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des-shinta · 5 years

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So As I’ve been in a state of burnout for a significant sect of the year, I’ve been picking up number of Bandai models to relieve my stress, since building things I find a relaxing endeavor, and they’ve been making me feel better.

(no, most of these were not built this year. Only 7 of them in the first picture were ‘new’. The rest are bits and pieces of my older collection I’ve happily been able to unbox and display for the first time in years. Also: Hi Zoids models that didn’t get enough love during their release tenure!) I’ve actually been building models and Figures for years and years--I started out Heavily as A Lego kid--and since Gundam Wing Aired on Toonami in the late 90′s I’ve infrequently bought bandai’s various models as well, but most of the ones I built back then were...well, demolished by my younger step-brother. My first ones were low-grade 1/144′s ToysRUs’ Got back in that boom, and they weren’t sturdy at all, thus had no chance to survive.

They’ve since been replaced with all MG’s from that series. Well, except for that 1/100 scale HG Altron that was first released in 1996. that P-Bandai one is stupid expensive, and Altron’s Endless waltz Redesign is the only one of them I OUTRIGHT hate. It was around 2005-ish when I got into it again, when my parents got me for Christmas the 1/60 perfect Grade RX-78-2. It took me about Eight hours to build and I did it all in one sitting...but it wasn’t sturdy at all. It couldn’t even lift its arm if the rifle was in it, it wouldn’t stay up. All I had it do was just stand there...Menacingly.

So from there on out--with the rare exception--I started to intermittently find and get as Gifts ones from the 1/100 Master Grade line. THOSE--for the most part depending on what types of hands the figure uses and how well they even hold weapons--have been more my jam despite their 50~ish dollar price point. Large enough they’re not easily smashed, small enough that they’re pose-able and easy to display, and with enough Complexity in their construction with the various implemented gimmicks to give me an immense feeling of satisfaction to see them done and on Display. Yeah, there’s a LOT more variety and accessories to be found in the 1/144′s these days--in part thanks to the Gundam Build Fighters series making customization even easier than ever between that scale’s market--but I just don’t get the same thing out of them, despite only about 6 or less MG kits being made a year, with some of them being Shunted off now to Premium Bandai’s services to become stupidly overpriced for what they are and what’s supplied...even though I DO have a few P-bandai ones as well. Stupid obsession with the Astrays, Tallgeese III, and Form/Equipment change gimmicks...

Hell, I’ve even experimented from time to time with custom Color palletes, with one of the first to get that treatment being the sword Impulse that desperately needed more contrasting colors (also thank aura that bandai’s finally releasing the Blast Impulse MG...even if it IS P-bandai so the display isn’t oddly missing a mech). I’ve got the MG of the Sengoku Astray still in its box (with a bunch of other Gundam seed Mechs I haven’t build yet ‘cause I adore Gundam Seed’s mecha design and will be using those to unwind between overtime shifts this December) and when I build it, I’m going to repaint all its red parts yellow to Give the Gundam that kind of resembles Kamen Rider Gaim’s Kachidoki arms the full Kachidoki color treatment. Think I have Enough spare pieces from wrecked stuff to try building it a Custom Tanigashima “DJ Gun” Rifle to go with it as well.

Also the Gunpla hobby led me to doing the papercrafting thing for cheap-to-make Figurines or accessories or even scale props like the scaled-to-figure Gurren Lagann Giga drill pictured above, which I’ve moved onto doing custom templates for on occasion--

--case in point, the 1:1 scale pepakura Pandora Box--

--And my Gate of Ouroboros Broadsword which was a papercraft template I mapped onto Foam to get it near-damn-perfect...after I made a MK 2 of the original ‘cause the original ended up way too heavy. I can basically trace a lot of my fun crafting stuff to being inspired by the creativity that goes into this kind of thing, and the work of other crafters and cosplayers, and then seeking to try applying that myself from all my learned habits.

But outside of the expected Gunpla you can find in Hobby stores and...for some reason Barnes and Nobles, which has retained a market throughout that time despite Bandai of America’s Idiocy thanks to bluefin Distributions, I’ve started tracking down some of bandai’s other model offerings. Specifically, the Figurise standard and Minipla lines.

For those not in the know, Super Minipla’s are basically model kit versions of previously released mecha toys, only with a far smaller scaling from their DX Counterparts which you then build yourself. They seek to retain all of the originals play gimmicks where possible, but come off a LOT more pose-able by their end than the DX toy bricks. Featured above is the Minipla of the Super Galaxy Mega (Astro Delta Megazord) From Denji Sentai Megaranger/Power Rangers in Space. and this thing is *PERFECT*. Despite it being half the size of the DX toy, it retains *EVERY* single play feature the original had (transformation, combination, weapon accessories, the works), but has fully pose-able limbs in every single part of it. The freaking thing cost me $80 when back in 1998 the DX toy versions cost a total of $60, and yet factor for inflation and the impossibility of re-aquiring the 20-year-old vintage toys and this thing was *SO* worth it to get back my second-favorite sentai/PR Mech.

Hell, it’s not just the DX toys they compete against. On the Right is the Super Robot Chogokin Gaogaigar with Goldion Hammer, and on the left is the Minipla figure of the same mech and weapon. Both actually retailed for around the same price points on release, but there’s a more distinct compare and contrast between them. The SRC one has better paint apps, is constructed on a metal frame and has metal parts all over it, has distinct limb joints and proper articulation with a screen-accurate scale structure to it and has some weight to it so isn’t likely to topple over easily. Frankly of the two...it just looks better in person. Whereas the super minipla, while not perfectly in scale and doesn’t have the brilliance of the colorization to help it, Retains the transformation and combination gimmicks of the original toys which give it a lot more value to collectors that can’t afford the Full DX figures which bear the same. Its Joints are also a LOT Tighter so the feet and arms aren’t likely to slip, and while not as good as the SRC, the screen-accuracy is far better than the original Takara-based DX toys or even the later Bandai remakes of them after Bandai bought the rights from Takara. And with the right hand and hammer being a hell of a lot lighter, when I get this thing on a display stand it’ll be able to do more than just stand with the hammer planted on the ground.

The Figurise standard line instead is a model kit version of an anime/live series action Figure--Mostly limited to Dragonball and Kamen Rider figures right now But Digimon ones for the line are coming soon-- with them ending up in competition with Bandai’s SH Figuarts High-quality-Figure line, albeit with a lower Pricepoint than the SHF since you make it yourself and some of the paint apps are replaced with stickers, and their ease of mass production makes them more available than the SHF’s by comparison. Sorry I don’t have the best picture of the figure on hand, but for those not familiar with the character, it’s the Pink/Neon green/black-colored character that’s surrounded by Gundams (the pic was taken in the midst of a bedbug crisis where we were packing everything up in our apartment so it wouldn’t end up damaged) The Character is Kamen Rider Ex-aid action gamer Level 2, and up close it’s near indistinguishable from the SHF for the character. And yet...I kind of felt like I got more out of the FRS figure than the sole SHF I have, simply because I put my time into putting it all together. Yeah, the markings are stickers instead of painted on, but if those fade or start peeling? I can paint-app it myself. It has all the details I want, it moves how I want it to, and it came with a great stand for it to be placed in a fantastic jumping pose. I actually want to find more of those for Kamen Rider Figures from the series I like, as I think it’d be better than dealing with the SHF’s which...well, depending on the figure? Are notorious for production line issues. while some models can have loose joints or frail pieces (which can be fixed with an easy application of super glue. And any other scratches, chips and imperfections? Yeah, those will be my fault, and won’t result in me feeling as if I got gyped in the purchase.

Sadly though, these figures aren’t exactly created equal. On a limb I picked up the super minipla Shin getter robo set After My Roommate showed by GR Armageddon and we loved it; and...Eeeehh. They’re not terrible, but they’re lacking for the expectation I had with the Minipla’s. I think Kaiyodo’s Revoltech Figure line did better with these guys--out of print as may of those figures are now. Black Getter 1 (Left) actually does look great with the Ragged cape and gun and razor arm...but the ball joints It, Getter Dragon (center) and Shin getter 1 (right) are constructed with do NOT like to stay together. I can’t pose them at all without risking them toppling over or falling apart. I think the Revoltech ones are bigger as well, making for better display pieces than these guys who’d be beaten out by 1/144′s.

hell, this mazinger Z Model was a 1/144, and it’s in scale with the Master grades. ...Mazinger mechs be big. But that brings us to a more recent addition via Tsuburaya and Studio Trigger.

One of the newer Additions to the minipla Line has been the Gridman figures, thanks to the anime series SSSS Gridman putting that franchise back on people’s Radar. I had Gridman’s toys (when the series was imported and adapted into the series Superhuman samurai Syber Squad) when I was a kid and adored them...

..and sure enough, when I built the Thunder Gridman one, it was like popping back to a little piece of my childhood. Same play gimmicks to them, and while the scaling is not the same, the engineering is all there to invoke the proper good pieces of nostalgia. To the point it resulted in the best thing about these guys, and It almost didn’t happen. When SSSS Gridman was airing, I ended up enjoying myself so much by its end I jumped at the chance to preorder the DX mecha figures that Good Smile company was releasing. Unfortunately, the seller turned out to be a con-artist, and never shipped me the figure...though i did get my money back thanks to buyer protection. I saw vid’s on it, and it looked pretty good...but it was completely out of scale and reasonable relation with the old Gridman Toys. So when I heard about the Minipla’s going out for a lot less than the DX’s original and jacked-up price points? I put in an order with someone I knew who was reliable for these...and really, I should’ve done so from the start.

The super Minipla Gridman Figures...are all perfectly in scale with each-other, and share all the same connection ports. I can put the SSSS Gridman Figures into the older Gridman armors. That’s Primal Fighter Gridman wearing the Thunder Gridman armor (right). Hell, I can swap the arms of the Gridman figures so the effect components can be put in the older ones as well as they use common components across the board in their construction. I think in the future I’m going to put PFGridman in the king armor (left) as well, as the SSSS-Gridman figure has slightly Longer legs which would make the King Gridman armor scale better. Because of this, I ended up a lot happier with these guys that I would likely have been trying in vain to get another decently-priced DX one, or even the Actbuilder release of the SSSSG Stuff that did scale with the minipla’s. So Bottom line? I really like models, they help me relax, and I’ve been discovering some cool stuff this year that Bandai’s done which I wouldn’t have if I weren’t trying to find a way to vent stress. Thank you disposable $16+ an hour Income for making such possible.

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cienie-isengardu · 5 years

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MK 11 story

Since there are already MK11 storymode / cutscenes out on net, of course I couldn’t help myself and watch. For now, this is more like chaotic rambling than any serious meta, but I really need to get all the emotions out so, beware spoilers:

Things I like and/or wish were more exploited

RACISM/SPECIESISM IN OUTWORLD what always was a big part of storyline but rarely were talked or pointed out. We see this with Tarkatans, who were always treated as animals / slaves / beneath the Edenians or other Outworld cultures. I liked how Kitana and Jade (who in MK9 called/treated Baraka like dog) changed - or at least started changing that. The fact princess Kitana and Baraka worked against Shao Kahn reminds me one of old MK comics, what only adds points of awesomess.

Also, I freaking love how MK11 gives Outworld cultures so much details. Tarkatans (among them females too), people of Kotal with their masks and painting and all. SO GREAT! Oh, and the people watching fight in arena, cheering all the bloodness and not giving any fuck who will win and become the new khan XDDDD

Scenery. Everyone is So Beautiful. Also, nice to see old arenas, including Shang Tsung’s Island :3

KUAI LIANG AND HANZO HASASHI’S TEAMWORK :3 :3 :3 I just can’t! I love it so much. The way they work in sync with each other and their banters, SO BEAUTIFUL ;3 Also, people’s reaction at seeing them / hearing about them on good terms. So much fun! My favorite little things is their meeting before mission to destroy Cyber Lin Kuei and Sub-Zero making sure Hanzo is looking in right direction to see entrance he is actually talking about XD

ALSO, KUAI LIANG AND CYRAX. Cyrax once again breaks my heart :( Please, someone let him have his human body again! I wish there was younger, human version of Cyrax then, if just to see the epic scream match between him and Cyber Sektor XDDD Once again, Cyber Cyrax proved he never should be in command of C.I. Project; give him a free will for like few seconds, and he will be willing to blow up all cyborgs including himself :(

I’m gonna tell more about Sektor, Noob and Frost while rambling about things that irked me more or less, but let me tell you this: I start think my meta about Sektor and Bi-Han’s relationship may be actually valid thing. Also, all of them are right now the trio of black sheeps of Lin Kuei which makes this little scene

quite... heartwarming? Taking care of each other - even if just for pragmatic reasons - hits me hard cause no one really care now for Frost, Sektor and to some degree, Noob (Kuai cares, sure, but in story mode he says they share the same blood but are not brothers) :(

OLDER JOHNNY! God, I love this version of his character :3 Also, the way he deals with his younger self :D :D :D :D

Generally, I liked very much all the interaction between younger and older selfs and all family feelings :3 This reminds me MK movie (1995)’s quote, how Mortal Kombat is not about death but about life and hell yeah, MK11 brings a lot good emotions.

Wonder what happened to Erron, to change so much from his younger reckless(?) self to more calm, loyal(?) to Kotal self. Even Johnny pointed something along the lines.

For once Raiden does not fuck up stuff and his relationship with Liu Kang ends on good terms. Nice.

Kung Lao’s remarks! Haha, I missed his sense of humor. Shame there was no Jinn to share sarcastic humor...

