The gawking Toads gaze at the peculiar native for quite some time, clearly having trouble processing the unusual pitch for various vacation plans. They had gone over scenario after scenario on what they may encounter after arriving on the island, but avoiding a tourist trap wasn't one of them. (Seriously, was this the right place?) The green capped Toad was just about to politely decline the fruit eater's offer when he was struck by an idea. Or, more accurately, a realization.
Didn't that Yoshi just offer them a tour to the volcano?
"Actually…" He finally voices. "Yes!"
The green capped Toad releases his grip on the orange Toad's shirt, causing the latter to drop to the sand with a less than dignified yelp. The yellow capped Toad, whom had somehow put himself in a headlock, lessens his hold as he curiously watches his friend approach the eager Yoshi.
"This jungle tour you mentioned earlier," The Toad begins, gesturing to the lush vegetation behind the native. "Just how close will you be taking us to the volcano?"
The Yoshi beams at the inquiry, causing the green Toad to visibly flinch. He didn't think it was possible for that grin to grow any larger.
"Usually I have to follow the safety guide for the set distance, but that's mostly for large tour groups." The fruit-eater replies casually, flashing a thin manual he quickly retrieves from the lining of his saddle. The Toad can't help but note the booklet's pristine condition, like it had never been opened. "But for you guys?" The Yoshi continues, carelessly tossing the guide over his shoulder. "I'll take you as close as you want."
The green capped Toad eyes the discarded manual with a quirked eyebrow, silently questioning the competence of the native before him.
"You three have nothing to worry about." The Yoshi hurriedly adds, as if sensing the Toad's unease. "I practically know every tree, rock, and bush by name in this jungle, so there's no worry of us losing our way. As for the volcano…" He chuckles lightly. "I wouldn't let you anywhere near it if I didn't think we could handle it."
The green Toad wasn't entirely convinced, but the fruit eater's confidence was hard to ignore. And though the foreigner didn't like to make assumptions based on appearances, the native looked like he could traverse the harsh jungle easily enough. He was used to the Yoshi's in his home town, whom were usually short and pudgy, but this particular specimen was slightly taller than average and a bit on the lean side. The green capped visitor dully wonders if all island Yoshi's were like this, but his attention is quickly drawn to an abnormality.
'Green Yoshi, blue spikes…huh.'
Odd, yes, but a slightly different color scheme doesn't have anything to do with ability. Then again, didn't the Mario Brothers change color with certain power ups?
The Mario Brothers…
The foreigner shakes his head, not wanting to dwell on the thoughts of the Mushroom Kingdom's heroes. He looks back to the native, noting something else unusual for the latter's race when his gaze settles on the Yoshi's right arm.
'Is…that a tattoo?'
The native's right arm did indeed bare a tattoo. Or, more accurately, a sleeve of sorts. The markings were tribal in nature; the forearm was stamped with a large, stylized foot print of a bird and the remaining upper arm was adorned with a ring of feathers, varying in size, shape, and design. It surprised the visitor that a Yoshi would even consider sporting ink, because it seemed…
Tough?
He wasn't proud of it, but the green capped Toad often struggled with the preconceived notion that tattoos were for 'tough' guys, gang members, or obnoxious teens wanting to 'rebel'. Though he often thought tribal tattoos were quite beautiful, it irked him to see the designs plastered on the skins of ignorant boobs who got them simply because they 'look cool' instead of a more significant reason.
He really hoped this Yoshi wasn't one of those tools.
"—and that's what we would do in the case of a volcanic eruption." The Yoshi concludes, smiling at the pondering foreigner. "So, any more questions before we get ready for the tour?"
The green capped Toad jolts, suddenly aware of the native's voice.
'Wait…had he been talking this entire time?'
"Uh…" The visitor blanks, embarrassed that he had gotten so lost in his own thoughts that he missed…whatever the native had been prattling on about. "I think I—" A hand gripping the foreigner's shoulder startles him, effectively ending his attempt to cover up his lack of attentiveness. The Toad turns to the offender and begins bumbling nonsensically at the sight of his orange capped companion.
"Would you excuse us for just a moment please?" The orange Toad asks the native just a bit too sweetly before herding his friend away, not bothering to wait for an answer.
The orange capped captor none so gently escorts the green capped Toad back to their shabby aquatic vessel, ignoring any and all complaints emanating from his irritated compatriot. When he feels the two are out of the Yoshi's hearing range, he wastes no time beginning the angrily whispered interrogation.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" The orange Toad seethes. "We are here on a mission! Not to schedule tours for a vacation!"
"Vacation? Do I look like an idiot?! " The green Toad snaps, struggling to keep his temper in check. Before his companion can reply with the obvious retort, he continues to elaborate. "I just set up a sure way to get us to the volcano."
The orange capped Toad gives his friend a quizzical look.
"Sure way? We already have one! This map shows us the route we need to take to the entrance!" He retrieves a folded map from his pocket and waves it about, as if it to illustrate his point.
"I know, I know, but…I realized something." The green Toad glances at the map clutched tightly in his companion's hands. "Everyone knows about that entrance, so it's bound to be swarming with guards." He raises a silencing hand when his friend tries to speak. "That's not the part I realized. We were all aware of this." When the orange Toad remains quiet, he continues. "This Yoshi is native to the island, and, from the sound of it, very familiar with the jungle and volcano."
He chances a look at the fruit-eater, who seemed to be dividing his attention between them and the jungle's edge, before meeting the puzzled gaze of his friend.
"Maybe…maybe he knows of another way into the volcano. One that no one else knows about. If such a thing exists, we can try to convince him to show us the path. No extra guards to fight and one less obstacle to overcome."
The orange Toad's eyes widen.
"That's…" He grins. "That's a really freakin' good idea."
The green capped Toad can't help but smile as well, anger from the earlier squabble forgotten.
"Yeah, but only if there is another entrance." He briefly turns to the jungle. "Of course, having a guide will prove useful regardless. I'm willing to take just about anything we can get at this stage."
The orange Toad nods his agreement, a thoughtful expression suddenly donning his features.
"So, what do we do if he starts asking questions when we get to our destination? It sounds like the tour ends at the volcano, not in it."
The green Toad's grin turns sheepish.
"I…actually haven't thought that far ahead." He admits.
"Why don't we just tell him the truth?"
