Toadette's Story: Book 2

Chapter 106 - Can't Wait for a New Venture

Toad Town’s slightly southern location offered Toadette a significant advantage. The northern cities still suffered under winter’s grip, but Seaside Town, where she was headed, felt like spring with a gentle breeze.

She swung her legs over the side of the bed, her feet dangling before touching the floor.

“A fair morning to you, Toadette.”

“Oh!” Toadette pulled her legs back up sharply. “Sorry about that, Mister Stuffwell.”

“All is well,” the talking suitcase replied, hopping to its feet. “Formalities are unnecessary, as I am nothing more than a fashionable trunk here to assist you.”

“Right.” Toadette quickly sniffed her own foot. “Good thing I showered…”

She dressed in her casual work gear: a pink vest over an underlayer, shorts and thin nylons. But something nagged at her. How many extra clothes would she bring? Would she take her slides? Having never been to Seaside Town before, she didn’t know what the terrain would be like. There was no time to choose a comprehensive wardrobe anyway, nor was there enough space.

“If Minh didn’t stuff her stupid bag to the brim, this would be way easier,” she groaned.

“Experiencing difficulty?” Stuffwell asked.

“Girl stuff. You wouldn’t get it.” She held up a T-shirt. “Light enough for sleeping…”

“Forgive me for pointing out the obvious, but you are aware of my unique storage capabilities, are you not?”

Toadette looked back at him. “Yeah, but you’re a tiny thing.”

Without a word, Stuffwell popped open his lid.

Toadette sighed. “I’ll humour you, but this isn’t gonna work.” She tossed one of her slides towards him. Her eyes widened. It disappeared into his open body with a soft sound. Stuffwell let out a soft hum.

“Ah. Seventy percent leather, thirty percent foot perspiration.” He wriggled. “Professor E. Gadd constructed me to be the ultimate travel assistant. You may stuff me until I begin to scream out in bloody agony.”

“Some kind of pocket dimension, huh? Perfect for the Ethereal Stars.” Toadette began gathering clothes—shirts, extra vests, socks—and small necessities, shoving them into Stuffwell.

His interior seemed to swallow everything until he sounded like a child who had eaten too much dinner. Fortunately he didn’t scream.

“We’re set to go,” Toadette declared with a smile.

“May I say, you have a very interesting set of aromas,” he commented as he shrunk into her pocket.

“So I’ve been told.”

***

The salty air grew stronger as Toadette hurried through the waking streets of Toad Town toward the docks. Toad should have been there already. And regardless of Minh’s plans, the florist was going to deliver Penelope. Another night spent at Minh’s rather than the castle.

Toadette arrived just past eight, her brow furrowing as she took in the scene.

“Minh, explain this!” she demanded, pointing to the uninvited guest on the boat.

Minh smirked from her perch on the docks. “Jazz said she wanted to come along.”

“Look, Toadette, there’s no point in trying to dissuade her,” Toad said, looking defeated. “An unstoppable force already met an unmoveable wall.”

Toadette crossed her arms. “Jasmin is going back home. End of discussion.”

“Come on, Miss Toadette,” Penelope begged, seated on the boat’s railing.

“No!” Toadette turned her gaze to Toad. “You really want a repeat of Neon Heights?”

Minh stood up. “Her stuff is already aboard. And I heard Sir Toadsworth say this boat’s already late to depart.”

“Toadsworth?” Toadette asked.

“Oh yeah, he said after the attack that he was ready to fight for his kingdom again. Just ripping to go.”

As if summoned by Toad’s words, a bell rang from the boat. The ship began to slide away from the docks. Minh shrieked, scrambling onto the railing before she could be left behind.

Toad scoffed. “Couldn’t wait a few more seconds, you old coot?”

“A little warning would’ve been appreciated.” Toadette took a few steps back and launched herself across the water. Her flats slapped on the deck as she landed simultaneously with Toad, the boat already chugging out to sea.

