This chapter is dedicated to:
Walkazo
The Undisputed Edge
Elemental Queen
JWill
Justsomegurl
lil Eminem
LuigiXDaisy4Ever
Oracle of Ages
Guest[various people]
Thanks for your awesome support and thanks to everyone who's read, reviewed, faved/followed this story! Thank you!
Enjoy :)
Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Mario or its franchise; it belongs to
Nintendo and their affiliates. I just am really grateful to its creators for giving
me such a wonderful game and media series to write about!
I also don't own anything related to Harry Potter, all that belongs to J.K. Rowling,
but thanks go to her as well because, using her wonderful work, I can expand this
story to make it more interesting :)
Chapter Fifty-Two
"Um, I never got a haircut except for a long time ago."
Daisy smiled in genuine fondness at Junior's response. His hair was long and tangled, she knew that to be the truth.
"Junior, can you do something for me?" She asked him.
Junior beamed and nodded. He did love to be of use, he loved being helpful.
Daisy asked, "Do you know where any scissors are?"
Junior shook his head and said, "No. I'm sorry."
"That's okay. Do you know where a blade is?" She then asked.
He nodded and said, "You want me to go get it?"
"If you don't mind."
Junior stood and was about to go but then he stopped. He turned his jade eyes on hers and she saw the apprehension and hesitation there.
Quietly he asked, "You gonna' use it to hurt my Daddy?"
Daisy paused. She glanced at the Dark King, who still lay on his stomach on the bed, and they shared a glance. She had nothing but contempt for him, but he was trying to read her, was searching her face for some ulterior motive. She broke her gaze before he could find one and faced the child. Daisy cupped his cheek and smiled gently.
"Don't worry," She stated, "I won't use it on your Daddy. I promise."
This allayed Junior's fears and he beamed again, seemingly in relief. The Dark King watched Daisy's back and snorted softly at her words, as if to say, 'like you could hurt me anyway'. That made Daisy grit her teeth and be thankful that her back was turned so that he couldn't see how much that little snort pissed her off. She didn't want to give him the satisfaction of seeing her react.
"Go and hurry with the blade, Junior." She urged.
The child nodded and immediately set off to do as she'd asked, and that made her consider something.
If I'm gonna' be getting out of here, I could get Junior out too. She reasoned, then thought, But where would I take him? To Brooklyn with me and Luigi? We'll be going to Sarasaland soon, so we'd have the room. But I'd have to ask Luigi, it wouldn't be fair to rope him into raising the child when he barely even wants children of our own.
And that stung a bit, but Daisy pushed that aside and focused. The girl stood and headed over to the vanity. Daisy opened the drawers and bit her tongue, then rummaged around for some underwear. She saw the Dark King watching her from the bed, she met his eyes in the vanity mirror and rolled hers. He smirked but he looked highly intrigued, almost as much as his son had.
Normally she wouldn't dare touch anything of his, but this time she would make an exception. She wanted to look decent, if there were any decent clothes to be found, because this was the day she was getting out of here. She didn't want Luigi to see her half-dressed or dirty and she really didn't want to reveal the bruises and cuts that still lingered on her body, the ones Ludwig didn't heal. She had her reasons why she would keep that from him. For now.
Once she'd found some of the least-scandalous underthings in the drawer, she moved on to the closet. Here she knew she'd have trouble. It would seem like, if Bowser really did have license over the outfits in there, he was out to make 'his woman' look like a walking sex object. Daisy turned her nose up at most of the things but some of them were...surprisingly something she wouldn't mind wearing, given the right situation.
Meaning a private evening with just me and Luigi, she iterated to herself. Then she had to smile because she knew he would flip if he saw her in some of the things she was talking about.
What she settled on was a black silk romper that was cut stylishly around her thighs and legs like a good pair of pants. The top part was also fitted with short sleeves and an open collar. She shut the door to the closet so that she could change into it and let her hair fall wherever it may. When she opened the door again, Bowser was on his back at the head of the bed with his knees up and his legs wide open. He still didn't speak to her, just watched.