The orange and green capped Toads jump in surprise, not expecting a suggestion from another party. They turn in unison to the yellow capped Toad, who apparently had sat between them at some point in the conversation. The third member of their group lazily lifts a brow, looking rather bored, before asking again when no one replies.
"Well, why don't we?"
The two Toads look at their friend as though he were insane, a look he was quite used to, before deciding to answer.
"Uh," The orange Toad starts with a bitter chuckle. "For the very reason it's just the three of us right now?"
"He's right." The green capped Toad concurs with a sigh. "Honesty hasn't earned us a single ally. If we want any chance at this new approach succeeding, I'm afraid a little deception is necessary."
The yellow Toad glances blankly at the two before shrugging.
"If that's what you want. I'm just saying that lies are pretty stressful. Weaving that intricate web tends to be more trouble than it's worth."
The two Toads blink at their companion's rare moment of wisdom. Was this the same guy who seemed to take bliss from normally being unable to form a coherent thought?
After the strange Toads excused themselves, the Yoshi could only watch them quietly bicker like an old married couple for so long before he lost interest. He allows his gaze to travel over the soft, white sand, taking in its undisturbed beauty, until it lands on the unsightly "sandcastle". The native blinks, remembering what the morbid mound concealed. He looks to the Toads lost in their own conversation, then to the jungle's edge.
"…Aw hell."
In the fruit eater's excitement at potential customers, he had completely forgotten about the Spear Guys and their attempt on his life. Well, facing dangerous natives was nothing new, and these guys had obviously been taken care of, but what the Yoshi didn't know was what else may be lurking in the jungle. The words of the Spear Guy leader (which the native was still kicking himself over losing) suddenly echoed through his mind.
"I knew I should have never joined them! Things were just fine until they showed up!"
Just who was that Grass Skirt talking about? And why did they want him dead?
…
Okay, that was a stupid question. Then again, the Spear Guys sent to do him in were unaware of his…nature, so there's a good chance their employers didn't know either. After all, wouldn't you warn your hit men about their target's abilities? You know, if you want them to actually succeed. Unless of course, the whole point was to get them killed, but that seemed unlikely.
The Yoshi shakes his head. He was starting to over think things.
The point of the matter is this: There are unknown hostiles on the island, he is their target (or one of them anyways), and he had just agreed to take three tourists to the most dangerous spot on this hunk of volcanic rock and sand, where said hostiles may very well be stationed.
"What was I thinking?" He quietly groans, nervously glancing between the Toads and the jungle's fringe.
'Oh wait. I wasn't'
The fruit-eater's logical half was telling him that he needed to call this off. Sure, the jungle and volcano were always dangerous, but the Yoshi was confident he could handle the hostile locals. This, however, was different. The native had no idea what to expect from this new threat.
He did not like this unknown variable.
The Yoshi may be worrying over nothing, but it wasn't worth risking the lives of his guests. The native sighs as he takes a step forward, preparing to address the foreigners, when new thoughts freeze him in his tracks. He peers at the morbid sand castle in his peripheral, considering these new points. This is where the fruit-eater's illogical half decides to step in and contribute.
He did defeat those Spear Guys pretty easily.
'You just admitted they were caught off guard!' The logical half cries.
Ignored.
Surely a real threat would hire better followers.
'Powerful individuals draft incompetent help all the time!'
Ignored.
When was the last time he had a close call anyway?
'The last close call was just a few minutes ago! The spear thrown by that Grass Skirt barely missed impaling you! How do you not remember that?!'
Ignored.
Nothing from this island had ever brought him to his knees, what difference will a few new opponents make?
'Sure, you've handled things fairly well so far, but you don't know anything about the island's latest occupants. You just went over this! Seriously, what the hell?!'
…When was the last time he had visitors? That weren't hostile?
A pause.
'…Again, do you really want to put them at risk?'
The Yoshi was going in circles; running the same points, both pros and cons, over and over again in his head. In the end, irrationality (and a touch of selfishness) won. He didn't know anything about these Toads (Other than they seemed a bit…weird. Though who was he to talk?), but the promise of company that wasn't after his head was too tempting.
He'll admit it. He was that desperate for social interaction.
"Ugh, I'm pathetic." The native mutters.
The fruit-eater takes a calming breath, attempting to re-gain the nerve to speak to his guests about the tour. To ease his guilt over his decision, the Yoshi promises himself he will immediately lead the Toads back to the beach at the first sign of anything out of the ordinary. It wasn't much, but it would do for the moment.
When the native turns his attention back to the foreigners, he finds the Toads still huddled together, speaking quietly and occasionally casting a glance at him as well as the looming jungle. The Yoshi tilts his head, wondering just what his peculiar guests were discussing. Were they going to change their minds about going on the tour? Admittedly, the trip did sound a little intimidating. Then again, that Toad with the green spotted cap didn't seem nervous when he asked about it. In fact, looking at their features now as they speak, they don't look the slightest bit upset. If anything, the foreigners seem…
Relieved?
That's one of the expressions anyway. The orange and green capped Toads kept sharing knowing, somewhat devious looks. The yellow capped Toad, donning a flawless poker face, was a mystery. The fruit-eater wasn't quite sure what to make of the spectacle, but he couldn't help feeling like these strangers knew something he didn't. His eyes widen slightly, a troubling thought suddenly passing through his mind.
Did they…know something about the latest hostile inhabitants?
Maybe they were working for them.
Though he had only been vaguely paying attention, he remembered a few words the ragged Toads had exchanged.
"What I want to know is why you're lazing about when we have work to do?!"
"It won't matter if we find what we're looking for if we're too weak to do anything about it!"
Pretty damn suspicious if you ask him.
Whether or not they were involved with…whatever the hell was going on, he couldn't say, but it would be a good idea to keep up his guard. Most would laugh at the idea of a Toad being up to anything malicious, but the Yoshi knew better than to go by stereotypes. (He was a freakin' example!) Call it paranoia, but the native had a feeling these 'tourists' weren't interested in the volcano for its beauty. They were hiding something, he just didn't know what.
Suddenly, he didn't feel so guilty about withholding information.
For now, the fruit-eater will feign ignorance. He will take the Toads on the tour, treat them like any other guest, and protect them just as he initially promised. If the Toads display any adverse behavior, or give him a reason to believe they have hostile intentions…
The Yoshi will take care of them himself.
'Just once,' he mentally sighs. 'I would like to interact with others and not have to question their motives…'
He takes another step forward, ready to commence with his 'performance'. The native clears his throat.
