Flipped (Super Paper Mario SWAP AU)

Flashback #2

"I think we all deserve it," Blumiere chuckled. "Sharing the moon and the stars doesn't make them go away."

Timpani nodded to herself, then rolled onto her side so she was facing the boy.

"What's it like over there? In your village, I mean," she asked.

Blumiere stilled for a second as if pondering, then shrugged, his gaze still on the stars.

"It's dark," he breathed. "Cold a lot, too. We have strict leaders. People in charge of keeping the Dark Prognosticus safe. My dad and I aren't really important. He's just the executioner. But having these meetings has earned us at least a little respect. Or... maybe respect isn't the right word. We're more well-known now, but it's almost like they're all wary of us."

"And... as an executioner... does he...?" Timpani trailed off.

Blumiere let out a short sigh, then nodded.

"Yeah. He does," the boy breathed. "Murderers get the death sentence, and my dad's the one to do it."

Chills ran down Timpani's spine as her body tensed slightly.

"How... how does he do it?" she asked.

"It's painless," Blumiere assured her, though his voice was softer. It was a hard thing to talk about. To think about. "He's perfected a few spells that make it fast and easy. So there's no blood or anything. It's not a job he wanted to take, though. His dad was an executioner, so he was forced into the position once my grandfather retired. He's considered leaving, but do you know how hard it is to get a different job when the prior one was to literally kill people? Besides, he can't leave unless someone steps up to replace him, and you can guess how often that happens. No one dreams of a job like his. No one dreams of being hated by all and marked as a murderer for all eternity."

Timpani bit her lip, lowering her voice slightly.

"Will.... Will you be an executioner too, then?" she nervously asked.

Blumiere slowly sat up, then ran his hands through his messy blue hair.

"Hmm... nah. I don't think so, anyway. That's one of the reasons my dad has been coming here to meet Merlon. So our tribes can unite, that way we hopefully wouldn't need an executioner anymore. He's really hoping that this will solve all our problems."

Timpani nodded to herself, then looked down the hill, where Merlon and Blumiere's father were speaking. The executioner was tall, his gaze was cold. Deep blue hair and skin made him seem only colder. She had only heard him speak a few times, but he always sounded quiet and slightly harsh. Did being an executioner make him that way, or was he always like that?

She would never have been able to do it. Kill people for a living. With the power he probably had, why didn't he find another way to deal with criminals and murderers? Why was death the solution? Was it his decision, or were the people above him the ones calling the shots?

"And... what about your mother?" Timpani asked. "What's she like?"

"She left years ago," Blumiere breathed. "Once my dad started going to these meetings, actually, back when we first met. We never see her anymore. I think they're still married though, because he wears his ring. I think he misses her a lot... but I think it would have hurt a lot more if it wasn't an arranged marriage. The tribe does that to people who aren't married by a certain age. They didn't really know each other before getting married. I think he still loved her, though."

"And you?"

Blumiere's shoulders shrugged slightly.

"I miss the way he used to smile when she was there. As for her... I guess a part of me is a little mad at her. It hurt more to think about when it was still fresh. Now, I think I'm mostly past it," Blumiere explained. "Although... she did used to smell like flowers. Lavender and lilac. Sometimes, when I see them I still think of her."