Chapter 18: A Short Rest of the Day

I flew through the clear skies as fast as I could without dropping Gemini from my arms. I stayed high up, so on the off chance I did fail to keep him in my grasp I'd have enough time to rescue him before he plunged into the watery depths below. I made my way past Toad Town, relying on my memory to get back to the Mario Bros. house in record time. The helicopter was still there, which was no surprise considering what I knew as of now. I lowered my feet and landed on the ground in front of the porch steps, carefully making certain that I wouldn't cause a large gust to be kicked up by my sudden halting this time.

After I got a grip of my surroundings I looked around, finding it odd how quiet it was all things considered. Driad's lack of presence in his pot was the first thing I noticed, and Luigi not immediately coming out of the door to greet me was the next thing I realized. While it was nearing lunchtime, Luigi couldn't possibly have been cooking now, could he? A check was in order here, so I walked up to the doorway and with a nudge of my right shoulder it creaked open. The kitchen didn't have anybody in it, and there wasn't any food laid out either. "I guess Luigi probably went to Nimbus Land like he said he would…" I said, recalling what the man in green had noted before he left.

Gemini was still quiet in my arms, but a quick look at his face revealed a smile that showed that he was in a peaceful slumber. "I'll just lay him down on Mario or Luigi's bed for now then…" I walked through the house, and upon entering the living room I heard a voice call to me in surprise "Oh! Welcome home big bro!" I turned to the right and who else would be sitting in a chair waiting for me but Driad, his eyes brimming with happiness before he noticed Gemini lying in my arms, at which point he widened them in surprise and got out of his seat, running around the table to get closer to me as I turned my body towards him.

He stands on his tip-toes to look at Gemini's face, noting his relaxed expression before asking "Is he ok?" I nod my head, and with a relieved sigh Driad swipes his right vine against his forehead and lowers himself into a normal position. "That's good, Florence will be happy to hear that." He says. That brought a quick question to my mind that I asked my floral friend "Where is Florence actually?" Driad pointed towards the bedroom, turning his head there with his eyelids lifted slightly. "I laid him down on Luigi's bed with his permission. After the two of us tended to his wounds, he thanked us and fell asleep. I imagine he'll be napping for a few more hours, just to wake up in time for dinner."

"What a convenient time to have a conversation about what type of person he is…" I murmured to myself, which Driad overheard and he quickly turned his head to me in confusion and said "Huh?" Which I responded to with a "What?" And the Crayzee Dayzee then dropped the issue and lowered his vine before he turned the rest of his body towards me. "Say, why do you look a bit down there Mew?" Without even realizing it, my eyelids apparently began to slant and the rest of my face had shifted to a somber expression. I snapped out of it the moment Driad pointed it out though, denying what had been asked with a few shakes of the head and quickly thought up answer of "Nothing, nothing at all."

Driad tilts his head, his creaked eyelids clearly being used to show me that he had a hard time believing my answer. "Come on, I may be a bit goofy at times, but that doesn't mean I can't sense distress. So tell me, what's up?" I guess there was no point in hiding it since my flowery friend has already noted my feelings. After a brief sigh to show some reluctance, I closed my eyelids and said to Driad "There a lot of factors involved Driad. First is that I'm really hungry, second is that I barely managed to defeat Gemini, and third…" I paused for a moment there. I was about to say something that I would never be able to take back.

I was going to reveal the Chronicler's existence to Driad, explain to him everything I knew about him, how he has helped me, the story he told me about my forgotten past, the consequences of that revelation, and the trouble he is in now. After all, with him now in danger, there really wasn't any point in keeping his identity a secret, especially since Mr. Reality knew of his existence. But would now really be the best time? If anything, I'd rather have Luigi around before I dropped such heavy secrets out of my mouth. "…Actually, do you know when Luigi is going to be back?" I switch what was I gonna say at the last moment, asking Driad a question that would decide just when I should reveal my intel.