The vessel was the same cramped one they’d endured on the voyage to Lavalava Island a month ago, meaning the space was just as confined as she remembered. A single bunkbed. Though Minh revealed she had brought along an air mattress, no doubt for the two little girls. This courtesy did little to soften Toadette’s frustration. She yanked Minh back outside onto the wet deck where the chilly winds swallowed their argument.

“Were you even thinking about her safety when you brought her along?” Toadette growled. “What’s stopping her from staying with your parents?”

Minh yanked free, her face hardening. “Don’t you dare ask me that, Toadette. Acting like I want anything bad to happen to Jazz.”

“That little psychopath is gonna—”

“Toadette! Insult her again, and this conversation’s over.”

“Your coddling is part of the problem. Give me a good reason she’s here, and it better go beyond the fact that she asked nicely.”

“Ain’t it obvious?”

Toadette looked at her like she was crazy. A direct answer shouldn’t have been so difficult.

“Fine,” Minh continued, her voice dropping. “Since you clearly don’t like her, I’ll take full responsibility for whatever happens to her. Happy?”

“Since I don’t like her? Remind me again who threw a rock-hard shoe at my head after running away from home?” Toadette glanced out at the endless sea. “Whatever. Just keep that dog on a leash.”

Minh let out a dramatic groan and turned back towards the cabin door. She could see Penelope and Jasmin already exploring the confines of their temporary room. Penelope bounced from one corner of the room to another. Jasmin, in contrast, was more contained. She observed things, but the crazy excitement Penelope displayed weren’t to be found.

Suddenly a hand tapped Minh on the shoulder. “They start banging yet?”

“What?” Minh gasped. “Ew, don’t put that image in my head.”

“So the shroomy slut can’t handle some spice now?” Toad chuckled, giving her hair a playful tug. “I’m more worried about Penelope than Jazz. Every day at the castle, it’s just ‘Jazz this’ and ‘Jazz that’. You’d think Penelope was trying out for the saxophone.”

“It’s pure innocence,” Minh muttered. “Jazz never gets this talkative around our cousins.”

“Either Penelope gave her a disease in the bed,” he started, receiving a weak punch in the face, “or she forced her out her shell. Impressive.”

“It’s like when I got Toadette to finally start talking more in school.” Minh paused, staring at Jasmin. “Though Toadette eventually got a big ego and never stopped talking.”

Toad snorted, pulling himself fully into the top bunk. “Really? Then thanks. Something so sexy about a woman who thinks she’s all that and can actually back it up.”

The last comment hit Minh like a truck. Was it Opposite Day? Toad should’ve been embarrassed that Toadette handled herself way better than he had during the attacks.

While Toad settled in for a nap, conserving energy for whatever lay ahead, Minh found herself indulging in a small comfort of her own: her feet. The best thing about winter ending was ditching her black boots. Now her toes could wiggle and breathe in her flip-flops. This pair was black and spongy with a rose design along the insole, mildly stained with her footprints. She kicked them off under the bench, letting her soles kiss the air. She then pulled a puzzle book out her bag and crossed her legs, letting one of her feet dangle in the air.

She had no idea another set of eyes was fixed on her foot.

Jasmin swallowed hard. Penelope was chattering away beside her, something about wanting to drive a boat in a hurricane, but Jasmin couldn’t hear a single word. Her entire world had shrunk down to the curve of Minh’s ankle, the big toes and the black flip-flop on the floor.

“Jazz?” Penelope waved a hand in front of her face. “Yoohoo!!”

Jasmin jumped, clutching her heart. “What did we say about screaming in my ear?”

“You looked hypnotised. You do this a lot.” Penelope tilted her head. “Is it some kind of thing you have? Maybe Captain Toad would know what it is.”

“I’m a captain, kid, not a doctor,” he said with a sly grin. “Though I think I know what condition you have.”

“What? What do I have?” Penelope repeated herself twice, eventually throwing her hands up. “Grown-ups always say to ask questions, but then they never wanna answer!”

Jasmin took Penelope’s arm. “Can we sit down, please?”

