Chapter 11 Foodie's Request

Once Iggy returned to the group with Foodie, the sequence of events that followed honestly flew by. They all went back to the Castle, with Iggy internally celebrating the success that his little group had achieved. Seriously, two Mortons in less than three hours! Man, did it feel good to have accomplished that! Iggy in particular felt exquisitely, uncharacteristically excited; he was all smiles as they flew back to the Castle. Nothing could bring him down. The Koopalings were already forty percent done with their search.. At the rate they were going, they would have Morton back together in no time!

Once they got to the castle, they hopped out of the Koopa Clown Cars and led Foodie up to his room. The trait, while a little apprehensive looking when Iggy and Rage initially ran into him, loosened up considerably once he entered his place of residence. Sure, he didn't look entirely comfortable, as he kept looking around like some sort of skittish squirrel that was being gazed down upon by a dog. But even with that in mind, Foodie didn't look nearly as uncomfortable as before. He was able to walk in his home without much need for hesitation, and his eyes bore a sparkle that was beautiful prevalent, especially for a personality trait that belonged to such a koopa as Morton.

The only exception to this rule was when he looked at Iggy himself. Iggy didn't know if it was just his imagination, but the sparkle in Foodie's eyes diminished a little bit when he looked at his older brother. But, again, Iggy didn't know if it was just his imagination, so he didn't address it.

When they got to Morton's room and turned on the light, Foodie breathed a sigh of relief. "We're… we're back." He looked around, smiling a smile that Iggy never would've imagined he'd see on Morton's face. "We're… we're home."

The others crowded in the door after him, keeping their gazes locked on Foodie as if he was a celebrity they spotted in public. Foodie's eyes traveled around the room, eventually falling on Laziness in the bed. Foodie stepped towards him. "Laziness? Is that you?"

Laziness groaned in the bed, for how dare anybody interrupt his precious nap (at least, from Iggy's perspective)! However, when he sat up, and his eyes fell on Foodie, his mood changed completely. He smiled upon seeing his fellow trait, almost like his previous annoyance had never existed in the first place.

"Foodie!" Laziness adjusted his position so that he sat fully upright. "How you doing Buddy?"

"Hungry like a lion," Foodie said with an odd sounding laugh. "You?"

"Chilling like a villain," Laziness said with a laugh that sounded equally odd.

Foodie nodded and turned toward the window. "Oh!" He walked over there, specifically to look at the birdcage situated right on that side of the room. "Have any of you taken care of Topaz, by any chance?"

"I tried," Laziness said with a yawn (wow, his enthusiasm disappeared real quick). "But… it was too much work…"

"I have failed to pamper your avian companion as well, Foodie," Iggy said. "As you can imagine, the quest to retrieve you and your counterparts took first priority." He got a snort from Sarcasm upon saying that, but flashed him a glare before the trait could say anything.

"That's okay," Foodie responded. Once he got close enough, he pulled the blanket off of the cage, causing Topaz to let out a tweet. His face lit up. "How you doing, baby?"

Topaz squawked. "Baby? I'm a woman! And a feathery woman too; the best kind!"

Sarcasm snorted again. "Who knew that Topaz was a feminist?"

This was actually a comment that Iggy didn't mind hearing, so he didn't say anything about it. However, he did keep his eyes on Foodie. He remembered the gloom the actual Morton experienced during his first encounter with his pet, the gloom that more or less started this whole debacle. He was fully prepared to see that again.

Surprisingly though, Foodie just laughed. "Oh, you're a riot, Topaz." He reached down to pick up a bag of pellets, opening the cage and placing them in the parrot's bowl. "There you go sweetheart; eat to your heart's content!" Topaz happily obliged (without a snarky comment, no less). As Foodie closed the cage door, he turned toward the others. "It is very important that parrots follow a healthy diet. They eat lots of fruits and vegetables, so I am going to make it my mission to wash some for her when I get the opportunity." He looked back into the cage, chuckling as he saw Topaz consuming the pellets with the most content look a parrot could have on their face. "Oh, I think she likes it! It seems food can make animals happy too, not just people. I think that's really cool."

Wendy smiled. "You know, I think so too Foodie." She walked up and put her hand on Foodie's shoulder, rubbing it in such a way that made the remnants of the nervousness Foodie displayed before disappear. "It is pretty cool."

This garnered a smile from the trait, and a big one at that. He opened his mouth to say something, but before he could, Iggy approached him with his cellphone pulled out.

"Now, Foodie, it is of great importance and necessity to us that you aid us in our search for your other traits." He gestured toward Laziness, snoring away. "Laziness was able to tap into the you and your surroundings through a means of unique meditation. We would heavily appreciate it if you do the same."

Foodie's face fell a little. "Oh." He nodded. "Yes, yes, I believe I can do that."

Iggy smiled. He stepped back, keeping his eyes on Foodie in a similar manner to how everyone else in the room was. The trait closed his eyes, biting his lip as he did.

