That day, the usually quiet and mysterious Poshley Sanctum was alight with activity.
Beautifully decorated round tables, each covered with pearly-white cloth and glowing candles, had been arranged in rows throughout the vast interior of the building. People of countless different sizes and shapes mingled throughout the grand hall as they celebrated the success of a certain movie. Toads, Goombas, Koopas, Bumpties, X-Nauts, Boos, Bob-ombs, and more… All of them exchanged spirited words as they enjoyed expensive drinks and feasted upon the delicious banquet that had been prepared under the illustrious Lady Bow's banner. The enticing scents of spiced meat and roasted vegetables filled the space, rousing the appetites of all who dined within the walls.
Vivian, having dressed herself for the occasion in a beautiful pearl necklace and a fashionable formal hat, sipped cheerfully at a glass of grape juice. Though a slight nervousness strummed at her heart as she observed the massive crowd, she still couldn't help but be carried away by the wonderful atmosphere.
To make things even better, the shadow was currently surrounded by some of her best friends on the planet.
"Isn't it just, like, the neatest thing you've ever heard!?" Goombella and Chili, the latter of which Vivian hadn't seen in what felt like ages due to his constant bouts in the Glitz Pit, chatted excitedly as they relaxed at one of the dining tables. "Really, it's apparently been a pretty big hit over there! I didn't even know that Sarasaland had a demand for this kind of stuff! Can you believe it!? Our Vivian, an international star!? That's so crazy!"
"Well, yeah… it's stupid hot over there, right? They've gotta have something to do while they're sweating it out indoors or whatever," the small-yet-not-quite-as-small-as-Vivian-remembered Yoshi commented as he slurped noisily at a cola.
Across the table, Doopliss and Petuni were doing their usual thing while Flurrie and Punio watched on and shook their heads. Koops and his now-wife Koopie Koo sipped upon sparkling glasses of champagne, their hands lovingly intertwined… Meanwhile, one section over, Bobbery was talking noisily with Flavio and the rest of his crew. She could hear Pa-Patch bellowing something about "Oy, yer a blimey liar, yer full of it! You weren't even there fer most o' it!" as Flavio was undoubtedly boasting about his massive part in the success of the release. Even Ms. Mowz was about, though she had snuck off at some point and was likely prowling around the darkness while on the hunt for… something.
The shadow smiled with absolute delight as she watched the lively celebration unfold. She still wished Mario could've made it… but, even then, seeing this many familiar faces in one spot, all together, was nothing short of extraordinary.
At a glance, their film could've been considered merely a moderate success – it had premiered to rather middling critical reviews, many of which chided it for having a lower-than-average narrative quality when compared to Herringway's other works. Some also took note of how the film sidelined several high-profile actors into secondary roles in favor of starring a bunch of complete nobodies. …Though, Vivian's performance had still received some degree of praise. Even better, the movie was purportedly turning into something of a cult classic amongst certain groups.
Either way, it was true that the profits reaped from its release had far exceeded what Bow had expected. Between it and their other somewhat lesser hit - "Harder Than Bedrawk: The Rawk Hawk Story" – their studio's journey was off to a relatively prosperous start.
"Ladies and gentlemen!" Lady Bow, clad in golden ribbons and holding a wine glass, called to the audience as she took up a position at the head of the room. "I'd like to thank all of you for coming today! Though my own efforts are largely what led us to this grand success, there are many others who have also helped us to reach these most illustrious heights…"
The Boo noblewoman called out several names as people rose from their seats and moved to the front, applause for each of them ringing out as she described their individual contributions. Flurrie and her crew, Pennington, the X-Nauts… As Vivian's turn came, she shyly approached Bow and accepted a pin with their studio's brand-new insignia inscribed upon it – an icon that appeared to be a mix of Bow's ribbons, an X, and a star - which she then attached to her hat before returning to her seat. Even further, the shadow couldn't resist letting out a few joyous giggles as Goombella excitedly treated her to a few small compliments.
