Misunderstanding

Trouble Ahead

Bowser slept a peaceful, dreamless sleep that night. When he woke the next day his normally thundering steps felt light. He never knew love could feel so peaceful, and he never wanted it to end. He even, for a moment, considered going to Peach's room to greet her, but worried that that might be too much for her.

Besides, there was Kamek hot on his tail, already bothering him with his itinerary for the day. Although it was funny, where he would normally grumble and complain, he simply went along with Kamek's demands. That alerted the magikoopa right away.

"Uh, your Brutishness, are you feeling well?" Kamek asked carefully. "You haven't eaten anything strange, have you?"

Bowser hummed, resting his head on his hand. They were in one of the meeting rooms, waiting for a board meeting. There was meant to be an update on the water filtration system fix. Now, though, all Bowser could think about was his lovely princess. In fact, he was so lost in thought that he completely forgot to answer Kamek.

Of course, the old magikoopa responded to his silence by knocking him on the head with his staff. This brought the king to his normal, angry self quick.

"Hey! What was that for, you bag of dust?!" Bowser growled, glaring daggers into his advisor.

"Finally, you're back," Kamek sighed. "I was worried for a moment you had been poisoned."

"Poisoned? What in the world are you talking about?"

Kamek raised a brow. "You've been acting strangely all morning, sire. Strutting around here, grinning and seeming happy. It's off putting."

"Well I'm sorry I've offended you with my joy, Kamek," Bowser scoffed. "But there's nothing wrong with me. In fact, I've never felt better." The king hummed and sat back in his chair, putting his arms behind his head.

"What happened with the princess?" Kamek sighed knowingly. The old koopa was worried Bowser may have misconstrued something, the way he always does.

The king huffed. "Don't sound so suspicious of me, you old fart. If you must know, me and Peach had a great time last night. Dinner, dancing, kissing, a rather lovely stroll through the garden-"

"You kissed the princess?" Kamek asked incredulously.

The large koopa gave a toothy, goofy grin in response. "She kissed me."

The king's advisor seemed dumbfounded, and floated there in total shock. It was hard to believe, especially with how conflicted Peach had seemed ever since she had gotten here. Well, it seemed as though anything was possible.

Before they could discuss it any further, the other members of the meeting filed in. It wasn't too long before they got started, and while he knew he should listen, Bowser still found his mind wandering.

"Your Devilishness, I'm happy to report that the changes to the water filtration system have exceeded our expectations," an older koopa woman - who, for some reason, had Peach's face - said. "Our reports have shown that there is a wide range of success. Of course, this is very early, but things are looking really good. There's just a few bugs to iron out."

"Hm? And what are those?" Bowser mumbled, struggling to pay attention.

"Well, there's been supply issues in these regions." Another member, this one a shy guy, said. He pointed to a map that had all of the Darklands on it, pointing to areas on the outskirts of the area. "We've been having trouble getting enough water out to these areas, and with more creatures moving there, it's getting harder and harder. Of course, we have a couple options to remedy this."

Bowser raised a brow, now paying more attention. "And what are our options?"

The older koopa woman spoke up again. "Well, there are a few bodies of water near those areas. It's clean water, too. We snuck some tests in and it's almost better quality than the water that comes from our filters."