The tour was quite boring, to be honest. I didn't meet anyone, and there wasn't anything really exciting, other than lava being everywhere, everything being grey, and the decorations being really crappy.
"What do you like to do." Billy asks.
"Video games," is Moss's answer. Billy's eyes light up.
"Olive, what about you?" He asks me.
"Writing and drawing. With music." Billy's eyes light up even more.
"I have some rooms that you two would like." Oh, this is gonna be fun. Wonder where he's gonna take us.
He drops Moss off at some room off some hallway. Don't ask me for specifics. I don't remember them.
After winding through seemingly endless hallways, Billy finally drops me off in front of a room. I don't know which room, but it's a room.
"Go on," Billy says, urging my in. I slowly open the door, to see a small area. It looks even smaller, though, because there are so many papers everywhere, and so many ink stains. There's one piano in the room, with another turtle playing it. What were they… oh right, we're called Koopas. He has royal blue hair. It looks really fluffy.
His playing is gosh dang amazing, if you ask me. The music flows freely, like a running river. I wonder what song he's playing.
The song slows down to a finish, and I'm just standing there in awe. I regain my composure, just as he notices me.
"Vat do you vant?" He asks, annoyed, in a thick German accent. Placing some of the papers on the piano off to the side, he walks over to me. He crosses his arms, staring at me.
"Um, Billy brought me here," I squeak.
"Do you know vhy he brought you here?" The Koopa asks. I slowly shake my head, trying to keep myself looking at his face. He just looks even more annoyed now, but not at me, at Billy.
"Do you efen know vho am?" He asks. I slowly shake my head no again, confused.
His annoyed expression drops, replaced by curiosity, as he asks, "Howv old are you?"
I quietly answer, "I'm fourteen." The Koopa looks surprised, before turning into a warm smile.
"Haf you met zee ozzers?" He softly asks.
"What others," I ask.
"So you hafen't. I'll introduce zee rest of zee Koopalinks to you later," he concludes. "I'm Ludvig Von Koopa. And vho are you?"
"I'm Olive Clair," I answer shyly.
"Very nice meetink you, Olive," Ludwig says, slightly bowing. I let out a little giggle.
"So, you are from ze Darklands, if I am not mistaken?" He asks. Oh, here we go again, having to explain that I sorta just popped in here.
"No, I'm not from the Darklands, or any of the kingdoms," I say, wringing my hands. Ludwig just looks confused.
"Zere are only kingdoms here, nozzink else," he says. I suck in a breath harshly, trying to think of a way to explain this.
"I'm not from here. I live in Russellville, Arkansas, in the United States. We don't have a king or a queen, we all vote on who gets to be president, out of a bunch of candidates," I explain, looking at him to see if he understands. He doesn't. He just looks even more confused.
"Vhat planet are you from?" He asks.
"Earth." He stares at me incredulously.
"But zis is Earth?!"
I start fidgeting, saying, "Ah, well, I sorta popped in here when I was showing my brother some old Billy drawing of mine." Ludwig looks at me like he understands.
"Remind me to talk wis Kamek later," he says. "By ze vay, vho is your brozzer?"
"Um, my brother is Moss Eshelman. He's two years younger than me. I think he's a… goomba now." Ludwig nods slowly, thinking.
"Is it alright if I introduce you to my brozzers and sisters?" He asks. I nod. He stands up, and looking at me for conformation, he grabs my hand.
He walks me through mazes of hallways, and up a freaking giagantic staircase, up to a big set of bright red double doors. He knocks three times before stepping back.
Fitting to the doors, a huge Koopa opens up the door, looking exhausted and annoyed.
"Please don't tell me one of the others did somethin'," he grumbles, rubbing his face.
Ludwig pushes me in front of him, and says, "Zere's a new recruit." The giant Koopa just gets even more annoyed.
"Why is this important?"
"Olive's different."
"And how so?"
"Dad, can you let her at least meet ze rest of zem?" Ludwig begs. I look at him confused. This guy's Ludwig's dad? 'Kay then?
"Wait, you don't know who we are?!" Ludwig's dad exclaims, laughing. I look away embarrassed.
"You didn't answer my qvestion," Ludwig says, irritation creeping in his voice.
His dad laughs, and says, "So, welcome! I'm Bowser! The Bowser, king of the Koopa!" He notices Ludwig glaring at him, so he adds, "And yes, she can go meet the others."
"C'mon," Ludwig says, almost literally dragging me through the door, revealing a giant throne room. Seven other children, and my brother, are all playing with each other. My brother is, specifically, playing with a little kid who looks like a little, cute, less-intimidating version of Bowser.
"So, did ja' finally pick yerself up a girl?" Someone says. Ludwig audibly groans.
"No, Roy. She's a new recruit," Ludwig says.
