A/N: Hihi! Sorry for slow updates...I started my next semester so I'm backed up with online work! Please know I'm still very passionate about this story and I'm doing my best. I have the entire thing laid out so it's just a matter of getting it done.
I really, really appreciate the kind reviews. The only reason I start updating is when I see people enjoying my silly story, honestly! Reviews motivate me so much...so thank you! :D I hope you are all doing well and safe!
It was extremely early in the morning, so much so that very few koopas walked among the streets. The sun still hid behind the massive castle and dark buildings, only peeking between the rare cracks between them. It was slowly becoming dawn, and that meant it was time for the two humans to strike on their so-called mission.
The few koopas that did clutter the streets seemed to avoid sharing the area with Mario and Pauline and actively avoided them as they slowly walked down the roads. Neither were offended, as they weren't in the mood to be pick pocketed, and quite enjoyed the uncharacteristic silence of the Darklands.
Pauline held tightly onto Mario's arm. Mario seemed hesitant to the contact, but Pauline seemed oblivious, and pulled him along.
She held him in clear anticipation. Wherever she was dragging him, she was not happily going towards. She seemed nervous, and almost afraid, in the way she held him, but Mario seemed too focused on his own discomfort to even consider why she held him so tightly.
He hadn't been asked to come with her, anyways. He was, as most things that involved Pauline, forced. He had agreed to give her the benefit of the doubt for a little while, after all, but he hadn't expected to be forced out of bed during the night.
The two had traveled across the Darklands, towards the more wealthy area of the kingdom, far from the opera house. Even being in such a higher-end area, crime was still rampant, though it was hidden away from the common eye.
The base of the intimidating castle was approaching into view, but still extremely far away. Being relatively close to the castle brought guards into view, the metal-covered creatures cluttering the streets, standing idly, watching the two humans. They turned their heads and observed the two, and didn't seem to hide the fact they were waiting for an excuse to arrest the two outcasts.
Pauline furrowed her brow in annoyance, clearly hating the massive, looming castle that blocked out the sun. She had walked past it countless times, but it never failed to tick her off, imagining the royal koopas prancing around in their luxury, bathing in the blood of their slaughtered enemies.
The immense towers that branched off of the fortress blocked out the few rays of sun that lit up the streets. The shadows were chilling and unsettling, especially since the Darklands were usually boiling with heat.
The closer they got to the castle, the more the quiet, bitter shadows climbed over them.
Suddenly, a large crowd blocked their view of the castle. Mario was pulled out of his trance and stumbled as Pauline turned rather harshly on her heels, turning around a hidden corner. He yelped as Pauline shoved her palm over his mouth, but he sighed, realizing this seemed to be a running theme with the woman.
Pauline removed her hand with a hushed whisper.
"Sorry. Only had a few seconds where they couldn't see us."
The two stood in an average alley. Even though they were close to the kingdom's center, it was still as run-down as ever; It was tight and narrow, barely allowing the two to stand side-by-side. As most hidden areas did within the kingdom, it reeked of garbage and, surely, was hidden with thieves waiting to strike, especially considering the local wealth.
Mario snatched his arm out of Pauline's grip.
"This was your surprise? An alleyway?" He asked with subtle offense. "You have lost your mind, haven't you?"
Pauline curtly scrunched her nose.
"I haven't even shown you why we're here! Can't you give me a break?" Pauline grumbled. "I'm not exactly jumping in joy to be here either, you know."
Mario rolled his eyes at her attempt to calm him.
She leaned forward, speaking barely above a whisper.
"Just follow me, got it? Only talk when he talks to you." She glanced from left to right before continuing. "He's not exactly a people person and we can't afford to have this fall through."
Mario gulped at how she emphasized her words. They were lined with importance that made him anxious of what he had been dragged into.
Pauline took a few steps to her right, standing in front of a large door that was clearly a back entrance to what seemed to be an apartment. She turned over her shoulder, gesturing to her friend to accompany her.
Mario gave a hesitant nod as he realized there was no turning back. He sighed as he stood sheepishly beside the tall actress.
She raised her hand to the door, her knuckles lingering against the wooden entrance. With a shaky exhale, she knocked, and took a step away.
Pauline gripped onto her sides, trying to hold back the tremors that shook her body. She wished she had hesitated to knock, as the door almost instantaneously creaked open, giving her little to no time to ground herself.
The door opened a few inches, revealing a set of judgmental eyes peering through it. The door's lock and chain prevented it from opening any further, surely protecting whomever glared at the two from the outside world.
The peering eyes were small and indicated a creature a bit taller than Pauline. And, of course, much taller than Mario. They trailed up and down the two visitors, barely interested.
"The hell are you two supposed to be? Who gave you this address?" A nasally voice mumbled under his breath.
His voice was the equivalent of dragging your nails down a chalkboard while simultaneously dragging a fork along a porcelain plate; his voice was squeaky and irritable. He spoke with clear aristocratic cockiness and a sour judgement. He had a somewhat-thick accent that he couldn't identify.
