The shower fizzled to life, and Pyro undid his bandana and took his wristbands off. Floating inside the large booth, he felt the restoration of the water hit him and cleanse. It was rigid cold; just the way he liked it. At one point, he almost considered singing, but he knew he'd blow his cover. Ultimately, the shower itself was pretty loud, but he didn't want to instigate suspicion by reciting his favorite songs. Numerous times his hair would sidle across his face, blinding his vision.
He turned the nob clockwise and the water ceased with almost depressing drips. Opening the porcelin door, he levitated out and searched for a towel. Grabbing a very soft cloth and rubbing his face, Pyro felt a warmth. It was easily the most pampered time of his life. After slinking his bandana over his messy hair and slipping the steel armlets on, Pyro emerged from the bathroom and turned tail for Ludwig's room.
"... Hello?" Pyro slurred, trying not to awake Ludwig. But his efforts were wasted.
"GAHHH!!!" Ludwig screamed, jolting up in bed, almost falling over the edge. Clutching his sweaty forehead, Ludwig looked to Pyro. The Boo seemed just as alarmed as he did. Trying to explain, Ludwig stuttered, "The... he... Dark..."
"Oh no..." Pyro's worst fears had been realized. Matthew may have penitrated Ludwig's mind.
But the worst was yet to come. Pulling off the blankets, Ludwig discovered what may have scared a few years off his life.
Nothing like this had ever been seen in Kastle Koopa. It was tall, thin, and very fresh looking, judging by the small patches of blood blotted on Ludwig's arm. It was dark green in tint, its points sharp, and had a black center. But the most perplexing thing of all was that it was moving. Imprinted on his left bicep, Ludwig had received some sort of marking that twitched and made a sizzling sort of cry. It was an imprint of fire.
"What is that?!" Pyro screamed, looking at Ludwig's contorted arm.
"I have no idea!" he bellowed, jumping from his bed and scratching at his arm fearfully.
"Well, uhh," Pyro panicked, looking for some resource on hand. Only gurgling substances in corked vials laying on various tables and gigantic mechanisms seemed to be in the room. So, Pyro took a leap. "OFF HIM!!!"
A jet of green fire erupted from Pyro's hands and onto Ludwig's arm. Once it connected with the marking, a small glitter incarnated from Ludwig's branded arm. The lights turned to a shining purple with facile ease and flashed with concinnity. Recalcitrant to the fire, the mark broke the connection, making Pyro's fire die instantaniously. Both Ludwig and Pyro looked at each other simultaniously and dropped their jaws.
"... How are we supposed-"
"I don't know."
...
Neither of them slept that night. Both of them just lay down and stared at Ludwig's arm, tossing ideas of how to remove the mark and where it had come from. Pyro's best guess was just Darkness, but Ludwig's ideas differed.
"I don't think this was his doing. True, I think I did come in contact with it last night, but Matt's intentions were not to harm me. But... He said I was half Dark. Maybe it wasn't his own... Maybe it was just a random occurance."
"I seriously doubt that," Pyro rebuttled, watching the flames sizzle on Ludwig's arm. "Did you do it?"
Ludwig just stared. "Well, that's not the only useless appiphany I've heard so far."
A rap on Ludwig's door was heard. Both of them turned around and stared. It could've been either Teela, Karma, or some unfriendly persons that would not take a liking to Pyro's presence, which was no good for anyone. After letting Pyro become intangible and pulling the covers over the manifestation on his arm, Ludwig replied to the knock with a sadistic and distorted, "Enter."
The door creaked open. In stepped a small Koopa with a blue mohawk. His eyes were cut, giving the shifty message that he was unpredictable. Despite this, he was yawning and clutching a stuffed animal. "Time for breakfa-"
"I'm not hungry, Larry. Go tell Torte not to make me anything," Ludwig said, pulling the covers a little higher on his arm.
"But why? It's panackes! Chocolate pancakes!" Larry retorted, advancing forward. Underneath his invisible sheild, Pyro winced. The Koopa was a foot away from him.