"Ummm, he said he'd back really early tomorrow. He wanted to stay the night at Nimbus Land in hopes that Mallow might awaken by the next morning so he could bring him back down." Well I guess that settled it then. If two of my friends were gonna come back tomorrow, then that would mean half of the group would be united in this house, and it would make it more convenient for me to reveal what I knew. "Alright, then I'll tell you the third thing tomorrow." Driad pouted, since he really wanted to hear the secret now. "Hey, don't worry about it, I'm not trying to avoid saying anything, I just think it would be better if everyone else was here and conscious to hear it." That was the reasoning I gave to my friend, and after a few seconds of looking around the Crayzee Dayzee retracted his pout and replaced it with a smile, raising one vine up to pat me on the shoulder and says "Alright, I understand."

"Al-" I was almost about to say 'alright', and I think that's been used enough times in one conversation, so instead I said "Ok then." With that topic dealt with, Driad and I took Gemini into the bedroom and placed him on the red bed adjacent to Florence's green one. Once he was tucked into the sheets we checked up on Florence's condition. He wasn't sweating, so the pain wasn't harming him in his sleep, and he didn't have a fever, so he wasn't infected through the scar in his eye. All in all, both M.S.I. agents' conditions registered as A-OK on our scales, so we left the room relieved that they were recovering.

"So how long until Gemini wakes up?" Driad asked as he walked beside me. I shrugged my shoulders, replying to him with "I don't know. Its obviously not instantaneous like it was with Luigi…Really, Gemini was beaten up pretty badly before I confronted his 'Shadow', long story there, I'll tell you at lunch…So I'd just like to predict that he'll be back up and running by morning." That wasn't really me being optimistic, I was just going by what happened with Driad as an example. "We'll see, I guess…" Is all my flowery friend said in response. We then finally made it to the kitchen.

With Driad's help, the two of us made a lovely salad just before it hit 1:00, which we garnished with some Caesar dressing Luigi just happened to have in the refrigerator. It was a comforting meal, and left us both feeling satiated after we had consumed it fully. "Got to admit Driad…" I said as I laid back in the chair and patted my now full belly and let out a complimentary belch. "Those fruits and veggies of yours taste both fresh and delicious…" Driad shared my views, laying back and letting out a tiny, pleased moan from his mouth due to how full he was before replying to me with "Yeah…Though I will admit the first times I tried to make food I just…Well, ended up with fertilizer."

I widen my eyes briefly in disgusted shock, wondering just how it probably felt to have such excrement coming out of his body before saying to him "Ew…But how did you manage to overcome that flaw?" "I just focused on the fruit or vegetable I wanted to create myself, imagined how many fibers composed its being, and the rest was a piece of cake from there on." "But what about the ones that don't have fibers?" I asked, which left Driad frozen in place as he nervously stared at me and laughed. "Hehe…Yeah, I can't make those type of fruits or veggies yet. Don't think its possible for me, to be honest."

"Never know until you try though, but I'm still impressed by what you can make." My compliment earned yet another innocent smile from Driad. With nothing else to do at the table, the two of us cleaned up and went about our normal business for the day. I mainly relaxed and watched T.V. in the living room, since I had no reason to head into town. Driad joined me later after heading outside and tending to the garden, since he had volunteered to do that for Luigi while he was gone. Driad eventually convinced me to watch a movie with him, though I didn't really understand the plot. I think it was about an avenger who tried to get revenge for his slain family but attacked someone else unrelated to the incident, and he ended up dying because he wouldn't stop and the guy's friends got involved, but I don't know, it really was a pretty ridiculous plot…

The next thing you know, it is nearly time for dinner, and as the two of us get out of the couch with a smile from Driad and a confused expression from me we hear a light moaning noise coming from the bedroom. We turn to it, and find Florence stumbling out of the room with his left arm leaning against the doorway. He has his other hand rubbing against his good eyelid, letting out a tired yawn as his body leans forward slightly towards us. "Ugh…" He moans, opening his eyelid up and looking at us to say "Hey you guys…How long have I been out for?"

Driad and I looked at each other, then turned to Florence and fumbled a response from our mouths "Umm…About Six hours…" The Yoshi opened his eyelid and stopped leaning against the door, keeping his body steady as he blinks a few times in my general direction. "You already dealt with the Lightning Palace in that short amount of time?" He was really far off in his estimate, so I corrected him by saying "Oh heavens no…I finished about four hours ago. The temples really aren't hard to deal with now that I can fly again." Florence stood still for a few seconds, as if he realized something really important thanks to what I just confirmed.