"Um…Are you three alright?" He calls, lacing his words with a tone of concern instead of suspicion. "I hope you're not having second thoughts about the tour…"
The green Toad quickly turns to face the 'worried' native, looking remarkably like a child caught in the act of misbehaving.
"Oh! No! No no no we're still interested! We were just uh…" He glances around, trying to think of something to say to put the fruit-eater at ease. "…making sure we have enough coins to pay you for your services!"
"Nice save." The yellow capped Toad whispers. Whether or not he was being sarcastic, the green Toad couldn't tell.
The Yoshi perks at the topic of payment, ignoring the fact he never mentioned his rates to the Toads. He wasn't a particularly greedy individual, just a guy who was tight on cash-err, coins. Most of his supplies were acquired through trade, so having a little extra spending money was a luxury that the native didn't mind having every now and then.
He shakes his head, clearing from his mind the fantasy of getting to buy a drink instead of spending hours gathering fruit to prepare one.
"Ah, well, we can discuss that later." The fruit-eater waves off absent mindedly. "I tend to let the quality of my work set the price. We do, however, need to head over to my hut and fill out some paperwork. Nothing major, shouldn't take more than a few minutes." He nods to their crummy boat. "Do you need help carrying any of your luggage by the way?"
"No thanks Yoshi, I think we got—"
"READY TO GO!"
The orange Toad glares at his yellow capped friend in irritation for cutting him off, then in surprise to see his companion already donning his hiking bag. He quickly shakes off the mild shock, remembering just who he was dealing with, before strolling over to the boat to get his own supplies, the green Toad following suit.
The Yoshi on the other hand, was not so quick to brush this off.
"What the—" Mouth agape, he points wildly from the yellow Toad's original spot, to the boat, and back to his current position. "How did you—"
"I don't need help carrying my stuff, but I've always wanted to ride a Yoshi on the beach."
The Yoshi jolts in surprise, finding the voice's source, the yellow capped Toad, but an arm's length away. Again he finds himself tripping over his questions. How did the Toad get there? One minute he was near the boat, the Yoshi saw something flit in his vision, and then there he was: standing in front of him as if he'd been there the whole time.
Another flit.
"Would you carry me to…where ever it is we're going?"
Now the yellow Toad was at his side, looking from the native's eyes to his blue saddle.
"C-carry?" The fruit-eater was starting to develop a rather nasty headache.
"…I'm going to take that as a yes!"
A sudden weight makes itself known on the Yoshi's back, sufficiently startling the thoroughly confused native. Instinct swiftly takes over, pushing aside the fact he was carrying a (soon to be) paying costumer, and before he can stop himself, the fruit-eater begins furiously bucking. The Yoshi throws himself forward, outstretched hands connecting with the sand as his backside passes quickly over his head. The fluid, yet oddly violent, flip sends the yellow capped Toad flying through the air, landing head first in the sand a considerable distance away.
Panting, face contorted with rage, the Yoshi slowly rises to his feet. He lets out an angry growl that somehow manages to sound both cute (damn his race) and threatening at the same time. The native huffs in satisfaction, pleased to see how far he tossed the now unmoving Toad, before rationality catches up to him. His brilliant blue eyes widen at the realization of what just transpired. He slowly turns back to the orange and green capped Toads, silently praying to all the stars in Star Haven that they didn't see what had happened.
They did.
Damn it.
Jaws unhinged, the two Toads sweep their gaze over the scene. Their attention starts at their fallen comrade before slowly trailing back to the tour guide. When the native meets their eyes he detects multiple emotions: surprise, confusion, and…that last one…they were…
Impressed?
He doesn't dwell on it. With a shake of the head and the flailing of arms, the Yoshi immediately dives into a mixture of excuses and apologies.
"I-It was a reflex!" He begins rather loudly, as if he felt his guests had trouble hearing him. "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean—" The Yoshi abruptly turns and starts running to his accidental victim. "Aw shit!"
The fruit eater slides to a stop and drops to his knees, hands hovering hesitantly over the limp Toad. His victim's head was completely buried in sand, body perfectly balanced over said head, limbs drooping uselessly at each side. Again, the Yoshi couldn't help but think how cartoony it all seemed, and would have found it humorous if he currently wasn't terrified that he unintentionally killed a guy. (Who happened to be a costumer, but that was less important.)
Eventually, the native decides on awkwardly digging around the yellow Toad's head, fiercely muttering a variety of things like: "Please don't be dead!" or "This wouldn't have happened if you had stayed off my back!" and even "Gee, I'm glad he didn't land near my morbid 'sand castle'." The Yoshi pauses in his excavation when he notices the presence of the other Toads. He peers over his shoulder, twisting slightly to face them, before babbling more apologies.
Sure, the native was still suspicious of the peculiar visitors, but he had no intention of inflicting harm unless they proved his theories correct.
As the fruit-eater continues to spew nonsensically, something about unexplained rapid movement and a killer headache, he finds himself gauging the reactions of his guests. The Yoshi expected anger, or at the very least fear, but these two didn't seem bothered that the native had shown their companion the shitty side of participating in a rodeo. The orange and green capped Toads wore rather neutral expressions with a slight hint of boredom, like someone sitting through a lecture for a subject they neither hated nor loved. What kind of friends behaved so apathetically to such a serious situation?
"You're funny."
The native whirls around to his left, coming face to face with the yellow Toad. He blinks several times at the foreigner, who had supposedly been unconscious a moment ago, then looks over at the now vacant hole. This pattern continuous, with slight variation, until the yellow capped Toad speaks again.
"And weird."
The Yoshi narrows his eyes at the little mushroom person and opens his mouth to retort when the green capped Toad beats him to it.
"He's weird? There's no one in all of existence that you can say that to and it actually mean something."
Flit.
The yellow Toad now stands before the fruit-eater's defender, chest puffed, arm raised with a single finger pointed in silent declaration. He opens his mouth, about to offer a rebuttal, when he suddenly deflates. (Not literally, though with this strange Toad that doesn't seem out of the question.)
"Eh, you have a point."
His companion smirks in triumph, shouldering his bag before turning back to the dumbfounded native. The green capped Toad narrows his eyes slightly in confusion when the Yoshi motions to his yellow capped companion, the gesture demanding an explanation.
"…What?"
The native gives him a look, one that clearly inquired if he was seriously asking such a thing. In response, the green Toad mentally slaps himself, unable to believe he didn't realize the cause behind the fruit-eater's freak out.