“Okay, Weak Legs.” Penelope went to her backpack. While she rummaged through it, Jasmin’s eyes landed on a small table shoved against the wall. It was tinier than the average coffee table. Hiding her sudden surge of excitement behind her blank face, she pushed it over to Minh. “Here, Minh-Minh. This should be better.”

“Oh, thanks, Jazz.” Minh placed her feet on the table, scribbling in her book. “Four-letter word for…cheese ‘n’ vinegar.”

Jasmin scooted over the side of the table, right near Minh’s feet. Before she could take a proper look, Penelope plopped down beside her, right against her side. But Penelope didn’t bother offering a Nintendo DS for a multiplayer game, to Jasmin’s surprise. She just stayed quiet. It was a surprising amount of self-control for Penelope, and yet she was still right next to Jasmin.

Not the right time for this, Jasmin thought desperately. Alas, she had to play it cool to get what she wanted. Easier said than done.

She took a quick glance at Minh’s feet. Upon seeing the subtle wrinkles, she slowly creaked her head down. They were clean, maybe with a single tiny grain of sand. Jasmin’s heart began to race. She tried to breathe slowly, but instead of hiding her arousal, it just made her breaths come out heavier.

“You good, Jazz?” Minh asked in Spanish. “Oye, is it too dusty around here?”

Jasmin stiffened. “I’m fine,” she said, forcing her voice to sound flatter than usual. “Just still a little overwhelmed about being on a boat like this. Wouldn’t Dad be happy I didn’t try to jump off this one?”

“I know he’d be applauding.” Minh ripped a page out her book and slid it onto the table with an extra pencil. “Here, you can work on this so you’re not bored.”

“Um…” Jasmin bit her lip. The edge of the paper was practically touching Minh’s heels. This was perfect and terrifying. “Thank you, Minh-Minh.”

Her grip on the pencil was shaky, not helped by the boat rocking beneath them. But Jasmin accepted this, for it offered the perfect excuse to lean closer. Getting on her knees, she leaned over the table and scanned the word search. It had enough letters to drive a college student mad. But Jasmin had no intention of finishing the puzzle.

As she lowered her head, she pushed her body just a little more forward. She froze when Minh wiggled her toes, scrunching them tightly until the big one stuck up. They remained like this for moments before curling just slightly.

During one of these slow curls, Jasmin took her chance. She went in for a light sniff.

Two seconds passed. Ten. Twenty. Jasmin held her breath, waiting for Minh to notice and pull her feet away. But Minh simply worked on her puzzle, oblivious. While this should’ve been a victory, it only made Jasmin more fidgety and frustrated. That pathetic little puff of air wasn’t enough. She wanted the full aroma—the warm, enticing scent of her big cousin’s feet circling around in her nostrils. She dreamed to suffocate on that aroma.

Minh remained absorbed in her crossword. Meanwhile Jasmin’s own nose hovered just a hair’s length from Minh’s big toe. She took a slightly deeper inhale, her face scrunching as a faint, warm scent finally registered. Faint as it was, it was unmistakably Minh.

Her fingers trembled. Not only did she have to avoid Minh catching her, but she had two other busybodies nearby: Penelope and Toad. Toad seemed out cold, curled on his side. Penelope, however, was right beside her. All it would take was one curious glance, and Penelope would inevitably catch Jasmin smelling Minh’s feet. Her loud mouth wouldn’t keep it a secret.

“Listen, Jazz,” Minh chuckled, spreading her toes. “If you wanna impress people your age, get good at crosswords. They all thought I was some idiot, but once they saw me burn through a whole book in a day, suddenly everyone lined up for me to do their homework.”

The more whiffs Jasmin got of Minh’s feet, the more she drooled. She had to suck the saliva back in at a greater rate, almost choking at a point. What else could complicate her situation?

Penelope looked at the door. “Miss Toadette, what condition do I have, and why won’t Captain Toad tell me it?”

Oh, you have got to be fucking kidding me, Jasmin groaned internally.

