"Mm... Oh, hello, Instructor. What, you want to learn about me? Er, heeheehee... Let's see, uh... My mother disappeared when I was 9, and I'm confident she's still alive, b-but I never bothered to look, no reason. And yes, again, I was born looking like this... Heeheehee. Thinking this up on the spot is so difficult."
>Dreaming Herbs: Herbs for people who are often carried away by bitter nostalgia. Will allow them to feel at peace.
Titles: Prince of Ghouls, Quiet Boy, Deformed Creep.
Voice Claim: Shin-ichiro Miki, Armen Taylor
Interests: Cooking, reading
Likes: Going for night walks, mythology, plum jam, his father, magic tools, organ meats, secrets, loose desert clothing, new dishes, pomegranates, his homeland.
Dislikes: Being stared at, bright lights, marmalade, conflations of words, anything tight, putting things in or near his eyes, being alone, discrimination.
Favorite Meals: Fruit and Herring Tart, Daphnel Stew, Sweet Bun Trio, Gautier Cheese Gratin, Super-Spicy Fish Dango, Onion Gratin Soup.
Liked Meals: Pickled Rabbit Skewers, Gronder Meat Skewers, Sweet and Salty Whitefish Sauté, Fried Crayfish, Cheesy Verona Stew, Pickled Seafood and Vegetables, Small Fish Skewers, Pheasant Roast with Berry Sauce.
Disliked Meals: Peach Sorbet, Vegetable Pasta Salad, Fish and Bean Soup, Saghert and Cream.
Tea Preferences: Tea of the Saints, Crescent Moon Tea, Rose Petal Blend, Ginger Tea, Kelp Tea
A small paper containing instructions for a spell that calms targets. It probably belongs to an intellectual who has a menacing appearance.
Black Marble Statue
An exquisite looking carving of the patron goddess of Morfis; the Shadowed One, made of a stone extremely rare in Fódlan. It probably belongs to a religious native of that city.
Cosmetics Box
A thick carry-on case containing all sorts of cosmetics and products, highly sought after by the beauty focused. It probably belongs to someone who wants to look less offensive and corpse-like.
("Template" idea yoinked from here. I, Wisp, hereby thank thee!)
（ ＾▽-）∠※☆（ ＾▽-）∠※☆（ ＾▽-）∠※☆
General Info
Name:
(Nandine) Ross White (Risotto)
Nicknames:
Riso (By Marshmallow Fluff)
Gender:
Male
Pronouns:
He/him
Age:
24
Height:
5'8
Birthday:
April 5th
Zodiac Sign:
Aries
（ ＾▽-）∠※☆（ ＾▽-）∠※☆（ ＾▽-）∠※☆
Personal Info
Personality:
On the shy side, so his face is usually covered by a mask (like Futaba's in Persona 5), and if his face is revealed in full, he will be reduced to stunned tears. Nonetheless, he's quite friendly and gentle to others, and likes to practice his photography skills on others. There's an inside joke among some that he's effectively a freeloader to Marshmallow Fluff, but he doesn't seem to notice. Has a naive side. As a reporter, he is seemingly aware of a dark side of Food Town, that he also needs a ruthless side to achieve results, and if he finds a body for a story in pieces, he will stitch it together himself.
Likes:
Pretty colors, warm things
Dislikes:
His face.
Hobbies:
Exploration
（ ＾▽-）∠※☆（ ＾▽-）∠※☆（ ＾▽-）∠※☆
Game Info
Game (Good):
Tells Sissy a given number of residents that he's thinking of at the moment, and hands her a camera. She has to snap a picture of Food Town's residents that appear closest to his given amount. Occasionally, he will ask to photograph Chili, which you simply need to move to snap a photo of her sneakily for the most points.
Game (Bad):
Sissy is thrown into complete darkness in Risotto's house, and must navigate her way to jump out of his bedroom. The only way to tell where she is is photos and articles written about her by him, and become increasingly harsh and despair-inducing when you're on the right track to escape. These contain info on Sissy's past, goading her into remaining in Food Town forever by emphasizing her own issues, but she keeps insisting that it wasn't that bad, and pressing forward. If on the wrong track, the photos become more joyful in turn, some from the first route and some not, reminding her of all the good things Food Town is capable of. Halfway between, he will enter and try and kill you himself. Stun him by tearing his mask off. Show Me Your True Form! If he catches her, he will kill her, and is implied to stitch up her corpse into a "perfect" Passion Fruit.
Reason for coming to Food Town:
To find someone, anyone, who he can trust to accept his face. He was mercilessly mocked for his vitiligo, heterochromia and baby-face. But he also had a much more violent approach to his tormentors, cutting their tongues out when pushed too far. Following several incident in college, he cut out the tongue of a teacher, and sewn her another with her hair in the view of another student. Ran away the next day with a bit of cash, meeting Marshmallow Fluff on the train platform. He is much more openly timid now.
Kagami yo kagami kotaechatte
Who's the best? I'm the best! Oh yeah
Namami no mama ikeru toko made
To the next, to the ichiban ue
"Good Morning, Amazake."
"Mornin', Fluff-chan." Exchanges like these are common in these days.
Would you believe me if I tell you that I'm living in a library? It’s technically in the basement, but yeah. It's a town... populated entirely by food. They aren't actually food, but they're all so convinced that they are. The lady I'm stayin' with is named Marshmallow Fluff, MaFlu for short for some. Her hair looks just like her namesake, which she said was what happened the year she came here. But as I investigated last night, it sure as hell doesn't have the exact texture of marshmallow paste. I thought she would be someone with a good head on her shoulders, but no. She's just as delusional as the others...!! It certainly grew FAST. And as I stayed, I learned about the insane yet intricate rituals the people do, so damn deep in their delusions. It was neck-length when I arrived, and as I found out, it was because of the fact that a neighbor, Candy, is wholly addicted to, well, candy and sweets. So, in exchange for her life (a cannibal??? wow~), whenever her hair reaches past the floor, she'll cut it off and give it to her. Maybe I'll try some later. I mean, probably just hair, doesn't taste like marshmallow. Certainly enough to warrant a teenager that apparently ate whoever thought of themself as a sweet in this town to enjoy all the same, so that's that.