By this time, Junior returned with a little dagger that she hoped was sharper than it looked.
"I brought it!" He exclaimed, pleased with himself.
Daisy smiled at him and led him from the door over to the vanity. She picked him up and set him on the stool, then took the dagger from him. Funny thing happened; Bowser tensed up. She could see the minuscule change in demeanor since she was a grade-A Dark King watcher.
Hm, she thought, So either he does care about his son or...
Without speaking a word, Daisy engaged in an impromptu conversation with the king. She met his eyes in the mirror, her own full of silent challenge, as a tiny smirk quirked her mouth.
What, are you afraid?
Bowser rolled his eyes at that.
As if, little girl.
Daisy tightened her grip on the hilt of the dagger and pushed the tip of the blade gently into the pad of her index finger, then lifted a brow emphatically.
Don't underestimate me.
The Dark King narrowed his eyes and sat up. He swung his legs over the side of the bed and crossed his arms over his bare chest, then raked his eyes up and down her body. His eyes returned to hers and she shivered at the malice in them.
Don't test me.
Daisy decided she'd had enough of that and glanced down at the child, then stroked his hair with the hand the dagger wasn't in. She bent down, with the king watching, and kissed the top of his head. Junior gazed up at her and Bowser dropped his hands, his guard.
"You're gonna' cut my hair with that?" Junior asked.
Daisy nodded.
Junior pouted a bit and said, "I like my hair long, like my Daddy's, so you cannot cut it too much."
"I won't," Daisy promised.
Now Bowser's eyes alighted with intrigue once more. Daisy smirked. She knew he was itching to ask her what she was up to.
Too bad, she thought. I wouldn't tell you anyway. Bastard.
In her mind she was perfectly justified in escaping and leaving him to rot, but that didn't mean she'd leave Junior if she could help it. And contrary to what he might think, she wouldn't dream of hurting the child. He wasn't responsible for what his father had done.
Because she didn't know how much DNA would activate the ward, Daisy wasn't stingy in the amount of hair she gleaned from the child. She didn't make the loss noticeable, though. In fact, he really looked the same once she was done with him. Daisy took the locks of hair and tied them off neatly with a few more red strands.
She started having second thoughts.
What if this doesn't work? What if it does the same thing as when I tried holding Junior's hand and walking out?
Then she'd just have to try again. The risk of failure was no reason not to test this out in the first place. She resolved to wait until tonight to do it for two reasons: one; she wanted Bowser to be asleep, and two; she'd have less a chance of getting caught at night than in broad daylight.
It felt like I'd woken from the dead. There was life in my bones and body and renewed energy in my arms and legs. I could finally open my eyes and keep them open instead of having to fight to stay awake. This was a sure sign that the thousand-year-sleep was finally over. I brought up my hands and rubbed my eyes and face, then swung my legs onto the floor. When my bare feet hit the carpet, I shuddered.
Almost forgot where I'm at, I thought wryly.
I stood and yawned and stretched my arms over my head. That's when I heard movement to the right. It was Peasley. He yawned, too, and I saw in the dim light of the candles that he didn't have his cloak on. He shut the book in his lap and stood and came over to me.
"How long have I been asleep this time?" I asked him.
He told me quietly, "I don't know. I was reading."
I could understand. I'd been engrossed in something to the point to where I'd drown out everything else, including the need to eat or sleep or pee and including the sense of time.
Peasley walked over to the wall where his books were stacked and bent down to pick up his black cloak. He shrugged it on while I turned to re-make the bed I'd lain in. It was a habit, I guess. I was fixing the pillow atop the spread when my friend spoke.
He said, "I do know that two days have come and gone since we first arrived here."
"This is the third, then?" I asked.
Peasley shook his head and said, "No, this is the second night."
I guess that's not too bad, I thought in regard to the time I had to waste before going after Daisy. I was banged up pretty bad so it really couldn't be helped. And speaking of that, the worst of my injuries were gone; the little sorcerer had blasted me in the stomach and in between my shoulder blades and in both places I was pain-free. I had to thank the old coot Boo.
