Past Lives Could Never Come Between Us

75

As Luigi closes the door, Marilyn says, "My dad would never hurt anyone."

"And how long has it been since you spoke to him?" Luigi asks.

"It's your secret agency. Don't you already know?" Marilyn snarks.

"That's not how it works." Luigi rolls his eyes.

"Then how did you know where to find me?" Marilyn challenges.

Luigi thinks back on the fluffy cloud bunny, and the eerie voice that sounds way too much like Mario, but only says, "I was...tipped off. By someone I trust."

As Luigi goes to pour them both espresso, Marilyn asks, "So in this alternate universe where I actually believe you, who did my dad attack?"

"The prince of the kingdom I work in." Luigi says. "And Molly, the woman that raised me. Though she was already dead."

"So what does that have to do with you?" Marilyn reminds him.

"My parents, your aunt and uncle, were attacked." Luigi says, making her look at him in surprise. "Back then, the technology my secret agency uses was still in its early stages. It worked, but at the cost of them not remembering anything. Including me."

"Again, that sounds like a you problem, not my dad's." Marilyn points out. "He said he stumbled onto something huge that could change everything for us, and that the bad guys were trying to shut him up about it. That's why he disappears."

"Oh trust me, we're as far from bad guys as it gets." Luigi picks up a cup and hands it to her. "We use it to solve crimes."

"What does it do?" Marilyn asks. "Dad was super paranoid, refusing to tell me."

"Which was probably for your own good." Luigi says. "Because I can't tell you without putting the safety of my team at risk. So I'll ask again: tell me where your dad is."

"My dad talked to me about you, did you know that?" Marilyn asks, smirking when Luigi looks surprised. "He said you'd find a way to track me down so you could find him. And told me to beg you to not drag me into it."

"Sounds unlikely." Luigi mutters, sipping his espresso.

"Not so unlikely when he followed it up with he'll find you on his own terms, when he deigns to let you in on the big secret." Marilyn says.

That makes him look right at her, "I was tipped off through a message that was almost that exact sentence, word for word. Did you send it?"

Marylin looks confused, "No..."

Luigi shakes this head, then leads them back to the living room. "I know I haven't given you a lot of reasons to trust me, but all you know is your dad's side of things."

"My dad loves me. He only hurts people who hurt his family." Marilyn says. "If you spent any amount of time with him, you'd know that."

"Then arrange it." Luigi implores as they sit at the table.

"No." Marilyn says.

"Why?" Luigi pushes.

"I'm not going to cooperate until you tell me what the hell is actually going on here. Is this all because of this...technology he stumbled across?" Marilyn demands.

"In part." Luigi admits.

"So tell me." Marilyn says. "And maybe I'll deign to let you know where he is."

"Quid pro quo, huh?" Luigi grins.

"We're family, aren't we?" Marilyn says simply. "Let's gossip."

"Okay." Luigi agrees, then leans forward. "So how do I find him?"