I'm just here for some field research. When I displayed an interest in this world, Wild drilled me on the context based on the game she played. Then, she demanded I slip into a "cycle" without many troubles, whatever that means. I've kept my 5 don'ts that've served me well, and I think that it's due time for some in-depth field research. Let's go over it to start... Fluff-chan's currently getting ready for some event with the other residents.
#1: Don't make assumptions about them on the first day.
This should be obvious. This helps make sure there aren't any unneeded fights right off the bat, nor no sour feelings onward. Because you know how hard it is to work with someone that you hate, or hates you. As I figured out in earlier, there's greater risk of throwing the task away if someone hates someone. And, just in case someone's hatred is actually beneficial to me, I can just drug them with an FFoid. Here's to hoping the Law is on MY side that time...!
It's November, but as I've seen, the weather is somehow perfect every time. It had rain, and snow from what I heard from my host. When I first arrived, I think they drugged my food. Wild told me about that. Of course, I gave my eyes a re-do to keep up a certain level of polish that would come IF I was able to be effected by it.
In any case, I'll keep the people at arms length as I compile everything about them. Depending on her mood, she might ask me to go.
#2: Don't make assumptions about them on the first day.
This is also self-explanatory. In this line of work, you have to first learn everything about your host, until you springboard off of that to the others. At least one thing remains for sure: MaFlu just wants to live quietly. She works at a library in the Sweets District, and no one has the balls to ignore her if she shushes them. I guess she really is more reasonable compared to the others, but... Why would a perfectly reasonable person live life thinking you're food? Makes no sense to me... Ah, but I guess I'll figure out that secret later, hmm?! This is gonna be good! Hahaha, yeah! I'll squeeze the secrets out! Today, Fluff-chan... TOMORROW THE WORLD!!!
I can just interact with the outside world through the library just fine. It's surprisingly a little busy. But typically, I just observe from a distance. There's one resident that I haven't seen, though. She's been talked about occasionally, and her name is apparently Chili. Wonder what's her deal? I ought to investigate that later on. And she handles it with her top-notch maturity. Ya don't hear that often. I'm sure when she hears my research plans, she'll be fine with it. It's been a work week, so I think I'll be fine now. Marshmallow Fluff just wants to live a quiet life.
#3: Don't hurt anyone unprovoked.
Partially spring-boarding off the first one, but this should be obvious as well. Bitterness never helped anyone, and judging from what Wild told me, the people are surprisingly bitter, aha~ They might do anything to be able to spin me as the one in the wrong, so just to be safe, IF needed, we take them to the woods, knock them down for an opening for another attack, and call all my underlings to beat the shit out of them, and wipe their mind of most of the event. ...Hypothetically, of course. Honestly, I have nothing else to say about this. It's a boring rule, but a practical one.
"Hey, Ms. Amazake... I'm sorry for not telling you this sooner, but today is the anniversary of Food Town's founding, and we'll all be celebrating later tonight at the Last Supper over at the Fruits District. Do you want to come along also?"
Oho? A party? That would make a damn good opportunity for field research.
#4: Don't trust them if they don't know your name.
I think this speaks for itself. It's just common knowledge. When cutting deals with others, it's for the best. They don't know the first thing about you, what makes you think you can trust them on handling potentially dangerous work? Of course, a fake name should suffice if needed, but I do hate lying, so let's see.
For a party, you'll be mingling with others, so your name would be tossed around a lot. But the "Last Supper"... I never heard of something like that. Was there even a restaurant with that name before? How odd. ANYWAYS... Think of all the deals you could cut with others! Mingling with such nice, easygoing, pliable people... Ain't it fun? To fantasize about the possibilities? No? Oh, YOU'LL understand soon enough... I can collect aaaaaannnnyyyyything I want on them, and they can't do shit about it! Let's hope to God they aren't boring.
Fluff-chan is chatty despite appearances, so most know my name already.
#5: Don't abandon your friends. No matter what.
I'm alone, so...
"Yeah sure, why not." I finally responded. A good joint requires 3 things: Men, meat, and myself. I've seen men, nothing that would catch my eye, but men are men, and I'll take it. It's a restaurant, so it would realistically have meat, but we'll see for sure. I'm going, so that's all 3 on the list, it's a good joint.
She seemed relieved a little when I said that. Heading back to her room, she came back with a bow. It matches the one she wears, but the white stripe is red. I am NOT gonna wear that up, but...
I yanked it from her hands, and wore it like a tie. Shrugging, she then picked up her telephone.
"Hey, Passion Fruit. I'll be bringing another guest with me, so plan accordingly... Yes, thank you. Goodbye."
Wait... Who the hell is Passion Fruit?! Another variable... but this won't be a fatal error. Just a variable.
The only girl in the Sphinx triad representing the face, red #3 likes to act all cheerful and condescending to her enemies, but she's actually nagging and cross. Remembers everything and forgives no one. Extremely vocal about "pulling the last trigger" on this world. Only has a soft spot for her beloved Shiny Mimikyu, Lilian, and her boys.
Lilian the Mimikyu: Her oldest friend, and dearest confidant, and the source of Sphinx's Mimikyu, this Shiny Mimikyu is named after the lily, means affection for loved ones (generally), purity and innocence (white), love/femininity and aspiration (pink), lofty aspirations (scarlet), and desire/passion and hatred (orange), all of which apply to her moody Trainer. She is Adamant and sincere.
