girl narrated her various attacks on the Mafia and wacky plans and what have you.
Like, one time, she tried to disrupt one of the Mafia Boss' meetings via dropping a huge fish onto his head. According to her, it failed because the stench from the fish was bad enough that it led some goons right to her.
Or another time where she tried hijacking one of the giant meatbone things the Mafia had to attempt to roll them over with it, only to end up careening out of control and tumbling down into the ocean.
She was pretty good at telling her stories, what with her personality and all. She seemed to enjoy it, too. I thought that she should do it more often.
"Gotta admit," She said after she was done storytelling, "The Mafia took everything away from me, but at the very least they gave me some good stories to tell."
I chuckled, but I found what she said interesting.
Perhaps she really was healing, finally.
Not much long after, we heard a shout from elsewhere in the house that dinner was ready.
So, the three of us got up.
Moustache Girl grinned.
"You two are about to see the best part about living here!" She beamed before running down the hallway into a room.
We followed her... at a more relaxed rate, entering into the kitchen, which also served as a dining room.
"I wanted to treat y'all to something fancy tonight, so I made lobster," She explained, "It's much cheaper here in Mafia Town than anywhere else on the planet, I'll tell you that much."
"With all the fishing and whatever," Moustache Girl added.
I nodded. Sounded about right, supply and demand.
We sat down, and she handed us our plates before sitting down as well.
"Dig in!" She invited.
Some time later, we were all finished.
I'd never been a huge fan of lobster, myself. Sure, it was alright, but for how expensive it was? Pfft, yeah, sure.
But, unsurprisingly, Cooking Cat had managed to take something I found as 'meh' and turned it into something great. I told her as such, to which she merely chuckled and shrugged.
"With how often I've had to prepare it, I guess it's fair to say I'm pretty good at it by now," She said.
"I'd be surprised to see a dish you can't cook," I said with a smirk, and everyone chuckled.
"You'd be surprised," She replied.
We stayed and chatted for awhile afterward, about the town, how things have been going recently... y'know, simple smalltalk.
However, I found myself looking out the window and saw that the sun was setting.
And a thought hit me: didn't Zena say there was a festival happening tonight?
I whispered this to the kid, who gasped.
"What are you two talking about over there?" Moustache Girl asked.
"I, uh... just remembered that we have to be somewhere soon," I explained sheepishly, "There's a festival happening tonight elsewhere on the planet that I promised the kid I'd take her to."
"Oooh!" Moustache Girl shouted, "Can I come, too?"
Cooking Cat cleared her throat.
"I'm not letting you go halfway across the planet to a place I don't even know, let alone so late at night," She said, "I don't need you getting yourself into trouble, young lady. And you need your sleep."
"But I'll be with them!" She pouted.
"You still need a good night's rest, dear," She explained, "If it were earlier in the day, I'd allow it."
Wow... Moustache Girl wasn't kidding when she said she was acting motherly.
I felt bad that she couldn't come.
Moustache Girl said nothing.
"So you'll let me go next time if it's daytime?" She asked.
"Absolutely," Cooking Cat replied, "... Although I'll want to come, too!"
We all laughed.
"We'll be happy to take you both when that happens," I said.
We wished the two a good night and left, then returned to the ship.
... Not even two seconds after returning was the kid grabbing my hand and pulling me toward who-knows-where, leaving me confused, and disoriented, and... tripping, falling, faceplant. Ouch.
"Oops," The kid said, "Maybe I was a bit too fast."
"You think?" I replied.
"Sorry..." She said sheepishly.
I chuckled as I got up.
"It's your birthday, kid. It's alright to be excited," I said.
She smiled and lead me through to the engine room, this time at a more relaxed rate, and we went down to Alpine Skyline.
I noticed the changes immediately.
Special lanterns lit up with flower petals were adorned everywhere, hanging from ropes, houses, bits of the cliff... basically anywhere there could be a lantern hanging, there was a lantern hanging.
"There you are!"
We turned to see Zena walking toward us. She was wearing a different robe now, this one was white and ocean-blue. She was also wearing a flower bracelet.
"I was wondering when you two were going to arrive," She said, then threw her arms up and spun around. "Welcome to the Festival of Light!"
Wow.
"Sounds awesome," I said.
She chuckled.
"It is. It's also my favourite," She said, a huge smile on her face, "I also have a gift for the little one, seeing as it's her special day as well."
She knelt down in front of the kid, then proceeded to take off her hat and put a flower crown on her head.