"Look at you, that's sooo cute on you! How, like, totally official!"
It was the first time in a long while that Vivian had felt so thoroughly appreciated.
Eventually, after several more names were called, the rewards section of the presentation wrapped up. Bow continued with her script, speaking of their plans to keep on expanding their portfolio of projects… and then announced one last thing.
"Now, after much hard, manual labor," she smirked with barely contained excitement as she proudly spoke into the microphone, "I'm happy to announce that we've finally completed the construction of our brand new headquarters! One of the houses that we used for filming 'The Shades of My Beloved' has been converted into an actual office for our continued use! Rejoice, my subjects, for we are now properly in business!"
Cheers erupted starting from the Boos, then spread throughout the entire sanctum. That office was a solid symbol of their success.
Vivian clapped gleefully as she imagined what it could possibly look like. Quite some time had passed since she'd last visited that building… Though she'd been aware of the construction, she'd been far too busy focusing on redoubling her acting practice to go check it out. But, tomorrow, she'd have to stop by and see it for certain.
With that, the speeches concluded. Vivian rose from her chair, listening as Rawk Hawk drifted over to their table and began to argue with Chili about which one of them would be the first to beat the now fully-recovered Prince Mush in a title match. Upon noticing the light sense of thirst tickling at her throat, the shadow moved over towards a table at the back and stopped to refill her glass, where she carefully took the pitcher of grape juice into her hands…
As she did, something rather strange caught her eye. Standing nearby, shoveling food into his gullet like it was the last bit of sustenance in the land, was… an oddly bean-like man? At the very least, his head certainly resembled a legume…
No, actually… she recalled that she'd seen a being much like this before – in fact, he looked rather similar to Podley, though this man was clearly much younger. He had the same lightly textured, green skin that Podley had but wore a purple-striped shirt and hid his strikingly yellow eyes behind a rather suspicious mask. The mysterious guest was presently stationed directly in front of the food table and was scarfing down shroom steaks hand-over-fist, not minding his manners in the least.
Who… was that?
"Um… hello!" Vivian paused and greeted him, curious as to what he was doing there. She'd been able to place almost every face within the sanctum – all except for this fellow's. There were several people there who'd attended as guests alongside the other actors, but who was he there with…?
Rather than greeting her back, the man nearly stumbled out of shock. Then, suddenly irate, he grit his teeth and glared absolute daggers at her.
"What's that!? You got a problem with me grabbin' some eats, huh? Boo, I say!" he growled as he stepped back from the table and let his arms drop heavily to his sides. She could smell just a hint of alcohol on his breath…
"Ah, no! That's not it at all," Vivian held up her hands in a sign of peace.
"That right? Well, I'm busy here, see? So, scram!" Without paying her any further mind, the mysterious guest turned back to the spread of food and continued to feast, unhindered by her stare.
"Mmm… well, okay then. Enjoy your dinner, I guess…?" Vivian half-grumbled as she shifted her attention back to her own beverage. …What in the world…?
As she returned to her table, she spied Ms. Mowz in the corner. …The Little Mouser was watching the strange man with a remarkably intent gaze.
But, whatever his deal was, Vivian wasn't about to let him ruin her good mood. As she floated back, she noticed that dear old Admiral Bobbery had since trotted over and was chatting with Goombella. The noble skipper turned to face Vivian and gave her a friendly nod as she approached.
"Ah, Vivian, dear lass! Now there's the proper star of the evening," Bobbery's mustache twitched as he began to speak. "Flavio's been over there, making a kerfuffle about how he saved the entire show and other such poppycock… but it was really you who came to him, was it not?"
"That's right, hmm hmm hmm!" Vivian giggled. "He's as silly as ever, isn't he? It's almost a little cute how he's always like that…"
"Is it?" Goombella raised an eyebrow. "I mean, I still think he's totally annoying, but… I guess maybe he does have a little bit of a point this time, huh? If nothing else, he's always pretty good for stuff like this."
