Hey, it's been a while.

There are still several things I'm not confident in.

Samus couldn't believe what she was doing.

The dumb dragon couldn't care less about his appearance. He clearly wasn't fond of his current appearance, but being covered in dirt, oil, blood and ash wasn't something that really bothered him. But now, most of that stuck to his clothes rather than his skin and, much to her annoyance, most of the clothes he's been wearing the whole time weren't in the best state when she found them discarded in his workshop. Having him walk around in something that smells so nasty didn't sound appealing to her, but he also didn't really have anything else to wear until the washing machine was done with his dress.

To avoid running into this problem in the future, he needed more clothes. The idea of lending her own clothes to Ridley was less than acceptable even without taking into account the size difference. Ridley himself was less than enthusiastic about expanding his wardrobe too as he had already made it clear he would rather run around naked. Fortunately, she did manage to convince that idiot to do something about this problem...not without another fight breaking out, but that was to be expected and getting to punch him in the face again was a nice bonus.

In addition to troubling her, wearing so little didn't sit well with the Master. Well, the Master itself apparently was fine with that, but according to it, there was a whole group of entities that did not approve of that. The explanation she heard was confusing and she had no idea what "good boys and girls" was supposed to mean. It made even less sense when Shulk was allowed to fight wearing only boxers, but if it was a rule enforced by the Master, then it would be a terrible idea to break it. Who knew what he would do in response to such violation.

The number of people who could help her with expanding a wardrobe wasn't particularly high to begin with and that number further decreased when everyone's opinion of Ridley came into play. Really, if he weren't such as asshole, everything would have gone much smoother and that wasn't limited to this occasion. At least there was one person who could put up with his attitude. This would be Samus' second visit to her.

Of course, before they could make their way towards her room, they had to do something about his state of undress. Sure, he wasn't completely naked as his underwear was in an acceptable condition, but that probably wasn't enough not to worry about the Master. The only real option was wrapping him up in her blanket, something she was reluctant to do, but at the very least he couldn't anyhow damage it and his smell wouldn't stick to it even if it actually was there.

"I swear if this bitch gets on my nerves again, I'm stabbing her right here and there..."

"Yeah, sure, short stuff. This is totally how you make people lend you a hand."

"Shut it!"

"Sorry, what was that? I can't hear you from over here. Maybe a ladder will help y-"

Of course, having rather short fuse, Ridley lunged at the taller woman. The latter, fully expecting him to attack, dropped onto her back to dodge the attack and kicked him in the stomach as he passed above her, launching him into a door...which just happened to lead into Peach's room. The sound of a high-pitched yelp and the following crash drew the princess' attention and in a few seconds, she opened the door and was met with the sight of an unfamiliar girl lying right at her feet before she noticed Samus' presence. With the smaller girl wearing nothing but undergarments, she chose to focus on her friend.

"Are you alright? Samus, what happened?"

"Miserable wretch...Hey, you, I need your shit. Get back inside."

"Sorry about that, but you really shouldn't worry about him. We're both here for a little favour. Could you put up with this asshole for a bit? It's really important."

"Him? What ar- oh, is that...?"

"It's me, alright. Now shut up and fetch me something so that I can get that pompous bastard off my ass!"

"I swear if you don't stop talking yourself, I'm shoving my foot up up your...Let's just...Let's just go inside and sort this out properly."

With Peach holding the door open, the two space-travelling guests walked inside though the smaller of the two couldn't help pushing the princess as he walked past her. While she didn't say anything, Samus still jammed her elbow into Ridley's side.

"Please, take a seat."

The princess had tea ready for her guests as she usually did. Remembering the last time Ridley was offered some, Samus was prepared to intercept the thrown cup and smash his face into the table and she was confident in her ability to do so thanks to her superhuman reflexes, but there was no need for it. He simply took a sip, frowned, then shoved way too much sugar into his cup and drank the rest without much fuss. He didn't thank the hostess for it, but this was better than nothing. Still, she had to stay on guard in case he tried to pull something.

To Ridley, it was a novel experience just like the parfait. The idea of adding plants to water felt pointless to him before when it did nothing to purify it or change its consistency, but now that he could actually taste it, he saw the appeal in it. Well, he did need to drown that bitterness in sugar, but that wasn't much of an issue. Perhaps it wouldn't hurt to try out whatever food and drinks he can get his hands on while he still had proper sense of taste. Then again, he would miss having it once everything was back to normal and he would be unable to restore it here. That sweetness would haunt him for a very long time.

"So, how can I help you, Samus? And why is he..."

"That's actually exactly why I'm here. He's too much of a pig to stay clean, but all he has to wear was one dress, so, until I'm done washing that, he's got nothing to wear and...you know how things work around here."

"I still don't get what's wrong with that. It's not like there's a disgusting tumor leaking pus on me."

"Sorry, don't care, never cared, now shut up...Please, lend me your hand. I don't want to get in trouble because of...him."

"You know I would never say no to you, not even now. I'm not sure if there's anything that would fit, but we'll never know until we try."