The talk about Cassie kickings Shinnok’s ass cause she has some magic in her while Jax/Jacqui needed to use magic item to beat godness makes me wonder how Jacqui is doing, the normal mortal between all those fighters with special powers (Cassie & Johnny and their magic, Takeda & Kenshi with reading minds and so one). I wish we could see more about this.

Here are things that irked me more or less.

The inconsistency between games.

I know, messed up timlines and all, but for example, Sektor as Grandmaster and his supposed crimes. Destroying Shirai Ryu & having deal with Quan Chi wasn’t Cyber Sektor doing, but his father, the Grandmaster from Sub-Zero Mythologies. I don’t like how Sektor is now blamed for stuff he wasn’t in position(?) to do back then. He is messed up evil, but please stop making him a scapegoat for everything that went wrong with original Lin Kuei >_<

Wasn’t Jax already out of military in MKX?

I’m not sure about Kotal’s backstory too, the supposed Shao’s betrayal and being given to Shang Tsung, as “ laboratory rat”. I’m pretty sure MKX gave different story, in which he was Kahn’s loyal general once who simply put Outworld’s good over serving Mileena.

Also, the thing that pisses me off for good is the whole Jax’s wife died so he can’t deal with grief and/or wish Jacqui did not serve as soldier so he is working (for some time) for Kronika. Eh. I’m so dissappointed with this one. Killing older!Sonya does not help the feeling but frankly, why not use Sonya’s death as motivation and have two combined tragedies/family dramas into one, since Briggs and Blade-Cage are one big family? I mean, Kronika was talking about Jax’s fear that something bad will happen to Jacqui on duty which makes sense, because this connect the game to previous one and all. But it makes me sad there is little connection to Sonya’s death. Okay, maybe I need to rewatch the cutscenes to get better perspective about this plot.

MK11 in my opinion also lack the great friendship between Cassie and Jacqui seen in previous game. I get it, really, there is so many stuff happening and both girls have family crisis to deal with and all, but there is something off about their relationship and that upsets me a lot :(

The treatment of Noob Saibot, Sektor and Frost. The first two were in game solely to be beat down while the way everyone give up on Frost so fast makes me really sad. I’m supposed to believe that Kuai wish to redeem his brother (in Sub-Zero’s ending) but does not think twice about Frost? His precious student? Not to mention that once again Frost plays the villain. I wish there was second Frost to stand up with her mentor against Cyber Lin Kuei/Kronnika. Or at something that could judge how much her claims is delusion and how much truth. Did Kuai really failed her so much? :(

Also, where the hell is Smoke and Sindel? The dead queen at least was mentioned by Kitana and Shao Kahn and, if I remember correctly, wraith Jade. While there is no mention of Smoke??? :( Okay, there is, but in intro. Thanks Noob, for once you were uselful XD

Frankly, the lack of Takeda is also something I wish was changed. His presence would add a lot weight to discussion between Scorpions, what makes Shirai Ruy. The younger version felt those new students of grandmaster Hasashi aren’t worth (cause no real blood ties to original clan members) while Hanzo disagree. Takeda, as an example of great skills and loyalty to clan/Hanzo could be nice addition. Lack of Jin upsets me too :( And Syzoth :( :(

And this is really minor thing but why the hell Noob Saibot would tell Jacqui and young!Jax his former name? Like, fine, Jax knew, but why he didn’t just call himself Sub-Zero? What would made much more sense.

#mortal kombat #mortal kombat 11 #mortal kombat 11 spoilers #my rants #i lack of sleep because of mk 11 now #didn't except to see storymode on net so early #so of course once i found it by accident i needed to watch it and now rant #seriously i have so much things to think about when it comes to lin keui #especially the trio of black sheeps #and now sektor and bi han is all i can think

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lobsters-on-their-heads · 7 years

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Continuing Travels of Cophine, Chap. 7

They’ve cured all the Latin American Ledas, and they can go home for a bit now. This chapter starts a little differently, though.

You can find the entire work here: http://archiveofourown.org/works/12116799

Also, if you haven’t yet read A Galaxy of Women, the work that kicked this off, you should read it here: http://archiveofourown.org/works/11836590/chapters/26716833

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Toronto, early December

“So how's your class coming?”

Sarah looked up at Art and scowled. “You sound like me, talking to the kids.”

He grinned and held the door open for her, then followed her into the diner. It was the tail end of the dinner rush, so they had to wait for tables to be cleared before getting seated. The air was filled with the clatter of dishes and the smell of coffee and fried food.

“I am proud of you, though,” Art added. “Going back to school is hard, no matter what.”

“Yeah. It's not doing much for my self-esteem, though, I'll tell you that. I just keep reminding myself that it's for Kira. I can't just coast by without trying to improve myself, not with Kira watching everything I do.”

He nodded. “Yeah, I know what you mean. Kids change your perspective.”

Sarah had finally earned her GED in August, and spent a fruitless month searching for gainful employment that didn't involve a cash register, a deep fryer, or a toilet brush. She'd considered a few overnight positions, stocking shelves, baking bread, and doing security, but she could not leave Kira and Charlotte alone all night, and it was a lot to ask someone else to watch them for five nights a week. She didn't have the people skills for customer service or the physical strength to deliver packages. Even filing clerk positions usually asked for an Associate's Degree. It all reminded her why she had gone into drug dealing in the first place, but she would clean toilets before she went back to that life.

In early September, Alison tossed her a metaphorical bone and put Sarah on the Sadler and Daughter's Foundation payroll as a part-time administrative assistant, for minimum wage, ten hours a week. She still had that title, but within a week, it became plainly clear that Sarah wouldn't have gotten or kept the job working for anyone other than her sister. She'd never made a spreadsheet before, and she couldn't make head nor tail of the databases Alison had set up. Her main job duties quickly turned into running errands for Alison or handling last minute issues for Cosima and Delphine.

Then, just as toilet cleaning was starting to seem like a real possibility, Sarah checked her bank statement to see if she afford new shoes for Kira, and almost fell out of her chair. Just over $3 million had magically appeared in her account overnight, courtesy of MK, who'd set up her account to transfer the funds automatically in the event that she did not log in to her account for twelve months. Sarah's job search ended, and she enrolled herself in a ten-week Computer Applications course at the local community college. She'd just left the classroom when Art texted asking if she wanted dinner.

“Don't tell me this class is too hard for you,” Art said, as the hostess seated them near a window.

Sarah groaned and leaned against the cold glass. “It just about is. I think I can pass, but it's kicking my ass right now. It doesn't help that the teacher's two years younger than me, and most of the other students aren't even twenty yet. The only ones older than me are, like, seventy-five and taking the class because they're bored.”

“Don't worry about that. You focus on you.”

She sighed. “Some pimple-faced git in the class with me, one of those under-twenties, he told me I'm not detail-oriented enough for computer work. I wanted to slap him, but I think he's right.”

They ordered coffee and tea, and Art wrinkled his forehead at her. “Not detail-oriented? Don't give me that bullshit. You conned me, and the entire police department, for weeks as Beth, remember? You conned Beth's bank and her boyfriend. Didn't you once convince Ferdinand that you were actually Rachel Duncan? You don't do that kind of conning without being detail-oriented.”

“That's not detail-oriented, that's just paying attention and being flexible, isn't it?”

“Is it? You managed your way around the computers at the station while you were there.”

She laughed. “That's `cause I got Raj to help me with everything. How's he doing, by the way?”

Art said that Raj was doing fine just as the waiter returned with their drinks. They ordered – steak and a salad for Art and a cheddar bacon scramble for Sarah. Outside, the drizzle of the afternoon turned into steady freezing rain that tapped against the glass of the diner window.

She sighed. “You wanna hear something sad? I took my placement tests for the college, to figure out what levels I need to be in, you know, and I placed, no shit, I placed in fucking developmental math and English. Developmental, like, for the stupid people who can't handle regular classes.”

“It just means it's been a while since you took those subjects,” Art assured her. “You'll get back up to speed.”

She shook her head. “Doesn't feel like I will. And I've never been good at math. I took the same math class three years in a row in school, and I failed every single time. Meanwhile, my bloody clone is working on her bloody PhD and figured out how to cure all of us by her bloody self.”

As if on cue, Sarah's phone beeped, showing a message from Cosima. Opening the message, she saw a picture of Cosima and Delphine, smiling at each other in a garden at sunset, surrounded by banana trees and climbing vines with bright red flowers. They both wore short sleeves and Cosima had her arms around Delphine's waist. “God, she has to rub it in, doesn't she?” Sarah muttered. Before she could show the picture to Art, another message popped up, written in all caps.

SHE SAID YES

“Well, shit!” Sarah cried, “It's about bloody time!” Grinning, she spun the phone around to show Art. “She finally asked Delphine to marry her. Like she wasn't gonna say yes. Pssh.”

Art's face broke into the kind of grin he usually reserved for Helena's babies or his own daughter's accomplishments. “So we're gonna have a Clone Club wedding, then?”

The phone beeped again. Maybe don't tell everyone yet, Cosima wrote. Or is it too late for that?

No problem. Art's here, so I told him, but that's all. I'll let you tell everyone else. She sent the message, then added, Just don't wait too bloody long to tell them!

Sarah remembered Cosima when Delphine was missing, and when they thought she was dead. She remembered when Cosima herself had been dying, hooked up to an oxygen tank and coughing up blood left and right and all any of them could think about was survival. And now Cosima and Delphine were getting married. Looking back at the picture Cosima sent, she grinned, her happiness mostly overcoming her envy. Mostly.

“Excuse me.” She waved to the waitress when she passed. “Could you take a picture of us? Art, look miserable.”

The waitress agreed, taking a moment to sort out Sarah's phone. Sarah and Art slouched in their seats, elbows on the table. Art wore his best hang-dog expression and pointed at the weather outside just as the waitress snapped the photo. Sarah send the picture to Cosima with the message, It's a little less romantic up here. Good thing you asked her before you got back.

Then, in all seriousness, she sent another. Seriously, I'm thrilled for you both. You bloody well better invite all of us to the wedding.

* *

Delphine told Marie, the owner of the bed and breakfast, the news as soon as they returned for the night. They'd eaten dinner at La Nacional, recommended as the “best romantic restaurant in Monterrey,” which gave Delphine an excuse to buy a new skirt to replace the one with the salsa stain on it, and it really was quite romantic. All the same, Delphine would have been happy with a taco truck as long as she was there with Cosima, but Cosima wanted to spoil her, and she wanted to give Cosima what she wanted.

“Where's the ring?” Marie demanded, looking at Delphine's fingers once she'd ascertained that it was Cosima who'd done the asking.

“There isn't one,” Delphine replied.

Beside her, Cosima squirmed a little. “I'll get her once we're back in Toronto.”

Marie nodded, satisfied with that answer. “They might have a better selection there, and you'll have time to resize it up there if you need to.”

And then there were pictures and a bottle of wine brought out especially for them, and they drank to their future together.

In their room upstairs, they took their time getting ready for bed. Every few minutes, Cosima looked at her sideways, with those shining puppy dog eyes that melted Delphine's heart. Finally, seated on the edge of the bed, she wrapped an arm around Cosima's waist and her pulled her close, so Cosima had to wrap her arms around Delphine's neck to keep from toppling sideways.

“You know,” Delphine said, “you don't have to buy me an engagement ring at all.”

Cosima smiled and blushed a little. “Are you just saying that because I don't know what kind to get you?”

“No, not at all. I've given it a lot of thought.”

“Have you?” She twisted a little and sat sideways on Delphine's lap, one hand playing with Delphine's hair.

“Yes. For years after I left Jérôme, I thought about what he did that made me so upset, when everyone else thought I should have been happy.”

Cosima's fingers followed the line of Delphine's jaw from her ear to the slight divot in her chin. “You said he just wanted to show you off, like a possession he'd won or something.”

“Yes, that was most of it. And the engagement ring, well, you know that was him showing off, too.”

“Because it cost 15,000 euro.”

“Yes, partly. But also because he put it on my finger in front of everyone. He...” She searched for the right words in English. She'd explained this to her close French friends, but never to anyone else in English. “It was like when I bought that painting of you. He'd put a sticker on me and bought me for 15,000 euro in front of everyone.”

Cosima smiled at the memory of the painting. They had talked, and talked, and talked some more, for what ended up being hours, about commitment and autonomy and vulnerability both before and after Delphine bought it. They'd talked even more while planning their trip to Latin America, about entitlements and responsibilities and obligations.

“I guess engagement rings are like that, though,” Cosima said, “for straight people, anyway. It's a way for guys to, like, tag their women so other guys know she's off limits.”

Delphine nodded. She gets it. She gets me. “Yes. And it's telling, isn't it, that men don't wear engagement rings? That only women do?”

“Would it be, like, terribly unfeminist of me,” Cosima said, “if I kind of want that, though? Like, if I want people to know your mine? I mean, just walking down the street today after you said yes, it was so fucking hard for me to keep my mouth shut and not just shout it out to everyone we passed.”

Delphine giggled, because she'd had the same inclination before, just not today. Her first night with Cosima in Toronto had had that effect on her; she'd wanted to shout from the windows, “Cosima knows who I am and she still wants to be with me!” In the end, the only person other than Cosima who saw Delphine gloat in any way was Aldous Leekie. She couldn't keep from smirking too much that one of his subjects had so thoroughly outperformed him, but it took her several days to let the smirk come out. She kissed Cosima's hand, first the side, then the palm.

“No,” she assured her. “It wouldn't be terrible to want that. But you know, I was yours long before you asked me to marry you. That hasn't changed.”