“He’s nasty, Penelope. Ignore him.” Toadette kicked off her flats and plopped on the same bench as Minh. “When we get to Seaside Town, you stick close to one of us three. Got it?”

“Why are you telling me?” Penelope asked, pointing a finger directly at Jasmin.

Jasmin pretended she didn’t see that, burying her face in her own word search while Toadette lectured Penelope. Something about supervision, something about items… When would Toadette just leave and let Jasmin sniff Minh’s sexy feet in peace? At most Jasmin got in a few tiny sips of air when Minh shifted. Other than that? Nada.

Toadette yawned, stretching and nudging the table a bit. Then she placed her feet onto the table. Jasmin’s ears perked up.

“You sure you don’t wanna get some extra sleep?” Toadette asked Minh.

“Nah, it’ll just screw up my sleep schedule later,” Minh said, flipping a page. “But you go ahead. Count some sheep.”

“Remember not to underestimate these guys,” Toad said, his voice clear. “You need one of those Sleepy Sheep pills Koopa Koot uses.”

“You know that moron?” Toadette piped up, suddenly animated. As she got more engaged in the conversation, she slid her feet further forward, squeezing them between Minh’s. To Jasmin’s dismay, this resulted in Toadette’s left foot landing closer to where she was trying to hatch her sniffing plot.

“You know him too?” Toad flipped onto his back. “That wrinkly-necked fuckhead’s always lowballing prices for the toughest jobs. Look, somebody needs to take that cane and beat his scaly ass good someday.”

“I don’t normally advocate for violence,” Minh said sweetly, still immersed in her puzzle. “But when I gotta reverse-psychology you into keeping your garden non-lethal, that is ridiculous.”

The adults continued with their various stories of the annoying Koopa, Toadette punctuating her tales with dramatic toe wiggles. Jasmin gagged. She tried to sneak in one more sniff of Minh’s foot, only to be met with a deep sourness. Minh’s pleasant smell was being annihilated by Toadette’s pungent nylons. A pout appeared on Jasmin’s face. If she wanted to smell feet so bad that they’d melt her eyeballs, she would’ve just taken a whiff of her own. But Toadette showed no signs of moving.

Running out of options, Jasmin adjusted her position again, tilting her head until her nose was hovering dangerously close to the side of Minh’s foot. Anything to avoid the sour tang of Toadette. She took a deep breath.

“Jazz?” Jasmin froze. Minh’s foot shifted slightly away. “You know you can move, right?”

Damn it! The jig was up. There was no way to stay frozen in that weird position, nose twitching near four feet, and pass it off as just focusing on her word search. Slowly Jasmin moved to the other side of the table, where neither Minh’s divine feet nor Toadette’s hellish feet could reach her.

“Heh. Surprised she didn’t move earlier,” Toad chuckled.

“My feet don’t even smell that bad this morning.” Toadette rubbed her hand along her sole and then sniffed her fingers. Her nose crinkled. “Okay, fine, they don’t smell anywhere near their worst this morning.”

“Amen for that,” Penelope mumbled, mashing away at her game.

“Keep making a scene of it, all of you, and I’ll make this entire boat reek of raw Toadette,” she threatened with a smile.

Minh giggled. “That’s a threat, huh?”

“Normally threats are warnings,” Toad said. “The boat’s already beginning to smell like your shoes. Would it kill you to bag them up or something?”

“Sure thing, weaklings,” Toadette scoffed. She strode over to where she discarded her shoes, grabbed them and headed towards a door. “New bathroom air freshener,” she said as she tossed them inside.

As she closed the door, a gust of wind swept through the ship. Penelope barely flinched, while Minh calmly solved another word in the puzzle. Jasmin, on the other hand, gasped at the sudden noise.

“Relax, kid,” Toad said, twisting in his bed. “We’re in safe hands.”

Before Jasmin could respond, the door to the ship’s cabin swung open, and Toadsworth hobbled in with his cane.

“Ah, there are you. Enjoying our voyage, I trust?” he asked.

