Heya! Sorry this chapter took so long, writer's block is a real pain, amirite? Anyways, I hope y'all like this one, since it did take so much time. Also, I recommend the song this chapter is named after, as I consider it 'Vivian's Theme' for this story! Enjoy!
-Joost
The Shadow of Solace
Chapter 2: Glory Box
Vivian couldn't stop playing with her hat. She had taken it off, her fingers creasing the rim first one way, then the other, all in a rhythm. It was a habit that she found herself stuck in whenever in deep thought, which she most definitely was ever since she and her sisters made it back to the inn.
"Oh yes, they're perfect!" Beldam, still holding the Jelly Shrooms, fawned over them with coveting eyes. "The horde will certainly enjoy them!"
For hours, that was all the eldest shadow would talk about. The Fuzzy Horde. Beldam, for the longest time, had been masterminding a plan to gain control over the infamous Fuzzy Horde with a buffet of delectable snacks, those being Jelly Shrooms. The reason was seemingly to simply have them on a leash, at least that's what her peers could gather. Beldam refused to elaborate on why exactly she was so adamant on this plan, neither Marilyn, Vivian nor Doopliss knowing the details.
"Now, freak-sheet, are you absolutely sure you can replicate these on the scale you promised?" Beldam glanced at Doopliss, who was sitting on the recliner, absentmindedly watching the TV. When the shadow received no response, she asked again, "Doopliss, did you hear me?"
Again, nothing.
"DOOPLISS!" Beldam roared, turning the crank that operated the leg rests back and forth, causing the recliner to nearly fold the Duplighost in half. Releasing it, Doopliss flew out of the chair and into the wall.
"WAAAA-ACK!" Doopliss cried as he crashed, sliding down the wall and slumping onto the floor.
"Utter fool! Can you, or can you not, duplicate these?!" Beldam demanded.
"Augh… O-Of course I can," Doopliss trembled, slowly getting back on his feet. With Beldam questioning him, he felt like he had to defend his honor, so he channeled some magic through his hands. "Here, gimme one! I'll show you!"
"Hmpf…" Beldam handed him one of her precious Jelly Shrooms. Light surrounded it and then two mushrooms were in Doopliss' hands. He smiled cockily, juggling the fungi before giving them back to the witch. "Perhaps your magic is a little commendable, Doopliss. But now, this is where I come in!" A gloating grin gleamed her face as she used her own magic to make the mushrooms grow three, maybe four times their initial size.
"G-Guh?" Marilyn clapped excitedly, asking for one of the mushrooms to inspect.
"Yes you may, my lovely," Beldam gave Marilyn one of the enlarged mushrooms, specifically the new copy, to check out. The burly broad tapped the cap of the fungus, chuckling as it wobbled almost like a balloon, spongey and squishy.
Vivian, amused by the comically large mushroom, smiled. "Hey, could I have one? Y'know, just to mess with?" she asked, looking at her sisters.
"NO! Are you insane?! You'll sully them!" Beldam immediately protested, hiding the second of the two mushrooms behind herself as Marilyn held the other. "We can't afford the possibility of any of these getting damaged, at least not until freak-sheet over there can make more! A ditz like you could ruin them!"
"But why would I damage them? I was the one that helped get them!" Vivian argued.
"You got them?! Ha! The fool in the red hat did," Beldam snarled, gripping the last, normal sized mushroom. "He merely gave them away because he felt bad, something that sap has in common with you, which makes sense, as you're just as PLUG-UGLY as him!" There was a sudden banging on the ceiling, the person in the room one floor above clearly pissed off at screaming going on below.
Vivian was left cowering in her sisters' shadow, unable to defend herself against that terrible name Beldam often called her. "I… I'm sorry, sister…" Vivian put her hat back on, letting the rim cast a shadow over her face, letting Beldam know that she wouldn't dare argue further. She could feel the judging stares of her sister and Doopliss drilling a hole in her head.
The only one that never really messed with Vivian was Marilyn, which Vivian somewhat appreciated, though it wasn't much. Marilyn always kept quiet whenever Vivian was being scolded, quieter than usual. She was a naturally silent woman, but during the common instance of Beldam raising her raspy voice, sometimes the others forgot Marilyn was even in the room, she was that quiet. It was almost startling when she eventually did utter something.
