C/N: First thing's first, I'm sorry about taking so long with this new chapter. It started off with simple writer's block, followed by procrastination, a lost will to write just about anything, then, finally, some personal conflict I've had to deal with for a quite some time. It took me about a month to write the first quarter of this story, but, thankfully, I got the writing spirit back and wrote the rest in about two days. It felt good to get back to it after so much time. I just hope that it's worth all the wait. And I'll try my hardest not to wait so long to make another chapter.
Chapter 18: "The First Date"
Was she doing the right thing...?
Well, of course she was. It wouldn't be fair to Luigi at all if she didn't go... And besides, she wanted this. She wanted to be with him that night.
But...was it really the smartest move to follow her heart instead of her head?
Her father had power. A lot of power. And he could very easily do as he wished without having to worry about any repercussions. He was in such a position to use force if she pushed him to do so. And how fair would it be to Luigi if the king of Sarasaland stole his girlfriend away from him?
Was there any right way to approach the situation? She had no idea how she might be able to convince her father; the man was as stubborn and ignorant as they came. But she just couldn't imagine herself settling for Peasley...
"Any thoughts on this Aunt Julie?" Daisy asked with a sigh as she dropped backwards onto her bed. She and Julie were residing in Daisy's room for a while, Julie having originally offered to help with some makeup (which Daisy briefly decided she wouldn't be wearing that night) and eventually deciding to stay in order to allow her niece to get some things off her chest. In the back of her mind, she always knew that this day would come, from the very first time that Daisy stepped foot into that house to live with her and Jeff.
Jeff and Julie knew that Sarasa set up a planned marriage for Daisy all along, and they simply decided to keep it a secret (to preserve her feelings more than anything). Thankfully, the way things were going for quite a while, it looked like Daisy just might not ever be interested in boys at all. The moment they met Luigi though...well, it was foreseeable that a situation like the one currently taking place would pop up eventually.
"Well Daisy, I can't really say that there's a completely right choice, one way or another," Julie responded honestly, speaking with a light tone in hopes of maintaining a positive mood. "It really all depends on what you think would be best." She allowed a brief pause to prevail as she looked down at the exasperated teenager who was pouting up at the ceiling. Julie promptly moved her way over to the bed and took a seat next to her niece. "But it looks like you've put a lot of thought into this and still haven't found your answer."
"It's just..." Daisy began as she forced herself up into a sitting position, only to stare at the floor, "There's so many pros and cons, no matter what I decide to do... I mean, not that it matters anyway; I already agreed to go out with him... But Luigi's such a sweetheart, and if he ends up getting hurt, it'll be all my fault. But I don't want to just let my Dad have his way... I can't spend the rest of my life with Peasley."
With a groan, Daisy fell on her back once again, dramatically resting the back of her hand over her closed eyes. "Aunt Julie," she spoke up with a whiny voice, "You're an adult... You're smart and ever so wise... Please tell me what to do..."
What could Julie say? Go with Luigi, be happy, and possibly be denied passage to the throne? Listen to your father, be the future leader of Sarasaland, and be trapped in a relationship you don't want? There was no way to approach the situation without first choosing sides...
Well, maybe it was time that she did just that.
Now, she loved her brother-in-law, she really did, but she couldn't deny the fact that the man was very often brash and stubborn about his traditional ways. Despite that though, he did have a strong sense of leadership and he knew everything there was to know about management. And Daisy could truly learn a lot from listening to him. But she also loved her niece, probably even more so than she loved Sarasa, thanks to her light-hearted, fun nature (though she oftentimes carried the same negative traits her father did, just to a lesser extent). And, even though Daisy never spent much time learning back at the castle, she was a very bright, compassionate young woman that could bring something to the table that Sarasa severely lacked: heart. Her leadership skills would probably never be quite as sharp as her father's, but the simple facts that she was so willing to break the mold by going to a public school, receive a different form of education, and give someone who was literally nobody in the eyes of the elites a chance to be a part of her life showed that she would very likely be capable of leading her people in an innovative, perhaps more personal way. And Sarasaland could very well benefit from having a queen with such values as that.
The chances of Daisy succeeding in breaking tradition were very slim though...
But, knowing her...well, she just may have been able to find a way. And that was a chance that Julie was willing to take.
"You know what Daisy," Julie began with a warm smile as her niece moved her hand ever so slightly to peer over at her, "I want you to go out with Luigi tonight and have the time of your life, alright? Don't think about your father for a single moment; your uncle and I will try our best to reason with him."
