⠀
“ 𝖧𝗆… 𝗒𝗈𝗎 𝗌𝗁𝗈𝗎𝗅𝖽 𝗍𝗋𝗒 𝖣𝗂𝗇𝗈𝗌𝖺𝗎𝗋 𝖫𝖺𝗇𝖽! 𝖨𝗍’𝗌 𝖺 𝗀𝗋𝖾𝖺𝗍 𝗉𝗅𝖺𝖼𝖾 𝗇𝗈𝗐 𝗍𝗁𝖺𝗍 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖪𝗈𝗈𝗉𝖺 𝖳𝗋𝗈𝗈𝗉 𝗁𝖺𝗌 𝖻𝖾𝖾𝗇 𝖽𝗋𝗂𝗏𝖾𝗇 𝗈𝗎𝗍! 𝖳𝗁𝖾 𝖸𝗈𝗌𝗁𝗂𝗌 𝗐𝗈𝗇’𝗍 𝗆𝗂𝗇𝖽 𝗒𝗈𝗎 𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗋𝖾 𝖺𝗌 𝗅𝗈𝗇𝗀 𝖺𝗌 𝗒𝗈𝗎’𝗋𝖾 𝗇𝗂𝖼𝖾… 𝗐𝗁𝗂𝖼𝗁 𝗒𝗈𝗎 𝖺𝗋𝖾! ”
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⠀
“ 𝖲𝗈𝗆𝖾𝗍𝗂𝗆𝖾𝗌 𝖬𝖺𝗋𝗂𝗈 𝗍𝖺𝗄𝖾𝗌 𝗂𝗍 𝖾𝖺𝗌𝗒, 𝗍𝗈𝗈! 𝖡𝗎𝗍 𝗒’𝗄𝗇𝗈𝗐, 𝖶𝗈𝗐𝗌𝗂𝖾… 𝖺𝖽𝗏𝖾𝗇𝗍𝗎𝗋𝖾𝗌 𝖺𝗋𝖾𝗇’𝗍 𝖺𝗅𝗐𝖺𝗒𝗌 𝖺𝖻𝗈𝗎𝗍 𝖿𝗂𝗀𝗁𝗍𝗂𝗇𝗀! 𝖸𝗈𝗎 𝖼𝖺𝗇-𝖺 𝗁𝖺𝗏𝖾 𝖺𝗇 𝖺𝖽𝗏𝖾𝗇𝗍𝗎𝗋𝖾 𝖺𝖻𝗈𝗎𝗍 𝖿𝗂𝗇𝖽𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗍𝗋𝖾𝖺𝗌𝗎𝗋𝖾, 𝗈𝗋 𝗁𝖾𝗅𝗉𝗂𝗇𝗀-𝖺 𝗉𝖾𝗈𝗉𝗅𝖾! 𝖮𝗋 𝖾𝗑𝗉𝗅𝗈𝗋𝗂𝗇’ 𝖺 𝗉𝗅𝖺𝖼𝖾-𝖺 𝗒𝗈𝗎’𝗏𝖾-𝖺 𝗇𝖾𝗏𝖾𝗋 𝖻𝖾𝖾𝗇 𝖻𝖾𝖿𝗈𝗋𝖾! ”
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“ 𝖧𝖾𝗁… 𝗂𝗍’𝗌-𝖺 𝖻𝗂𝗍 𝖾𝗆𝖻𝖺𝗋𝗋𝖺𝗌𝗌𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗍𝗈-𝖺 𝗌𝖺𝗒… 𝖻𝗎𝗍-𝖺 𝖬𝖺𝗋𝗂𝗈 𝗄𝗂𝗇𝖽𝖺 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦-𝘢 𝖽𝖺𝗇𝗀𝖾𝗋𝗈𝗎𝗌-𝖺 𝗉𝗅𝖺𝖼𝖾𝗌. ”

He rubs his head bashfully. He lived his early adult life in crappy blue-collar jobs, so jumping into a life of adventure sort of redefined his idea of fun.
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⠀
“ 𝖶𝗁𝗂𝖼𝗁-𝖺 𝗈𝗇𝖾 𝗈𝖿 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖿𝗈𝗎𝗋 𝗄𝗂𝗇𝗀𝖽𝗈𝗆𝗌 𝖽𝗂𝖽-𝖺 𝗒𝗈𝗎 𝗀𝗈 𝗍𝗈? 𝖢𝗁𝖺𝗂 𝗂𝗌-𝖺 𝖬𝖺𝗋𝗂𝗈’𝗌 𝖿𝖺𝗏𝗈𝗋𝗂𝗍𝖾. ”

Only Mario could enjoy a location where he had to fight for his own life…
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“ 𝖧𝗂𝗒𝖺, 𝖶𝗈𝗐𝗌𝗂𝖾! 𝖧𝗈𝗐 𝗐𝖺𝗌 𝗒𝗈𝗎𝗋 𝗍𝗋𝗂𝗉? ”
⠀

⠀
“ . . . “

Suddenly, Mario jumps up on the table and shouts.

“ 𝘏𝘦𝘺, 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘦! 𝘐𝘵’𝘴-𝘢 𝘮𝘦, 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘰! 𝘊𝘰𝘮𝘦-𝘢 𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘤𝘬 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘮𝘺 𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥’𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘪𝘦𝘴! 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺’𝘳𝘦 𝑺𝑼𝑷𝑬𝑹❗”
⠀

(( i need you all to know that i tried REALLY hard to not make vivian look like a baddie. i really did.

⠀
“ 𝖣’𝗈𝗁! 𝖶-𝖶𝖾𝗅𝗅, 𝗈𝗄𝖺𝗒… ”

He reluctantly agrees to leave the cookies to the customers as he dashes over to the pipe and plummets into it, determined to help bring back several of her tools and equipment.
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“ 𝖭𝗈𝗉𝖾-𝖺! 𝖬𝗒 𝗆𝖺𝗆𝖺 𝗆𝗂𝖺 𝖺𝗅𝗐𝖺𝗒𝗌-𝖺 𝗌𝖺𝗂𝖽 𝗍𝗁𝖺𝗍 𝖬𝖺𝗋𝗂𝗈 𝗐𝖺𝗌 𝗈𝗇 𝖺 𝗌𝖾𝖺-𝖺-𝖿𝗈𝗈𝖽 𝖽𝗂𝖾𝗍! 𝖨 𝗌𝖾𝖾 𝖿𝗈𝗈𝖽, 𝖨 𝖾𝖺𝗍𝗌 𝗂𝗍! ”
⠀

𝐀𝐒𝐊 𝐇𝐈𝐌 𝐀𝐍𝐘𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐆❗

⠀ ⠀
⠀ ⠀for a moment, he almost forgets his glare can be intimidating. His brows shot up in surprise at her noise. Before glancing away, his ear flicked.

⠀ ⠀" Is there something you need? You've been staring for a while. "

⠀ ⠀his question is simple enough. His voice sounded soft instead of harsh.