Disclaimer: Kirby belongs to Nintendo and HAL Laboratory.
A few days after the trip to Wondaria Remains, Vesa, Kirby and Elfilin were in the middle of packing food and utensils into a few picnic baskets. By the time they finished, they carried the picnic baskets and met up with Fecto Elfilis in the foyer.
"Ok," Vesa called over, "we're ready!"
Elfilis flexed their ears and glanced over their shoulder.
"I'm glad to hear it," they smiled, their tail swaying side to side.
Vesa stepped closer to Elfilis, taking a moment to adjust her cap.
"Then let's get going," Elfilis suggested.
Elfilin and Kirby shared glances in a moment of silence. The pink star warrior then sprinted to the front door and opened it. Outside, Meta Knight, King Dedede, Bandee and Adeleine stood outside.
"Poyo!" Kirby waved his arm.
Vesa and Elfilis approached the front door.
"Meta Knight," Elfilis greeted with a small nod.
"Elfilis," Meta Knight replied curtly.
Kirby jumped onto Meta Knight, giving him a big hug. He shuddered at first, but he gave his son a couple pats on the back…especially when the pink puffball nuzzled his face. Meta Knight's eyes glowed pink in this moment which wasn't missed by anyone paying attention. Though he could only put up with his child's affection for so long.
"Alright," Meta Knight sighed, "that's enough."
Meta Knight gently pushed Kirby off of him, giving him a pat on the head. The pink star warrior shifted his gaze towards Bandee and waved his arms. The Waddle Dee happily waved back. Elfilis and Meta Knight exchanged glances, the veteran star warrior giving them a silent expression indicating he still didn't trust them. Elfilis showed him a vulnerable side to themself which no one picked up on.
Adeleine waved her hand at Elfilin while Vesa gave Dedede a bow of respect.
"It's nice to see you again, sire," Vesa said.
"It's nice to see you as well, Miss Vesa," Dedede chuckled.
Vesa took notice of Dedede's appearance being rather different, especially since his return to Popstar changing the shape of his beak and his robe didn't have any feathers attached. He seemed more well groomed that way.
"So," Vesa asked, "how far is Vegetable Valley from here?"
"Not too far, if I recall," Dedede answered, rubbing his chin, "although nothing is that far away when using the Warp Star."
Dedede made a brief glance at Kirby.
"Poyo!" Kirby jumped up and down.
"Nice to see you, little guy," Dedede waved his gloved hand.
Elfilin floated over to Bandee.
"Interested in sparring later?" Elfilis asked Meta Knight.
Meta Knight hummed at Elfilis, still draping his arms under his cape. Vesa, Elfilin, Kirby and Elfilis stepped out into the courtyard, walking alongside Dedede, Meta Knight, Adeleine and Bandee.
"Is that everything?" Elfilis asked.
Vesa, Elfilin and Kirby presented their picnic baskets.
"Yup," Elfilin nodded.
"Then let's be off," Elfilis pondered, "now…which direction are we going?"
King Dedede and Kirby nodded at each other, the penguin patting at his chest.
"I'll be traveling with Kirby," Dedede offered, "but I can guide you."
Kirby summoned the Warp Star. The pink star warrior, the penguin and Elfilin hopped on. Elfilis, Vesa, Meta Knight, Bandee and Adeleine followed the three as the Warp Star took to the air. The ultimate life-form carried their girlfriend in one arm and her picnic basket in their other hand.
Once they all arrived in Vegetable Valley, the Warp Star touched down. Kirby, Elfilin and Dedede disembarked. Elfilis scanned their surroundings, their feelers twitching in search of a good spot to set up the picnic. Kirby and Elfilin joined up with Bandee to survey the rolling hills.
Elfilis found a flat area with an atmospheric view and settled there. They gently set down Vesa onto her feet. Kirby, Meta Knight, Dedede, Elfilin, Adeleine and Bandee approached them as Elfilis set down the picnic basket. Vesa opened it and carefully laid the picnic blanket on the ground.
"We should have enough for everyone," Elfilis sat down on the ground, "provided Kirby and Dedede eat in moderation."
Kirby and Dedede shared glances, sweating nervously. Vesa pulled out some plates while Bandee and Adeleine checked the other picnic baskets. Elfilis took in the surrounding view, relishing in the warmth from the sun. Kirby and Elfilin darted into the fields where they began to play, so Meta Knight kept an eye on them. While Vesa and Bandee arranged the utensils, Adeleine took a few steps from the blanket and set up her easel.
Elfilis got up and approached Meta Knight, curiously eyeing the veteran star warrior's cloak. Meta Knight made a brief glance at the ultimate life-form and simply nodded at them. Once Vesa finished arranging the utensils, Bandee shifted his gaze to Dedede.
"Why don't we find a place to relax, sire?" Bandee suggested.
"Sure," Dedede nodded, "that sounds like a swell idea."
While Dedede and Bandee found a spot to lounge at, Elfilis took notice of the strange sword sheathed away in Meta Knight's utility belt.
"What is that?" Elfilis asked.
Meta Knight's eyes wandered back to the ultimate life-form.
