All in the bedroom were silent. Four people stood in a half-circle – two Bumpties, a wind spirit, and a Bob-omb. All four of them looked down upon a fifth figure sprawled helplessly upon the wooden floorboards, a round man covered from head-to-toe in cloth… the night's victim. Some of them were grimacing; some of them were holding their breath. It was still unreal to them that this could've happened at all – their lovely, usually peaceful neighborhood should've been free from such grisly crime. Time seemed to stand still as they grappled with the harsh reality before them…
However, one of them soon opened his mouth to speak, thus breaking through the stagnant, frozen air.
"The answer is simple, my friends. Rudimentary, even…"
With a solemn expression upon his face, the pensive Bumpty detective paced before the still-fresh body, taking a long, lingering look at the unfortunate man. The mayor gulped and clutched at her chest, wrapping her fingers around her pearl necklace. His assistant took a long drag of his pipe. Just a short distance away, the Bob-omb, dressed like a butler, shivered with anticipation.
Together, they waited with bated breath for the truth that was about to be revealed.
The detective didn't leave them hanging for long. With a dramatic twirl upon his heel, the Bumpty turned to them and yelled as he pointed an accusing flipper towards the Bob-omb butler: "There were small bombs in the food, which exploded from inside his esophagus!"
"WHAT!?" All of them gasped in unison.
Nearby, Vivian sat upon a chair in the audience, where she watched as the story unfolded. Goombella leaned up close and whispered a question.
"…Is it because he's a Bob-omb? Isn't that, like, a super weird thing to assume…?"
Vivian could only shrug. She knew Bobbery could make small bombs through his "Bomb Squad" attack, but…
"…Mmmm, there's more to it. Just hold on, you'll see…" the shadow responded, watching closely as Pennington commanded his assistant to restrain the Bob-omb. After a light struggle, the second Bumpty grabbed the suspect and drug him out of the camera's viewpoint.
"…Wooooowwwwww…"
Vivian heard a shrill voice from below. Petuni was watching the scene with shining eyes, the tip of her snout twitching with fascination. …She was just too cute.
Unable to resist, the shadow reached down and gave the sweet little creature a quick pat on the head. The Puni returned the gesture with a look, confused as could be, then immediately returned to single-mindedly focusing on the set.
"Now, my dear Mayor Cobalt…" The penguin detective folded his flippers behind his back, glowering. "I do believe we're nearing the end of this mystery. But… there's still something that bothers me. With that, our duplicitous butler shouldn't be able to do any further harm, but…"
He paused, thinking.
"…No. I suspect we have yet to illuminate the full truth. The wife… I need a moment to speak with the wife!" he demanded as he motioned for the mayor to follow. "Just where is Violet Vermillion!?"
"Cut! That will do!" Bow called out, her voice putting a halt to the action. "…Good work, my performers!"
With that declaration, everyone let out a deep breath. Vivian stood and moved to get into position – one of her scenes was up next.
Yet, Bow held up a hand to cut her off.
"Wait! I've decided – it's time for an early lunch. I'm famished," the Boo huffed, rising into the air from her station atop the director's chair. "If only Bootler were here, I'd have him bring me something… but, no. I shall manage just fine on my own. I'll be expecting you all back here in an hour!"
Though their lunch wasn't scheduled for another thirty minutes, it wasn't unusual for Bow to simply declare such things on the spot. …After a few weeks of active filming, Vivian was starting to get used to being jerked about by the noblewoman's whims. The other crew members glanced at each other, then shrugged as they placed their equipment and props to the side. Pennington and his friend set off immediately as they chattered loudly about different flavors of shaved ice. Meanwhile, Crump sat up from the floor and picked at the red dye upon his shirt.
Flurrie, nearly shining with beauty in her stylish formal wear and jewelry, quickly floated over and joined up with her friends.
"Well, my darlings, would you like to stop into town for a bit of lunch? I know of a wondrous pasta restaurant not too far from here," the wind spirit smiled kindly as she asked. Her eyes filled with warmth, she kneeled down before Petuni in particular.
"Pasta…? Ummm, ummm…" the Puni mumbled, tilting her head in thought.
"Yeah, I could go for some of that. Gimme spaghetti and meatballs!" Doopliss stated as he jumped down from his seat on the couch. With a little snicker, he picked Petuni up and held her in front of him like a doll. "Let's go!"
"H-hey!" she squeaked as she wriggled within his grasp.