"Right, he might be like… that, but most posh types have something of the sort going on. Can't live with them, can't live without them," Bobbery sighed. "But, that aside, I and the other blokes saw your film, dear Vivian! It was perhaps a little… strange… especially the parts about the small bombs and whatnot, but we all enjoyed it. It even gave Cortez a mint time, once we finally got him to sit still and watch it with us."
Vivian couldn't help but chuckle as she imagined the massive pirate skeleton perched in front of a tiny TV, intently watching the show alongside Pa-Patch and the others. …Did that mean they'd finally gotten electricity on Keelhaul Key? Or maybe they'd even settled down for a watch party in the middle of Rogueport Harbor…?
"Hey, by the way…" Goombella cut through the conversation as she asked a question. "Does anyone know who that one green weirdo at the food table was? He was acting seriously gross, just chowing down like a madman the whole time, but… I don't even see him anymore. Which I guess is cool, now I don't feel so weird about going over there." She grimaced as she recalled the unsightly display. "…Still, though. What even was up with him?"
Vivian shrugged. "I was actually kind of wondering that, too… I've never seen him before. Podley isn't here, right? Do you think he would know…?"
Maybe that was a bad assumption to make.
"I don't think that one was a normal party guest, sweetie. …Something smells like a rotten cheese."
Ms. Mowz chose that moment to sneak in from the sidelines, her face surprisingly serious.
"He didn't look to take anything other than food or drink, but… mmmmm. There's something very odd about that one. …Call it a thief's intuition. Once he noticed me watching him, he made himself scarce rather quickly…" Ms. Mowz shook her head. "Having someone else that slippery around is more than a little troublesome. I'd watch your back, dearie - something isn't right. Not at all."
Her brow furrowed, Vivian peered over at the food table, her eyes drifting over towards the spot where the mysterious guest had been standing. But the strange man was, indeed, already gone.
Though Vivian had been quite curious about the unknown partygoer, the few people she'd asked afterwards hadn't been able to tell her a single thing. Not Flavio, not Flurrie, and not Crump, the last of which was currently walking alongside her as they headed over to visit their studio's office that morning… In fact, most of the guests apparently hadn't even noticed anyone matching that description.
"You sure it wasn't just some kinda hungry bum, buh huh? I mean, it happens sometimes. I guess maybe next time we oughta put together some security?" the bulky X-Naut general remarked as he stretched his arms beneath the warm Poshley Heights sun.
Ms. Mowz seemed to believe there was something more to it than that, but… well, it wasn't as though Vivian had any proof otherwise. And so, she chose to put it out of her mind, instead focusing on the more important task directly before her.
As the shadow entered the Fantaboolous Studios headquarters and observed the brand-new layout, her face lit up with a childlike glee.
Thankfully, Bow had taken the suggestions of Flurrie and some of the other more practical-minded workers to heart when she'd chosen how to decorate the place. The newly renovated workspace now housed a small kitchen, a meeting room, an office, and a reasonably sized rehearsal room that they could use for their acting lessons. With its wide-open space and various props, it would serve their needs far better than simply making do with what they had at the X-Naut dormitory.
Finally, they were starting to feel like true professionals.
"Buh huh huh huh! You like it, huuuuh?" Crump chortled as he and Vivian moved about and examined each room. "Yeah, I actually already got a good ol' looksee at it. The guys really nailed things! Everything in here's seriously top-quality!"
"…Well, I suppose you X-things did well enough with your work this time." Bow took on her usual haughty tone as she guided the pair around, though even she still seemed rather pleased. Her office was the only area in the building which had something of a haunted feel to it – though Vivian had heard that it was quite toned-down compared to the looks of her mansion.