"I…I need some air," Vivian mumbled, standing up to go to the balcony, still feeling the judging gazes as she left. The spell finally lifted when she got out, taking a deep breath and sighing as she planted her hands on the railing, head down.
The room they were given was on the third floor of the inn, allowing for a lovely view of Toad Town. Vivian, currently, wasn't admiring it though, too perturbed by Beldam's cruelty. All she wanted was to check out one of the mushrooms, why was that such a problem?! Huffing, she took another lungful of the chilly, winter air, her chest still hot, flushed with annoyance and embarrassment.
"God, Beldam, I-" Vivian sputtered, her words unheard to anyone. She put her hand to her chest, feeling how hard her heart was beating. It did that every time something like this happened. "I'm so tired," she thought to herself, slumping over on the railing, hat in hand. Now she was creasing the rim frantically, trying to find a way to vent. When that wasn't enough, she held her other hand and watched as flames started to fall.
Each of the Three Shadows had a mastery over magic, particularly of the elements. Beldam could use ice, Marilyn conjured lightning, and Vivian mastered fire. When she grew upset, her flames took on a life of its own, dripping from her hands like embers in a fireplace. Vivian didn't rightly know why it acted up when she was frustrated like this, but at least it put her at ease.
"'Plug-ugly'," Vivian thought, fighting with herself not to falter. She hated that name. She hated it so much. It was a favorite of Beldam's to use when referring to or arguing with Vivian, and like a trump card, she employed it to win, which she usually did. "Why is it so hard?! You're my sister, but I don't- I can't find a way to LOVE you when you call me that! Just let me be a…"
Staring out into space, the flames along her fingers finally stopped, calmness starting to wash through her mind. She had cooled down at last.
"Give me a reason to love you, Beldam," Vivian said to the sky, sighing again as she watched the stars twinkle. Once she felt better, there was something else with Beldam's words that tugged on her. The 'fool' in the red hat, Mario. She felt terrible that such rude things had been said about him, even though she wasn't the one to say them.
The empath in Vivian wanted to seek Mario out to give some proper thanks for giving up the Honey Mushrooms. He deserved it, since he also paid for the them without being asked. Taking a glance back inside, seeing her sisters fawn over the items without a single care, Vivian decided to do it. She needed a break anyways. All she needed to do was look where he might be.
"Hmph, he's definitely not 'plug-ugly'," Vivian commented to no one in particular, standing up straight and putting her hat back on. In fact, she thought that Mario was kind of charming, despite how scruffy he might've looked that morning.
Mario laid fast asleep on the couch, his face illuminated by the still-running television. He had conked out a while ago, Polterpup curled up under his arm receiving some quality pets. The house was almost entirely dark, the TV giving enough light to see but not too much so that it would keep Mario from falling asleep. He snored lightly, legs crossed along the coffee table as his plate sat on the other end, safe from accidentally being kicked off.
"Hhhnnnggrrr…" Polterpup whined affectionately, subconsciously licking the fork that was still stuck Mario's mechanical hand, tasting the remnants of spaghetti. Surprisingly, the fork clung onto the plumber's prosthetic tightly, the settings for the magnets along the palm turned up to the max.
Nowadays, whenever Mario slept on the couch, the TV was just for white noise. He found it almost impossible to go to sleep in dead silence ever since he returned to his realm, and there were multiple reasons for that.
"Hmmm…" Mario shifted slightly, turning over and laying his head back on one of the arm rests, a pillow between him and the couch. "Mmmyeh…" he smacked his lips, taking his hand off Polterpup to get more comfortable.
Polterpup didn't like that. He woke up instantly, blinking twice at Mario, a little confused by the lack of pets. "Arooo?" the dog cooed, stepping closer to his owner in an effort to get more love. Nudging Mario's arm repeatedly, there was little more than a mumble, proving that it'd be fruitless for the pup to try to get any more head pats or scratches. Whining, Polterpup pried the fork from Mario's hand and went down to the floor, continuing to lick it clean.
For the next few minutes, the TV went on, the sounds whatever program was going in one ear and right out the other. Polterpup, who usually loved getting lost in a soap opera or some true crime show, found something off about his owners' spirit ever since the princess came over. This old dog was far smarter than the average canine. After all, he had a whole life's worth of knowledge with him, and now, as a ghost, he was just learning more about the world and the people still living in it. By far, the ones that interested him the most were his owners. Over time, he came to be able to sense their feelings, and he did his best to try and help out if they weren't in the greatest of headspaces.
