Mimi's Quest Chapter 4

He couldn't understand.  There was nothing to understand to all of this pitiful story.  So pathetic...
But who was pathetic, he could hear her saying.  Her...  All three girls he dared to say.  Oh yes, he could see the three of them, giggling (even if it wasn't in Nastasia's personality) around him, laughing at his incomprehension...  After all, they did past all the last weeks laughing each time they saw him.  Though for Mimi, he believed that she was giggling all the time, because of her stupid knight. “Oh he did this tee hee and he did that tee hee!” Worse than a Mario's fangirl...  He was getting insane with all this matter...
He just... couldn't understand.

― “Hn?” did O'Chunks, in pyjamas, as he passed before Dimentio's room.  Wasn't quite his habit to stay on the floor, and it wasn't much more his to look outside through his window, standing in that way.  Elbow on the wall, hand on his hip, arm over his head... Sounds like he was in deep thoughts.  Oh, wait, that guy was always thinking, completing things in people's back.  Hum... What did the Count said again?
― “Hey, you, wut are you doing?”
― “Thinking”
― “Oh... Eh, wait, about wut?”
― “Mimi.”
― “Oh.” Well everything was alright then.
― “No, wait, I-I mean, argh, why is she so obsessed by him?”
― “Because she loves him.”
― “But how come she's in love with him?  What so fascinating with this guy?  It's not like he sparkles or something!”
― “Why are ye so obsessed by the lass?”
― “What does she likes in him?”
― “Why are ye so jealous?”
― “What did he do to make her so obsessed by him?”
― “O'Chunks, he's not listening to you, go get dressed, the Count has a mission for you.”
― “Oh... Er... Alright then.” did the warrior, as the assistant looked at him with her serious face, papers in her arms.  She gave a quick glance to the jester, who was getting insane with his jealousy.  The magician continued questioning Mimi's love for this knight, as the secretary became absent-minded, not seeing that he was in front of her, trying to ask things about the little green girl, but she wasn't listening to him at all.  She simply realize something, something that was quite shocking, considering the clown's personality...