Yet, Vivian and Goombella exchanged a glance. Then, hesitantly, the shadow reached behind her chair and pulled out a small wicker basket.
"Um, actually…" she apologetically opened the basket before Flurrie, showing her the pair of sandwiches within. "Goombella and I were going to go on a little picnic for lunch today. Is it maybe okay if we join you at a different time?"
Flurrie beamed and waved a dismissive hand before her. "Heavens, of course! No, I don't mind at all – please, don't worry about it! Go on and enjoy yourselves; it's a beautiful day out there!"
"I mean, I totally appreciate the invitation, though!" Goombella spoke up. "We all really do need to get together way more often. Like, maybe we can plan a big reunion dinner at some point? It's been sooo long!"
"Yes, most certainly! But, for now, let me get these two out of your hair. Come now, Doopliss! Petuni! We mustn't bother these two ladies!"
Leading her charges out the door, Flurrie gave the pair of women a wink and headed outside. They were free to pursue their own plans. After taking a quick moment to switch out of her acting attire, the shadow gathered up her stuff and beckoned to her Goomba friend - the two exchanged eager smiles and soft, cheerful giggles as they exited the building together.
They'd both been waiting for this chance.
After a short trek across town, the couple found a nice spot outside the sanctum to spread out their blanket. The well-kempt grass was soft, green, and freshly cut, filling the air with a pleasant scent. The endless flow of the central fountain's clear, sparkling waters provided a peaceful ambiance to their midday get together.
Thankfully, nature had seen fit to bless them with a beautifully sunny day.
Goombella was the first to dig in, quickly taking a big bite of the avocado sandwich that Vivian had lovingly prepared the night before. "Oh, wow! This is really good!" she mumbled past the food as she chewed it thoroughly. "Let's see, this has… tomato and eggs, too? This totally could've come from a fancy cafe!"
Vivian giggled. "Hmm hmm hmm! I was hoping you would like it."
It was one of Marilyn's favorites back home. Though the middle shadow sister would eat pretty much anything you placed in front of her, she undeniably had one favorite food in particular: eggs. …Still, she'd started to get a bit pickier once they had more consistent access to meals. Vivian really wanted to make sure that she kept eating healthy; and so, whenever she made a fruit-or-veggie-heavy dish, she made sure to always add that extra little bit of appeal to suit her sister's palate.
"Eggs go well with a lot of things, I think!" the shadow explained as she pulled out a thermos of sweet tea and took a sip. "They're really easy to cook with. A little bit of egg with some rice is always good too, especially on busy nights…"
"Huh! I might give that a try later. I've been soooo bad about eating right lately. I'm always grabbing something fast and simple, like, every night…" the Goomba girl yawned as she stretched her feet against the soft fabric of the blanket. "And don't even get me started on Professor Frankly's eating habits! I don't know if he even does eat when I'm gone! I'm always so scared that I'll leave for a week and then come back to find him collapsed on the floor. Like, geez, come on…"
Vivian recalled some of the previous times she'd come to visit. "He really does get a little too deep into his research sometimes, doesn't he? It's nice that he enjoys it so much, but the last time I came in to look for you, he… hmm?"
The shadow tilted her head, trailing off mid-sentence as something in the distance caught her eye. After giving her a curious look, Goombella followed her gaze.
"Uh… wow, isn't that Bub?" the Goomba girl questioned, squinting her eyes. The little orange Bob-omb was all alone again that day, sitting on the steps to the sanctum with the same sullen expression as before. Though he was playing around on a portable game system, he looked like he'd just swallowed a sour grape. "Doesn't he seem kinda… I dunno, upset? Where's his mom and dad at…?"
"Hmmm… I don't see them," Vivian looked about, though she found not a single trace of the two posh Bob-ombs. "He was all alone like that before, too… I wonder what's going on. Maybe it would be good to go find them after all…"
Previously, he hadn't seemed like he'd wanted her to mettle. And yet, was it really a good idea to just leave him?
"Yeah, that's totally weird, isn't it?" Goombella stood up and scanned the area. "Like, why's he got such a nasty face on? Let's go ask him!"
The two ladies approached softly while taking care not to surprise the small Bob-omb. Not that it seemed to help much – he looked up with a start anyways, regarding them with a slight look of fear in his eyes.
"Bub…? Why are you all alone again? We're getting kind of worried... Are you sure you don't need any help?" Vivian questioned as she leaned in to sit next to him.