Taking his tongue off the fork, Polterpup leapt back up onto the couch, sniffing Mario's face. Curious about what he might dream about alongside Mario, the spectral dog decided to curl up on his owner's chest and go to sleep. His ghostly abilities would be able to intertwine with Mario's own spirit, allowing them to interact while dreaming.
Deep within the mindscape, Mario walked through a little forest, coming to a cliffside that was partly covered in the green brush of nature, overlooking Toad Town. A downed tree acted as an earthen bench, someone already sitting on the trunk, staring into the distance.
Approaching the log and sitting down opposite the other person, Mario sighed, but in satisfaction instead of sadness. He had seen this all before, but every time was like the first time, the red plumber never able to realize this was a dream until it ended.
"Hey Bro," the person next to Mario said cheerily.
"Hey Weege," Mario replied softly, looking over at his brother, Luigi.
There was a silent spell adrift, sounds of fauna trickling through the forest as the heroes relaxed. At first it was far too quiet, but they got used to it in no time. As the sun started to set on a happy world, Luigi had a little itch, an itch that started to really bug him. It had to do with Mario and his late arrival at their spot.
"So what took ya so long, huh? It's pretty rare for you to fumble a race," Luigi smirked, the win to loss ratio between him and Mario staggering. The pair often raced to this spot, it probably being one of the places in the kingdom, usually just to get away from all the anarchy of life. It had everything, fresh air, a great view, and was pretty secluded from town.
"I dunno," Mario said, his memory somewhat hazy. For some odd, unknowable reason, he just felt like letting Luigi have the win. He wasn't the one to gloat if he did win, but he so often won that it bothered him, just a bit. "Wanted to go pick leaves, like these, see?" Mario stretched over to pick some greenery off the nearby shrubs, starting to play with it.
"That's… poison ivy," Luigi held a concerned look.
"Wha-" Mario glanced at the leaf in his hand, seeing that it was, in fact, poison ivy, recognizable by the slightly jagged shape. "Oh sh- ew!" He discarded it, thankful to be wearing gloves. Despite this, he rubbed his fingers on his overalls, afraid that if he touched his face, he still might get some rash.
"Bwahaha!" Luigi tried not to snicker, but lost it, laughing at how dense his brother could be. "Seriously though, why'd you let me win? C'mooon, be honest!"
"I- don't know! I just felt like it!" Mario stammered, a bit embarrassed that he was being pressed about something he thought was so minimal. After a moment to think and a quick stare from Luigi, he spouted off a reason that popped into his mind. "Maybe I just- didn't wanna win."
After an about face from his brother, Mario guessed again. "Maybe you deserved a win. Everyone always thinks I win at everything, but I've never heard anyone say how much you win at things," he said, shrugging and trying not to sound insincere. "It- It must get to you, right?"
A few seconds passed.
"Really?" Luigi asked, his face brightening up, "So you're saying, you wanted to let me win to gimme a little self-esteem boost?"
"I guess?" Mario chuckled. He didn't know what else to say, so he gazed at the stellar view until something came to him. "Confidence isn't your best friend, I'm just saying…"
"Hey," Luigi leaned into Mario's line of sight, "I appreciate it, bro. Really, I do."
"I mean, what're brothers for, right?" Mario snickered, patting his best friend on the back.
The man in green nodded his head, slouching and letting his feet rest on the grass. Beneath them, a set of shining vines rustled with life, their thorns soft and supple. Mario's last words echoed on for a while, getting fainter and fainter as things gradually became blurry. He heard a faint, harp-like hum, the passionate vines twirling around him giving off a faint, blue light. From that light, he felt a warm, fuzzy sensation in his heart. With that warmth, he finally woke up.
Mario gasped like he had been holding his breath. His vision was dark, but it slowly adjusted, allowing him to see a whimpering Polterpup sitting next to him, paws resting on his chest. Blinking twice, the plumber was about to ask what was wrong when he felt a wetness on his face. Taking a glove off and reaching up, he felt moist streaks on his cheeks. Tears.
