Zatch Bell: Kolulu Story
By:CleruSonofShintetsu
[Chapter 16: Broken Plates]
The party had just begun, and things were going very well. The ship, though old, ran like a charm, the lights stayed on with minimal flickering, and it seems a bit of trouble was afoot besides the scheming teams below. While Maruss and Robnoss (and their respective partners) were getting ready for their big and explosive performance, Hyde was lurking around with Eido, shaking his head as he was yet again roped into one of Eido's perverse games.
"You know what? Screw you, I'm going to the dance floor, we can't even take advantage of the trick in this place anyway!" Hyde explained with mild annoyance.
Eido sighed, "Yeah yeah, you're right Hyde, lets give up on this one." He said, not noticing in time that a waiter carrying a few dirty, fine plates, was walking by.
Hyde tried to speak up, but Eido ended up bumping into the waiter and fumbling back, the waiter falling back and dropping all four of the fine plates and even cutting the back of his hand a bit on one of the shards.
"H-holy crap! I uhh, shoot, sorry!" Eido said, rushing out an apology before stepping back and looking at the mess before him.
"WHAT IN TARNATION IS GOING ON OUT THERE!?" said a booming country voice from the kitchen. Out of the kitchen stormed a big and muscular chef who's definitely getting on in years, and even losing some of his buff body with age. Still, he had an entire foot over Eido and an intimidating aura, and as he glared down at the group, he began to speak again.
"Alright punks, explain why my employee is injured and four of my finest plates worth hundreds are broken on the damn floor!" he said, pointing at the mess.
After a brief stammering fit, Eido composed himself enough to say, "W-well uhh, you uhh, I uhh...bumped into him by accident and I'm SO sorry!"
Hyde, however, against his better judgment, shook his head. "Stop covering for me," he started, stepping forward and raising a hand while his other was tucked in his pocket. "I did it, this idiot is just covering for me. He cares, you see?"
The big chef gave Hyde a skeptical squinting glare , but having little time and patience, he went along with it and nodded slowly.
"Alright, if you're absolutely the fool that caused the damage, I'm gonna cut you a deal." he said, kneeling down. "You, kiddo, are going to...volunteer. You already have the black tuxedo, so uniform isn't an issue. I need you to deliver appetizers to certain tables, and I want you to do so in a timely manner."
Eido just looked back and forth between the two, not sure what to say in response to any of it.
Hyde nodded patiently, glancing back at Eido and shooing him off.
Feeling awkward, Eido sighed and walked away, needing a minute to process what went down. "I'm just...crap, why am I acting like this? Meh, it probably isn't anything serious..." he mused as he left the area and hurried, albeit more carefully, back to the main hall.
[Meanwhile...in Folgore's changing room...]
"Okay bambina, from-a the top! It's "Hey-Hey, let's dance all day!", and the body movements that-a go with it! Like-a so!" Folgore said, performing the initial moves to the song while singing the appropriate lyrics.
Megumi imitated his moves to the best of her ability. It wasn't hard to her per say, but certainly far weirder than she's used to. "I think I'm getting it...it's funky, but it's worth it for the sake of our super special finale!" she said with a smile.
"Yes yes yes yes!" Folgore started with glee, "We'll stun the world with one of our greatest shows in our respective careers!" he said with a fanciful twirl.
Megumi giggled, sighing in mild relief. "Thanks for being here, Folgore. We're on in five minutes, shall we?" She asked, standing up and nodding towards the door.
"Yes-a we shall! Kanchome, Tia, we're leaving now! Stay backstage and-a cheer us on!" he said, their Mamodo nodding and following them out the door and towards the stage.
Back outside in the main dining and dance room of the ship, the tables were moved to make space for the dance floor as the lights dimmed. Everyone looked at the stage as a spotlight beamed down once again. The groovy man from the commercials stepped out from behind the curtain and checked the microphone.
"Yo yo yo! Or in normal speak, welcome to the first of three dances! To open tonight's fun-fest, we'll be featuring the top hit tunes from each of our beloved artists! Hey Hey Let's Dance All Day, and Do It Together!" he started, the crowd already clapping in excitement.