"Galaxia," Meta Knight answered with great reverence, "a legendary blade that chooses its wielder. Only those pure of heart can use it. Pure of heart doesn't mean good or evil, however; it means you believe something, down to your core, an unshakable value you hold dear."
Elfilis placed a finger on their lower jaw. Vesa scanned her surroundings before approaching the ultimate life-form.
"How are you doing?" Elfilis glanced over their shoulder as their tail swayed happily behind them.
Vesa smiled and sat down next to Elfilis.
"I'm doing great," she replied, "I might want to check in with the others in half an hour just in case they're hungry."
Vesa leaned forward as her eyes locked onto Meta Knight.
"That sounds good," Elfilis replied, "so, how have your studies been going so far?"
Vesa examined her palms. As the wind brushed past her hair, she closed her eyes and began to concentrate. The mana stirred inside her body, though it still lacked stability. Elfilis flexed their feelers as the spell circle formed on her hands. In a matter of minutes, the spell circle caught some of the wind and began to manifest it. When she opened her eyes, she examined her handiwork, visible wind gusts dancing in her palms.
"I'm impressed," Elfilis commented, "have you practiced augmenting weapons with it?"
Vesa made a brief glance at Elfilis in a moment of silence.
"That depends," she replied, "I might want to test it."
Elfilis nodded and summoned their spear. Vesa stood up with the spell still in her hands. The tall space rodent turned their spear to its side. From there, she levitated the wind gusts onto the spear's blade. In a matter of seconds, a light-green color illuminated the spear.
"This spell you unlocked," Elfilis mused, "it was popular among soldiers for how sharp it made their weapons. Unfortunately, those with bronze, iron or steel weapons quickly discovered their blades covered in damage from the magical wind after the fight. This is why it was only used in large scale battles."
"I think I need to practice that one more often," she admitted.
Vesa returned her gaze to Meta Knight.
"Anyways," she continued, "I think it's been a while since we last spoke, right, Sir Meta Knight?"
Meta Knight blinked and returned his gaze.
"It has," he agreed.
Elfilis put away their spear. A thought popped into her head.
"When Elfilis and I went on our first date," she said, "we noticed a part of your ship in the Orange Ocean. Is that the only ship you have, or…?"
"I'm currently stripping that one for any parts that weren't entirely mangled or destroyed when Kirby came through," Meta Knight explained, "I've rebuilt the Halberd several times at this point, but it regularly becomes a disposable asset. I'd prefer that it wasn't destroyed, since it's expensive and rebuilding it is time consuming."
Vesa placed her hand behind her head.
"Is there an upgraded version right now?" she asked.
"Of the Halberd?" Meta Knight shook his head, "no. If I had the time, I might look into further upgrades. All my time, however, has been split between training, rebuilding and social obligations. I'm almost finished with the repairs, however. It tends to take several years for me to fix it with myself and a small crew of loyal followers."
Vesa and Elfilis exchanged glances.
"Is it ok if you show us around sometime?" she requested.
For a moment, Meta Knight gave them an awkward stare.
"If you wish," Meta Knight sighed, "you'll be supervised during your visit, however, to avoid blueprints or other classified information regarding the structure of the ship or weapons systems from becoming public."
"R-Right," Vesa felt a chill down her spine.
For now, Vesa returned her gaze to Adeleine. The young artist had been making her progress in her newest painting of the mountain range. In the distance, a Waddle Doo could be seen riding on top of a Wheelie. A Rocky sat nearby as Adeleine studied its details. Elfilis had also been examining such creatures, intrigued in how they could evolve in such a way.
Vesa had no means to check the time, but she felt like it had been half an hour now. She returned to the picnic spot and checked the baskets, the food still in good condition.
"Hey, Elfilis?" Vesa called over.
Elfilis perked up their feelers as they approached her.
"Yes?"
"I'm thinking we should ask the others if they're hungry," she told them.
"All right," they nodded, "I'll go around and start letting them know we're setting out the food."
While Elfilis turned to search for the others, Vesa opened the picnic baskets and began setting up the food. She watched as the ultimate life-form informed Dedede, Bandee, Meta Knight and Adeleine. They stopped what they were doing and made their way to the picnic spot. Before long, Elfilis approached Kirby and Elfilin last. The pink star warrior and the small chinchilla paused what they were doing and shifted their gaze to the angelic lancer.
"Poyo!" Kirby happily waved his arm.
"We're getting ready to start eating," Elfilis explained, "so I just came to let you both know."
Elfilin did a happy back-flip while Kirby's face lit up.
"Poyo!"
"Yay," Elfilin chirped, "I can't wait!"
As Elfilis turned to make their way back to the picnic spot, Kirby and Elfilin followed them. The pink star warrior and the small chinchilla sped past the ultimate life-form, who sweated nervously.
"They sure are eager," they mused.
Kirby and Elfilin arrived at the picnic spot. Dedede, Meta Knight, Bandee and Adeleine were in the middle of serving themselves when they noticed the two guests of honor.
"Hey, Kirby!" Adeleine waved her hand.
"Poyo!"
