Foreword: LOOK I finally updated. :) I don't even have a word of 31 typed, but I was SO BEHIND I wanted to let you all know I haven't abandoned CoH. Don't plan on it, either.
This chapter starts out Friday, a day that I've been looking forward to for A LONG TIME. It's not as excellent as Thursday, but it's probably second...so I hope it starts on a good note. Friday also means we're meeting up with Mario again. He's actually a reason it took so long- I literally forgot how to write those guys! Took awhile to remember...hahaha. Also includes a scene for Deanna625, my 500th review-giver (YEESH THAT'S STILL CRAZY TO ME). That scene is putting everyone's favorite part of the update (the disclaimer, bien sur!) at the end.
Her alarm had only been beeping for a few seconds when Peach was already hopped out of bed and turning it off. She supposed that she should be exhausted…she danced all evening and then through all her dreams…but instead, she seemed filled with enthusiasm. She grinned at the clock, reading 5:30. Yeah, two and a half hours were about two hours more than she needed to get ready for the day, but she wanted to be perfect and absolutely ready when Bowser came to get her at eight.
She hummed lightly as she pranced into the bathroom, turning on her shower and dropping her pajamas. She stepped out of the silky puddle at her feet and into the warm shower…when central heating is a volcano's molten center, the water doesn't take long to heat up.
Washing herself luxuriously, Peach couldn't help but sing. She was so excited for the day, so elated from the day before, and the acoustics were so good! She lathered up her long, blonde hair, letting it fall back and detangle from the effects of the magic shampoo. She never would have guessed that a koopa palace had such fantastic hair shampoo, but one look at Bell's voluminous hair or one sweep through Bowser's feather-soft mane and it was much easier to understand.
Feeling relaxed and completely cleansed after her longer-than-usual shower, Peach pulled down the towel from hanging over the steamy door. She wrapped it around her person, cuddling in the long, baby-soft fabric and opened the door. She walked to the mirror, wiping a circle of steam away with her hand, and saw a face grinning back at her from the wall.
Peach shrieked, gripping her towel tightly with one hand and bracing against the vanity with another as she turned about. There on the wall was that same blue spider from her first day, his golden grin fading as she yelped. He looked over at her, waiting for her to calm down. "Whatchu doin' in here, mees?"
Peach took deep breaths, pulling her towel up a little higher as she looked over at the spider. "What…what are you talking about? What are you doing in here?"
"I'm here to geev you a note, mees! Boot yer not s'posed to be in here, mees. Yer supposed to bees sleepen."
"I…I woke up early."
"I ken see that, mees!" The spider answered, straining his eyes at her. "Eet's far too early for a mees lak yerself to be up an' aboot! How'm I s'posed to deliver ze note eef yer not sleepen in yer bed?"
"You didn't have to come in here like some sort of…peeping Tom."
The spider stared at Peach, confused. "Mah nem's not Tom! Who told yu eet was?"
"No one did…It's an expression. Um…I'd love to read your note, but I don't feel…comfortable with you here while I'm…" Peach looked down at her towel, then up at the spider. His face was blank and not getting the hint. "Indisposed." She finished, waiting for the spider to scurry away.
"Mees, I'm afred I don't know whatchu jest sed. Kin you use eenglish?"
Peach smiled, laughing a bit. "I don't want to talk when I'm wearing nothing but a towel."
"What does zat have to do wif anything, mees? I's not wearing anyting eezer!"
Peach smiled again, tempted to pat the spider's head, but not willing to budge an inch, no matter how large the towel was. "It's a bit different for humans."
The spider's eye began to twitch as he thought. Suddenly, his face lit up. "Ohhhh! I zink I git eet. Is zat why yous alwez be wearin' clothes, mees? Zat big pink dress o' yours?"
"Yes, yes, that's why. So…if you wouldn't mind…I'd like to put something on before I read this note of yours."
"Okay!" The spider answered, chirpily, watching Peach stand awkwardly. Yet another realization dawned on him as he narrowed his eyes and asked, "did that mean yu want me tu leave so yous kin dress? And yu kin read the note when your all feeneeshed?"
