Chapter 12 Post Bowling Chat

The gang bowled well into the night. Ludwig did manage to get a strike…after he had rolled the bowl ten times. So much for gaining bragging rights. In fact, so much for gaining any sort of dignity whatsoever! Ludwig knew…knew that Larry had done better than that! How could he not; the nasty little rascal practically lived and breathed sports! He could already see it: going home to tell the family that he got a strike on his eleventh try, only to have Larry laugh in his face and say something like "That's pathetic! I got a strike on my third attempt ever!" Sure, the youngest didn't have any knowledge on dating, but his sports skills were very worthy of being bragged about. The fact that Ludwig couldn't achieve anything that would knock the blue haired nuisance off his mile high high horse…

*Sigh.*

Oh well. Ludwig decided, as the group finally wrapped up with their bowling related escapades, that he wasn't going to waste his breath nor his brain cells. So what if he couldn't beat Larry in sports? He could still beat him in a show of pure strength, a show of pure wits, AND a show of pure looks! Why then should he waste his time trying to be good at bowling, an activity he didn't even like?

Besides, Larry wasn't the reason why he was in the Bowling Alley this evening. That honor belonged to Aria. He kept his eyes on her smiling face as they walked away from the lanes and towards the tables. Glimmer and Sprite went to fetch some nachos for everyone at the table, leaving just him and her. As he looked at her, taking awe in the fact that she looked so much more pretty when she was happy, his mind went into overdrive. He needed to tell her what he did, but what exactly would be the best time to do that? He could do it now, as Glimmer and Sprite were gone.

No, no. That would ruin the evening. Sure, he hadn't been too torn up about ruining the evening beforehand, but now that he actually experienced it? He didn't want to taint it. Even though he despised bowling, in a similar manner to how bugs despised bug spray, he still had fun because he got to spend time with her. Sure, they were rarely ever alone while playing, but still being in her presence was very enjoyable. In a way, it brought Ludwig when they played games in Frostwall. Normally, those particular memories were ones he looked upon with sadness and regret. But…he didn't do that this night. He actually smiled as he recalled when they had snowball fights, when they tried hot chocolate, and when they danced together. The events that occurred afterwards were completely ignored, sometimes almost forgotten in their entirety. Ludwig supposed that was just the effect Aria had on him. She reminded him of a simpler time, before he acquired all his decades olf burdens.

So no, he wasn't going to tell her tonight. Sure, he recognized that he needed to tell her eventually, but…this was not the time nor the place. He needed to enjoy this. He needed to put his worries to the side, at least for the time being. That was what Lemmy would want him to do. Even though Aria didn't know what was currently going on in his head, he reasoned she probably felt the same way.

As a consequence, he kept his mouth shut. His mouth watered when Glimmer and Sprite finally came back with the nachos and sodas. As Ludwig's snack was set in front of him, he licked his lips. The golden cheese covered the crunchy chips like blankets that provided both warmth and flavor. Meat and jalapenos laid sprinkled across the dish too, and the smell was so delectable that Ludwig almost stuck his face directly into the nachos and ate them up like an out-of-control dog. He didn't (he was a prince; manners were pretty much required), but dang did he get close!

"Well," Glimmer said as she took a seat. "Dig in everyone!"

And they did. Ludwig took delicate bites of the scrumptious chips. They sent him over the moon, which was an appropriate metaphor as little kids often thought the moon was made of cheese. The flavors of umami and spicy and savory blended together in a way that appealed to Ludwig's developed palate. He couldn't actually believe he was saying this, but…this crappy bowling alley made the best nachos he had ever tasted.

"So," Sprite spoke up after he wiped cheese sauce off his lips with the back of his hands. "That was fun, wasn't it?"

"Oh yeah!" Aria took a sip of her soda. "I'm especially proud of Ludwig for finally getting a strike."

Ludwig rolled his eyes at that. "Cause, you know, eleven instances of failure don't mean anything in the long run."

"Oh no, they do." Aria looked right into his eyes. "But I think that they put your eventual success in a much better light." She smiled. "I like when people reach their goal, even when they experience hardships that get in the way."

Ludwig blinked before a smile grew on his face. Huh. He supposed that was a nice way to look at it. Sure, it didn't wipe away the sting of having nothing to brag about to his siblings. But still…it made him feel better.

"Thanks." He smiled as he grabbed hold of his soda and took a sip (blegh, it was diet. He could tell).

"I'm more so impressed by the fact that Sprite got a gutter ball every single time!" Glimmer covered her mouth as a round of giggles stampeded out of it. "I mean, come on! Even if you're the most sucky player in the world, statistically speaking you should knock down at least one pin!" She snickered. "But then again, I guess I shouldn't be surprised that statistics don't impact Sprite in anyway."

Sprite cast her a glare. "Watch it sis, or I'm gonna walk home all by myself tonight."