With her free hand, Cosima brushed Delphine's hair back behind her ear and played with her earlobe. “I know. I was yours, too; I have been yours. I just... I just want everybody to know it. And you can give me a ring, too! Claim the hell out of me.”

A breeze came in from the cracked open window and made them both shiver. Delphine pulled Cosima closer and nuzzled her neck. “I will give you one when we get married. Wedding rings are a little different from engagement rings that way. We give them to each other, and we make each other promises. It doesn't matter even who goes first, because we both say the same words, the same promises, and we both lay claim to each other.”

Cosima leaned back, allowing the breeze to raise goosebumps on Delphine's now exposed chest. “You can be so romantic sometimes, Dr. Cormier.”

“Sometimes.” With a smooth motion, she deposited Cosima on the bed and stood up to close the window. “Sometimes I'm practical.”

The flight out of Monterrey left at close to four in the afternoon, leaving them time to stroll around the Macroplaza and the Palacio del Obispado before heading to the airport. Marie gave them a small gift basket full of local goodies when they checked out, winking to show them it was a special gift.

“Send me wedding pictures!” she told them.

On their way to the airport, Cosima watched the Mexican landscape go by, Delphine's hand in hers. Delphine watched her, seeing the small frown forming between Cosima's eyebrows. “Will you miss Latin America?” she asked.

Cosima took a deep breath and considered before answering. “Yes. But I'm looking forward to getting back. Seeing all the sestras again, having my own lab, you know. Flushing the toilet paper instead of throwing it away.”

They both giggled. “That will be our first culture shock when we get back,” she said, “put toilet paper in the toilet instead of a trash can.”

The airport check-in went smoothly; they had both flown enough times by now to have the routine down pat and to know exactly what measures to take to ensure a pleasant experience. They were accustomed to the panicking travelers running around them, the brusque security agents, and the variable selections of airport food. Over the past several months, Cosima had developed characters to go with common airport denizens, sometimes named after actual people.

“Looks like another Rodrigo up there,” she commented as they shuffled through the line towards security. Sure enough, when Delphine looked, she saw a man shouting instructions to the folks in his line, just like the original Rodrigo with his security line in Santiago had.

“Put the bins back on the stack when you finish!” this one shouted, first in Spanish, then in English. “If you put them back, the line moves faster!” Five minutes later, when he found more empty bins piling up on the conveyor belt, he yelled again. “You're not listening to me! Put the bins back on the stack!”

“How much longer do you think he has?” Cosima asked.

“Before he quits?”

“Before he gives himself an ulcer.”

“Too late for that; he probably already has one.”

They transferred in Houston with a ninety minute layover that gave them enough time to use the bathroom (and flush their toilet paper), grab some premade sandwiches and snacks from a kiosk, and find their next terminal. On the way, they shared a hallway with a girl in her late teens or early twenties, a Powerpuff Girls pillow strapped to her hiking backpack and tears streaming down her face. “This is such bullshit!” she cried out. “I can't believe it. Such fucking bullshit!”

Delphine would have ignored her, but Cosima cocked her head in the girl's direction and watched her as they all walked in the same direction. At the end of the hallway they were stopped by a set of sliding doors and sign asking them to please wait for the shuttle to take them to their terminal. The girl made a sound like her arm was being ripped off.

“What time does your flight leave?” Cosima asked.

“It leaves at four fucking thirty! And it's four o'clock right now! There's no way I can get there; I'm going to miss my fucking flight!” She grabbed her hair at the roots and yanked hard.

A Tabitha, Delphine thought, remembering the girl at the airport in São Paolo, named Tabitha by Cosima, who had come close to this level of drama. But worse.

“Where are you flying to?” Cosima asked the girl, smiling a little at her.

“Nowhere because I'm gonna miss my fucking flight oh my God!”

Delphine rolled her eyes. “You'll be fine,” she told her. “Freaking out never -”

“Okay, you don't know anything about me so don't tell me not to freak out, okay?”

Now Delphine just wanted to laugh. This is why she avoided interacting with strangers whenever possible. She could deliver babies and save lives, but emotional management was Cosima's wheelhouse, not hers. If the person didn't respond to Delphine's attempts to calm them in the first few seconds, Delphine gave up, and in this case, she had to admit she wasn't even trying. “Okay,” she said.

Thirty minutes later, she and Cosima were on their next plane, in seats a few rows back from First Class, and the Houston Tabitha, as they now called her, was off somewhere else. “I hope she got her flight,” Cosima commented as she settled into the middle seat. Delphine got the window seat this time.

“I hope she didn't.”

“Really? That's a little petty of you, don't you think?”

A middle-aged man with a salt-and-pepper beard sat in the aisle seat next to Cosima, nodding to both of them as he did. Delphine barely took note of him, and said to Cosima, “It's not petty. If she makes her flight, she might think that all of her dramatics led to her success, but if she misses her flight, she'll learn that life goes on.”

“She could be stranded here. We don't know what her situation is.”

“No, but I'm not convinced she knows her situation all that well, either. She shouldn't have been so rushed; she should have planned better.”

“Right. Like we've never missed a flight.”

Their flight from Lima to Buenos Aires, like most all of their flights, had been schedule last minute, with few options to choose from, and they ended up having less than an hour to transfer in Santiago. As a result, they missed their second flight by about ten minutes, and spent the night in Santiago, earning Cosima an unpleasant earful from Alison Hendrix.

“I don't recall either of us making that kind of scene when it happened,” Delphine remarked. “Do you?”

“Not the point, love.”

They settled into comfortable positions, with rolled up sweatshirts, travel pillows, water bottles, and portable entertainment situated in routine-tested places around them. Delphine was fishing a bag of mixed nuts from her bag when she heard Cosima gasp and exclaim, “Holy shit, that's awesome!”

“What? What's awesome?”

But Cosima wasn't looking at her; she was turned to the man in the aisle seat, who had removed his left leg from the knee down and propped it up against his shoulder like a rifle, the foot poking up beside his head. He grinned at Cosima's enthusiasm. “I've always got legroom,” he said.

The plane began to taxi toward the runway, and Cosima jumped into an animated conversation with her seat partner, who said his name was Amir. He asked about where she'd been and she told him, introducing Delphine with a grin as her fiancée and then leaning back to allow them to shake hands. He congratulated them and said he was returning from a year-long study on flesh-eating bacteria along the Gulf coast. At that, Cosima's eyes really lit up, and by the time the plane was airborne and the fasten seatbelt sign turned off, Cosima and Amir were pouring over charts and images on his laptop. Amir's prosthetic leg had moved to straddle both of their laps, and Delphine heard the women sitting in front of them expressing private, quiet discomfort at the topics under discussion.

“Babe, check this out,” Cosima said a couple of times, tapping Delphine's arm to show her something Amir had on his computer. “See this model shows the spread of nectorizing fasciitis in hurricane-prone areas, and this one-” Cosima broke off to grin at Delphine and hold her hand more closely. “Delphine's the one you should really be talking to. She did her dissertation on host-parasite relationships.”

Amir's eyebrows popped up. “Really?”

She squeezed Cosima's hand, trying to tell her without saying so that she loved her, but was looking forward to zoning out for the next few hours. Again, chatting people up was Cosima's gig, not hers. “Yes, really.”

“Well, I'd love to hear about your research if you don't mind sharing. Scientist to scientist, you know.” Amir had a warm smile, the kind that would understand a polite decline. Cosima, on the other hand, was beaming, showing the full force of her canines, and Delphine could never resist that grin. She gave Amir the overview of her dissertation work, now several years in the past, and tried to emphasize that she wasn't focusing so much on host-parasite relationships these days. Amir then asked Cosima about her research, and the conversation swerved into discussions of clone cells, stem cell lines, and the perils of doing research remotely. After a few minutes, Delphine felt safe turning away and leaning her head against her make-shift pillow. She watched the heartland of the United States pass beneath them and listened to the chatter of her lover – her fiancée – beside her, and before she knew it she drifted off.

* *

The blood was everywhere – on her hands, her blouse, the floor, even the walls of the antique dressing room. In her arms, Cosima twitched and gaped like a fish out of water, and Delphine screamed. Then, in a moment, it was over. Cosima went limp, her lungs ceased their struggle, and her eyes glazed over, fixed on nothing.

“Let her go, Delphine.” Siobhan's hand was gentle on her shoulder, but firm. Sarah was there, too, and with Siobhan's help she pulled Delphine back, took Cosima from her arms, and told her it was over, there was nothing she could do.

“We got him,” Sarah said. “He's dead now, too.” Turning, she saw it was true. The man she'd known as PT Westmoreland was dead in the doorway, pistol still in his hand. She couldn't even avenge her lover's death.

Time passed, and there were still clones to cure. Delphine went alone. She saw countless women with Cosima's face, but none of them were her. They didn't have her hair, her tongue-between-her-teeth smile, her brilliance, her humor. They weren't her. A few of them flirted with her, but she just stuck the needle in their arms, or their uteruses, and left. At night she went alone to her hotel, always a blank, business-oriented room. She drank whiskey and smoked cigarettes on the balcony and fell asleep with her clothes on. Eventually, she stuck a needle in the last Leda. The woman left without Delphine even learning her name, and then Delphine had nowhere else to go. There was nothing left to do, no reason to keep going...

BONG

“Attention passengers. We are now beginning our descent into Toronto. The captain has turned on the fasten seatbelt sign...”

Reality crashed into Delphine like a shock. She tried turning, but she couldn't move, and for a moment, she panicked. Then a gentle hand held her face, and she heard soft laughter.

“It's okay, baby. You're still on the plane.”

“Hnnnn?”

“You passed the fuck out. I don't think I've ever seen you sleep that deeply on a plane before. Usually that's my job.”

Her eyes adjusted to the fluorescent lights and her breathing returned to normal. She was indeed on a plane, and Cosima was not dead, but sitting and smiling right next to her. Outside the window, gaps in the clouds showed tiny winking lights of cars, buildings, and street lamps far below, clustering around neighborhoods and cities and outlining waterways. She could still taste the cheap dream cigarettes in her mouth, and it took her a minute to remember that she'd quit smoking over a year ago. Her face was damp. A look at the sweatshirt she'd been using a pillow showed a five inch wide wet spot right where her face had been.

“Yeah, you were drooling.”

“Apparently.”

Cosima offered her some water, and she drank it with shaky hands. Her body was back in reality, but her mind could not shake the dream. The overwhelming sense of loss and despair lingered in the folds of her heart even as Cosima took her hand and kissed her knuckles. “Are you okay?” she asked.

“Mm. Yes. Just... still sleepy.” She tried to stretch, but was thwarted by the carry on bag at her feet. She wanted to turn and wrap all of herself around Cosima, to feel her heart beat and her breath against her skin, but that would have to wait. She settled for leaning her head against Cosima's. “A bed will be nice.”

“We'll get you tucked in soon enough,” Cosima assured her. “Scott promised to put fresh linens on the bed for us today, and he said there's a new space heater down there now.”

She smiled and closed her eyes against the plane's lights. Children in the seats behind them cried out that they saw snow on the ground, and an adult told them it was not snow, but a white roof. “Weather says no snow,” the man said. “Just a lot of sleet and gross weather.”

As her body crept further into wakefulness, she felt her scar flaring up, itching and burning at the same time. It was a familiar sensation, with the symptoms presenting themselves far enough under the dermis that no amount of rubbing or scratching the area would ever help. In fact, it only made matters worse. She winced and tried to press on the site with the heel of her hand, trying to at least contain the discomfort until it passed or she could put an ice pack on it. She'd been sitting too long, twisted and crunched and using her abdominal muscles without really thinking about it because she'd been asleep, and this was the result. This was why she usually did her best to stay awake on plane flights, so she could at least change positions once in a while.

“What's wrong?” Cosima asked.

She almost brushed it off like she had with the nightmare. Physical pain, though, was easier to manage, easier to share. “My scar's bothering me,” she said. “You know how it is sometimes.”

“Hmm.” Cosima reached around their seat belts to rub Delphine's upper thigh. “It's been a while since it hurt you, though.”

She nodded. Images from the dream kept flickering in her mind, no matter how hard she tried to convince her brain that it wasn't real. She remembered Siobhan's hands on her shoulders, the smell of blood, the pervasive grayness and hopelessness of it all. It wasn't real. Siobhan had never put her hands on Delphine's shoulders, and Delphine had never wanted her to until now, when she remembered that Siobhan never would.

It could've been real. There was that little voice again, reminding her of how terrible things could have turned out. Like she needed to be reminded of just how lucky she was.

#cophine fanfiction #continuing travels of cophine #my fanfiction #my writing #orphan black fanfiction #post canon

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azanycollectormilkshakeworl-blog · 6 years

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I have a ford fester 3 doors that is insured with more than. My dad has a stroke and was getting worse as my mum or dad cannot drive I got a Peugeot 206 with 5 doors so that it would be easier for my mum and dad to get in and out of the car when taking them shopping, I also use the car when my partner is using my ford fester. My son (NAME DRIVER) uses my Peugeot 206 to go to and from college this is 3 days a week. Out of 7 days a week my son uses my Peugeot 3 days to do to college they are the only days he uses it. I use it the rest of the week. My son had a crash on the 30/09/2010 on the way home from college. The crash was not his thought as the car had just pulled out on him when the other car should have stopped. The car that crashed into his span the car around and smashed into the side of him, where the car has impacted him side (DRIVERS SIDE) the seat belt locked so my son had to climb out on the seat belt and get out the passenger side as the drivers door was smashed him. We have a witness and CCTV of what happened. When we called the insurance company (MORE THAN) they asked what happened and my son told them. They then said they will be in touch. That night we had to go to hospital as he is really has back, neck and wrist pains. It has not been 27 days since the crash and since then we have found out that we have been investigated for fraud has they are saying we lied about the amount of car in our house hold. My partner has 1 work van, 1 car that is on a classic insurance, and then I have 2 cars. When taking out the new insurance policy for my Peugeot I only said I have 1 car and that was the ford fester which I did, however is I was doing a new policy for me in my name I didt know I had tell them about other cars that my partner has. Now they are saying the under writer have sent u a letter saying if you pat 550 we will add the other card onto the policy and also change the name over to your sons name and u can say he is the main user. HE ANY THE MAIN USER 3 DAYS A WEEK HE USES IT THEN I USE IT THE REST. So they are kinds of bribing me? I own the car and brought it with my money and on the car registration document it says my name So if I say ok I will pay u the 550 the car does not belong to my son Cox it dont say his name of it.""