A pink Koopa, with ridiculous pink sunglasses steps in front of me.
"Can she talk?" He asks, stooping down to my height.
I back away, and stammer, "Y-yes I can talk." Roy laughs, standing back up straight.
Using my head as an armrest, he asks, "So, Ludwig, what's the sweetheart's name?"
"My name's Olive," I say, pushing his arm off my head.
"Does she happen to know anything about Moss over there?" A green-shelled dude with glasses and pineapple hair says, pointing to my brother.
"Wait, it's another girl?" Asks a bald Koopa with a giant pink and white polka-dotted bow.
"What's she like?" A brown Koopa with a star mark asks.
"Does she like the circus?' Asks another Koopa on a ball.
"Any sports?" Yet another Koopa, on with a blue Mohawk, asks.
Even the little mini Bowser pipes up. "Ooh, ooh, does she like drawing?"
"Calm down, calm down, eferyone calm down, she's only wun person!' Ludwig says frantically.
"And when were you in charge?" The Koopa with the pink bow calls.
"I'm not tellink you vhat to do! Nobody can handle that many qvestions at vun time!" Ludwig shouts.
"Oh really?" The other one says, sticking her tongue out. Ludwig jumps on top of her, and soon there's a full out fight.
I slowly back away to the corner, and just sit there, trying to ignore the pandemonium around me.
Looking next to me, I jump. The guy with the pineapple hair's there.
"Hi! I'm Iggy!" He says, extending a hand. I hesitantly take it. He holds on to it, for a moment, before jerking me forward into a hug.
"You're the other one who ended up in another dimension and doesn't know how the heck you got there aren't you?" Iggy asks all on one breath, talking so fast that I barely caught anything he was saying. It didn't help that he was breathing on my ear, and I have never been this close to someone other than my family.
"Y-yeah, I'm the o-other- yeah," I stutter out. Iggy shifts, nuzzling my neck. I freeze. What the heck is he doing.
He suddenly pulls away, staring at me for a moment, a mischievous smirk on his face.
Replacing the smirk with an innocent smile, he says, "Why are you blushing? It was only a hug?" I inwardly groan, hiding my face.
"I think we all know that it was more than that," Roy says. I look up, to see him standing over us, his arms crossed.
"Hey Wendy, Ludwig, Morton! Guess what Iggy did!" Roy calls out. Ludwig, along with the bow girl, and the star mark boy.
"Roy, don't you dare!" Iggy shouts. Roy puts up his middle, ring, and pinkie finger, and brings it across his face. Iggy runs at him, jumping on him, grabbing his arms, but not before everyone saw it.
Wendy starts laughing, Morton looks mortified, and Ludwig just groans. And me? Well, I'm sitting over here, confused. What the frick does the hand motion mean, and why does it mean such a big thing.
I send a confused look to Ludwig. He walks over, whispering in my ear, "Zat's just a less obvious symbol for…" He makes an okay symbol, and thrusts a finger through the hole, hiding it from the view of the room.
Oh, that.
That makes more sense now.
Man, they're really immature.
"Hi, Olive! I'm Morton! We haven't met any of the new recruits ever, since no one ever brings us the soldiers until they've earned a place in the ranks," the star mark boy rambles, pushing Ludwig away. Ludwig glares at him, getting up, dusting himself and fixing his hair.
I feel some little Koopa climb on my back, on my head.
Dropping down through a backflip onto a ball, the little one says, "I'm Lemmy!" Well, I've got to say, that was impressive.
"I'm BJ," the mini Bowser says, and then points to the blue mohawk guy. "And he's Larry." Larry waves from the other side of the room.
BJ looks up to me, and asks, "Can I call you sis?"
"Sure?" I shrug.
"Thanks, sis!" He says excitedly.
A crash, followed by the sound of a roar and the fwoosh of shooting fire comes from behind me. I cautiously turn around, to see an enraged Bowser.
He stares at me, and it takes all of my strength to keep looking at him.
His gaze moves over to Iggy, and it's even worse on him. Iggy's face is one of pure terror, his face white and entire body shaking. Seeing this makes the fear in me grow.
"IGGY! WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER?!" Bowser roars, his face just a foot away from Iggy's. Iggy stammers, trying to find something to say.
"I-It was literally just a hug!" I shout at Bowser. His attention turns to me, and I almost buckle right there. But I hold on.
"Really," Bowser snorts.
"Yes, it was just. A. Freaking. Hug," I say, glaring at him. It's the only thing that wouldn't make a fool of myself.
He looks like he's going to fight me, and just stares at me like that for a minute, before giving in.
"'Kay, we'll just let it go for now," he grumbles. I huff at him, before running over to check if Iggy's okay. He doesn't say anything. He just looks at me dumbfounded. He eventually just mutters something that I can't hear, and walks off.