Our heroes were sailing across the waters towards Keelhaul Key.
"Come on, pumpkin, tell us how your outing went." She had been dodging the subject since last night.
“I-It was normal, without anything interesting”
Hiding in her shell did not convince anyone, the girls had decided to use her new transformation only in breaks, except Yoshibeth who bought a spear before leaving to practice in her weapon mode, as she calls it, in the night.
"Anything goes, even if she leaves you alone" But Goomarina was also going to listen, the other two also stopped what they were doing.
"W-Well, there was a rare event" She only was able to avoid the interrogation the day before because the fighter convinced them that they needed a motto or some introduction for the transformations
…………………………………(Flashback)………………………………………………
Since a place called Rogueport wasn't a tourist mecca, Dante took Koopatricia to the Piantas' casino, which in this reality was bigger and had a gym connected to it.
"W-Why didn't the others want to come?" She already knew, but she wanted to ask anyway, she had to accept that this was happening.
"Apparently they want to go out individually, you can always get to know a person better" And he wasn't going to argue with Claudia either.
"I-It's true"
Despite being nervous, for basically her first date in her life, she was quickly adjusting because Dante was still behaving as usual… well, almost.
"I-I have something on her face" His partner had not stopped looking at her since she started with the Peck Deck machine
"Not at all, I can't help but appreciate her new ways." He was using a treadmill as he wondered how this helped a role...the others would know they built it for a reason.
“A-Are we that pretty?” She didn't know why, but she wished had her shell.
"They already were from the beginning, this changes the angle for my personal zone"
“T-Thank you” She could understand how the landscape changed.
"You're welcome, it's the truth"
They were exercising for a while until in the break room they saw an air hockey table
(Well hockey exists, this was a possibility)
"Do you want to play?" At his question, his companion's eyes seemed to shine.
……………………………………………………………………………………………
The game ended in a carnage.
“It was fun” Koopatricia put the battledore and her disc in their place
"And overwhelming 9 to 1." He wasn't upset, more like impressed, did this count as sport?
“I hadn't played in a while and I got excited” She scratched her head while hid her arm in her shirt… habits don't die regardless of the body.
"Okay, you needed to relax and it worked." He shot her a smile, which she returned.
“You know, my dad is very lively, but he says that my love for sports and games comes from my mother”
“You feel like this connects them, right?”
She nodded.
"That's nice, they told me that my taste for cooking came from my grandfather" He never met him, but would have liked him.
For a few minutes they shared other memories until the blond jumped on a particular question.
“Do you want something for your victory?”
Something immediately came to the head of the former turtle girl and she began to reproach herself
"Don't be embarrassed, we're partners, ask what you want" It was easy to see that she hesitated.
"W-Well there is one thing" She couldn't believe that she was doing it… so much being with Claudia and Goomarina was beginning to affect her.
"Say it"
“Y-You see, I-I'm the only one in the group who…” She took a deep breath.
"... has not given you a kiss" It was a thorn that she had stuck
The blond did a quick count and, if you counted Yoshibeth's licks, was right.
"No problem, it's an honor to receive a kiss from a pretty girl" He approached his cheek
At this point, she was not going to back down, she gathered all her courage and…. she gave him a little kiss
"W-Wasn't that hard." Her lobster blush said otherwise.
"I'll give you a very special extra" Dante gave her a little kiss on the forehead
As she processed what happened her world began to spin as if using a Dizzy dial.
………………………………………………………………………………………………..
"What happened?" The first thing she saw when she woke up was Dante's face.
“You were very tired and you fainted”
She remembered the last thing she did and hid in her shirt, luckily she only exposed her navel with that move.
"If you want it can be our little secret that you received my first kiss" He whispered through the clothes
That didn't make her feel any better… well, yes, but not in the way she was looking for.
………………………………………………………………………………………………..
Returning to the present, the turtle did not say anything about this and she only revealed what happened next.
"A peculiar old fortuneteller blessed us" It was not a joke, now she could do something very bizarre, but it would help in the adventures.
"Huh?" It was the general reaction of her friends.
……………………………………………………………………………………………
It was night on the ship, and everyone except the lookout and two people were sleeping.
“I can't believe how luxurious this ship is, Marcos must be very rich” In the captain's cabin, against common sense, there was a bed that supported his team.
"It's you, what are you doing here at this hour?" He bumped into the other awake crewman and it wasn't the lookout.
