Chapter 23 Arrested

Celia let out a breath. She fluffed her hair like it had never been fluffed before, hoping that doing so would bring out its natural shiny color and smooth texture. She smiled at her reflection, half because she was pleased with what she saw and half because she was excited about her plans for this day. Those plans involved none other than Roy, who Celia was feeling extremely grateful towards. He's gone above and beyond over the past few days, and as a cherry on top, he had agreed to come back to the Mushroom Kingdom today so they could go on a date. Sure, there were some downsides to having dates in the human-filled Mushroom Kingdom, but Celia didn't mind. The bitterness of the humans and toads was nothing in comparison to the sweetness of being with her boyfriend. Her passionate, kind boyfriend who had gone to great lengths to make life easier for everyone in her family.

Her smile grew bigger just thinking about all the amazing things Roy had done. She recalled how he had fulfilled his promise yesterday and sent the Patch-Marksmite family some money. Even though he had said he would, it still surprised her. She could barely contain her emotions when she got the letter, and everyone else reacted in the exact same way. Ruby had happy, damp eyes for the rest of the day, and Singe had been all smiles and relaxed, grateful expressions. Albert had gotten money too, and his reaction to it had been priceless. Celia kind of wished that she had a camera so that she could take a picture and/or record him so that his face was documented for future generations to see.

Yeah, Roy deserved a thank you. From being there for Celia in the fight against her family, to going out of his way to help Albert feel better, and even buying him a flower which he loved to death, he really had earned the sweetest of all rewards. So, she was going to treat him. She did some research earlier and discovered a very pricy but overall very nice restaurant in town. Would they allow a koopa inside? Celia didn't know, but she was at the very least going to try it out, since now she actually had the financial resources to afford such a dinner. She thought about this when she finished doing her hair, grinning both at her beautiful appearance as well as the great times she and Roy were going to partake in.

She walked out of her bedroom. Her parents were gone, with Ruby going back to work and Singe more than likely getting some much needed shopping done with his newly acquired cash. Albert was the only one present. He held a watering can over his tulip, which sat at the window. Celia smiled and went over to him.

"You're so beautiful," he whispered toward his plant. He set the watering can to the side and cupped the top in his hands. "You're such an amazing gift, and you deserve to be treated as such."

Celia blinked. "You're talking to the plant? Isn't that a little crazy given how it…you know, can't hear you?"

Albert turned back toward her with a smile. "Actually, research has been conducted that suggests that talking to plants can help them grow faster."

"Really?" Celia looked back at the purple plant. "Well then, shut me up and talk away."

Albert nodded, all while the smile stayed on his face. He said something else to the tulip, but his low voice made hearing what he said a little difficult. Oh well, Celia didn't want to spend too much time worrying about that. She had a date in a hot second and didn't want to be late to it. She turned on her heel and made her way toward the door.

"Any news from the police?" Albert asked.

Celia stopped. They had passed the forty eight hour mark already, so that meant the cops were on the hunt for Alicia. Celia hesitated, feeling as though what she had to say would upset her cousin.

"Not yet, I'm afraid."

"Oh." Albert's shoulders slumped. "O…okay." He turned back toward his tulip, but this time had a very noticeable lack of enthusiasm.

Celia felt a pang as she turned toward him. "Don't worry, she'll be found."

Albert nodded but didn't say anything. Celia listened extra hard, trying to detect whether or not the young man was crying. She thankfully didn't hear anything that would suggest such, but that didn't mean anything. Even if Albert wasn't crying, he was still torn up over this. So, Celia went up to him and put her hand on his shoulder. She felt pleased that he didn't bat her hand away.

"They'll find her," she said with a firm yet reassuring voice. "I promise you they'll find her."

Albert was quiet for a little bit before nodding. "Thank you Celia." He turned back toward her. "Have fun with Roy, okay?"

Celia nodded. "I will." With that, she made her way out the door. As she closed it behind her and made her way over to the rock, her mind stayed on the police's search. She couldn't even begin to describe how frustrated she felt over this. It had already been hard enough hearing about that forty eight hour mark that missing people had to pass, but even now, they weren't making any progress whatsoever! Celia and Ruby had gone to the police station frequently to ask questions over the past few days, and each time they did, they were met with a "nothing new to report" from the local officers. It had angered her, severely angered her. She supposed she shouldn't be surprised given her own experience with law enforcement, but it still ticked her off to no end.

On top of that, it only made Albert more distraught. Taking care of the tulip could only pacify him for so long. And sure, he had a plan of going out and living out on his own thanks to Roy's influence, but he had expressed a desire to tell his mother that. Straight toward her face. Sure, Celia didn't think that would be totally necessary, but her cousin had been determined to do it. So, either way, he held onto some semblance of hope that Alicia would be found.

But that hope was proving itself to be misplaced, and each day they went without any news from the police only made that sliver of hope grow smaller and smaller. On top of that, the lack of progress meant that none of the question Celia, Albert, or anyone else had went completely unanswered. Why would Alicia disappear like this? Was anyone responsible? If they were, what was their motive? Why was it taking this long to find Alicia? It frustrated Celia, and it no doubt frustrated her cousin that these questions had no answers yet.

She sighed and shook her head. They would find Alicia soon. They had to. Whether they found her dead or alive, Celia didn't know. But she was going to hold onto the hope that the police were going to find her, if not for her than for Albert.