Insurance totalling my car looks suspicious?

At this point I regret making a claim and wish i could turn back the clock. I am being forced into a box and it looks shady. Three weeks ago my 2005 Cadillac STS was involved in a parking lot flood where the water rose and filled the floors of my car by about 4 inches. All us neighbors had cleaning parties using a wet vac and baking and toweling are cars in the sun over the next few days letting our vehicles dry out. On my car everything works like a dream as it did before with the exception of a 'check stability control' notice that comes on when I start the car. I have been driving the car fine since the flood and decided maybe I should make a claim to fix this error that pops up on the dash when i start the car. From the time I dropped it off at the dealer it has been all negative. Right away the dealer was negative and telling me it's the end of the world with my car, everything is ruined and it will probably be a total loss. He got the adjuster for my insurance company out there and it looks like it will be put in to the total loss category. No i am just asking the insurance company to forget everything and drop the claim because the damage is not that extreme and i dont want to lose my car. I am told at this point it is too late. Is that true? My neighbors are floored by this, i have been driving it around for a few weeks just fine and the car still looks new With only 62000 miles on it. I can't help from thinking that something suspicious is going on here. Do they stand to make a nice profit by totalling my vehicle and then replacing one module for a 1000 or so and having a perfect car with all systems working? Also the lady from the claims office said the car had to be 80% damaged for it to be a total loss. I asked her if this was based on speculative problems that they think may occur in the future because of the water, or based on actual damage now? She said it had to be actual damage now but couldn't give me any details from the adjuster yet. Can I demand that the adjuster list everything that he thinks has been damaged to my car (which I am convinced he will have to be creative to do so)? The car as i said drives wonderful, I checked the fluids on my own (fine), and the car looks new. Do I have any recourse here? I just want the car fixed for the one problem, i dont want to lose the car, and at this point I don't even care about having insurance fix the one problem, but again I am told it is too late to go backwards and drop this entire issue. I almost have an inclination to report this because it looks so shady. No reasonable person would look at, and drive this car and consider it a total loss. What is the agenda of the insurance company and cadillac dealer here? Something smells foul with this situation.""

How much do you think insurance for an Acura RSX would be?

I'm 16 years old and I want to buy an Acura RSX. Does anybody have any idea about how much insurance might be? I live in California.

How muh would cost me a car insurance? i havent bought the car yet. i am a new driver.?

""Cheap teen car insurance, best car to get?""

16, licensed, in high school with a b average. I know some insurance places give a discount for a b average. I know older cars with a good safety rating tend to have cheaper insurance quotes, if you can, please list some cars that you know would be cheaper to insure. Also, if you know the insurance companies that do discounts for a b average I would like to know. I am a safe driver so I'm not too worries about good coverage, I'm only driving to school and back daily. I need to pay for this myself so doing high school, running start, and having a part time job I wont be able to pay for anything too expensive. So, best cars to get? and best insurance?""

What's a good health insurance option for a 22 yr. old male?

My boyfriend just lost his coverage under his parents policy and needs insurance that's pretty affordable but still covers things such as: -emergencies (of course!) -vaccinations -yearly doctor visits/sport physicals Any recommendations are welcome! Thanks!

""Health Insurance, Texas?""

OK I'm 20 and have a part-time job, I don't have health insurance and don't know much about it. Anyway I mainly doing it to see a docter, to see if I have any problems like adhd, bipolar or whatever, which I THINK I may have. Anyway whats a good/affordable plan if thats all I want to do? Maybe something that will cover prescription drugs, if needed.""

Car insurance for teens?

I am 17 turning 18 in like four months. I would really like to get a car but I need to see if I can afford it. If you could please list your car and how much you pay for insurance a month that would be really helpful.

Few questions on cars and insurance UK ONLY?

i live in the uk and im 16 but 17 soon after my tests and things i want to buy a renualt clio 1.2 and the insurance group is 3E. now is this a high insurance group for a 17 year old as a first car? also if you buy a car and put a body kit on it your insurance goes up. so if i bought a car put a body kit on it and then insured it would it be as much or will it still go up?

How much is MOTORCYCLE INSURANCE?????

I am 18. I want to get a sports motorcycle. How much will my insurance be?

Does homeowners insurance cover scooters?

stolen moped does house insurance cover repairs

Looking for an insurance company to insure me using VIN/chassis number?

I have bought a beeline Veloce GT50 49cc scooter (still in shop till insured) i cant get plates on it until i give them my insurance documents but im finding it hard to get an insurer to insure me online using the VIN Number / Chassis Number. so im stuck in a loop. no bike untill insurance is had and no insurance untill licence plate number is inserted onto online forms. This is for uk provisional so no answers from outside of uk please. thanks

Did you agree over a decade ago when California made police asking for auto insurance illegal?

For a few years, police were not allowed to ask for auto insurance from motorists. Much of the argument in favor of that law was that it discriminated against poor Mexicans. It was overturned eventually as auto insurance violations/irresponsibility became epidemic. How does this relate to the current law in Arizona? How does it relate to the mandatory health insurance law?""

If I'm only listed as a driver on a family insurance plan. Will the rates go up if I move into Detroit?

As answered in my previous question, legally I am supposed to change my license to the address where I reside. Living in Detroit constitutes a higher insurance rate than that of the suburbs. Will my rates increase if the policy is not in my name since I am only listed as a driver?""

I need a form for allstate car insurance good student discount?

prize indemnity insurance quote

Best home insurance in ma?

best and lowest home insurance in MA

Insurance for the baby?

Before you judge, I have a license, car, job, and apartment and am stable with income. I'm 17, and will be 18 by the time the baby is born, and I am covered under my fathers insurance which was established 17 years ago through my fathers work. Its Cigna PPO. Since then my father has been layed off because the plant closed down. He still has the insurance from his work and does not pay the huge bill because it was covered by his work. Now I'm Pregnant and, I'm trying to understand how insurance works. The baby cannot be added to this insurance because It has already been established. I know this for sure because my brother, 22 and unmarried, had a child in November and his child could not be added to our insurance plan. So will you please help me find insurances, Private insurances not state? Also can the baby be by itself or must it be with it's father or mother, me, on a plan?""

Is there any website I can use to get cheap car insurance?

I've been using Auto Trader insurance comparison and the cheapest I can find is 4,400 ? Yes I'm 18 and I realise it's going to be expensive, but come on ! The cars only 750 ! No way am I paying that much, I will honestly drive without insurance as it's a pure joke to be expected to pay 4,400. I don't believe I should have to pay that much. I only want a car to drive to the Gym and that is honestly all. It's like having to pay 4,400 for the Gym a day !""

Would abortion be commonplace and covered by insurance if men got pregnant?

I think it would be.

Tickets & Insurance Question?

I drive a 2000 Camry the insurance is in my aunts name........ So my question is if i got a ticket will the rates go up? If the insurance on the vehicle i drive is in her name will the rates go up if i get a ticket? Her name is also on the title of the car

Planning ahead for car insurance ADVICE.?

OK, So I have recently passed my driving test and am now currently trying to sort out a car for myself. As a young driver I know insurance is high. All I want to do is find out how much the insurance is on each small car, so I can find the cheapest. E.G KA ETC. I have looked online such as confused.com and they ask you for the number plate and ask questions about the specific car. Obviously I can't fill it in because I haven't got one. Is there a website that will show all insurance companies and their prices????? Many thanks.""

Car insurance question?

What is the normal price range for monthly payments on car insurance? I'm 23, female, with no prior accidents.""

Auto insurance company that you Do or Don't recommend?

I'm going to be shopping around for better rates soon. I'd like to know names of auto insurance companies that you do or don't like. If you've ever filed a claim with them. How'd they handle it? I live in IL.

What is the cheapest insurance around for a 20 year old with 2001 bonneville?

What is the average car insurance cost for a 20 year old in Maryland?

I tried doing quotes but it asks for too much information. I dont wanna keep receiving calls from car insurance places annoying me to get it with them. I have a 1998 Chrysler ...show more

Can I get free health and car insurance or any kind of insurance if my parent doesn't want to help pay?

My mom died and since im 18, i decided to continue to live with my grandma like i originally was with my mom and when im suppose to live with my dad he isnt responsible for me anymore. emancipated me. but im not living alone im with my grandma. so im wondering if there was a way to get health and car insurance. can i get it for free? is there a plan?""

How much does car insurance cost in California?

I know it varies but I just need a range.

What is the average auto mileage per year?

Farmers Insurance says that it is 22,000 and I don't believe them for a second""

Home Owners Insurance?

My husband and I are looking for the best home owners insurance in California one that includes earthquake coverage and other stuff like fire and theft can you give me places to check out? We will be living in Culver City, California in the USA""

What is the cheapest insurance for a 19yr old?

About car insurance what will happen?

okay so a few days ago i was driving my breaks dident stop in time it was very slow and i wasent going that fast at all my breaks dident stop in time and i left a very very lil scrab on a guys car and he said if i cant get 220 dollars by tomorow he will call my moms car insurance will that make the price higher?

Tax and Insurance question for a Young Person?

Okay , Im 14 years old , and I cannot wait to start my real career (After some years of college) as a Video game producer (or) programmer. My mom says that what ever pay check I get from a job or career , the tax will take money from it. I've calculated my monthly payment from being a Video Game Producer , Which is $5208 a month. How much will money would I Really get after taxes are taken care of and if I have car and health insurance? Is there any other thing I need to know as well?""

Where can I find cheap car insurance for someone who has a dui?

I live in AZ and I am trying to find car insurance for someone who has had a dui. The only company so far is Bristol west but they are too expensive. Where else can I go?

""I have a 11 month daughter, and i want to buy affordable health insurance for her.?""

I have a 11 month daughter, and i want to buy affordable health insurance for her.?""

""Could $5,000 provide healthcare for a family?""

If this credit becomes reality, doesn't it seem logical that a major healthcare provider would put together an affordable health insurance package for the credit amount and market the ...show more""

How do I get my insurance website to bring up quotes?

I want to start an online insurance company but would like to know how I go about getting the website to bring up quotes like with other insurance companies. How do I go about doing this I'm very serious about it so would like serious answers please thank you.

2000's Subaru WRX insurance info for a 20 year old in ct?

Hello I'm looking into purchasing either a 2002 or 2004 Subaru WRX. I live in Connecticut i am 20, have had my license for 2 years with no accidents or tickets. I would like to ...show more""

""In Oregon, is a pedestrian hit by a car, treated as uninsured driver without car insurance?""

Eleven years ago, I was hit by a car walking down a road in Oregon. When it came time for the medical bills to be paid, (spine fractured in 3 places, knee completely blown out, 8 days in hospital) and the settlement I was told because I did not carry car insurance, I am considered an uninsured driver. I was stuck with a $25,000 hospital bill, and a $12,000 settlement. People do not believe me when I tell them this was the law at the time. Anyone know if this is still the law in Oregon?""

Car insurance is abnormally expensive for me (18yrs old)? What am I doing wrong?

I go on gocompare, confuse.com, comparethemarket, etc. to check prices of different cars but I keep getting insurance at the price of 7,000+?! And the crazy thing is, it was for a Peugeot 2002 106 which is like 1.1 litre. which came to the lowest I found. Which was 7,000+. I fill in the details truthfully, such as locked home garage, very low miles per year, etc, but I can't seem to get cheap insurance? Everyone online says they get insured for around 2,000 on a Corsa, Peugeot 106, Citroen C1 and on like 1.4L+ cars etc. HOW TO HELL? Should I just buy my 1st car then insure it on my parents name then ask me to be put on as a named driver? My friends do that and pay around 1,000-1,200 on 1.6L cars.. Also, can you recommend me a good 1st car? (England) Thanks!""

Dental Insurance question?

On my dental insurance card, I have a primary care dentist listed on it. Does this mean that I must go to this dentist in order to have the insurance pay for my appointments or can I go to any dentist that accepts my insurance without having to switch my primary care dentist and still receive the insurance benefits? Will the insurance cover less if I don't go to the primary care dentist? Thanks!""

prize indemnity insurance quote

""I have a company car, who should pay for the car insurance?

I have a year contract with this company and they are giving me a car for the duration of my employment. they told me i can use it for personal as well as work use. they told me i have to pay for my insurance though. is that fair?

How do I go about getting car insurance in another state?

I live in new york, i want to get car insurance in another state like maryland or delaware, i have friends in each state. What do i need to get car insurance there? Please help me...lots of details please...thank you""

Cost of newborn delivery/childbirth(California...

I'm wondering what the cost is for delivery/childbirth is in California, without taking health insurance coverage into account? Just looking for a general number, but if you want more specifics: -My area is the San Francisco Bay Area (east/south bay) -When I say childbirth, I mean: admittance into hospital/actual delivery procedure (not cesarian)/3 day hospital stay I'm shopping for health insurance, so any number that you come up with to help me budget/calculate would help me out greatly!""

