"Chapter 5-The Shift Begins": show
Chapter 5-The Shift Begins
Hawke couldn't help but be rather impressed by Ana's speed as she dashed through the trails. Even in his prime physical state he couldn't quite catch up. Then again, she was a ninja, and he was an ex-commander. She'd been out in the field much more than she.
It had taken them less than ten minutes to get back to the Mansion, a place that Hawke had actually never seen in person, despite knowing a couple of its darker inhabitants. He would work with them in gyms and other such places. He certainly had a feeling that he wasn't certified to be here, and he was relatively sure he had no idea why he was following her in the first place.
He approached the back door after she did, stopping to ask "So, how do I get in without breaking any code of conduct or regulations?"
"Regu-wha?" she asked, dumbfounded.
"I mean, how do I get in when I'm pretty sure I'm not supposed to be here without permission?" he explained. "I'm pretty sure no one, stickers included, are allowed in without it."
"Oh," she replied. "Well, only one way to find out!" On that note, she opened the door and walked right in. Hawke put his forehead in his hand as he followed, somewhat concerned.
He could only imagine how odd he must have looked, following young Ana as she quietly walked down the hall. Hawke couldn't help but recognize how subtle and quiet she had become, which was unusual for her.
She was tapped on the shoulder by Luigi, who Hawke recognized from his studies on the Smashers. "Oh, you're looking for Master Hand?" he asked with a slight smile and a knowing look.
"How did you know?" she replied to him in a voice quieter and calmer than her usual voice around Hawke.
"I just had a feeling," he replied with a shrug, then regarding Hawke with an eyebrow raise. "Afternoon, sir?"
Hawke nodded.
"What brings you here?"
"I need to talk to Master Hand."
Luigi nodded. "Okay, just follow the hall to the end. There'll be a small sign with a white hand on it; that's where you go in."
Ana wasted no time. With a quick "Thank you" to Luigi, she started to walk down to the office. Hawke nodded and followed her. Luigi gave Hawke a slight smile and replied "Glad to accommodate!"
Within a half minute, Ana had made it down to the office. Within forty-five seconds, Hawke had as well. She opened the door for him and he walked in, giving her an odd glance she had no response to.
Master Hand waited there for the both of them upon hearing the door open. He floated in front of his desk, which had no nameplate as one would usually suspect, and sat across the room from another desk of the same structure; yet while Master Hand's was plain and had nothing on it except papers and a computer, the other desk was colored with multiple paints in a zigzagged rainbow, had many decorations (most notably a large pile of silly putty) and the papers were scattered all over the place. It was like looking in a mirror made out of a negative.
"Hello there, Miss Ana. And Mr Hawke," he addressed them both with an even tone. "One of our stickers. I trust you have a reason to be in here?"
"I..." Hawke didn't know what to say; only a slight relief on not having to rely on Ganondorf for identification.
"I hate to be a stickler, but the code of conduct does say that you may not be in here without permission," the disembodied voice continued. Hawke found it strange to have that rule and yet to have an door so easy to access a six year old could do it, but he wasn't going to bring that point up to a hand the size of his body whose rules he had probably just defied.
"Oh, uhm..." Ana spoke up, with a nervousness that Hawke found only minutely unusual; after all, he himself was rather nervous of Master Hand. "...I wanted to see if he would come to dinner?"
Master Hand was silent at this. "I... certainly wasn't expecting this to be about a young girl inviting a friend for dinner. Nor did I expect the friend to be such a dark, tall, thirty year old man. It's intriguing... indeed."
Hawke started to become nervous; a feeling so unlike him, a feeling that he had rarely felt in a war, if ever, that he had started to feel trying to work a social situation out. True, the fact that he was trying to work it out with a giant floating glove may have had a small impact, but it still felt ridiculous to Hawke.
"If it helps," he stated, "it was her idea."
Master Hand spent a little more time silent, then he flicked the air, his middle finger flicking forward with such a strength that it caused a small wind throughout the room. The papers on the other desk were hopelessly scattered by now. "How on earth," he asked, "did you two run into each other?"
Hawke started to speak, but was interrupted by "I meant for her to answer."
Ana turned bright red, but managed to squeak out "I... I, uh, I went out into the big clearing when I wasn't supposed to."
"Weren't supposed to?"
"Kat said not to go that far out," she responded meekly, shrinking into herself.
"Your twin sister?" Master Hand asked, bemused. Ana nodded.
He wiped off one of his knuckles with his thumb. "While I personally don't see why your twin sister should have that kind of impact on what you do, it is none of my business. Go on, Ana."
"I saw him sitting there, on a log. He looked quiet and lonely, so I talked to him. He's really nice." she continued quietly. "He told me about his adventures to get the flowers back."
Master Hand chuckled at her choice of words. "Your adventures, Mr Hawke, don't sound nearly as heroic out of the mouths of babes," he stated. "Nevertheless, you do know it is against the rules to be here without authorization, right?"
"I do, sir."
"And the fact that you were brought here by a six year old is somewhat suspicious from where I'm sitting?"
"I assure you, sir, I mean no harm."
Master Hand cracked his knuckles, the popping sound louder than either of them could speak. "I will let you stay tonight for dinner, sir, but rest assured I will have my eyes on you, so to speak."
Hawke nodded. "Thank you, sir."
"Thank you, Mister Hand!" Ana said, a bit of her usual pep back.
Master Hand simply responded with "You may go now."
It was no trouble to either of the to obey his cue; they walked out of the door in silence. Hawke was quite relieved to be out of the same room as Master Hand. "So,erm, Ana," he asked, looking around, "You mind introducing me to the others?"
Ana shrugged. "I guess."
Hawke started to follow her down the hall back to the main living room, where several people either sat or stood around the television. Hawke didn't even bother to see what they were watching, since he never watched TV on his own accord nor knew anything about it. He was able to recognize Luigi from earlier, Princess Zelda and then Ganondorf, who he had trained. The latter broke the real-life silence caused by the TV by looking at Hawke and greeting him loudly. "Hello, Hawke!"he gave Hawke a small grin, his deep, scathing voice echoing the dull room. "What brings you here to our mediocre abode?"
"Indeed,"the princess spoke up. Hawke gave her a hasty glance. "I'd like to know how you got in here with her." She gestured to Ana with a withering glare at the both of them.
"Oh, can it, you little snot," Ganondorf growled as he made his way to Hawke, his large boots clomping along the carpet. He clamped a hand on Hawke's shoulder and told her "Hawke's a good guy. That's somewhat figurative, coming from me, of course. But he means no harm."
Hawke nodded. "I was simply invited by Ana here to attend dinner."
"If you say so, Hawke,"she replied, her suspicion not departing. "How did you meet her in the first place?"
"Oh, I met him out in the big clearing! He's really-" she started, but covered her mouth in surprise when she realized she had went too far.
"In the big clearing?" Zelda replied with surprise. "You know you shouldn't go that far! Kat and I have told you many times not to stray that far from the house!"
"I'm sorry," was Ana's meek reply.
"Do you know how much danger you could have put yourself in?" Zelda wasn't finished disciplining Ana yet. "You could have gotten kidnapped- in fact, by this man here!" She jabbed a finger at Hawke.
Hawke gave her a dangerous glare. "I would appreciate it greatly," he told her in a forceful monotone, "If you would stop referring to me as a brute, especially in front of more reactive minds."
"I would like to know what in Din's name-"
"Will you! Shu-hu-hut up!" Ganondorf shouted as he gave a hateful dead-on glare to Zelda, to Hawke and Ana's surprise. "God's sakes, I don't know what in hell possesses me to share a twenty-foot span of space with you, you snippy little-" he paused for a second, then muttered as he leaned directly into her face. "You're lucky there's an impressionable young girl right here or this would not be the half of my reaction. Now, you will leave Hawke alone, at least while he is here. Or, so help me, not Din, Nayru or your damned Keebler elf will protect you from my wrath."
Zelda held his glare for a moment, but told him "If it means you'll tone down your theatrics in front of our guests" she gave one last pointed glower to Hawke, "then I will not press the issue. For now. Now, kindly get out of my face."
Hawke gave a surprised look to Luigi. He just shrugged. "I got nothing to do with this."
Ganondorf straightened up and said "Ah, forget her, Hawke. I oughta get you set up in the dining room. Dinner's about to start." He looked at a dead-quiet Ana and said "She can come along, too." He ambled out of the living room before there could be any discussion on the matter, and the other two followed.
"Now, you see, Hawke," Ganondorf was saying, "Master Hand doesn't spend any extravagance on us the Smashers for the most part. He doesn't want us to get god complexes, or think that we necessarily are better than others just because we work for him." He gave a short, boisterous laugh and said "Unfortunately, he tried that on me too late, but that's beside the point. The mansion is the economy flight of mansions; no frilly stuff, just a normal house that's large." He opened the dining room, and while doing so, said "The dining room, however, was his splurge. Magnificent, ain't it?"
Hawke had to agree as he beheld the sight with raised eyebrow. The table was nearly as long as a football field, with large, smooth stone tiles similar to a patio floor and Gothic-style crafted legs that went up to Hawke's chest. With a grin, Ganondorf pressed a button in front of the chairs, and one of the tiles lowered down to Hawke's waist, and then at another press of a button, back up to its former height. "Perfect for little people like you!" he said to Ana with a grin.
"Wow," Hawke said with his eyebrow still raised. "I had not ever seen a table with features like that where I came from."
"Course! That's because Crazy Hand created it!"
Hawke sighed. "Another hand?" He did not enjoy that concept.
Ganon nodded. "Don't worry, he's not a di- er... a stickler like Master is. He's in the kitchen as we speak, making dinner."
"To clarify, you're letting someone with 'Crazy' in their name create your meals?"
"Oh, don't worry about it. He's a relatively sane guy. You should meet him!"
Hawke had only a moment of skepticism before he decided he had nothing to lose. He started to walk into the large kitchen before Ganondorf, and Ana still trailed behind him.
"You enjoy his company, I have other things I must occupy myself with!" Ganon was already heading down the hall as he spoke those words, not waiting for a good bye.
He deduced, as he ducked swiftly to avoid a flying pan, that Ganon was likely wrong about any trace of Crazy's sanity.
He picked it up and walked calmly through the chef's caliber kitchen. Ana hesitantly climbed up onto one of the cabinets with expert grip, climbing sideways next to Hawke as he tapped another disembodied glove on its cuff, which looked nearly identical to Master Hand. "Sir, I believe this belongs to you," was all he had said.
"Perfect!" the hand boomed. His voice was not as deep as Master's, and Hawke could recognize a jovial, carefree accent on it. He turned to a short, pink sphere and said "Now, Kirb, don't let me catch ya throwing this again. You could have knocked the man out!"
Kirby responded with "Sorry, Craz! I was trying to perfect a ninja cooking technique!"
"Ninja cooking technique?" Crazy repeated. "Damn! I wish I had thought of that. Well, practice it when you don't have to worry about knocking out a guest!"
"Who is our guest?" Hawke traced the voice down to a tall bipedal red fox, whom was creatively named "Fox." He had a small skillet in his hand just above the stove-top and was slowly tilting it around, but stopped to give a short salute to Hawke upon seeing him. Hawke replied with a stiff one of his own.
"I have no idea!" Crazy laughed as he split five separate eggs at once.
"I'm Hawke. I'm one of the stickers." he explained, reluctant to start this whole routine over.
"Oh, so you're the one who Zelda was flipping her tiara over!" Crazy chortled loudly, and it echoed off of the stainless steel. "I don't see why, you seem like a good guy."
"Good guy?" Kirby's whole frame shuddered at those words. "He looks like pretty much every wanted poster in the city! Just look at the trenchcoat!"
"But I like trenchcoats..." was all Crazy had to reply with.
Fox spoke up this time. "Give him a chance. He seems levelheaded, which is more than we can say for the two of you."
Crazy laughed again. "Oh, Fox, you know me so well. C'mon, guys! Let's get this guy to work!"
"To work-"
Luckily Hawke had fast reflexes, so he could catch a whisk that Kirby had thrown at him mid-sentence. "Here, why don't you stir the eggs for Crazy?"
"Pardon me for saying so, but I believe Crazy is a large living hand, and therefore would be perfect for whisking the eggs?" Hawke gave Kirby a skeptical look.
Fox chuckled as he poured the sauce in the skillet into a large bowl in the center of the room. "Don't let Crazy have the whisk. He'll go into turbo mode and blast them all over the wall. There's no hope after that."