Right at that moment, Celia heard the unmistakable sound of Roy's Koopa Clown Copter floating in the air. She smiled as her boyfriend set the thing down on the ground and hopped out of it.

"I swear," he said as he made his way over. "The trip to the Mushroom Kingdom seems to get longer and longer the more times I take it."

Celia giggled. "Well, if you want, we can try the "long distance" style relationship."

Roy shook his head. "Nah. Writing a bunch of letters and texts back and forth would get tiring quickly. And besides, I like to see you in person."

"I feel the same way about you." Celia stood up and made her way toward him. When they were close enough, they shared a kiss.

Roy rubbed her shoulders as they refused to make their lips part. When they inevitably had to, he examined Celia's outfit and smiled at her. "You look just as cute in that dress as the last time you wore it." He chuckled and looked at her hair. "And I can tell that you spent a lot of time o your hairdo."

Celia chuckled. "Funny. I didn't think guys cared enough to notice stuff like that."

Roy shrugged. "Eh. Your hair is too unique of a color…or, should I say, colors to not really take notice of it."

"True." Celia curled a strand over her ear. "Anyway, what do you say we get going? I know the perfect place to go to." She grinned at him. "And the best part? This time, I'll be the one paying the tab."

"Oh, sweet!" Roy looked confused. "But…you'll be paying with money I sent you. So, wouldn't that still mean I'm the one paying…?"

"Eh, that's just a technicality," Celia said with a laugh and the wave of the hand. They both laughed for a little bit before Celia held out her arm. "Come on, we don't want to be late."

Roy beamed and took her hand. With Celia leading the way, they walked toward the fancy restaurant. Every once in a while, she looked up into Roy's face. She smiled and her heart fluttered everytime.

"Thank you for sending us the money," she said when they were about halfway there.

"Of course!" Roy said. "I did make a promise, after all! And if there's one thing I'm not, it's a promise breaker!"

"True. Very true." Celia let out a happy sigh. "But still, you have no idea how much that money helps out my family. And no amount of thank yous will be enough to convey how grateful all four of us in that house are."

Roy chuckled. "Well that's good." Celia blinked and looked up at him in confusion. "If I were forced to say you're welcome after every single one of those thank yous…well, that would get old really quickly."

Celia smirked and playfully shoved him with her shoulder. This resulted in both of them laughing a little. After the laughter died, Roy asked a question that, unfortunately, brought her spirits down a little bit.

"How's Albert?"

Celia bit her lip. "He's getting there."

"Okay." Roy sighed. "Man, I just feel so bad for the guy. With everything that's happened, with all the questions that have been flittering about in his brain…well, it's gotta be hard on him. Honestly, I'm impressed that he's able to function at all instead of melting into a puddle of worry."

Celia nodded. "Yeah. I guess the hope that we'll find his mom is what's helping him." She hesitated. "And honestly, it's helping me too. Sure, right now I'm beyond aggravated at the current circumstances, but holding onto that particular hope…well, it helps make things a little more tolerable."

Roy smiled. "Hope tends to do that, I here." He squeezed her hand. "And hey, things will get better. That's pretty much guaranteed."

"Hehe, I've said the same thing to Albert. I guess I should try believing my own words."

"Wouldn't hurt."

With that, they continued on their path to the restaurant. When they actually got there, Celia was actually floored at how elegant it looked. It was a pearly white, and even had some pillars situated in front of the entrance. One look inside also told her that this was a good place to be, as the people in there laughed and smiled like nobody's business. The only thing that wasn't impressive about the place, funnily enough, was the name.

"The Pig Pen?" Roy wrinkled his snout. "Man, talk about a mismatched name. Who thought of it; I really want to punch them for being so stupid!"

Celia laughed. "It doesn't sound nice, but trust me when I say that the reviews were more than promising." She took a step forward. "I have a feeling this'll be a good place to eat."

Roy smiled. "Well, I am willing to trust you." He faced forward. "So, let's go ahead and go in…"

"HEY!"

Celia and Roy blinked. They turned around, and Celia was surprised to see the Toad woman who they encountered while buying the flower for Albert. Unfortunately, the woman looked incredibly angry. The fact that she had a police officer accompanying her only made her heart rate pick up.

"That's him!" The Toad woman pointed toward Roy. "He's the koopa who stole from my shop! I know he is!"

Celia's eyes grew wide. She looked up at Roy, who looked stunned beyond any comprehensible levels.

"Woah woah." He held up his hands. "I didn't steal anything! I swear!"

"That's not gonna work," the police Toad said. "Money was stolen from this woman's store, and you're the only one who visited the store recently who is capable of doing so."

Celia's jaw dropped. "Why? Just because he's a koopa? That's insane! That's…!"

Before she could even finish her sentence, the police came up and stuck some handcuffs around Roy's wrists. "You're under arrest. Come with me."

Both Celia and Roy gawked as he was led away. "NO!" Celia yelled. She ran after them, her heart pounding and sweat making its way down her back. "You've got it all wrong! Roy didn't steal anything! I promise you he…!"

"Be quiet girl, or I'll take you in too!"

Celia stopped, trying to grapple with this. This was insane! No, not just insane; this was downright wrong! She wanted to yell at them, tell them that they got the wrong guy. It was only one reassuring look from Roy that prevented her from doing so.

"It'll be okay, Cee."

Celia stopped. "How?" She couldn't even move as her boyfriend was led away. When he was gone, she shook her head and sniffled. "How will it be okay?" she asked herself as the tears flowed.