Just-Call-Me-J

Pauline stepped into the doorway to take the call. "Hello?" Ludwig, meanwhile, looked down at his body, shaking. "What was that?" "You…" Wendy started, also shaking, "you didn't sound like you." "Peach, finally! I've been—" Pauline got cut off, presumably by the princess. "Yes, they're here. Wendy's awake now too. Turns out she—" She was cut off again. "Hang on, Peach, slow down." She tucked her phone between her head and her shoulder, and she set her handbag down on a nearby chair. After rummaging through it, she pulled out a pencil and a memo pad. "Start from the top. What's happening?" While Pauline wrote and talked, Kraig examined Ludwig closely. "Shadows don't behave that way under normal circumstances," he observed nervously. "Obviously," Blue commented. He rolled his eyes, "But I think we can all agree that, given everything that has happened within the past 24 hours, we are not currently in normal circumstances, are we?" "Petal Meadows?" Pauline repeated in the

"Princess Wendy!" Kraig walked quickly over to her side. "Thank the Stars you're awake! How are you feeling?" Blue Koopa called after him. "You're not supposed to doctor, Kraig, remember?" Kraig turned, "I'm not, I am simply asking her a question. There is nothing wrong with that." He turned back to face Wendy again. "Princess Wendy, how are you feeling? How long have you been awake?" "How much did you hear?" Ludwig asked, looking more fearful than Wendy had ever seen him. Wendy looked down at her wrapped legs, then looked directly into Ludwig's eyes. "I woke up in time to hear something about jokes, then I heard her make several phone calls, trying to reach Mario and Peach." She pointed at Pauline, then addressed her. "I'm not a fan of either one, so if you're their friend, I don't think I'd be a fan of you." She smiled gently. "But they have Roy, Larry, and Bowser safe with them, so I can't be mad about it. Thank the Stars they ended up there." Pauline nodded. "Your brother's

Ludwig finished his tale, glaring at Blue Koopa the whole time. She glared right back. A very awkward silence lingered as the atmosphere grew heavier and heavier. Ludwig spoke first, breaking the silence, but not his eye contact with Blue or the tension. "I hope you all realize now why I must do everything within my power to stay away from Bowser." "That's what you think you must do," Blue hissed, "but it's not. You don't have to hide from him. You don't have to hide him from yourself." Pauline cleared her throat. "I have to agree with Blue on this. Even if you're worried for Bowser Jr.'s safety, he deserves to know why you always avoid him." "They all deserve to know," Blue corrected. "Even if that were true, what they deserve does not outweigh what they need," Ludwig growled. "What Bowser needs." Blue exploded, "And you think you know what he needs?! You've been avoiding him for four years! You probably don't even know what his favorite color is, let alone what he needs!" The