Crazy cackled again. "Ah, memories, memories." He went to turn around but saw Ana was still along the wall, crouched sideways. "Holy hell! Random ninja alert!" he jerked up in the air, nearly hitting the ceiling. He laughed as he noticed how high up he was and settled back down.
"Ana, my God! I will say you do a fine job as a ninja, but this is the last place a young girl should be during the dinner rush!" Upon saying that, he picked her up in his palm; she didn't bother to protest. "Now, shoo, shoo, and perhaps when things die down you can teach Kirby some ninja cooking techniques. Go!" he shouted, tossing her out the door and causing her to yelp in surprise. "I'm sure there are many friends you could play with!" He shut the door at that and rushed back in. "Alrighty, birdbrain, let's get that whisking started!"
Hawke stopped upon the word birdbrain, but still managed to take the bowl from Crazy's station and start to whisk silently. He noticed Fox move his station closer to him, and Hawke gave him a silent nod. Fox chuckled as he started to grate some cheese into another bowl and said "I hope you don't mind my cooking partners. They can be quite overwhelming the first time around."
Hawke shook his head. "I've met crazier. I'm quite relieved that he's not diabolical."
Fox nodded. "If he were to become evil, the world wouldn't have a chance. So, what do you do?"
"I'm a sticker," Hawke re-iterated. "I coach Ganondorf and Meta Knight."
"I know that. But no one gets to be involved with the Smash tournaments in any way without some sort of street cred. What got you in?"
Hawke shrugged. "I was a former war general."
"That's cool," Fox grinned. "You're in good company. I'm a mercenary space pilot. I lead a team called Star Fox."
"I heard of that."
"That's good to hear. How about you? What was your war like?"
How to go about this... Hawke thought, and settled on "A rather average war. I just had a good reputation, I suppose."
"Well, you must be doing a good job," Fox gave him a short elbow, "because Meta Knight's winning the tournament far and away."
"Really? Good to hear." Hawke wasn't interested in the slightest.
"Then again, Ganondorf's in last place by a landslide."
"How ironic."
Fox cocked his head. "You don't seem very... into the tournament."
"I don't suppose I am. I'm not a very excitable person."
"Not like the other stickers. They have a grandiose of patriotism."
"I'm not one for much patriotism." True enough. He had left his home country of Black Hole after betraying it.
"For an army general I find that odd."
"I have my reasons."
"Touche."
They worked in silence after that. Hawke decided he rather liked Fox.
Not even five minutes later, Hawke felt himself being ushered out by Crazy Hand. "Out, out, out!" he cried.
"Wha-"
"I won't have our guests cooking for us! That's simply rude of us. I insist you wait outside!" Crazy insisted, shoving him out the door before Hawke could retort, not that he would have bothered.
Hawke brushed his trenchcoat off, and then looked at the table, looking for where he could take a seat. He noticed that Ana was still sitting at the table, with a box of crayons and sketch pad in front of her. Hawke walked over to her, and couldn't help but notice how nice her drawing was. He watched her dutiful strokes against the paper, and up at the small vase with flowers she was drawing.
He spoke up first. "I thought you'd be playing with the other kids."
Ana shook her head.
"In fact, you've been awfully quiet the whole way here."
"I don't really want to talk to the others that much."
He finally took a seat as she said that, next to her. "Why is that?"
She shrugged her response.
"You seem to talk to me just fine."
"You were always quieter than me. So you needed someone to talk to."
"I rather admire the way you put things into perspective." Hawke was no longer surprised at her perception, but still amazed.
"I... don't know what that means."
"It means you're smarter in a way that others aren't."
"Thank you, Mister Hawke." Her usual lilt started to return to her voice. Hawke couldn't help but smile at that.
The full realization of the meaning of that hit him right there. He had genuinely smiled for the first time since he had seen Lash before he had left. He was not that much of a smiler. And he didn't know what had changed him so much here.
Slowly, the dining room started to fill up with people, animals, Pokemon, and other such creatures. Some looked at Hawke with confusion but didn't pay him heed. People were still pouring in when Crazy burst out, holding a large stack of plates. He tossed them all out, managing to get everyone's plate right where it was supposed to be, never mind that the table was already set to many different levels of height.
Kirby came out and started to pass out forks and napkins. Hawke accepted his with a short nod, keeping his eyes on the door.
Crazy shoved the door open again, his frame almost entirely covered by a tray with what Hawke perceived to be omelets. Not Hawke's favorite, but it'd do.
"Ladies and gentlemen, dinner," he swiftly tossed out all of the omelets with expert precision onto the diner's plates, and then added with grandiose, "is served!"
Hawke wasn't great with social situations, and being in a dining room with over fifty different people and creatures certainly wasn't an ideal place to be. But he cracked his knuckles and got ready to begin what he could assume to be a roller coaster of a meal.
A/N I... really, I'm horrible at estimating length. This is turning out to be a lot longer than I thought it'd be. Really, this, 4 and the next chapter should have been one, but if it were, it would take up a crapton of words. Yikes.
Anyway, it should be finished soon. Thanks again, Foxpilot!
And to Souldin... I sure am glad there's no rules on length. Not sure if you'll be, though. XD
MoD
Hawke couldn't help but be rather impressed by Ana's speed as she dashed through the trails. Even in his prime physical state he couldn't quite catch up. Then again, she was a ninja, and he was an ex-commander. She'd been out in the field much more than she.
It had taken them less than ten minutes to get back to the Mansion, a place that Hawke had actually never seen in person, despite knowing a couple of its darker inhabitants. He would work with them in gyms and other such places. He certainly had a feeling that he wasn't certified to be here, and he was relatively sure he had no idea why he was following her in the first place.
He approached the back door after she did, stopping to ask "So, how do I get in without breaking any code of conduct or regulations?"
"Regu-wha?" she asked, dumbfounded.
"I mean, how do I get in when I'm pretty sure I'm not supposed to be here without permission?" he explained. "I'm pretty sure no one, stickers included, are allowed in without it."
"Oh," she replied. "Well, only one way to find out!" On that note, she opened the door and walked right in. Hawke put his forehead in his hand as he followed, somewhat concerned.
He could only imagine how odd he must have looked, following young Ana as she quietly walked down the hall. Hawke couldn't help but recognize how subtle and quiet she had become, which was unusual for her.
She was tapped on the shoulder by Luigi, who Hawke recognized from his studies on the Smashers. "Oh, you're looking for Master Hand?" he asked with a slight smile and a knowing look.
"How did you know?" she replied to him in a voice quieter and calmer than her usual voice around Hawke.
"I just had a feeling," he replied with a shrug, then regarding Hawke with an eyebrow raise. "Afternoon, sir?"
Hawke nodded.
"What brings you here?"
"I need to talk to Master Hand."
Luigi nodded. "Okay, just follow the hall to the end. There'll be a small sign with a white hand on it; that's where you go in."
Ana wasted no time. With a quick "Thank you" to Luigi, she started to walk down to the office. Hawke nodded and followed her. Luigi gave Hawke a slight smile and replied "Glad to accommodate!"
Within a half minute, Ana had made it down to the office. Within forty-five seconds, Hawke had as well. She opened the door for him and he walked in, giving her an odd glance she had no response to.
Master Hand waited there for the both of them upon hearing the door open. He floated in front of his desk, which had no nameplate as one would usually suspect, and sat across the room from another desk of the same structure; yet while Master Hand's was plain and had nothing on it except papers and a computer, the other desk was colored with multiple paints in a zigzagged rainbow, had many decorations (most notably a large pile of silly putty) and the papers were scattered all over the place. It was like looking in a mirror made out of a negative.
"Hello there, Miss Ana. And Mr Hawke," he addressed them both with an even tone. "One of our stickers. I trust you have a reason to be in here?"
"I..." Hawke didn't know what to say; only a slight relief on not having to rely on Ganondorf for identification.
"I hate to be a stickler, but the code of conduct does say that you may not be in here without permission," the disembodied voice continued. Hawke found it strange to have that rule and yet to have an door so easy to access a six year old could do it, but he wasn't going to bring that point up to a hand the size of his body whose rules he had probably just defied.
"Oh, uhm..." Ana spoke up, with a nervousness that Hawke found only minutely unusual; after all, he himself was rather nervous of Master Hand. "...I wanted to see if he would come to dinner?"
Master Hand was silent at this. "I... certainly wasn't expecting this to be about a young girl inviting a friend for dinner. Nor did I expect the friend to be such a dark, tall, thirty year old man. It's intriguing... indeed."
Hawke started to become nervous; a feeling so unlike him, a feeling that he had rarely felt in a war, if ever, that he had started to feel trying to work a social situation out. True, the fact that he was trying to work it out with a giant floating glove may have had a small impact, but it still felt ridiculous to Hawke.
"If it helps," he stated, "it was her idea."
Master Hand spent a little more time silent, then he flicked the air, his middle finger flicking forward with such a strength that it caused a small wind throughout the room. The papers on the other desk were hopelessly scattered by now. "How on earth," he asked, "did you two run into each other?"
Hawke started to speak, but was interrupted by "I meant for her to answer."
Ana turned bright red, but managed to squeak out "I... I, uh, I went out into the big clearing when I wasn't supposed to."
"Weren't supposed to?"
"Kat said not to go that far out," she responded meekly, shrinking into herself.
"Your twin sister?" Master Hand asked, bemused. Ana nodded.
He wiped off one of his knuckles with his thumb. "While I personally don't see why your twin sister should have that kind of impact on what you do, it is none of my business. Go on, Ana."
"I saw him sitting there, on a log. He looked quiet and lonely, so I talked to him. He's really nice." she continued quietly. "He told me about his adventures to get the flowers back."
Master Hand chuckled at her choice of words. "Your adventures, Mr Hawke, don't sound nearly as heroic out of the mouths of babes," he stated. "Nevertheless, you do know it is against the rules to be here without authorization, right?"
"I do, sir."
"And the fact that you were brought here by a six year old is somewhat suspicious from where I'm sitting?"
"I assure you, sir, I mean no harm."
Master Hand cracked his knuckles, the popping sound louder than either of them could speak. "I will let you stay tonight for dinner, sir, but rest assured I will have my eyes on you, so to speak."
Hawke nodded. "Thank you, sir."
"Thank you, Mister Hand!" Ana said, a bit of her usual pep back.
Master Hand simply responded with "You may go now."
It was no trouble to either of the to obey his cue; they walked out of the door in silence. Hawke was quite relieved to be out of the same room as Master Hand. "So,erm, Ana," he asked, looking around, "You mind introducing me to the others?"
Ana shrugged. "I guess."
Hawke started to follow her down the hall back to the main living room, where several people either sat or stood around the television. Hawke didn't even bother to see what they were watching, since he never watched TV on his own accord nor knew anything about it. He was able to recognize Luigi from earlier, Princess Zelda and then Ganondorf, who he had trained. The latter broke the real-life silence caused by the TV by looking at Hawke and greeting him loudly. "Hello, Hawke!"he gave Hawke a small grin, his deep, scathing voice echoing the dull room. "What brings you here to our mediocre abode?"
"Indeed,"the princess spoke up. Hawke gave her a hasty glance. "I'd like to know how you got in here with her." She gestured to Ana with a withering glare at the both of them.
"Oh, can it, you little snot," Ganondorf growled as he made his way to Hawke, his large boots clomping along the carpet. He clamped a hand on Hawke's shoulder and told her "Hawke's a good guy. That's somewhat figurative, coming from me, of course. But he means no harm."
Hawke nodded. "I was simply invited by Ana here to attend dinner."
"If you say so, Hawke,"she replied, her suspicion not departing. "How did you meet her in the first place?"
"Oh, I met him out in the big clearing! He's really-" she started, but covered her mouth in surprise when she realized she had went too far.
"In the big clearing?" Zelda replied with surprise. "You know you shouldn't go that far! Kat and I have told you many times not to stray that far from the house!"
"I'm sorry," was Ana's meek reply.
"Do you know how much danger you could have put yourself in?" Zelda wasn't finished disciplining Ana yet. "You could have gotten kidnapped- in fact, by this man here!" She jabbed a finger at Hawke.
Hawke gave her a dangerous glare. "I would appreciate it greatly," he told her in a forceful monotone, "If you would stop referring to me as a brute, especially in front of more reactive minds."