Tickets & Insurance Question?

What height/weight ratio will get me best life insurance rates?

I want to replace some ART life insurance with level term. But I'm worried my weight relative to height might keep me from the best rate. Is there some way to find out what numbers trigger higher risk? If so I might wait another year and try to lose 10-20 lbs.

Why is car insurance so expensive for 18 year olds?

I passed my test yesterday, but insurers are being sharks again and charging thousands of pounds for something we might not need, and charging thousands (2600-23,000) for a small car which isn't even worth 1500. I have been riding a motorbike for 2 years beforehand, but no insurer seems to care. What is the best way for someone like me who needs to get on the road because of his job, to get a cheaper quote online? I've done basically everything.""

""My brother wrecked my car and the Insurance wont cover it, what can I do?

While I was out of the country my brother wrecked my car and the insurance company wont cover it. I have full coverage and my brother had my permission to be driving my car so how can they refuse to pay?

Who has the cheapist insurance. for min.coverage?

I am 16/m and looking for a cheap car insurances?

Im currently living in nyc, I am 16/m and looking for a cheap car insurances. Does anyone know of any?""

Can i park at my aunts to get... a good price on the car insurance?

The insurance is double the amount for cars in my area compared to my aunt who lives at the other side of the town, can i park at hers to get good price on the insurance..?""

Help with car insurance claim process?

A few days ago I scraped a co-worker's vehicle in our work parking lot. She wasn't in a proper parking space, but whatever, it was clearly my fault. I am paying for repairs to her car. I have pictures of my vehicle after the accident, but not of hers, because she left for the day while I was trying to find out who I had hit and find her in the building. I haven't brought this up with my insurance company yet. I initially thought I was going to be paying for scuffs to be buffed out of her back bumper, which wouldn't be cheap to fix but I figured it'd be inexpensive enough that I wouldn't involve my insurance. Today she handed me an estimate for $600+ for bumper replacement and paint work, etc. Fine. It was my fault. I'll eat it. But if I now want to involve my insurance, what do I do? Do I need her insurance info to file a claim? If I call up my insurance, does her insurance have to also become involved? I'm not even fixing my car - the fender's messed up but it's an old car and cosmetic damage doesn't bother me. I don't know what my insurance deductible is...if it's $500+ then I guess I won't bother and will just pay up in cash.""

Best car for cheap car insurance England?

i'm looking for an affordable car for my first one i'm a 19 year old female, i''ve checked a 2001 ford ka 1.3 and it was the second cheapest one for insurance which was 1500 the only thing putting me off is my friend had one and she said it guzzled petrol :P which i think she means it wasted petrol, the cheapest was a fiat 500 the insurance was 1300 but i really can't afford one so just want a cheap run around until i've saved up enough to buy a new one, does anyone know any affordable cars max price 1500 with cheap insurance thanks!! oh and if anyone has had a ford ka do you recommend one?""

Car insurance for 16 yr old boy?

I want to get a white 5 speed subaru impreza WRX (wagon sport) with turbo (standard). How much do you think this would cost considering that i'm 16 yrs old and the car is white and i get good grades? thanks

Where is the best place to find medical insurance?

I am taking a job where I will basically be self employed so I will need to find my own medical insurance. Where do you suggest I go to look into this?

Car Insurance? Do you really need it?

Say for example the owner of a vehicle allowed you to drive it, and you accidently damaged a car or vice versa, would you have to pay for the damage or would the owners insurance cover the car or an injuries that occur to the driver? thanks""

What could make my car insurance cheaper?

I am currently 19 years old and I want to buy myself a new car. It would be about 200 dollars a month for the current car i'm driving for car insurance but it is in my fathers name so I only pay 80. Now pretty much any new car I am choosing the quotes are over 400 a month. Would have car insurance in my name for my current car at 200 a month for 6 months until the policy is over make the quotes for the new car cheaper? Or is the quotes based off of how long I've had my license?

What is the best kind of life insurance to get? Which is most affordable?

(term, whole, universal, variable) I also would like your recommendations on good companies.""

16 year old car insurance with a classic truck?

So my neighbor has this awesome chevrolet apache 10 pickup from the late 50's, early 60's for sale. I am 16 so i am looking to buy a vehicle. I was wondering is insurance more or less with a classic car/truck?""

Good Car Insurance Agency in Kentucky?

I'm going to be heading to Eastern Kentucky, near Hazard. I currently have Nationwide insurance, but may change my insurance around if it is cheaper. What are some good and cheaper car insurance companies?""

Car Insurance For a 19 almost 20 year old?

Im gonna buy a used car, a 2003 sedan (not sure what car yet). This is going to be my first car and I need to know how much car insurance would cost. Thank you:)""

Car insurance rate question?

If I use my dads insurance on my car and get into an accident what will happen? Who would get in trouble me or me father?

What is the most reasonable home owner and Auto insurance?

I need to get a cheaper insurance for car and Auto.Would like to hear from you that have checked prices before you bought insurance.

How much does health insurance cost?

I just got a new job and I am about to enroll in medical coverage. I'm a healthy 29 year old male and I'm going to include my wife as a dependent. I know there are a few different plans, depending on deductible, etc, but I just want to get a ballpark figure on how much will be deducted from my checks. My wife suggests it will be about $150 a month, or about $75 per check.. Does this sound right??""

California insurance--driving a friends car???

I'm not an insured driver, but is it illigal if I drive a friend's car (that is insured) in California? What happens if i get in a wreck? I dont normally drive, but in case my friend's been drinking sometimes she'll ask me to drive her home. thanks.""

Car insurance renewal?

my car insurance renewal is due on the 22 of this month. but i'm 200 dollars short. can i call them and give them a post dated check for a week later

prize indemnity insurance quote

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/you-experience-opinion-pet-insurance-william-golden/"

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mechanintendomaster · 7 years

Text

Unused Mario and Bowser: Frenemies Forever Chapter 17

Mario and Bowser 17

Noon of the restless Mario Characters (Chapter 17)

Created: like a month ago -5/16/17

Disclaimer: Why do I bother? I don't own Mario and co.

Author note: Long chapter, go!

Real note: Last edited May 18, 2017. Not technically unused since this was the original draft of this chapter. Still, the current one was edited down making this version ‘lost’.

Mario strolled into the bustling Toad Town. This was going to be a beautiful day, he thought. The weather was warm and the sky blue, the only thing ruining it was the frequent smell of exhaust fumes. The town really had urbanized in recent years with more and more people owning their very own kart to drive around. Mario could even spot a Mercedes-Benz or two pass by. Foot traffic wise, Toad folk and other local Mushroom Kingdom species went about their daily business, going up and down the sidewalks in waves not entirely different from what Mario would see back in Brooklyn. The Usonian resemblance didn't stop there; recent structures and vehicles were designed to be sleek and modern and only a few buildings still shaped like the mushroom structures of old.

After a moment, Mario approached town square to meet a bigger crowd. Men and women in business suits, parents with children, and teenagers on cellphones among them, no one seemed to care that Peach had put the Kingdom in a state of emergency not long ago. In the past, such an announcement would shut up the citizens in their homes until the moment Mario and his brother saved the day. Now it was like any other day. Just another Bowser attack. Mario wasn't entirely surprised, because Peach wasn't actually kidnapped in this "emergency", and she also omitted the fact that Mushroom Flu was apparently being spread by secret agents, for the sake of avoiding panic. For all the kingdom's citizens knew, the emergency involving Bowser could have been him invading a land on the other side of the globe. Still, the change of social climate from what he used to remember made Mario feel older than he was.

After waiting forever to finally be able to safely cross the street, because he refused to jay walk like everyone else, Mario made his way to the post office. Despite recent developments surrounding the humble wooden structure, it hadn't changed a bit on the outside. As he entered, he was greeted by the aged but active Postmaster, a Paratroopa with a busy grey mustache and thick glasses.

"Long time no see. You have no letters, guess no body's worried about you!"

"Oh I just have a little something to send off," Mario said walking up the counter. He noticed that the inside changed either. Same wooden floors, yellow walls, and fake house plant. "And you know, a lot of people don't really get written letters anymore."

"That's tomfoolery!" the Postmaster exclaimed. "I get letters all the time, son! You need more friends!"

Mario laughed at the irony as he handed him a letter labeled for 'Smash Mansion'. "I need first class mail. I have the money."

"Mario, it's on the house for you. No need to fret, we deliver no matter what, remember? Who's it for?"

"Can't say. It's a secret," Mario said with a wink.

"Ah, fair enough. Whatdaya think of this Mushroom Flu issue?" the Postmaster chucked.

"What..was that again?" Mario asked, trying to hide his surprise.

The Postmaster put a label on the envelope. "Mushroom Flu. You heard of it, right?"

"Yeah, but why would you bring that up?"

"It's all over the papers. See here?" The Postmaster pulled out a drawer and gave Mario the day's paper. This particular one was 'The Kingdom Enquirer'.

The headline read: MK citizens struck by 'MF'!

Mario gasped and immediately read out loud front page article. "According to rich entrepreneur 'James Monty', the president of the ministry of health, Toad Toadstool and Princess Daisy Bloom were stricken by Mushroom Flu, known as MF. According to him, he has no idea where it could have came from, but he suspects aliens. Citizens of MK, watch out for aliens! Suspects include Tatanga, Shroobs, Kirby....." Mario stopped reading and looked up confusingly.

The Postmaster smiled. "I know Mario, that was my reaction as well! Completely idiotic, right?"

"Well," Mario muttered, taking another glance at the headline, "it didn't sound like they knew what they were talking about...At all."

"Right. Tomfoolery as well. I caught wind of people being sick at the hospital but that's just crazy. These journalists really think we'll believe anything, except Kylie of course."

"Kylie...Koopa?" Mario mused.

"Right. You getting sick of me saying 'right'? Anyway, she's the writer of the Koopa Kronicle, and a darn good one. That's the only paper I trust now a days. So anyway, I'll have this sent out right away. That all?"

"Oh yeah. Thanks…"

"Right. See you later, Mario!"

Mario left and stood on the street corner, deliberating on his next course of action. It was clear to him now that mass hysteria wasn't about to spread just yet. Peach was wisely discreet with the state of emergency warning, and horrible journalism had diluted any sense of panic that could come from the surprisingly correct assumption of Mushroom Flu, apparently revealed by MKDCU agent Jimmy M., assuming he was that supposed "rich entrepreneur president of health" person quoted in the paper, and Dr. Mario would have the letter by tomorrow for sure. Considering the situation, things we're going as well as they possibly could.

But wait, he thought. He still just need to get to Bowser before Luigi! How would he pull that off, considering they would have already gotten an hour head start on him? There were no shortcuts he knew of that Luigi didn't, and his Sky Pop plane had been out of service for ages. Mario would just have to hope Buckenberry could slow them enough. The thought of the young hero brought up his spirits up a little. If Buckenberry could humble himself and get it together, he could too. He was just disheartened that he couldn't reveal to him that he DID know of Dr. Mario's whereabouts. Mario had promised to keep it a secret for the doctor, and Mario knew he couldn't afford to break anymore promises.

Just then, Mario gasped as someone rounded the corner to met him. "What are you doing here??" Mario asked.

The person beckoned him to follow them to a more secluded area.

=======

At the Mushroom Press, Jimmy continued to entertain the reporters with stories of his past misadventures. After the coast was clear of Richard and Wiggletron, he'd slipped back in. He couldn't let the offer of free coffee go to waste!

"-And I said to em 'he's red as the dickens! Just dunk the guy in the cream', and they did! You haven't lived until you've seen an 300 pound Toad jump in a giant tub of anti-itch cream!"

The Toad next to him, Mitch, laughed harder. "Aww man! This is going into the Mushroom Enquirer next! Hear that, Kylie?"

"Kylie? The girl's been gone ages ago," the desk receptionist said restlessly, putting some more hot water in the coffee maker.

Mitch looked around a bit. "Oh. Ah-hem, I knew that! Well anyway, how long are you sticking around? I uh...." Mitch suddenly stopped and put some sunglasses on.

"What?" Jimmy asked.

"You should probably go outside," Mitch said with sudden seriousness.

Jimmy stop lounging on their chairs and looked at the wall clock. "Oh! Didn't realize I'd been here so long! Guess I should go, ladies and gents, the work of a MKDCU agent is never done!"

The writers and reporters clapped as he got up and proudly marched to the door.

The moment he exited, he was greeted by Sebastian and Parabilly on the sidewalk, both shooting daggers at him.

"Boys? What's happenin? And where's the- Whoa! Stop!" Jimmy yelled.

"No can do sir," Lakitu said. He had the van secured with a giant fishing hook to an oversized cloud. On the side of the cloud, it was printed, "Lakitu's Independent Towing Company".

"Shouldn't you be fishing up go-carts or something?!" Jimmy screamed up to him.

"Sucker, this is my day job. What else I'm gonna do? Not like we'll be having any sports games any time soon by the looks of it. See ya!" The cloud began to float away with the van.

"First the hospital, then the coppers, now the towing companies?! I hate the Mushroom Kingdom!!!" Jimmy yelled at one in particular.

Sebastian crossed his arms. "What did you think was going to happen?!? I'm I still in Subcon? Because this a nightmare, and I'm sooo tired!"

"Me too!" Parabilly piped up as Lakitu took off, "He said this was the most illegalest parked car he ever done seen! All I'll have you know that we're tired of it!"

"What? You twos gonna quit too??" Jimmy asked harshly.