"I… it's kind of warm," he said. Iggy immediately started writing down the details in a text that he wished to send to the other Koopalings who were still out searching. "Not terribly warm though, at least in comparison to the temperatures here in the Koopa Kingdom." He paused for a minute, a smile growing on his face. "Oh, it's pretty too. Bright green grass, bushes with pink and yellow flowers, and… oh! Palm trees!"

"Palm tress?" Larry asked, his eyebrow raising. "What's a Morton doing in a place with palm trees?"

Foodie still wasn't done. "I'm… I'm talking to someone. They're… they're another Koopa." He bit his lip even harder. "I'm laughing with them. I'm telling them about my life, and everything that I find fascinating. They're enjoying it too. I… I think they're inviting me to their house, and…" he stopped. All confidence that had previously been on his face vanished. "Oh, dang it; lost the connection."

"That is quite alright, Foodie; the information that you have given to us is invaluable regardless." He typed the details into the text, emphasizing how it was his theory that the trait was in World 4 (the palm trees and flower bushes kind of gave it away). Once he sent out the text, he breathed a sigh of relief and looked toward the others. "Well. What do you guys say we resume the search for the Mortons?"

"Oh yippee," Larry said, his shoulders slumping. "I love looking for the Mortons. It's like trying to find the Triforce, but not enjoyable."

Iggy was just about to say something, but Rage beat him to it. "Man, is there nothing you can say that doesn't turn you into the biggest asshole in the Koopa Kingdom?"

Larry snorted. "I don't believe so, as you already fill those shoes pretty well."

Fear gasped out loud when that was said, staring at Rage as the red-cloaked trait gave Larry the worst of all death glares. "Rage, please don't give in," he muttered. He put his hands on the top of his head. "Please don't give in!"

Right as Rage looked like he was about to punch Larry into smithereens, Wendy thankfully interjected. "Guys, come on! This isn't productive nor is it pleasant." Rage turned toward her. "We have a mission. We shouldn't be slinging all these insults at one another."

Rage gave Wendy a raised eyebrow before sighing. "You're right. You're right."

Fear got out of his feeble position and went over to Wendy, wrapping his arms around her in one of the strangest displays Iggy had ever seen from his older brother. "Oh, thank you Wendy! Thank you, thank you, thank you!" He hugged her tight. "You have no idea the good you've just done."

It took a minute before Wendy hugged him back. "A…anytime, Ludwig."

Right as Fear let go of Wendy was when Iggy cleared his throat. "So. I think now would be a good time to resume with our mission." He looked toward the door. "Come on guys. Let's go…"

"Wait!"

Everyone turned toward Foodie, with Iggy perhaps being the most surprised out of all of them. "What is it that you desire, Foodie?"

All at once, Foodie became hesitant. "Uh, well…" he held his hands behind his back and shuffled his foot on the carpet. "I was… I was wondering if…" He took a deep breath, closing his eyes as if what he was going to say was the most shocking revelation of all time. When he spoke, he spoke quickly.

"Can I cook something for you guys?"

Iggy blinked. He exchanged looks with his siblings, who, while not nearly as taken aback as he was, still appeared surprised. Iggy looked back at Foodie, noticing the trait's breathing speeding up. He also sweat, as if the silence and lack of an answer were causing him insurmountable stress.

"Uh, Foodie?" Iggy finally said. He stood up straight and gestured toward the phone. "I'm afraid that our mission is profoundly important. We do not have a lot of time to waste."

A look of pain flashed across Foodie's face. "Uh… well… yeah, I know that." He now held his hands together in front of his stomach, squeezing them together like some sort of scaly stress ball. "But… but at the same time… you gotta keep your needs in mind." He looked at everyone, his expression… warm. "Food is essential. And… well, I can imagine that you guys didn't necessarily get a lot of it while you were out searching."

As if on cue, Larry's stomach groaned from in the doorway. The youngest Koopaling blushed as he crossed his arms over his belly.

"Plus," Foodie continued, "it's not just about eating any type of food. It's about the quality of the food you eat. Sure, you could conceivably eat a stick of jerky or a bag of chips while you are on the hunt, but do those things hold a candle to a home cooked meal?" He shook his head. "No. No, they most certainly don't. So, I want to treat you guys." He took a step forward before drawing back, his face turning cherry red. "I've been wanting to treat you guys for a while, if I'm being honest…"

Iggy stared at the trait with wide eyes, not knowing with one hundred percent certainty how he should respond to the situation. He looked at the others present, and their expressions all told him the exact same thing. That being: Foodie made good points. He raised valid concerns, and… well, it was obvious that everyone was feeling some form of hunger. Would allowing Foodie to make something for all of them be the worst thing in the world?

It was these questions that caused Iggy to look back at Foodie, this time with a furrowed brow. "That… I suppose a meal wouldn't hurt, Foodie."

Foodie blinked. He looked at Iggy with wide eyes, his jaw even dropping a little. The transition from that expression to a smiling one was quite the sight to see. "Th…thank you!" He looked at everyone else. "Don't worry everyone; I'll make you guys the best meal you've ever had."

With that, he went out of the room. The Koopalings exchanged looks with one another before following him on his path to the dining hall.