"Do you like it?" She asked.
The kid was in awe, and was stroking the flower petals.
"I love it!" She shouted, then hugged her. "Thank you so much!"
Zena just laughed and put her hand on her shoulder.
I watched this scene with a smile on my face. Such little notice... and she must've been so busy... yet she took the time to make something so delicate and beautiful for her anyway.
Wow.
... Then I realized something...
She was doing more for the kid's birthday than I was!
I shook my head. Well, what do you do?
The kid was now looking around, admiring the lanterns.
"So, what's this festival about, exactly?" I asked.
"Well, I'm sure this will come as quite the surprise, but... it's about light!" Zena joked.
"Wow, thank you so much, I had absolutely no idea!" I joked back. She laughed, then cleared her throat.
"Jokes aside, this festival is less about the worship of light and more about worship of the sacred flowers that grow here," She explained, "The flowers are useful for just about anything you can think of, so it's only fair we give them a day of appreciation."
I nodded.
"Interesting," I said, "What kind of festivities are involved?"
"Well, to start, there's the lanterns that I'm sure you've already noticed," She explained, "But there's also games, sewing and quilting, creation of various forms of art, food, music, and my favourite part: a dance at the end."
None of that particularily interested me, but it wasn't about me, now was it?
"I'm sure the kid will love the games," I guessed, then looked at the kid, who grinned and nodded.
"Have you two ever been in a dance before?" Zena asked.
I shook my head as fast as I physically could. I knew what she was really asking, and there was no way in hell that I would be dancing.
Not today, not ANY day.
I looked at the kid, who was shaking her head as well.
"Oh. Well, that's a shame," Zena said, "Let me know if you decide to give it a try."
I nodded slowly. That wasn't going to happen.
She then smiled.
"Well, feel free to go explore," She said, "It would be a shame to miss the festival just by talking through all of it, wouldn't it?"
The kid looked up at me with bright eyes.
She seemed to be asking: "Can I?"
"Go nuts, kid," I said with a smirk.
Wasn't much longer before she was far away, much to the amusal of our new friend.
"She really is just full of energy, isn't she?" Zena said.
I nodded.
"Never a boring day with her, I'll say that much," I chuckled.
She laughed.
"Well, aren't you going to join her?" She asked.
I shook my head.
"I'm content just seeing her have fun," I stated.
She smiled.
"You really must care deeply about her," She said.
I smiled.
"That's an understatement. She means everything to me," I replied.
She seemed to adopt a thoughtful look, then looked away at the kid doing who-knows-what, then back at me.
She then smiled again.
"I see," She said.
Something about the look in her eyes told me she had something on her mind that she wasn't telling me.
"What?" I asked.
"Oh, nothing," She denied, "Well, if you aren't planning to partake in any of the festivities yourself, I'll keep you company."
"You don't have to do that," I responded, shaking my head, "Don't let me, the most boring person in this entire universe, take away from your time at your favourite day of the year. I'd hate to see that. And I'm fine with being alone anyway."
She chuckled.
"Oh, my dear, you're not boring. Quite the opposite, in fact!" She beamed, "I'll gladly accompany you for the festival. Unless you don't want me to..."
I shook my head instantly.
"No, no," I said, "If you insist, it'd be lovely to have someone to talk to."
"Then it's settled," She proclaimed.
I smirked.
I had a feeling we'd be good friends.
"If I may ask..." She said, "You said you came from a different universe, right? That The Traveller brought you here?"
I nodded.
"In that case, what was your home universe like? Was it like this one?" She asked.
I nodded again.
"The similarities between this universe and the one I come from are uncanny. Even this planet isn't too far off from my home planet," I said, "... Except the fact that architects on this planet seem to have a habit of making navigating their creations dangerous and deadly."
She laughed.
"Sometimes, you don't have a choice," She replied, "Take the Old Windmill for example. We wanted to install stairs to the top, but while testing, they kept breaking and falling. So instead, we designed the windmill so that you could climb to the top just by climbing parts of the windmill itself."
"Oh," I said, "Well... I guess that makes some sense... but there's places where the danger seems completely unnecessary. Do you know Dead Bird Studio, for example? Or Nyakuza Metro?"
She shook her head.
"I don't even know what a studio or a metro is!" She said, chuckling.
I chuckled as well.
She took a step forward.
"We should probably find Hat Girl," She said, "You said you wanted to watch her have fun, didn't you?"
"I guess I did," I muttered, "Alright. Let's go find her."