"Come, Luigi," Peasley spoke, "King Boo told me to bring you downstairs as soon as you became lucid."
I followed the prince as he first snuffed out the candles and then headed to the door with a thick book in hand. He held the door open for me and I passed through, but not before he leaned his face near mine.
"I'm glad you're alright," He imparted in a low voice.
I flinched and stepped away from him, then relaxed a little when I saw the genuine concern in his eyes and face. That expression was the last I saw of him before he pulled the hood up on his cloak and stepped into the hall. We headed down that hall and down another and to the left through some doors that led to the dining room. I kind of remembered the directions from the last time Daisy and I were here. Thinking of her made my heart ache intensely. It made me feel heavy yet at the same time hollow inside, like somebody had taken a scoop out of my emotions.
And my stomach, I frowned.
It felt like my stomach was so empty it was sticking to my spine. I was getting weak with hunger but that was alright because when Peasley and I stepped through those double doors, my tacit desire for food was well-met.
"Whoa," I exclaimed softly.
King Boo smiled at me from his seat at the head of the table on the far left but it looked like he was holding back, like he wasn't smiling as widely or as madly as usual. He had his Victorian clothes on, typical violet and black and crimson ensemble, with his shiny black shoes on the table where he had his legs crossed one over the other. He sat reclined with a glass of maroon wine in one hand. What impressed me was the gigantic spread of food on the half of the table closest to himself. There had to be a dozen different dishes and it made my mouth water.
"Good evening, Luigi." King Boo greeted, "Please, take a seat. You, too, Prince Peasley."
I sat near the king's left with one chair between us and, without even looking up from the book he'd opened, Peasley sat across from me. He laid his heavy tome on the table and rested his elbows in his lap while he read. I shook my head at him and helped myself. I didn't understand at first how I could be so famished, but then I remembered I'd been sleeping for days on end.
The food went quicker than I'd thought it would.
It wasn't too bad, either. Really gotta' hand it to old Boo, I thought appreciatively. I wiped my mouth and hands with a napkin once I was done and set it on top of the pile of plates I'd gone through. Glancing across the table let me see that Peasley had only gone through one plate and barely that. He was still devouring that book of his with rapt interest, or as much interest as I could detect with the cowl of his hood covering his face.
"I trust you're feeling better?" King Boo solicited.
I told him, "Yeah, a lot better. Thanks. Um, for everything you did to help."
Boo glanced beyond me, way beyond, when he said "It's no trouble at all."
To Peasley he asked, "Did you find what you were looking for?"
"Almost, thanks to you." Peasley murmured without glancing at anything that didn't have text printed over it.
He flipped a page and I drank some more water. It was time to get down to business.
"So you're gonna' work with me to get Daisy back?" I asked the king.
He brought his feet down from the table and let go of his glass of wine; it floated where he left it. With his arms clasped over his stomach, King Boo settled magenta eyes on me.
"I'll be working through you, actually." He stated.
"What?" I frowned skeptically.
King Boo paused, then said evenly, "I'll be literally working through you."
"As in?" I trailed.
"Possession."
"No."
"Luigi-"
"Hell no."
In no way, shape, or form did that sound like a good idea, no matter what the circumstances were.
"Luigi," King Boo spoke again wearily.
"Why would you even suggest that?" I frowned.
"Because it's the most efficient way." he claimed.
I rolled my eyes and said, "The most efficient way would be for you to just get us into the palace without being seen."
"And how do you propose I do that?" King Boo then prompted.
Again I frowned, mildly bewildered. "Why are you asking me that? You're supposed to be the one with the magic."
King Boo now folded his arms across his chest and I saw his eyes glimmer beneath quirked black brows.
"I know," He said patiently. "So wouldn't you think I understand what I'm talking about when I say this is the most efficient way?"
"Possession?" I scoffed. "No. Sorry. Don't think so."