Oh, so they're siblings, Ludwig thought. He smirked as he took another bite out of his nachos. I should've known; they do give off that kind of energy. He almost laughed as Sprite and Glimmer delved into an argument, one that gave Ludwig flashbacks to his numerous confrontations with his own siblings. It was very humorous to watch…at first. After they passed the five minute mark, and after Aria tried to inject herself into the conversation in order to get the brother and sister to stop, it got rather tired and grating to listen to. This was why Ludwig and Aria exchanged a look and, without any need for conversation, got up and went to a completely different table.

"Sorry about them," Aria said as they sat down next to the window. "They're…they're brother and sister. It seems all they ever do when around each other is fight."

Ludwig snickered. "I can relate." He took another bite of his nachos before telekinetically throwing his soda in the nearest trash can.

Aria snickered. "It seems like a law of the universe or something. Everybody who I've encountered who has siblings always says that they fight with each other. In fact…" she placed her hands down on the table. "I bet it actually is a law of the universe! Planets revolve around suns, men getting mullets is a major mistake, and siblings argue like cats and dogs! I know it's a universal truth; it has to be!"

Ludwig snickered. "I agree with every last thing you said. Especially the mullet part; whoever invented that hairstyle needs to have their head examined."

Aria giggled. "For more reasons than one." This got both of them to share a laugh. Once again, Ludwig relished the sound of hers. More often than not, he ran across people whose laughter was more annoying than nails on a chalkboard. The fact that Aria's was pleasant to listen to…it was appreciated. Majorly appreciated.

The two sat in silence for a little bit. Ludwig quickly finished his nachos, so this just left him to watch Aria as she ate and drank. Unfortunately, no conversation happening meant that Ludwig's mind wandered back onto the well worn, treacherous path that lead to thoughts of Frostwall. He immediately decided he needed to start a conversation before he completely shut down.

"So…" he struggled with something to ask before his eyes fell on the soda cup. "You like diet soda?" He almost cringed; not exactly the strongest or most detailed subject that one could talk about.

Aria blinked and pulled the straw away from her mouth. "Uh… yeah, it's okay."

Ludwig nodded. He didn't really know what to say next, unfortunately. He thought and thought, looking around the building to see if there was anything worth pointing out or any topic worth discussing. His mind came up blank, much to his chagrin. Because of this, he was actually extremely thankful that Aria spoke up.

"Yeah, soda is up there on my list of favorite drinks." She grinned, the sparkle reappearing in her eyes (which actually kind of fit cause…you know, soda? Soda's sparkly?). "However…it doesn't even come close to my number one favorite drink. That position has been booked to capacity for years now, and nothing I've drunk has proven itself good enough to challenge it's position on the throne."

Ludwig perked up. "Really? What drink is that?"

Aria's grin grew bigger. "You already know."

"I do?" Ludwig blinked before realization came over him. "Oh!" He chuckled. "It's Freddie's hot chocolate! Isn't it?"

"Yep!" Aria giggled and leaned back, now looking far more casual than before. "That drink is still the bob-omb!"

Ludwig snickered. "The bob-omb, eh? That isn't the word I would personally use."

Aria snorted. "Oh right; you were that weird kid who thought the drink was 'too sweet.'" She laughed. "To this day, I still remember seeing you sprinkle salt in the drink. I always look back on that memory and think 'Is that kid completely insane?"

Both of them laughed at that, with Ludwig in particular finding great amusement with the inflection Aria used to deliver that joke. Once he stopped himself laughing, he shook his head. "Insanity has nothing to do with it Aria. I have a very uniquely defined palette." He chuckled as he stuck another nacho in his mouth. "It's both a blessing and a curse."

"Well, you got the curse part right," Aria said with a smirk. She righted herself so she wasn't leaning back, at least not as much as before. "But still, I absolutely adore Freddie's hot chocolate. When I make my annual trip back to Frostwall to see my Dad on his birthday, I always stop by at Freddie's before leaving." She looked him right in the eye. "The last time I did that was a few weeks ago, actually! That was also the time I saw you!"

Ludwig blinked. "Me?"

"Yeah! I didn't approach you, but I saw you in Frostwall!"

"Huh." Ludwig realized that she was talking about the time when he went to go meet and retrieve Aino. This was fascinating to him; he did pass by Aria's house on his trip, so he supposed it was only natural that she would spot him. Still though, Ludwig still saw this little coincidence as kind of miraculous. Especially seeing how, at the time, he didn't want to see Aria because of what he did to her. It…it almost seemed like the Fates were intentionally going out of their way to plan out and design the scenarios in Ludwig's life to get one very specific thing to happen. "That…that's interesting."

"Yeah." Aria smiled at him, very violet eyes now looking like spotlights directed right at the center of his soul. Ludwig leaned back a little bit, hoping that his discomfort would go away eventually.

Thankfully, Aria asked a question after about a minute that he was actually quite happy to answer. "You know, I always wondered. What got you interested in music? Like, what was the inciting incident?"