"Oh! It's the lady again," he paused, looking her up and down. Then, turning to Goombella: "And… another lady? Wait - I remember you, too! Um, from the train…!"
"Yeah! That's right," Goombella plopped down on his other side. "What's up, little guy? Why do you look so down? Tell us about it! Maybe we can fix it up."
He looked between the two of them as he gave the stone steps a hesitant, bashful kick. Then, slowly, he started to speak.
"…My Mama and Papa…" he mumbled while staring down at the ground. "…I dunno. They've been fighting a whole, whole lot. They won't stop yelling… but it's quieter out here."
"Bub…" Vivian frowned with pity. On a certain level, she could relate to his struggle. "Do you know what they're fighting about? Is it something that we could help with…?"
It was a long shot, but Mario had helped people with all kinds of different troubles. Ranging from lost wedding rings, to life insurance, to just listening to someone talk for hours… Sometimes, the problem really was simpler than it sounded.
"I meaaaan… they fight a lot some days, but they usually stop after a while," he grumbled. "I dunno what they're even talking about right now. E-vick-ton?" Then, looking to Goombella, he asked, "What's an e-vick-ton?"
An eviction? Vivian and Goombella both turned to each other, vaguely horrified at what they'd just heard. Goldbob? That same rich tycoon, Goldbob? …Was getting evicted!?
"Oh, uh. Wow," the Goomba girl gaped.
Goombella stopped talking there, apparently at a loss. …Not that Vivian had much of an idea of what to say either. She had already been struggling with her own home situation enough. There was no way she could figure out how to house a family of broke once-millionaires.
After digging through her mind, the pink-haired shadow offered the one thing she could think of. "Um… sorry, I'm not really sure how to help, but… we're filming a movie later today. It's kind of fun, and there's another girl there who's closer to your size… Would you maybe like to come watch? It might take your mind off things."
She wasn't sure that Bow or Flurrie would approve, but it didn't feel right to leave him all alone. If he wanted to just sit on set for a while, she could probably make Doopliss look after him…
…And yet, despite perking up for just a second, Bub shook his head.
"No thank you, Missy. I think I'd rather just stay here." He peered at his game system.
"Mmmm… if you say so," Vivian frowned as she hesitantly rose from her spot. "We'll be filming for a while still, so let me know if you change your mind? I'm willing to listen if anything else happens, so…"
"…Mm-hmm. Thanks, Missy."
After one more worried glance, the pair reluctantly accepted the child's words and headed back over to finish up their picnic. Even as they packed up their blanket, they could still see him, sitting alone on the stairs…
Not long after, the day's filming continued. Vivian cowered beneath the stares of two penguin-like creatures as they circled about her, their aggressive stances trapping her within a cramped corner of the living room. She nervously curled her fingers as she cast panicked looks between them.
"Well then, you…" the Bumpty detective growled as he glared accusingly at the shadow, "Are you certain that you don't know a thing? Didn't perhaps catch a glimpse of anything strange, did you…?"
"I-I didn't! Honest!"
Vivian cried out, waving her arms in a frenzy. "How… how could you even say something like that!? I loved him… I really, truly…"
"I'm not inquiring as to whether or not you loved him, my dear. I'm not even questioning if you killed him," Pennington folded his arms behind his back as he crept ever closer to her. "What I'm seeking is information on what you saw! Now, tell me, Violet – who did you meet outside that morning!?"
"I… I…!"
Nearly tripping over a nearby chair, the shadow backed up with a stammer. Then, whirling about, she let out an anguished scream.
"I CAN'T…!"
With that shout, she sunk into the ground and disappeared beyond the reaches of the floor. The great detective looked about in a panic. Then, motioning to his partner, he frantically turned on his heel and darted straight for the door.
"Come forth! The answers are within our reach – we know where she's headed!" he hollered while white-knuckling his magnifying glass. His assistant ran hastily at his heels.
"CUT!" Lady Bow commanded as she drew the scene to a close. "…Good work. We can use that!"
At the Boo director's order, Vivian emerged from the floor. She floated over to Goombella, letting out a long sigh as she approached.
"Haaah… gee whiz, that was hard…" She wiped at her brow as she pushed some of her fluffy pink hair out of the way. The shadow had needed over ten takes just to stumble over the chair convincingly – after being stuck on the same scene for so long, it had become almost excruciating for her to stay in character.