"So keep on-a clappin' for our superstars, because these curtains are about to open! Woop woooooop!" he said, hyping the crowd up as he hopped off-stage and ran to one of the side doors.
As the curtains rose, the crowd roared as Megumi and Folgore appeared, waving while posing stylishly together.
Megumi stepped up first, her mermaid dress sparkling in the light of the stage. "Greetings everyone! We're so glad to have you with us tonight!"
Folgore stepped up next. "Yes yes yes yes! We hope to give you a stunning-a show tonight! For on day three, we'll be giving you our greatest-a hit yet! For now, lets-a start with the classics, get-a your blood-a-pumping!"
The crowd began to rise from their seats. Not all of them, but a good number on the lower floors, made their way to the dance floor. Suzy tugged on Kiyo's arm, and Lori got up from her seat.
"Come on, come on! Lets dance, Kiyo!" urged Suzy with an excited smile and with sparkling eyes.
"N-no! I don't dance Suzy!" Kiyo said in startled response.
"Oh Suzy, he'll work up the courage later. Why don't we dance together instead?" Lori offered with a sweet smile.
As Kiyo sighed in relief, Suzy shrugged and nodded in agreement. "Alrighty, but I better get a dance with you Kiyo-wiyo!" she urged with a boop of Kiyo's nose.
Kolulu got up and tugged on Lori's dress skirt. "Lori, I'm gonna go to the restroom, okay?"
Lori gave her a thumbs up. "Okay! And dont worry, Kiyo's keeping a good eye on our bags and spell book!"
As everyone made their way to where they wanted to be, the music began to play. It was Folgore's song first, and Megumi would dance close behind him, singing background vocals such as "boing boing" and "boogie" throughout, along with the crowd. The dance floor was doing their best to follow along, to an adorably mixed result.
Suzy, despite fumbling about, was having a lot of fun, as was Lori, who herself was doing a bit better.
[Meanwhile, in the ship's halls...]
Robnos was chatting with Maruss over the walkie talkie again. "So Maruss, you know either a dork named Kido or a nutcase named Coral Q?"
Maruss raised an eyebrow. "No? Why?"
"Well," Robnoss began, punching a guard back to sleep. Robnoss was in one of the staff rooms, and munching on one of the staff lunches with Ruku. They had just got done knocking out a few guards in the room, and had effectively robbed everyone there. "They're both in the science club with me, though I'm shocked someone like Coral Q had any interest. Kind of an action boy really, that one. But I like him...if you ever find him, and you will know based on the giant Q on his chest, be sure to let me know. That kid may be a screwball, but he has power and potential that would fit perfectly with my goals."
Maruss shook his head, "What even are your goals? You realize I'm gonna be the king, right? You realize we have to fight each other at the end of this, right? Heck, I don't even know if I'll stick with this stupid alliance beyond the boat plan. I'm only here because of Tia and that psycho beast, Kolulu."
Robnoss snickered, "Trust me, you ARE a temporary ally, and I'll gladly let you go and never bother you again once this is done. On my honor, I'll even avoid attacking you until we're the only two left! I don't just...backstab my friends like that. You could learn a thing or two~"
"Oh stuff it, loser!" Maruss yelled, "You wanna know why I betrayed that scarlet-haired pansy? Lord Dauwan!"
"Eh?" Robnoss uttered with a tilt of his head, "What's that supposed to mean?"
Maruss sighed roughly, "He's an inspiration, he not only broke the cycle of dragon clan kings, but he was just another stuffy no-name runt in his day! At least, thats what the stories say...the history books anyway. If that's true, then I want to achieve that kind of power myself. I want to dethrone those dragon punks for real! I want to show that a new age really DID start! And if I have to become cruel to not only win this battle, but to run our world? I'll do it! My family has always been rough around the edges and my dad is a distant drunk, and if it takes becoming the king to get dad's approval, then so be it..." he explained.
"Oh wow, that's...daddy issues and being inspired by a low-rung thunderbolt of a Mamodo. What a world..." Robnoss mused, staring up at the ceiling.
"Whatever, what's YOUR plan for becoming king anyway?" Maruss asked, leaning against a wall.