Pyrrhah the Volcarona: Helps keep the group warm on colder nights, found on a mountain in Hokkaido, this Volcarona is named after the pear blossom, and represents lasting friendships, showcasing the unshakable bond between the Sphinx Trio. His Timid attitude means that most things scare him, but he'll pull himself together for Sphinx #3's sake.
Susan B. the Iron Valiant: An object given to her during the Athena Project to wield, this Iron Valiant is named after the black-eyed susan, which fittingly symbolizes justice, one of the values of Sphinx. It is expressionless, but is surprisingly Jolly in tough situations, and a little too happy to fight.
Helia the Toxapex: The famous crown of the sea originally belonged to a poacher that stole from the trio when they were younger. This Toxapex is named after the heliotrope, standing for devotion, obviously referring to her single minded thirst for her goals, and her allies. Similarly, Helia is as Adamant as her Trainer.
Zinnia the Shaymin: When #3 was assigned to a Pokémon to resonate with, she was given this Shaymin, named after zinnia, a flower meaning remembrance, painting a more sentimental side to its Trainer. On the Hasty side of all things, and all too vengeful for it's Trainer's sake.
Jazzy/Jazmina the Hawaiian Raichu: An extra spare electrical source, rumored to have been caught by his current Trainer by pestering another into giving him to her. Named after jasmines, which represent unconditional and eternal love, showcasing her bond with her allies, soft yet unbreakable. His Modest demeanor helps keep a level head for him.
*yawn* We're there already? Wait, why were we here again? Um, let's see... His Fowlyness and that slimy prick had suddenly booted up the tank, and before I could settle on my side, we were driving off to the fortune teller's. I asked, but they both shushed me. Oh well. I should go get some more peanuts if there's time. I think I'm out...
Hey... Is that a blood moon hanging up? Right in the middle of fall too... Uh, did something come up?
Oh... His Fowlyness is finished here. Time to head back. The guys step on the gas and thusly drove back "home".
"Yo... What was the deal with the visit to Mabel? At least tell me what she said." I tried to get an answer from the boys.
"Yeah. What'd she say?" Hey, one of the few times me and Escargoon are on the same page! That never happens.
"She says I have this ghost on my tail." I can practically feel the fear radiating off DDD. His tone... didn't change a bit.
"A ghost on your tail? I didn't even know you had a tail."
"Well I guess I don't stand a ghost of a chance now." The boys joked about the problem. We all laughed a bit at the stupid pun, in a bad attempt to lighten the mood. Hahahaha... no.
"But maybe there's just some giant mistake. Maybe there's some logical explication of the whole situation!" His Fowlyness is gonna have a stroke if he attempts to figure out the truth.
"Sorry, a ghost?" Might as well join 'em... "Sure that wasn't just, I don't know, your shadow? His shadow? The mini monsters' shadow? Come on you two-"
"Hey, it's there in the camera too. You gonna argue with the camera?" I was gonna say something else, but then that slimy prick interrupted me.
"*yawn* No, not really. Well, I won't really care if there was a ghost on you. Unless they like peanuts. That's my only rule. A ghost can move in here, but if it takes rent in peanuts, we need to do something..."
"Yeah, picture sure don't lie." Oh my...
All remained silent, and good, until...
We hit the castle. "What's up with that drawbridge?!" His Fowlyness was already screaming. Are we going to be squished?
"I don't know, Sire! It's actin' like it's HAUNTED OR SOMETHING!" Wait what? Hey, why's the tank slanting?!
*ka-thonk!* Dang it all... What was all that about?
"What was that for...?" I complained.
"Drawbridge never done that before..." And DDD complained too.
"Maybe that's the ghost's way of sayin' 'boo'." Why does that slimy prick keep insisting there's a ghost?
"There ain't no ghost!" We would've argued on this for longer, but the boys quickly got scared by something else. A noise, then footsteps. How odd. Maybe that IS a ghost. But ghosts don't have feet! So what's with the noises?!
It's... It's... Waddle Doo? "Ah... I'm glad yer alright, Sire!" How did he get there?
"You... We..." What was I gonna say? Dunno.
"Some guard you are!" "With an eye like that, ya should look out for the king's safety!" You tell 'em, boys! "The boys are in a horrible mood, so you better not make this worse!" I joined in.
"Well I'm sorry, Sire, but it wasn't my fault! Somebody must'a sabotaged the drawbridge!" he then claimed, motioning up and down for it's broken motion.
"Huh?" We all went. "Not a likely story!" I sensed that Escargoon was probably gonna go off on him, so I just took my cart out, and wheeled inside. Wonder what awaits me there?
"Oh... It was a spook, I knew it was a spook...!" Ms Lady Like was pacing back and forth in the main hall (I think it was). Her sir was attempting and failing to get her to relax.
"Try to calm down, my dear!"
"What is it? Spill it, Like-Like." I was just wondering what was the proverbial spook.
Oh, footsteps.
"Great... Sir Ebrum and his gang of grousers. Now what's the matter?" Ah. Judging from that being the slimy prick's voice, the boys are back inside.
"Well we... We think we might've seen a-"
"A galloping GOBLIN!" Erm... She's probably exaggerating this... right?
"Huh? What's she talkin' about?" His Fowlyness was guessing just as good as me.
"I mean, it does sound rather silly, and there could be some perfectly logical explanation fo-"
"But we saw a ghost!" Alright, alright. Point taken...
"Uh, maybe it was just a pigment of your imagination-"
"But I saw it too!" And now Tiff (of all people) jumped in. And thus, she made her piece. A few hours ago (at least I think it was that time ago...), she was heading back to the main hall to finish something before going to bed, but footsteps overshot the hall, as if someone or something was following her. Between the surprised screams, I can tell no ghost had touched down here. She probably didn't believe in ghosts until now, either.
