Love in the Oddest Places (bowuigi story)

Chapter 23: Darklands' Hope

Luigi lay face-down on his hammock, snoring loudly into his pillow. His hair was a tangled mess of curls; heavy bags weighed underneath his eyes. And honestly, who could blame the guy? He had been running around like a headless Koopa all week, visiting Mario, lending a hand to Candy with Bowser's bandages, and taking care of Junior. But yesterday, Luigi had finally made up his mind to treat himself to a much-needed break. The whirlwind of events from the past week had left him utterly drained, both physically and mentally.        

            He slept for a full day, the poor man. Because of that, he couldn’t hear the clattering from the kitchen and shuffling. Luigi remained blissfully unaware, burrowing into his blankets. But then the smell of smoke hit him. Half-conscious, Luigi flung the covers off him and stumbled out of his cocoon, falling face-first of his hammock. He rushed out of the room and into the kitchen, expecting to see a blazing inferno in his very hut. But he didn’t.

            Junior stood on a stool, scraping eggs off a pan and onto a plate. The tiny prince moved onto another pan and flipped some blackened meat. Luigi blinked a few times trying to register what was happening. Junior placed the meat onto the plate with eggs and jumped off the stool. He looked up and saw Luigi looking at him dumbfounded. The young prince raised the plates, “Hi! I made eggs and burgers for breakfast,” he said.

Luigi pointed to the stove, “You did this all by yourself?” he asked.

            Junior nodded and handed him his plate. He scampered out of the kitchen and onto the back porch. Luigi grabbed something from his plate and ate it; it was slightly burned, but not to a displeasing degree. The human followed after the Koopa child and sat with him on the steps.

            As they sat on the steps, Junior and Luigi admired the picturesque view before them. The river flowed gracefully, reflecting the golden hues of the rising sun. The gentle breeze carried with it the sweet fragrance of blooming flowers and the salty scent of the nearby beach. Luigi took a deep breath, enjoying the scenery and peace.

            Meanwhile, Junior was scarfing down his food, probably feeling very proud of himself for cooking all of it on his own. Luigi picked up some eggs (judging from the uneven coloring, Junior must’ve tried to make fried eggs) and took a bite, “Where’d you get this?” he asked.

Junior burped. “They’re giving out supplies in the plaza! So, I ran to get ours,” he replied.

            Luigi smiled and thanked him. The prince smiled back at him and leaned against him. The human continued his breakfast, watching the ripples of the river and the small fish that swam by. It was a nice moment of respite before starting some errands. Once he was done, he grabbed the dirty plate and headed back inside.

            After cleaning up, Luigi went back to his room and got dressed. He opened his drawer and grabbed some clothes, trying his best not to look at the tattered and burnt overalls and gloves. With a sigh, Luigi closed the drawer. He landed in this world with those overalls; in fact, they were meant to be the trademark of their plumbing business. But now, after being mended over and over again, they were truly at the end of their lifetime.

            Shrugging the thought away, Luigi put on some short black pants and a green tank top. He grabbed his slightly frayed cap and headed out. As the duo walked into town, they noted the newly built cabins and huts. Able-bodied Kongs and Koopas worked together to finish up the ground homes before focusing on the ones up in the trees. Other teams focused on re-establishing their shops and tending to the med centers.

            The village was in disarray, but one of a positive kind. With major structures up and running, the Kongs and Koopas seemed to be preparing for some sort of celebration, working together to put up rudimentary decorations. Some of the lieutenants from both armies have set up a sparring-based trading system; in exchange for goods, they’d participate in friendly tournaments. The whole thing was amazing from a political perspective, as both armies would be sharing combat techniques. Plus, it was a nice way for newly healed soldiers to get back into shape.