"Well....maybe! Ain't that right?" Parabilly asked, turning to Sebastian.

"Uh huh. Why did we make you leader anyway? Your actions have just made everything worse. We could have been at the bottom of this yesterday, and why aren't we finding a cure for their disease? Aren't we the health experts?"

Jimmy threw his hands up. "We ARE! Do you really think you can lead a disrespectful team while dealing with a deadly plague better than me? Cause this is a severe violation of protocol and I can fire you all right now!"

"Then do it. There's only five dern dollars at stake!" Parabilly spat, making Sebastian look to him questionably. "I quit myself! I ain't learned nothing and we ain't done nothing. We got em all locked up somewhere and we can't even help em. We might as well have never showed up! I got a home, a family to feed, and real job opportunities down home, and you can't keep me here any longer!"

Sebastian gasped. "Billy? You-"

"I already said It! That's it!" Parabilly threw his badge to the ground. "I'm outta here!"

Jimmy fumed. "You know what? It don't matter, you're right! We gotta get em to the Special World hospital but that's it. It's done, and I don't need you all anymore anyway! Get outta here!"

Parabilly wordlessly flew down the sidewalk and disappeared around a corner. Jimmy turned around and went the opposite direction, leaving Sebastian forlorn in front of the Mushroom Press entrance.

*tap tap*

He turned around so see someone peering through the glass door and knocking. When their eyes met, the person motioned him to come inside. He brought Sebastian to his office space and told him to take a seat.

"So you're Sebastian Bullet of Subcon, right?" Mitch asked.

Sebastian nodded.

"I still got!" Mitch said with a twinkle in his eye. "By the way, I'm Mitch T., writer of the Mushroom Enquirer, most famous newspaper ever!" He reached out to shake Sebastian's hand. "Okay, so you got towed by Lakitu. Right?"

"Uh yeah??" Sebastian responded.

Mitch leaned back in his comfy office chair and put his arms behind his head. "Great, well not for you I guess. Sorry I didn't see it sooner." he said somewhat flippantly. "I've gotten so used to blocking it out now, but never mind. James was full of crap anyway, you probably won't miss him."

"Now that I can agree on!" Sebastian said.

Mitch then leaded towards Sebastian. "Listen, I put out a nice fairytale for the paper but I know is really a big deal. I need you to me what really happened," he whispered.

"Well..." Sebastian hesitated.

"I'll pay ya!" Mitch added.

"Sure thing! And I have lots to tell." Sebastian started from the beginning and Mitch wrote down his account studiously. Sebastian felt better about getting fired now that he'd met Mitch, though he still had an odd feeling about him.

***

Outside, less than five minutes later, Jimmy took a wrong turn, being unacquainted with traveling on foot, and hit a dead end in a dark alley.

"Well this is just great. No van. No equipment. No agents. No directions! No respect! The Mushroom Kingdom can kiss- what the?!"

WhoooOOoooosh!

In the darkness, Jimmy saw a cloud of some sort stirring up in front of him, coming up from the ground. He was about to turn back to run when he was frozen in shock by a wicked laughter.

"Hehehehehehehehehehehehe! Stop right there!" someone cackled. "I've been looking for you!"

"I'm sorry! P-please Eldstar, no!" Jimmy bawled.

The cloud settled down to reveal a dark Boo, its face twisted in a psychotic smile. "Stop crying! Laugh, or else you fool! Hehehe!"

"A Boo?! W-what do ya want with ME?"

"I saw the whole thing in front of that Mushroom Press place, hehe. You must feel sooo sad.."

Jimmy didn't respond and continued to shake in fear and hold back tears.

"I said, LAUGH OR ELSE!" the Dark Boo barked.

"Ha ha ha ha haaaa!" Jimmy cried.

"That's better, hehe. They call me Z by the way. Let's have some fun!" Z moved closer. "You hate the Mushroom Kingdom, I hate the Mushroom Kingdom, we're a perfect match. Yaayy!" Z hugged Jimmy. "Come with me, buddy!"

"Hold on, now!" Jimmy said, pushing Z away. "I have a job to do. I ain't no Boo Hunters candidate. What's the meaning of this?"

Z scowled at him briefly, flashing some sharp teeth in the process, then went back to a smile. "Aww, not scared anymore? Well good, maybe we can talk, hehe. You are James Monty of the MKDCU."

"Uh huh? And?" Jimmy crossed his arms, trying to seem unafraid.

"Well, I'm only your biggest fan! We're both from Donut Plains, and I've followed all of your medical journals. I've always admired you more than the others and well," Z looked away bashfully, "I just really wanted to work with you. Please let me help you!" Z latched on to Jimmy again in a tighter hug.

"Alright, alright! Uh, you can help, uh somehow!" Jimmy yelled, his voiced muffled by the bigger Boo's embrace.

"Great," Z said flatly, "but first I need you to help me, hehe. Let's go on a little trip..."

"What? Let me go you- Ahhhhh!"

A Purple cloud engulfed them as Jimmy screamed, unable to get out to Z's grasp. His screams died down as the two disappeared into the shadows...

***

On another street, Parabilly waited at a bus stop. He had already phoned his relatives down in Southern Mushroom Kingdom. The 'city folk' life and the stress that came with it wasn't for him after all, he had resolved. He'd be better off as the local prairie physician like he always was. Soon the bus pulled up and he hopped on. He was heading out of Toad Town, possibly forever...

======@@@@@@@@@@@

Toadsworth knocked on Peach's door. After a moment it opened, revealing Toadette, who was wearing an apron and holding a feather duster.

"Mr. Toadsworth? What's wrong?"

"Princess? Wait, what were you doing in here?" Toadworth asked.

"Uh...I was just cleaning."

"And why, young lady? Where could she be?? She isn't OUT is she?" he asked harshly.

Toadette was about to remind him that she was authorized to clean Peach's room when ever she felt, but she held her tongue.

"Is she out?!" Toadsworth repeated.

Toadette kelp silent. When Luigi texted Peach an hour ago that Mario was put out of the mission, Peach immediately made plans to meet him. She had some unresolved feelings about Bowser's message and wanted to speak to Mario about it. Toadette didn't know what she meant by that, but she promised to keep Toadsworth at bay in the mean time. Still, she didn't feel good about lying to the oldest and loyalist servant in the castle...

"Answer me! This is no time for childish games!" Toadsworth scolded her.

"Umm, so why do you think she's out, Mr. Toadsworth?" Deflection, maybe that would work, she thought.

"I have been all over our dear castle, except for her room of course, which brings me here. Is she inside?"

"What do you need, sir?"

Toadsworth pouted. "I need to speak with her about a private matter. You are a higher level servant and I appreciate your hard work, I really do. I am sorry, my dear, for yelling so much. These are just dreadful and stressful times, you understand?"

"Yes, sir?"

"Indeed! What I have to say involves her safety. You know, with secret agents of Bowser running amok and whatnot."

Toadette shook her head. "I understand, but you can't come in!" Toadsworth looked to her surprisingly. "-Because...she isn't dressed! And..she's in the bath!" So much for not lying, Toadette thought. "Besides, the water was taking a while to heat up, but if you must tell her something now, you could just tell me." Toadette smiled sweetly which mollified Toadsworth further.

"Hmm...Thank you dear, but I will just come back at a more appropriate time." Toadsworth smiled. "Good day for now, Toadette."

Toadsworth walked back down the stairs, relieving but also disappointing Toadette who was very curious about that info. She retreated back inside the room and collapsed on Peach's bed, letting out a deep breath. Now she'd just need to keep this charade up for the entire day!

---------@@@@@@

The Mushroom Bus stopped at the Peach's Castle stop. This bus stop was usually used for castle tours or employees but the locals also used it to get to the the lake near Peach's castle or the private racetrack. A group of fifteen or so people exited, including Jelectro Bond, Kylie, Dick and Wiggletron. There was now only a short walk to the castle up a sandy rural path.

"Have y'all ever visited this place before?" Dick asked, breaking the silence that been between the four since getting on the bus.

"Yes, as an young child," Wiggletron answered. "Have heard that it has not been redecorated since."

"Well I haven't been inside but I've heard it's drab. You know, empty rooms with only giant paintings in them and a flooded basement and an endless staircase?"

Kylie, who was leading the way, suppressed a laugh. "Who told you that? Super Mario 64?"

"Umm, yeah? You're trying to tell me that game isn't accurate? What ever..." Dick looked to Bond. "Hey Bond? You alive?"

Bond mumbled something and walked along in the rear, deep in thought.

Kylie glanced back his way and then looked ahead again quickly. "Stay focused, brother. The game plan is this, when we get there, let me do the talkin'. First, we tell them a little of what we know. Make them think we know a lot, okay? Then we get them to tell us what they know. Easy as pie.. or cake considering where we are. Think Peach ever made pies?"

Dick rolled his eyes. "You must be hungry, girl. Anyway, I thought you and Bond knew everything by now!"

Kylie took a quick glance at her phone. "Yeah and no. It came up on my phone that Peach has put the kingdom in a state of emergency-"

"What is that?"

Kylie pouted. "You don't know?!"

"We are not natives to the Mushroom Kingdom," Wiggs reminded her.

"Oh yeah. Sorry bout that, brother," Kylie said apologetically. "Peach does that when there's trouble. Back in the day, this would put everyone's lives on hold until we knew we were safe. I would know, I've time traveled. Now? Pffft! So since she has the emergency out, Mario and the rest must know on some level that trouble's a brewin'. But we still don't know a few key points, okay?"

"What would those points be?" Wiggs asked.

"Well my main one is why Bowser would think he could get away with this. I know he can be more shortsighted than a Bob-omb with a one inch fuse with his plans, but this is so obvious it's stupid!"

"Oh of course you meant that!" Dick said, thinking he was sounding smart. "Yeah, that must be why he was helping Mario earlier at the hospital. You know, be all involved so you can claim it couldn't be-"

"What?!?" Kylie gasped. "Bowser was helping Mario?? When??" She stopped and turned around to face the rest.

"Yes! When?" Bond piped up from behind Dick and Wiggletron. He joined Kylie standing in front of them. Dick gave them a confused look.

"That was yesterday? I thought I told ya? He was confused and junk and he was there when Toad and Daisy when wild. Mario dropped to the floor and he was all about to cry in stuff-'

"Agent Richard and Wiggletron," Bond said sternly, "this changes everything!"

"I should have mentioned it also," Wiggs said, avoiding their gaze. "I apologize as well. The over abundance of new information we have acquired along with the frequent separation of our team has made it difficult to remember who possesses what knowledge..."

"Uh..okay? Well, that's why you record everything in a notebook!" Kylie groaned, scribbling a few more notes down. "Well it's game time now 'cause here's the guard. Everyone stay quiet like I said."

They approached the front castle guard. He was a teenaged red capped toad holding a spear under his arm playing a Nintendo DS. "Halt! All tours are prohibited in times of emergency!" he said in a rehearsed fashion without looking away from the game.

"We aren't here for tours, friend. We are umm, the plumbers that were called!" Kylie said. Even she wondered where she got that excuse from, she had a feeling she had heard it before somewhere...

The guard closed the DS and stared for a moment. "Oh, like Mario or something?"

"Yeah. Just like em. We need to fix that leak!"

"Huh?"

"You know, that leak y'all have? We need to fix it. Right guys?" She pointed back to the rest with her thumb.

"Where is Princess Peach?" Bond asked, not bothering playing along. Kylie shot him an annoyed look.

The guard shrugged. "Inside I guess. Look, as long as you guys aren't Bowser, you can come in or whatever. I really don't care." He pulled the door open for them and went back to his game.

"Perfect, young man. Thank you," Bond said genially. When everyone entered, they were then in the castle main room and mezzanine, an open checkerboard tiled area that connected to all of the parts of the castle. The decor was pretty, with lots of flowers and glass ornaments but there was also a lot of dust and dirt pulled up, making the place look slightly unkempt.

"Welcome to the castle- wait. Aren't visitations over?" A purple capped Toad standing at a podium asked them.

"Where is Peach, mon ami?" Bond asked.

"I can't tell you exactly but she's definitely home. We can't have her running around with Bowser's secret agents spreading the Mushroom Flu!"

Everyone looked to the worker surprisingly. Kylie also wrote something in her notebook.

"Do you at least have an idea?" Bond asked hurriedly.

"I'm sorry, who are you?" The Toad asked with sudden suspicion.

"...Plumbers."

The toad smiled instantly. "I'm so sorry, hon! Plumbers are always welcome here! Just go on up the stairs when you get to the room behind me. If anyone asks who you guys are, just tell them that, okay? Have a wonderful day!"

They went to another room that had stairways going up and down and halls leading to other ground level portions of the castle. The room was deserted of anyone except for a Toad that was vacuuming the carpet while wearing headphones. Said Toad glanced their way exactly once and then proceeded to ignore their presence.

Bond turned around to face everyone. "A little lonely here, is it not? Okay mes amies, I have appreciated all of your efforts until this point, but now that we all have the same knowledge, it is not necessarily for all of us to be present when we meet the Princess. It might look suspicious if we are all here and do no plumbing work at all, so-"

"I see," Kylie said, glancing towards the ex-MKDCU agents. "Why don't you two wander around and find something to fix?"

"Ugh, seriously?" Dick whined. "You mean like the flooded basement?"

"Again, the basement isn't- never mind... y'all keep busy okay?" Kylie took sides next to Bond, who was also looking to them expectantly. It irritated Dick when they used their "team power" against him and Wiggs, like they were their employers or something, he thought. Well actually...