"That means that…" He turns around, looks back into the room from which he emerged from, and with what I can only imagine to be an express of shock he runs in and goes to Gemini's bedside. He kneels down and begins talking to him, so Driad and I choose not to go in and interfere since its obviously personal. "Lets go make dinner while he is busy." I whispered into the Crayzee Dayzee's ear, and with a nod he agrees and we leave without saying another word. Once in the kitchen I start pilfering through the refrigerator to try and find something for us to cook. As I do though Driad says to me "Geez, first you, then Florence, then Gemini, and soon Mallow will be coming here to stay for a while…At this rate we are gonna need to get more chairs to seat everyone for each meal."

I could tell he was rustling through the silverware and drawers as he was talking, but I knew he would hear me chuckle at his remark all the same. "Heh…Yeah, assuming we even have enough food by that time…" Driad voices his concerns, and after a few more seconds of struggling to think up something to eat, mainly because of my lack of knowledge of the planet's foods and Driad's refusal to work with meat considering that the juices can sink into his vines, Florence comes into the kitchen and notices both of our puzzled expressions as we stand between the sink and the table while we lean our backs against the counter.

"What are you guys doing?" The Red Yoshi asked with his eye raised in curiosity. "Trying to figure out what to make for dinner…" Driad and I both responded, causing us to look at each in surprise due to how in-sync we were. "Well, if you don't mind me intruding your appliances for a moment…" Florence quickly makes his way towards the refrigerator, swinging open the door with his stout arms and quickly rummaging through the products inside for some unknown use. "What are you doing Florence?" I asked as I turned my head towards him with one hand still near the bottom of my face.

"I'm gonna make you guys dinner, since you were so kind as to provide me and Gemini hospitality while we recover and wait for the rest of the M.S.I. to be restored. Now lets see here…" A few seconds after explaining his sudden generosity, Florence pulls his body out, in the delicate grasp of his arms was a bunch of foods I didn't recognize. "What do you plan to do with those?" "I'm going to make an old Yoshi's Island delicacy. If you two could pardon yourselves for a few minutes I should be able to whip it up." He stood still, waiting for Driad and I to excuse ourselves from the vicinity of the sink so he could wash up some leaves, but as we headed to the living room I turned around and asked "You sure you don't want our help Florence?"

"Not at all. Just relax, do whatever it is you were doing before I woke up, and I'll call you when its ready." With his reassurance and denial of my offer, Driad and I retreated into the living room, watching news on the T.V. for about half-an-hour until Florence peeks his head through the kitchen door and calls to us with his hands being dried off on a towel, "Ok, dinner is ready you two." He didn't sound particularly enthusiastic in his call, maybe because something went wrong with the meal, but it would be rude to show hesitation, so I got up off the couch and went into the kitchen to see what he had set up on the table.

I was surprised, quite honestly, by the quality of the cuisine assembled atop the latex cloth. Everything looked fresh and warm, as I could judge from the steams hovering out of the meat. Not only that, but he had perfectly laid out the silverware beside the plates on top of the napkins, and even pulled out a candle and lit it at the center of the table. It was crazy to think that he went through such trouble just because we were allowing him to stay here with Gemini until I saved the M.S.I. base from evil's grasp. "Florence…I-I don't know what to-" "You could start by taking a bite of the food, and maybe then you'll have an easy time figuring out what to do from there."

Rendered speechless by what the Yoshi had done for us, I decided to listen to his suggestion and joined him at the table with Driad following not long afterwards. Florence decided to wait for the two of us to take the first bite, so he could keep his mouth open to respond to whatever we had to say about his food. I eagerly took a fork and knife and cut into the corner of the meat, which has been topped with a yellow-ish spice and a grilled purple pepper. The inside of the meat was colored blue, which would be suspicious on any other planet besides this one. Without reluctance, I plunged the piece of meat into my mouth.

It didn't take long for the juice to come pouring out from the result of my bite, and as it gushed around inside my mouth in combination with the meaty texture of the food I could only say one thing. "Mmmmmm…" I said, as my eyes glazed over and my facial features relaxed to fully enjoy the tantalizing sensation pleasuring my taste buds. I finished the bite quickly, just so I could relish the sensation all over again with another bite. Florence looked at us both with a smile and let out a relieved sigh trough his seed-shaped nostrils. "Whew…Glad to see you guys are enjoying the Nep-Enut Steak that I garnished with Pirahna Pollen and Shy Guy Peppers."