"I would like to know what in Din's name-"
"Will you! Shu-hu-hut up!" Ganondorf shouted as he gave a hateful dead-on glare to Zelda, to Hawke and Ana's surprise. "God's sakes, I don't know what in hell possesses me to share a twenty-foot span of space with you, you snippy little-" he paused for a second, then muttered as he leaned directly into her face. "You're lucky there's an impressionable young girl right here or this would not be the half of my reaction. Now, you will leave Hawke alone, at least while he is here. Or, so help me, not Din, Nayru or your damned Keebler elf will protect you from my wrath."
Zelda held his glare for a moment, but told him "If it means you'll tone down your theatrics in front of our guests" she gave one last pointed glower to Hawke, "then I will not press the issue. For now. Now, kindly get out of my face."
Hawke gave a surprised look to Luigi. He just shrugged. "I got nothing to do with this."
Ganondorf straightened up and said "Ah, forget her, Hawke. I oughta get you set up in the dining room. Dinner's about to start." He looked at a dead-quiet Ana and said "She can come along, too." He ambled out of the living room before there could be any discussion on the matter, and the other two followed.
"Now, you see, Hawke," Ganondorf was saying, "Master Hand doesn't spend any extravagance on us the Smashers for the most part. He doesn't want us to get god complexes, or think that we necessarily are better than others just because we work for him." He gave a short, boisterous laugh and said "Unfortunately, he tried that on me too late, but that's beside the point. The mansion is the economy flight of mansions; no frilly stuff, just a normal house that's large." He opened the dining room, and while doing so, said "The dining room, however, was his splurge. Magnificent, ain't it?"
Hawke had to agree as he beheld the sight with raised eyebrow. The table was nearly as long as a football field, with large, smooth stone tiles similar to a patio floor and Gothic-style crafted legs that went up to Hawke's chest. With a grin, Ganondorf pressed a button in front of the chairs, and one of the tiles lowered down to Hawke's waist, and then at another press of a button, back up to its former height. "Perfect for little people like you!" he said to Ana with a grin.
"Wow," Hawke said with his eyebrow still raised. "I had not ever seen a table with features like that where I came from."
"Course! That's because Crazy Hand created it!"
Hawke sighed. "Another hand?" He did not enjoy that concept.
Ganon nodded. "Don't worry, he's not a di- er... a stickler like Master is. He's in the kitchen as we speak, making dinner."
"To clarify, you're letting someone with 'Crazy' in their name create your meals?"
"Oh, don't worry about it. He's a relatively sane guy. You should meet him!"
Hawke had only a moment of skepticism before he decided he had nothing to lose. He started to walk into the large kitchen before Ganondorf, and Ana still trailed behind him.
"You enjoy his company, I have other things I must occupy myself with!" Ganon was already heading down the hall as he spoke those words, not waiting for a good bye.
He deduced, as he ducked swiftly to avoid a flying pan, that Ganon was likely wrong about any trace of Crazy's sanity.
He picked it up and walked calmly through the chef's caliber kitchen. Ana hesitantly climbed up onto one of the cabinets with expert grip, climbing sideways next to Hawke as he tapped another disembodied glove on its cuff, which looked nearly identical to Master Hand. "Sir, I believe this belongs to you," was all he had said.
"Perfect!" the hand boomed. His voice was not as deep as Master's, and Hawke could recognize a jovial, carefree accent on it. He turned to a short, pink sphere and said "Now, Kirb, don't let me catch ya throwing this again. You could have knocked the man out!"
Kirby responded with "Sorry, Craz! I was trying to perfect a ninja cooking technique!"
"Ninja cooking technique?" Crazy repeated. "Damn! I wish I had thought of that. Well, practice it when you don't have to worry about knocking out a guest!"
"Who is our guest?" Hawke traced the voice down to a tall bipedal red fox, whom was creatively named "Fox." He had a small skillet in his hand just above the stove-top and was slowly tilting it around, but stopped to give a short salute to Hawke upon seeing him. Hawke replied with a stiff one of his own.
"I have no idea!" Crazy laughed as he split five separate eggs at once.
"I'm Hawke. I'm one of the stickers." he explained, reluctant to start this whole routine over.
"Oh, so you're the one who Zelda was flipping her tiara over!" Crazy chortled loudly, and it echoed off of the stainless steel. "I don't see why, you seem like a good guy."
"Good guy?" Kirby's whole frame shuddered at those words. "He looks like pretty much every wanted poster in the city! Just look at the trenchcoat!"
"But I like trenchcoats..." was all Crazy had to reply with.
Fox spoke up this time. "Give him a chance. He seems levelheaded, which is more than we can say for the two of you."
Crazy laughed again. "Oh, Fox, you know me so well. C'mon, guys! Let's get this guy to work!"
"To work-"
Luckily Hawke had fast reflexes, so he could catch a whisk that Kirby had thrown at him mid-sentence. "Here, why don't you stir the eggs for Crazy?"
"Pardon me for saying so, but I believe Crazy is a large living hand, and therefore would be perfect for whisking the eggs?" Hawke gave Kirby a skeptical look.
Fox chuckled as he poured the sauce in the skillet into a large bowl in the center of the room. "Don't let Crazy have the whisk. He'll go into turbo mode and blast them all over the wall. There's no hope after that."
Crazy cackled again. "Ah, memories, memories." He went to turn around but saw Ana was still along the wall, crouched sideways. "Holy hell! Random ninja alert!" he jerked up in the air, nearly hitting the ceiling. He laughed as he noticed how high up he was and settled back down.
"Ana, my God! I will say you do a fine job as a ninja, but this is the last place a young girl should be during the dinner rush!" Upon saying that, he picked her up in his palm; she didn't bother to protest. "Now, shoo, shoo, and perhaps when things die down you can teach Kirby some ninja cooking techniques. Go!" he shouted, tossing her out the door and causing her to yelp in surprise. "I'm sure there are many friends you could play with!" He shut the door at that and rushed back in. "Alrighty, birdbrain, let's get that whisking started!"
Hawke stopped upon the word birdbrain, but still managed to take the bowl from Crazy's station and start to whisk silently. He noticed Fox move his station closer to him, and Hawke gave him a silent nod. Fox chuckled as he started to grate some cheese into another bowl and said "I hope you don't mind my cooking partners. They can be quite overwhelming the first time around."
Hawke shook his head. "I've met crazier. I'm quite relieved that he's not diabolical."
Fox nodded. "If he were to become evil, the world wouldn't have a chance. So, what do you do?"
"I'm a sticker," Hawke re-iterated. "I coach Ganondorf and Meta Knight."
"I know that. But no one gets to be involved with the Smash tournaments in any way without some sort of street cred. What got you in?"
Hawke shrugged. "I was a former war general."
"That's cool," Fox grinned. "You're in good company. I'm a mercenary space pilot. I lead a team called Star Fox."
"I heard of that."
"That's good to hear. How about you? What was your war like?"
How to go about this... Hawke thought, and settled on "A rather average war. I just had a good reputation, I suppose."
"Well, you must be doing a good job," Fox gave him a short elbow, "because Meta Knight's winning the tournament far and away."
"Really? Good to hear." Hawke wasn't interested in the slightest.
"Then again, Ganondorf's in last place by a landslide."
"How ironic."
Fox cocked his head. "You don't seem very... into the tournament."
"I don't suppose I am. I'm not a very excitable person."
"Not like the other stickers. They have a grandiose of patriotism."
"I'm not one for much patriotism." True enough. He had left his home country of Black Hole after betraying it.
"For an army general I find that odd."
"I have my reasons."
"Touche."
They worked in silence after that. Hawke decided he rather liked Fox.
Not even five minutes later, Hawke felt himself being ushered out by Crazy Hand. "Out, out, out!" he cried.
"Wha-"
"I won't have our guests cooking for us! That's simply rude of us. I insist you wait outside!" Crazy insisted, shoving him out the door before Hawke could retort, not that he would have bothered.
Hawke brushed his trenchcoat off, and then looked at the table, looking for where he could take a seat. He noticed that Ana was still sitting at the table, with a box of crayons and sketch pad in front of her. Hawke walked over to her, and couldn't help but notice how nice her drawing was. He watched her dutiful strokes against the paper, and up at the small vase with flowers she was drawing.
He spoke up first. "I thought you'd be playing with the other kids."
Ana shook her head.
"In fact, you've been awfully quiet the whole way here."
"I don't really want to talk to the others that much."
He finally took a seat as she said that, next to her. "Why is that?"
She shrugged her response.
"You seem to talk to me just fine."
"You were always quieter than me. So you needed someone to talk to."
"I rather admire the way you put things into perspective." Hawke was no longer surprised at her perception, but still amazed.
"I... don't know what that means."
"It means you're smarter in a way that others aren't."
"Thank you, Mister Hawke." Her usual lilt started to return to her voice. Hawke couldn't help but smile at that.
The full realization of the meaning of that hit him right there. He had genuinely smiled for the first time since he had seen Lash before he had left. He was not that much of a smiler. And he didn't know what had changed him so much here.
Slowly, the dining room started to fill up with people, animals, Pokemon, and other such creatures. Some looked at Hawke with confusion but didn't pay him heed. People were still pouring in when Crazy burst out, holding a large stack of plates. He tossed them all out, managing to get everyone's plate right where it was supposed to be, never mind that the table was already set to many different levels of height.
Kirby came out and started to pass out forks and napkins. Hawke accepted his with a short nod, keeping his eyes on the door.
Crazy shoved the door open again, his frame almost entirely covered by a tray with what Hawke perceived to be omelets. Not Hawke's favorite, but it'd do.
"Ladies and gentlemen, dinner," he swiftly tossed out all of the omelets with expert precision onto the diner's plates, and then added with grandiose, "is served!"
Hawke wasn't great with social situations, and being in a dining room with over fifty different people and creatures certainly wasn't an ideal place to be. But he cracked his knuckles and got ready to begin what he could assume to be a roller coaster of a meal.
A/N I... really, I'm horrible at estimating length. This is turning out to be a lot longer than I thought it'd be. Really, this, 4 and the next chapter should have been one, but if it were, it would take up a crapton of words. Yikes.
Anyway, it should be finished soon. Thanks again, Foxpilot!
And to Souldin... I sure am glad there's no rules on length. Not sure if you'll be, though. XDMoD
"Chapter 6-The Shift": show
Chapter 6-The Shift
Crazy Hand continued to emcee the dining hall. "Alrighty, everyone! We've got your food ready. If you need anything to put on it or to drink- grape juice, ketchup, tabasco, fish oil, not necessarily in that order, my amigo R.O.B. Here- feel free to call him Robby Ray- will take your orders because" he lowered to a whisper as he added "He... doesn't eat... but shhhh! We don't talk about that." He went back to his normal boom with "So, sit back, relax, and enjoy the food, courtesy of myself, Kirbmeister and the Fox Pilot Man over there!"
If Crazy Hand was looking for applause, he certainly wasn't getting any. Everyone in the room either tuned him out or didn't focus on him, rather their food. Crazy started grumbling at this and whined "God, guys, even the sound of me clapping isn't as quiet as this! Bah, whatever."
As he started to creep back into the kitchen, Hawke tried to withhold a sigh of relief that he wasn't being put in the spotlight.
"Oh, yes, I almost forgot!" The hand had whirled back around. "We have ourselves a special guest with us! The man in the black trenchcoat is named Hawke, and he was invited to join us by Master Hand himself! With, of course, the help of young Ana right next to him. Everyone, be sure to pay lots of attention to him as if you were aiming for irony on a guy who wants everyone to leave him alone!" With a laugh, he left the room after this for good.
Damn you, you inebriated handware.
While Hawke was sure that the crowd, for the most part, wasn't about to react with the insanity that Crazy demanded, he knew his cover was blown. People were already starting to talk amongst to themselves, or to Hawke, the chaos wouldn't help determine which one.
The noisemass was cut off by a loud, cracking voice demanding "Quiet!" A voice that Hawke couldn't recognize but was eternally grateful for. The voice went on to say "God's sakes, people! The man barely walked in and we're all jumping him like a large bag of coins!"
"You'd jump a large bag of coins upon sight, Wario," Kirby called towards him mockingly. Ah, so it was Wario. And... Hawke wasn't sure what to make of it.
"Of course I would!" Wario replied, laughing. "Last I checked, though, this man is not a large bag of coins! He's a human, and I can assume a very deaf human now. Christ's sakes, you all need to get out more!"
Taking his cap off, he looked at Hawke and said "Hi there, I'm Wario. Nice to meet you, Hawke." With one last sneer at the audience, he left them with "Like that, you heathens!"
The dining hall blinked almost unanimously and went back to whatever it was they were doing, and Wario made his way over to the somewhat disoriented ex-commander.