"Sure," Wiggs said, pulling Dick closer to him, which made Dick look to him indignantly, "I would like to explore anyway so as to discover what has or has not changed since my childhood visit. You can count on us to assist you in your operation, right Richard?"

"Wiggs, lay off! Okay whatever. We'll give you love bugs some privacy, alright?"

Kylie did her signature finger snap. "Great brother, we'll just-"

"Hold up 'sis', I'm not done. Bond said he appreciated us and junk, and we have done a lot for you two, so I say we make it clear that we expect compensation! We are for hire agents remember?"

"What? Y'all want pay?!" Kylie put her hands on her hips. "Is the experience of true justice in action not en-"

"-No," Dick interrupted.

"I uh, agree to Richard's preposition," Wiggs added bashfully.

"Hold on," Bond muttered while digging in his wallet. He pulled out a couple of American hundred dollar bills worth 10,000 coins each and handed them out to Dick and Wiggs. "You are right, how could I have been so stingy before? Help yourself, mes amies!"

Dick jumped up and down like an excited little girl. Wiggs gawked at the amount of cash in his hand, the most he'd ever held at once actually. Kylie was surprised and jealous and babbled about how they hadn't really done much. Bond just stood back amusingly.

"Let us go," Bond said finally, grabbing Kylie's arm to lead her away. After Kylie could finally pry her eyes away from their cash, they made way upstairs. They were silent as they went up the steps, but Kyle noticed that Bond seemed to be in a particularly good mood now.

"Hey, what are you so jolly about?" Kylie asked.

"The joy of giving!"

"For real though, what is it?" Kylie asked seriously.

"Ha. Clever as always. Actually it was previous events. You see, you used my idea!"

"What? The- oh! That's where I got the plumber thing from? Yeah that was gonna be our disguise at Bowser's place at first. We discussed that in your car or something, right?"

"Something like that, but I am glad you bought it up. I would not have remembered it otherwise. Excellent work from you as usual."

"Oh yeah, thanks." Kylie said, trying not to smile.

"What is our plan exactly? Your idea that they know something we don't was correct. I suspect Bowser sent them a message."

"I guess so. Secret agents? That sounds like fear mongering. It's all because of stale soda, for pete's sake. Don't eat stale food!"

"Don't underestimate the power of nostalgia, mon ami."

Kylie looked to him solemnly. "Right...So I'm sorry too about last night. I blew up on you like twenty-five Bulky Bob-ombs and I shouldn't have. I've just been having a hard time."

Bond shrugged. "It's okay. This is a dire situation, after all."

"No not that." Kylie stopped on one of the steps. "It was because of you."

"Me?"

"Well, not you. I really do like you. It was just...your abilities..."

Bond's head sunk. "Ah. I see..."

"I guess I should explain. Back when I was new on the reporter scene, I dated this Toad guy who was a fellow reporter. His name was Mitch. He was real nice and stuff and he had powers similar to you which I thought was cool at the time. Well..after a while I realized he was stealing my scoops for the Mushroom Enquirer and was just a jerk overall. Worst thing is, I still have to work with him! Again, I'm sorry. It really wasn't personal but when you told me about yourself last night, it all came back to me..." Kylie was starting to tear up.

"Mon ami," Bond said, grabbing her shoulder, "I am very sorry you had to contend with someone who would abuse their power like that. You say you still work with him? Was he not reported?"

Kylie sniffed. "Yeah actually, but it's hard to provide evidence of mind invasion. It didn't really matter, he realized that his paper could get way more hits if he ignored the truth all together and published exaggerated bogus garbage that people eat up. So he just kind of quit doing it and is more of an annoyance than anything now."

Bond grabbed her hand as they started climbing the steps again. "You have to give me another chance, mon ami. You know I'd never invade your mind...At least not on purpose...." Kylie looked at him. "Uh yeah, it can't always be controlled. I subconsciously followed you this morning..."

"You did??"

Bond looked away awkwardly. "You were on my mind...Literally. I mean, you know what I mean. Listen, I'm decommissioning myself after this ordeal and incidents like that will never happen ag-"

"-You are?? Why??" Kylie demanded.

Bond looked back her way, surprisingly. "Because it isn't allowed according to Super Spy HQ. I mean, I theoretically could if I behaved normal but I clearly can't."

"Don't say that, Bond," she plead as they made it to Peach's room. They stopped outside the door.

"What do you mean?" Bond asked.

Kylie crossed her arms. "I mean, don't let silly ol me and my personal issues take that away from you. We don't do the same bring, but we both work for truth and justice, don't we? I wanted your help in the first place because I knew you were the best of the best. The top dog! And you mean to imply that you could keep this under control then but not now? What's really the issue, Bond?"

Bond took a deep breath as Kyle stared him down.

"-And don't even think about lying to me, Bond. I might not have your gift but I know a fib when I see one!" Kylie said jokingly, trying to lighten the mood. Bond chuckled slightly, then took off his glasses to look her in the face. Kylie was once more surprised and at his unusual eyes and found herself gazing back with the same intensity.

"Kylie," Bond said softly, "you are aware that our abilities may be affected by our emotions, correct?"

"Uh huh...." Kylie mumbled.

"Well, I guess there is no other way to say this." Bond grabbed her hand. "Kylie Koopa, I l-"

The door to Peach's room opened, revealing Toadette who was holding some dishes. "Who are you guys??" she gasped. Bond threw his glasses back on and Kylie snapped out of it. They both froze up for a moment.

"Well?? I'm calling security!" Toadette warned, putting down the dishes and grabbing her radio.

"We're plumbers!" Kylie and Bond blurted out.

Toadette let out a deep breath. "Oh why didn't you say so!....Wait, dang!" Toadette stepped forward and closed the door behind her. "I'm Toadette by the way. Did Mr. Toadsworth send you guys up here because I said something about the water taking a while to heat up? I shot myself in the foot with that excuse," she huffed.

"So is there a problem then?" Bond asked.

"No. I just needed to get him away. The bathroom is fine, sorry you guys had to go up all of these steps for nothing," Toadette said sympathetically.

"Oh the trip was no issue," Bond assured her.

"Hmm. Really now? Because there's like a thousand steps from top to bottom, and I know you plumbers don't get paid much to deal with this. I'm kind of tight with the Marios you see. Who are you guys anyway? The Noki Bros?"

"I'm a girl, sister," Kylie said, mildly offended.

Toadette flushed in embarrassment. "Oh I knew that. I guess I was just thinking about like, Smash Bros or something. You know, they have female fighters too. I mean, never mind..." There was an aura of awkwardness in the hallway after she said that.

"..So can we speak to Peach, Toadette?" Bond asked.

"No. She's away- but not OUT! Don't tell Mr. Toadsworth I said that!"

"You mean she is not here at all??"

"That's not what I said! I just can't bring her to you, okay? Bye!" Toadette put her hand on the door knob, ready to retreat.

"Toadette, wait, mon ami. We are not really plumbers, I'm Jelectro Bond, a secret agent and this is Kylie Koopa, a reporter, and we have very important information that the Princess needs to hear. We have been on the case since yesterday and I assure you we know more about what's going on that anything you heard so far." Bond spoke quickly in his signature low but authoritative voice.

Toadette frowned at them both. "Excuse me?? Our Kingdom is at stake and we are at war! Prove to me that you really know what you're talking about. And yes, I'm aware of that stupid story The Mushroom Enquirer put out earlier today. If you even bring that nonsense up, I'm calling security immediately!" Toadette spoke authoritatively as well. Bond immediately thought about how she should have been the one guarding the front doors.

Kylie fumed. The moment Toadette had mentioned the Mushroom Enquirer, she blocked out the rest and got red hot. "So Mitch really did it! He put out a half baked-baloney-sorry excuse for a-no journalistic integrity-"

"What's wrong with her?" Toadette snapped.

"Never mind. Just listen to me. Here is the proof. The Mushroom King is now showing symptoms of Mushroom Flu. You can prove this by checking with MK East hospital. Emery T., the rooftop ems can verify everything. What else do you need to know before we can see the Princess?" Bond asked impatiently.

Toadette went pale and speechless for a moment. "HOW?-" she finally gasped.

"The secret is FungusUp, mon ami!"

"Bowser used that? But he said he used air pollutants and- well that message was confidential but-"

"We need to see that message! That's the only way we can solve the missing pieces. Is Peach here or not?"

"No, she's gone to see Mario!" Toadette admitted. "And our King is sick too? I hate Bowser so much!"

"Maybe Bowser ain't totally in hot water," Kylie said, recovering herself, "he was helping Mario all the way last night. Now show us this message!"

"I know Bowser WAS helping Mario but, I can't show the video...it was a onetime broadcast but I can describe it in full I guess. In fact, I might never forget it.." Bond and Kylie, who were growing impatient with her until that point, toned things down.

"Take your time, mon ami," Bond said softly. Kylie nodded and got her notebook ready.

"Okay," Toadette muttered, holding back tears, "this is a safe place by the way. Trust me, no one else is up here. So this Dark Boo messager sent it and it was a video of Bowser himself but kind of vacant looking. Like, I didn't see the video, I only heard the message, but that's what everyone was saying later. Anyway, he started talking about how he had given Toad, Daisy, and everyone else sick the Mushroom Flu. He said he had deployed some secret agents here in the Kingdom to infect them by airborne viruses and if Peach didn't surrender in a day, he'd infect more. And so Mario and the rest went off to fight and Peach put the Kingdom in a state of emergency but she wasn't specific about anything. She figured it would be better to keep quiet about it and hope that the Mario brothers could take Bowser out in the one day than cause mass panic, you know? But Mario had put Luigi in charge or something and then Luigi put him off the team so it was just Luigi, Buckenberry, Alagold, and Yoshi on the mission now I think. Peach went off to talk to Mario because of reasons she didn't go into with me, but she said to not let Mr. Toadsworth know she's out."

Kylie put her pen down and reread her notes, Bond seemed to be thinking about the recount.

"Hmm. A clone. No.. coercion .." Bond spoke to himself.

Kylie thought of something as well. "And you say Bowser's message seemed fishy?"

"Well they said it was kind of stilted and just off in general. I guess we were so distracted by the fact that he was threatening to change all of our lives forever that we forgot about his weird delivery. Why?"

Bond clasped his hands, pleased. "Mon ami? It's all figured out! We have cracked the case, of at least the main parts of it!" Kylie and Toadette gawked.

"Bond," Kylie exclaimed, "I kind of knew you were getting at something but you lost me!"

"Bowser did not do it. In fact, he is completely innocent likely. Someone has forced him to threaten the Kingdom and throw in a red herring with the method of infection. The whole point is to move the kingdom to immediate war, and the targeting of close friends along with innocents with a virus is to sever any chance of a peaceful relationship afterwards."

"Ah ha!" Kylie said triumphantly. "That's probably why they intentionally used a disease that everyone knows could only come from Bowser's castle. It was always meant to lead to Bowser.."

"Sharp as always, Kylie." Bond smiled. "Still I wonder where the MKDCU come into the picture. We know that they were called to the hospital, but not who called them exactly."

"Yeah, me too. Hmm. Their meddling is the only reason why word of MF got out. Obviously MK East was wholly unequipped with mad doctors and all. Why would anyone call em unless they were in on the scheme?...Unless someone was sabotaging it! Now that I think about it, I wouldn't have showed up if not for the crowd they caused."

Bond nodded. "I sort of stumbled into this because of the MKDCU's incompetence at the hospital as well. Still, those are secondary points, we know what we have to do."

"What?" Toadette asked. "If there something Peach needs to know, I can contact her."

"Tell her to warn citizens of drink any FungusUp, and instead turn them in at the the Toadley Clinic, NOT the MK East hospital or here."

"Why not here? MK East is Peach's official hospital and our infirmary here is great too!"

"A cohort to Bowser's conspirers is still at MK East. The other must have been the doctor that jumped out of the window, and I don't want dangerous cans of FungusUp anywhere near this castle. Now, you need to tell her this, Bowser isn't to blame, and there are no air pollutants, but his threat still stands."

Toadette, still overwhelmed by the information they were spewing, gave him a worried look. "What do you mean? Even after that, we'd still be in danger?"

"Yes. You can bet that after today something will certainly happen, even if Bowser is not the one to do it. Mario, or Luigi I mean, and his group DO need to reach Bowser today, but they need to take out exactly who is the cause of this. We can't know their exact mindset, but it has to be those in high ranking league with him. Then of course, there the matter of getting in contact with Dr. Mario before those currently sick go off the deep end..." Bond's voice got quieter as the gravity of the situation sunk in.

"I'll get on it, Eldstar be with you guys," Toadette said determinedly, pickup up her dish and retreating inside Peach's room again.

Kylie turned to Bond. "Zoinks! The truth is out! Guess our part in this skirmish is over?"

Bond turned to her regrettably. "I am afraid so, mon ami. We are just the justice seekers, not the justice enforcers. It is in the hands of Mario and the rest now that they know the truth, or at least enough truth."

"Yeah, and I gotta get on the scoop of the century back at the press. I suppose it's early on the draw, but after the journalistist garbage Mitch put out, I'd better counter it with the light of justice, ya know?" Bond laughed out loud at Kylie's eagerness, his baritone voice echoing slightly in the hallway. Kylie started to giggle too. "We have no business being this giddy. The show ain't over yet! Guess we'd better round up those other two. By the way, where we going for our next date?" She noticed Bond's look. "Yeah I know what you were gonna say, it don't take a psych to know when a guy likes ya!"

Bond flushed. "So it is a date then, my lovely Kylie!"

