Chapter 7 Conflicting Emotions
"So there are five of them now?" Bowser asked.
"That is correct," Iggy said. The whole family was sitting at the majestic ebony table that stretched across the length of the dining hall. Seeing how Chattiness, Laziness, Depression, and the Ethical Center were with them, the table was almost full. Junior made a face at Laziness, who was snoozing like a dog in the seat next to him.
"Yeesh," he said as he noticed the drool sliding down onto the table. "Isn't one of him enough?"
Iggy was about to respond when Chattiness initiated a conversation over on his end of the table.
"Hey, has anyone watched the latest episode of 'Rainbow Mare?'"
Silence. The other Koopalings exchanged looks with one another. Then Larry broke the silence with a snicker.
"Well, that was random," he said.
"What in the world is Rainbow Mare?" asked Wendy in confusion.
"Only the greatest show ever!" Chattiness shouted. He had a smile on his face that was bigger and brighter than the sun. Nevertheless, The Ethical Center looked worried.
"Chattiness," he said. "Please don't talk about Rainbow Mare. I am pretty sure that our siblings don't want to hear about it."
"Says who?" said Lemmy. "I want to hear about it."
"Me too," said Ludwig from his spot next to Lemmy. Chattiness and the Ethical Center stared at them in surprise, there expressions perfectly identical.
"You do? Really?" they asked in perfect unison.
"Sure," said Ludwig. "I think it could be cool."
Lemmy beamed brightly.
"What was the latest episode about?" he asked cheerfully.
Chattiness looked a little stunned. Then a smile spread across his face when he realized that his siblings were earnestly asking about the show he cared about so much. Relief was also spreading like a flood across the face of the Ethical Center. Chattiness looked at the Ethical Center briefly before he launched like a rocket into his spiel.
"Well, Rainbow Mare is a pegasus who fights this group called the Doom Harbingers. In this episode, the leader of the Harbingers, Minimus, cast a spell on a suit of armor, turning it into Dark Armor!"
"Dark Armor?" asked Roy, leaning forward in interest.
"Yeah!" Chattiness said. The excitement he had seemed to increase a hundred fold. "The Dark Armor has the ability to bend darkness to its will! Not only that, but it draws its energy from the darkest fears of our heroes, including Rainbow Mare! It can also whisper your worst insecurities and your friends' darkest secrets into your ear!"
Chattiness continued to delve deeper into the facts pertaining to Rainbow Mare. As he spoke, Iggy listened with keen interest. Why hadn't Morton spoken about Rainbow Mare before? It sounded like a great show! Sure, the fact that the main protagonist was a rainbow maned pegasus sounded stereotypically feminine. However, the quality of writing that Morton's chattiness was describing sounded superb! Iggy cast a glance at Morton's Depression, wondering if that factor was a tively involved in Morton's silence.
Chattiness talked for about ten minutes, going into detail of not just the episode but other aspects of the show. One would think that he got annoying after a while, but that wasn't the case at all. He was very articulate, using his words as the palette to paint glorious pictures, the thread to weave intricate webs of design. The way he described the animation of the show was enough to make the others desperately want to see it. Chattiness had just about come to the end of his story when Love for Food entered the room. He was accompanied by the koopa troopa servants, each carrying a plate.
"I've finished cooking!" Love for Food called out happily.
Iggy looked at the plate that was set before him. The meal placed before him was the meal that Love for Food had described earlier: tortellini with pesto. There was mozzarella expertly shredded resting on top of the colorful noodles, and there were cherry tomatoes as well. The tomatoes were sliced in half along the mid section, and they were cooked just enough to give them a crisp color.
"Wow Morton, this looks delicious!" Bowser said heartily.
"Thanks!" Love for Food said. "I added the cherry tomatoes for a little bit of a kick. I hope it tastes as good as it looks."
When Iggy took a bite, he was awestruck. It didn't taste as good as it looked; it tasted ten times better! Not one flavor was out of place! Each ingredient on the plate blended together perfectly! Iggy had never enjoyed a meal this much. It was so good that he felt his own mood lighten substantially.
"Wow!" Roy gushed with a mouth stuffed with pasta. "This is…
"Incredible!" Larry exclaimed. Love for Food gave a smile.
"Thank you," he said. He sounded both proud and humble at the same time. He took a seat, making the table officially full.
"Morton, you should cook more often!" Lemmy said.
"You...you like my food that much?" Love for Food asked in surprised. He did it in unison with the Ethical Center and Depression, which Iggy found intriguing.
"Of course!" Lemmy continued. "You're so talented! Why didn't you cook for us before!"
Love for Food hesitated as he snuck a glance at the Ethical Center.
"I guess...I'm not sure."
Iggy noticed Depression get up and sneak away from the table. Curious, Iggy followed him quietly.