Chapter 7 Moonlit Walk

The trio giggled as they made their way out of the restaurant. Ludwig enjoyed the outing, as not only was the food delicious, but he ended up receiving a lot of compliments. Both he and Aria practically had people kissing their feet because of how impressed they were with their whole karaoke session. It was nice; while nowhere near the level of the compliments Ludwig received in regards to the symphonies he composed, it still stroked his ego. Arguably, that wasn't a good thing at all, but it made Ludwig feel happy, so he just allowed it to happen.

And now, they were all ready to go home. As he stood right outside the doors to The Palace of Spice, Ludwig took notice of the moon. The silver celestial body made the entire town glow with its fullness. The moonbow around the moon itself also provided quite the sight to see, making this night feel even more special than it had already proven itself to be. The three of them would have no trouble walking home. Not only could they see the path, but with Ludwig around, the girls were safer than ever. He was more than willing to protect them from any potential danger.

So, they went on their walk. Even though the moon was bright enough already, Nori used her phone as a flashlight (must've been itching for any excuse to use that damn device). She walked at the front of the group, leading the way as the trio made their way to her house first (it was the closest). This just left Aria and Ludwig walking together. Ludwig went out of his way to keep himself from brushing up against her, from holding her hand; really, he didn't want to touch her right now. While he had been more than comfortable doing so while they sang, that moment had passed. Now, Ludwig wanted to respect her boundaries and personal space. At least that's what he told himself.

Regardless of that, Aria seemed to send a multitude of expressions his way. He took note of her glittering violet eyes, bright enough to make the full moon look like a mere crescent. He felt his face grow warm, and goosebumps prickled his arms as he turned away from her. He didn't say anything, but he imagined that his heartbeat was more than loud enough to make up for that. To prevent himself from melting into a mess, he kept his eyes on Nori and the illuminated path she followed. She traversed it with large steps, creating prints that Ludwig wouldn't at all be surprised to find out were permanently engrained in the very structure of the road. Nori turned down every corner without hesitation, almost leaving Ludwig and Aria by themselves as she did. It was only the occasional call from Aria that told the Koopa girl to slow down, to stop and wait for her friend as well as the special koopa that more or less served as a bodyguard to her. Everytime she stopped, she sent both of them sour looks. This stood true for the first three times, and when it happened a fourth, she decided to verbally vent her frustrations towards them.

"Yeesh," she said, her eyes shooting daggers and her voice sharpened by edge. "Could you guys walk any slower?" She directed her gaze toward Ludwig. "You can lift a girl into the air by the waist flawlessly, yet you can't go faster than three feet an hour? Do your special superpowers do nothing to prevent you from wasting everyone's time?"

Ludwig growled. It was only when he smelled the smoke coming from his flaming hands that he realized he didn't want this. No use getting involved in a screaming match. He took in a breath, extinguishing the flames as he looked back at Nori. "I'll try to move faster." Nori, while her face didn't soften, did nod and continue down the path. When she was out of earshot was when Ludwig snorted and grit his teeth. "Bitch."

"She's not a bitch," Aria protested.

Ludwig snickered. "Too bad her personality didn't get the memo." This remark made Aria give him a disapproving look for the first time that night. In response, Ludwig kept his gaze to the ground and decided to not speak again until Nori got home.

So, they continued on. Nori still led the train, moving with considerable speed as the surroundings no doubt became more familiar to her. When they stopped at her house, she turned off her phone and turned back toward her comrades. She smiled and wished Aria good night, gave a simple nod and a standard farewell to Ludwig, and went inside. Ludwig let out a humongous breath once the door closed; he couldn't even remember feeling this relieved!

"Finally! She was a total nightmare! I mean, she really…." He seized up when he saw Aria glaring, becoming aware once again of the fact that she and Nori were friends. "Sorry! Sorry, I…" he hesitated, his face growing hotter than the sun as he pushed a strand of his hair out of his face. "Do…do you mind if I walk you home from here?"

Aria's face softened up immediately. "I'd like that." She smiled at him again, once more causing his heart to flutter. He tried not to look too odd as he gestured for Aria to lead the way.