"Oh! Dang…I keep forgetting that other people aren't used to…" He eyes his yellow capped friend extending an arm in his direction. "…that."
The orange Toad looks to his green friend.
"Aren't used to what?" He stares at the yellow Toad for a moment when it suddenly dawns on him. Like his green capped compatriot, the orange Toad also mentally assaults himself. "Ooooh…right. It doesn't really faze me anymore so I didn't even think to say anything."
Both Toads turn back to the still very much confused Yoshi.
"Yikes." They hiss in unison.
The native closes his eyes and tilts his head back, willing the headache to cease in its relentless torment.
"Yes, that's a word to describe all this." He groans irritably. "Now are you going to explain or…?"
The green capped Toad turns to the Toad in question.
"Do you want to tell it or should I?"
His yellow capped friend plops down unceremoniously in the sand, smiling at the somewhat disturbed fruit-eater.
"I'll do it. I think you got to explain last time."
The Yoshi cracks a lid at that. From the sound of it, this was more or less routine for the odd little group. Though with what he just witnessed, he really shouldn't be surprised. Such a spectacle deserved some form of explanation.
"Hmm…how can I make this as short and sweet as possible?" The little mushroom person muses aloud. "Well, my parents are very superstitious people. The kind you'd see carry around charms or go on and on about good and bad omens, that sort of thing." He twirls a hand. "They are especially fond of seeing fortune tellers. Heck, I don't think they ever made an important decision without consulting one first!"
The orange and green capped Toads drop their bags and take a seat next to the Yoshi, too lazy to continue standing during their friend's short tale.
"Anyways, the moment my sister and I started to crawl, my folks thought it would be a good idea to bring us with 'em instead of leaving us with a nanny like they usually did. Old enough to crawl, old enough to have our fortunes read, or something dumb like that." The Toad stretches with a yawn. "So after my fortune was read and my sister was taking her turn, I did what any baby would do: I crawled away. My parents were too busy asking the fortune teller about my sibling that they didn't notice me wander off."
The native fully opens his eyes and regards the yellow Toad. He had an idea where this story was heading, but wanted to hear it out before he made any assumptions.
"There I am: a baby exploring a fortune teller's home. What do you think fortune tellers have in their homes? Charms, artifacts, magical junk. What would most people do when they saw this stuff? Well, if they're sensible, they'd politely look but not touch anything. What would a baby do if they saw this stuff? They wouldn't just touch 'em, they'd put 'em in their frickin' mouth! What tends to happen when infants puts small objects in their mouth?"
He looks to the Yoshi expectantly, wanting him to answer the rhetorical question. The native's first thought is to say 'they choke', but that obviously didn't work for this scenario.
"They swallow them." The Yoshi replies.
The yellow capped Toad throws his hands up.
"Yes! Little ol' baby me swallowed a magical item. Eventually my folks noticed my absence and took off searching the house for me. You can imagine their shock when they found their son glowing like the…err…sun." He grimaces at the unintended homonym. "The fortune teller was furious. Not with me, I was a baby after all, didn't know any better, but with my parents. She told them I had eaten a powerful item, and a rare one at that. Mom and dad pleaded for forgiveness, saying they would have my stomach pumped and return it immediately."
The fruit-eater raises a brow. These didn't seem like very good parents. First they lose track of their kid in place full of unknown and possibly dangerous objects, then their first thought is to pump their son's stomach just to return something he ate? Not to, you know, save his life. In the Yoshi's opinion, there would be more pressing matters than repaying a debt if his child had swallowed something mysterious and turned into a living light bulb.
…heh. Him a father. Heh heh.
"The fortune teller told them such a procedure would accomplish nothing, for once the object is ingested, it is quickly absorbed into the body. I was stuck with it for the rest of my life." The Toad's line of sight finds itself poised over the ocean, a somewhat distant look clouding his eyes. "As punishment for their carelessness, my parents were told to never seek her advice again. That wouldn't be a big deal to most people, but it devastated them. She was without a doubt their most trusted source." He chuckles. "When I first heard this story from my folks, I told them she couldn't have been that great if she didn't predict the accident in the first place. You know, to cheer them up."
The native smiles, mentally agreeing with the statement. He also admired the Toad's attempt to uplift his mother and father, even though they hadn't proved to be the best parents. The Yoshi's grin falters, however, when he notices the Toad develop the slightest of frowns.
"They told me fortune telling didn't work that way."
The fruit-eater gawks. What kind of response is that when your friggin' kid is trying to make you feel better?!
"Eh, where was I? Oh yeah! The fortune teller was at least kind enough to inform my parents of my condition before throwing them out. She said health wise I would be fine, and the glow would wear off in a few days." The yellow capped Toad meets the Yoshi's eyes. "As for the abilities it gave me…"
In the blink of an eye, the Toad was gone.
"You can…teleport?" The Yoshi guesses. With all that he had seen, it seemed pretty obvious.
"Well, kinda." The reply comes from behind the native, causing him to whip around. "But that's only part of it."
Before the fruit-eater can ask what the Toad meant, the foreigner reaches down and picks up a seashell, gesturing to it.
"Watch."
The native does just that, observing as the yellow Toad turns to the sea and holds the shell up in preparation to throw. The strange visitor takes a couple steps forward before throwing the projectile as hard as he can, and the moment he does, the Yoshi rears back in surprise. It was as if someone fired off a bullet bill at an incredible speed. A second later, the shell was well over the horizon, completely out of sight.
'Super stren—'
The sound of an explosion cuts off further thought.
The Yoshi's jaw goes slack upon seeing a towering inferno in the distance. There was nothing out there. Nothing but miles of ocean. What could the shell have possibly hit to create an explosion of that size? A sea mine? Those are underwater; they wouldn't produce a blaze like that. What about a—
"You should have used a bigger shell. That blast was kinda puny."
The fruit-eater turns to the orange capped Toad with a look of disbelief. How would the size of the shell have made a difference? Unless…
"Wait, you mean the seashell was the thing that blew up?"
He shrugs.
"I dunno. Probably."
"Wha—"
"Don't bother questioning it." The green Toad cuts in. "Your sanity will last longer."
"Again. Wha—"
"I can distort reality!" The yellow Toad cries cheerfully, also feeling the need to interrupt the Yoshi.
Said Toad suddenly levitates a few feet off the ground, before just as quickly dropping back into the sand, landing awkwardly on his back.