Mario and Bowser 17 continued

Toadette texted Peach with shaky hands. Explaining the whole deal went past the maximum amount of characters per text so in the end she sent off five or six. Bond and Kylie's revelation made her feel better and worse in ways. Before at least, she had a single person to blame and hate. Even through her sadness and anger, she could feel like she did know what was going on. Now though, she didn't know what was really happening. Who exactly coerced Bowser? Did they now have to deal with an even bigger villain? Then there was the fact that the plan wasn't even into motion yet. Now that Peach hopefully understood the situation, it didn't mean they were going to be successful. Knowing the truth now didn't help Toad and Daisy much, after all. The damage had been done for them.

Only one thing could comfort her now. She opened her messenger and scrolled through the contacts.

------

Luigi, Boo, Yoshi, Buckenberry, and Alagold stoped at a Water Land Toad House to check the map again. It was empty, surprising no one, but they found a mushroom left behind to add to their inventory. There were now six mushrooms, three fire flowers, one cape feather, two Tanooki suits, and one starman in their arsenal.

Meanwhile Alagold clicked on a YouTube video called "Mario is a sociopath". First there was an advertisement with a scene at a park. A hipster looking Yoshi wearing a scarf and holding a cell phone addressed the camera. "Can you hear me now? Oh right, with your phone plan you don't have the range that YoshiMobile has. You could be getting full coverage in all of the Mushroom Kingdom for twenty percent less than those other guys!"

"Yeah right," Alagold mumbled, furiously tapping the "skip ad" prompt that was still counting down. "I should have installed that ad block!"

"Alagold, stop!" Luigi said sternly, looking up briefly from the map he had pulled out .

"Yeah," Boo, who was just standing around, added, "content creators need that ad revenue!"

Luigi shook his head. "Actually I meant that just because Bowser didn't capture any fortresses, it doesn't mean we can have our guard down. Bowser could have deployed soliders, or worse, secret agents to stop us." Saying it out loud sent shivers down Luigi's spine. That, and the fact that this was his first hero mission without Mario in a long time.

"Right, gotta stay focused! Got ya Weegee! ...Hmm, wonder when I should drink this fungus up?" Boo pulled it out of the bag.

"Gross. Never liked that crap, stale or not..." Buckenberry said, looking out of the window in boredom.

"Different strokes," Alagold teased. "When will you learn that?"

Buckenberry looked to him and rolled his eyes, incidentally catching a peek of what Alagold was trying to look up. The video title made him gasp, "How dare you, Gold!"

"What? I know that's a stupid game theory but I'm so bored! We haven't fought anything yet and we'd been walking for almost an hour!"

Luigi shot Alagold another glance, which made him finally put the phone away. Buckenberry noticed that Yoshi was extremely quiet off in the corner of the house.

"You okay?" Buckenberry whispered.

Yoshi nodded silently. Just then Buckenberry felt his phone vibrate.

"Umm, I have to go to the bathroom. That okay?" Buckenberry asked.

Luigi looked to him disappointedly. "Have we not forgotten that we're on short time? Hey, where are you-"

Buckenberry entered the stall quickly and checked the message.

Toadette texted, "Hey baby. How r u?"

Buckenberry replied, "Okay. We've made some progress. Is it better at the castle?"

"Not really. I've just got news from a spy and journalist."

"???" Buckenberry would have added an emoji, but he wasn't hip enough to know which one to use.

"Uh huh. They say Bowser is innocent. *crazy emoji* I think we can trust them tho. They know that our King is with MF too now!"

Buckenberry almost dropped his phone in shock. His sweaty hands from Water Land's humid sticky weather weren't helping. "!!!!" He managed to text.

She replied, "Yea. I know."

"Toadette. Right after Mario was kicked off the team, I spoke to him and he had a theory like that."

"Really? Get this. you do need to get to Bowser still."

Buckenberry debated. Should he let his girlfriend in on the secret? Wouldn't hurt. "Toadette, Mario told me to stall our team. He said he needed to get to Bowser before us!"

After a moment, she replied, "Peach went out to talk to Mario! She was doubting something too. Guess what MF comes from?"

Knock knock knock! Splash!

There was a loud rap on the door, making Buckenberry actually drop his phone this time, and in the toilet!

"AAAHH WHAT?" Buckenberry screamed. "My brand new on contract phone from MushroomWireless!"

"What's wrong? Did you fall in??" Luigi asked from outside the door.

Buckenberry dunked his hand into the tank to retrieve his phone.

"What?" Luigi repeated.

Buckenberry kicked the doors open, narrowing missing Luigi. "I dropped it in the toilet!"

"And you say that I'm on the phone too much!" Alagold, who was also standing near the stall, mocked. Buckenberry shoved him hard and he fell to the ground.

Luigi immediately stepped in between them and he had to pull the Toads away from each other. "Stop this right now! Blue, you can get another phone later!!!"

Buckenberry stopped trying to strangle Alagold but was still seething. So much in fact, that he'd practically forgotten Toadettes's message. What was it? Something about needing to still get Bowser? Close enough, he thought.

"On the plus side guys, we found a warp pipe that will skip a world!" Boo said excitedly.

"Oh no!" Buckenberry exclaimed. "...I mean okay, but where is that FungusUp?"

"I thought it was gross to you," Alagold teased, this time cautiously standing behind Luigi.

"Shut up! Where is it? I need to see it!" Buckenberry demanded.

"Okay okay, here it is?" Boo pulled it back out of the paper bag. Buckenberry snatched it quickly.

"What's with you all of a sudden, Blue?" Luigi asked, approaching him again. "We need to move on, not fight over phones and soda!"

"I need a drink, okay? I'll even drink this garbage."

"But I found it!" Boo moaned, reaching for it back.

Buckenberry hid it behind his back. "But-"

Luigi suddenly snatched it from Buckenberry. "I will just hang on to it. Okay?? Any further objections? And I don't want another outburst from you, Blue. I don't want to have to dismiss you too."

"...Whatever," Buckenberry muttered, on the verge of tears.

"No need to be so angry," Luigi said delicately, "It'll all be over soon. Let's just work together this time. Okay?"

Everyone got silent. Luigi shook his head as he lead them to the pipe. Buckenberry followed as well, with his head sunk low, disappointed at himself yet again.

--------

******

Dick and WIggletron were in the torch lit basement. The downstairs area of Peach's Castle was just storage area and sleeping quarters, and the two had toured the whole little area in just a few minutes.

Dick yawned as Wiggs turned to him. "Well it is just as musty and banal as I remember. Let us explore on the ground level-"

"Halt!" a Toad said to them as they rounded the corner leading to the stairs. "State your authorization!"

"Okay 'pipsqueak the second'. We're plumbers and stuff. In fact, we were just leaving.." Dick said insultingly, but without passion. He felt like he might fall over sleep any moment.

The Toad crossed his arms and continued to block the stairway "Plumbers? Name please?"

"Richard. Call me Dick. And my friend here is Wiggs. Now let us up the stairs, or will I have to walk over you?!"

The Toad, ignoring the threat, pulled out a radio. "I'm going to need to verify your name and occupation for security reasons. Hold on."

"No, you hold on to your face!" Dick charged forward, only to be pulled back by Wiggletron.

"Security!" the Toad screeched.

"What is the meaning of this?" A British voice called from up stairs. After the sound of a few more footsteps, Toadsworth appeared.

"Mr. Toadsworth, these suspious people are down here and they attacked me!" The Toad said, pointing to Dick and Wiggs.

Toadsworth raised his hand to to silence the servant. "This is just a big misunderstanding. These must be the plumbers that were sent here, right boys?"

"Right, Mr. Old Toad Person. We were just fixing your moldy old pipes!" Dick said, winking to Wiggs.

"What? You called plumbers?" The servant asked in disbelief.

"Actually, I thought someone else called them! That is what the servant stationed at the podium told me.."

"No, Mr. Toadsworth. If you didn't do it, no one has that I know of. We've had no outcalls on our castle's phone line." When he said this, he and Toadsworth looked back to Dick and Wiggs suspiciously.

"-That is because the call was made from a cellular telephone," Wiggs spoke up, "but I can assure you that we were called and did not enter the castle under our own intuition or anything!" Dick looked to him with an expression like, 'you've just saved our tails'.

Toadsworth had a hearty laugh. "Of course! I always forget about those newfangled doohickeys! Carry on gentlemen!"

Toadsworth went back upstairs, making the Toad scoff. Dick smirked and lead the way upstairs, purposely brushing past the annoyed Toad and Wiggs waved in a friendly gesture.

Upstairs, it was still empty looking but they saw Bond and Kylie talking in an obviously romantic way on the freshly vacuumed carpet.

"Wow, I'm so surprised you two are dating at just one day!" Dick greeted them sarcasticly. Kylie and Bond turned to them.

"Oh, you're back...well how long have you known Wiggs, brother?" Kylie asked defensively.

Dick thought for a moment. "A month. Why?"

Wiggletron suddenly had a fit of laughter. "Ha ha ha! You are under the assumption that we are-"

"-Business partners! Are you not?" Bond asked.

Wiggs flushed. "Uh, no?"

"What is going on?" Dick asked, confused.

Bond leaned in to whisper to Wiggs. "You know what I mean, mon ami...." he leaned back. "Anyway, we can leave now. Our mission is over, everyone is paid, the proper authorities know the situation-"

"And you have a hot date now, yeah yeah," Dick interrupted. "So it's time to finally split? Well at least we got our highest pay ever. What now?" He turned to Wiggs. "Buy one of those new Mercedes-Benzs that everyone has now? Hang out with 'Munchie'? I mean that Yoshi guy?"

"I am not sure about that last option, Richard," Bond added amusingly, "Yoshi is off with the Marios to fight Bowser. Or one of them."

"Huh?"

"Bond is talkin about that green guy...what's his name again?" Kylie pondered for a moment.

"Luigi Mario?" Wiggs answered.

"Ooooh him?!" Dick exclaimed. "Mr. Green leading the assault against Bowser? Anything really can happen in the Mushroom Kingdom!"

Bond glanced at his Rolex Submariner. "Look at that! Lunch time already?" He looked to Kylie slyly will Dick rolled his eyes. "Let's bail."

@@@@@@@@@

At Bowser Castle

Kamek ran around Bowser's private quarters, relentlessly opening every dusty file cabinet and going through every file of Bowser's that no one had went through in years. After two knocks on the door, Ludwig and Iggy stepped in the room to find a massive mess.

"Gramps! Whatareya doing making this mess?" Iggy asked. "We don't have a maid anymore, remember?"

Kamek grunted without pausing.

"It's alright gramps, really!" Iggy said quickly, about to approach before Ludwig stoped him.

"Iggy. Let Kamek continue, we can tell him our news while he works. Ah hem!" Ludwig paused to retrieve a note from one of his jacket pockets. "As you know, Prince Bowser Junior's location is unknown, and we also know he spoke with Father before leaving. This being the case, we sent an agent specifically for him."

"Ah, our secret agents?!" Kamek exclaimed, still completely occupied in his file searching. "Which one of you useless brats chased after him?"

Ludwig hesitated, thinking about his next choice of words too deeply to even notice the insult. Iggy spoke up.

"We sent Z after him. Don't worry, Z won a track in field race in high school of something and will definitely catch up to-"

"You WHAT?!" Kamek screamed, tossing a few papers up in the air at his disturbance.

Ludwig covered his face. "I was GETTING to that! Yes, we have ally from out side of our dynasty assisting us for-"

"-Who is it? Z what? Who did you tell?!" Kamek asked, startling both Koopa princes.

"Just 'Z', gramps!" Iggy cried. "You know, Z the Dark Boo garbage collector?"

"But why, you idiots?!?" Kamek marched up to them in a conniption. "Don't you know what will happen if others know of our plans???"

"Because," Ludwig quickly interjected, "Z got in on our plans due to a completely random and unavoidable accident. Z just happened to be in the garbage room and, as we all know, our garbage shoots transfer sound much like the horn of a phonograph. You are familiar with the things, no doubt. Anyway, a message was heard, a conversation ensued, and we decided to take Z into our confidence rather than punish a servant who was only doing their job and was in the wrong place at the wrong time. I rest assure you, Z is without pretense and is nothing but an asset to us in our objectives."

Kamek stared at them for a moment lost in thought. "Those good old phonographs," he mused, returning to the mess of papers he'd made. Iggy and Ludwig gave each other a glance and left the room.

"I've never seen gramps so...frantic, angry, absent minded. Really he had a bit of everything going on. He had to have set a record for strange behavior," Iggy whispered as they distanced themselves from the room.

Ludwig pouted. "Also notice that we failed to bring up our original inquiry!"

Iggy threw his hands up. "Dang! You're right! Now what?"

"I will put up a line of defense. Nothing too crazy, but enough to not make it too easy for Mario."

"You think gramps will mind us taking all of these liberties? It can't be good for his blood pressure to blow up again like that."

"True, he has been disturbed lately. Don't want to send him over the edge, do we? I AM the army general however," Ludwig said with some importance, "and I believe I am authorized for such small scale endeavors. Tea?"

Iggy shook his head. "I'm gonna do something else instead. By the way, you heard of Peach's emergency call? Mario and the rest are definitely gonna get here today."

"Yes and? Better to get this over. See you later I supose." Ludwig waved as the separated from Iggy to head for the kitchen.

Back inside Bower's private quarters, Kamek almost jumped for joy. He held the paper close to his face, so as to read the small print. After heading a few lines, he folded it up, satisfied, and left the room, not bothering to tidy up.

"Just in case..." he said to him self.

#boomaster-amia #fanfiction #mario and bowser #beta #unused content

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