For the next nine to ten minutes, there was silence between them. They also moved at quite a slower pace than when Nori led the way, which Ludwig did appreciate. In the silence, he listened to the sound of cicadas. Sparksville was the only part of the Koopa Kingdom where cicadas could live, so Ludwig relished in their sound. Their crackly clicks, unbridled by the need to be weary of making too much noise, were arguably the most unique sounds the Koopa prodigy had ever heard. They were discordant, yet enjoyable. They had no sheet music and no melody, yet they produced the most pleasing music that had ever fallen upon the ears of a koopa. The cicada chirps almost made his heart flutter as much as it did when he looked at Aria.

Speaking of which…wow. Ludwig didn't want to look at her for too long for fear that she might think he was staring, but…everything about her appearance was amazing. Ludwig thought back to that time all those years ago when he first met her. Considering that Ludwig thought she looked beautiful as a child, he supposed he shouldn't be surprised that she grew up to be an absolutely gorgeous woman. Even then, she took his breath every time he looked at her. Every. Single. Time. The fact that she was a beautiful person wasn't a shock; it was the extent of how beautiful she was that really made Ludwig's heart race. Her wavy blue hair looked as though its fibers had been sheared off the sky on the most sunny day ever and implanted onto her head. Her eyes glimmered in the moonlight in an almost unnatural way. Sure, Ludwig was no stranger to glowing eyes as his glowed when using his powers sometimes, but hers did it in the best way possible. She was gorgeous. She made Ludwig want to compose an amazing symphony. She…

Ludwig came to a stop. No. No, no; he was letting his thoughts run away from him. He needed to get the back under control before he started literally drooling all over Aria's front. He took a deep breath, rising a little into the air as he let it out. He took a few more breaths, all the while telling himself that he needed to hold himself together. He was mature and poised, a composed composer. He wasn't one who got so flutter struck by a beautiful girl.

"Are you alright?"

Ludwig opened his eyes. His heart fluttered again, and he internally berated himself over it. After taking in one more deep breath, he floated back down to the ground. He told himself he needed to play it cool. He shouldn't worry Aria, so worry her he shall not.

"Yeah, I'm fine." He smiled at her. Her eyes now filled with relief. Her glimmering, amethyst purple eyes…wait, no. No, he shouldn't do this again. He shook his head, promising himself that he could act cool in this scenario. He needed to, so he would. He gestured for Aria to continue walking with him, and together they resumed with their late night stroll. He almost put his hand around her shoulder, only stopping himself when his hand was less than an inch away from her skin.

"Hey," Aria said, slicing through the silence. "You can still make fire with your hands, right?"

Ludwig blinked, feeling on some level that this question came out of nowhere. At the same time though, he recognized that Aria was just trying to start up an innocent conversation. So, he answered without any reservations.

"Yeah," he said. "Yeah, I can."

Aria's eyes twinkled. "Can you do it now?"

Ludwig hesitated. He was about to tell Aria that it was only an involuntary action his body made when he was mad. He had as much control over it as someone had over how much they sweat while working out. It was only when he opened his mouth to answer her that he realized (or rather, reminded himself) that that wasn't true. He could get angry on command. He had trained himself to do it in combat scenarios after all. And sure, this wasn't exactly a one on one with Mario, but he still had confidence that he could do it.

"Sure," he finally said after about half a minute. He extended his hand, trying to decide what to focus on to make himself angry. Funnily enough, the thing that ultimately popped up in his mind was Nori. Chuckling to himself, he let her and her attitude act as the fuel for the fire. Within seconds, blue flames erupted around his hand. Like the moon up above, they acted as a bright light source, illuminating the path with their blue glow.

The glow of the path was nothing in comparison to how Aria's eyes glowed though. "Oh my word…"

"Yeah." Ludwig smiled at her, all while keeping Nori front and center in his mind ("stupid snobby bitch" was one of the main sentences he thought of). "Impressive, huh?"

"Yeah!" Aria couldn't tear her eyes off the flame. "It's beautiful!"

Ludwig blinked. "Beautiful?" Wow, when was the last time he heard someone describe his flames like that? "Th…thank you!"