"You did so good though, omigosh!" Goombella bounced excitedly upon her toes. "Like, really! You looked like a serious professional out there!"
"Yes, I agree! You continue to perform splendidly for a beginner," Flurrie drifted over, also giving her input. "Many of the struggles you're having are completely normal. I'm very much proud of you for how far you've come, darling!"
Vivian blushed. The positivity of Flurrie's side of the crew was truly amazing to witness, Doopliss's ornery personality aside. She'd seen it amongst the other actors, too – they were always handing out compliments and lifting each other's spirits up. Every bit of constructive criticism was paired with a healthy dish of encouragement as they all worked towards accomplishing their goals together. …While Vivian's side of staffing was a bit rougher around the edges, she hoped they'd eventually learn a thing or two from watching.
Regardless, she was finally done for the day. She reached up towards the top of her head and pulled her accessories out of her hair one at a time, placing them carefully to the side. As beautiful as she felt she looked, she was more than ready to return her classic hat to its rightful spot.
As she cleaned herself up, she spied a certain horned man watching her intently from the sidelines: Crump. He was leaned casually up against one of the living room walls, rocking back and forth on his heels as he surveyed both her and Goombella from beyond. He looked like he really wanted to say something… Though, Vivian had noticed that he always seemed more than a little hesitant to approach whenever Goombella was standing nearby.
"Hold on. I'll be right back," Vivian told the Goomba girl as she quickly handed her accessories to her. "Could you bring these to the Toad in the bathroom? I'd really appreciate it!"
"Um, sure? I guess I can." Goombella took them and, after giving Vivian a questioning look, headed off down the hallway.
With Goombella fully out of earshot, the shadow floated over towards Crump and smiled softly.
"Um, sorry if I'm wrong, but… did you need something?" Vivian asked him, tentatively. She hadn't really gotten a good chance to talk to him since they'd shared that awkward breakfast. …Honestly, she'd been kind of worried about him.
He nodded, then gave her a light greeting. "Hey, Vivian. …Yeah, I sorta do. We've gotta go pick up some stuff from the home supply store here soon. You think you could stop by there with me and the guys before practice tonight? If not, we can grab it some other day, but…"
Despite how defeated he'd looked back then, he seemed like he'd been doing well enough since. …At least, on the surface. She really did want to ask him about what had happened, but…
Well, this simply wasn't the time for it, what with all the other prying eyes and ears around. …Though, maybe she'd get the chance to pull him aside on the walk home? With that thought at the back of her mind, she nodded. "Sure! It's no problem."
"Sweet! I'll let 'em know. Just grab us when you're ready to head on out," he stated, already starting to move as he pushed himself off the wall. "I'm gonna go hop back into my regular day clothes real quick. The other guys should be done cleaning up pretty soon."
As he made to walk away, a loud voice suddenly commanded their attention.
"By the way, everyone!" Bow called out, "For those of you who are involved in the shoot tomorrow – we'll be meeting at Riverside Valley! If you need instructions on how to get there, come over here! We'll gather at the same time as usual! …Dismissed!"
The moment had arrived - they'd finally reached the scenes that would be filmed within the borders of the X-Nauts' new home. Vivian gave Crump a glance, trying to gauge his reaction. They'd known the day would be coming from the very start, but…
"…I think it'll be okay. At least, uh, I hope…" he whispered to her, catching her look.
Their thoughts on Vivian's presence aside, the X-Nauts weren't exactly well-known for being friendly to outsiders. But, as long as Crump thought so, who was she to question it?
That was that. With a practiced hand, the group finished changing and packed up their things. Vivian bid Goombella and her other friends a hearty goodbye and promised to see them all again tomorrow. Then, grabbing her own items, she floated over towards the party of X-Nauts.
"Let's be off, then!"
Vivian followed along behind the floppy-eared soldiers, traveling down the sidewalks until they reached the supply store in question. It was situated on the edge of town, far away from the hustle and bustle of the main street. From what Vivian understood, it was generally a bit easier for the army of former moon-dwellers to work with those further away from the more affluent parts of Poshley Heights, though there was still a certain level of tension. …And so, to be cautious, Crump handed their shadowy envoy a list of materials and a bag of money, requesting that she be the one to talk directly to the shopkeeper.
"Thanks again, buh huh huh!" the X-Naut laughed. "The reinforcements should be here anytime to help carry more stuff. Just have the shopkeep move it outside and we can nab it from there."