"Wait, this is Nep-Enut meat? I thought those guys were made of water…" I tilted my head and inquired after Florence finished speaking. "No no no…My people just called it that because the texture of the meat reminded them of the Nep-Enuts." "Oh, well that makes sense." I replied in an understanding tone as I took another bite of the steak. "Got to admit, its very juicy, yet none of the meat is raw…it's a very nice combination, so why did you sound concerned about us eating it?" Florence looked at us with an embarrassed yellow flush in his cheeks, which makes sense considering a normal colored blush wouldn't be visible in his skin.

"Because its nothing like the way my parents used to make it…" He then said. This sounded like a conversation starter, as if he was hinting to us to ask about his life before the M.S.I., and considering my piquing curiosity I jumped at the chance to be the first to ask a question. "Really? Your parents must've been pretty good chefs…Speaking of them, what was your life like before you joined the M.S.I.?" Florence stopped looking embarrassed and turned his head back to look at me, then turned to Driad, whose eyes were widening in anticipation for the answer while the silverware had been dropped out of his hands entirely.

"Well, if you guys are that curious, I guess I can satisfy that curiosity…You know how most Yoshis are able to drag enemies into their bodies with their tongues and turn them into eggs, or briefly gain specific powers depending on what Koopa shells they eat?" We both nodded our heads to confirm that knowledge. "You see, I was born without the specific enzymes that allow members of our species to perform such an action. I could still digest food and draw in enemies with my tongue, but I can't make eggs nor get powers from Koopa shells. Of course, I can still flutter jump, so its not like I'm incredibly handicapped compared to other Yoshis."

"But you could only imagine the type of ridicule I faced for being different than everyone else. I'm not trying to make a sob story out of my life though, so I'll skip over the majority of my youth and get to the meat of my past." After taking a moment to catch his breath, Florence lets out a cough and closes his eyelids before continuing to speak. "Back when Bowser was first trying to establish power on Plit after his first kidnap attempt on Peach succeeded, this is back before the Mario Bros. appeared mind you, he had sent his loyal retainer Kamek to Yoshi's Island to subject us to his rule."

"Naturally, everyone resisted, mainly because no one saw Kamek as a threat due to the past generation's endeavors against him and his plans, and some of us even attacked him to repel him and his forces from the island….In the end, that didn't turn out to be the best of ideas. Revolted that such primitive creatures could've been a thorn in his side for so long, Kamek snapped and decided to make an example out of a specific group of Yoshis to show that he was not someone to be taken lightly…With a few blasts of his wand, everyone in my family besides me were wiped off the face of the planet. He left me alive just to show that it was completely in his power to decide whether anymore Yoshis would either be spared or killed."

"I had no time to cry about the loss of my family, cause me and the other Yoshis were forced into labor on our very own Island, working to build castles for Bowser and his seven children. However, it only took a few months for news to arrive from the mainland that Bowser had been defeated by two Italian plumbers and that Peach had begun to restore order to the Mushroom Kingdom. Panicking for his master's well-being, Kamek packed up her forces and left the Island, giving us an uncertain period of time to regain our island before he returned with Bowser in tow…Though I think you know how that tale went."

"Anyways, not longer after Kamek's departure, a copter landed on our island, and who else would appear from it but Commander Alpha, making the rounds across the land to see just who needed what type of help and how much of it would be required. He came with Lieutenant Gemini, who was still recovering from a failed confrontation with Bowser a month or so back. After offering condolences to everyone who had to suffer, Alpha promised that he would be sending in a clean-up crew to help with the destruction of the castles within a week, who as I later found out turned out to be Mario and Luigi, though they obviously didn't receive a request to go over and just so happened to be vacationing at the time of Bowser's return to the Island."

"However, before the two of them left, I leapt out of the shadows and confronted the two of them with nothing more than a bamboo stick in my hands. I demanded that they take me with them, awe-inspired by Gemini's ability to stand toe-to-toe with the monster who sent that murderer to my Island and leave. Alpha jokingly wondered why I was standing before them with a stick, especially since Yoshis are more known to throw eggs. I willingly revealed my defect, claiming that I didn't need what other Yoshis had to prove myself to him. So Alpha made a deal with me. If I could get Gemini onto his knees without my bamboo stick burning or breaking, then he would let me join the M.S.I."