"Yeah, and he can't really control his 'gift' that well." The green capped Toad adds, watching his friend get to his feet with dull interest. "Even then, he's pretty limited in what he can do."
"It wears me out if I use it too much or if I use a lot of power at once." The yellow Toad elaborates, glancing out at the dissipating smoke on the horizon. "Another stunt like that and I'll be out of it for a while."
The Yoshi nods thoughtfully, carefully digesting all this new information. He felt a little more at ease after the explanation (as farfetched as it was), and though it still quite didn't make a whole lot of sense, the native was willing to leave it be. This revelation, however, left him wondering if his suspicion over the Toads was ill placed. After what he had seen and heard, the odd trio didn't seem like the villainous type. Of course, it was still too early to draw conclusions, and for all he knew, they could have made the whole story up to cover a more heinous origin of the peculiar abilities.
A mental shrug.
The fruit-eater would keep on his toes, just in case. In the meantime, he needed more clarity.
"So the cartoony dust cloud from your fight," he begins. "and the weird symbols, and your somewhat comical landing after I threw you from my saddle…" The native quietly mutters another apology at the topic. "That was all a part of your…condition?"
"Yup!" The yellow Toad grins. "It wasn't really on purpose though. Like we said, I don't always have control over when it occurs or what happens."
"It tends to be cartoon related, as you pointed out, because this guy's a sucker for that kind of stuff." The orange Toad tilts his head to the Toad in question.
"Yeah…I loved cartoons as a kid." The yellow Toad sighs, a wistful look gracing his features.
"You love them now." His green companion smirks.
A light laugh.
"You caught me."
The Yoshi grins, imagining the yellow capped Toad's parents trying to control a real life cartoon character, before continuing his inquiries.
"The teleporting, flitty thing you do, why do you use it so often? I thought you said using your power too much wore you out?" As an afterthought, he adds: "And why the heck does it give me a headache?"
"It's usually not a conscious action, but I think he almost has to do it to…I dunno, work off excess energy. I guess it levels him out instead of exhausting him." The orange capped Toad answers, grumbling as he continues. "As for the headaches…I sympathize. It took a little while for me to get used to them."
"Ditto." The green Toad groans.
"Eventually, I suppose I grew…immune? I don't know. Don't worry, you'll adjust pretty quickly. I'm afraid I can't say why the headaches happen, but then again nothing makes sense when it comes to this friggin' thing."
The yellow Toad grins sheepishly, mouthing an apology.
"Also, I'm pretty sure he has some form of ADHD."
"Hey!"
The fruit-eater watches his guests exchange playful jabs, amused, before rising from his knees and brushing off the sand sticking to his legs. He stretches, arms raised high over his head, when a voice startles him.
"…You're bleeding."
The dull pounding in his head lets the native know who it is before even turning to face the speaker. He regards the yellow capped Toad standing to his left, blinking dumbly with jaw unhinged.
"What?"
The strange guest points to fruit-eater's side, just under his left arm.
"I said you're bleeding."
The Yoshi tilts his head, silently agreeing with the orange Toad's joke over his companion's attention issues. One minute the little mushroom person was joking with his compatriots, the next he was saying something about the native bleedi—
Wait, bleeding?
The fruit-eater peers under his arm, twisting slightly to get a better look at his side. The yellow capped Toad was right. He was bleeding. In all the…err…excitement, the Yoshi had forgotten about the mild injury he acquired from the spear. What was once a light graze, was now considerably larger. The cut had extended in length and widened slightly, allowing a steady flow of blood, a bit more than a trickle, to snake down his side.
Still not life threatening, but definitely in need of treatment.
'It must have happened when I threw the Toad…' The Yoshi muses, hand hovering over the wound. In hindsight, thrashing around like an angry bull hadn't been such a good idea. (Not that it had been intentional in the first place.)
"Oh…I suppose I am…" The native eventually replies, rather intelligently. He was partially lost in thought, still surprised he hadn't noticed the wound before it had been brought to his attention.
"How the heck did that happen?" The yellow Toad asks, brows raised.
"Uh…" The Yoshi fumbles, his gaze settling on the spears protruding from the ugly mound and the area where his chair had once stood. He silently curses when all three of his guests follow his line of sight, angry at his slip up.
"What is that?" The green capped Toad grimaces, sounding both disgusted and intrigued.
"T-that…" The native stammers, wracking his brain for ideas. "Is a part of a festival!"
The Toad trio turns back to him, quizzical expressions requesting explanation.
"I uh…was practicing for a spear throwing competition. It's one of the many challenges that take place during the festival."
"Ooooo when does the festival start?" The yellow Toad beams.
The Yoshi blinks in surprise.
"Um, not for a couple more weeks." He quickly replies.
"Aww…"
"Anyways…" The native continues, ignoring the crest fallen Toad. "That mound," He gestures to the sandcastle abomination. "was my target! I know, it's not pretty, but I don't see the point in making a nice one if I'm just going to be impaling it with weapons."
The peculiar visitors exchange a glance.
"So…you got that," The orange Toad points to the injury. "while you were practicing?"
His tone clearly conveyed that he wasn't buying it. If the native's hand had been cut, that would make sense, since it could have been from accidentally handling the weapon incorrectly. For the Yoshi to get a wound along his side like that, he would have had to inflict it upon himself intentionally. The more likely answer, however, suggested that someone else had done it.
The fruit-eater had been attacked.
"Yeah…" The Yoshi replies lamely. "I'm usually not so clumsy." He shrugs. "Accidents are bound to happen I suppose."
The orange Toad glances at his green capped companion, noting that by the look in his eyes, he didn't believe the fruit-eater's story either.
"That they do…"
An awkward silence descends upon the group, but only lasts for a short time as the green Toad breaks it with a sudden jolt of realization.
"Wait, what are we doing just sitting here? You need to get that cut taken care of!" He reasons, setting aside suspicions for the moment.
The green Toad pulls his bag into his lap and starts rifling through it, ignoring the Yoshi's following claim that he was fine and would treat it back at the hut. The foreigner swears under his breath, frustrated at how unorganized his supplies had gotten in recent days, before procuring a clean rag from the clutter. He tosses it to the native with little warning, not taking his eyes off the contents in his luggage.
"Here Yoshi, use that to staunch the wound while I try and find something more useful."
One of the fruit-eater's eyelids twitches. That was the second time he had been called Yoshi. He had ignored it the first time because of the following craziness with the yellow Toad, but the issue regarding his name needed to be addressed. The fruit-eater folds the rag and gently, but firmly, presses it to the cut, looking back at his guest.