Hesitantly, Hawke held out his own hand and mumbled "Thanks... Mr. Wario?"
"Bah!" Wario was laughing again. "Mr. Wario was my father, wherever the hell he went. Just call me Wario! And no problem! I had a feeling you were getting sick of all the drama these guys can stir up."
"So... you're not about to interrogate me?" Hawke almost smiled at this.
"Haha! To what I know's your undying relief, I'm not!" Wario laughed for a third time, and Hawke found it amusing what a fountain of mirth he could be, especially since he, according to Ana, was frequently mocked by the others. As he pulled up a chair between Hawke and Ana, he explained "You see, I'm a good people reader. I can tell you're a good guy. So you're cool with me."
"Thanks," Hawke replied with more steadiness this time, although he had a somewhat skeptical look at the thought of Wario being a good people reader.
Wario noticed, and muttered "Bah, that reader part was a lie. I got Lucario to read your Aura. Just to be safe. No expense spared for my young Ana here!"
Ana looked up at her adoptive uncle and smiled. "Love you, Uncle Wario."
Wario spread out his arms to wrap the girl in a hug. "Ah, I love you too, Ana. You and Kat both, such treasures. And believe you me, I know about treasure!"
"Course you do!" Hawke noticed Ana starting to open up again. "Like the time we explored Dire Dire docks?"
Wario broke into louder laughter than before and said "One of the greatest untold adventures of our time! I wish Kat was here to help us tell it to our guest, assuming of course he doesn't mind."
Hawke rather fancied the idea of an energetic young girl and her even more energetic uncle telling a story together. He wasn't even one for storytelling, or for energetics for that matter, but Hawke had a feeling he'd enjoy their dynamic.
"Excellent!" Wario grinned, his mustache twitching up. "Now, where's young Kat, well, at?"
Ana shrugged.
"That's odd. She playing with her friends again?"
"She always is," exasperation lay less-than-subtly on Ana's sigh.
"Bah. Her loss!" Wario slapped his knee. "Shall we begin?"
"Where do we start?" Ana asked.
It didn't even take a second for Wario to deliberate and declare "With the shark!"
"That didn't happen till later."
"But it's the best part!"
"We should start with the boat."
"Boring!"
"Uncle..."
"Alrighty, if you insist." Wario cracked his knuckles. "So, it was a terrible, stormy night."
"That's the best way to start adventures!" Ana declared.
"And we were on a rickety boat in the cove, and it was being rocked back and forth and back and forth! We were starting to get seasick."
"By we he means Kat and him and me."
"And our koopa piloting the boat, of course."
"I remember Kat was hanging on to the middle of the sail, screaming really loud!"
"So were you!"
"Uncle!"
"You were, though!"
"Well, duh! I was scared!"
"Me too! I thought I was gonna break a hole straight through the boat, both levels, cos I kept getting tossed up!" Wario leapt in the air a short distance, and crashed onto the ground loudly, clattering the dinnerware. "and back down! Hot damn, it was freaky!"
"Uncle..."
"Fine. Hot darn, it was freaky!"
"That's better. Anyway..."
"We were forced to jump ship, because it was nearly falling over! We didn't wanna get caught in the wreckage and drown, did we?"
"I know I didn't!"
"So the four of us jumped off and swam to shore. Luckily, it was nearby. The shipmaster radioed for a plane to get us out of here, but we were right where we wanted to be!"
"Which was the coolest place a ship could ever ever crash!"
"You betcha!"
"We got on some scuba gear, and then we dived in. There we were, and there were all these fishies!"
"But not the kind you'd barbecue!"
"No, sir! These were big, mean looking sharks! They wanted to barbecue us!"
"I wonder what barbecue shark would taste like."
"Bleh! I don't like cooked fish."
"Barbecue's the best! It makes everything good!"
"Not fish! I like sushi better."
"Sushi? You astound me, Ana!"
The both of them started to giggle as they continued to argue their point. Hawke sat back and allowed himself another smile as he watched the exaggerated, emphatic argument of raw versus cooked, not ceasing to laugh and grin the entire time. He never had any kids or any desire to. But their dynamic made Hawke feel something he couldn't quite describe; sure he knew emotions and what they were, he was a smart man. But he wasn't the best at pinpointing them.
Then he realized it. He was envious of them. He was longing. Longing for a dynamic, a relationship like theirs. He wanted something like that. The idea simply shocked him. He never, ever, ever thought or wanted anything... sentimental. Ever.
He truly was changing.
Having not lost track of their argument but still somewhat detached, the flow between Ana and Wario ceased. He looked up to see a young girl with pink hair, similar looking to Ana, tapping her shoulder.
"Yes, Kat?" Ana's enthusiasm was drained upon the arrival of her sister.
"Come help me get the big coin down from the top of the closet!"
"Kat, I'm busy."
"Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeze? Please please please please pleeeeeeeeeeeze?"
"We're eating!"
"I'm not hungry. Please, just for a little bit!"
Hawke feared for another blast of pleases from Kat, but said nothing as Ana threw her hands up and muttered "All right."
"Thanks, Ana! Now let's go!" Kat started to drag Ana out of the dining room as fast as they could go.
Hawke sighed and focused on his sparsely-touched food again. Wario blinked and asked "...what the hell just happened?"
"Kid stuff, I presume."
"Bah! These girls are too fast for me!" Wario chuckled, quieter than before.
"So, your story?"
"My story?" Wario sighed. "Trust me, Hawke, if there's one thing I truly learned; and I'm pretty sure I only learned one true thing, it's that a good story isn't worth telling if you're telling it alone."
Hawke couldn't help but sigh in wonder as he contemplated how much he was learning from the least likely of places. "You're a lucky man, Wario," he confessed before he could help it. "The others drastically misjudge you."
"Thanks, Hawke." Wario's grin of choice was smaller and closed. "But you don't gotta worry about me. I have a feeling that they're just blowing the hot air they're full of."
Quiet reigned between of them as they devoted a bit of time to eating. The silence was broken with "They do say one thing that gets me though. That I'm not a good father. That always gets me thrown for a loop."
Hawke raised an eyebrow, shocked at the ruthlessness of the taunt.
"You can tell a fat man he's fat. He knows that. He doesn't struggle with figuring out 'Oh my god am I fat? No!' " A mirthless laugh came out. "But when they tell me something I'm not sure about, like that... it keeps me up at night. And I'm not exactly a soap opera main, either." he sighed, a mixture of embarassment, relief and sadness.
The subject shifted a bit when Wario asked "Out of polite curiosity, how did you meet Ana?"
"Ana met me," was Hawke's reply. "I was visiting a garden around the area and she started trying to talk to me. We often run into each other at the same garden."
"That's good," Wario smiled. Not a grin or a smirk, just a smile. "There's some people Ana doesn't open up with. She's a very shy girl. This... is an odd place to start, but as good as any, I suppose. Nevertheless, I'm glad to meet you."
Then he said "Did she ever tell you how the girls and I met?"
Hawke shook his head.
"I remember it was about a year and a half ago," he started. "And this is a story I can tell on my own, I suppose. I run a mini game factory; we create little games for others to play, really simple but loads of fun. One day, these two girls showed up at the door, telling me they loved my games and wanted to help me make them. They gave me written signatures from their parents. I'm not a smart businessman, so I bought it.
"The brevity these two girls had, the initiative they took- five years old and just showing up wanting to pursue their goals no matter how big they were. That's a true inspiration right there. I couldn't resist! I hired them on the spot and showed them the ropes! I admit that I never spoke with their parents but that was just because I'm quite dim at times.
"Awhile in, there was some sort of situation with a Diamond Troll, and the girls got hurt. I took the information they had given me on their parents and tried to call them. The number didn't work. It was disconnected. I tried reaching them in any way I could, but no way would work.
"I brought the girls in and asked them why the number hadn't worked and why I couldn't find their parents. By god... they had came into the factory to find work. They hadn't had any parents. They were street wanderers, looking for food in trash cans. Regular Olivers. They had made their parents up just to get in to make some money for food. I... I didn't know how to react to that, but by god I wasn't about to turn them away. I told them they could stay in the back room of the factory as temporary boarding, and fixed it up for them. And then they continued to work.
"We kept growing together, the three of us- sure, I cared about everyone who worked for me. But those two girls were growing on me. I had never been married or had kids, but I decided to adopt them anyway. And... that's how we got where we are now."
Hawke nodded, his admiration for Wario going up a bit. Truly different from what he seemed. Everyone seemed to be, nowadays.
"I must say," Hawke told him, "that there are few young people as perceptive as young Ana is. I can't speak for Kat but I assume she is too, of course, but Ana is an intelligent, caring, and wise young girl. She actually taught me quite a lot. You're doing a fine job as a father."
Wario chuckled, his eyebrow raised. "Thanks, Hawke. I mean that, too. Guess the strongest and most stoic of us all need a little bit of reassurance and help at times, I'd suppose?"
"Indeed they do," Hawke answered, picking up his plate and giving a nod to Wario as he left the dining room.
A/N Criminy Christmas, I did it again. What was supposed to be the last third of the story is now becoming two thirds of the story. And I like that. Anyway, when I realized that I was 10 pages in, I divided my chapter in half. I'm 2/3 of the way through my 7th chapter and that will be up by day's end, and then the prologue which I swear will be shorter than this formerly 3,000 words now 15,000 words 4 chapters chapter. XD
Thanks again, Foxpilot, for the reviews! I know Ganondorf's a bit OOC but this was more my interpretation, and I see things sorta differently than canon so it may be a bit OOC. But, hey, if you think that's OOC you should see my interpretation of Yoshi. XD
Also, I consulted with my Gamecube before I made Ganon's character official. I usually play Smash Bros during tough decisions or times of contemplation to get some ideas. With Ganon I got my highest high score ever. So I pretty much took that as approval from the powers that be. XD
Anyway, next chapter will be out tonight, and I will have the prologue out soon as well!
See you there, Foxpilot! XD Also, I haven't the slightest of what your idea IS so I can't say what it will be. Can't wait! (AKA Please don't drop out.
And holy crap 5 days left)
MoD
Crazy Hand continued to emcee the dining hall. "Alrighty, everyone! We've got your food ready. If you need anything to put on it or to drink- grape juice, ketchup, tabasco, fish oil, not necessarily in that order, my amigo R.O.B. Here- feel free to call him Robby Ray- will take your orders because" he lowered to a whisper as he added "He... doesn't eat... but shhhh! We don't talk about that." He went back to his normal boom with "So, sit back, relax, and enjoy the food, courtesy of myself, Kirbmeister and the Fox Pilot Man over there!"
If Crazy Hand was looking for applause, he certainly wasn't getting any. Everyone in the room either tuned him out or didn't focus on him, rather their food. Crazy started grumbling at this and whined "God, guys, even the sound of me clapping isn't as quiet as this! Bah, whatever."
As he started to creep back into the kitchen, Hawke tried to withhold a sigh of relief that he wasn't being put in the spotlight.
"Oh, yes, I almost forgot!" The hand had whirled back around. "We have ourselves a special guest with us! The man in the black trenchcoat is named Hawke, and he was invited to join us by Master Hand himself! With, of course, the help of young Ana right next to him. Everyone, be sure to pay lots of attention to him as if you were aiming for irony on a guy who wants everyone to leave him alone!" With a laugh, he left the room after this for good.
Damn you, you inebriated handware.
While Hawke was sure that the crowd, for the most part, wasn't about to react with the insanity that Crazy demanded, he knew his cover was blown. People were already starting to talk amongst to themselves, or to Hawke, the chaos wouldn't help determine which one.
The noisemass was cut off by a loud, cracking voice demanding "Quiet!" A voice that Hawke couldn't recognize but was eternally grateful for. The voice went on to say "God's sakes, people! The man barely walked in and we're all jumping him like a large bag of coins!"
"You'd jump a large bag of coins upon sight, Wario," Kirby called towards him mockingly. Ah, so it was Wario. And... Hawke wasn't sure what to make of it.
"Of course I would!" Wario replied, laughing. "Last I checked, though, this man is not a large bag of coins! He's a human, and I can assume a very deaf human now. Christ's sakes, you all need to get out more!"
Taking his cap off, he looked at Hawke and said "Hi there, I'm Wario. Nice to meet you, Hawke." With one last sneer at the audience, he left them with "Like that, you heathens!"
The dining hall blinked almost unanimously and went back to whatever it was they were doing, and Wario made his way over to the somewhat disoriented ex-commander.