"Go... uh, tend to your plants," Ludwig said, biting his lower lip and laying back in bed.
So this is Larry the tree lover, Pyro thought, remembering Teela's previous thoughts on Karma's scent.
"... Larry, leave now," Ludwig said tartly, coughing up a small wisp of ember. The Koopa merely turned tail and showed himself out as Pyro became visible.
"Who was that?"
"My brother, Larry."
"You have a brother?"
"Five brothers and one sister," Ludwig said, dabbing his sheets on the marking.
"Six siblings? That's insane!" Pyro said, leaning back in the hammock. He himself was an only child, and couldn't understand how so many children could live under one roof.
"Gets like that." Ludwig sighed, scratching at his arm feverishly.
...
For an hour, neither Pyro nor Ludwig said anything. Both of them were merely brainstorming ideas on what the marking was. It was very akward, but the quiet barrier was soon broken by another rap at the door.
"Guys?" said a familiar femanine voice from the outside. Another sighed and pushed the door open, revealing both Karma and Teela.
"Karma!" Ludwig cried, realizing she had stepped into the room. She and Teela looked very tired, probably just waking. Leaping from the bed and pulling the sheets off himself, Ludwig ran to Karma.
What was running through his mind at that point was anyone's guess. It could've just been an impulse, or maybe his thoughts on the oracle last evening were stronger than he and Pyro percieved. But, nonetheless, Ludwig did the unexpected. He had kissed Karma.
Both Pyro and Teela (and maybe Karma) were wide-eyed. Ludwig wasn't just quickly kissing her. This was a very passionate one. For a second, Karma, in all her abashed glory, looked like she would've positioned her hands in the appropriate places, but no, she was too shocked and her arms remained clutched in Ludwig's palms. Pyro was positively petrified; he'd never actually deduced that this was something Ludwig did. Teela had flushed a pale white, possibly by the means that this was not regularly practiced. But in the hype of everything, a very red Ludwig had pulled away.
"Holy cow," Pyro said, his left eye slightly twitching.
"Why... uh... How cute?" Teela replied, at a loss for words.
"Wha'dja do that for?!" Karma cried venomously, taken back. For a second, everyone could picture a red slap across Ludwig's face. However, much to their surprise, Karma's hands remained stationary. Despite this, she stood her ground fiercely.
"Somebody told me to do that."
"YEAH, WELL SOMEBODY'S A TRAMP!" she barked, shoving Ludwig. He doubled back a few steps, and a contorted look of glee, confusion, and dislike had fallen across his face.
"I'm sorry, I just-"
"Well, off that," Teela interjected, raising her hands up and droping her head. Probably out of pure luck, Teela's aqua eyes had met the marking. "Ludwig, that thing! WHAT IS THAT?!" she screamed, flailing her paws at the Koopa's upper arm wildly. Ludwig pulled back, revealing it to a still-dazed Karma. She moved her head closer to his arm and let her jaw go slightly, somewhat surprised. A moving tatoo of green fire obviously wasn't appealing to her.
"Anybody got an idea of how to get rid of it? I think he and I've spent enough time wondering about it," Pyro started, slightly losing the pink blotches on his cheeks. All of them (minus the still fuming-mad Karma) thought hard.
"Well, we've already tried the books," Teela said, sniffing it. To her curiousity, it smelt just like Pyro: a bed of scathing coals. "This definitely falls under Darkness."
"Hmm... Iggy?" Ludwig suggested, knowing Iggy had read and mastered most magic.
"Kamek," Karma finally sputtered.
"Oh... Great," Teela spat. She wasn't too fond of Magikoopas, especially powerful ones.
"Who's Kamek?" Pyro inquired. Kamek was an uncommon name, only used by wielders of very explicit magic.
"Off his rocker, he is. But a master at magic," Teela retorted, pushing her bangs back.
"Well then, why not tell Kamek?" Pyro insinuated for them to leave the room.