"Hmm hmm hmm! The kitchen is a very nice touch…" The shadow giggled as she floated down the hallway and peered in. It was small, but fully stocked. "It was kind of hard when we were practicing back at the dormitory. We always got thirsty really quickly, but…"
Despite its rickety kitchen being mostly in working order at that point, the dorm was often filled to the brim with just way too many X-Nauts. To get water, you'd have to wade through all of them, if you could get it at all… The crew usually had to instead fill a bunch of bottles in the morning, when most of the men were still asleep. That, or draw water from the outdoor well…
"Well, that's enough wandering about." Bow clapped her hands together, cutting off Vivian's train of thought. "After all, there's plenty we must discuss!"
The ghost beckoned the visiting pair forth, thus leading them down the hallway and into her office. Vivian and Crump each took a seat on one of the creaky, wooden chairs that faced Bow's antique desk as they waited for her to speak.
"Now," the ghastly lady began, pulling open a notebook as she took a pen into her hand. "Down to business. First of all, Crump, give me your status report – how are the preparations for your newest project faring? Do tell me how things are going with that 'Starship X-Naut' of yours."
"Starship X-Naut." Vivian had heard the name mentioned a few times in passing, but she wasn't really sure of what the details were. She knew it was something that Crump had come up with on his own and proposed to Bow, but…
"Yeah, you got it!" Crump quickly pounded a hand against his chest. "That airhead Flavio actually came in clutch for that, buh huh huh! He roped some novelist over in Rogueport into helping us write the script for it, so we've totally got that ball rolling. We aren't moving quiiite as quick as I'd hoped since we've been working on other stuff, but… it's all in the cards! We've already got setup happening, over on sublevel 2!"
Vivian was always surprised by just how fast the X-Nauts could work once they put their minds to it. With Flavio and Goldbob's funding, they'd already started fixing up Riverside Valley and had opened up a small factory – looking closer at Bow's room, she could see the X-Naut insignia imprinted upon the vacuum cleaner in the corner. Amazingly, they'd even started expanding underground, deep down beneath the dormitory.
"…Well, that's fine, I guess. I want to see more progress on Starship ASAP, but the factory and all that's important, too… After all, I simply must get my hands on all the funding I can for that other project of ours. Gweeaaah hah hah!" Bow laughed.
Other project…? Vivian tilted her head. She hadn't heard anything at all about that…
"Speaking of which… Vivian! Preparations are well underway for your next big assignment. I do apologize for the wait on that – I've been quite busy with those hoity-toity merchants and these needy little X-creatures. But, do know that Bootler and I have been working on getting things moving, I assure you…"
"Ah… you have!?" Vivian clutched her hands in front of her as she excitedly leaned forward. "Yes, please, I can't wait to hear more!"
Though Vivian had been doing plenty of training and had been working hard on a bunch of smaller tasks here and there – such as appearing for a few interviews and starring as an incredibly minor character during one of Zip Toad's movies – she was more than ready to finally jump back into actual acting. Really, rather than even doing work directly related to her job, she'd been spending more time cooking for the X-Nauts…
"Oho? Excited, are we? Well, you should be!" Bow winked. "But… I'll certainly have more on that for you later – there's a few details that I wish to iron out first. Until then, your actual next assignment will be just a bit smaller… We promised Goldbob we'd offer him our services for advertising, so we'll have to fulfill our end of the deal there first."
Right… their contracts with Goldbob. Vivian nodded. She'd been wondering when they'd hear more on that…
"You recall all the hubbub about trains and whatnot, correct? Well, this town's very first model train store will be opening very soon! For that, we need someone to show off some of the designer models in a commercial, so you'll be working with Goldbob and the X-Naut cashiers on that. …Also, do make certain that those thugs are doing their jobs correctly, if you would. I don't exactly trust them to mind their manners…" Bow looked over at Crump, who grunted. "If all goes well, we'll expand into advertising even more of Goldbob's wares. So, treat this seriously!"