"That's exactly what I meant."
The spider tipped his forelegs towards Peach, saying, "Gotcha." He scurried down the wall and under the door into Peach's room, leaving her alone in the bathroom.
Now alone, Peach began to wonder what was in the note. She picked up her outfit she had chosen for the day and smiled. It was her classic dress, but lighter petticoats with a paler pink tone. She hummed a little, contemplating the mysterious note (almost definitely from Bowser) as she began putting on her underwear. She clipped the bra on, ruffling for her soft and light chemise and slip and adjusting them perfectly. It would be horrible to have to have her corset and crinoline pinned against her skin without them.
What did Bowser need to send her a note for? Peach contemplated possibilities as she fit into her corset. She picked at the lacing, finally crossing her arms and pulling tight before tying it in a bow. After years of working with toad maids and convincing them that breathing was a necessity for a Princess, she had finally gotten to the point where she didn't need help putting it on. But that didn't mean it didn't take long enough!
She walked around, pleased the spider had left her alone as the chemise didn't cover nearly enough for her ideals, and after a bit of wrestling with the dress hoops, finally got the crinoline ready to put on. It took her another fives minutes of wrestling with the crinoline, as small as it was, before she finally managed to get it over her head and resting on her hips. A bit out of breath, she was possibly thinking too hard about the note, as when Peach tried to snap the crinoline's snaps in place, it sprung up towards her face.
She squealed, falling backwards, glad that she didn't have her dress on completely. That hasn't happened in a while…Peach supposed being so preoccupied while dressing was as dangerous as it was while driving. Once she calmed down and found her petticoats, she was almost done. The skirts were on, hanging a few inches off her skin, and she bent down nicely to pick up the pale pink dress. With a bit of effort and grunting, Peach got it successfully over her head and adjusted it until the brooch, the fabric, and the sleeves were all the right way.
Smiling, Peach twirled at her reflection. Her makeup wasn't on, her hair was wet and flat, and her gloves were in the other room, but otherwise, she looked just fine. Of course, she intended on taking just as much tender care on the rest of the day's appearance as she had getting dressed.
The letter was all hers, as soon as Peach crossed the threshold into her bedroom. She held the door handle and began to turn, but stopped cold when she realized…her television was on. I wasn't watching TV earlier…she worried, slowly easing the door open, ready to scream for help if needs be.
Yet on her bed was the completely harmless spider, who evidently hadn't gotten the message to leave.
Peach swung the door wide open, thrusting her free hand on her hip. "Why are you still here? Shouldn't you have left already?"
The spider turned from his engrossing television show to Peach. "'Ey, you's be in yoor dress now!"
"Yes…yes, I am. But you didn't answer my question!"
"Why didn't I leave?" The spider repeated, his face towards Peach, but his eyes locked on the television. "Er…well…why would I du zat?"
"Because," Peach began to answer as she walked over to the spider on her bed, "it takes me a long time to get dressed. And I'm pretty sure you don't have to supervise me reading the note."
The spider was silent, a grin itching the corners of his cheek as he ignored Peach and watched the television. Finally, he replied with a resounding "YIS! YIIIIISS!" He thrust his little blue front limbs towards the TV and turned to Peach, his face lit up. "Didju see that, mees? Didju?" His grin was so wide, each of his remaining teeth; white, tan, and gold; stood out for Peach to see. Sighing, Peach looked over at the screen. A shy guy in a striped referee outfit stood next to an oversized hawk in a gladiator suit, both yelling something incoherent as the crowd screamed over them. "Rawk Hawk just beet the last fool aginst him for champ title!"
The clubba on the ground looked more than slightly dazed as his trainer rushed with the medics to take him out of the arena. "Is this wrestling? Why is wresting on so early?"
The spider stared up at Peach incredulously. "No, mees! Zis ees the Glitz Pit! No ress'ling. And zees was yeers ago anyway. Zat's why it's on so early, mees."