"Because he's King Dad's righthand man," Ludwig replied.
"More like stooge," Karma spit ruefully, as Teela snorted with glee.
"Well... I don't feel that would be the right thing to do. Kamek tells Father everything. I don't think he would put past that we're hording a pyromaniac Boo and a wanderer." Ludwig sighed.
"I'm not a pyromaniac!" Pyro corrected angrily, confidence mutilated. Teela said nothing at Ludwig's previous comment, but bit her lower lip slightly.
"Well, are you gonna live with that tatoo on your arm for the rest of your life?" Teela finally piped, crossing her arms, leaning forward and cocking her head to the door.
Ludwig sighed once again. "... I'm not confident, but I think we can manage a lie."
"Ooo, Dr. Jeckle is letting his Mr. Hide come out," Karma retorted. Ludwig just shot a look of malice at her.
"Ok, well, I'd better... uh, brush my teeth. I guess I'll leave you two alone-" Pyro grasped Teela's arm. "Oh, you too, Teela? Good idea. Let's go."
"What are you ta-" she was cut off by a door slamming shut. Once in the hallway, Pyro became intangible. He peered into the keyhole in Ludwig's room, but just received a slap in the face.
"You can see me?!" Pyro said, looking around and rubbing his left cheek tenderly. Teela was nowhere. Just when he turned back to the keyhole-
"You're gonna spy on them?" Teela said, hushing her voice slightly.
"Duh."
"But why?"
"Because it's for the greater good." Pyro chuckled half-heartedly. But then it hit him. "Hey, you're not invisible!"
"Yes I am," Teela replied, tapping her chest twice.
"But... I can see you." Pyro said, in awe. "Wait wait wait." Confused, Pyro continued, "You're invisible?"
"... Yeah. Why?"
"You can become invisible?!" His voice picked up accidentally, making him cut himself off. Teela smirked.
"One of my many, many talents."
"Okay, great, now lemme spy."
"No! Cut it ou-"
"Oh God, could he be less smooth!" Pyro smirked, staring at the two inside the room. Karma, still taken back, said nothing. Ludwig was apologizing and telling her about his dream. She didn't seem phased.
"Pyro, what's this for? For the greater good?! Honestly, if you have a sap of rationality-"
"Sad to say I don't," Pyro finished, smiling almost malevolently.
...
Karma opened the door forcefully, as if she was just crushed under the weight of ten tons. Unfortunately, Pyro had received both a keyhole-like black eye and an "I told you so" from Teela every time he remotely touched it. But, after a half hour of laying on Ludwig's bed, it seemed like a plan was coming together.
"Kamek is a snitch, we are all aware of that," hissed Ludwig. "Yes, so we need to out-snitch him. We could very easily create a diversion-" Ludwig cocked his head in Teela's direction, "-and smoke him out of his room. Not that hard. But Karma so graciously reminded me that we had completely ruled out the fact that Kamek is a skilled Vertist."
"A skilled what?" Pyro asked, still violently pressing his hand against his hair-hidden eye.
"Kamek is really good at Vertiasm. It's the art of the mind. So we know that he could read our thoughts."
"Oh... Great." Teela sighed. Ludwig finally started back up.
"But I know of a substance called Legixamant that nullifies Vertiasm, but it's too easy to detect in us. Only a real Magikoopa could take a dose of Legixamant and not be interrogated to why he had taken it. So, this strikes out Legixmancy brewing."
"I can't think of a way how to root our way around Kamek... It seems like the old bird'll have to know that I'm infested with some sort of Darkness..."
"No he won't," Pyro finally piped, putting Ludwig to rest. "'Cause I can keep a clear mind. I'll go talk to whatshisface."
Ludwig didn't think twice about arguing. "I can study Veritiasm and I'd bet you all that I own that I'd be able to read you like a book."
"I'll take you up on that bet!" Pyro stated, puffing his chest out and throwing his hair back, revealing his black and blue eye and a handsome smile.