"Not interested," he grunted with an annoyed huff before beginning to close the door.
The door stopped with a loud 'thump.' Mario looked down, seeing Pauline's foot blocking it. He looked up and met Pauline's face, shocked to see it plastered with a smile.
"Oh, has it already been that long? It's me, Pauline," she cooed, though it seemed a bit flat. "You know, I was-"
Instantly, the door slammed shut in their faces. The two yelped as they pulled away.
"Well, that was rude," Mario whispered, only to be angrily hushed by Pauline.
Rumbling followed the curt exit, that of someone trying to find something. After a few moments, a small click of metal broke the awkward scene.
The door launched open, revealing a tall, lanky human that made Mario's skin crawl.
The man wore a lavender shirt rolled up to his forearms with black suspenders and matching pants, and a set of white gloves covered his hands. His hair was clean and styled fashionably, but in the way a man well past his prime attempts to look youthful. Overall, he seemed to be a wealthy man.
His most characteristic feature was a unique mustache that was anything but charming, but suited him in an odd way.
But, the most shocking identifying trait of the man was that he was not a koopa, but a human. It was beyond strange, seeing a human living so close to the kingdom, considering the mutual hatred of the species. Surely, he had ties, if he was so close to the royal authority...Otherwise, he would have been evicted right away.
It made Mario's skin crawl, thinking he must be closer to a koopa than a human.
The stranger eyed the two visitors for a few moments before quickly greeting them with an outstretched hand in Pauline's direction.
She grabbed his hand and he shook it vigorously.
"Pauline! The one and only, huh? How you been? Guessin' not so good, if ya came runnin' back here!" The man joked loudly with a whine of a laugh. "Came back for a follow up, eh? Figured you'd be up to your knees with those little dances n' songs o' yours."
His voice was nasally and unsettling, almost as if he were taunting the two, rather than greeting. The kindness was as thin as could be and was clearly a mockery, though he seemed to be fooling himself into believing it.
To Mario's surprise, Pauline beamed up at the man, seemingly oblivious.
"Nope, I'm all settled. Not much I can do anymore," She quickly changed the subject with a small smile. "I came to discuss a new and...private little story I'd like to talk to you about."
His face lit up with a completely different emotion: genuine interest. His posture seemed to perk as he completely opened the wooden door, urging the two to enter his home.
"Well, why didn't ya say so? C'mon in n' sit down," he said with a wide grin. He paused, holding the unsettling smile, as he turned to Mario. "You can take that little guy of yours in, too, long as he doesn't bite the furniture or piss on my floor."
Mario's stomach fell as the tall human broke out in spiteful laughter, followed by a light giggle from Pauline. Mario instantly broke out in laughter, only after he felt a sharp pain in his foot from Pauline's heel.
"I'm kiddin'. Piss all you want. Just clean up after yourself," he continued with a nod. "C'mon in," he repeated, beckoning the two to enter. "I'm delighted to see you again."
Pauline and Mario sat on a maroon couch with cups of tea in their hands. The only sound breaking the silence was Pauline's cup rattling in her grip.
A large wooden desk sat before them, covered neatly in papers and pens of varying colors. On the other end of the desk sat an empty black recliner.
Looking around, Mario silently critiqued the decor. The room was wealthy but nothing extravagant, and it was a bit boring. A sizable wooden clock sat beside the two in the corner of the room, gently ticking away the seconds they sat alone, and a large dresser sat against the wall, covered in papers.
A large window was covered by heavy, maroon curtains that matched the couch. Barely any light seeped through them, giving the room a cozy glow, but it felt somewhat eerie and unfamiliar.
Mario gazed at Pauline from the corner of his eyes, seeing she didn't feel the same way whatsoever, as he got the feeling the place was far too familiar for her.
Mario opened up his mouth to ask about her reaction but was promptly interrupted.
"His name's Waluigi. He's really talented when it comes to sticking his nose where it doesn't belong so I'm sure he can help us. Plus, I have...history with him. Just suck it up for a little bit. We won't be here for too long."
Mario frowned.
"How could he help-"
Waluigi came back into the room with a stack of papers under his right arm, not bothering to apologize for cutting their conversation short. He promptly sat across from his visitors with a groan of comfort.
"So, whatcha got?" He asked while leaning forward. "Been waitin' on a followup call from you for years now. Guessin' no luck, eh? Gave up?"
Pauline cleared her throat.
"I have something worthy of your interest, that's all," she muttered as her facade slightly cracked. "If you're interested."
Waluigi's eyes slanted in sly interest. Leaning back, he silently urged her to continue, eagerly following along.
Pauline lifted up her handbag from her feet and placed it in her lap. After a few quick seconds of digging, she pulled out a plastic bag and gently placed it on his desk.
The room silently looked at the object, waiting for an explanation.
The bag was clouded with brown blood dried on the inside. Some of the blood had turned a fowl black and was thankfully sealed away. To his surprise, Mario seemed to be the only one disgusted by whatever the bag held, as the other two didn't flinch.