Penelope paused her game and grinned at him. “We’re doing great, sir.”

Toadsworth’s gaze swept over the group, lingering on Penelope before landing on Jasmin, who had retreated into herself further after her last foot-sniffing attempt.

“And who is this delightful young lady?”

Minh nudged Jasmin lightly. “This is my cousin Jasmin, Toadsworth. Poshley Heights, so she’s been staying with us.”

“Oh dear. You’ve my condolences for the incident there, child.” He shook her limp hand. “Welcome aboard, however. I remember when I was but a young lad, no older than yourself, commanding mighty vessels across the seas. An expert navigator, they called me. I can only hope these old eyes still retain their sharpness for our journey today.”

Toad let out a scoff. “Come on, old man. It’s Seaside Town, not the edge of the planet. If I could do this with my eyes closed, you’ll get us there easily.”

Toadsworth chuckled. “Always good to be confident, my boy. But one must never underestimate the whims of the sea and all who lay within her.” He looked around the cabin. “Now, have you all eaten enough? We’ve plenty of extra provisions on board, so don’t be shy.”

“I could go for some cookies if you got ‘em,” Penelope rushed to say, shutting her DSi.

“Excellent, excellent. Madam Toadette, if you would.” He directed her to where the extra food was. “Well I best be returning to the helm. We might be in for a bit of a squall before long, judging from the clouds on the horizon.”

“Thank you,” Toadette called out. “We’re safer with you driving us than Toady here.”

Toadsworth offered a final smile before shuffling out, leaving the cabin warmer than before.

***

Hours melted away. By four in the afternoon, Toad and Toadette had swapped places; she was now curled up and snoring, while he was wide awake. He watched as the bright blue had vanished, replaced by a dark grey. Thunder rumbled like mad, followed by a steady rainfall.

“Four more hours to go, guys,” he announced, provoking an exaggerated groan from Penelope.

“At this rate, we’ll be asleep by the time we get there,” she whined.

“Nobody said every aspect of adventuring was gonna be smooth sailing like in the stories.” Toad took a slow bite of a granola bar. “Suck it up, buttercup.”

Penelope had already abandoned her DSi, succumbing to the boat’s rocking and the dreary afternoon like Toadette had. Jasmin was laid out flat on the edge of the bottom bunk, still as a mummy. It was the only thing keeping Penelope’s mind sane—Jasmin’s presence. Biting her lip, she slipped a hand between her legs.

Minh suddenly appeared by the deck doorway, and Penelope pulled her hand away, quickly reverting to playing innocent.

“Toad,” Minh said, wiping rain from her face. “Aren’t we supposed to be headed east?”

“South then east from Toad Town, yes.”

“Okay, ‘cause we’re going straight south. And we’ve been for a while.”

“What?” With the Sun out of commission, Toad scrambled for his compass. Sure enough, the needle pointed straight south.

“I knew something was wrong when I felt the boat turn earlier,” Minh mumbled.

“You felt it and didn’t say anything?” he yelled. The outburst made Toadette stir. “Damn it, Minh! What if we’re way off course?”

“I ain’t the boat-sailing expert here!” Minh threw up her hands. “For all I knew, that turn was normal! Why didn’t you notice anything?”

Toad ignored her with a scoff. He bolted towards the captain’s door, banging on it hard. But he got no answer. Fearing the worst, he repeatedly rammed it with his shoulder. On the third charge, the cheap lock exploded.

What he saw stopped him in his tracks.

Three figures stood in the small cabin. They were blue sharks, walking upright and now glaring at Toad. One of the them gripped the ship’s wheel, steering them through the rough seas. The other two wielded spears. Red-striped bandanas were tied around their heads.

Toad registered everything just as they surged forward. One of them lunged a spear at Toad’s shoulder. He got out the way in the nick of time, hearing a sharp scrape against the door frame.

“Toadette!” he screamed, wrestling with one shark for control of the spear. “We’ve got unexpected visitors!”