"Bud, did you-" Mario breathed heavily, rubbing his eyes. That dream again, that dream of the most peaceful of days. "Did you see all that?"
Polterpup nodded sadly, nuzzling his face against Mario's chin. He went through that dream so often, and every time he woke up, it ached. So badly did he want to return to it, live out more of his memories, but he never did. It seemed to usually end with The Passion, those mystic vines that Mario couldn't use anymore, wrapping around him like someone giving him a hug. Sometimes it did, sometimes it didn't, but post-wakeup memory was always fuzzy.
"I'm sorry, bud," Mario whispered, petting Polterpup's head slowly, lovingly. "I know it's rare to see me cry, but it's alright…" He thought about that fact, that it was rare to see tears from him. Such a strange idea, that someone should always be so stoic. "Let's go to bed." Standing up from the couch, Mario took the remote and turned off the TV, Polterpup in his arms.
Even though he didn't need to carry the ghost, it was nice to do so, and he went to the bedroom to get some proper sleep. He set the pooch down on his own little plush bed, and after taking off his mechanical hand and placing it in its drawer, he fell into his covers. A faint snore soon followed.
Vivian was the early bird, up and out the door far before her sisters or Doopliss were anywhere close to being awake. Besides, it wasn't like they would care if she left early to run an errand. It'd be a little strange if they did, now that she thought about it. The Toad manning the front desk gave Vivian a soft, friendly smile as she left, and it seemed to greatly help her mood.
Wearing a nice purple coat and a striped scarf that matched her hat, Vivian strolled down the street cozily, the fresh air again easing her conscience. First things first, she went to the market to pick up a little something, a gift of thanks. She even received a few more smiles along the way, giving her the confidence she needed to begin asking around for that Mario guy.
Needless to say, she was alarmed by the amount of varying responses she got when asking about the man in red. The Toads questioned reacted very differently than she ever could have expected.
"Really? You don't know where that chap lives? Everyone does!"
"Woah-ho, why? What, you got a date with the guy?"
"Why do you wanna see him?"
Each Toad didn't actually help her with what she was asking about, though. They all just gave their thoughts on Mario, some worded much more… graciously than others, then went about their business. The still-meek Vivian couldn't find it in herself to bother them more, so she just kept on plugging, hoping someone would give her a simple, straight answer.
"Could you tell me where I might find him?"
"N-No, I just need to know where he is!"
"Is… there something wrong with him?"
Those were the responses she gave, yet no one seemed kind enough to follow her up with anything else. Stumped, Vivian sat down at one of the outside tables of a café, chin in her hands. She couldn't give up, it had barely been an hour. Though, it had been an hour, and so far she was empty handed. Beldam would call her pathetic for being so inefficient at getting information.
"Ma'am? Excuse me, are you waiting for someone?" A Toad waiter came by, notepad in hand, expecting to take an order.
"No," Vivian mumbled.
"Uh- W-Well, if you're not going to purchase anything, you'll need to leave the premises. We have a no loitering policy," the waiter explained, pointing out the sign on one of the windows.
"O-Oh," Vivian swiveled her head over to see the sign, huffing. Of course they had a no loitering policy. "My apologies, I'm just-" It felt rude to ask the waiter of a random café of all people about her search. "I'm a little down today, in all honesty. There's a man I'm trying to find, Mario, and so far I've got nothing. Everyone either doesn't help me out or has something rather rude to say about him."
The waiter's face changed a bit.
"You're looking for Mario? Well, it's not exactly my job, but I could help you out if you like," he said, stuffing his notepad in his apron's pocket and hopping up to sit on the chair next to Vivian.
"Huh? You… You'll help me?"
"Yeah, it'll only take a second," the waiter waved off the favor. "See that forest past those few buildings?" He stood up on his seat to point out the pine trees which were peeking out from behind the roof of the hardware store across the street. "There's a trail that'll take ya through the forest straight to the guys' house. You'll just need to take a right when the path forks. Just mind the piranha plants. They might be hibernating, but if you bug they, they'll bite."
"Really? Just through there?" Vivian made sure she was looking were the Toad was looking.
"Yeah, figured it's simple enough. Don't understand why other folks wouldn't help you, though… Maybe it's because of Mario's whole reputation lately…"
"Why? What's so bad about him? I thought he was… y'know, a hero."