"Understood!" Vivian smiled and gave a playful little salute.
"Now, last of all…" Bow murmured as she reached under her desk, then pulled out a medium-sized manilla envelope. "Here is today's fan mail for you, Vivian. Do respond to all of them and have them back to me sometime before the end of the week. This idea's been quite good for publicity - the audience simply loves the interaction, so keep it up!"
Vivian giggled as she took the envelope. …She really did enjoy responding to fan mail. Some of the people who wrote to her were kind of weird, but most of them were so very, very nice…
Upon bidding Bow and Crump farewell, Vivian turned to leave… however.
"Wait, no. Actually, there is one more thing." Lady Bow reached into her desk and pulled out a much smaller envelope. "If only Bootler were here, I'd have him handle this, but… ugh. Vivian, before you head home, do bring this over to the sanctum and drop it off with the Boos there. Don't worry too much about the contents - it's nothing but a little message."
"Oh, sure! That's no problem at all." Vivian reached out and took it into her hands. …This excuse would give her a good chance to check on Pennington, too. The poor man had seemed more than a little bit startled by the relatively recent revelation that he wasn't alone within his home – he apparently hadn't actually put two and two together until sometime after their fight with Goldbob. She did hope he was doing okay…
Thankfully, the sanctum wasn't too far away from the Bow's office. Within a few minutes of floating along the road, she was already approaching the front door.
However, something else beyond the presence of the Boos appeared to be amiss with Pennington that day.
"I am not letting you inside, and that is most final! My most observant eyes know a suspicious individual when they see one – and you most certainly fit the bill!"
The magnifying glass-armed Bumpty was currently yelling at a strangely flashy, foreign-looking blond man. …Interestingly, upon further inspection… this man yet again had green, plant-like skin. However, his aura was far different from that of the stranger she'd seen at the celebration; instead, he had a refined air about him and was clad in a magnificent, caped tunic.
Another creature of Podley's species? Vivian tilted her head. There certainly seemed to be an awful lot of them around lately… She'd thought they were rather rare. Additionally, he had some sort of weird, winged platform hovering directly next to him…
"I'm telling you, you most outrageous bird… I have no interest in your sanctum or what have you! None at all!" Though still somewhat agitated, the mysterious man seemed to be faring better than Pennington. "All I want is to know more about a certain individual that was supposedly sighted within the area… Are you entirely certain that he's not inside?
"O-o-of course he's not, do not be ridiculous! I, as the Sanctum Manager, know all there is to know about those coming and going from within! Naturally, you can be certain that I am aware of everyone who's currently housed inside my walls!"
One side effect of the sanctum Boos' presence was that Pennington had recently become even more suspicious of strangers than usual. Apparently, the revelation that they'd been there, casually existing beneath his bill the entire time, hadn't been all that palatable to him.
"...Haaaah… fine. Do simply give me a yes or no, then!" The green man sighed in resignation. "Have you, or have you not, personally witnessed a Beanish man wearing a purple-striped shirt and a mask? Perhaps also with a pair of rather unsightly yellow eyes? Any hints you may have are fine, just…"
At that small description, a lightbulb went off in Vivian's head.
"Oh! From the party! Yes, there was someone like that here yesterday…" she spoke as she approached the pair. "One of my friends was worried about him. Is he someone you know?"
"So, he is here!" the green man exclaimed, nodding his head vigorously. Now ignoring the still-agitated Pennington, he instead turned to Vivian and eagerly pressed his hands against her shoulders. "Do tell, young lady! Where is he now!? I request any answers you can provide!"
"Um… I… actually, I don't know. I'm so sorry!" Though Vivian was startled by the gentleman's forwardness, she still gave him the bad news. "But, I mean… you probably don't have to worry about him hiding inside the sanctum. There's lots of Boos living in there, so they'd probably have seen him if he were still around…"
She'd ask them for sure in just a minute. ...Still, she couldn't exactly imagine it being a comfortable place to hide, especially since the specters often ventured out of the back room these days.