"Um, thanks, but my na—"
"Doesn't that hurt Yoshi guy?"
Said 'Yoshi guy' turns his head to the yellow Toad, more surprised than anything with the interruption. You'd think he'd be used to them with their seemingly growing frequency.
"Well, it stings if that's what you mean." He responds, trying to hide his irritation at being referred to as Yoshi yet again (and so soon too!). "But it isn't anything to fuss over. Also, my name isn't—"
Flit.
"Whoa! Are your spikes really blue?!"
There's that headache again.
The Yoshi finds the yellow capped Toad now standing on his right side, intently focused on the back of his head, amazement apparent in the foreigner's eyes. The fruit-eater frowns as he raises a non-existent brow, not sure if he should address the umpteenth interruption or the extremely random question. He chooses the former.
"Do you ever let anyone finish speaking before opening your mouth?" The native snaps.
The visitor shrugs, blinking slowly.
"I 'unno. But seriously, I've never seen a green Yoshi with spikes colored something other than red…or is it orange?" He taps his chin thoughtfully (Do Toads even really have chins?), before shaking his head. "Whatever, doesn't matter. The point is, your spikes are blue! Why is that? Did you dye 'em that color? Paint 'em? Are you mutat—"
If the 'bridge' of the fruit-eater's nose wasn't so massive, he would have undoubtedly pinched it in exasperation. Was promised payment and a little company worth all this nonsense? For anyone else? No, probably not.
"If knowing really is that important to you," the Yoshi grinds out, struggling to keep a level tone. "my coloration is due to genetics." Duh. "Though it's rare for Yoshi's to have spikes of a different hue than their 'standard color pallet', it does happen. I'm an example obviously. It's really not that big of a deal, I mean, I've met other Canvas Yoshi's like me and they—"
"Whoa! Hold up!" The yellow Toad suddenly cries, raising his hands in a silencing gesture. "Canvas Yoshi?"
The native blinks, train of thought derailed. "Oh…it's just a label given to my kind who possess that particular strain of…" he trails off at the sight of Toad's amused expression. "What?"
"Nothing!" The foreigner squeaks, covering his mouth. "It's just…" He snorts.
Was he trying not to laugh?
The Yoshi casts a glance at the other Toads, expression demanding what the yellow oddity found so humorous. He is surprised to see the guests sharing odd looks, like they were silently criticizing something. The native's head snaps back to his somewhat irritating interrogator when light giggling draws his attention.
So much for the restraint.
"I've been told I can be quite the funny guy," The fruit-eater mutters in annoyance. "but I'm not sure how anything in my explanation can be considered comedic gold."
The orange capped Toad rolls his eyes.
"Don't mind dipstick there. Rarely anyone can understand why something strikes his funny bone." He raises a brow at his snickering companion. "Though, if I had to guess, I think he finds your title…"
"Dumb!" The yellow capped guest chirps, ignoring his friend's attempt at tact. "Seriously, Canvas Yoshi? Who came up with that stupid name?"
The orange Toad hides his face in his hands, mortified by his comrade's outburst, as the green Toad continues shuffling through his supplies, desperately trying to look like he missed the entire exchange. Eyes narrowed, the Yoshi sputters indignantly, searching for any kind of response to the rather rude words.
"I-I don't know! I didn't choose it!" The native squawks truthfully, though not any less embarrassed. "Who are you to judge anyway, huh? What would you call us?" He challenges, feeling rather childish in the process.
The yellow capped offender swiftly dons a rather contemplative look, massaging his non-existent chin thoughtfully as he stares at an unknown point in the distance. After a few surprisingly tense seconds, the foreigner's eyes light up, and he moves a hand in an arching motion, as if painting the words in the air. (Again, with this Toad, it's a wonder this didn't literally happen.)
"Spectrum Yoshi." He breathes dreamily, barley above a whisper.
…What?
"How is that any better than the original?" The green Toad snaps, verbalizing the Yoshi's very thought.
"Yeah!" The orange capped Toad chimes in. "Besides, I kinda like…Pigment Yoshi."
The start of a nod from the native quickly morphs into a double take.
'Wha—? Now he's making a suggestion?!'
"You two don't know jack about naming things." The green capped Toad deadpans, lifting a small red and white box from his bag.
A smirk tugs at the Yoshi's lips.
'Finally. At least one person in this group has a brai—'
"If anything, Yoshi of Hue would be a more suitable title."
'Oh come on!'
"You know what?" The fruit-eater barks, clearly agitated. "I'll be sure to pass along these lovely suggestions at the next 'Canvas Yoshi meeting' so we can fix this apparent travesty of a name! It'll be at the top of our little club's to-do list I assure you."
The sheepish looks at the blatant sarcasm calms the Yoshi, if only a little. After a few mumbled apologies from the small group, the green Toad smoothly rises and trots over to the fuming native, white and red container in hand. He opens the box, revealing its contents, as he carefully passes it to the fruit-eater.
"Here, this should take care of that cut…"
The Yoshi blinks, having nearly forgotten why the Toad had been rummaging through his luggage, before gently taking the small storage device. He peers inside, expecting bandages or gauze, but is pleasantly surprised to find a mushroom. From what the native heard, Toads tended to avoid using mushrooms for medical treatment unless the injury/illness was relatively severe. The reason escaped him, though he dully wondered if it had anything to do with, you know, the fact that they were sort of like mushrooms themselves.
The fruit-eater lightly shakes his head, attempting to clear his mind of the unimportant tidbit, as he retrieves the useful fungus from the box. He felt silly using such a handy item for a measly cut, but the native had a feeling the strange guests would insist upon its use even if he were to attempt to decline. He made a mental note to replenish their supplies when they got to his hut.
The Yoshi makes quick work of the mushroom (being the surprisingly self-conscience eater that he was) and, upon feeling its near immediate effects, delicately removes the somewhat bloody rag from his wound. Well, what once was a wound anyway. The previously afflicted area showed no signs of injury, not even the faintest of scars. The native rolls his shoulder and twists his body slightly, emitting a pleased hum when his actions are not met with any pain.
Those spotted fungi sure worked wonders.
"Ah…much better." The native sighs, clearly content. "Thanks for that—" His eyes suddenly widen, hand gesturing wildly as if grasping for words. "Uh…"
The Toads exchange a look, bewildered by the Yoshi's odd behavior, when the green capped Toad gasps in realization.