Kirby stood on the tips of his feet and waved his arms back. Elfilis showed up with a relaxed expression in their eyes. Vesa, having finished arranging the food, proceeded to serve herself while giving her partner a gentle smile. Elfilis sat down next to her, not bothering to get a plate.
"This is nice," they said, observing the others sitting down with plates full of food in their hands.
Maybe next time they had a picnic, they should probably just invite Elfilin, Hyness and the Mage Sisters.
Once Vesa sat down, she took a bite out of a slice of byrek she managed to make earlier this morning. Elfilis rested their back against the nearby tree, looking up at the sky. Dedede happily munched down on a chicken drumstick. Meta Knight simply stuck to a cup of tea while Kirby and Elfilin munched on some slices of byrek. Adeleine also tried a slice of byrek.
"Hey, Vesa?" Adeleine commented, "this is great!"
"Thanks," Vesa smiled.
"So where did you learn this recipe?" Elfilin clamored.
Vesa took a moment to think over the question.
"I started writing my own recipe book," she explained, "I wouldn't want to forget the dishes I remember fondly from Ioskaria."
Elfilis perked up their feelers.
"Oh," they commented, "I wasn't aware you were writing anything."
"I only recorded one recipe, though," Vesa shrugged with a nervous chuckle.
As everyone continued indulging in their lunch, Kirby spotted a familiar monster roller skating from the distance. This yellow-orange spherical creature kept its baseball cap on with one gloved hand while holding onto a crayon in the other hand. Its large round eyes fixated on the unattended easel. Elfilis twitched their feelers as they also took notice of the strange creature.
The roller-skating creature stopped just in front of the easel, examining the painting. Kirby recognized the creature but wasn't sure whether he should call to it or not. As soon as Adeleine finished her lunch, she shifted her gaze back to her easel, her eyes widening at the sight of the creature in a baseball cap. She stood to her feet and grabbed her paintbrush and palette. The young child stepped over to her easel and waved her hand.
"Hey," Adeleine called, "that's my painting. What do you think?"
The creature made a brief glance at Adeleine, but it didn't say anything as it returned its gaze to her artwork. Conveniently, Kirby finished his lunch and jumped to his feet. He stood up on the tips of his feet and waved his arms.
"Poyo!"
Adeleine blinked twice and turned her gaze towards the pink star warrior.
"You know this guy?" she asked him.
"Poyo!" Kirby nodded.
The roller-skating creature made a brief glance at Kirby. After waving back at the pink puff, it pulled an easel out of its own pocket dimension with an empty canvas, setting it onto the ground. The creature scribbled on the canvas for less than a minute before presenting a drawing of a Mr. Tick Tock. By then, Meta Knight, Elfilin, Dedede and Vesa focused their eyes on the newcomer. It certainly was about on par with what Adeleine can do. Certainly good for a quick sketch and somewhat realistic with shading, but there were lots of places where there were still white spots that weren't filled in properly.
"Whoa," Adeleine commented.
Elfilis turned their head sideways, intrigued by such an interaction as they couldn't help but smile. Adeleine returned her gaze to her easel. She dipped the paintbrush into the paints on her palette and started painting. In a matter of minutes, she managed to paint an Ice Dragon.
"How's this?" Adeleine winked.
It seemed to contemplate her drawing before painting some more on its own canvas. Turning it to the young artist, it showed off a sketch of a Poppy Bros. Jr. complete with a lit bomb it was rolling on.
"Interesting," Meta Knight mused, "it looks like Paint Roller here has gotten a rival."
"Maybe," Elfilis commented, "but I guess we'll see."
Adeleine went back to her canvas and after a few minutes, she painted a Kracko. Paint Roller examined her sketch and then drew Marx, who seemed to be splitting himself in half and creating a black hole.
"Huh?" Elfilin blurted, tilting his head sideways, "did that guy meet Marx before?"
Vesa shrugged before taking a bite out of a cookie in her hand. Adeleine went on to paint an image of Bugzzy. Paint Roller added onto its existing painting, showing itself holding onto a tree for dear life and Magolor kind of trying to mediate the situation and calm Marx down.
"Poyo?"
Paint Roller put its hands up in an 'eh' gesture, probably meaning the painting was probably exaggerated.
"Oh, ok!" Adeleine replied.
Adeleine examined her canvas before she painted in a few Gordos. Paint Roller proceeded to paint a variety of objects like Galaxia, Dedede's Hammer, Kirby's Sword and assorted food items. By the time an hour passed, both Paint Roller and Adeleine painted as much they could think of as possible before having tired themselves out a little.
"Oh, boy," Elfilin commented, "I wonder who won the competition."
"Does it really matter who won?" Vesa gave Elfilin a confused look.
"I didn't really get the impression it was a competition and closer to a game," Elfilis shrugged, "there's no real winner or loser. All that matters is that they had a good time."
"Poyo!" Kirby nodded in agreement.
Paint Roller picked up its easel and stashed it back into its pocket dimension.
"Ok," Adeleine waved her hand, "see you later!"
Paint Roller waved back before it skated off somewhere. From there, everyone else began packing up to leave.
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