[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/6W7bqko.png[/img]
[h2][color=FD0000]The Koopa Troop[/color][/h2]
[b][color=FD0000]wordcount:[/color][/b] 1425 (+3) (+16) (+13 for B&R, +7 for J&K)
[b][color=FD0000]Bowser: Level 12 [/color][/b] EXP: [color=FD0000]//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////[/color] (195/120)
[b][color=SpringGreen]Bowser Jr: Level 12 [/color][/b] EXP: [color=SpringGreen]//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////[/color]///////////////////////////////// (85/120) 59
[b][color=DeepSkyBlue]Kamek: Level 12 [/color][/b] EXP: [color=DeepSkyBlue]/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////[/color]/////////////////////////////// (68/120) 42
[b][color=Aqua]Rika: Level 7 [/color][/b] EXP: [color=Aqua]//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////[/color] (81/70) 
[b][color=FD0000]Location:[/color][/b] The Under - Home of Tears
[hider=warp locations]
[s]
Central hub: Smash City Alcamoth
Accessible locations:
Peach’s castle
Limsa Lominscuttle Town
Lumbridge
Twilight Town
Kosm’s Beach
[/s]
[/hider]
[/center]
The party of the depths slogged their way back out of them, a slow but ultimately event-less journey, the mass of flesh that had distracted them on the way down not making another appearance. 

There was no light to emerge into, of course, only rain, but there was still warmth to be found in the form of friends and kin. Friends and kin who had not had Jr’s presence to cure them of their ills, and who had just finished rooting around in a dumpster.

Specifically, Jr and Kamek found Rika sitting on the ground next to a pile of ammo while Bowser tried his best to try and reconnect the cable from the gauntlet P had stolen into a port in her back.

Spark [color=Aqua]”Ow!”[/color] [color=FD0000]”sorry”[/color] Spark 

His best wasn’t very good.

Thus the king was doubly relieved when his son and royal advisor hurried over to join them, both because, well, they were alive and well, but also because he could hand over the technical stuff over to Jr, feeling nothing but pride when the boy sorted out the issue in only a few seconds. 

[color=Aqua]”aaaand up we go again”[/color] Rika declared as she got back on her own two feet [color=Aqua]”phew. Feels good to be able to walk again.”[/color] before hunching over in a bit of pain and holding her stomach, the after effects of the poison still with her [color=Aqua]”That kid was a real big jerk, i can still feel my skin itching yech”[/color] 

As Jr set about fixing up the two of them with his white mage magics, Bowser asked [color=FD0000]”Oh right, yeah, where is the kid anyway?”[/color]  with blissfully ignorance of what had occurred down in the tower’s depths

[color=DeepSkyBlue]”Ah, well, you see, things did not go … quite according to plan”[/color] Kamek told him, tapping his forefingers together tepidly as he tried to think about he could explain things

[color=FD0000]”Huh, what do you mean?”[/color] 

[color=SpringGreen]”The spells wouldn’t make him stop, and we couldn't just grab the big energy monster thing he turned into so they … well .. they killed him”[/color] Jr explained with a mix of frustration and gloom in the mages place, to which Kamek swiftly added [color=DeepSkyBlue]”It was that or let him run off and drain the city’s clock dry, so they, and I, did what we had to do”[/color] in explanation of the action.

The king visibly slumped in response to the news, and neither of the other koopas really knew what to say, which left plenty of room for Rika to come in and comment with [color=Aqua]”Well that’s a shame. I reeeeeeally wanted to punch him in the mouth over and over for everything he did, the frustrating little jerk”[/color] with all the care of a bull in a china shop, the ship girl coming at this from an entire different emotional wavelength than the rest of them.

[color=FD0000]”I … Rika … he was a kid”[/color] Bowser attempted to explain, but only got a blank look before she went on [color=Aqua]”But he made food hurt! Who does that! And made me itchy, and stole my things, and he was just, you know, really annoying”[/color]

[color=DeepSkyBlue]”He did also threaten to functionally kill everyone in the city, and apparently regularly went out and did the same kinds of awful things that he did to us to other people sire”[/color] Kamek pointed out the boy’s more serious crimes, namely violently tormenting, belittling and  harassing the populace.

[color=Aqua]”Yeah, and that stuff’s probably bad too!”[/color] Rika agreed with a nod, before pivoting the entire conversation around to what she cared about which was [color=Aqua]”But you know what’s good? I’m adopted!”[/color]

There was a moment of confused silence as the koopas suffered yet more emotional whiplash.

[color=SpringGreen]”I …”[/color] Jr started, very confused

[color=Aqua]”By Bowser! Right? Adoption is, like, becoming part of a family right? Which I am now? Right? Or always was? You didn’t really explain that bit”[/color] she tried to clarify, glancing repeatedly at Bowser as she did so.