"Gemini didn't use his legendary trident in battle, but willingly fired lightning bolts left and right to try and get me. But I used my agility to get around each shot, batting the smaller ones back his way with my stick. I actually managed to land a few blows while the Lieutenant was surprised by my natural skill in combat, but even with how weakened he was all it took was one precision strike at the center of my bamboo stick for it to start burning. However, even though Alpha said that it was the end of that, I charged at Gemini before fully hearing him and struck his kneecaps hard with the two halves of the sticks before the flames reached my hands and I was forced to discard them."

"Gemini fell to his knees, and the Commander was left in silence. I raised my head towards him and slanted my eyebrows, telling him that 'Even if my weapon is broken, my hands still function. And so long as I have them, I am not going to give up in battle.' To which Alpha folded his arms behind his back and rebutted my insightful words with 'But what if your hands are your weapons? What shall you do if they break?' Which I responded with 'Doesn't matter if my hands break, my legs crumble, my tongue is pulled out and my eyes are destroyed, I will keep fighting so long as I have even one part of my body functioning.' Then Alpha laughed, not out if pity for my ideal but because he was overjoyed to hear the right answer. He then clapped his hands, and Gemini got up, revealing that he purposely took the blow so the Commander could test me on my dedication to my goal."

"However, he gave me a lecture about how being in the M.S.I. isn't about just learning how to fight and get revenge, but to also help others and benefit the planet in any way we can. His lessons on that matter still influence me to this day, quite honestly. Still, the Commander was greatly satisfied with what he saw, and at the young age of 15 I joined the M.S.I., leaving Yoshi's Island behind forever…" Florence reached the end of his story, folding his arms in front of his face while using the table as support for his elbows and giving himself a few seconds to catch his breath. Frankly, I had no words to say besides "Wow…", and Driad had been driven absolutely silent by the whole tale.

"Anyways, I believe our dinner is going to get cold unless we continue eating it now, so you are welcome to share your thoughts on my tale between bites." Florence spoke in such a way that made it seem that he felt that the details of his tale were of little consequence to us both, and went back to his food without a care in the world. Even so, Driad and I asked him about his time in the M.S.I. up until the present day, and he casually shared a few more tidbits on the training and lessons he went through, and the arduous process of becoming a Captain. It was a very stirring series of tales, so much in fact that I eventually lost track of the fact that I needed to eat and by the time I was done the meat had gone cold.

"Heh, I guess if Driad is a aloof little brother, Florence is the cool brother/war veteran who always has a riveting tale to tell…" I thought to myself as I wiped some juice that was dripping from my mouth with a few pats of my napkin. Not long after that, we all worked together to clean-up, even with Florence's insistence that he worked alone. We didn't let him say no for long though, and taking a look at his face led me to believe that he didn't really care about our decision. It didn't take too long for our efforts to succeed, and then we went about our own business for the rest of the night.

While I laid back on the couch and watched T.V., Florence and Driad went for a walk under the starry night sky. Gemini was still asleep, so I actually had to wonder where Florence or Driad was going to sleep since there were only three resting places in the entire house. A few hours passed, and the two of them came back just in time for bedtime. Driad waved goodnight to Florence and went back out the door, leaving the Yoshi here with a rather bewildered me as he passed through the living room. "Where is Driad going?" I asked, and Florence stopped in place and turned to me. "Oh, he volunteered to sleep in his pot tonight, so I'm taking the spare bed in his stead."

"That makes sense…" I said with a great deal of understanding. "Anyways…Look, Mew, I heard from Driad about your amnesia, so I know you probably don't remember…" Florence nervously began rubbing the back of his head as he looked at me. "We did meet once before. I'm just glad that this time around, I was able to have an actual conversation with you. Anyways, good night, me and Gemini will see you in the morning." The Yoshi then retreated into the bedroom, leaving me to ponder the meaning behind his words. "This time around?" I murmured to myself as I gazed down at the ground. That could mean a lot of things really, all of which I'd have plenty of time to think about as I laid my hands back behind my head and started to head into a deep slumber…

Next Time: What Lost Memories?