Is that so? Hmm...
"That thing gave me a scare too." Thus, Like-Like told her piece next. 2 hours before Tiff came here, she was just watching a drama, too bad the curtains flew open. Though the sound of bats were lingering around, the thing that was imprinted on the outside world was a ghost. I think it then came inside when she shut the windows. So it's her that brought the ghost in? Aw... She probably pinched herself to see if she's not awake.
"...I had a rather disturbing encounter myself, Sire." With the Sir giving the last piece, that makes everyone. A day (I think) ago, he was down in the cellar in an attempt to see what needed to be replaced and what didn't. Too bad the ghost found out how to move some of the wine bottles around. Man, I'm glad he never saw the skeleton chained up down there... Hehe, a spirit among the spirits. Caught the pun.
"This is all way too conveniently timed..." I complained a bit.
"Oh, I see the plan!" DDD finally spoke. Huh? "When I move out, y'all take over the castle." What the hell. Mr. Prime immediately denied something like that.
"But if you did leave, I hope you take Clara and Escargoon with you." Lady Like on the other hand, didn't exactly deny that stuff either. At least get my name right!
"Look, if that would happen, I'm not goin' with them... I'm staying." I complained in the back.
I began to zone out as the group conversed a bit. Nyeh... I wonder where Kirby, Tuff and the mini-monsters, Fololo and Falala are? Um... They mentioned having something to do today, but I don't know what they said they had to do... Oh, is that Meta Knight? How'd he get here? When did he get here?
"Hmph... With all due respect, I find it hard to believe that you aren't involved with these... paranormalities." With all due respect, which is none. Is that a word? Erm...
"Uh... This ain't my fault, I get spooked by spooks!" Dedede scrambled to defend himself from the thing in the corner.
Everyone got impatient. Mmm... Why, though? Oh, I know.
Tiff especially was having none of that. "I bet it's another one of those monsters!"
"Is this another plot against Kirby??" Even Sir Ebrum joined in on this. I didn't expect that from him. Well, to His Fowlyness, that is.
"Look, I ain't plannin' nothin' to nobody, and there ain't no ghosts 'cause there ain't no such a thing!!!" He's quaking.
K(that's me!): Oh really? Seems like the evidence is turning against it.
L: Then what was that floating in my window?!
S: Why were those bottles floating?!
T: There's a ghost here!
Against our mounting evidence, he quickly broke under pressure, and I think he lost it.
"AHHHHHHH!! THE GHOST IS AFTER MEEEE!!! AND I GOTTA DO SOMETHIN' BEFORE IT GETS ME!!!!" He screamed out in a panic, and then left immediately. The other one followed him to... wherever he ran off to. Oh no, wait, he just went to the direction of his room. Mmm... How tragic.
"*sigh* That was so weird..." I complained once they left.
"Indeed. I simply hope it won't reappear while we sleep." Oh, is the group gonna go to bed? Yeah, it's about time.
"I am sure it would keep to the outdoors. Now..." Ah, yeah, they're gone. Tiff and her parents left the scene. But Tiff herself is lingering. Hmm...
"Oi, Tiff, can I talk to you for a sec?" I called out to her once those two left the scene.
"Yeah, but first off... A ghost haunting him?" she questioned while I walked up to her.
"I tried to get something out of the boys." I sighed. "Nothing came out. But I did overhear Mabel giving her verdict on this to his Fowlyness. Something like that is true, apparently."
"I have trouble believing this fully... I just hope it leaves soon enough."
"The boys should be back by tomorrow... *yawn* So I'll be off now... Hehe, don't let those ghosts bite." I told her off as I began paddling my cart to my room.
"I guess. Goodnight." And thus, we've gone our separate ways.
The hall to my room isn't that far. Just keep right until you hit the yard view, then go left. After about 15 minutes, I'm back to my room.
Ahhhh... This is nice... Just gonna cozy up in my blanket fort with a bowl of peanuts and a cold bottle of iced tea. Maybe I can crack open the TV and see what's on. Or not. Let the soft moonlight filter through the room.
Hmph... Why can't the lights get fixed soon enough? Wait a sec, they already fixed it, didn't they? I hate that they whir like that. Hate it hate it hate it. Let's see if they get fixed in the morning...
Hate hate hate... That's a nice word, isn't it? Hate... Let me tell you how much hate we can stuff into this place since I got here. There are 3.84 million watts of electricity (or something) flowing through this castle in wafer thin wires in all angles. If the word 'hate' was sent in every wire's nano-something or other in these hundreds of thousands of watts, it wouldn't equal a billionth of the hate I can stuff into this castle for it's screwed upness at this microinstant. For this. Hate. Hate.
Er... I'm just watching my shows, right now. This one is based a novel on a young detective and her repeated encounters with a brilliant, yet insane serial killer. I don't exactly like the ending change on TV, but other then that, it's quite solid. Still, the fact that it comes on at night is a huge detriment. I'm trying to get some sleep here, you know? But I guess it'll be fine.
Oh, what's that at the window? Better check it out...
Walk up to the window, open the curtains, and then the window itself.
"Ah... You know, you ARE supposed to trail inside while the others do their stuff, you know..."
"Hahaha. I get that, but it's too funny to see people's reactions!"
"Just don't get too loud that they'll figure you out. We don't want our jig to be up..."
"Right right right. So you take the right, and I'll take the left, sound good?"
"Yeah, why not? As long as the target gets down there. How about you three... What do you think about your potential game plan?"
"A what?"
"Game plan? Isn't just doing what we're normally doing fine?"
"Poyo."
"Uh... I suppose. Okay... How about we meet near the men's room once all is dealt with, does this sound good?"