Peach raised an eyebrow at the spider, poking him lightly. "So, you sat around watching an old wrestling match from years ago while I got dressed instead of leaving the note on my bed like you were going to if I was asleep anyway?"
The spider began to shake his head. "Mees, mees, mees. Does Rawk Hawk look like a ress'ler?" He pointed at the champion, now strutting around the arena with his big belt, and began to explain the differences between the Glitz Pit and a wrestling match.
"I'm sorry…I'm sure this is fascinating…but can I have my note?" Peach interrupted.
The spider grinned. "Yeah, I giss that would be a good thing fer you to have, eh?" He scurried off the bed and over towards a small messenger bag near the door. The spider all but disappeared as he buried himself, looking for the note. He emerged triumphant, dashing like a madman with the note billowing above his head. "Here y'are, mees! Eet's from 'is Majesty…'is Majesty ees very fond 'o you, mees."
Peach smiled, saying, "I know," as she plucked the note from the spider's forelegs. She opened it up and read, Milk. Egs. Moskeeto Nuggets. Lite bulbs. Capten Crunchys Cornflakes. Extra thred. 8 redd socks. Bumble Bee Tuthpast. Peach rolled her eyes and wove the list at the spider. "Are you sure this is the note Bowser wrote to me?"
"Yiss!" The spider answered, crawling over and pulling the paper down to his height. He skimmed it. "Oh. No. Zat's fer me," his blue face turned a reddish hue as he plucked the list out of Peach's hands. "Meesus will naught be happy eef I ferget to go teh the store agin, 'fyou know what I meen." He quickly got Peach the correct note and handed it to her.
She read, Hey Peach, this is Bowser. I wasn't supposed to have any meetings today but Kamek told me that I couldn't skip the one at 8 cause theyll be talking about how we can go in town without getting bothered today. Its supposed to be a short meeting but I wont be able to come get you at 8 like I sed I would. Sorry. I still love you a lot. Im going to be at brekfest so I'l see you there. Hit my kids if they get annoying cause there gonna be at brekfest before me. I love you. Love, Bowser.
Peach smiled at the note, rereading it again, and lingering on his repetitious last lines. She felt mild disappointment she wouldn't see him at breakfast, but for the most part, she couldn't get that stupid smirk off her face. Bowser's handwriting was absolutely horrible, but it was obvious he had tried to make it look good; he had went so slow, he had actually tore the paper in some places with the pen. That didn't help his spelling, but Peach didn't mind at all.
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Mario chuckled at Luigi, batting at his tongue, burnt from the coffee. He took another heaping bite of his spaghetti and chewed, amused at Luigi's frantic expression.
Once the younger twin calmed town, he pointed his cereal spoon at Mario. "And-a why are you-a eating spaghetti for break-a-fast again?"
"Because I-a can." Mario smiled smugly, swallowing before continuing, "Meredith offered! She knows I-a love spaghetti, so sha-a made some special."
Luigi spied over Mario's shoulder, catching sight of the inn help in discussion. She was looking back at Mario while he talked about her, looking very pleased. "Well," Luigi sighed, "That's-a very nice of-a her."
Catching sight of Daisy on the stairs, Luigi's attention was diverted. She was wearing just a simple yellow tank-top with jeans, and her curls were bouncing as she ran down the stairs. She quickly came over to the boys and sat right down. "Good morning!" She chirped, looking from brother to brother. Luigi smiled back, and Mario looked up from his spaghetti and just stared at Daisy, trying to slurp up as much pasta as he could. "Mario…why are you eating spaghetti?"
"We just-a went through this," Luigi commented, shaking his head in exasperation. "Meredith brought it. That's-a why he's-a eating it."
"Ooooh, I see. I see how it is," Daisy teased, raising an eyebrow at Mario. "Is that why he's being more of a morning person today, too?" She walked her ungloved fingers onto Mario's arm and up it. "Sweety McSweets is trying to butter you up with her pasta of looove?"
Mario pulled his arm away, glaring at the princess. "That-a is not what the pasta is-a for!" He lifted the plate off the table as if keeping it away from Daisy's infectious teasing, all the while forking more into his face.
