DELTATOAD [Chapter 1]

3) ❤️ Something Darker

You made sure to be careful while closing the library doors. The last thing you needed was a small army of angry Toads after you because a draft you caused ended up knocking over all of their papers. After confirming that the doors were shut tight, you turned and started down the hall. After all, Luigi couldn't have gone far.

The library was left behind you as you started to walk in no particular direction, just away from the doors. It didn't take very long before you managed to retrace some of the steps you took to get here. You turned the corner and were now staring down a large corridor. Lo and behold, you could see your brother standing with his back to you farther down the hall.

"Heh, sucker," he mumbled.

The man in green chuckled under his breath as he reached into his overalls, pulling out and revealing a very expensive-looking butterfly-shaped jewelry charm.

You could see a devilish smile reflected in the gemstones, a smile that wasn't very "Luigi-like".

Something told you that this wasn't your brother you were dealing with right now.

As the man in green that was impersonating Luigi admired the stolen item, he caught you staring out of the corner of his reflection. He quickly pocketed the jewelry piece and spun to face you with more of a "Luigi-esque" smile. You could tell just by looking at him that he was up to no good.

"Oh, hey! Mario, I didn't see you there," he started, trying to keep up the cheerful voice your brother had. "Seems like you finally escaped the Princess, huh?"

You didn't say a thing as the man in green stood across from you. Late morning light shining into the hall cast a shadow across the imposter's face, obscuring your view from his eyes. The man in green tugged the front of his hat down a little more when he seemed to notice you staring, further hiding his eyes. He was hiding something, that's for sure. After the brief silence, the imposter took a breath as he looked you over, possibly sizing you up.

"You didn't see anything just now, right, bro?" He said the word 'bro' with a lot of spite to back it, destroying any doubt you had that he could possibly be Luigi.

The Luigi imposter tilted his head slightly to the right as he asked you this, looking you over some more as he did.

"Alright, let's just cut the crap. I think we both know that I'm obviously not your stupid weakling brother," he replied with a chuckle. "You gonna run back to your girlfriend now and turn me in?"

You remained silent, creating an awkward pause. After a few moments, the man in green let out a breath before the edge of his mouth curved upward into an evil smirk.

"What? Cat got your tongue?" He said in a taunting voice, "Or is the great man in red just too scared?"

You continued to say nothing, simply watching him. It was almost unnoticeable, but you could see the imposter's eye twitch in the shade. The man in green didn't like your silence as an answer when he was clearly trying to determine how much of a threat you were right now.