"Luigi, just listen-"
"Not until you tell me this first." I cut in. "What's wrong with just getting me into the palace?"
King Boo sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose with his eyes closed.
Without opening them he said, "And how would I do that?"
"You can just do that ghost thing and make me pass through the walls." I answered.
King Boo opened his eyes and mouth, then hesitated. He shut his mouth and then let out air through his nose.
He then asked, "And say I did that and you got in. What will you do about the guards?"
"Um. You could make me invisible or something." I argued.
King Boo pursed his lips. "And how will you get out?"
"I'll come up with something. Just get me in there, please." I besought of him.
Now King Boo sighed again. He was acting like a frustrated parent who was dealing with a child that knew nothing of how the 'real world' worked. I had self-doubts now and wondered how I could be vexing him. I was just trying to understand.
"Luigi," King Boo told me gently, "It's not that simple."
"Why not?"
"Because in order to do things your way, you'd have to know about magic." King Boo replied.
"Can't you teach me?" I asked, then added, "You taught Ludwig, didn't you?"
"And do you know how long it took him to learn to do the things you're asking?" King Boo countered.
I said, "How long?"
"Hm. On second thought, that's not a good example." He mused. "Ludwig is...a bit of a prodigy. But the point is, these things take time to learn."
"How long?" I asked again.
King Boo said exasperatedly. "Weeks, Luigi. Months. Maybe even years. It depends on your initial level of aptitude."
I groaned and said, "I don't have that long. Why can't you just come yourself and help us?"
"I told you before. I cannot compromise my neutral position with the Dark King before I know if he'll rise again." King Boo explained.
"He won't rise again if you help us!"
"I can't take that chance." King Boo refuted. "Were I to slight him now and he still rises to power again, his ire would fall on my kingdom. I have to do what's best for my kingdom."
I started to tell him something but Peasley kicked me lightly under the table. I turned to him and he was still reading.
"Don't push him, Luigi." Peasley murmured.
At that I digressed. I figured that, being a ruler himself, Peasley must sympathize with Boo or something. I guess I could understand that. Boo has a kingdom, I forgot. There's not only Boos but other creatures and species he's responsible for. It would be kind of rash to make an enemy of Bowser to help someone when his wrath would be the death of all your denizens. I just couldn't shake the belief that we could do this, me and Peasley and my brother and Daisy; all of us could take down the Dark King. I knew we could, but I guess Boo wasn't convinced.
Oh well. It'd be best to stick to the matter at hand; Daisy.
"So what do you suggest?" I asked the king. "I mean other than possession."
"It's the quickest and cleanest way to do this, Luigi." Boo claimed.
I didn't really believe that, but every moment spent arguing meant more time Daisy had to spend in the palace. I sighed. This wouldn't be easy.
"Consider the alternative." King Boo implored, "If you go storming into the palace again, you'd inevitably confront Ludwig and then be back at square one...or worse."
"He does have a point." Peasley piped up. To me he said, "It wouldn't be wise to go back there without protection."
"Don't tell me you're on board with this," I spoke to my friend dryly.
Peasley just shrugged and said, "I'm not familiar with the intricacies of possession, but if it will help your fair flower, perhaps you should consider taking the risk?"
"I can't." I said. "It's too dangerous." To Boo I said, "I mean, you're my enemy! Once you're inside you could just kill me and that's too much power to just give away."
King Boo was very quiet. He seemed to be considering what I said. He ran long, slender fingers through his even longer glossy hair and sighed for the umpteenth time.
"Luigi, I've told you before; our...relationship can't be pigeon-holed into the convenient category of 'enemies." He stated. "And though we have conflicting ideals, I give you my word that I will only do whatever I think would aid you and your lady and nothing more. Once we've retrieved her, I'll be out of your body for good."
"No strings attached?" I said skeptically.
"None." King Boo vowed solemnly.
He could be lying and there'd be nothing I could do about that. I really need to find Daisy, so maybe I don't have a choice. It'd be either do this or go on my own or spend weeks training.
I knew what I had to do.