Hesitantly, Hawke held out his own hand and mumbled "Thanks... Mr. Wario?"
"Bah!" Wario was laughing again. "Mr. Wario was my father, wherever the hell he went. Just call me Wario! And no problem! I had a feeling you were getting sick of all the drama these guys can stir up."
"So... you're not about to interrogate me?" Hawke almost smiled at this.
"Haha! To what I know's your undying relief, I'm not!" Wario laughed for a third time, and Hawke found it amusing what a fountain of mirth he could be, especially since he, according to Ana, was frequently mocked by the others. As he pulled up a chair between Hawke and Ana, he explained "You see, I'm a good people reader. I can tell you're a good guy. So you're cool with me."
"Thanks," Hawke replied with more steadiness this time, although he had a somewhat skeptical look at the thought of Wario being a good people reader.
Wario noticed, and muttered "Bah, that reader part was a lie. I got Lucario to read your Aura. Just to be safe. No expense spared for my young Ana here!"
Ana looked up at her adoptive uncle and smiled. "Love you, Uncle Wario."
Wario spread out his arms to wrap the girl in a hug. "Ah, I love you too, Ana. You and Kat both, such treasures. And believe you me, I know about treasure!"
"Course you do!" Hawke noticed Ana starting to open up again. "Like the time we explored Dire Dire docks?"
Wario broke into louder laughter than before and said "One of the greatest untold adventures of our time! I wish Kat was here to help us tell it to our guest, assuming of course he doesn't mind."
Hawke rather fancied the idea of an energetic young girl and her even more energetic uncle telling a story together. He wasn't even one for storytelling, or for energetics for that matter, but Hawke had a feeling he'd enjoy their dynamic.
"Excellent!" Wario grinned, his mustache twitching up. "Now, where's young Kat, well, at?"
Ana shrugged.
"That's odd. She playing with her friends again?"
"She always is," exasperation lay less-than-subtly on Ana's sigh.
"Bah. Her loss!" Wario slapped his knee. "Shall we begin?"
"Where do we start?" Ana asked.
It didn't even take a second for Wario to deliberate and declare "With the shark!"
"That didn't happen till later."
"But it's the best part!"
"We should start with the boat."
"Boring!"
"Uncle..."
"Alrighty, if you insist." Wario cracked his knuckles. "So, it was a terrible, stormy night."
"That's the best way to start adventures!" Ana declared.
"And we were on a rickety boat in the cove, and it was being rocked back and forth and back and forth! We were starting to get seasick."
"By we he means Kat and him and me."
"And our koopa piloting the boat, of course."
"I remember Kat was hanging on to the middle of the sail, screaming really loud!"
"So were you!"
"Uncle!"
"You were, though!"
"Well, duh! I was scared!"
"Me too! I thought I was gonna break a hole straight through the boat, both levels, cos I kept getting tossed up!" Wario leapt in the air a short distance, and crashed onto the ground loudly, clattering the dinnerware. "and back down! Hot damn, it was freaky!"
"Uncle..."
"Fine. Hot darn, it was freaky!"
"That's better. Anyway..."
"We were forced to jump ship, because it was nearly falling over! We didn't wanna get caught in the wreckage and drown, did we?"
"I know I didn't!"
"So the four of us jumped off and swam to shore. Luckily, it was nearby. The shipmaster radioed for a plane to get us out of here, but we were right where we wanted to be!"
"Which was the coolest place a ship could ever ever crash!"
"You betcha!"
"We got on some scuba gear, and then we dived in. There we were, and there were all these fishies!"
"But not the kind you'd barbecue!"
"No, sir! These were big, mean looking sharks! They wanted to barbecue us!"
"I wonder what barbecue shark would taste like."
"Bleh! I don't like cooked fish."
"Barbecue's the best! It makes everything good!"
"Not fish! I like sushi better."
"Sushi? You astound me, Ana!"
The both of them started to giggle as they continued to argue their point. Hawke sat back and allowed himself another smile as he watched the exaggerated, emphatic argument of raw versus cooked, not ceasing to laugh and grin the entire time. He never had any kids or any desire to. But their dynamic made Hawke feel something he couldn't quite describe; sure he knew emotions and what they were, he was a smart man. But he wasn't the best at pinpointing them.
Then he realized it. He was envious of them. He was longing. Longing for a dynamic, a relationship like theirs. He wanted something like that. The idea simply shocked him. He never, ever, ever thought or wanted anything... sentimental. Ever.
He truly was changing.
Having not lost track of their argument but still somewhat detached, the flow between Ana and Wario ceased. He looked up to see a young girl with pink hair, similar looking to Ana, tapping her shoulder.
"Yes, Kat?" Ana's enthusiasm was drained upon the arrival of her sister.
"Come help me get the big coin down from the top of the closet!"
"Kat, I'm busy."
"Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeze? Please please please please pleeeeeeeeeeeze?"
"We're eating!"
"I'm not hungry. Please, just for a little bit!"
Hawke feared for another blast of pleases from Kat, but said nothing as Ana threw her hands up and muttered "All right."
"Thanks, Ana! Now let's go!" Kat started to drag Ana out of the dining room as fast as they could go.
Hawke sighed and focused on his sparsely-touched food again. Wario blinked and asked "...what the hell just happened?"
"Kid stuff, I presume."
"Bah! These girls are too fast for me!" Wario chuckled, quieter than before.
"So, your story?"
"My story?" Wario sighed. "Trust me, Hawke, if there's one thing I truly learned; and I'm pretty sure I only learned one true thing, it's that a good story isn't worth telling if you're telling it alone."
Hawke couldn't help but sigh in wonder as he contemplated how much he was learning from the least likely of places. "You're a lucky man, Wario," he confessed before he could help it. "The others drastically misjudge you."
"Thanks, Hawke." Wario's grin of choice was smaller and closed. "But you don't gotta worry about me. I have a feeling that they're just blowing the hot air they're full of."
Quiet reigned between of them as they devoted a bit of time to eating. The silence was broken with "They do say one thing that gets me though. That I'm not a good father. That always gets me thrown for a loop."
Hawke raised an eyebrow, shocked at the ruthlessness of the taunt.
"You can tell a fat man he's fat. He knows that. He doesn't struggle with figuring out 'Oh my god am I fat? No!' " A mirthless laugh came out. "But when they tell me something I'm not sure about, like that... it keeps me up at night. And I'm not exactly a soap opera main, either." he sighed, a mixture of embarassment, relief and sadness.
The subject shifted a bit when Wario asked "Out of polite curiosity, how did you meet Ana?"
"Ana met me," was Hawke's reply. "I was visiting a garden around the area and she started trying to talk to me. We often run into each other at the same garden."
"That's good," Wario smiled. Not a grin or a smirk, just a smile. "There's some people Ana doesn't open up with. She's a very shy girl. This... is an odd place to start, but as good as any, I suppose. Nevertheless, I'm glad to meet you."
Then he said "Did she ever tell you how the girls and I met?"
Hawke shook his head.
"I remember it was about a year and a half ago," he started. "And this is a story I can tell on my own, I suppose. I run a mini game factory; we create little games for others to play, really simple but loads of fun. One day, these two girls showed up at the door, telling me they loved my games and wanted to help me make them. They gave me written signatures from their parents. I'm not a smart businessman, so I bought it.
"The brevity these two girls had, the initiative they took- five years old and just showing up wanting to pursue their goals no matter how big they were. That's a true inspiration right there. I couldn't resist! I hired them on the spot and showed them the ropes! I admit that I never spoke with their parents but that was just because I'm quite dim at times.
"Awhile in, there was some sort of situation with a Diamond Troll, and the girls got hurt. I took the information they had given me on their parents and tried to call them. The number didn't work. It was disconnected. I tried reaching them in any way I could, but no way would work.
"I brought the girls in and asked them why the number hadn't worked and why I couldn't find their parents. By god... they had came into the factory to find work. They hadn't had any parents. They were street wanderers, looking for food in trash cans. Regular Olivers. They had made their parents up just to get in to make some money for food. I... I didn't know how to react to that, but by god I wasn't about to turn them away. I told them they could stay in the back room of the factory as temporary boarding, and fixed it up for them. And then they continued to work.
"We kept growing together, the three of us- sure, I cared about everyone who worked for me. But those two girls were growing on me. I had never been married or had kids, but I decided to adopt them anyway. And... that's how we got where we are now."
Hawke nodded, his admiration for Wario going up a bit. Truly different from what he seemed. Everyone seemed to be, nowadays.
"I must say," Hawke told him, "that there are few young people as perceptive as young Ana is. I can't speak for Kat but I assume she is too, of course, but Ana is an intelligent, caring, and wise young girl. She actually taught me quite a lot. You're doing a fine job as a father."
Wario chuckled, his eyebrow raised. "Thanks, Hawke. I mean that, too. Guess the strongest and most stoic of us all need a little bit of reassurance and help at times, I'd suppose?"
"Indeed they do," Hawke answered, picking up his plate and giving a nod to Wario as he left the dining room.
A/N Criminy Christmas, I did it again. What was supposed to be the last third of the story is now becoming two thirds of the story. And I like that. Anyway, when I realized that I was 10 pages in, I divided my chapter in half. I'm 2/3 of the way through my 7th chapter and that will be up by day's end, and then the prologue which I swear will be shorter than this formerly 3,000 words now 15,000 words 4 chapters chapter. XD
Thanks again, Foxpilot, for the reviews! I know Ganondorf's a bit OOC but this was more my interpretation, and I see things sorta differently than canon so it may be a bit OOC. But, hey, if you think that's OOC you should see my interpretation of Yoshi. XD
Also, I consulted with my Gamecube before I made Ganon's character official. I usually play Smash Bros during tough decisions or times of contemplation to get some ideas. With Ganon I got my highest high score ever. So I pretty much took that as approval from the powers that be. XD
Anyway, next chapter will be out tonight, and I will have the prologue out soon as well!
See you there, Foxpilot! XD Also, I haven't the slightest of what your idea IS so I can't say what it will be. Can't wait! (AKA Please don't drop out.
And holy crap 5 days left)MoD
"Chapter 7-Hawke's Paradigm is Born Anew": show
Chapter 7-Hawke's Paradigm Is Born Anew
A/N I also posted Chapter 6 today. Go back and make sure you didn't miss anything. Cheers!
Hawke started the search for where to put his dishes, and he knew he should have asked as soon as he left the kitchen. He was hopelessly lost through the mansion, not knowing how he could even get this lost looking for one thing. It was then someone expressed his thoughts for him.
"Sir, I think you're really, really lost," a young voice giggled. Not as young as Ana, but still not mature. Hawke whirled around to see a young woman, 5'6, with brown hair and a pink coat looking at him with an amused smile.
"So it seems."
"You're looking for..."
"Where I put these dishes."
The girl laughed and suggested "I'm going to assume that a bedroom is the last place to do so in. Not even Kirby does that."
Hawke nervously chuckled as the girl gave him a short, scoping look and said "You're that guest Ana brought, right?"
Hawke nodded, preparing to go through that routine again with annoyance.
"Oh! Cool, Ana told me a little bit about you. I'm Natalia, but you can call me Nana." Nana gave Hawke her best grin and shook his hand without waiting for him.
"Nice to meet you, Nana," Hawke hesitantly greeted her. "I'm Hawke."
"Hawke. That sounds like a cool name."
"Don't I recognize you from somewhere?" he asked.
"Oh! Yeah, I work with Popo as part of the Ice Climbers duo. We're one of the top smashers here, if you'll pardon my bragging."
"No, by all means. Glad to hear you're doing well."
"Not as well as Meta," she replied with a hint of admiration. "You're doing a good job, whatever it is. I'm gonna have to see about working with you, Popo and I. Our coach is a bit of a King Saul, if you ask me."
"A King Saul?"
"Oh? He's halfhearted at what he does. Pardon me, I have my own idioms for things. Anyway," Nana took his plates, "I'll take these and you go ahead and talk with the others."
"You don't have to-"
"Nah, I insist! It's what I'd do at home. You enjoy yourself, Hawke!"
As she sped down the hallway, he called "You... too... Nana." That talk felt surreal, but he sort of enjoyed it. Interesting young girl.
Hawke was deep in thought as he made his way to the balcony. He didn't mean to be standoffish as he walked, unresponsive, through the mansion up to the balcony. There were just things that he needed to mull over. And someone he needed to talk to. Someone that'd understand. He wasn't counting on running into him, but he could hope.