With a smile stretching across her face as well, Daisy slowly sat back up and looked at her aunt with a loving gaze. Was she really about to do that for her? Was she willing to go against the odds and actually back up Daisy in her endeavor?
Daisy herself had a feeling in the pit of her stomach that she would never be able to change her father's mind; that she would never live the life she truly wanted once she was grown and ready to take on her granted responsibilities. But knowing that she had at least one person on her side, one person willing to fight for her sake, it felt like that impossible goal was suddenly much more realistic.
Just because Sarasa was the king, that didn't mean he had complete power over everything.
"Thank you Aunt Julie," Daisy said quietly, soon wrapping her guardian in a warm embrace, prompting Julie to chuckle as she returned the hug lovingly. It was true that there was nothing she could say or suggest to guarantee that everything was going to work out for the best, but making that promise helped to at least heighten her niece's spirits.
Now she just had to convince her husband that a trip to Sarasaland would be worth the time.
–
"Have fun boys! Call us when you're ready for us to come pick you up!" Mario's and Luigi's mother called over to her waving boys, gushing brightly at the both of them. It was truly a joy to see her young men going out on a date, especially Luigi considering it was his first. She couldn't help but spill over with pride as her husband pulled the family car away from the curb in front of the restaurant, leaving the two boys behind to look after the car for a while and allow their waving hands to drop.
The boys were dressed in complete opposition to each other. Whereas Mario decided to dress down for the situation, sporting a simple pair of blue jeans, a short sleeved red shirt, and his pair of white tennis shoes, Luigi decided to dress up, wearing a belted pair of beige slacks, a dark green, tucked-in button down dress shirt, and a pair of highly polished jet black dress shoes. He also went the extra mile and chose to tame his hair a far bit, cutting it down in some places and brushing it into submission in others. He even went so far as to shave his nearly nonexistent mustache and his "jawline shadow". He really did obsess over looking perfect for his date with Daisy that night, but, as he looked up at the large sign that brightly displayed "Goombee's" over the front entrance of the restaurant, he quickly gained a pair of cold feet.
"I don't think I can do this bro," Luigi muttered with a worried voice, walking his brother to a bench that rested to the side of the entrance in order to allow visiting guests entry. "My heart feels like it's about to pound right out of my chest..." he admitted as the two sat down, his eyes growing unconsciously wider as he placed a hand over his chest. He looked as if he were about to throw up on the spot and Mario quickly attempted to calm his little brother down.
"Come on bro, just chill out. Take a deep breath," Mario instructed as he paused and took in a breath along with his brother, "And relax," he finished as the both of them let the breath out at once. "Daisy already likes you. Just keep on being yourself and don't think about things too much. And besides, you've got me here. I've got your back."
That was true. Having Mario at his side would make that date a lot easier for Luigi to get through. Still though, he couldn't help but feel like something just had to go wrong. Like a fire would start in the kitchen and the entire building would have to be evacuated, or their would be a sudden power outage, leaving all of its patrons confused in the dark. Things like that always happened to Luigi during occasions that were important to him, and a date with the girl of his dreams was definitely such an occasion.
"Well, look at you."
Luigi immediately froze stiff, his heart giving a severe jolt in response to the familiar voice. His brother spotted the new arrival before he could, but Luigi immediately stood up and turned in one fluid, incredibly nervous gesture to face the young woman who would be his date for that night.
"Hey there Handsome," Daisy greeted with a brilliant smile that served to elate Luigi immediately. It was as if any and all previous doubts about going through with that date washed away from his mind as Daisy pulled him into possibly the warmest embrace he'd ever received in his life, and, just as he could feel his heart melt at her touch, he could swear he felt Daisy melt in his arms, pulling herself closer to him as she let out a faint, satisfied sigh.
Like Mario, Daisy decided to dress casually for that night, sporting a dark yellow T-shirt, tight blue jeans, and a pair of simple white tennis shoes. She did touch herself up though, to Luigi's pleasant surprise; she wore a pair of light blue, daisy-shaped earrings, carried a new orange purse under her arm, and even had on some perfume that made her smell like flowers. Those subtle changes seemed like a completely different side to the normally tomboyish girl that Luigi had come to know, and, though it felt somewhat alien to him to see her like that, he couldn't deny that he loved every little change she made for that night. And it was made obvious that she appreciated Luigi's efforts to appear his best for the date that night as well.