"Holy—! How could we have been so rude?!"
When the foreigner's companions peer at him, expressions begging for elaboration, the green Toad chooses to continue.
"We never told him our names!"
The other guests join their friend in shocked mortification, unable to believe they had been interacting with the native this entire time without once thinking to introduce themselves. They could only imagine how awkward the Yoshi had felt, not knowing how exactly to address the quirky tourists during their conversations. In reality, the fruit-eater hadn't really noticed the lack of title exchanges (including his own) until that very moment. For all he knew, with his occasionally unreliable memory, the peculiar Toads had already introduced themselves and he had forgotten, hence the embarrassing flailing.
…but they didn't need to know that.
The foreigners frantically scramble so that they are standing in a neat line, shoulder to shoulder, facing the native. Said native found the arrangement rather formal, perhaps even a bit militaristic, not at all something you'd expect from tourists looking to unwind. He mentally files away the observation, yet again finding himself questioning his guests, when the orange capped Toad redirects his attention.
"Please excuse our rude behavior Yoshi," The orange visitor bows slightly as he speaks. "it's been so long since we've been in polite company, I'm afraid we've forgotten our manners."
The fruit-eater would have burst into laughter at the 'polite company' bit if it hadn't raised a red flag. (Him? Polite company? He wasn't a bad guy but…polite company? Ha!) Though he didn't interact with Toads on a regular basis, he knew enough about their general mannerisms that their people prided themselves on displaying proper etiquette, especially those native to Toad Town. Of course, it could be argued that his guests were from a different settlement (after all, they never said where they were from), but their attire led the native to believe otherwise.
The orange capped Toad (Who, for some reason, was still apologizing.) was wearing a light, yet durable, orange and grey hooded jacket. His green capped companion (Who threw in a few of his own pleas for forgiveness.) sported a black, button-up vest over a short sleeved green shirt. The yellow capped Toad (Who, thank the stars, was not making a big deal out of the situation like his friends.) bore a simple light grey baseball tee with yellow sleeves and (Oddly, yet appropriately enough.) an infinity symbol on the chest.
So how exactly did the foreigner's wardrobe reveal their origin? Well, to be frank, tourists from Toad Town never seemed to dress appropriately for their travel destination. Either that or they went overboard by donning cliché safari clothes or even floral printed shirts. (Ugh.) The yellow Toad's baseball tee wasn't too bad, but a jacket and business casual clothes on a tropical island?
Definitely Toad Townies.
Okay, so the native's guests were from Toad Town and had questionable attire, big deal! The point of this little evaluation was not to criticize their fashion (Especially when the critic walks around wearing nothing but shoes and a saddle.), but to clarify a possible underlying meaning to the foreigner's words. The orange Toad just said they hadn't been in polite company in a long time. How can Goody Goodies, living in a town filled with other Goody Goodies, not be in 'polite company' for an extended period? Unless, of course, they have been vacationing for quite some time and this island is just one of their many stops. Or, perhaps, they've been with more…sinister individuals.
Like the ones now lurking on this island.
The Yoshi closes his eyes and takes a deep breath, desperately trying to slow down his overactive mind. Arguments and counter arguments were angrily swirling around in the native's head, only making him more confused as he attempted to determine if his suspicions were justified or if he was looking too far into things. The latter seemed more likely, but the constant buzz of other words was making it difficult to concentrate. It took the fruit-eater a moment to realize the distraction wasn't his thoughts, but some other outside audible babble. He opens his eyes, finding the lips of the foreigner's still flapping away.
'They're still talking?!' The native mentally groans.
"Alright! I get it!" The Yoshi snaps with exasperation, effectively silencing the visitors. Then, more gently, he adds: "It's okay, you're forgiven. I really wasn't broken up about it in the first place. Just…introduce yourselves and let's move on."
The Toads share neutral glances before smiling sheepishly, realizing they had indeed blown the situation out of proportion. Upon seeing their expressions, the native can't help but feel a little remorseful for losing his patience with his guests.
"Sorry about that, Yoshi." The orange Toad chuckles awkwardly. "Let's try this again."
'Yoshi…Yoshi!' The fruit-eater tenses angrily the moment that word passes through the Toad's lips. All guilt suddenly finds itself replaced by a quiet, yet intense fury.
"My name is—"
"Toad #1." The Yoshi deadpans, cutting off the orange capped visitor.
The foreigner blinks, surprised by the interruption.
"E-excuse me?"
"You heard me, Toad #1." The native smirks, pleased by his improvised idea for 'revenge'. "That is your name. Just as his is Toad #2," He points to the green capped Toad. "and his is Toad #3." He gestures to the yellow Toad.
The peculiar guests narrow their eyes in confusion, looking to each other in hope that at least one member of the group knew what the fruit-eater was talking about.
"Uh…those aren't our names." The green Toad states rather intelligently.
"Really?" The native gasps, feigning shock. "But, surely all Toads are named Toad! I just assumed that seeing as all Yoshi's…" He pauses with a pointed glare, before continuing in a slightly dark tone. "…are named Yoshi."
Perplexed expressions slowly morph into those of realization.
"Oh…oh wow." The green Toad finally utters. "I can't believe…I-I didn't think—"
"That my species name and birth name are not one in the same?" The Yoshi raises a brow. "Geez, one of my people who happened to be named Yoshi becomes famous, and now everyone in the Mushroom Kingdom and beyond thinks that's what we all go by?! I used to think at least Toads understood what it was like to deal with that stereotype, but I guess I was wrong."
The foreigners flinch. They were actually quite familiar with the species vs. name issue. As the Yoshi implied, one of their own people's celebrities was named after their species. It was hard not feeling a little resentment to the source of the annoyance (Toad was a great guy from what they gathered, but come on! Get a name change!), for when the trio journeyed beyond their hometown, they too found themselves being addressed in such a manner. Yet here they were, doing the same thing to the native.
Hello hypocrisy.
Several muttered apologies elicit a slight eye roll from the native. He found it amusing, if not a little odd, that a species that praised manners seemed to forget them so frequently. The Yoshi shakes his head, silently reminding himself how unreliable stereotypes really were. After all, isn't that what this stupid argument is stemming from?
"In all fairness, and don't take this the wrong way," The orange Toad eventually voices, feeling the need to defend his group. "but when you 'introduced yourself' you didn't actually…introduce yourself. You just said 'insert name here'..."