"Oh don't get me wrong, he is, but…" Again, the Toad's face changed. "You see, a few months back, there were these travelers from another realm." He waited for the usual look of confusion, which Vivian aptly gave him. "That's just what the princess told us! Anyways, apparently they were here to stop some guy from doing something, and teamed up with Mario and Luigi to do it! So the bros deci-"
"Wait, who's Luigi?" Vivian didn't recognize the name at all. Now there was sadness along the waiter's cheeks.
"He… he was Mario's brother. The two invited the travelers to this café, but then that guy arrived here and attacked," he said. "A huge battle broke out, Mario, Luigi, and those travelers vanished, and we didn't hear from them for like… over a week! Next thing we know, Mario returns with his brothers' ashes."
"Oh…" Vivian was stunned by the whiplash of events. "That's… awful."
"Mhm, and so everyone is kinda torn on what they think of Mario now," the waiter continued, "Some think it's amazing that he was able to return at all, others blame him for all the damage done to the town because of that guy, and others think he was weak for not being able to save his brother. Overall, it's a mess."
Vivian understood why the answers she got from everyone around town were so varied now. It sounded like Mario had been through hell, and everyone had a different interpretation of what that hell was. For her, she suddenly wanted to hear what Mario's view on the whole thing was, but that wasn't her business.
Standing from her seat, Vivian smiled warmly at the waiter. "Thank you so much," she told him, giving her hand to shake. "I'm terribly sorry for taking up your time, but I appreciate it! Good luck with the café, I'll be sure to come by sometime and… actually order something," she said bashfully.
"No problem," the waiter shook Vivian's hand, happy to help. He saw her off, and went back inside with a grin on his face.
Vivian left no footsteps as she glided across the ground. Being a shadow, she didn't actually 'walk' anywhere, nor did she float in the normal sense of the word. Thanks to this, she was expertly silent, and didn't have to worry about many of the sleeping piranha plants. They all had an icy sheen covering them, their bodies able to adapt but not fully withstand the cold, hence why they needed to hibernate.
"They're… oddly peaceful," Vivian thought as she passed the carnivorous plants, hands clasped by her torso, keeping them warm. She never much liked ice, partly because of Beldam's extensive use of it in magic, but the frigid blanket surrounding them shined beautifully. She sighed.
That sigh was a mistake. Vivian mistakenly exhaled a bit too harshly, and it woke up one of the plants. Ice cracked and popped, shattering like glass as the piranha plant came to life. The sheer sound of one awakening caused others to follow, ice breaking and echoing through the forest.
"WAH!" Vivian yelped, stumbling back as the first plant growled, sensing the shadows' presence. It periscoped, like a bunny hearing something in the distance and going up on its hind feet to look around, shifting back and forth as if it were eyeing Vivian down. "H-Hey, hey, hi, d-don't worry…!" Vivian tried to calm the plants down, "It's alright, uhm…"
Frost shaving danced down to the ground, giving Vivian an idea. She summoned a few gentle flames in her palms and slowly inched towards the first piranha plant. Its lip curled to the side and out came a snarl, backing away slightly.
"Shh…It's alright," Vivian repeated, finally placing her hand on the plant. The warmth instantly calmed the creature down, and surprisingly, it gave off a purr. Vivian didn't know they could do that.
The purr pacified the other plants, and they all came in close to feel the heats' aura. Vivian chuckled, quite amused at how pet-like and loving the plants could be when happy. She patted each one on the head, warming them up and leaving them much happier than they were when they woke up. With that, she carefully left the area, continuing on her way down the path.
Eventually, Vivian emerged from the forest, able to see her destination a little off in the distance. She beamed from ear to ear, picking up the pace as she was able to distinguish the faded 'Mario Bros' sign hanging high above the front door.
Approaching the doorstep, Vivian patted her pockets, reaching in and pulling out the gift she purchased from the market earlier. It was rather difficult to pick something she saw fitting with the limits of both her price range and what she knew about the person she was getting it for. The gift, or rather, gifts she picked ended up being a small, dinky badge they called a 'Fire Drive' and a doughy Whacka Bump. Both items would've normally been over 150 coins if they were being bought back at Rogueport, but prices were commonly inflated over there. In the Mushroom Kingdom, Vivian only spent 60 in total!