"You smell really nice Luigi," Daisy muttered into his ear softly, causing the young man to blush immediately, more in response to the fact that Daisy whispered in his ear than anything. Her sweet, softened voice that brushed so closely to his ear held some amazing power that caused his heart to race once again after finally calming down in her embrace. However, that occurrence didn't bring a feeling of anxiety to him, but instead only made him feel that much more excited that he was able to finally be with her.
"Thanks. You do too," Luigi commented in return with a more confident voice than he expected from himself as the two finally separated after several seconds. And, to both Mario's and Luigi's surprise, Daisy subtly glided her hand down to the level of Luigi's and grabbed on to it, causing Luigi to return the grasp without even initially realizing what he was doing. Once he did though, his face automatically flushed as he gazed at Daisy, who held her smile perfectly as they locked eyes. It was then that Luigi realized that he could really make something out of that relationship. He never felt entirely sure that Daisy felt the same way about him as he did her, despite the constant positive reinforcement he received from his brother, but that one action let Luigi know that he really did have a chance. And he could not screw it up.
"You two can go inside if you want," Mario spoke up, giving off a sly smile to his little brother as he caught their attention. "We have a booth reserved already. I'll join you when Peach gets here."
"Will do Mister," Daisy answered cheerily, almost pulling Luigi out of his dormant state in order to head for the entrance. Luigi faltered for a slight moment, feeling a bit apprehensive about leaving Mario behind to get the date started with Daisy alone. As he passed his older brother by though, he received a confident smile that silently told Luigi that he would be fine in there. He'd spent whole afternoons with Daisy in the past after all, he could survive a few minutes of being alone with her.
The atmosphere within the restaurant was quite lively, especially considering it was a Monday night. Dozens of patrons occupied the window-side booths and high-top tables, as well as the U-shaped bar that rested in the very center of the building. Upbeat music played over well-concealed speakers throughout the building, televisions broadcasting several sports games littered the walls, and hearty conversation and laughter filled the air as Luigi and Daisy approached the young Toad hostess, dressed in the restaurant's colors of red and black, who greeted them with a bright smile.
Following a short exchange with the bubbly teenage employee, the pair were brought to their booth and seated across from each other next to a window overlooking the parking lot and a fair bit of the street beyond. As they perused the contents of their menus, just outside Mario's date had finally arrived, approaching from seemingly nowhere, for Peach urged her driver to let her out a fair bit away since her father insisted she ride in a limo yet again. She could only be thankful that Mario never noticed the gaudy vehicle as she approached him with a smile and the two wrapped each other into a hug. However, like Luigi, Peach dressed a bit more highly for the occasion than expected, wearing a long yet simple pink dress, a turquoise bead necklace, a pair of round sapphire earrings, a fair amount of makeup and lipstick, and, to top it all off, her hair was done up in a neat ponytail that was tied with a small piece of white cloth that sported a golden star at its top. Though she did acknowledge that she may have tried a bit too hard with her choice of dress, Mario was quick to ensure her that she looked absolutely gorgeous, as always, and the two of them soon entered the building as well. But little did they know that, only a few dozen yards away, two pairs of eyes rested quite fixedly on them.
"This is just so exciting!" Mona piped up giddily as she stepped toward the restaurant with bright eyes. Having changed into a red tube top and a white skirt and applied a bit of makeup, Mona felt ready for a night on the town. However, her partner for the night felt no such urgency for touching himself up, opting to continue to wear his usual biker outfit despite the mustard stain he managed to leave on it. But, ignoring Wario's appearance, Mona couldn't help but feel overwhelmingly eager about the night ahead of her. For more than just one reason.
"Calm down a little bit," Wario advised as he tossed one last cookie into his massive mouth. "You'll make mistakes if you're too excited."
"Ahem, right," Mona mumbled, attempting to calm herself down a bit. "It's just...I never imagined I'd seriously be doing something like this ya know? It's such a...bad thing to do."
"Who cares if it's bad?" Wario retorted as the two of them continued to cross the parking lot. "You only have to look out for who really matters: yourself. As far as I see it, if you're not lookin' out for yourself, you're just wastin' your time."