“Wario already?” She hit the floor running, rushing into the captain’s cabin. The second she entered, Toad crashed into her. Air whooshed out her lungs, but even as she stumbled, her eyes locked onto the scene inside.

“Avast ye, mateys,” one of the sharks growled, shoving a spear against Toadette’s throat. “You be encroaching in our here waters! This vessel be commandeered!”

“Try it,” Toadette spat. Her muscles tensed, much to the sharks’ confusion.

With a sudden surge, she shoved Toad off her and zipped with lightning speed. The shark barely registered the movement before she snatched the weapon from his grasp. Before he could react, she slammed the butt of the spear into his jaw, sending him into his peer. As they collided, Toadette wound up a kick. Her foot, still in a sweaty nylon, drove with force into both of them. They flew through the busted remnants of the cabin’s front window.

The shark at the wheel immediately threw up his fins. “Parlay!”

“I don’t even know what that means,” Toadette said, her voice calm. She then sent her knee into the shark’s chest, sending him out into the raging storm. She looked back at Toad. “Wouldn’t have cared either way.”

“He wanted to negotiate,” Toad said, shaking his arm out. “They caught me so off-guard that I forgot about those stars making us stronger.”

Toadette pushed the captain’s chair back into place. “Alrighty, let’s get back on track.”

“Hold up. Where’s Toadsworth?” Toad looked around. There was nowhere to hide. “Oh shit.”

Toadette leaned out the glass. “Hey, I know you morons can’t drown! Where’s the captain of this boat?”

One of the sharks emerged. “He’s been taken to our captain! He refused to divulge the secrets of what your ship contains. And for trespassing in our seas, he is now our prisoner.”

“Is that so?” Toadette motioned Toad forward, eyes still on the shark. “Who do you work for?”

“Someone who will make your blood chill at the mere mention of his name.”

“I’ll take my chances,” Toad said, holding out one of their spears. “You heard her. Who?”

“Are you daring to face him yourselves?” the shark cackled, two other finned heads breaking the surface beside him. “Fools. You must be wanting a quick end to your travels.”

Toad growled. “Playing cryptic isn’t the way to go! You’re gonna tell us exactly where he is! Let him know that when I get there, I’ll rip him to bits!”

“Ooh, you want to face him in combat now?” The lead shark exchanged a look with his peers. “This will intrigue the captain. Very well. To the deep southeast of Seaside Town you will find a set of black caves. You head there, and if you’ve a knack for exploring, you will find our ship. We’ll expect your arrival no later than midnight.”

“Wait!” Minh burst into the cabin. “Midnight tomorrow! We need another day, please.”

“Hell no! We don’t know what they’ll do to Toadsworth tonight!” Toad snapped, pushing her.

“Plus, I’m more than ready to kick that bastard’s face in tonight,” Toadette agreed.

“The elderly mushroom man is currently in the brig. He’s unharmed,” the shark replied. “If you wish to prepare yourself for the deadliest battle of your lives, then so be it. But by midnight tomorrow, if you do not appear, we will be dining on aged mushroom.”

With a final, mocking cackle, the sharks vanished beneath the waves.

Minh sighed. “There’s no way we could go there right now. We’re not even well-equipped.”

“Moron,” Toad scoffed. “With a whole day’s head start, we might as well hand Wario the Ethereal Star.”

“Ain’t you learnt nothing about taking caution?” Minh clenched her fists. “I’m sorry for being considerate.”

“Hey! Rescue first, whine later,” Toadette said. “What do we know about pirates? They love treasure. What’s more valuable than the very star we’re hunting?”

“You think they have it?” Toad asked.

“We might as well rule out the possibility.” Toadette plopped him in the seat. “You can drive a boat, right?”

“Easier than flying a plane… But these are some rough waters, so hold on tight.”

----------

Author’s Note:
I always liked the quaint Seaside Town locales of Super Mario RPG. I bet some of you are angry at Jasmin for being such a coward. You’re probably screaming, “Little bitch, smell Toadette’s sweaty toes! That’s a privilege!” I know I am.