Siph: Happy birthday to J! Happy Birthday to J! His author avatar stays eighteeeeen, but now he's 22 in real life!

Disclaimer: Okay, so it was actually last week, making me a week late for my tradition of posting a new chapter on my actual birthday. Sue me. No wait, the phrase "sue me" completely defeats the point of a disclaimer. Forget I said that.

Chapter 41: Eavesdroppers

Lemmy was still crying silently as he finished his tale.

Koops didn't know how to respond. He just stared, trying not to convey any emotion that could hurt the poor Koopa before him even more.

Lemmy sniffled, "So now you know. You all know."

Now Koops reacted. "All?" he repeated.

Lemmy pointed at his misaligned eye. "I can see things off to the side even if I'm looking right at you. And that means I can see your friends out the window."

There was a small commotion outside.

"But," Koops began, "but if you knew they were listening, why did you tell me? And keep talking?"

Lemmy shrugged, "I'm already revealing what a horrible brother I am to one stranger. What's a whole group of strangers?" He called out the open window, "I'd invite you all in, but I don't think there's room in here for everybody."

Goombella jumped up on top of the windowsill. "There's enough room for a Goomba." She looked at Lemmy. "I don't get why you still blame yourself when Roy doesn't. He seems like the kind of guy who would hold a grudge if it was actually your fault."

"But he's wrong!" Lemmy answered. "It is my fault! I told Cackletta that Iggy's mind was powerful and that she needed to break him to control him. I wasn't a mindless slave. I was aware enough to betray him like that. It's my fault he's like this now!"

Goombella and Koops looked at each other, remembering what the former's Tattle Log had said about Iggy.

Lemmy buried his face in his hands. "There's no forgiving what I did to Iggy. I gave up on that the moment I woke up from Cackletta's control." He looked up and pointed at them. "But I'll never give up on Iggy. Or Roy, or any of my family."

"Wh-what do you mean?" Koops stammered.

"I can't fix what I did." Lemmy walked slowly to the door. "And I can't protect anyone like this. But I can still be there." He sighed, "If there's anything I've ever learned, it's that just being there can do a lot." He pulled the door open.

He fell back.

There stood Morton Koopa Junior, reaching for where the doorknob had been. Everyone froze, including Morton.

"M-M-M…" Lemmy stammered, "Morton?!"

The large Koopa looked over his shoulder at something outside of their view. He looked at Lemmy, looked back, and took a short step to the side to allow yet another eavesdropper to step into the doorway.

Lemmy grew pale. His lower lip quivered. He could barely find his voice. When he found it, it was as small as he felt. "Iggy?"

"How long have you been standing there?" Goombella asked.

Morton and Iggy looked at each other.

Iggy walked in and jumped straight to the point, "I don't blame you for what happened to me. I said I loved you then. That hasn't changed!" He put his hands on Lemmy's shoulders.

"Yeah," Morton added, "and we all had some awareness. Remember how Larry used the secret passages? I bet Roy told you about that because our memories of what happened while we were brainwashed are fuzzy so we can only take other people's word for it. Don't you think a—"

"Oh my gosh," Goombella interrupted, "BREATHE! I know my Tattle Log says you talk a lot but it's really jarring in person."

The chatty Koopaling set his attention on her. "You have a Tattle Log? That's really cool! We have some in the castle library though I don't know what shape they're in now along with the rest of the castle but I already memorized a few editions so I have more to talk about which makes me wonder what edition you have?"

Iggy turned to Morton and grinned. "That is an excellent topic for discussion, Morton! Why don't you and Tattle girl over there go outside?"

"I'd rather not have my ear talked off," Goombella deadpanned.

Morton, to his credit, did not take any offense to Goombella's remark, but instead made an observation about Iggy's, "It sounds like you're trying to get rid of us so you and Lemmy can talk in private about something sensitive." He crossed his muscular arms. "I say 'no.' We're brothers, and we're a team. We're going to deal with things like this together. Even with strangers in here and eavesdropping outside. Lemmy told them all what happened, so there's no reason to hide it from them, especially since they want to help us." He grabbed Iggy's and Lemmy's arms. "So if I'm going outside we all are." He dragged his older brothers out the door and out of the hospital.

Koops and Goombella looked at each other before following.

Outside, the others were already waiting by the front door. Koopley, Koopie Koo, Flurrie, Gonzales Junior, Admiral Bobbery, and Ms. Mowz.

Koops looked around. "Where's Vivian?"

Koopley shrugged. "She left after Lemmy finished his story. Said she needed to talk to a beldam. Sounded really concerned."

Flurrie waggled her finger. "Ah-ah, not a beldam," she corrected, "but her sister by the name of Beldam."

Morton's eyes widened at the sight of Flurrie. "Wow! You're Madame Flurrie! Oh man, if only Lud or Wendy were here, they'd go nuts!"

Flurrie smiled at the boy's enthusiasm. But his attention soon fell on another person of interest. A Yoshi of interest.

Morton's jaw slacked and pointed at the wrestling champion. "G-G-G-G-G-Gonz…" For once, he was left speechless.

Koops took the opportunity to ask, "Um, does anyone know why Vivian needed to talk to Beldam all of a sudden?"

Answers of denial were all he got in return.

Morton broke that topic when he finally found his voice again. "OH MY GOSH YOU'RE THE GREAT GONZALES JUNIOR!"

*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*

The full moon hung enormous and round above Twilight Town, as usual.

Inside the cottage the Shadow Sirens now called home, Beldam crossed her arms and shut her eyes, not that they could be seen under her hat.

"Maybe I'm wrong, but it all sounds so familiar…" Vivian said, having finished recapping the events in Petalburg.

"I am surprised you still remember that tale, since it fell out of circulation hundreds of years ago, when you were still young." Beldam nodded and sighed, "But yes, this Lemmy's life-story lines up with the legends. Marylin, dear, you remember those ancient legends, don't you?"

"Guh," Marylin grunted in response. She shuddered and, in one of her rare moments of articulation, spoke. "Umbra. Penumbra."

"Beldam," Vivian whimpered. "If this is what happened back then, it could also be what happened last night."

Beldam nodded again. "I fear this is indeed the case. And if it is…"

Marylin spoke again. "This is bad."

…

…

…

Well then.

Any questions? Comments? Critiques? Concerns? Snide remarks?

Siph: CAKE!