Aria beamed, all without taking her eyes off of the flames. "It's amazing you're able to do that." Suddenly and without warning, her form seized up. "It…they look how they were when…" she froze. Time around her seemed to draw to a standstill; there wasn't even any wind that dared move an inch of her hair.

Fear seized Ludwig as he looked at her, not moving or even making any noise. "Aria?" The flame went out. "Aria, are you okay?" He put his hand on her shoulders. "Aria, what's wrong?"

For twenty seconds, she didn't move at all. Ludwig's heart pounded, a stark contrast to the fluttery beats from earlier. His mind went into overdrive, trying to figure out what was happening to her or if there was anyway to help.

Thankfully, Aria eventually came back around. She did a double take and looked Ludwig right in the eyes. "Sorry. Sorry, I just…I just…got this weird feeling." Ludwig raised an eyebrow, prompting her to elaborate. "It…it's fuzzy, but I can almost…remember something."

Ludwig's heart skipped a beat. "Remember what?" A very large lump formed in his throat.

"It…" Aria hesitated. "It…" she did another double take before shaking her head. "It's…it's nothing." She looked him right in the eyes. "I'm fine Ludwig. It's nothing at all."

Ludwig's insides felt squirmy. No, that was not nothing. He had a very strong hunch as to what exactly Aria just remembered. He was too scared to say it though, as if speaking the words out loud would summon the boogeyman.

Ultimately, he decided he wasn't going to think too much about it. "Okay." He suddenly became aware of the fact that he had his hands on her shoulders. The temperature of his face skyrocketed, so much so that he wouldn't be shocked to discover if it was now radioactive. He pulled his hands away from her, trying not to freak out too much. Cool and collected, he told himself in his head. Cool, collected, and composed. He took a breath before gesturing toward her. "Let's just focus on getting you home."

Aria nodded. They continued walking, although Ludwig felt as if they were moving at a snail's pace. Probably had something to do with him now wanting this whole night out to end as soon as possible. Although he called her a bitch earlier, he was now beginning to more easily empathize with Nori's perspective.

"I had a lot of fun tonight."

Ludwig looked at her. "You did?"

"Yeah." Aria chortled and curled a strand of her hair back. "Singing up on stage with you like that…" she blushed. "It was one of the most exciting things that's happened to me all week."

All previous fright evaporated once Ludwig smiled. "Yeah, that was pretty great." He put his hands behind his back, smiling as he looked at the illuminate ground. "I don't normally do karaoke, but this time around was pretty sweet."

"It was. I'm gonna remember that for all time." She giggled. "Man, I'd love to see my friends' reactions when I tell them that I sang up on stage with Ludwig von Koopa! I bet they'd never believe me!"

Ludwig laughed. "I'd love to see that too." He grinned as he looked into her face again. "I can just imagine; you're telling your incredulous friends about tonight, and when they tell you you're full of shit, I'll jump out of the bushes and the two of us will laugh in their dumbstruck faces!"

Aria laughed so hard that her whole body shook. "Oh man, that would be amazing!" She wiped a tear from her eye. "I was just thinking I could record their reactions for you, but for some reason I like your idea more!"

Ludwig chuckled. The two of them laughed together, with Ludwig once again finding great appreciation for her beautifully adorable laughter. On some level, he was kind of sad when they inevitably calmed down. Fortunately, just because the laughter stopped didn't mean that the conversation had to.

"I have to admit," Ludwig said, "you have a pretty good singing voice."

"Thanks! Your's is nice too. Although…" she laughed a little. "I'm not really surprised. Since you're a musical prodigy, I imagine you have perfect pitch."

"Indeed I do." Ludwig puffed out his chest. "I take great pride in that fact." He sunk back. "Admittedly, more than I probably should."

Aria chuckled. "Well either way, you sounded good." She slowed down a little. "And…well, if you're ever up to going out karaoking again…"

Ludwig looked her in the face again. He supposed that, at this moment, he should probably feel more reluctant than normal. Despite that thought, he couldn't help but smile at her.

"I'll make sure that you'll be the first person I invite."