Every word Wario said seemed to strike a particular chord with Mona. It was such a selfish rule to live by, yet it seemed to make a lot of sense to her when she brought it into consideration. What was she living for? To simply serve others and see to it that they lived a happy life, even if she was left behind as a result? Where would that lead her in the end?
Mona was always a firm believer in giving and helping whenever she could; she was often called a martyr for the fact she was willing to pass up opportunities for herself in order to see to it that someone else could get ahead. But, when all was said and done, where did she always end up? Losing at that board game because she offered another player a helping hand. Giving away twenty coins she was going to spend on that cute miniature statue to one of the little kids so they could play at the arcade for a little while. Having to miss out on most of her own birthday party because Joe was shorthanded one day and asked her to fill in for a missing employee. She could make a whole list of things she had to give up because she felt the need to put others before herself. But if she just focused on doing things for her own benefit, who knew just how much happier she would be? Who knew what she could have had that she gave up as a result?
Maybe it was time she did start putting herself first.
"Party of two?" the Toad hostess asked, but not without taking a split second to give Wario a disdainful glance. He really should have picked a shirt that didn't have such a stain on it if he planned to go out in public.
"Yeah," Wario answered briefly, looking through the crowd for the group he would be targeting that night. There were a lot more people around than he originally expected...
"Would you like a booth or a table?" the hostess asked as she grabbed two menus from behind her counter.
"A booth would be nice," Mona answered immediately with a smile, prompting the hostess to step out from behind the counter and lead them to a newly emptied booth rather near the entrance of the building. Wario would soon discover that that particular spot was far from optimal, for he discovered his target group almost the entire length of the restaurant away, but Mona seemed to become quickly oblivious, having become easily wrapped up in the atmosphere of the place.
"I just love places like this," Mona sighed with a content smile on her face as she looked over her menu. "It's so inviting don't you think? If this place was hiring before I got my job at the gelateria, I'd so be working here instead."
"They're all the way across the restaurant from us..." Wario grumbled mostly to himself, appearing to completely ignore Mona as he flipped open his menu and went straight to the "Steaks & Ribs" section. "Need to figure out how we're gonna get over there and snag what we came here for."
"Well, they'll be here for an hour or two won't they?" Mona asked with a small smile. "We don't have to come up with a plan right away."
Thankfully, Wario didn't argue that point, for he quickly became invested in choosing which rack of ribs he'd be dining on that night. Mona couldn't help but watch him for a moment, her smile persisting as she did so.
Perhaps, if she played her cards right that night, she'd be able to accomplish a bit more than just robbing those princesses.
–
"Never really thought about it before," Mario admitted immediately after taking a sip of his cola. "I guess if I could choose right now, I'd probably be...an archaeologist."
"Really? Why would you choose to be that?" Peach asked, unconsciously leaning a bit over the table as her interest in what Mario had to say grew with every passing word.
The date was going swimmingly, despite the fact that, observing how everyone was dressed, it appeared that Mario should have been there with Daisy and Luigi there with Peach. But the dressing mix-up aside, the group was thoroughly enjoying itself at that table in the busy restaurant. Conversation flowed so easily that a moment had yet to pass in silence, and the two pairs found themselves growing more and more invested in each other as the minutes ticked by.
While most of the table's chatting was commanded by Mario and Peach, it was obvious that Luigi and Daisy were holding their own rather nicely. Their personal communication was quite silent; they often settled for simply looking into each others eyes and talking with each other so quietly that neither Mario nor Peach could hear them, despite sitting right next to them.
As time passed however, Daisy couldn't help but think about the secret she was withholding from Luigi. She was a princess. She was next in line to the throne of Sarasaland. And she was arranged for a planned...hm...
Did she really have to tell him that part? Aunt Julie said that she and Uncle Jeff would deal with that. And besides, how awkward would it be to say "By the way, I'm arranged to marry the prince of the Beanbean Kingdom when I turn eighteen," especially on a first date? The answer: extremely.
She couldn't just keep it a secret though. She owed it to Luigi to let him know about everything. About being a princess, about Peasley, and about the entire arrangement. But she didn't think it'd be so hard to tell him once she was right there with him like that...
He was just such an awesome guy. So handsome, so kind, so genuine. He made it so easy to just grow attached to him, and it was hard to think that she could possibly lose him and break his heart by telling him everything...
Ugh. That was it. She had to do it immediately or else she wouldn't be able to do it at all.