Quietly, he opened the large glass door to said balcony and looked around, glad to see it was much bigger than he thought it'd be. While it wasn't laced in marble with statues of gods around the area, it was nice and relaxing. The balcony was mainly half of the roof of the house, lower than the other half. It had an assortment of lawnchairs and tables, and a stored-away canopy attached to the inside of the patio. It was almost entirely empty, but Hawke noticed the man he was looking for sitting on one of the chairs at the far end. The stars had just come out, and he was gazing with a grin.
The vulpine looked up and waved at Hawke "Good evening!" he shouted. "Care to take in the view?"
Hawke nodded and took a seat in another nearby lawn chair, reclining uncomfortably as he was not much of one to relax.
"Brilliant view, eh, Hawke?" Fox said with a smile.
"Not as much in comparison to you, seeing as you've been there up close." was Hawke's reply.
"I prefer it much better from down here, actually," Fox's mouth turned down a bit but not drastically so. "Up there, up close, I'm usually killing other people and shooting down spacecraft. Down here, though, I can just relax and enjoy it. Down here I see something completely different from up there. Less fire, and danger, and war. Much better."
Hawke had to smile at his reasoning. Fox was a true soldier. "You have a fair point there."
"Indeed, I believe I do. If nothing else it makes sense to me."
Silence filled the night sky for a few more seconds before Fox asked "So, what was army life like for you?"
Damn.
"It was average, I suppose. Can't say I drew a lot out of it," Hawke lamely mumbled.
Fox laughed and absentmindedly scratched at his ear for a second. "Pardon my french, but that's a crock of ♥♥♥♥. No one ever goes through war and not take anything away from it, unless you're thousands of miles away and not experiencing it in the least, and though you are a commander I doubt you are that inexperienced in the field. So, tell a fellow captain straight, what was war to you?"
The straightforwardness of Fox's reply caught Hawke off guard. "I'm not exactly a noble commander," he admitted.
"You don't go to war out of nobility," Fox replied casually. "You go there because you must defend those you care about. It's the difference between hunting to feed your family and hunting for a new trophy over your fireplace, and the latter is what going for nobility and pomp is."
"I beg to differ," Hawke responded with a sigh. "Though I wasn't there for nobility I could probably fill in the latter. I was on the darker side of the war for this one."
"Darker?" Fox's ears perked up but he betrayed no emotion.
"Literally. Second-in-command of the forces of the Black Hole army."
Fox nodded. "I'll make you a deal. You go on, be entirely honest, and I won't judge you."
"Truly?" Hawke was surprised.
"I swear on my dog tags," Fox replied. "Dog tags which look very ironic on someone with a stature such as myself."
Hawke smiled again, a wan grin this time. "Sounds like a fair deal. I swear on..." he couldn't think of what to swear on; he had no army mementos.
"No need to swear, Hawke. I trust you."
Hawke raised an eyebrow, thinking about how he could write a book on his misconception of the entire population of the mortal. "Thank you, Fox. Anyway, it started back quite a ways. The Black Hole was simply a war nation, born out a large group of seedy sorts who simply wanted to take as much land as they could get. The promise of power had its allure, and so I joined at twenty years old.
"Our leader was Sturm, a mysterious being. No one knew who or what he was- he wore a head-to-toe cloak and a strange, robotic mask which, in retrospect, looked quite amusing. He was deadly, impersonal, uncaring, single-minded, and determined, qualities he enforced and engrained on all of us." Hawke sighed at that line. Sturm had made him, brainwashed him, into who he was, and he was barely breaking out of. "Natural killing machines.
"The nations we targeted were the nations of Orange Star, Blue Moon, Green Earth and Yellow Comet. They were four states of a formerly united continent of Cosmo Land and were still on tense terms. Sturm played upon that and sent them after each other through smoke and mirrors as he started to capture their land. It was then I was doing grunt work, but I was starting to rise through the ranks, because I could kill people easily and make decisions thinking strictly on strategic levels. Impersonal, calculating, determined. Just like Sturm.
"We lost that war, but Sturm was determined anyways. He elected four new commanders to serve under him- a strong, simple man named Flak, a vain, deceitful snake aptly named Adder, and..." Hawke noticed that dull thud, that echoing he seemed to get when he thought this far, of this person. He'd never understand it.
"Go on," Fox urged him.
"Oh, yes. An energetic, childlike young woman known as Lash, and myself, who had been chosen to be Sturm's right hand man. With the power of the armies was the large responsibility, and the punishment were we to fail. We did. In an effort to save my own life, I escaped the armies looking for me and ambushed Sturm, killing him before he could destroy all four nations, and escaped with our armies.
"Another commander took the place of Sturm unawares to everyone else, with commanders of his own to replace Adder and Flak for their exempt incompetence in the previous war. His name was Von Bolt. We accepted it, though, as he seemed to have a good amount of skill. I've never thought it good to act out or make a scene so I did nothing about it, and we launched an attack on the four nations' newly claimed territory in Omega Land.
"I started to notice that the more we attacked, the more deserted the land became. It turned swiftly from green and pleasant to gray and sandy. I did not understand why this was happening, and under the theory that surely winning the land was not worth it if it was worthless. So I began to investigate Von Bolt, whom people knew less about than they did Sturm.
"Von Bolt was a commanding officer of one hundred and fifty years of age who seeked immortality, and was sucking the life out of the land for his own personal use under the guise of a war. He had, through a process I didn't understand, converted the life of the land into energy for himself. Upon my discovery, he threatened to kill myself... and Lash, the only two remaining commanders not directly aligned with Von Bolt. Lash... was the closest thing I had to an ally, so to kill her would to seal the secret within closed doors.
"We escaped and defected reluctantly to the other four nations, who had aligned to stop Von Bolt, and told them everything we knew about them, and they hesitantly accepted us into their group.
"Eventually, we tracked down and defeated Von Bolt, and I shot him before he could destroy us. However, the building we were in started to collapse, and I decided that I was going to depart... the others. To pay for what I had done. I took Von Bolt's chair, the source and container of his power, and escaped, and started to secretly restore life to Omega Land. Then... I had nowhere to go, no place to start, so I came here, to a completely different scene, a different start."
Hawke sighed his conclusion, memories exhausting him. "That's everything."
Fox smiled. "Wow, that's quite a tale. Redemption, change, heroics, villainy. That's a regular blockbuster right there."
Hawke grunted his response.
"I suppose not."
"I'm not exactly that glorious about what I had done."
"Well, Hawke, it's simple. It's not what you did then, it's what you're doing now."
Hawke nodded. "Right now... I'm coaching two fighters in a galaxy wide fighting league. One of them's winning, and the other's in last. I live in a small cabin outside of town. It's barely decorated or personalized, just like its owner. I don't do much at all other than work. Just work, read, sleep, drink coffee, often in that order."
"So what's changing for you?"
"Huh?"
"You're here, for dinner, with the fighters." Fox explained, lazily emphasizing with his paw in the air. "You're not a social person, but you come in with a bright young kid as your company. You're talking to one of the most mistreated, frowned upon members of our league, and truly talking, not just discussing the weather. And now you're seeking advice on life from a fellow commander of war. I'm betting that something changed."
Hawke closed his eyes and tried to pinpoint where exactly things changed. It wasn't at dinner, hearing Ana and Wario talking about their adventures. It wasn't when he saw Ana coloring, speaking words of wisdom she didn't know were so wise. It wasn't when Ana made him think of Lash as she recounted her adventures and the ones she wished she'd gone on. It wasn't when Ana first told him that the flowers forgave him for his transgressions. It wasn't when she had picked the flower in an unaware attempt to get him to cheer up. It was-
"Ana."
"So it is, then," Fox grinned. "I always thought kids were much more bright than they let on. They don't know hate, they don't know war, they don't know discrimination, at least not that well. That alone makes them okay in my book."
Hawke nodded. His next question was another peculiar choice, but one that had been plaguing his mind nonetheless.
"What is home like, to you?"
"Home? Ah, home," Fox replied with a dreamy, joyful lilt. "I'm not there that much, so I can't say much about my physical home, Corneria. It's nice, but I haven't been there as much to declare it my actual true home, honestly."
"So, where is your home?"
"Where? Home moves around a lot. Home is really wherever my crew is. In times of war or not, they're my friends, my family..." Fox's grin grew bigger as he added "and the girl I'm in love with. We've not really a concrete place we live, but we're together, most importantly- even when we're apart, as Falco and I are here, we still keep in touch enough to really call each other home."
Hawke contemplated his words, wondering what he had done so well for the answers to have found him all at once.
"Have you ever heard of Edward Sharpe, Hawke?" Fox asked him.
"No, actually."
"He created a song called Home, and the main line is 'Home is wherever I'm with you.' It's a catchy enough song on its own, but Edward Sharpe is the lead of a ten-person band that he does his music with. He sings that song with another woman the entire time and the other members of his band provide chorus vocals. Makes it much more authentic, and those are the guys I see my crew and my girl Krystal as- the song about home and of my life."
Hawke sat there, a smile creeping up his face. "Commander, that analogy makes things a lot clearer. I enjoyed talking with you."
"Same here, Hawke. Grunt to grunt, commander to commander," Fox shook his hand as the two left their chairs.
"You have a nice evening," Hawke called on his way out.
"Oh? Haha, same to you, Hawke!" Fox called back as Hawke darted out the door.
Hawke smiled wider than he had in decades, if ever. Things were starting to fall into place now, and it seemed things were going to work out. Talking with Fox had been sort of a respite.
A necessary respite, as he could hear people shouting at each other through the living room, and Hawke recognized all the voices.
"What are you doing with my daughters?"
"I'm doing exactly what is necessary!"
"This is necessary? Goddamnit, you can't just call the police like that! The man is perfectly safe!"
Hawke quietly hid in the hallway, watching as Wario, Zelda, and Ganondorf, respectively were going at it in the living room, to the shock of the others who awkwardly kept their distance.
"You, Wario, are endangering your child by letting her frolic with this strange man! You don't know him!" Zelda yelled with force and determination.
"Oh, don't act like you give a damn!" Wario all but spat in disgust. "He's a perfectly fine man! I have a solid witness behind that as well!"
"You haven't even met him before today! How can you know!" Zelda countered.
"I've worked with him for weeks now!" Ganon stepped in.
"You're making a horrible case, Ganondorf!" Zelda jabbed a finger in his face. "You are the seediest, most dastardly pig I've ever encountered. If this man is any friend of you he deserves to be burnt alive!"
"I would appreciate it, princess, if when you are talking behind someone's back, you make sure first that they are not behind yours as you do so."
Hawke stepped in with no fanfare, the only one not yelling, which caused everyone else to lower their voices. Zelda looked slightly fazed but, determined, continued "He lets his six year old daughter run around with a thirty year old former commander, he takes her to fight sharks in a cove looking for treasure. Kat and Ana don't deserve a dangerous childhood like this, and that's why I'm reporting Wario for endangerment."
Hawke gave her the coldest glare he could muster. "Instead of a childhood doing what she does best, to fight danger, you're going to throw her into the cold, steely arms of a plethora of foster parents? An orphanage? Away from the man they love and who loves them?"
"You'd never understand, Hawke," she equaled his glare. "You're a cold, calculating, killer who has never felt a true emotion." Hawke raised an eyebrow, hiding his surprise at what she knew. Ganondorf volunteered an explanation knowingly. "She's sort of a psychic. It can come back to bite you in the ♥♥♥ sometimes."
Hawke nodded, and faced Zelda again. "I'm not the one trying to take a child from their father. No, excuse me, two children."
"You'd do well to leave out of affairs not your own, Hawke," she grabbed his shirt and scratched her nails gingerly, angrily, against his chest.
Hawke's eyes took up a vicious fire as he took her hand and took it off of her chest. "First off, never ever touch me if your intent is ill. Second, remove the peg from your eye before you start to point out mine. Ana is not your child, nor is Kat. You shouldn't care because you don't even like that fatass Wario, but maybe that's exactly why you do care."
Throwing her hand out of his grasp, he added "Third, I think you are a shallow, controlling woman who does not see through the outer walls of people to what they truly are because it does not suit you. Ana is not a dim, endangered six year old. She is a perceptive, creative and able girl who knows more about life than anyone else I've met. Wario is not a fat, disgusting, selfish old man. He is a caring, loving parent who sees to it that his children have the time of their lives. Ganondorf is not simply a power-hungry, evil wizard; he has a good spirit and is good with children, and shares a mantra with me that if you're going to have something like the world you may as well enjoy it."