"Sounds like a plan! See ya later, Claire!" "Bye-Bye Clara!" "Poyo Poyice!" They leave for the windows on another side of the wall. When will they get my name right?! *sigh*
Now that they reminded me... I need to go put my makeup on for the big event. One moment...
"Excuse me, Clara? Sorry to interrupt, but do you have a moment?" Meh? Sir Ebrum now? My makeup is on... How'll I excuse this?
"Nah, you're fine. *opens door* So what's it?" I'm covered in flour from head to toe, my lips are coated in barbeque sauce, my eyes are outlined in a fruit punch powder/thickening liquid agent mixture, my ears are traced with egg yolk in it's inner sections, my hair is capped in a straight black wig, and it's tips are dyed yellow-and-black with honey mustard and activated charcoal. I eventually kept it mostly shut, so he could hear me properly, but to not ruin my makeup or ask about it. What's it for, you may ask? Why, to scare off the ghosts with a ghastly wail, of course! Why do you look so sad?
"I recall you telling me about a specific song that can repel ghouls and the like. In the rare event that it does not leave after tonight, do you remember the title of the song?"
Oh.
"Blumenkranz?" I know this song by heart. I think he's talking to me first about it, since the dang ghost was seen there last, according to a report from some Waddle Dees 6 hours ago. Why does he say that I said that it repelled ghosts? I don't remember saying that. When we went over the book imports some time ago, I never said anything of the sort when the book of scores came up.
"I see. Well, in this case... Good night." Ah... He left.
Hey.
He never asked what Blumenkranz actually meant.
Everyone always asks what Blumenkranz means.
Even you're asking what it means behind that screen.
But it's fine.
I can tell you now.
But this may take a while.
You see... it translates to "Flower Wreath", or a, how you say, flower crown. But it carries a higher dignity then a simple flower crown... Only the strongest, finest flowers should be woven and bound into this shape. Withered flowers should be removed immediately. If you don't want to be upset by it's poorer quality, only bind the fresh flowers. A well placed one should improve one's condition, or at least their mood and posture. To bear a blumenkranz... is to take in it's near-weightlessness. But the finesse and dignity it requires to bear it with elegance and grace is difficult to utilize effectively... One who bears the highest quality blumenkranz demands everyone's attention, trust, love. At least, that's what my dad always told me
...Okay, ramble over. I have to leave now. But first... Peanuts, my cart, and computer! Alright... let's go.
Let's see... Faulty lights? Check. Halloween themed snacks in the basement? Check. Cameras broadcasting that slimy prick's voices and turn it into ghastly wails? Check. Flashing lights? Check. Flappers going in and out of the windows? Check. Unknowing victims castlemates? Check. Languid maiden wheeling herself to where she thinks the king may be? Check. This may sound off, but all this is simply extra measures against the ghosts. I believe some other inhabitants will also be attempting a "Kill la Kill" deal. That's when you scare something by pretending to be it. It's referred as such because if you have to scare a killer, go and kill it. Simple. To scare a scarer, scare it back. Kill or be killed. Scam or be scammed. Scare or be scared. Thrill or be thrilled. That's how it goes here, at least. Although, all those snacks are reserved for me, I just hope His Fowlyness isn't hijacking it off down there...
*ssshwoon!* The heck was that? Um... From the direction it came from... and connect that to the direction it flew into... Shoot. The men's room has more guests...
Out of curiosity, I decided to go and check it out.
Now, I was rolling towards the boy's room to hunt down any stragglers. I heard screaming from this area, so why not take a detour? Okay.
*a few minutes later...*
The door to the bathroom is open. and I can hear DDD's erm... potty break from here. I was in the middle of the hallway, mind you. Oh... It seems it's not just him that's here. Why is he running to my direction?
"Klarissa! What the heck were you doing the whole night?!"
"Picking off any stragglers, what does it look like? You know... with this, no interruptions will be encountered, since I took care of the Waddles and whatnot."
"And the Ebrums?"
Oh. "No worries, they're off looking for the book with that song... What was it called? Said it repelled ghouls or something." I think... Didn't anticipate that, but I'm sure it'll be fine.
"The makeup? Really?"
"Listen, dumbass, I don't appreciate the constant questioning. If you waste anymore time, he'll ruin the whole thing. H-H-He-HEY! ESCARGOON DON'T LEAVE ME BEHIND IN THIS CRAZY-" Don't ditch me now! What was that even for?!
"Clara?! Get over here!" Is that His Fowlyness?! Why does he sound so terrified?! I thought he doesn't fear this kind of stuff! Hey... What's that noise behind me?
"Spot." I finished myself. With this, he ran out to see me from the bathroom. I froze. My face would've been warped more menacingly, but I just looked terrified. It looks suspicious, but I assure you that it's just for getting the ghost out. I'm not doing anything else.
You think Dedede could'a pulled this off? No.
Why do you look so sad? I had no reason to reject this.
What's with these ghastly wails behind me? I tensed up, so it kinda looked like I was nervous at the sight of the king, probably rushing towards me. ...Hey. I recognize those voices anywhere.
"AYYYEEEEEEEEEE! MY SAVIOR!!" I'M SAVED! I projected my voice into a demonic conaltro, but they knew who I was. He sure as hell didn't. I ran onto the mini ghosts like there was no tomorrow: with these events, it looks very suspicious.
I didn't exactly recall what he shouted at that moment, all I needed was them...!
Since the three chased down the king elsewhere once they shifted over there, I waited at one side of the hallway. It's exactly who I thought it was! Everyone came back. It was...
...
"I knew you had it in you, Tuff, Fo-Fa and Kirby!!" I exclaimed when the coast was clear.
"Hehehaha!" the former giggled a bit as he helped unmask the latter. "Told you we'd pull it off, no problem!"
"Yeah! That gave him ghost-bumps!" Fololo joked around.