It was hard to make out what Pauline had revealed, but after a few moments, Waluigi hummed to himself in realization.
"A dagger," he blandly muttered. He hardly seemed interested and was a bit irritated. "I think we both know I don't care 'bout some random weapon you dug outa some crime scene."
Waluigi picked up one of his many pens and slightly nudged the bag away from him with an offended stare.
Pauline slyly reached forward and gently shoved the bag towards him with a single finger.
"But it isn't a random weapon. I guarantee this knife ties into the Peach Toadstool scandal," Pauline clarified with a cocky glare, happy to see his spark of interest return.
Mario gasped at Pauline's explanation, earning him another sharp stab in his foot from her heel.
She cleared her throat.
"But, if it's just a random weapon-"
"If you can convince me that this really has a part in Toadstool's lil' kidnapping, it isn't a random weapon," he interrupted. "So, convince me."
Pauline paused before shaking her head in agreement. It took a few moments for her to gather her words.
Pauline drabbled about everything the two had gathered, which wasn't much. She explained how the thugs' story of stabbing the phantom was supposedly proved by the weapon before them, and how the blood belonged to whomever had Peach locked away. Though, she wasn't an idiot, as she knew they were drunk and may have been too drunk to vividly remember. But, she left that part out of the story, to keep him intrigued.
She mentioned how they had confidently cried of King Koopa protecting Peach, so the kidnapper must be massive in size, and not human.
In the end, she didn't have much evidence, rather speculation from a group of koopas, but that was enough to have her convinced that Peach was in danger.
The entire time she rambled, Mario's face was white with confusion. She had been so hesitant to tell anyone about Peach and the entire story. Yet, here she was, selling out to some stranger that she didn't even like.
But, he didn't dare stop her.
After a few minutes of explaining, Waluigi crossed his arms. He had listened intently, barely interrupting or asking questions. The look on his face as she explained, however, was judgemental and critical, as he was surely picking apart her words.
Finally, Waluigi interrupted her.
"Ya see, normally, I'd kick ya out for you havin' nothin' more than one or two eye witnesses and some bloody knife as your so-called proof," he hummed with bland judgement.
"But-"
"But," he interrupted, "seeing as this story's pretty big, I'll look into this lil 'phantom' o' yours...eventually. Can't say I've ever heard of a ghost kidnappin' anyone. Don't expect much outa me besides a check in the mail if this falls through!" He snickered.
Pauline didn't bother joining in his laughter and instead gave a small nod of approval. She seemed to have expected his compliance and, after hearing his agreement, wanted to speed up their meeting. Mario, on the other hand, stared dumbly between the two, trying to keep up with what was happening.
"What do I owe you?" Pauline asked with a serious frown and a hand in her purse. Her earlier charm seemed to have gone down the drain the second he agreed.
"Oh, if this story of yours is true, consider it on the house." He shrugged with an oblivious, flat smile. "Good ta see you, though. I'll give you a call if I find anythin'."
Pauline nodded one more time and promptly stood up. She closed her bag and put it over her shoulder and headed towards the door. Mario didn't hesitate to follow quickly behind, ready to jump on her with a barrage of questions once the two were alone.
As soon as the two stepped into the alleyway, Mario flinched at the scowl on Pauline's face. Moments prior, she wore a mask of complete and utter numbness. Yet, now closed away from Waluigi, her true emotions seemed to be pushing through.
Her brow was furrowed and a deep frown was plastered on her face, seemingly fueled by pure frustration and anger. Oddly enough, after getting potential help from Waluigi, she seemed worse than before.
Mario hesitated before turning to her with a sheepish frown.
"Is everything-"
"He's such a scumbag," Pauline muttered through clenched teeth. "No way he's doing this out of generosity. He doesn't care about helping! What was I thinking?! He's just happy to get his filthy hands on something to help aid whatever the queen is so interested in!"
Mario shrugged as he was unbothered by Waluigi's intentions. If it led to Peach coming back, his goals were irrelevant.
He didn't understand Pauline's past nor their disliking of one another, at least on Pauline's part, and he knew it was not his place to question her history with him. As worried as he was, that was a conversation best tackled once the fire burned out.
Mario paused as he tried to word himself as calmly as possible. The last thing he wanted was to throw more fuel to the fire.
"He was strange but...help is help, isn't it? Shouldn't we be happy?"
Pauline sighed at Mario's common sense. She tried to hold herself back, but her frustration still pumped through her.
"Maybe. I'm just...on edge. I'm sure everything's perfectly fine, but I can't stand this place." She paused for a quick glare at the door before sighing. "I really appreciate you coming with me, by the way. I couldn't have come here on my own."
Mario gave a soft smile. His company didn't bring much to the table, but he was glad to be there for whatever Pauline was struggling with. She was a strong woman, so the hidden battles faced were surely weighing her down.
"I didn't have a choice, but I'm glad I came, too."
A/N: Sorry if this chapter is a bit rushed. I'm just excited to get to the good stuff! :) Please review if you enjoyed!