Off we went, walking around the Goat Village. There were a lot more nomads and goats here than usual, I supposed that everyone had gathered here for the festival. But unsurprisingly, the goats merely watched the festivities from afar, trying to stay out of everyone's way.
We found the kid in the center of a group of nomads. She was holding a wooden pole and was repeatedly hitting a glowing white ball into the air as the nomads watched in awe.
Eventually, she missed, and the ball hit the ground. The nomads then started clapping.
"What's that all about?" I asked.
"Oh, that's one of the games," Zena explained, "You take that ball and see how many times you can bounce it into the air without letting it fall. Simple, yet fun."
"With how everyone was acting, I'm guessing she did quite well," I guessed, "Can't say I'm surprised."
"Neither can I," She agreed, "She really is quite something."
I smiled.
"Yes... yes she is."
The rest of the festival was spent chatting with Zena and watching the kid go around and partake in the festivities.
She even made a painting of a flower!
It was the most I'd seen her enjoy herself in awhile.
Well, I'm sure she had a blast on the cruise as well, but right now she seemed like she was in paradise.
After what must've been a few hours, a horn boomed through the village.
Confused, I turned to Zena, whose face lit up.
"Oh, it's time for the dance!" She shouted, "You don't have to join if you don't want to, but I at least want you both there."
"Of course we'll watch," I said, "Why wouldn't we?"
We quickly got the kid and then returned to the part of the village where we usually landed at, where a bunch of nomads had gathered. The goats had gathered too, but again, they watched from a distance. Couldn't say I blamed 'em.
Me and the kid walked out of the way, and Zena walked into the center of the group. I'd also noticed that there seemed to be a nomad band of sorts on the opposite side of the platform of us.
"We've all gathered here today for the Festival of Light," Zena began, "Now, I'm sure you all know already what it's about, so I won't bore you with a long lecture. Have you all been enjoying the festival?"
The nomads gave a loud, resounding 'yes'.
She smiled.
"I'm glad to hear that!" She beamed, "Now, it is getting late, and the festival is drawing near its end for another year. And to see it off, as always, we have our traditional dance."
They all nodded.
"So... are you all ready?" She asked.
They all whooped and cheered.
She grinned from ear to ear.
"Then let's not keep this waiting any longer," She stated.
Music began to play, and the group spread out and began to dance to the beat.
I watched, intrigued by the dancing.
It was unlike anything I'd ever witnessed. The actions, the movements, the gestures... whatever it is, I dunno dancing lingo... it was actually quite fascinating.
And the music wasn't half-bad either. It was mystical and mysterious, yet upbeat and energetic.
I then focused on Zena. She really stood out from the crowd, not only because of the height difference and because of how different she looked.
Saying she was graceful would be an understatement... it was like she'd trained all her life for this dance.
Considering how her eyes lit up when the horn blew... something told me that it might've been her favourite thing to do.
I smirked. She was like a royal opposite of me. Warm, caring, kind, the kind of person who never meets a stranger.
Whereas I was an antisocial buffoon who usually only acted 'nice' for the sake of formality.
I chuckled.
And the kid absolutely loved her, too. I had a feeling that she'd be constantly pestering me to go visit her.
...Not that I was complaining. Zena was a nice woman, it'd give us a reason to actually come back here, and it'd make the kid happy... or happier.
I was still curious about her origins, what with what Snatcher said, but it didn't really matter.
Past was the past. All that mattered was the present.
... And in the present, I'd noticed Zena walking toward me with a huge grin on her face.
Realization hit.
OH NO!
A/N: Bahahahaha! What an ending! Looks like our main man is going to be pushed outside his comfort zone... or will he refuse and possibly risk hurting their new friend?
Looks like you're gonna have to find out next chapter.
Review time.
Phantaum: You mean the old Queen, Vanessa's mother? Cause that's not a bad theory.
(And I'm totally cool with it if you want to ship Markus and Zena, I'm guilty of shipping characters too, lol)
Xenuro: There's always someone to pick out the memes I put in my story. Looks like you're the lucky winner this time. And don't worry, there's all the time in the world for when you aren't busy to read.
And to answer your question: "Well no, but actually yes." Terraria was where I first saw the word, and I thought it sounded cool so I searched up the definition of it on Google. And then later on, I thought it'd be cool to make an Alpine Skyline character with the name based around that word.
But you did remind me of the word's existence.
Thank you both for the reviews.
Next chapter: 'Fun' times and fluff. Look forward to it.