"We sure scared 'em bad~!" I can tell that Tuff's feeling proud of himself for this.
"Let's spook 'em again!" Falala just read my mind!
"Sounds like a plan! Let's go!" I quickly wheeled off to our runaway king for this idea to work. I assure you, it's to set an example for the ghost, nothing else. If we have DDD vulnerable, he'll know what for, and not bother us again. Es ist fraglich aber wahr.
It's time for the biggest event of the night! We have the king strapped down to a makeshift autopsy table, while a large axe is set on one side in the basement. A degradable wall is set to fall just off his feet, while the other one will crumble easily all over the floor. Praise! This is a fine opportunity of examples! Oh, in a little while, you'll understand too. Watch! He's gonna wake up now! He won't recognize me in the makeup. I'm sitting on the hanging axe.
A scream... then realization.
"THEY GOT ME! Them ghosts finally got me!" Hahaha... The king's gonna wish he was never born...! We toyed with His Fowlyness for a bit, then knocked him out, and brought him into the place where there is no darkness (a lie).
The wine cellar and torture basement! This is usually where the tortured are exposed to mindless torture until one pisses off the torturer and gets turned into slime. But we don't have a slime-grinder, nor a large enough computer program in here, so it's been refurbished into the centerpiece, where we lay our scene. One night, when we'll finish our due, we'll take our leave and go.
I gave Tuff the thumbs up, the signal to unhinge the axe. Let's begin...
*nyoom*
"♬Ich möchte stärker werden,
weil unsere Welt sehr grausam ist,
Es ist ratsam, welke blumen zu entfernen♬" I sang loudly in a dominating tone to drive a point. Isn't it ironic... The Ebrums had gone off to find the specific song from the library, and which song did I decide to sing, in a bout of irony? You guessed it; Blumenkranz!
I swung down close to him, and amplified my voice's volume whenever I did so. All he could've done was suck in his gut so he doesn't get bisected.
"That's cuttin' it too close!!" Yeah no kidding.
*nyoom* Another scream from him. *nyoom* How are you screaming already, when it barely begun?! Ah, whatever! The hair on my body is firing off, my gut is burning! Sweat is pouring! l LOVE THIS PLAN!
"SOMEBODY HELP ME!! I'M SORRY FOR EVERY BAD THING I EVER DONE!! OH I'M A GONER FOR SURE!!!!" "WAHAHAHAHAHA!!!" My laughter sunk up with his screams. With this leaking out, I changed to a different song.
"♬Woah-oah-WOAH-oah-oah-oah-oah-oah! Ooo, show me!" "♬Ja, ich bin viel stärker, als ich je gedacht hab, Fliege höher, Laufe viel schneller, Vergiss die wahrheit nicht Ja, ich bin viel stärker, als ich je gedacht hab, Ich entferne welke blumen, Wieso siehst du so traurig aus?♬ " Lalala lalala... That song simply doesn't get old.
The axe had to be brought back in for the next trick. I would've liked for it to last longer, but I get why. Now, I gave Tuff the OK. He then gave signal to Fo-Fa to push down the walls. First, the crumbling overcover wall. *ka-boom!* He seemed to have braced for pain from it, but he was super shocked/relieved when it was revealed to just be wet paper-mache and toilet paper. Then the miniature skeletons appeared. That was my idea. Mmm... I hope that ghost is watching! Watching and dreaming that it's not gonna be scared of this sight! Woooooo! I continued to sing my Blumenzehn mixture. "♬Ist der blumengarten echt oder falsch?♬" "♬Show me your looove~! Show me your love! Oh!♬" I can hear footsteps, it's sad but true. But I'm not worried.
And then, on my scream, the trio of ghosts fly downward, having donned their disguises beforehand, to circle the target in a medley of ghastly wails and evil smiles. The air is stagnant, and the scene is perfect. He even started crying! I'm unsure whether to feel bad or laugh! The song must go on, the show must go ON!
"♬Was willst du von mir? Ich mag wollen oder nicht, ich muss den feind verfolgen, Ich bin nicht frei von dieser welt, Was willst du von mir? Ich mag wollen oder nicht, ich muss den feind verfolgen, Ich bin nicht frei von dieser welt♬"
After a bit of madness... He conked out. Whaaaa?
Tuff and I jumped down from our perch to observe. "Yo. That's peculiar." I commented.
"Wuh-oh. He got so scared, he fainted!" He realized.
Laughter came emanating from one side. It was Escargoon...! I can't believe the words... My savior...!
"That was excellent work, team." He remarked as he came out from the shadow. I hope he saw everything. What an exhilarating moment! "A trick like that deserves a nice treat!" Lollipops.
"Alright!!" We all ran to get a lolly before everyone else did. Mmm... I guess getting candy as a reward is the best thing for a kid, and I don't blame them at all, but you can also just buy these from the candy store down in Cappy Town normally. Still, it tastes quite good.
"And don't think I didn't forget about you wanting 'proper' compensation for this, Klarissa." *gasp* PEANUTS! He remembered! I ran back over quickly to grab the bag of the good stuff. First he's the only one to pronounce my name properly, and now this?! Ahh... This is the life. More for the pile. And these are pre-de-shelled, too! I am SO gonna take any more offers from him, I HAVE to pay him back after this!
"That was fun!" Fololo exclaimed what was on everyone's mind.
"So's getting candy!" Falala was more interested in what was in her hole. Kirby too. "Poyum~"
"I guess it's okay to help Escargoon as long as it doesn't help King Dedede." Tuff noted.
"You said it. Could he ever work up these schemes like he does?" I told him, shoving the goods into my mouth. No. No he cannot. Can he think properly? I think not. This is a memory I'll forever cherish as the night we enacted our thrill or be thrilled scheme..!