"Glad you asked! I'm not telling you! Choke on it!" Robnoss said, barely containing his laughter at the ensuing groan of frustration out of Maruss' mouth.
"Just tell me when I need to bust open the engine already!" he demanded, before clicking off the walkie talkie and slumping against the wall.
Robnoss shrugged, getting up and looking back at Ruku. "So...wanna head to the generator room now? We've stalled here long enough."
Ruku got up and stepped on one of the fallen guards' faces with a nod. "Let's go." he said, leaving swiftly.
[Meanwhile, with Kolulu...]
Kolulu was walking around, searching for the restroom. She got lost, though admittedly didn't have to go THAT badly. As she turned a corner, she saw Hyde carrying a plate of food in hand. It looked heavy, and just as he was about to drop it, he managed to stabilize himself and continue. By the time he picked it back up, he spotted Kolulu and, looking her up and down, blushed lightly at the sight.
"Hyde...?" Kolulu asked, "Why are you carrying a plate of food? Do you work here or did Eido make you steal it...?"
Hyde shook his head, "No, the idiot caused some of the most expensive plates they had to shatter because he couldn't watch where he was going. Now I have to take on the duty of delivering plates instead of actually enjoying myself at the party. I volunteered in his place, but..." he trailed off, calming down again after looking at Kolulu again. He seemed to genuinely like how she looked in the fancy dressed.
"Here." Kolulu started, holding the other side of the plate. "Let's work together to get these plates out, okay?" she offered with a smile.
"W-well, you don't have to...but I guess I'd like the help. Thanks." he said, smiling himself now.
"Alright! Let's get to work!" Kolulu said, the two beginning to go on a series of plate delivery missions with each other across the ship. Hyde would grab plates, Kolulu would help him carry them. The two would blend in smoothly as they supported the kitchen staff, and by the time they were done their fifth plate run, the first songs were already over and casual music began to play on the dance floor.
In place of Folgore and Megumi, accordions and other instruments would play an upbeat song on loop, making their last three runs more easy on them. All in all, the two enjoyed doing this task together, and once the last run was up, Kolulu perked up with an idea.
"Oh! We should totally sing karaoke tomorrow! You and I would make a great duo on-stage!" she offered.
Hyde scratched the back of his head. "I-I dunno...I'm not really sure I'm comfortable on-stage."
Kolulu took his hands in hers, which nearly caused him to flare up with a blush again. "Come on! I'll be there with you, we'll do it together! Just be yourself, if you decide you wanna join."
Sighing deeply, he nodded, "Alright alright...I guess I gotta get over petty fears eventually."
Kolulu let go of his hands and hopped in place once. "Great! See you tomorrow Hyde!" she said, before waving and running off, trying to find Lori and the others so she can pack up and head to bed.
Eido crept up behind Hyde and was about to grab him by the head with both of his hands as a prank. He didn't go through with it, and said, "Hey dude, I'm...I'm sorry for causing that mess. I saw you working with that Kolulu kid and...I..."
Hyde turned around and slapped him, "You owe me for this! But..." he said, calming down instantly. "I do think you're getting less obnoxious. The only reason I didn't abandon you to the sharks is because I wanted to show appreciation for your progress. You don't go after skirts as much, you don't do QUITE as many stupid things, honestly? You're listening to me, you're not getting us nearly killed, you're not making fools of us. It's only a small change so far, but if you keep it up? You MIGHT be cool for once!"
Eido understood Hyde's concerns. In truth, Hyde wasn't exactly the most pure and noble child out there, but he knew that Eido was just embarrassing by neutral standards. Eido wanted to be a competent partner, if absolutely NOTHING else, and he kinda liked the kid in all honesty. Might as well make their time together more mutually agreeable, right? He smiled and ruffled the kid's hair.
"Aw, thanks man, I appreciate it. Here, I got you one of your favorites." he said, before handing him a glass bottle of root beer.
Hyde smiled, popped it open, and downed some of it. "Yeah, I guess this makes up for it somewhat."
And so the two walked off to their room together, relieved of their stress and happy to enjoy themselves.