Hawke continued on, for his own benfit as well. "And while I'm at it, Fox isn't just a quiet war pilot. He's a smart, levelheaded voice of reason who calls home those he cares about. Crazy Hand isn't just a jabbering, deficient psychopath. He's good-humored and wants to help others enjoy themselves. Nana's not just a simple, thoughtless teenager who cares nothing for the world. She's a confident, poised young woman willing to lend a hand. And Luigi's not just a jealous, quiet number two. He's a welcoming man who will help you despite not having met you. Have I listed all the figures who you have some sort of distaste for, or have I not even scratched the surface?
"Oh, yes, myself. I'm not a creepy, silent pedophile following Ana around. She came to me first and has taught me more than I knew a six year old could teach. I will admit that I am not the most cordial of people, but I'm not social. I'm starting to pick up on that now. If I worry you, then I'm sorry, but that doesn't mean any of this was necessary, or that you're right."
He stared at Zelda dead-on while finishing. "Fourth, I think you are a shallow, controlling woman who does not see through the outer walls of people to what they truly are because it does not suit you. That cannot honestly be what you are, though, so drop the pretenses, put down the phone and stop trying to ruin this man's life, this family's life in the deluded hopes that you're doing the right thing."
Zelda glared at him viciously for a full minute, but her gaze softened slightly as she sat down in defeat. "You're right this time, Hawke. Perhaps I've misjudged you."
"Seems to be the trend around here for the both of us," Hawke admitted.
Zelda sighed. "I suppose so. I'm used to being cautious, being the ruler of a kingdom and all. That's no excuse though. I... apologize to you and Wario."
"Hah, you forgot someone, princess!" Ganon sneered.
"Don't push your luck, Ganon."
Wario smiled a bit. "If you're willing to let bygones be bygones, I'll meet you there halfway!" He stuck his hand out. Zelda shook her head, and with a weary sigh, walked away from the living room towards her own room.
"She'll need to warm up a bit," Hawke explained from experience.
"But it's a start," Wario sighed, not losing his smile as he sat down.
Ganon sighed, looking up to the ceiling. "And here I was hoping she had some bad in her! Goddamnit, she's a boring little broad. She can't even keep it up for that long!"
Hawke chuckled darkly. "Gentlemen," he nodded as he started to walk out, "It looks like my time to go. I wish you the best."
"You too, Hawke!" Ganon called with a wave.
"Hey, Hawke!" when Wario spoke, Hawke stopped and waited. "I'm gonna talk to the Master, see about getting you in here more often! You're a cool guy!"
"Hah, thanks, Wario. I'll look forward to that." Hawke waved as he walked out the back door, to the trail that would go to the clearing and his car. He was tapped on the shoulder on his way out, and he looked over, surprised to see Ana standing on the picnic table, smiling.
"Thanks for coming to dinner, Hawke," she told him.
"The pleasure was mine," he replied. "There were some nice people here."
"Oh! I almost forgot!" she said, as she reached into her pocket and pulled out a tiny bag. "I got these for you yesterday!"
Hawke accepted the bag, asking "What is it, exactly?"
"It's flower seeds! I know you grew a buncha flowers, but I wanted you to have some you grew all by yourself without the magic chair."
Hawke smiled again. "How thoughtful of you, Ana."
"Thanks! They're Irises! My favorite!"
Hawke yawned, surprised at his sudden exhaustion. "Ana, why don't you play with the others that much?" he asked.
"Huh? Oh... I dunno," she sighed. "Everyone asks me that. I guess... well my sister's sorta bossy, so I usually do stuff for her when we play, and her friends don't talk to me that much, except for Nana."
Hawke had gotten a lot of advice that day. He figured it was time to give back.
"Ana, you're a smart, charismatic, and perceptive girl. You're a lot of fun with your stories of adventure with Wario. I admit I enjoyed that. You should try talking to the others. I'm not much of a fun person; if I can enjoy your stories like that, the kids will be in stitches. They'll like you. And as for Kat, she's your sister. Siblings have relationships like that. It happens. She still loves you like you do her."
Ana smiled, ever so slightly, and before Hawke knew it he was on the receiving end of a hug from her. "Thanks, Hawke. Have a good night!" she said into his ear as Hawke awkwardly wrapped an arm around her. He whispered "You too, Ana" before getting loose and walking down the path.
He knew the dinner was going to be a rollercoaster, but he was thinking along the lines of Crazy Hand starts a food fight and everyone destroys the mansion in a fraternity party. What he got was much better, much more defining.
But as he had hugged Ana, he knew something was missing. That was the first hug he had returned in his life.
Then it hit him as he figured it out.
It was the first he returned.
But it didn't have to be his last.
A/N WHEW!
Okay, everyone. Only the prologue left. Sorry I dropped 10,000 words on you all at once. And Souldin, sorry I dropped 30,000 or so on you altogether. We're nearing the home stretch. Whoowee!
So, yeah, not much more to say. The moral of the story is perhaps my mantra for writing fanfiction-don't go only skin/canon deep. And my god am I proud of this!
Big finishing letter tomorrow with the prologue!
MoD Out!
P.S. Foxpilot enjoy the big Fox part? XD I figured I had to, at least as tribute.
A/N I also posted Chapter 6 today. Go back and make sure you didn't miss anything. Cheers!
Hawke started the search for where to put his dishes, and he knew he should have asked as soon as he left the kitchen. He was hopelessly lost through the mansion, not knowing how he could even get this lost looking for one thing. It was then someone expressed his thoughts for him.
"Sir, I think you're really, really lost," a young voice giggled. Not as young as Ana, but still not mature. Hawke whirled around to see a young woman, 5'6, with brown hair and a pink coat looking at him with an amused smile.
"So it seems."
"You're looking for..."
"Where I put these dishes."
The girl laughed and suggested "I'm going to assume that a bedroom is the last place to do so in. Not even Kirby does that."
Hawke nervously chuckled as the girl gave him a short, scoping look and said "You're that guest Ana brought, right?"
Hawke nodded, preparing to go through that routine again with annoyance.
"Oh! Cool, Ana told me a little bit about you. I'm Natalia, but you can call me Nana." Nana gave Hawke her best grin and shook his hand without waiting for him.
"Nice to meet you, Nana," Hawke hesitantly greeted her. "I'm Hawke."
"Hawke. That sounds like a cool name."
"Don't I recognize you from somewhere?" he asked.
"Oh! Yeah, I work with Popo as part of the Ice Climbers duo. We're one of the top smashers here, if you'll pardon my bragging."
"No, by all means. Glad to hear you're doing well."
"Not as well as Meta," she replied with a hint of admiration. "You're doing a good job, whatever it is. I'm gonna have to see about working with you, Popo and I. Our coach is a bit of a King Saul, if you ask me."
"A King Saul?"
"Oh? He's halfhearted at what he does. Pardon me, I have my own idioms for things. Anyway," Nana took his plates, "I'll take these and you go ahead and talk with the others."
"You don't have to-"
"Nah, I insist! It's what I'd do at home. You enjoy yourself, Hawke!"
As she sped down the hallway, he called "You... too... Nana." That talk felt surreal, but he sort of enjoyed it. Interesting young girl.
Hawke was deep in thought as he made his way to the balcony. He didn't mean to be standoffish as he walked, unresponsive, through the mansion up to the balcony. There were just things that he needed to mull over. And someone he needed to talk to. Someone that'd understand. He wasn't counting on running into him, but he could hope.
Quietly, he opened the large glass door to said balcony and looked around, glad to see it was much bigger than he thought it'd be. While it wasn't laced in marble with statues of gods around the area, it was nice and relaxing. The balcony was mainly half of the roof of the house, lower than the other half. It had an assortment of lawnchairs and tables, and a stored-away canopy attached to the inside of the patio. It was almost entirely empty, but Hawke noticed the man he was looking for sitting on one of the chairs at the far end. The stars had just come out, and he was gazing with a grin.
The vulpine looked up and waved at Hawke "Good evening!" he shouted. "Care to take in the view?"
Hawke nodded and took a seat in another nearby lawn chair, reclining uncomfortably as he was not much of one to relax.
"Brilliant view, eh, Hawke?" Fox said with a smile.
"Not as much in comparison to you, seeing as you've been there up close." was Hawke's reply.
"I prefer it much better from down here, actually," Fox's mouth turned down a bit but not drastically so. "Up there, up close, I'm usually killing other people and shooting down spacecraft. Down here, though, I can just relax and enjoy it. Down here I see something completely different from up there. Less fire, and danger, and war. Much better."
Hawke had to smile at his reasoning. Fox was a true soldier. "You have a fair point there."
"Indeed, I believe I do. If nothing else it makes sense to me."
Silence filled the night sky for a few more seconds before Fox asked "So, what was army life like for you?"
Damn.
"It was average, I suppose. Can't say I drew a lot out of it," Hawke lamely mumbled.
Fox laughed and absentmindedly scratched at his ear for a second. "Pardon my french, but that's a crock of ♥♥♥♥. No one ever goes through war and not take anything away from it, unless you're thousands of miles away and not experiencing it in the least, and though you are a commander I doubt you are that inexperienced in the field. So, tell a fellow captain straight, what was war to you?"
The straightforwardness of Fox's reply caught Hawke off guard. "I'm not exactly a noble commander," he admitted.
"You don't go to war out of nobility," Fox replied casually. "You go there because you must defend those you care about. It's the difference between hunting to feed your family and hunting for a new trophy over your fireplace, and the latter is what going for nobility and pomp is."
"I beg to differ," Hawke responded with a sigh. "Though I wasn't there for nobility I could probably fill in the latter. I was on the darker side of the war for this one."
"Darker?" Fox's ears perked up but he betrayed no emotion.
"Literally. Second-in-command of the forces of the Black Hole army."
Fox nodded. "I'll make you a deal. You go on, be entirely honest, and I won't judge you."
"Truly?" Hawke was surprised.
"I swear on my dog tags," Fox replied. "Dog tags which look very ironic on someone with a stature such as myself."
Hawke smiled again, a wan grin this time. "Sounds like a fair deal. I swear on..." he couldn't think of what to swear on; he had no army mementos.
"No need to swear, Hawke. I trust you."
Hawke raised an eyebrow, thinking about how he could write a book on his misconception of the entire population of the mortal. "Thank you, Fox. Anyway, it started back quite a ways. The Black Hole was simply a war nation, born out a large group of seedy sorts who simply wanted to take as much land as they could get. The promise of power had its allure, and so I joined at twenty years old.
"Our leader was Sturm, a mysterious being. No one knew who or what he was- he wore a head-to-toe cloak and a strange, robotic mask which, in retrospect, looked quite amusing. He was deadly, impersonal, uncaring, single-minded, and determined, qualities he enforced and engrained on all of us." Hawke sighed at that line. Sturm had made him, brainwashed him, into who he was, and he was barely breaking out of. "Natural killing machines.
"The nations we targeted were the nations of Orange Star, Blue Moon, Green Earth and Yellow Comet. They were four states of a formerly united continent of Cosmo Land and were still on tense terms. Sturm played upon that and sent them after each other through smoke and mirrors as he started to capture their land. It was then I was doing grunt work, but I was starting to rise through the ranks, because I could kill people easily and make decisions thinking strictly on strategic levels. Impersonal, calculating, determined. Just like Sturm.
"We lost that war, but Sturm was determined anyways. He elected four new commanders to serve under him- a strong, simple man named Flak, a vain, deceitful snake aptly named Adder, and..." Hawke noticed that dull thud, that echoing he seemed to get when he thought this far, of this person. He'd never understand it.
"Go on," Fox urged him.
"Oh, yes. An energetic, childlike young woman known as Lash, and myself, who had been chosen to be Sturm's right hand man. With the power of the armies was the large responsibility, and the punishment were we to fail. We did. In an effort to save my own life, I escaped the armies looking for me and ambushed Sturm, killing him before he could destroy all four nations, and escaped with our armies.
"Another commander took the place of Sturm unawares to everyone else, with commanders of his own to replace Adder and Flak for their exempt incompetence in the previous war. His name was Von Bolt. We accepted it, though, as he seemed to have a good amount of skill. I've never thought it good to act out or make a scene so I did nothing about it, and we launched an attack on the four nations' newly claimed territory in Omega Land.
"I started to notice that the more we attacked, the more deserted the land became. It turned swiftly from green and pleasant to gray and sandy. I did not understand why this was happening, and under the theory that surely winning the land was not worth it if it was worthless. So I began to investigate Von Bolt, whom people knew less about than they did Sturm.