[color=FD0000]”I … Yeah?”[/color] Bowser agreed, mind still trying to catch up, before adding a more enthusiastic [color=FD0000]”Yeah!”[/color] once it caught up.

[color=Aqua]”Yeah!”[/color] Rika echoed, before turning to Jr and saying [color=Aqua]”Which means that I’m your sister now. At least I think that is how that works?”[/color] 

[color=SpringGreen]”Oh …”[/color] jr replied, not really knowing how to respond to that, but eventually settling on [color=SpringGreen]”Neat”[/color] 

[color=Aqua]”I know right”[/color] Rika agreed, having thought exactly the same when she found ot. 

While he did this Bowser was giving Kamek a ‘have I messed up’ look that he hoped no one would see, while the mage in question was holding his melting heart in one hand, and then gave a thumbs up and an agreeing nod with the other, which left Bowser much more relieved than he would admit.

[color=FD0000]”Alright, tonight, or this morning, or whatever it is, has been way too long and hard. So…. Family hug time!”[/color] the king declared, scooping up both his kids in his arms, much to both of their delight (though Rika’s was much more audible than Jr’s), and then declared [color=FD0000]”So let’s go get some shut eye”[/color] which jr at least was a little less delighted with.

[color=SpringGreen]”Aw, but I don’t wanna go to bed. I mean rest, sure, but it's only just the afternoon!”[/color] he complained, before spying something over his dad’s shoulder and asking [color=SpringGreen]”Hey, where’d you get that papa?”[/color] 

[color=FD0000]”Oh that? I might have grabbed some of the stuff a bunch of robots where using”[/color] Bowser replied, explaining the little pile of games and dvds and devices for playing them that P’s robots had no more use for (seeing as they had all exploded)

[color=SpringGreen]”Oh cool. We took some stuff too, but queeny bee’s holding all of it”[/color] jr explained, before glancing over and saying [color=SpringGreen]”Hey uh Rika ... sis? ... wanna play some video games instead of sleeping?”[/color] only to gasp incredulously when she responded by asking [color=Aqua]”What’s a videogame?”[/color] and then insisting she play them with him at once

[color=FD0000]”Alright, games, rest”[/color] Bower declared, before his stomach rumbled and demanded his notice, causing him to add [color=FD0000]”and room service too for lunch. Sound good?”[/color]

[color=DeepSkyBlue]”An excellent plan sire”[/color] Kamek agreed, as he waved some toadies forwards to pick up the loot Bowser had acquired for him, while the kids both gave [color=Aqua]”mm[/color][color=SpringGreen]mm”[/color]s of agreement.

[hr]

Thus the time passed, with Bowser and Kamek actually getting some shut eye, while jr introduced his new sister to the wonderful world of videogames. It was, admittedly, a bit of a janky one. The prince had absolutely no idea what any of the stuff they had acquired was like, the mess of consoles and games from several worlds being both a combination of an archivist’s treasure trove and scrapheap with a few jewels in it for anyone actually looking for fun.

The pig and monster entertainment systems for example, looked almost identical, and contained a library of games which were all weird alternate spins on the other’s. There was also a [url=https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/xcom/images/e/e4/Alien_Entertainment.png]weird disk[/url] that they had 0 luck in getting to work (probably for the best). The Funmachine had a game where you boxed with snakes, another one that tried to teach math via fighting ninjas ontop of a few others. Meanwhile the GamePig, entirely unrelated to the PEN, featured a bunch more pig themed games such as Corporate Swine, Golf, OverWorld Zero, Swine Hunter, Swinekeeper, Street Hog, and Tic-Tac-Triop. 

A lot of them were pretty simplistic, basically just a minigame, and so they ended up rolling back around to the MES console, and playing a bunch of monster kart on it for a few hours (Rika with her 0 experience with games came last most of the time, baring one particularity contentious item driven win, but she still had a blast regardless), before taking power naps of their own. 

They all woke up a bit later when Bowser got hungry again because they were approaching dinner time. At that point they packed up and trooped out, running into Sectonia on their way out, and inviting her (and anyone else who might be about) to come get dinner with them. That, and suggesting that they should take a look into somewhere they could sell the treasures they had acquired, Kamek pointing out that it would most likely be good to send the artwork, fancy furniture and other shiny objects to some kind of auction house or other high class goods selling establishment rather than trying to pawn if off at, well, a pawn shop.

Either way, that could wait till after food, and so the troop set out to find a restaurant, inevitably hitting the downtown and passing by Nadia’s lookout spot on their way there.