Aria returned his smile. "Thanks. I'd like that a lot." She came to a stop. "Well, this is my house." She gestured toward the blue building.

"So it is." Ludwig clamped his hands together. "Well…I hope you have a good evening."

"You too." She began to walk up the walkway before, suddenly, she stopped and turned back around. She ran up to Ludwig and wrapped her arms around him in a hug.

"It was great to see you again," she whispered.

At first, Ludwig felt icy coldness run through his veins at her touch. Thankfully, his heart melted soon enough. He smiled, the expression sweet and somewhat disbelieving, and hugged her back. "You too."

Aria let go. She walked up toward her door, and with one last wave in his direction, she went inside. This just left Ludwig alone, outside in the moonlight. After a little bit, he sucked and turned around.

"Well…I suppose I should get home myself."

…

Ludwig yawned as he stepped back into Bowser's Castle after the long long long flight. What time was it exactly? One in the morning? Two? He didn't know, but it honestly didn't matter to him too much. He was so tired that he had trouble standing up straight. He made his way up to his room, bemoaning the long distance between his room and the front door but also having amazing hopes for what he would encounter when he went off to dreamland.

When he finally got to his room, he opened the dor with a creak. He yawned, ready to get in his comfy perfect bed, when he literally had the air knocked out of him. He gasped as he felt the sensation of a koopa wrapping their arms around his midsection.

"I'm so glad you're back!"

Ludwig did a double take. "Lemmy? You're still awake?"

"Of course!"

Ludwig did another double take, one that superceded the last one in terms of intensity. In a daze, he looked past his brother into their room. He was amazed (but also not shocked in the slightest) to see that the light was still on.

He sent his disoriented gaze down toward his brother. "But…but…why?"

Lemmy let out a happy squeak. "Duh! I wanted to enjoy the fruits of my labor!" He finally released Ludwig from his hold, sending him a smile that was in its own league of happy. "I just had to see how the outing went! I drank about four cups of coffee just to stay awake!"

Ludwig snorted. "Makes sense, considering it's…" he looked at his digital clock on the nightstand and gawked. "Yeesh, it's three!" He looked back at his brother. "Good luck sleeping at all tonight, Lems!"

"It's fine," Lemmy said with a wave of the hand. "I've pulled all nighters before. Granted I felt like the walking dead the next day, but still." He bounced up and down as Ludwig stepped into the room and closed the door. "So, how'd it go?"

"It…it went well," Ludwig said as he unbuttoned his tuxedo shirt and laid on his dresser.

Lemmy snorted. "Really? That's how descriptive you're choosing to be?" Lemmy bounded over to him, standing so close Ludwig could feel him breathing on his belly. "Tell me everything! Did you have a good dinner? Did you hold her hand? Did you two share a romantic kiss under the full moon?"

Ludwig seized up. "NO! ARE YOU…!" He immediately realized how loud he was, so he cleared his throat to calm himself (the cool, collected, and composed attitude could still be applied in this particular scenario). "No. Aria and I are just friends Lemmy."

Lemmy giggled. "If you say so!" He went over to his bed and took a seat amidst the sock monkeys. "So, what did happen? Tell me, tell me, TELL ME!"

"Lemmy…!" Right as Ludwig finished saying that was when he let out another jaw popping yawn. "Look, it's past three am and I'm tired out of my mind. If I don't get some sleep, my powers are probably going to go haywire in the morning." He took off his tuxedo pants and telekinetically put them on the dresser with the shirt.

"Oh. Yeah, we don't want that happening." Lemmy looked back at him with a furrowed brow. "Can…can you tell me in the morning?"

Ludwig nodded. "I'll give you every single detail."

"Great! Thanks Ludwig!" He pulled his covers up as Ludwig telekinetically flipped the light switch. "Night Luddy!"

"Night Lemmy," Ludwig responded. He got under the covers, thinking about all that had happened over this eventful evening. His face rose at some parts and fell with others, but ultimately, he had to admit that this was a great outing. Sure, his guilt was still there as he recalled some points (especially when he thought about Aria having that flashback), but overall? It was enjoyable.

But that begged the question: would he do it again?