"Drat…" The man clicked his tongue. "But, to answer your question from before… Yes, it could be said that I know him. That man – Popple - is a most dangerous thief! I'm on a mission to find him as quickly as possible. He's stolen something very, very important from my family… So, if you see him, please, come find me at once! I'm staying at the hotel in town – the front desk will take the message for me."
"Um, okay…" Vivian nodded, somewhat perturbed at how suddenly the situation had developed. "But… if I do find something, to whom should I address my message? I didn't catch your name…"
"Oh, but where are my manners?" At that inquiry, the young man stepped back and, upon gracefully crisscrossing his legs, gave a dazzling flourish of his dandelion-yellow hair.
An absolutely blinding light assaulted Vivian's eyes at that exact moment, streaming forth from the man's scalp as though a small sun had suddenly been woven from the fabric of the universe. Frightened, she covered her face. And yet, the strange man before her continued to speak…
"Heh heh heh! It is most wonderful to meet you! My name is Pri-… er, Peasley! Just Peasley!" He called out, proudly gazing upon the shadow despite the all-encompassing brightness of the veil between them.
"P-Peasley!?" Vivian stuttered, still hiding her face behind her hands.
"That's correct! I am Peasley, an agent of the Beanbean Kingdom!"
Later that night, Vivian couldn't help but let out a long, tired sigh as she returned home. What a strange encounter that had been…
After announcing his name, the man had immediately hopped upon his weird, winged platform and rushed off, seemingly already moving along in his mission to find the elusive "Popple." He hadn't even mentioned exactly what it was that the thief had stolen… Was Peasley some sort of international police officer? A detective? Honestly, he hadn't really explained that, either…
Given, in this crazy world, it wasn't exactly odd for such things to happen. …But… still. A frown spread across Vivian's face as she pondered.
Yet, she was quickly distracted from her thoughts.
Riverside Valley was absolutely bustling that evening, with the sounds of hammers and drills pressing in from all directions. As she approached the compound itself, she could see a certain domed creature making his way through the grass, where he was busily bouncing back and forth between groups of men as he barked out strict orders to each of them.
"Vivian." That word was Grodus's only acknowledgement to her before he continued along his way, apparently too preoccupied to say anything else. …He sure had been active lately, despite his lack of limbs. It was almost impressive.
He wasn't the only one constantly on the move. As Vivian entered the main building, she very nearly collided with a pair of men carrying a large, wooden cut-out of a tree. "Coming through, coming through!" the soldiers bellowed as they passed on by and out into the yard. …Undoubtedly, their cargo was meant for one of Flurrie and Doopliss's newest plays. She could hear the whir of the foyer's basement-bound elevator in the distance as X-Nauts just kept coming and going, each and every one of them busy with their own tasks.
Thankfully, the recent decrease in X-Nauts idling their days away in the kitchen made things a bit easier for Vivian – she was able to make her way over to her station at the oven without much of a problem, thus joining the soldier that was on cooking duty for the night.
"Oh, shoot, hey! That time already, buh huh?" Much to her surprise, Crump was sitting at the nearby kitchen table alongside one of the other X-Nauts – Johnson, she assumed – as he munched on a snack. Meanwhile, Johnson was fiddling with another one of those strange capsules. Crump was usually more than a little busy these days, so she typically didn't see him this often, but…
"Hmm hmm hmm, that's right – time to cook up some yummy food! Are you taking a break? That's good to see!" Vivian had actually gotten onto him about that a few days ago, after having noticed him working through his normal lunch period. …Maybe that's why he was there now? If so, she was glad to see him taking some of her advice.
"Yeah, you betcha. We had a bit of downtime out at the factory site, so I thought I'd stop by here and take a lil' breather…" Crump sighed in satisfaction as he took another bite out of his chocolatey brownie. "You almost done for the day, or are you headed back out?"