― “You haven't tried to break Mimi's heart...” she thought off loud.
― “Well mine is quite enough broken like that, thank you enough.”
― “Why haven't you done anything?” she continued, not listening at all to the magical jester.
― “Oh, well, as much as I would like to talk with that brat, she's―”
― “It's not because I told you to let her live her dreams...” she added, her hand on her chin.
― “What? Why would I do such a―”
― “You must be up to something...” she concluded, since whenever there was something, Dimentio had to add his little touch.  And this matter concerned him quite enough, since he was losing his girl to a perfect stranger.
― “Why nobody even listen to me in this castle!?”
― “What are you planning, Dimentio?”
He sighed, his hand on his forehead, as Nastasia wondered why he was doing this.
― “Oh, why am I losing my time with these people?” he said, angrily, snapping his fingers to teleport away.
― “What...?” did the blue hypnotist, as the warrior came back, now in his normal clothes.
― “So, wat is t'e mission?”
― “Follow Mimi.” she said simply, as natural she could be.
― “Wut?” did the warrior, shocked, as he didn't want to enter Mimi's love life.
― “The Count wants to know why she never comes back before midnight.  In other words, he wants you to bring her back home before 10 pm.”
― “Wut kind of boring mission is tat?”  She gave him a cold glance and he sighed.  “Alrig't, alrig't...”

~~~~~~~~~~~

― “My... This is such a charming place!”
― “Well... You deserve better, but I know just how simple you are, my fair lady...”
She giggled, as they went to take a seat to the bar, where three big muscular cooks were chopping sushi ingredients.  She had never heard of that place before... Though she must say, even if it has been three years that she lived around here, she knew quite little of Flipside.  And then again, they were in Flopside, tee hee! A much better place, she must say.  Though she never expected him to know that the town had a “dark” side, or whatever you were supposed to call it.
― “What a spectacular performance, if I may say.” said Sir Frederich to the cook before them, while Mimi was looking at the purple fish in the aquarium next to them.  So typical of a fish restaurant... but then again, they were so pretty!
― “Ay it's not'ing!” said the cook, in such a chunky voice that Mimi gasped in shocked.  She turned around to see the worse nightmare she could ever see in this place.
― “What are you doing here!?” she spit, angrily, her knuckles turning white.
― “Eh?  Mimi?  Oh so t'at ye boyfriend?” said O'Chunks, as he rolled some ingredients.
― “N-no!  That's― no!” She put her head in her hands, so ashamed.  Why of all the people must he be the one here?  Couldn't it be Mr.Loser or, even at least, Dimentio?  He wasn't that ugly, for once!  And even if he loved to embarrass her, he didn't look stupid!  And he could do magic!  So that was... you know... impressive, and in a positive way!  Not like that hairy moron!  The only impressive thing about him was that he could fart on command!  She looked on her side ― oh, yes, thank lord, her knight wasn't looking this way and he didn't hear the warrior's question!
― “What are YOU doing HERE!?”
― “Eh?  Wut do ye mean? I'm workin' 'ere!”
― “What?  Working?”
― “Yeah, it 'as been like a year!”
Emptiness filled her mind, as her mouth opened large, blinking her eyes.  A quick flash of Dimentio saying “This gym smells fishy, ah ha ha!” came, but it vanished soon, since she just couldn't see this... guy working in... food...
So that's why he smelled like fish...

― “Is he a friend of yours, my dearest?” asked the knight, and she jumped out of fear.
― “Yeah, ye can say t'at.  We're workin' for t'at Count, ye know?” answered O'Chunks, before Mimi could do anything.
― “Erm... No, I don't know.”
― “No?”
― “No.”
― “Oh...” did the warrior, scratching his head. “Well t'at's too bad.”
The sir looked disappointed, and Mimi whined.  Oh, why in all worlds?  Why must she be so bad lucky?
― “Your... organization sounds quite secret...”
― “Wut!? No way! It's just too long to explain!”
― “Let's just say that the Count saved our lives, and now we own him big.” cut Mimi, as she didn't want to talk about the world's destruction stuff.  He wouldn't like her anymore if he knew that she wasn't a nice girl...
― “I see...” said the knight thoughtfully. “Do you think... your Count will let me join your group?”
― “Really!?” said Mimi, cheerful. “You will stay with us!?”
― “S-stay?” asked Frederich, and the little girl looked heartbroken. “Oh... I'm so sorry, Mimi, but I can't leave the Mercury Order, you know.  I am been asked to come back home every night, and mornings must be spent together.  I can't afford that much luxury―”
His cellphone rung.  He sighed, as he looked on the screen, then frowned.  He didn't answer.
― “I'm so sorry, Mimi, they're calling me.  Speak of the devil!” he laughed, while rolling his eyes, but Mimi didn't find it funny at all. He kissed her on the cheeks, before leaving. “I'm sorry, my dear, but worry not, as I keep my promise for after tomorrow!” he added, kissing her hand before turning around, his cape flowing in the air.  The little green witch took that hand, putted it on her heart, and sighed.

― “O'Chunks...”
― “Yeah?”
― “Do you think Nassy will hate me if I leave the castle?”
― “Eh?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

― “Can't you see he doesn't like you!?”
― “You're just saying that because you're jealous!”
― “Why would I be jealous of a stupid brat like you!?”
― “Stop calling me brat, you ugly monster!”
― “I say whatever I want!”
― “Well me too!”
― “That doesn't mean I do whatever I want to!”
― “Well that's your problem!”
― “Mimi!  MIMI!” yelled Dimentio as the little girl was running away, crying.  He lifted his arm, but nothing came. “Damn it, Nastasia!” he shouted, as he turned around to look as the assistant, with her arms crossed. He tried to take off the anti-magic device she forced on him and Mimi, to make sure that they will still have a house tomorrow.  Unfortunately, he simply couldn't do anything against these bracelets. “Take them off!”
― “Calm down, Dimentio...”
― “How am I suppose to calm down?  You will let her leave the castle?”
― “No, but―”
― “Then do something!”
― “There's no point at be so angry― oh, geez, Dimentio...” she sighed, as the jester broke one of the device, throwing it away ― in other words, in the Count's face. Unfortunately, O'Chunks was just behind him, ready to lock another bracelet on his arm.
― “What what what?” said the Count as he woke up, looking at everybody confused.  Timpani sighed.
― “Mimi wants to leave the Castle to―”
― “What!? As long as I'm here, this little girl will never leave this place!” yelled the Count as he stood up, before teleporting himself to some place.
― “Why can he do that and not me!?” cried the jester, pointing to where the Count was.
― “Um, I wasn't expecting that one...” said Nastasia before vanishing, following the Count.

O'Chunks grabbed Dimentio by the neck.
― “Now ye stay calm down 'ere, ye little punk!” he yelled, shaking the poor magician.
― “Why don't you just admit it?” asked Timpani, closing her book with a little smile.
― “Argh!” answered the jester, and O'Chunks realized that he couldn't talk because he was shaking him, so he let him stay on his feet.  “Arherm... Admit what, may I ask?”
― “You know...” she giggled, rolling some hair on her finger, but Dimentio didn't seem to understand at all.  “Maybe she'll stay if you tell her that you lo―”
― “No!” he replied before she could finish, with a gesture of the hand to cut off the discussion. “Anyway she's too in love with this stupid knight of her...”
― “Do you really think so...? ~” asked the Countess, laughing quietly.
― “She wants to leave us so that she could leave with him!”
― “Maybe she's just trying to get you jealous...?”
― “She's always talking about him!”
― “And you're always talking about her! ~”
― “If―” started Dimentio, but as he saw Timpani's smile, he realized that she didn't care a single bit about what he was saying. He sighed. “If I ever tell her that, she'll flee this place asap, anyway...”
― “That's what you think!”
― “Oh, and how could your thinking be right, miss?”
― “Hey, I'm the married one, here!”
― “So what?  You're saying that you hated the Count before loving him?”
― “What do you know...?” she smiled mysteriously.  Dimentio and O'Chunks looked at her with shock.
― “T'at makes sense.” shrugged O'Chunks, to which the jester got mad.
― “What?  How DARE you compare me to that useless drunkface! I'm so much refined that this― oh you damn cabbage, you will regret this...!” yelled the smaller magician, as he left the place, furious.
― “Leave him be, O'Chunks.  By the time he'll remove his bracelets, he'll forget.” said Timpani as the warrior was about to pursue him.  He sighed, scratched his head, then sighed again.
― “Yes O'Chunks?” asked Timpani, as she could sense that he wanted to ask her something.
― “Was it true yer... ye know...”
― “No, of course not.  Blumiere is a little short-tempered, but he was shy.  And kind... Anyway, we're not like them.  We don't like to fight.”
― “Eh...” approved the warrior, as he looked through the window.  There, he could see the shadow of Mimi hitting on the Count, surely crying because he forbid her to leave.  He guessed Nastasia's shape on the edge of the window, behind the Count who was standing still.  Then Mimi fell down to her knees, and he took her in his arms.  “Hurm...” He didn't know what the Count told her, but he guessed that it worked.  After all, she was still in the castle, no?