This actually caused Ludwig to smile a little bit. Sure, the actual event that acted as the spark to his passion for music wasn't one he could talk about with her for multiple reasons. However, there was one thing he could definitely talk about with her. Something personal, and something that he tended to think about more often than not.

"Well, when I was about a year old, Bowser bought me this toy." He leaned forward a little bit, already feeling very invested in the subject he was going to discuss. "It wasn't anything special; just a plastic xylophone with rainbow keys."

Aria nodded. "I've seen those in stores. They're kinda cute."

"Yeah. Well, Bowser got me one, and little me was very invested. Of course, I was too young to really remember this, but Bowser and Kamek told me that one of my favorite things to do with that toy was play songs to them." He chuckled. "I've looked back at these events via the use of a memory sphere that Kamek has. The songs themselves were pretty good for a one year old."

Aria smirk. "If you do say so yourself."

"Yeah exactly. I mean…they weren't perfect; for the most part, they're just a jumble of random notes mashed together. And obviously, they pale in comparison to the symphonies I've written in my teen years and especially in my adult years. But…surprisingly, those little songs I played actually had some semblance of a melody." He chuckled. "And they were cute. Very cute."

"Cool." Aria leaned forward. "Do you still happen to have that toy, by any chance?"

Ludwig's heart sank. "Well…I managed to keep ahold of it until I turned four. And I can't for the life of me tell you why, whether it was because the thing was thrown away or if I accidentally destroyed it with my pyrokinesis, but it vanished. One day I had it, and the next, it was gone."

"Oh," Aria said. "That's too bad.

"It really is." Ludwig sighed. "I wish I knew what happened to it, because….well, it's a part of my history. It shows how I got my start with the interest that I would pursue and make a career out of." He looked down at the table. "But, you know. Sometimes, things happen, and there's no way to really know why they do."

Aria nodded. There was a silence between the two of them, only broken every once in a while of Aria sipping air out of her soda cup. After a while, she put her cup to the side and leaned forward. Instead of her eyes looking like spotlights, they now appeared tender and loving. Almost eerily so considering the two of them weren't in a relationship of any kind.

"Yeah, it's too bad," Ludwig repeated. He cleared his throat and looked back over at Sprite and Glimmer. Half of him was surprised to see the two of them still bickering each other's ears off. The other half of him, however, wasn't surprised in the slightest, as he had seen how long sibling quarrels could last firsthand (even the really really petty ones). He snickered and looked back at Aria. "Do you think we should break up their fight so we can wrap up and go home."

"Aww!" Aria grinned. "But their fight is so fun to watch!"

"Yeah!" Ludwig said with a snort. "It puts even the fights between Mario and Bowser to shame." He looked back at them. "But seriously, I think we need to go home. It is getting late."

Aria sighed and stood up. "Okay."

So, the two of them made their way over to Sprite and Glimmer. They practically had to pry the two of them off of each other, in a way that made Ludwig think of velcro shoes. Thankfully, once the two siblings were apart, they didn't ignite anymore conflict aside from an occasional dirty glance toward each other. This meant the four koopas were free to go home in peace.

…

Ludwig took in a breath once he entered his room. It was dark, and unlike the previous night he had an outing with Aria, Lemmy was out like a light. This made Ludwig smile, not only because he wasn't interested in explaining what happened at this particular moment, but also because Lemmy actually looked pretty freaking adorable while asleep. He hugged one of his sock monkeys, his face so peaceful and serene. On some level, this was weird to Ludwig, as he would not use the words peaceful and serene to describe Lemmy. But still, he appeared this way as he snoozed, and it made Ludwig pretty happy.

He took off his cloak, put it up on a hanger, and got into bed. He let out a breath and looked over at the clock. It was only ten thirty at night, which was a major relief to him. He still couldn't believe that it took until after three o'clock in the morning to return home the last time. But, then again, maybe it had something to do with the fact that Thwompville was much closer to Bowser' Castle. Either way, Ludwig was thankful that he was going to get a good night's sleep. The next morning, he was going to wake up with a fresh start. He would get out of bed, eat breakfast with his siblings, and NOT reveal to Larry that it took him eleven tries to get a strike.

Ludwig smirked at that last thought. He turned over on his side, ready to let his body fall into a deep sleep, when his hammerspace buzzed. He blinked, got out his phone, and checked his texts. It was a message from Aria.

Hey. I just wanted you to know I had a lot of fun tonight.

Despite his reservations, Ludwig actually smiled. I did too, he texted back. Once he sent it, he once again questioned when he should tell Aria about Frostwall. He knew he had to, that it was a necessity at this point. But…when would it be right to tell? Would it be before an outing, or after an outing? He wanted to reveal it at the best time possible, as he really did consider Aria a friend. He thought of her as a friend and respected her as a friend. Sure, the news of Frostwall would potentially ruin that, but he needed to do what was best for his friend.

Have a good night Ludwig.

Ludwig sighed. Have a good night Aria. With that, he put his phone away and went to sleep. He could consider this in the morning.