Hahahaha... *fwush!* The lights flushed open, halting our victory. We looked at the other direction. Oh no.
"Uh oh!" Falala squeaked out once we saw.
It was what remained of the Ebrums, clearly annoyed that they were lead astray... and Meta Knight tagged along too. The book that held the score of Blumenkranz was promptly dropped by Tiff.
"What's going on here, you guys?"
"Kirby?"
"Why are you all here with Escargoon?"
Daughter, mother and father were looking for answers. Everyone shambled about, trying to find a way to salvage this discovery. Tuff laughed awkwardly. I followed suit.
"Uhh... Hehehe... Ya see, uh... *sigh* The jig is up. We're pinched for sure."I sadly went to the man of the hour. I tried. Really, I tried. I'm afraid I'll have to tell you the truth. There... was no ghosts. There wasn't ever a ghost.
"U-Poyo!" Why is he so happy about this? This is most certainly not a good thing!
"It appears we've found our... ghosts." Meta Knight was half prying, and half expecting of what he was seeing.
"One of you had better explain!" Mr. Prime pushed us for an answer. Quickly. A lie is the only thing that pitifully planted inside our heads. How can we save ourselves from this? How can we save face...? How can we survive this night unscathed? How can we evade punishment for a prank ever so delightfully exhilarating? We were just too scared to speak, and yet... Our "leader" took a step forward, and reluctantly ratted us all out.
"Alright. This... was my revenge."
"What do you mean?" Simple, Tiff.
And thus, the whole thing was explained. His Fowlyness likes pranking him because he's a coward. He's got a seemingly bottomless imagination of ways to drive him... mmm... "crazy". Simple jump scares, locking rooms, dark and light contrasts, freaky costumes... Could be anything, really. But, judging by his tone, he seemed... guilty from this. But why? He's the one who started the whole thing! The one who brought us all together for the night for this prank!
"And so that is when I decided to turn the tables and make him the victim for a change...!" Yes... he's tearing up right now. But why?
Wieso siehst du so traurig aus? I whispered to myself. I'd ask out loud, but I don't wanna get hanged, drawn, and quartered for treason. But I DID take it far, so I should probably own it to not be the only one among us to live. I'll ask later. Why do you look so sad? The kids were all on varying levels of shame and humiliation, except for Kirby, and especially Tuff and I.
"Well... That's tragic, isn't it?" I don't understand, Mr. Prime. It's not tragic at all. It shouldn't be.
That slimy prick continued with the schpiel. I'm sorry I lied to you. I was onto this the whole time. Kirby, Fololo, Falala, Tuff, Klarissa, and Escargoon... We were the ghosts that roamed the castle to seek revenge, just as she said...! I'm sure you don't trust me with things as much, since you believed in me so... H-Hey! What do you mean I was awful at hiding this from you?! Where do you get all that... Anyways... He spent hours planning every detail of this elaborate, golden scheme before tonight. Breaking into the vault to get enough Denden to bribe Mabel with... Boobytrapping the drawbridge, and making sure Waddle Doo was kept in the dark... Editing the camera so a ghost appeared behind him... Even recruiting us all into his Ghost Squad...
"Just to get back at that beast...!" I hear ya. He WAS a beast. But I haven't heard that 'til just now. He approached me one afternoon privately. He whispered to my ear. I had no reason to reject him. I have no reason to reject this. We were then off to gather Kirby and the others separately. And here I was, facepalming in embarrassment, hoping for this moment to just be a daydream, or to die on the spot. That was me. I want to go die in a hole. When I had taken so much joy in making the king wail... Why do you look so sad? Why do we look so sad?
"It appears you were able to shamboozle us all..." Meta Knight trailed off, bringing some of us relief. Relief that at least he wasn't mad. Against better judgement, I slowly uncovered my face.
"By Jones, you certainly had me believing in ghosts!" Mr. Prime remarked. Someone such as him could've fallen for it any day. I'm just surprised Tiff fell for it...!
Like-Like on the other hand was having none of it.
"Tuff, I'm ashamed of you!" Kind of expected for now, isn't it?
But then again, neither was he.
"King Dedede's ALWAYS doing somethin' to scare us; why shouldn't we scare him?!" "Poyo." Now they were both defending their new "friend", and their actions. Well, I don't know about Kirby. I think he's still eating the lollypop, AND I don't speak poyo.
"Eh..." I stammered out a bit. He's not WRONG, but...
"Clarice?" Meta Knight blurted out.
"Hmm?" What does he want.
"I just cannot understand why you would do this. You say that you're 'carefree and unflappable'... but the revenge idea just does not make sense." Well...
"Oh, is that so? Well, that's because I have no cause for it."
"So you weren't pranked by the king? How-"
"No no, I was. Anyone he knows gets pranked in under 2 weeks, and you of all people should know. I think, yeah. You were there for that part, you know? He used to have some fun with me, you know. But he got bored of it ever since he tried switching the hot water in the ladies' room with boiling water."
"But then why-" Hmm?
"Oh it's nothing, Tiff. See, I legitimately am carefree and unflappable, like I said. You think that's a good thing... But when you're like that all the time, your whole world just sorta becomes... dull. Nothing can excite you anymore. Nothing can reach you anymore. Everything bores you now."
"And on your apparent disliking of him?" On my disliking of who? Ah...
"I'm going to ignore you mispronouncing my name, Meta Knight. But you'll get it soon enough. Because yeah, we just do NOT get along. Can't stand his smug attitude. Honestly? I'm looking for cheap thrills. I don't care if it's coming from someone like him, as you can see. Truthfully, if siding with Escargoon means I can go get THIS level of thrills... What does it matter if we're vitriolic? I honestly don't see the problem."
"Is that so?"