Peasley shut his book and said, "If it makes you feel any better, I'll be coming as well. Since Ludwig is working with Fawful I may be able to get a lead on Cackletta."
That did make me feel a bit better. Microscopically.
"Well?" King Boo prompted. "What say you?"
I stood and headed for the double doors that led to the foyer. Over my shoulder I gave him an answer.
"Let's do this."
Even children knew what it meant to make and break a promise, and Lemmy knew the Crown Prince had not kept his. They were supposed to eat together in said prince's bedroom, safe from the creepy guards and his rude older brother, but Bowser Junior had never showed. Lemmy had sat atop the bed, waiting and waiting and swinging his feet and playing with the prince's hidden toys and waiting some more, but he could only wait so long. He was hungry and it got the better of him and he caved, finishing off his entire meal for once. He'd waited some more after that.
At first Lemmy was sad and hurt that Junior hadn't showed, but now he began to worry for his younger friend. That worry compelled Lemmy to rise from his current seat on the floor, cross-legged. He abandoned the prince's plate of food near his feet and left the bedroom, heading down the hall in search of the youngest royal.
Past the front entrance doors he went, looking in all the guest rooms the two children sometime played in. Junior wasn't there, nor was he in the kitchens or asleep with the servants in their quarters.
It's dark out here, Lemmy noted as he walked. It was so late that all the lighting had been put out, giving the palace an eerie atmosphere. Lemmy quickened his steps.
It wasn't in the throne room, the training room, the upstairs rooms, or any of their secret spots that Lemmy finally found the prince, but in the last place he decided to look. It was the same place he and the little prince had happened upon the former ruler of the Badlands, the small room to the left of the area with the 'pretty ladies'.
Lemmy pushed open the heavy door with audible grunts and much effort and saw a slim child with a mane of red hair sitting with his back facing the door. He was dressed in a plain olive shirt and silk pants of the same color and had his knees to his chest.
"B-Jun!" Lemmy exclaimed, "Why are you down here all by yourself? I thought we was going to..."
When the child turned his head and faced Lemmy, the seven-year-old began to trail off. All the happiness and elation melted away and in its place was a cold, squishy feeling. Lemmy did not recognize this child.
"Um." He hesitated. "Who are you?"
The child only stared with unfathomable jade eyes. With great reluctance Lemmy stepped into the carpeted room and stood before the child. After a moment of mutual appraisal, the redhead stood. He was about an inch taller than Lemmy.
"What's your name?" Lemmy asked.
The taller child didn't answer.
"Why you down here?"
The other child remained silent.
"How come I never seen you before? You been hiding?" Lemmy asked.
...
"Can't you talk?" Lemmy asked.
The child just blinked and didn't answer. Lemmy paused. He glanced over his shoulder and then back at the boy.
He acts like B-Jun did when he was so sad, Lemmy mused. The only thing that made him talk was when we played.
Lemmy took the boy's cool hand in his own and led him to the door. The child didn't resist, just followed as Lemmy led him wordlessly up the steps and through the door out to the throne room. They passed the Koopa guards on duty and headed back to the Crown Prince's bedroom. Once there, Lemmy shut the door and set about gathering the prince's various toys and trinkets. While he was busy with that, the redhead looked around with blank jade eyes. When he caught sight of the plate of food, he zeroed in on it at once.
"You hungry?" Lemmy asked, glancing over his armful of items at the other boy.
The redhead picked up the plate and sniffed at it experimentally. His stomach audibly growled.
"Eat!" Lemmy encouraged.
He set down Junior's toys carefully so as not to break them and then went over to assist the child. Lemmy was showing him how to hold a fork when the bedroom door opened. Both Lemmy and the redhead looked up to see who it was.
"B-Jun!" Lemmy exclaimed for the second time that night. "Where you been at?"
"I was with my Daddy." Junior explained, shutting the door behind himself.
The prince stood by the door and marveled at how strange this day was for him. First he'd witness odd events with his father and now there was someone who looked like they could be a brother to him in his bedroom. Junior stepped right over to the new boy and gazed at him unabashedly.