“I was looking for the bathroom” He couldn't tell that he was just coming back from “visiting” a friend.
(Maybe make this a once-a-year tradition) His "friend" wouldn't take much more of that "talk" anyway.
“As you say, it is a free zone”
"What are you up to?"
“Sharing one last drink with my father” Bomlivia had the Cocoroco and two glasses poured.
(How can they eat?) He wouldn't spoil the moment by asking, but it was a valid question.
When she drank her glass, she threw the second one into the water
"There you have, dad, I'll take the rest, it was my gift after all." Despite keeping her expression, being easier for her kind, tears streamed down her eyes.
"If he's lucky he'll be in a better place." Fair was not the right word.
"And that makes people feel better?"
“Some more than others, but I prefer to think positive” Being a living example helps
"Since you tell me about this, have you also lost someone or are you a freeloading leech... I'll tell you straight, I won't join whatever you and those other lunatics are." She frankly didn't even want to find out.
"That will sit badly with Goomarina and Yoshibeth. We had already discussed your welcome gift and place to sleep."
Bomlivia looked at him directly, she couldn't tell if he was joking or serious.
"I lost my parents in a plane crash" Dante contemplated the infinite horizon, he wanted his parents to have their own adventures.
“I never trusted those machines, being in the air without wings is not natural”
“Says the Bob-Omb that sails on the water”
"… Fair point"
"Good night" He began to retire to sleep.
"Is that all? You're not going to try to catch me in your net or whatever it's called." Should she feel offended?
"Well, it's a private moment and we don't know each other that well so you want my company all night, if you want it there's no problem, besides we have a long trip..."
“Not so much with this constant tailwind, we will arrive tomorrow night”
"But right there the adventure begins and that's how they all joined the group"
"Good luck with that, blondie."
"Thank you, red-haired, my name is Dante just in case" With that goodbye they parted ways
Bonus
While our heroes had their days off and sailed, Princess Peach couldn't get Dante out of her head, more precisely her last encounter.
"You can't know, right? Right!?" Many questions ran through her head.
"How much more do they know about this? If this came out it would be the most embarrassing thing of my reign, I don't even know how Master Kinopio would react... Calm down, it's nothing, just one more rumor, like the one about the book that allows you to travel between dimensions hidden in the castle... Why did I listen to that mole saleswoman in that strange store?... I haven't used it in a long time… Enough, this isn't the time for this!… Breathe and calm down.” She seemed to forget that Dante could hear her, but coming back to her situation, it took her a whole day to get back to normal.
………………………………………………………………………………………………
A few days later, when he received the business card from his partner, he had regained enough dignity to face him.
(I can't resist!) Dante had to do it
“Today I wanted to talk to you about my teammates, you will like them, they are excellent people”
“I can imagine.” If they fight against the people who kidnapped her they must be very noble, she didn't even offer a reward.
(Reward?) She would think about it later.
………………………………………………………………………………………………..
"And Goomarina crushed those guys" Recounts some encounters of the archaeologist, especially hers "fans"
"She could have been less violent, but I understand her reaction." They had to attack Bowser every time he kidnapped her.
“Yes, she vibrated with emotion”
"W-what did you say?"
“I said that she jumped with excitement, sometimes she does”
Peach thought that was exaggerating.
………………………………………………………………………………………………
“Koopatricia gave everything for her father”
“She is someone to admire” Facing a dragon for her family, she would love to meet her.
“Yes, but it still goes deep… cough”
“H-How?”
"Excuse me, I think something got into my throat, I meant that she takes refuge in her shell a lot"
“I-I understand” These coincidences are annoying.
………………………………………………………………………………………………..
“Is actress Claudia part of your group?!” She likes several of her movies.
“Yes, we helped her recover her necklace”
(here is a bet)
“How nice of you”
“Yes, it's made of a lot of balls or was it pearls? I'm not sure.
"..." They couldn't be diamond, right?
………………………………………………………………………………………………..
“Sounds very lively” He seemed like a particular Yoshi
“Recently he became interested in a long spear…”
Peach was blocked for a moment, she had no words, this would not be his favorite conversation or the one he remembered the most with Dante; If there was some way, for her to agree, to the blonde knowing her secret, she'd think Dante was making fun of her, but she didn't know if that would make her feel more or less humiliated.