"Come outside with me Luigi, I have to tell you something," Daisy said in her adopted quiet voice, though it was loud enough for Mario and Peach to hear. Both of them looked over at Daisy in slight wonder as she asked Peach to look after her purse and slid out off the seat. Luigi looked rather confused himself as he got up to follow her and they both passed by the booth of two thieves that eyed them as they passed by and headed out the door.
"Is something wrong?" Luigi asked once outside, still following closely behind Daisy as she led him over to the side of the building, where a single wall light rested and left most of the area quite dark. There was very low activity on that side of the building, no windows exposed them to patrons that rested inside, and Daisy soon came to a stop, leaning her back against the wall and allowing Luigi to stand in front of her with a look of confused wonder on his face.
Daisy took several moments to simply look at him. Tall, slender, a soft face, gorgeous blue eyes that never failed to captivate her with its immense innocence, revealing his truly spotless soul. Those eyes that Daisy missed so much when she was forced to be away for just one weekend...
"This just feels so weird," Daisy sighed with a faint smile, never daring to look away from Luigi's eyes. "I've never felt this way about anyone before. And to think we only met last week."
Luigi didn't know how to respond as Daisy took a small step forward and drew him into another embrace, holding him tightly as he slowly wrapped his arms around her in return. She loved being in his arms. Being so close to him made her feel as if she found something she never even knew she wanted.
"I really like you Luigi," she continued softly, feeling almost as if she were dreaming as she closed her eyes. "There's something about you that I just...I just really love. You're so warm. So kind. You've got such a huge heart. You're so unlike any guy I've ever met. And I feel so lucky to have you in my life. You've taught me that there are people out there that can be honest, and innocent, and truly want nothing but the best for others without feeling the need to get something in return. People like you are just so rare. And I never thought I'd meet someone like you...
"I'm used to being disappointed by the people in my life. The only ones I ever thought I could trust were my aunt, my uncle, and my little cousin. I'm always being ridiculed or lied to, and people keep things from me that...really hurt sometimes. You've never done anything like that to me though. And you don't seem like you ever would. And it just wouldn't be fair if I kept this a secret from you anymore..."
Luigi couldn't help but feel anxious as Daisy slowly released him from the hug. She'd never spoken to him quite like that before. She never faltered in her words like she had just then, and her voice was always strong and confident, yet, at that point, it bordered on weak and unsure. It felt like, until that point, Daisy had up a sort of emotional wall that she used to protect herself, and she was finally breaking it down for the sole purpose of letting Luigi know that she truly did care. But what was it that she had to say that caused all of this...?
Taking another moment to simply look into his eyes, her own barely holding back what would be the first tear Luigi would ever see her shed, Daisy forced herself to get her words out.
"I'm actually the...the princess of Sarasaland."
…
"Last weekend, I didn't go away to see my father because he was sick... I was forced to go to the Beanbean Kingdom to meet Prince Peasley...because, um...my father arranged a...a marriage for us that's supposed to take place when I turn eighteen..."
…
Luigi wished he could think she was joking, but there was no possible way she could have such a difficult time saying that if she wasn't telling the truth. A princess... Daisy was a princess...? And she was scheduled for an arranged marriage with the prince of the Beanbean Kingdom...? Wow...talk about hard to believe.
What were the chances that the first girl Luigi actually had a shot with was a princess? A princess that was already planned to marry someone nonetheless. It sounded like a situation straight out of a really bad romance novel.
When Luigi remained completely silent for several long seconds, Daisy began to feel rather desperate. She didn't want him to hate her for that. She didn't want him to leave and never talk to her again. She had no control over being a princess or over her father's acti-
"Do you like him?" Luigi asked, causing Daisy's heart to jolt immediately as her thoughts were interrupted.
"No, I don't," Daisy answered immediately. "The entire time I was there, all I could think about was you. All I wanted to do was leave, and be back here, and see you again. And when you asked me out today, I honestly never felt happier in my-"
Before Daisy realized what was going on, Luigi leaned in and ceased her lips with his own, forcing her to discontinue her frantic speaking. She could do nothing but blink in surprise at first. Never did she expect Luigi to make the first move like that. But, as she got over her initial shock and realized that this new touch was quite satisfying on multiple levels, she slowly closed her eyes, wrapped her arms around him as he did her, and returned the motion of affection as deeply as she could.