"Well then," she teased, pulling an expression of fear and concern. "She must be fattening you up! Perhaps she's really a witch, hungry for her next victim, and you've caught her eye. I bet this gem-business is all just a façade! Meredith is the mastermind, luring us here to feed you with her carb-loaded pasta to make you the ideal candidate for her cannibalistic witch tendencies! She probably even poisoned our coffee to make sure we don't fight back."
Mario glared at Daisy, shouting, "You're absolute-a-ly crazy!" Luigi stared at Daisy in similar shock, his face paling over his lifted mug of coffee.
"If you don't believe me," Daisy pouted, "I'll just ask her! Meredith!" Immediately, Mario began to reach towards Daisy, leaning over the table and flailing in attempt to cover her mouth. Daisy laughed as she leaned farther away from the fat plumber, calling, "Meredith! Oh, Meredith!"
The inn help with streaked blonde hair walked over curiously, staring down at the odd group. Mario was stretched across the table, his arms held tight by Daisy, who was just laughing. Luigi was sitting with his coffee, staring up at Meredith with a bit of dubious fear. "…yes?" she asked, watching curiously as Mario fell back into his seat, brushing off the spaghetti he had unwittingly thrust himself into off his overalls. The stain remained; no matter how much Mario brushed at it, the stain was as red as his face.
Daisy cocked an eyebrow with a half smile, about to speak when the light streaming from the windows suddenly went black; as if darkness was streaming in instead.
Quietly enough that Daisy almost missed it among the shouts and screeches of shock from patrons, Meredith muttered, "That's weird. It's supposed to be clear, bright skies today." The room continued to darken, and the patrons got louder and louder.
"Luigi, what's going on?" Daisy asked, trying to keep her voice steady as she practically yelled. Unfortunately, Luigi's only answer was his muttering incoherencies in terror.
The room was now completely black. The table of four could hear other patrons yelling, tripping, crying…no one knew what was going on. "I-a have a flashlight!" Mario shouted joyously, digging around blindly for his plumbers light. With a click, a beam of light flashed out of the small, red flashlight. But just as it had with the rest of the room, the darkness soon consumed the light. It was as dark as it was before.
"The batteries must have run out," Meredith offered, unwilling to believe anything else could be happening.
"Don't be stupid!" Daisy snapped. "Something's wrong here, and we all know it. Mario's flashlight doesn't need batteries, there isn't cloud cover, and we haven't all gone blind. Something is behind this, and until we figure out what it is, everyone just needs to shut up and…stick…oh, my." Slowly, but surely, light started to return to the room. It was strangely flooding in from one side of the room…the side without any windows or light. Soon, the room was enveloped in as much light as it had been moments before, and Mario's flashlight was beaming uselessly onto the table.
"That was-a certainly…"
"A-weird-a." Luigi finished for his brother. The group looked around, Meredith walking towards the empty bar where the light had started returning at, searching for an explanation.
Daisy noticed everyone gathering their things, speaking in hushed voices of varying suspicions and guesses at what had just happened. She opened her mouth to voice her own, but was cut off by a shrill, "Princess Daisy!"
Madame Clearmont came pushing through the crowds towards them, running her fingers through her frizzled hair as she got closer. "Daisy, do you know what just happened?"
"No, we were hoping you did…"
The old mother sighed, wringing her hands as she looked around. "Mario, Luigi, please draw the blinds." The plumbers looked at her questioningly, but she just snapped, "Draw the blinds, gentlemen! Make sure not a single beam of light can get through."
As the brothers left to close the blinds, she hollered to Meredith, "close the shutters after them, Meredith."
"Madame Clearmont…what's going on?" Daisy asked, watching the crowd grow more anxious as the light from outside began to leave again; this time from the followed orders of their host.
"Do you have the gems with you, Daisy?" Mme Clearmont asked under her breath.
"What do they have to do with any-"
"Do you have the gems?" she repeated.