"Von Bolt was a commanding officer of one hundred and fifty years of age who seeked immortality, and was sucking the life out of the land for his own personal use under the guise of a war. He had, through a process I didn't understand, converted the life of the land into energy for himself. Upon my discovery, he threatened to kill myself... and Lash, the only two remaining commanders not directly aligned with Von Bolt. Lash... was the closest thing I had to an ally, so to kill her would to seal the secret within closed doors.
"We escaped and defected reluctantly to the other four nations, who had aligned to stop Von Bolt, and told them everything we knew about them, and they hesitantly accepted us into their group.
"Eventually, we tracked down and defeated Von Bolt, and I shot him before he could destroy us. However, the building we were in started to collapse, and I decided that I was going to depart... the others. To pay for what I had done. I took Von Bolt's chair, the source and container of his power, and escaped, and started to secretly restore life to Omega Land. Then... I had nowhere to go, no place to start, so I came here, to a completely different scene, a different start."
Hawke sighed his conclusion, memories exhausting him. "That's everything."
Fox smiled. "Wow, that's quite a tale. Redemption, change, heroics, villainy. That's a regular blockbuster right there."
Hawke grunted his response.
"I suppose not."
"I'm not exactly that glorious about what I had done."
"Well, Hawke, it's simple. It's not what you did then, it's what you're doing now."
Hawke nodded. "Right now... I'm coaching two fighters in a galaxy wide fighting league. One of them's winning, and the other's in last. I live in a small cabin outside of town. It's barely decorated or personalized, just like its owner. I don't do much at all other than work. Just work, read, sleep, drink coffee, often in that order."
"So what's changing for you?"
"Huh?"
"You're here, for dinner, with the fighters." Fox explained, lazily emphasizing with his paw in the air. "You're not a social person, but you come in with a bright young kid as your company. You're talking to one of the most mistreated, frowned upon members of our league, and truly talking, not just discussing the weather. And now you're seeking advice on life from a fellow commander of war. I'm betting that something changed."
Hawke closed his eyes and tried to pinpoint where exactly things changed. It wasn't at dinner, hearing Ana and Wario talking about their adventures. It wasn't when he saw Ana coloring, speaking words of wisdom she didn't know were so wise. It wasn't when Ana made him think of Lash as she recounted her adventures and the ones she wished she'd gone on. It wasn't when Ana first told him that the flowers forgave him for his transgressions. It wasn't when she had picked the flower in an unaware attempt to get him to cheer up. It was-
"Ana."
"So it is, then," Fox grinned. "I always thought kids were much more bright than they let on. They don't know hate, they don't know war, they don't know discrimination, at least not that well. That alone makes them okay in my book."
Hawke nodded. His next question was another peculiar choice, but one that had been plaguing his mind nonetheless.
"What is home like, to you?"
"Home? Ah, home," Fox replied with a dreamy, joyful lilt. "I'm not there that much, so I can't say much about my physical home, Corneria. It's nice, but I haven't been there as much to declare it my actual true home, honestly."
"So, where is your home?"
"Where? Home moves around a lot. Home is really wherever my crew is. In times of war or not, they're my friends, my family..." Fox's grin grew bigger as he added "and the girl I'm in love with. We've not really a concrete place we live, but we're together, most importantly- even when we're apart, as Falco and I are here, we still keep in touch enough to really call each other home."
Hawke contemplated his words, wondering what he had done so well for the answers to have found him all at once.
"Have you ever heard of Edward Sharpe, Hawke?" Fox asked him.
"No, actually."
"He created a song called Home, and the main line is 'Home is wherever I'm with you.' It's a catchy enough song on its own, but Edward Sharpe is the lead of a ten-person band that he does his music with. He sings that song with another woman the entire time and the other members of his band provide chorus vocals. Makes it much more authentic, and those are the guys I see my crew and my girl Krystal as- the song about home and of my life."
Hawke sat there, a smile creeping up his face. "Commander, that analogy makes things a lot clearer. I enjoyed talking with you."
"Same here, Hawke. Grunt to grunt, commander to commander," Fox shook his hand as the two left their chairs.
"You have a nice evening," Hawke called on his way out.
"Oh? Haha, same to you, Hawke!" Fox called back as Hawke darted out the door.
Hawke smiled wider than he had in decades, if ever. Things were starting to fall into place now, and it seemed things were going to work out. Talking with Fox had been sort of a respite.
A necessary respite, as he could hear people shouting at each other through the living room, and Hawke recognized all the voices.
"What are you doing with my daughters?"
"I'm doing exactly what is necessary!"
"This is necessary? Goddamnit, you can't just call the police like that! The man is perfectly safe!"
Hawke quietly hid in the hallway, watching as Wario, Zelda, and Ganondorf, respectively were going at it in the living room, to the shock of the others who awkwardly kept their distance.
"You, Wario, are endangering your child by letting her frolic with this strange man! You don't know him!" Zelda yelled with force and determination.
"Oh, don't act like you give a damn!" Wario all but spat in disgust. "He's a perfectly fine man! I have a solid witness behind that as well!"
"You haven't even met him before today! How can you know!" Zelda countered.
"I've worked with him for weeks now!" Ganon stepped in.
"You're making a horrible case, Ganondorf!" Zelda jabbed a finger in his face. "You are the seediest, most dastardly pig I've ever encountered. If this man is any friend of you he deserves to be burnt alive!"
"I would appreciate it, princess, if when you are talking behind someone's back, you make sure first that they are not behind yours as you do so."
Hawke stepped in with no fanfare, the only one not yelling, which caused everyone else to lower their voices. Zelda looked slightly fazed but, determined, continued "He lets his six year old daughter run around with a thirty year old former commander, he takes her to fight sharks in a cove looking for treasure. Kat and Ana don't deserve a dangerous childhood like this, and that's why I'm reporting Wario for endangerment."
Hawke gave her the coldest glare he could muster. "Instead of a childhood doing what she does best, to fight danger, you're going to throw her into the cold, steely arms of a plethora of foster parents? An orphanage? Away from the man they love and who loves them?"
"You'd never understand, Hawke," she equaled his glare. "You're a cold, calculating, killer who has never felt a true emotion." Hawke raised an eyebrow, hiding his surprise at what she knew. Ganondorf volunteered an explanation knowingly. "She's sort of a psychic. It can come back to bite you in the ♥♥♥ sometimes."
Hawke nodded, and faced Zelda again. "I'm not the one trying to take a child from their father. No, excuse me, two children."
"You'd do well to leave out of affairs not your own, Hawke," she grabbed his shirt and scratched her nails gingerly, angrily, against his chest.
Hawke's eyes took up a vicious fire as he took her hand and took it off of her chest. "First off, never ever touch me if your intent is ill. Second, remove the peg from your eye before you start to point out mine. Ana is not your child, nor is Kat. You shouldn't care because you don't even like that fatass Wario, but maybe that's exactly why you do care."
Throwing her hand out of his grasp, he added "Third, I think you are a shallow, controlling woman who does not see through the outer walls of people to what they truly are because it does not suit you. Ana is not a dim, endangered six year old. She is a perceptive, creative and able girl who knows more about life than anyone else I've met. Wario is not a fat, disgusting, selfish old man. He is a caring, loving parent who sees to it that his children have the time of their lives. Ganondorf is not simply a power-hungry, evil wizard; he has a good spirit and is good with children, and shares a mantra with me that if you're going to have something like the world you may as well enjoy it."
Hawke continued on, for his own benfit as well. "And while I'm at it, Fox isn't just a quiet war pilot. He's a smart, levelheaded voice of reason who calls home those he cares about. Crazy Hand isn't just a jabbering, deficient psychopath. He's good-humored and wants to help others enjoy themselves. Nana's not just a simple, thoughtless teenager who cares nothing for the world. She's a confident, poised young woman willing to lend a hand. And Luigi's not just a jealous, quiet number two. He's a welcoming man who will help you despite not having met you. Have I listed all the figures who you have some sort of distaste for, or have I not even scratched the surface?
"Oh, yes, myself. I'm not a creepy, silent pedophile following Ana around. She came to me first and has taught me more than I knew a six year old could teach. I will admit that I am not the most cordial of people, but I'm not social. I'm starting to pick up on that now. If I worry you, then I'm sorry, but that doesn't mean any of this was necessary, or that you're right."
He stared at Zelda dead-on while finishing. "Fourth, I think you are a shallow, controlling woman who does not see through the outer walls of people to what they truly are because it does not suit you. That cannot honestly be what you are, though, so drop the pretenses, put down the phone and stop trying to ruin this man's life, this family's life in the deluded hopes that you're doing the right thing."
Zelda glared at him viciously for a full minute, but her gaze softened slightly as she sat down in defeat. "You're right this time, Hawke. Perhaps I've misjudged you."
"Seems to be the trend around here for the both of us," Hawke admitted.
Zelda sighed. "I suppose so. I'm used to being cautious, being the ruler of a kingdom and all. That's no excuse though. I... apologize to you and Wario."
"Hah, you forgot someone, princess!" Ganon sneered.
"Don't push your luck, Ganon."
Wario smiled a bit. "If you're willing to let bygones be bygones, I'll meet you there halfway!" He stuck his hand out. Zelda shook her head, and with a weary sigh, walked away from the living room towards her own room.
"She'll need to warm up a bit," Hawke explained from experience.
"But it's a start," Wario sighed, not losing his smile as he sat down.
Ganon sighed, looking up to the ceiling. "And here I was hoping she had some bad in her! Goddamnit, she's a boring little broad. She can't even keep it up for that long!"
Hawke chuckled darkly. "Gentlemen," he nodded as he started to walk out, "It looks like my time to go. I wish you the best."
"You too, Hawke!" Ganon called with a wave.
"Hey, Hawke!" when Wario spoke, Hawke stopped and waited. "I'm gonna talk to the Master, see about getting you in here more often! You're a cool guy!"
"Hah, thanks, Wario. I'll look forward to that." Hawke waved as he walked out the back door, to the trail that would go to the clearing and his car. He was tapped on the shoulder on his way out, and he looked over, surprised to see Ana standing on the picnic table, smiling.
"Thanks for coming to dinner, Hawke," she told him.
"The pleasure was mine," he replied. "There were some nice people here."
"Oh! I almost forgot!" she said, as she reached into her pocket and pulled out a tiny bag. "I got these for you yesterday!"
Hawke accepted the bag, asking "What is it, exactly?"
"It's flower seeds! I know you grew a buncha flowers, but I wanted you to have some you grew all by yourself without the magic chair."
Hawke smiled again. "How thoughtful of you, Ana."
"Thanks! They're Irises! My favorite!"
Hawke yawned, surprised at his sudden exhaustion. "Ana, why don't you play with the others that much?" he asked.
"Huh? Oh... I dunno," she sighed. "Everyone asks me that. I guess... well my sister's sorta bossy, so I usually do stuff for her when we play, and her friends don't talk to me that much, except for Nana."
Hawke had gotten a lot of advice that day. He figured it was time to give back.
"Ana, you're a smart, charismatic, and perceptive girl. You're a lot of fun with your stories of adventure with Wario. I admit I enjoyed that. You should try talking to the others. I'm not much of a fun person; if I can enjoy your stories like that, the kids will be in stitches. They'll like you. And as for Kat, she's your sister. Siblings have relationships like that. It happens. She still loves you like you do her."
Ana smiled, ever so slightly, and before Hawke knew it he was on the receiving end of a hug from her. "Thanks, Hawke. Have a good night!" she said into his ear as Hawke awkwardly wrapped an arm around her. He whispered "You too, Ana" before getting loose and walking down the path.
He knew the dinner was going to be a rollercoaster, but he was thinking along the lines of Crazy Hand starts a food fight and everyone destroys the mansion in a fraternity party. What he got was much better, much more defining.
But as he had hugged Ana, he knew something was missing. That was the first hug he had returned in his life.
Then it hit him as he figured it out.
It was the first he returned.
But it didn't have to be his last.
A/N WHEW!
Okay, everyone. Only the prologue left. Sorry I dropped 10,000 words on you all at once. And Souldin, sorry I dropped 30,000 or so on you altogether. We're nearing the home stretch. Whoowee!
So, yeah, not much more to say. The moral of the story is perhaps my mantra for writing fanfiction-don't go only skin/canon deep. And my god am I proud of this!
Big finishing letter tomorrow with the prologue!
MoD Out!
P.S. Foxpilot enjoy the big Fox part? XD I figured I had to, at least as tribute.
Also... please at least try to give a damn.