Most would argue that first kisses never really happened like they did in movies, but that moment was as good as any romance film could have pulled off. Sure, they probably weren't drenched in rain, and there were several people nearby to silently eavesdrop on the event as it took place, but the emotional high that both Luigi and Daisy felt at that moment was so great that neither of them could honestly say that any other moment in their lives was quite so phenomenal. And it was at that moment that the two knew that they were right for each other. The silent communication of that most intimate of touches clued them both in that they couldn't just let that relationship go.
Daisy could only hope that her aunt and uncle could succeed in convincing her father.
As the two left the spot to return inside, hand in hand, a certain Lakitu swooped down from just above where they previously stood, watched them as they departed, and shook her head with a sorrowful look upon her face.
"Dear Princess Daisy... My, King Sarasa most certainly will not like this..."
–
"Got a plan yet Wario?" Mona asked casually as she cutely sipped up a strand of spaghetti and looked over at her dinner partner, who managed to add a number of additional stains to his shirt thanks to the natural messiness of the ribs. They'd been there for about forty-five minutes at that point and were finishing up their meal, whereas the group of daters managed to only get about halfway done by then. They had maybe another thirty to forty minutes to make their move, or else they'd be getting nowhere.
"No," Wario admitted between bites, though he honestly didn't appear to be thinking all that hard anyway, for he'd been chowing down on his meal almost nonstop since he got it. And really, Mona didn't mind in the least that he hadn't come up with something, for she was enjoying simply being there with him as it was.
Soon, a noise could be heard emanating from Mona's purse, forcing her to set down her fork and dig around for her cell phone for a short moment. Soon extracting it and scanning the caller ID, she discovered that her mom was calling her... Huh, that was odd. She almost never called unless she needed something.
"Hey Mom, what's up?" she greeted immediately, looking out the window next to her as she spoke, feeling rather rude about speaking on the phone in front of Wario. He showed no particular interest however as she continued her conversation. "Oh, I'm sorry Mom, I totally forgot... We're still at Goombee's... Um, well, this place isn't that far from the house, and the pharmacy's only a little bit out of the way. I could just walk over and get it for you. ...Of course, it won't take me that long at all. ...No Mom, it's my fault that I forgot, I'll go and get it for you. ...Okay, I'll be there soon."
What did she just do...? Crap, she did it again. As she hung up her phone, Mona realized she forced herself into a situation where she put someone else before herself yet again. She didn't really want to go to the pharmacy for her mom, and her mom even offered to just drive there herself, but Mona just insisted that she do it instead. Ugh. It was gonna take a bit of work to start putting herself before others...
"I'll be back in about twenty minutes Wario," Mona informed as she tucked her cell phone back into her purse and scooted out from the booth.
"Alright," Wario responded simply, allowing Mona to leave as he finished off the last of his meal. He knew he would have to come up with something by the time she got back. But what could he do in such a crowded restaurant? There were just way too many witnesses around. The only hope he had of snagging those purses was...
Ah, that was it. Wario needed to create a distraction. If he could throw the place into a state of confusion, those four would likely get caught up in all of it and he could sneak over and nab those purses, and maybe a few other things if the distraction went on long enough. So that just left the question of what he should do. And, considering his location, the answer seemed pretty obvious.
Getting up from his table, Wario slowly made his way over to the entrance and quickly looked around for a victim. Thankfully, the perfect target just happened to stroll in at that moment: a very tubby Shy Guy dressed in a red robe. He'd probably get a bit defensive if Wario made it a point to make fun of his massive size...
"Hey, watch where you're walkin' lardass," Wario insulted after "accidently" bumping into the large Shy Guy. "Christ dude, drink a diet cola sometime, you're cloggin' the entire freakin' restaurant."
To Wario's surprise, the Shy Guy didn't immediately respond. Instead, he simply stood there for a moment before, again surprising Wario, he let out a rather hurt sniffle instead of the hot-tempered explosion that Wario was hoping for.
"I can't help it...that...I really really enjoy and honestly love good food!!" the Shy Guy cried rather loudly as tears exploded from behind his mask. Wario certainly wasn't expecting him to jet out of the building with as much alacrity as he managed, and was soon left behind as several people stared at him disdainfully.
Well, that didn't work out as well as-
"HEY!! BUDDY!! The HELL do you think you were doing saying that to my friend you jackass!?"
Ah, that was more like it.
To Wario's delight, a regularly-sized, grey-robed Shy Guy appeared on the scene to defend his chubby friend, and he certainly succeeded in turning quite the number of heads as he exploded into the building and wasn't shy at all about getting right in Wario's face.