"Almost! Goombella's coming over after this, so I thiiink I'm going to bring my food home with me…" Vivian paused as she considered her night's plans. If she grabbed an extra portion for the Goomba girl, the X-Nauts almost certainly wouldn't mind… After all, they had plenty these days. With Goombella rushing back and forth all the time, constantly splitting her time between research and visiting with Vivian, she was certain that the poor girl would appreciate the free meal. Thankfully, she'd often been able to bring her thesis papers over while Vivian worked on fan mail nearby, but…
Within a mere few days, those lovely meetings would have to be put on pause. …Goombella would soon be required to return to the University of Goom in the Mushroom Kingdom mainland to present her work. Not that she was to be gone for more than a few months, but… still.
Everything seemed to be changing lately. Speaking of which…
"Grodus looks like he's doing well these days, doesn't he?" Vivian commented as her mind drifted to the man outside. …Despite everything that had happened in the past, she was happy to see it.
"Oh, you bet! It's like night and day, you legit have no idea!" Crump pumped a fist. "He's always busy with something now! We've been tryin' to get him interested in giving acting a go for 'Starship X-Naut', but he keeps saying he doesn't wanna. Like, I know he's got his hands- er… his… uh, y'know … full with managing our plans and all that, but…"
Johnson gave a loud snort at Crump's slip of the tongue.
But Crump paid it no mind as he continued. "Oh, that reminds me! The boys and I have something super amazing in the works for ol' Grodus right now, but… shhhhhh! The deets are a secret, buh huh huh!" The X-Naut general held a finger before his collar as he chuckled excitedly.
Vivian could tell – despite what he was saying, the man was just dying to tell her more.
Yet, before she could question him any further, Johnson chose that moment to let out an enthusiastic "heeere we go!" as he pressed the activation button upon his newest capsule. The familiar sending sequence began right there, in the middle of the kitchen – the swirling, the tearing, and the dramatic flashing of lights – after which the object subsequently vanished from view. Vivian watched as Crump nearly jumped out of his skin in surprise, the entire show having taken place directly next to his head.
"…Really? Right here?" The slight remainder of Crump's brownie now sat on the table, where it'd landed after it flew haphazardly from his hands. "You're gonna give me a real heart attack one of these days, seriously…"
"I mean… why not? Here's as good as anywhere else, isn't it?" Johnson giggled, seemingly more at Crump's reaction than at anything else. …Had he done it on purpose?
Though Vivian was curious, she chose to instead voice a different question. "By the way, I've been meaning to ask… what are those?" Her mind flashed back to when she'd first arrived at the valley – specifically, to how one had popped out of the air back at the Creepy Steeple. She'd never figured out what in the world they were meant for.
"Oh yeaaaaahhhh, you got one of the X-grams, didn't you? I forgot about that!" Amused, Johnson slapped his foot as he turned to face her. "So, like. We used to send them out in hopes of getting work, but… yeah, they're pretty much just toys now. Sending messages in them is fun stuff, people are really dumb and weird about it sometimes. Some dude shoved a flower into one that made me blow bubbles, it was wild!"
Was that really all? Vivian was surprised they were willing to spend resources on something like that. Plus, from the way that he was talking… Was he not planning out where to send them?
"So, you don't actually know where they appear…?" she questioned, tilting her head.
Johnson shrugged. "Pretty much! We can send them to specific places, but we'd need some… uh, coordinates? It's way too complicated to explain. …'Sides, I don't really care. I'm having a good time like this."
"Though, y'know…" Crump spoke up, having popped the remainder of his brownie into his mouth despite its unfortunate encounter with the table, "We've been thinking about sending some promo materials out for 'Starship X-Naut' once we really get stuff going. Wouldn't that be a crazy surprise? Like, you're just chilling in your room, bored 'cause your internet's out or whatever… and then, POW! 'Starship X-Naut' care package, complete with DVDs and exclusive swag, home delivery style!"