A bit taken aback, Daisy pulled her purse into her hands and opened it to look for the gems. "Uh, yeah…they're right-"
"Don't pull them out, stupid girl!" Madame Clearmont shrieked. Apologetically, she patted Daisy's hands, adding, "I'm sorry about snapping…but you mustn't take them out…not while the light can still get in through the windows!"
Mario, Luigi, and Meredith were almost completely finished shutting out the light; there were only a few beams here and there that escaped into the room at all. "Madame," Daisy addressed, "do you really think anyone could see what we're doing from outside?"
"That's not what I'm worried about, dear princess. As good as your intentions are…we are in very real danger. And as it is the fault of you and your company, I expect you to handle the danger without placing my customers in harm's way. You've done a foul job thus far."
"I don't even know what you're talking about!" Daisy cried. "If we attract any villains at all because of these "all-powerful" gems, they'll be ones retarded enough to go to a corporation of bad guys anyone can find in the public phonebook!"
Madame Clearmont was shaking, her frizzled hair seeming to take life of its own. "It doesn't matter how intelligent the interested parties are; the fact that they are interested in gems that could possibly destroy two entire universes should be proof enough that they're too evil to let around folk like my customers."
"What I don't understand, Madame, is why you would let us do this in the first place if you're so strongly against it."
"I didn't realize until now the kind of forces we're up against. Go tell your plumbers to seal the windows better. I don't want a single shred of light coming in out of those things."
xxxx0o0o0o0o0o0o0xxxx
"Larry, come on! We're going to be late to breakfast!" Iggy shouted, pulling his younger brother along as he tore down hallways.
"It's not my fault that your stupid little experiment blew up and you felt like you should clean it up. You should have just realized the janitors can do it in the first place, instead of wasting thirty minutes clearing the smoke then leaving the rest of the mess all over."
"Cleaning up wasn't the problem in the first place, Larry! I just realized that even if the janitors take care of the mess, Kamek is going to notice fifteen megasnarks of kooltonic acid- bicorbongoombate is missing! It's better to just get out of there…but we couldn't let the fumes get to Kamek before we do."
Larry stopped in his tracks, making his older brother trip over his own flailing feet. "You broke Kamek's experiment?"
"Well, yeah, that's why we had to clean it up. Come on! We can't be late! It'll be suspici-"
"Iggy! We have to find a koopajanitor! There's probably some kooltonic acid still on the floor, carving our footprints right into the tile…we don't know how to clean it up well enough for Kamek to not notice!"
"And the janitorial staff do?" Iggy snarled, tugging his brother along again. "We're doomed no matter if we get janitors to help or not; best we get in that dining room under the radar."
"No, no, Iggy! They train koopajanitors to clean up all that stuff. If we find one, we could get it sanitized just like magic."
Iggy stopped pulling, mulling over the idea. He looked at Larry through his thick glasses, his eyes already wide. "I forgot about that. That's…actually a good idea. But it's not like we'll see any koopajanitors just hanging out in the hallway. They're all supposed to be working right now…and we're supposed to be at breakfast!"
As they rounded a corner, Larry spotted a tall, dark-looking koopa down the hall, "MAITENENCE" stamped across the back of his shell. "Look, Iggy! I found one!"
"You did? After the first corner?" Iggy peered around the corner with Larry, and sure enough, there was a koopajanitor. He held a mop in his hands, but seemed only interested in glaring at the koopatrol down the hall, guarding his bathroom door uneasily. Iggy sighed, and walked over to the janitor with his brother. "Excuse me?"
"Shh," the koopajanitor hissed. "I'm busy."
"You don't look very busy," Iggy commented.
The koopajanitor glared and spoke through his teeth, as if wanting the koopatrol down the hall to not notice. "I'm obviously busy. I'm mopping." The koopajanitor swished the mop around, splashing the feet of both Larry and Iggy.
Larry glared at his wet footclaws, then up at the koopajanitor. But upon further inspection of his familiar face, his glare broke into a grin. "Hey, I know you!"
The koopajanitor raised an eyebrow at Larry. "You do?...Of course you do!" He brandished his mop like a sword, splashing Iggy and Larry up and down. "After all, I am Jan Itor, the finest of His Majesty's koopatrol."