"Step aside Munchkin, I don't have time to be bothered with you right now," Wario returned smugly as he forcefully pushed the Shy Guy aside, slamming him against the hostess's counter as Wario made to continue in the general direction of the bathroom. Thankfully, the Shy Guy wasn't about to put up with that, and Wario soon found himself slammed face first onto the floor as his opponent showed an impressive display of strength. Wario may not have expected the little guy to be such a powerful fighter, but that only made the ensuing scuffle that much more fun to play out.
Quite a number of patrons stopped whatever they happened to be doing in order to watch the two scrap it out in the aisles of the restaurant. Punches were thrown, shoves were executed, and Wario was actually almost sent over a table due to a forceful backhand the Shy Guy managed to land square on his forehead. Several people screamed and scattered as the fight neared them and the employees tried their best to calm everyone down while attempting to split up the fight and call authorities. And the group that Wario had his eyes set on were beginning to let their guard down as they took notice of the encounter. He knew that a simple fistfight wouldn't be quite enough of a distraction however, and he soon began to make a conscious effort to get a waiter or two involved...
The crashing of ice cold water and searing hot soup on the lap of one particular, unsuspecting customer was enough to set off the chain of events Wario was hoping for. Somehow having remained completely oblivious to the fight the entire time, the Doogan patron blamed the waiter's accident on his own incompetency, stood up, and attempted to jam his friend's searing hot baked potato in the employee's face in order to insult him while yelling that he would never be coming back to that place again. However, as the waiter fumbled with his own words, he managed to duck and completely avoid the food item as it went soaring over his head, instead smacking another visitor across the aisle right on the side of his face.
Obviously in pain from the heat of the projectile potato and pissed off about the misdirected toss, the affected Toad teenager decided to retaliate by grabbing his girlfriend's mug of hot chocolate and attempting to splash the offending customer in the face. But, as luck would have it, the waiter who ducked stood erect just as the Toad's arm swung right above him, forcing the top of his head to knock the mug out of the customer's hand and sending it flying to the next seating area over and splashing a number of other diners with the searing hot liquid. And, of course, they weren't about to take that very lightly.
Soon, Wario and the Shy Guy in grey were far from the only two causing a scene within the restaurant, for a food fight exploded throughout the length of the area. Some people shouted in anger, some laughed their asses off at the sudden mayhem, some left as soon as they could, and some playfully decided they would participate just for the heck of it. It was certainly a chaotic situation, but one thing was known for sure: Wario's impromptu plan was certainly working.
He had no idea when exactly he managed to lose his grey opponent, but Wario eventually found himself to be one of the few that wasn't maliciously throwing food at someone, or the target of said food-throwing. However, the group he'd had his eye on, thankfully, had decided to partake in the event. Well, at least the two that weren't all dressed up. The other two were busy trying to get out while getting as little stray food on them as possible. The important thing was that they'd all managed to gravitate a small way away from their table, and Wario could see an orange purse resting on the booth seat, totally unguarded. All he would have to do was sneak over and nab it without being noticed, which was definitely possible with so much chaos going on all around him.
He didn't have to go very far to get to the target booth, simply ducking down and waddling up a couple steps and over about three tables. Once he reached his destination, he took one more cautionary glance around himself to make absolutely sure nobody was paying him in mind. Thankfully, nobody seemed to remember or care that he basically started that whole situation and, though some people saw him nabbing the purse, nobody honestly thought twice about it, for they were busy bobbing, weaving, and aiming to care.
On his way out, Wario managed to snag two more purses that were lucky enough to be forgotten about, and, only after allowing himself to get hit in the face with a slice of cake so he could smear it off and take a bite of it, he made his exit, successful and quite content at the mess he managed to caused. Something about knowing that he was the virtual puppetmaster behind that entire scene was deeply satisfying, and he could begin to head back to the orphanage with an accomplished smile on his face.
It was only too bad that Mona had to miss out. He'd make sure to fill her in later though. And, hopefully, those purses contained a number of nice, valuable items.
Footnote: I hope you enjoyed the chapter. It was certainly quite fun to write, though hopping between the two different groups was a little tough. I just hope I pulled it off well enough. Anywho, I'll see you all again in the next exciting chapter of "Not Another Love Story...Z"!
Okay, bad joke, sorry.