"Who are you?" He asked curiously, then asked Lemmy, "You know him?"
Lemmy shook his head and said, "No, I found him."
"Where?" Came Junior's next question.
"Down in that room where your Daddy was." Lemmy replied.
"Oh." Junior said.
"He don't talk." Lemmy informed the prince.
"How come?" Junior asked, poking the other redhead's arm while he ate.
Lemmy just shrugged.
Junior ruffled the taller boy's hair and observed him eat.
"You gave him the food?" Junior asked.
Lemmy said, "It was for you but you had never came so I let him eat it. Are you mad at me?"
"No," Junior said easily. "You're my friend."
The prince then said, "These my clothes!"
"I thought those was yours." Lemmy stated.
"Why he wearing my clothes?" Junior asked. "And how come he look like me and my Daddy?"
"I don't know." Lemmy said again.
Junior studied the matter for a few more moments. He poked the redhead's arm again and this time the taller child gazed down at him.
"Why you won't talk?" Junior asked him.
The boy answered him by taking another clumsy bite of food. Junior pouted in mild frustration.
"I wonder why he won't say nothing?" He mused aloud.
Lemmy said, "Maybe he can't talk."
Junior looked thoughtful and said, "Oh. I didn't know."
Then his jade eyes lit up and he grinned widely. He went over to his stash of treasured belongings and grabbed the sketchbook and colored pencils that he'd previously received from Luigi. Taking them over to the child, Junior set them on the floor and sat down next to it, crossing his legs. When Lemmy did the same, the tallest child hesitantly followed suit. By now he'd finished the food and was starting to look a bit curious.
"What you 'bout to do, B-Jun?" Lemmy asked.
"If he can't talk, maybe he can just write something." Junior declared.
He then took a red pencil and handed it to the tallest child. The redhead didn't seem to know what to do with it, so Junior took another pencil and began to write his own name. He may have only been five years old, but he knew how to write and spell some words.
"See?" He spoke to the other redhead.
The child blinked at Junior and then stared at the paper and pencils in turn. He was staring hard, like he was trying to will them to move of their own volition or something. About a minute passed and Junior gave up hope of getting the other child to write anything. On the opposite page Junior started to color with Lemmy looking on.
"Oh!" Lemmy and Junior both said softly when the third child picked up a flesh-toned pencil slowly.
They watched on as he began to draw. Minutes into his work, they began to commentate.
"What is it?" Lemmy asked.
"I don't know." Junior shrugged. "It looks like a, um, like some lady's face."
More minutes passed and the drawing began to take shape. For a child, the boy was uncannily skilled.
"I think I know who that lady is that he's drawing," Junior said, squinting.
"Who?" Lemmy wanted to know.
Junior sighed and said, "Oh. Never mind. I don't remember."
When the child was putting the finishing touches on the drawing, Junior spoke again, claiming to recognize the visage.
"Who is it?" Lemmy asked, only vaguely recalling a woman like the one so vividly captured on paper.
"It's my Queen!" Junior exuberantly cried.
"You have a queen?" Lemmy frowned.
Junior nodded and said, "Yeah, she's in the room with my Daddy."
Lemmy was silent.
Of the taller redhead Junior asked, "You know my Queen?"
The prince pointed to the drawing so that he'd understand and, to his surprise, the child nodded slowly.
Pleased, Junior then asked, "You like her?"
Another nod.
"You wanna' see her?"
Furious nodding ensued.
Junior grinned and took Lemmy's hand with one of his and the taller redhead's with his other.
"Come on, then. I'll take you to go see her." He announced, then added, "I hope she not fighting with my Daddy no more."
It was getting late. Junior had already brought in the last meal of the day and, as she instructed, he'd left the door wide open so that she could see when the lights were put out in the rest of the palace. Daisy was getting anxious because all she needed was for the king to fall asleep so that she could leave but that just wasn't happening. It seemed like he was doing everything he could to waste time and stay up. First he'd started pacing, just pacing for no reason and eyeing her down. Then he'd started exercising. Then he'd started pacing again and walking around the room, trying to figure out what she was up to without admitting he wanted to know. It was nerve-wracking.