The koopatrol down the hallway narrowed his eyes at the koopajanitor. "Don't lie to these kids…you're just a janitor. Yan Eetor doesn't exist."
"JUST a janitor?" the koopajanitor muttered, marching over to the koopatrol, whom he towered over. "That's what I am? Just a janitor?"
Rattling in his suit of armor, the koopatrol corrected, "no, no, no, no, that's not what I meant…I just meant…I just meant…"
"That you're better than me? That I'm an unimportant part of His Majesty's kingdom because I'm a janitor?"
"No, I think janitors have a very important career, crucial to the well-being of the kingdom," he quickly replied, gulping as he cowered in the koopajanitor's shadow.
The koopajanitor raised an eyebrow and drawled, "I wonder if the Koopa Church is looking for a patron saint of janitorial staff. Obviously, you're up for the job. But Saint JD sounds a little out of place. That has to stand for something…Jealously Delirious? Jabbering Deliquent?"
"I got it!" Larry chirped, thrilled to even be ignored. "Justa Dork!"
The janitor smiled down at Larry, bemused. "Yeah, I guess that works, too."
"It's John Micheal," JD the koopatrol spurted. "Though you know that, don't you? I've been getting bills for Mops Monthly and Espanol para los Goombas since last year."
"Naw…I think Justa Dork fits better. After all, you're just guarding the bathroom. I don't see how that's any better than mopping." The koopajanitor turned his attention back to Larry, asking, "And where did you hear of me, princey?"
"You're the janitor! One of the best pranksters actually on staff in the entire palace…renowned for your easy, quick-witted snarks and elaborate, yet simple schemes. Most famous for your focus on the same dummy every time without ever receiving reprimand!"
The koopajanitor beamed down at Larry. "Really?" he asked quietly, clearly touched that anyone recognized him. "You know me for that?"
Iggy scrutinized the janitor until recognition finally hit the older koopaling as well. His eyes, already magnified through his thick glasses, were the size of plates. He rushed towards the koopajanitor, eager to shake his hand. Iggy stumbled over his feet and his words in a rush of excitement. Larry, trying to push past him to shake his idol's hand, slipped under his own footclaws on the wet hall floor.
"I'm not a dummy," JD muttered, probably more hurt by his own lack of attention than the situation. Larry, Iggy, and the koopajanitor all looked at JD with dubious expressions. Unable to figure out a reply, he quickly changed the subject. "Anyway, what were you looking for him for anyway? I'm sure it wasn't for his… fame."
"No, that was just an added benefit!" Larry squealed, shaking the janitor's hand and asking him way too many questions at once.
Over his younger brother's stammering, Iggy explained, "there's a chemical spill in Kamek's 23rd quadrant laboratory, room 24B. We were hoping he could clean up the connection to us."
"See, Canoli? I'm needed for a royal initiative…I don't see you being asked to guard any doors for the children of His Majesty."
"…Canoli?" JD asked through his teeth, unsure if asking for the koopajanitor to explain was such a good idea.
"Yeah, Canoli. Canolis are Italian." JD looked just as worried and confused as before. "I hate Italians." The koopajanitor rolled his eyes like it was the most obvious thing ever, JD just exhaling an "oh" and avoiding eye contact.
"So, do you think you could help us? If you're not too busy," Iggy pleaded.
Before the koopajanitor could answer, they heard a piercing scream and all four heads flipped down the hallway, where they saw flashes of magical explosions. "Kamek!" Iggy and Larry screeched at each other.
"Iggy, we have to run!" Larry cried, pulling his brother.
"Like we'd be able to outrun Kamek? He probably has his broom…or at least enough magic to stop us in our tracks for the next thirty eternities!"
Larry fell onto the ground before the janitor, gripping his mop like his last limb for survival. "O, wise koopajanitor! What do we do now!"
"What Justa Dork and I get paid to do," he answered gruffly, "absolutely nothing." He shook Larry off the mop and pushed it around, Larry and Iggy standing up and shaking themselves dry, looking confused.