"Yes. He approached me for this trick on his own accord. You were there for that part, I believe. I was going to cut out most of my 19 hours of sleep for this joke. And the proof is in the lolly. A fitting payment for the fulfillment of his wish. No?" I held it out in front. It was sort of small. "Normally, I work for peanuts, but for this, I made an exception.
"Fitting?! This is simply a petty trick!" She's STILL not over it?
"So you say, Like Like. But it's as Tuff said. If the king is constantly pulling worse pranks on us, what does it matter if this gets pulled off? This, ultimately, is the hardest I've ever worked for a single piece of candy, and I'll gladly do this again, if it means getting a shred of THESE thrills... Besides, I suppose making His Fowlyness faint is nothing compared to the stuff he pulled with us~"
"Pardon? Like with what?"
"Look at my neck. Do you see this mark? Do you see this? Do you know where this came from? You probably already anticipate this answer. Yes, this is no thanks to him. His latest prank on me was, as I said, overloading the water load in the woman's bathroom, so when I would use the sink, it would splash boiling water everywhere. Sounds dramatic, of course. But it's true. 'Course, I'm no coward. He is. I'd never get a good reaction, but he did. So this is the last prank on me. But you know what, honestly? You could say it kinda circles back to what he said. 'Just to get back at that beast' or something, you know~?" This is probably going over your heads... so just take it as it is.
"So that's it, huh?" Tiff finally realized it all. Right back at ya.
"Exactly. And now, with this truth in your grasp, we all can say that this Escargoon Squad finally got their revenge." I popped out some sunglasses, and put them on, so it would look cooler once I said the "got our revenge" part.
"Well, I guess bad things happen to bad kings!"
"That's bad karma to you! Ohohohohohohoho!" We all broke out into laughter after I spoke. I'm just happy he's perked up from it. I can't fathom on why he felt guilty, but I'll ask that later...
"Ya sure had me shooken." WOAH! He's awake?! The king's awake?!
Everyone was also quite shocked at this turn of events. I would be, too.
"Ah! Sire-!"
"You sure went through a lotta trouble, and you got me good." Okay, I don't get THIS. Why is he so relaxed on this? Normally he'd have our heads any other day. Why is he not flipping out.
And he's... admitting that this is his fault?! What happened to him that made him act like this? Oh, I knew we should have simply hypnotized him asleep instead of hitting him with his hammer! Is he... Does that slimy prick not see anything wrong with this? Put this behind us... When has DDD ever done that? I know where this is going. I've seen it in a play. No boys, you're NOT buddies! Oh...
"You're free. Now let's put this whole thing behind us...!"
"My chum... Or should I say: my chump."
*WOOSH!*
"NO FOOL MAKES A FOOL OUTTA KING DEDEDE!!" THERE IT IS! THERE'S THE BEAST!!
"HUH?! Does this mean you're still mad at me?!" Yeah, no kidding!
"QUIEEEEET!! YOU JOKESTERS THOUGHT YOU SNUCK OUT THE LAST LAUGH?! WELL THE LAUGH'S ON YOU!!!" Ayeeeeeee!!! No no no! Run for it! Us ghosts ran like mad out of the basement.
"YER ALL GONNA BE GHOSTS WHEN I CATCH UP WITH YA!!!"
I think he's still behind us. He's still behind us. He's still behind us he's still behind us he's still behind us he's still behind us he's still behind us he's still behind us... Wait, what's that flying overhead? Oh, no use worrying, just keep running!
"Oooooooo..." The thing went on as it flew closer to us, then past us. We stumbled, then stopped, stumped. "A ghost...?" I thought aloud. It was honing on His Fowlyness...
"Hehehe! Can't fool me this time, Kirby!!" Your Fowlyness. That's not...
He tried catching it, but it just phased behind him.
"Kiiiiiiiiing Dedede~" It speaks?! Oh no. It turned around to face the one it wanted. The aforementioned king was stumped, like us.
"Uh... Clara? Kirby? Fololo? Falala? So who's that over-" His Fowlyness stopped just when he realized it. Fear warped across his face, so he just ran. Away from that thing. Yeouch!
"Pay what you owwwwwweee..." It went on like that as it chased him around. I shrugged to the group, then followed after 'em. They followed as well.
...
*5 more minutes devoted to sprinting later...*
I must've lost sight of the group, I ended up in the throne room... First the ghost came in, holding a sack of Denden, and taking it with it to that monster portal in the middle. Hey... Was that needed?
"A gold digger ghost...?" Wow, seems like the man of the hour's perplexed from these events as well. Everyone not named DDD files in here, circling in front of the TV to get some answers. Since that's where the Sales Guy makes fun of him through.
"What the hell." I blurted out in a dead-pan.
"What's this all about?!" Something the man of the hour didn't prepare for. His guess is as good as mine.
The TV suddenly flashes on. Yeah, it was the Sales Guy alright! "Overdue bills. King Dedede owed us big-time, and this was the only way we could collect. Ta-ta~" It turned off as quickly as it flashed.
What the hell.
"WOW Escargoon! Looks like yer tricks costed the king a lotta money!" Tuff shouted on an impulse.
"He DESERVED it! Life ain't a free ride, kid, you gotta pay for everything!" He's owning it now! Hahaha... I knew he had it in him.
*click!* Again?! The doors flung open. We faced the target.
"Heh. That's right." DDD's tone was just dripping with ill intent. "Now you're gonna pay BIG TIME!!!" Ayeeeeee! Get me outta here! Oh I wish Marx was here to see this...!
Color scheme: Albino level white skin, yellow-orange-peach colored hair, pink eyes, differently colored suits for the occasion, green skirt, white saddle shoes.
Visible body shape: N/A.
Possessed behavior (if applicable): N/A
Behaviors: Lingers around the upper floors, and especially the master bedroom. Will not make himself known unless his wards are hurt or summoned somehow.
