SMG4:// Exodus

Part 1: Ecumene[Revised]

CH 1: Amalgam for my teeth, Silver for my heart

[3 weeks after Melony's recovery]

[Omnia Academy, New Donk City]

"I'm sorry it's come to this, Ms. Whippoorwill, But it seems I have no choice."

Kermit sat imposingly at his desk, twiddling his green thumbs under the dim light of a lamp. The young woman in front of him was staring off at the plaque on his desk, a look of dread on her face.

"You don't mean it... How could you?"

"No one else was available to conduct the interviews today." Kermit clicked through a few emails on his computer, "It's as though everyone's gotten sick as soon as I announced who all were coming to the academy, what a pity. I even said I'd give everyone extra credit."

Ave Whippoorwill slumped her shoulders, almost dropping her laptop from her hands. Of course it would have come to this. Given the reputation of the guests, she was surprised Omnia Academy didn't outright reject them from coming. She combed back her brownish hair and grit her teeth, taking off her thick black glasses for a moment. This was the most important moment of her career so far, and yet she would rather have stuck her head in a composter.

"The Meme Guardians are only gonna be here a few hours at most," Kermit explained, "They won't be too hard, but they're doing a seminar on Meme Energy at the moment."

"And the hard part..."

"... is going to be their guests." Kermit finished Ave's sentence, "Mario's here, Melony's here too. We've got some big names here for the day."

Kermit watched Ave's eyes widen at the mention of the name. He would have done the same, as much of a veteran journalist as he was. In fact, he had had the very same reaction the moment he received that email from the dean.

"Just think of it this way," Kermit said, "This is going to be the first time anyone's seen them since that incident. The whole Academy will be buzzing if we got so much as a single vowel sound from them."

Ave still wasn't convinced. The whole Academy was already restless, the whole Kingdom was. There was no one in the hallway when she came to Kermit's office. Her friends all skipped class today. The whole campus was dead quiet because of that final name on the list.

"Don't feel like you have to go all out for the Newspaper club, Ave." Kermit looked at his junior colleague encouragingly, "If she- if they make you feel uncomfortable – or if your life's in immediate danger, by all means, stop the interview. Just get something interesting we can use."

Ave Whippoorwill sighed, "It was either this or write another Personality Quiz..."

"That's the spirit!" Kermit smiled, "While you're at it, stop by Coach Spletzer's office, she might..."

Kermit was interrupted by deliberate bang on the door.

"Yo, is this the room where SMG4's having the seminar?" Someone asks from behind the door, "Am I close at least?"

"...and speak of the devil..." Kermit hums as Meggy Spletzer enters the office, out of breath. Ave Whippoorwill stands up out of her chair, as though at attention. She looked so much stronger in person; she walked with a powerful stride that extended farther than most, making her seem taller than she was. Her bright orange hair was at an awkward neck-length, tucked behind the straps of cloth face mask.

"You're off by a long shot, Coach." Kermit said, "...and with that face mask, you'd have me fooled thinking you're the one suddenly getting all my clubmembers deathly ill."

"Wouldn't be the first time I've gotten those kind of emails." Meggy smirked, "and it always seems to be the loudest guys in my classes, too. Wonder why."