Vivian frowned. Honestly, if something like that suddenly showed up in her house, she'd probably be completely terrified. …But, he seemed excited about the idea, so she chose not to voice that thought aloud.
Finally, after having listened to the X-Nauts continue on with their spirited conversation while she cooked, Vivian packaged up two servings of spaghetti and made her way back towards her shed. She smiled at the cute little flower garden and her home's fuchsia roof as she opened the front door and slipped through. …Though she still called it a "shed" out of habit, that word wasn't exactly accurate anymore. After placing the two servings inside her microwave, the shadow moved through the tiny house's living room and into her bedroom, where she then began to hastily clear a mess of papers and books off her desk.
She'd clean up at least a bit before Goombella arrived.
The universe just kept providing him with wonderful new toys.
Though watching the dramatics between those actors and actresses had proven entertaining for a while, Dimentio already felt his boredom seeping back in. They'd been doing quite well recently – too well, in fact. The conflict between those oddly advanced X creatures, the shadow, her friends, and the rich townsfolk… For a bit there, it'd all made for quite the amusing show. Yet, with everything now on the upswing, their act was starting to become a bit dry…
The X-Nauts had proven especially interesting to observe. …He'd sensed something familiar from them. Though incredibly weak, their bodies contained very slight traces of the magical power that had run through Dimentio's family line for generations… Distant relatives of the shamans, perhaps? It wasn't impossible – though their influence was more pronounced within Dimentio's land of origin, those pesky wizards did have a way of inserting their fingers into anything and everything. In fact, he had even heard of something like that before – that there had once been a hidden group of heretical misfits amongst the old tribes who, born with little to no casting ability, had decided to form an underground secret society based around hard science rather than faith in the stars. …It did make him curious.
Today, however, Dimentio was observing an entirely different subject.
As the jester floated idly before the canopy of stars, he watched as a certain Beanish prince continued to rush all across Poshley Heights, questioning each and every passing citizen that he could get his hands on.
Dimentio giggled. …What would this silly man say if he knew that Dimentio already had all the answers? That he'd already caught sight of the thief and knew exactly what it was that he'd stolen and where he was staying? That Dimentio was just watching, waiting, and delighting in Peasley's ever-more-frantic attempts to uncover the crook's trail, like a scientist observing a rat trapped in a maze…
Not that Dimentio would've ever actually told him anything. No, no - it was far more fun this way.
Finally giving up for the night, the poor prince let out a long sigh and leaned listlessly against a nearby building. But then, after allowing himself just a moment to clear his mind, the blond man let out a loud whistle – a bean-shaped bird suddenly popped out of the nearby shrubbery, then flew over and perched obediently upon his finger.
As it crawled down his arm and made itself comfortable atop his shoulder, the prince pulled out a piece of paper and scribbled down a hasty note. Then, after rolling it up and tying it to the bird's leg, Peasley let loose yet another commanding whistle - the creature instantly flew from its perch and took to the night, sailing away into the sky. His task complete, the troubled prince then turned to enter his hotel, his mind already elsewhere.
The avian messenger did not go far.
Dimentio was too quick for it – the mage swept in as it approached, using a shot of geometric magic to knock it down and out of the air. Then, hovering over his fresh prey with a sadistic smile, the jester removed the message from its leg and took a good look at its contents.
"Mmm… no confirmation of Princess Peach in the area, is it? …Her voice? What a tasty morsel this is…"
From what he'd gathered from observing both the prince and the thief, it seemed as though the latter had no idea what kind of power was contained within the object he had stolen. …Did he merely think it was some sort of expensive royal artifact? Not that he'd struck Dimentio as particularly intelligent from the get-go, but that level of ignorance was actually quite sad…
…However…
Dimentio could easily educate him on the matter.
Chapter image:www tumblr com/thegroduschronicles/767172554045734912