"Okay… let's do this," Vivian gave herself a quick internal pep talk before she knocked. Rapping her fist against the door, she waited, gifts in hand. A couple seconds passed with nothing. She knocked again, this time a little bit louder.
"ARF! ARF!" A barking sound came from inside, startling Vivian. After a short commotion, finally, the door opened.
"Hello…?" Mario said drowsily, having not even bothered to put on his hat this morning. Polterpup was behind him, circling his legs and staring curiously at the visitor.
"H-Hi, Mario!" Vivian replied, doing her best to sound cheery. "You never asked my name, but I'm Vivian!"
Mario needed a moment, but he remembered this girl. Once it clicked in his head, he gasped softly. "Oh, you're that girl from yesterday. You were with that little fellow in the sheet, who was raving about Jelly Shrooms, right? Turned a vendor into a pig, for some reason?"
"Mhm, sorry about that, again…"
"Oh, it's fine. But… what're you doing here?" Mario tilted his head.
"Well, I wanted to properly thank you for giving us those mushrooms. You even paid for them, which… you really didn't need to. We had the money," Vivian said, a bit embarrassed. "So, I decided to go out and get you something! It's hardly much, and I- didn't really know what you liked, but here!" She eagerly handed Mario the items, the plumber looking at them in disbelief.
"W-Wow… thank you!" Mario said, right as Polterpup concluded that he liked this visitor.
Polterpup barked happily as he jumped and phased through Mario and right into Vivian, passing through her body and leaving her rather frightened, a rough chill surging through her body. Vivian yelped, her whole body shuddering as she lost her balance and fell backwards. She landed on the ground, dazed, as Polterpup again barked, prancing around.
"Polterpup!" Mario shouted, setting the gifts down and going to collect the spectral hound. He was about to scold the dog, but instincts kicked in, and he went to help Vivian up and apologize. "I am so sorry," he exclaimed, taking Vivian's hand, "He does that to folks he likes. It's startling the first time, I know."
"N-No, no, it's fine. I'm not hurt…" Vivian said as she got to her feet, chills still zipping through her core. "It just felt… funny."
"Haha, tell me about it! First time he did that to me I nearly jumped out of my overalls," Mario chuckled, lightening the mood. After Vivian recovered from the start and Polterpup was back inside the house, there was a somewhat uncomfortable pause, neither Mario nor Vivian knowing what to say. "Hey, by the way… how'd you figure out where I live?"
"Oh!" Vivian blushed, feeling like a creep. "I asked around town! What you did for my friend stuck with me all day yesterday, so I went out to ask where I might find you. Not many people were of help, but a nice waiter pointed me towards here."
"I see…" Mario muttered thoughtfully, thinking about what the Toads back in town might have to say about him.
Vivian's heart started beating a bit faster, and she took it upon herself to mention something else. "That gentleman also told me about you, and… your brother," she added firmly, her expression changing to a more serious one. Mario's did as well, but she continued, "I'm very sorry to hear about what happened. You have my condolences. I'm sure he was a very wonderful man."
Mario was quiet for a bit. His mechanical hand clicked a few times, a sign he was going through emotions, but Vivian didn't notice, too focused on the plumber before her. He turned and looked at the lady, and he smiled.
"He was. He really was," Mario told Vivian, "Thank you. You have no idea how much that means."
"Of course," Vivian replied maturely, smiling back.
"Well, uh… I should be making lunch. I kinda woke up late, so-" Mario said, glancing over at the gifts he had set on the side table by the door and Polterpup, who was getting rather hungry.
Vivian noticed the time. "I should- I should probably be going as well, but it was nice getting to talk and give you those!"
"I mean, you didn't have to."
"You didn't have to pay for those Jelly Shrooms, yet you did!"
"Well then I guess we're even! Take care!" Mario walked back inside, waving goodbye to his new friend.
"Take care!" Vivian repeated, waving as she disappeared out of view beyond the hills, going back to Toad Town.
Mario again chuckled to himself as he closed the front door, gathering the badge and the pastry given to him. Perhaps for dinner tonight he'd whip up something nice for himself and Polterpup with the Whacka Bump. Speaking of which, he eyed his pet, who was wagging his tail, waiting for treats. Mario wanted to scold him for doing what he did to a stranger, but the cute, ghostly puppy was just too adorable to be mad at.