"What's all this for…?" Vivian cocked her head as she read over the long list of supplies. …The amount of lumber, shingles, and other materials called for was absurd. It was no wonder Crump had mentioned he was sending one of his soldiers back to get more hands – they'd need at least thirty people to carry it all, if not more.
"Oh, yeah, I guess I didn't mention that! Once we're on break between films, we're gonna hardcore hop on trying to repair our place. It's high time we stop living in such a dump," he stated as he pounded a determined hand against his chest.
Vivian had suspected it was for something like that. "Hmm hmm hmm! Wow, that sounds exciting," she giggled.
Though she couldn't see his face, she could still tell Crump was absolutely beaming. "For sure! We won't be able to do anything super crazy until later, but… we're definitely gonna make progress. Things'll get better."
"That's great!" she clapped. Admittedly, the idea made her excited too. If they could add more bathrooms or fix the ones they had, it would make things so much easier on her… Even if she still had to wait until odd hours in the night to avoid getting in the way of the soldiers, a warm shower was a warm shower.
"…We've gotta keep moving forward, even if not everyone likes it. It's for his own good, too…"
The bulky X-Naut whispered under his breath, clenching his fists at his sides.
"Hmm?" Vivian looked over, not quite having caught what Crump said.
"Oh, uh. It's nothing," the big X-Naut paused and shuffled awkwardly for just a second. Then, he added, "By the way, though… do you got a favorite color?"
"H-huh? I mean, I guess, but…" The shadow made a face at the sudden question, then thought hard for a moment as she struggled to pick. "Maybe… fuchsia?"
"Good choice, buh huh huh! I dig pink stuff, too. A lot of the guys just don't get it," he chuckled, pulling out another note and scribbling something down. "Maybe you can also grab some of this, then?"
He handed her the sheet of paper. Looking at the line he'd jotted down, Vivian gave a big smile.
"Yes!" She nodded gleefully. "Give me just a minute, and I'll have the order in!" With a spirited wave, she turned and headed into the store while clutching the instructions to her chest.
The X-Naut called after her. "Buh! Buh! Buh huh huh! …Thanks again, I owe ya!"
With a fresh bag of food for the parrot in her hands, Vivian returned to the compound. She'd made sure that the materials had been ordered and stacked up outside the supply store, just like Crump had asked for. As she'd moved along on her way to take care of her own pre-practice errands, she'd seen the additional soldiers arrive and begin to haul everything back, swarming around the stacks of lumber like ants and picking them up in coordinated pairs.
She glanced at her pack as a lingering thought tugged at her mind. …While she'd been out, she'd also bought another set of stationery. She'd been thinking of trying to write to Beldam again, but…
Was it pointless to keep trying? She still hadn't gotten any response to her other letters. …Would writing more be too pushy? Or maybe she should try to go visit Twilight Town directly, just to take a peek…? She could go under the guise of wanting to check on Marilyn. …It was actually true that she wanted to check in on their middle sister, she couldn't help but worry about her, but Beldam…
The distant sounds of hammering interrupted her turbulent thoughts. Looking up at the roof of the main building, she could see a few X-Nauts poised atop it already – they were nailing down tarps here and there, closing off a few of the particularly egregious holes. She guessed they were probably just trying to put in a stopgap until their true work could begin… Apparently, complaints from the upper level's residents were becoming more and more frequent.
As her eyes drifted downwards, the glint of a pair of goggles caught her attention.
Grodus once again sat at his spot beyond the windowsill, gazing out over the property. He'd clearly already noticed her - he surveyed her from above, his expression as blank as ever. ...Unlike the other times she'd seen him, he didn't move when she stared back.
Seconds ticked by as the two silently observed each other.
Feeling more and more awkward, Vivian extended a hand towards the sky, and slowly, carefully, gave the slightest of waves. She wasn't sure what she expected to happen – from what she'd heard, the man didn't even have any arms... And so, she wasn't terribly surprised when the mechanical head did absolutely nothing in response. Instead, he merely continued to stare, his gaze fixated on her even as she turned and continued to anxiously float along her path.
As she moved forward, Vivian realized her heart was racing. …Was Grodus judging her? Plotting something? What was he watching her so intently for, yet again, day after day…?
…Really. What, exactly, was he up to…?
Chapter image: www tumblr com/thegroduschronicles/762094709687599104