"Just get to work, you...What's that smell?"

This smell was familiar to Samus as she knew Peach for a very long time and she said earlier that she would bake a cake, but Ridley, in spite of catching this smell numerous time, didn't know where it came from or what it really was until now.

And that's when an idea was born in the bounty hunter's head.

"Oh, it's just a sweet, sweet cake."

"A strawberry cake! It's almost done baking too."

"And you can have a slice if you behave."

"I'm not a damn pet."

"Of course you're not, you're just a disgusting animal that should have been put down years ago, but you can still have some if you just close your mouth and don't make this any more difficult than it needs to be. Cake or no cake, you decide."

It was obvious to Samus that he was considering this proposal even as he tried to bare his teeth and give her the most scalding glare he could muster with a face this cute. Having such an expressive face combined with his impulsiveness made it much easier to tell what was on his mind and at the moment, it was the promise of a cake. That, and lunging at his enemy right there and then, but the former was more prominent.

"...Fine. But if you lied, I'll tear this place down."

"Good girl."

Even as Samus pinched his cheek, Ridley merely growled and said nothing, crossing his arms while his tail kept tapping the floor out of frustration. Maybe it wasn't a good idea to do that, but he didn't bite her hand and so she was sure that he would be a bit less of a pain in the ass for now. His soft cheeks were very pinchable too, making it a bit difficult to let go and not pinch them again...No, it would be a terrible idea to tempt fate.

"Let's get started!"

The process of picking clothes ended up being a little difficult. Peach was shorter than Samus, but Ridley was even shorter and so most clothes were several sizes too big. In addition to that, his current anatomy greatly limited their choice. He couldn't properly put on most pants with his tail in the way, mostly limiting him to skirts and dresses. His wings, in turn, were quite big and while they could be shoved underneath a shirt, their outline was clearly visible and they still poked out of the collar and from below as well. Fortunately, as sharp as they were, his toenails couldn't actually tear through any fabric and they weren't long enough to prevent him from putting on shoes.

After a while, Samus decided to let her friend handle everything. Now, she wasn't exactly ignorant in these matters. She never tried to show off, but she still had sense of style that drew many eyes. She simply didn't care about what they were putting on Ridley beyond covering him up, but Peach insisted on doing it right. Samus was better off looking after the cake in the oven though she was ready to interfere if he tried anything funny. So far, in spite of his visible annoyance, he held himself back really well. She never thought he would develop a sweet tooth the day before the incident, but here he was, doing as they said just for a slice of cake like a child.

Watching the cake was not the most exciting of activities and she was a little curious about what the other two were doing at the moment. They had a lot to go through. After all, both Samus and Peach have been there for a very long time and found many different clothes. Not all fit them in either size or style, but there was plenty to choose from anyway. Even though she often worse a dress, the princess had many other things to wear and she certainly knew what she was doing.

A few minutes later, a little "ding" informed Samus that the cake was done. It was pretty big as usual as there were many people to share it with...and now they had to give Ridley a slice too. He really didn't need one and he didn't deserve anything good in general, but Peach would object to that. They did give him a promise and he was guaranteed to lash out. Even if he couldn't break anything, he'll still make a mess and try to hurt Peach in the process. Samus knew that she wasn't exactly helpless since she saw her in action countless times, but it would be better to avoid such escalation if they could help it.

When she came back, she saw the fruits of their labor. It wasn't anything particularly flashy, but the combination worked quite well for his body. Black tights, fur-trimmed ankle boots, short dark blue pleated skirt and a slightly oversized black turtleneck sweater with puffy sleeves and apparently no back as his wings were clearly visible.

"Oh, you're back! What do you think?" Peach asked, grabbing Ridley by his shoulders and turning him to face Samus.

It was difficult for her to say anything. Even the scowl on his face didn't detract from this sight. Yet again she cursed that weakness of hers. Really, the only reason she couldn't express her feelings there was that it was still the same bastard who made her life hell and it felt wrong to call him cute, especially in front of others and Ridley himself.

"I...I-It's alright."

"So you're done? Where's my cake?"

"It's not yours, dumbass! You're only getting a slice."

"Leave that for later, you two!"

They still couldn't help glaring at each other, but they sat down without flinging more insults at each other. Samus wasn't really interested in continuing that conversation and Ridley cared more about the promised slice at that moment. When the princess came back with two slices of cake for them, he took his without bothering to thank the hostess, but it didn't matter as long as he was pacified.

"Can't say I expected anything else. Whatever. I can't thank you enough for helping me out and putting up with this shithead. I mean it."

"As I said, I'm always happy to help you. It was fun too! I'll pack everything up for you, but you can come back if you need more."

"I'll keep that in mind...I've gotta ask: how can you stay calm and not whack him in the face as soon as he opens his mouth?"

"Oh, trust me, I'm upset, but I can't let that get in the way when I have a friend in need. Besides, I've ruled my kingdom for years and endured countless attempts to take it or kidnap me from Bowser alone. One more awful, no-good brute is nothing new."