If he doesn't hit the hay soon, morning will come and I'll have missed my opportunity, she thought dismally. No. That is not happening. I am not staying in this Godforsaken palace another day. Absolutely not.
But that meant she had to find some way to get him to go to sleep or be otherwise engaged. Too bad Junior had just left, it would have made things a bit easier, but now she had only herself to work with. Daisy shifted on the bed in her silk romper and crossed one leg over the other. Bowser was pacing right now, and he watched her movements with interest.
Quietly she asked, "Don't you ever go to bed?"
Bowser smirked and said, "Course I do, but not when you're in it."
"I could move," Daisy offered, a bit eagerly albeit.
The Dark King chuckled and said, "I ain't askin' you to."
She didn't have to be an expert to know what he had on his mind. Daisy kept her cool though instead of getting disgusted and crossed her arms.
"Aren't you tired?" She asked him.
"No."
"Not even a little bit?" She sounded strained, like she was holding back a fist that wanted to launch into his face.
Bowser said, "No. Why would I be tired?"
"Because it's night." Daisy replied. "Everybody gets tired at night."
"What about you? Why are you still up?" He countered. "Can't sleep? Or is there something on little kitty's agenda that I'm getting in the way of?"
Daisy fought back the stricken expression that almost showed on her face. For a second she wondered if he knew what she was up to after all, then she got mad because she knew that if he did, he was deliberately thwarting her attempts at freedom. That anger helped keep her in control. She smoothed her features and smiled lightly.
"Nope. Nothing on the agenda." She lied effortlessly. "In fact, I was about to take a shower...care to join me?"
Daisy ignored the part of her mind and the whole of her body that screamed at her in protest of what she'd just suggested, but she was determined to get out of that room tonight no matter what. If she could trick him into joining her in a shower, she'd ditch him in the bathroom without a backwards glance.
Bowser gazed at the girl and stopped in his pacing, gauging something. He reached down and took her hand and she stood with him, but stepped back a little and tensed for a fight.
The Dark King asked her, "Why do you always toy with my emotions?"
"You're one to talk." She blurted in answer, then mentally kicked herself.
Bowser smirked and tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear. He closed the distance but didn't touch her. Instead he tilted his head and raked his eyes over her body.
"You're a clever little thing, I know that." He spoke in a low voice. "So I know you've figured out some kind of way to get out of here. That's wonderful. Good for you, Precious."
Daisy took his words as a threat and said, "I won't let you stop me."
"Why would I stop you?" He asked with a tugging grin. "I don't give a fuck if you stay or if you go."
The girl narrowed her eyes. She felt like she was being lied to. Bowser tucked his thumb under her chin and studied her mouth.
"Like I told you," He said, drawing jade eyes back up to hers. "I'll be leaving soon. You can wait a little while and come with me, or you can run off now and later rue the day I come for my queen."
Bowser now put his hands on her shoulders and dipped his head down to the side to lay a kiss against her temple, then along her jaw.
"I know you'll make the right choice." He drawled smoothly. "You're smart like that. Now be a good girl and stay with your king."
Daisy showed him a smirk of her and and put her hands up on his shoulders. She had to get on her toes to have her mouth near his ear, and once she was in position, she whispered her response to his 'offer'.
"Eat shit and die, you low-life murderer."
She elbowed past him and gripped the locks of Junior's hair in her pocket. With a silent word of prayer on her mouth, she headed for the door.
A/N: Let's see: Luigi and co. are heading to the palace this evening, Junior and crew are walking about, Daisy is planning to make her escape, and Bowser is hinting at an early check-out; somebody's bound to run into each other.
I appreciate your reviews and would love more of them! It lets me know whether you like this story or not, what you like about it, and what I did wrong/ what I could be doing better, so don't hold back!
Until next time...
~DymondGold~