Conveniently for them, as Kamek got close enough to see their faces, he read the confusion as innocence. But the one thing Kamek didn't read was the "wet floor" sign the koopajanitor had set in the hall.
His feet slid underneath him and the magikoopa slipped several feet into the air, landing on his back with a crash. The crowd around him grimaced. JD rushed over to help Kamek up, grabbing his hand and trying not to hurt his back anymore than it was.
Kamek grumbled his appreciation, magically easing out the kinks in his spine before glaring at the koopalings. "Do you two have anything to do with the mess in my laboratory?"
"Wh…what are you talking about, Kamek?" Iggy stammered, trying to keep his head level.
"In my laboratory!" Kamek yelled, "someone has tampered with my experiments! It's broken on the floor! Do you have any idea how long that experiment's taken me to get it that far? ANY?"
"That's horrible!" Larry screeched, covering his mouth in unreal shock to mask his lie. "When did it happen?"
"Just now, I reckon," Kamek hissed, not buying Larry's surprise.
"Well then, it wouldn't have been these two," the janitor offered. "They've been here for at least half an hour now."
Kamek's mouth shut as he looked into the koopajanitor's eyes, cold and clear. "Doing what?" he honestly asked.
The koopajanitor shrugged. "Talking. Sliding on the wet floors. Learning how to do the best palace job ever."
Iggy and Larry nodded. Kamek seemed a bit more willing to believe the intimidating, tall and dark koopa, but still seemed suspicious. "You four have all been here all along?"
"Yeah, even Canoli here," the janitor added, gesturing towards JD. "Actually…I don't think he was supposed to be here."
"What?" Kamek asked.
"What?" JD asked at the same time…but much louder.
"Wasn't he supposed to be guarding a door?" the koopajanitor asked the koopalings.
"Yes, in fact, I was! THIS door!" JD frantically answered, pointing to the bathroom he was stationed at.
"Please," Larry droned, "who guards a bathroom?" He chuckled. "Naw, the janitor's right, Kamek. I think he was supposed to guard a door down the hall or something…"
"A laboratory door, wasn't it?" Iggy added. For good measure, he threw in a faked gasp of realization.
As if on cue, the koopajanitor, Iggy, and Larry all turned to glare at JD.
"You can't possibly believe this, Kamek sir!" JD squealed.
Kamek folded his arms. "In the case that a criminal offense is found within palace limits and without valid witness and in the case of no other suspects, the primary fault is applied to the witness that was supposed to be present, if any are found. I'm afraid you seemingly fit this case, sir."
"You've got to be kidding me!" JD shrieked, looking around for sympathy. "I guess I should have expected this from you, though…" he hissed at the janitor while Kamek magically tugged him along for fine collection.
"Who, me?" the janitor asked, pulling as innocent a face as he could. "I'm just a janitor. Why would I lie like that?"
The koopalings couldn't help but snicker; their giggles evolving into full out laughter once Kamek was out of earshot. Thanking the janitor, they ran off to breakfast as fast as they could.
At least their day was starting of well.
Author's Note: Okay, Disclaimer! I own only the spider, Merideth, and Mme Clearmont. The majority of characters are the property of Nintendo, and the koopajanitor and JD are heavily inspired by characters from [Scrubs]. Could you guys tell? :) I honestly don't watch Scrubs, so I had to do lots of reasearch to feel okay writing those two...still not all too thrilled with the result, but I think it made a good scene. I really, really hope you agree, Deanna!
Didn't get through as much as I'd hoped in that chapter, but next chapter should get to the moving faster. And that's when fluff will start again, I do hope.
Hope you all had a lovely Thanksgiving (for those in America) and that you all will have a wonderful Christmas, Hanukkuh, Kwanzaa, New Years, winter solstice, or whatever else you choose to celebrate. Tell your family you love them and play some Nintendo while you've got the time! I'm very, very greatful for you all and the best presents I get from the internet is actually hearing people like this stuff...so thanks for making almost everyday Christmas to me. C:
-Razzi