The Yoshi blinks, suddenly recalling that he had, in fact, read everything written for his pitch verbatim, including the notes and instructions. His embarrassment over the matter is surprisingly dwarfed by a strange feeling of admiration. It wasn't often that the fruit-eater was 'back-talked'.
"Heh, I did didn't I?" The Yoshi grins, tilting his head. "Even so, you should have asked me for my name instead of making assumptions. I mean, you didn't hear me calling any of you Toad until I decided to make a point now did you?"
No one opened their mouth to argue. When the visitors thought back on their exchanges, not once could they recall being referred to as Toad. The Yoshi had kept his addresses to simple 'you's' and 'he's' throughout the conversation. Of course, the foreigners could counter that the native should have asked for their names as well, but they felt it pointless, and, honestly, didn't want this rather ridiculous debate to be drawn out any further.
"True…" The green capped Toad slowly admits.
"So…" The yellow capped Toad begins after a moment's pause. "What is your name anyway?"
The small group looks expectantly at the Yoshi, eager to hear his true title. The native flashes a cavalier smile before offering a reply.
"Oh no. You're not getting it that easily." He chuckles, somewhat aware of his immaturity. "Until I feel you've learned your lesson, you will continue to refer to me as Yoshi."
The trio gawks in disbelief. After all that fuss made over being called Yoshi, the native is going to punish the foreigners by having them address him as…Yoshi. They didn't know if that was childish or stupid. (Probably both.)
"In addition to that," The fruit-eater continues, as if reading the minds of his guests. "I will call you Toad #1, Toad #2, and Toad #3 respectively."
"…You're…joking right?" The green Toad asks with a hint of dubiety.
"Not at all!" The Yoshi chirps, clearly amused by the tone of his guest's inquiry. "I don't expect you to call each other by those names, though it would help your case, but I fully intend to."
The group collectively groans, not at all liking this arrangement, when the orange capped visitor suddenly perks.
"I…suppose I can put up with the name. After all," He turns to his green capped friend with a smirk. "I have been dubbed Toad #1."
The green Toad fixes his companion with a heated glare, the desired response successfully elicited. Before the green foreigner can offer the appropriate retort, the native decides to intervene.
"I wouldn't be so proud of that title if I were you." The Yoshi chides playfully. "You aren't named Toad #1 because you're the best or have my favor. In fact, I gave you that title because you're at the top of my shit list."
The green capped Toad doubles over in laughter at his companion's expression upon hearing this information. Toad #1 shoots his comrade a look before turning back to the native.
"W-why?! What the heck did I do to you?!" He stammers, gesturing wildly.
"You were the first to call me Yoshi." The fruit-eater replies nonchalantly. "And you've called me it the most."
One of the orange Toad's eyelids twitches. Was this guy seriously keeping tabs on something so trivial?
"Oh come on!" He whines pathetically. "They all called you Yoshi too! Why should the amount matter?" The orange capped Toad thrusts an arm toward his yellow capped friend. "And he gave you headaches and tried to ride you! How is that not worse than what I did?!"
"Well, Toad #2 healed me, so that aided his place in the ranks." The Yoshi begins, nodding at the green clad Toad. "As for him…" He gives the yellow Toad a thoughtful look, as if he too didn't understand his own decision, before continuing. "The headache issue isn't his fault, so I let that slide. The bit about being ridden is a good point, but I feel the painful landing after getting launched makes us even. Also…"
The fruit-eater trails off, narrowing his eyes slightly.
"He just…looks like a three."
"…what?" The orange Toad deadpans while his yellow comrade beams, as if this made perfect sense.
"I dunno." The Yoshi shrugs. "The number three just sounds so energetic. It suits him."
Toad #1 considers asking how a number can be energetic (though deep down he had a feeling the native was referring to the pronunciation), but ultimately decides against it. The trio had spent enough time on the beach conversing with the odd native, too much actually. The orange capped Toad silently scolds himself for becoming so easily distracted. Petty arguments over names weren't important. They needed to get moving.
They still had a mission to complete.
"Sure…I guess it does…" Toad #1 mumbles awkwardly, trying to think of a polite way to steer the conversation back to the 'jungle tour'.
He glances at his green capped companion, gaining the latter's attention with a subtle nudge. Toad #2 turns his head questioningly to the orange foreigner, eyes widening in understanding when his friend looks to the jungle's fringe.
"In any case, I'm sure we'll work this out," The green Toad starts, glancing deliberately at the fruit-eater. "on the way to the volcano."
The Yoshi's eyes widen.
"Oh that's right! The jungle tour!" He cries, frantically gathering up the bags of his guests. "I can't believe I forgot!"
The foreigners watch in bewilderment as the Yoshi continues down the beach, not even bothering to check if his clients were following. Exchanging looks, the trio hurries after the native, calling out in confusion.
"Where are you going?!" Toad #2 asks, tripping slightly as he tries to match the fruit-eater's pace.
"To my hut remember?" The Yoshi replies, glancing over his shoulder. "We'll need to stock up and fill out the appropriate paper work before going into the jungle."
"Is that really necessary?" The orange capped Toad gasps, also having difficulties keeping up with the native. "We're kind of on a—err—tight schedule."
The fruit-eater's brow twitches slightly at the comment, but chooses to bite back his blossoming inquiries in favor of answering.
"If you're under my care it is." He states evenly. "Besides, it won't take very long. We'll be in the jungle before you know it. I promise."
Toad #1 opens his mouth to protest when the sand sculpted 'target' catches his eye in passing. The foreigner carefully regards the spears protruding from it, a feeling of unease suddenly settling over his person.
"If you say so…" He mutters quietly.
Author's Notes:
Good lord that's a heck of a chapter! Over ten thousand words? Really? Yes really.
This bugger's been complete for sometime now, I've just been re-reading/re-writing the crap out of it. In other words: I was (and still am to a degree) far from satisfied. Then I thought, "Eff it, good enough" and here we are.
Ugh.
We learn quite a bit this chapter. Like...my characters second guess themselves. A lot. And...everyone is suspicious of everyone. :p
Fun fact about Toad #3's "power": In the comic that inspired this story, Toad #3 was a character that revolved around nonsensical visual humor, and his "abilities" had no explanation. I wasn't sure how to translate this effectively into a written work, so I came up with a rather derp back story so his antics wouldn't seem quite so...random. Even though they are...Fak I dunno.