[Deleted]

Paula sat on the couch of her apartment, looking at the Sanctuary Stone she just found at Nowhere Island with the help of Peach, Perry and Tail's, before she went back to her apartment she went back to the Library to see If Leder was there, but surprisingly he wasn't there, oh well, she could see him another time...But now she had to wait...To gain a message...A single message, or a response from the stone.

She sighed.

"What am I doing? I shouldn't wait for something like this, It might be awhile before the stone responds to anything." Paula said as she picked up the stone and placed It at the fireplace over the room she was In, admiring the place she put the stone In, she was In a nightgown despite It just being morning, well she was tired at doing a mission that took all night to complete and she was about to depart for bed for a few hours.

But then she remembered Peach...She was coming over to talk to her over something, so she guessed she had to wait until Peach stops by to visit. Paula walked toward's her kitchen and prepared to make some coco for her and Peach, while wondering about what Peach wanted to talk to her about.

"Hmm...Maybe It's a gift for being friends...Or maybe an invite to a sleepover? I'm fine with either way."

[Mari]

Peach stood outside the door to Paula's apartment, having taken the time to change into one of her many identical beautiful pink dresses and freshen up after their adventure. She had also baked a batch of cookies, something easy for her to carry across the life sphere. A cake was always very special, but it would have been difficult to make the trip without damaging the precious cargo. Perry was resting over her shoulder. Against her better judgment, she had decided to bring the parasol to this sensitive conversation. Peach was waiting there at the door without knocking as she steeled herself, attempting to compose herself for the conversation to come.

"C'mon! You're not chickening out, are you?" Perry egged on after a while of waiting. Peach's cheeks turned a nice shade of pink. She knew the parasol didn't completely grasp the more shy aspects of her personality. "No..." Peach murmured in response. "C'mon..! Get in there. She isn't going to bite~" Perry went on to remark, beaming brightly. "I will! I just... I need a moment to think about what I want to say, is all." Peach replied, frowning in disapproval at Perrry. The parasol seemed to take a hint and stopped bothering Peach, allowing her a moment to think. After the moment passed, she would reach up and knock upon Paula's door.

She hoped Rosalyn was right.

[Deleted]

Paula heard a knock on her door, possibly being Peach coming to discuss something with her, she placed the two coco's on the table and walked toward's the front door, she checked the peep hole to see If It was Peach and not some burglar, she was right, It was Peach, and she bring Perry, she always loved that umbrella of her's. "Coming!" Paula said as she quickly opened the door for Peach and Perry. "Welcome Peach and Perry, come on In, I just made some coco." Paula said as she closed the door after the two and followed them to her living room.

Paula sat at one couch as she looked at the two. "I can make another one for you, Perry If you want?" She said to the two before quickly speaking again.

"But...I heard you wanted to discuss something with me Peach, what's wrong?"

[Mari]

Peach would smile at Paula as she answered the door, but Perry promptly piped up at the other's offer before she could respond. "You did!?" he asked. Wow! He had no idea people were making cocoa for their guests! "Yes please!" the parasol would promptly continue, beaming excitedly at Paula. Peach giggled at Perry's excitement and shook her head slightly as she following Paula inside. "I just had something on my mind. I brought some cookies for us." Peach explained, gesturing to a little container she'd brought along. It was filled to the brim with cookies of a mysterious constitution.

Moving to sit down opposite of Paula, Peach set the container down and began setting out cookies for the group. She appeared to have baked two batches. Paula could choose between the peanut butter oatmeal sugar cookies with a creme filling and the candied pecan squares. Peach would move to feed Perry one of the of the peanut butter oatmeal sugar cookies, smiling to herself about something or another before speaking up.

"I've been thinking about it since I heard you talk to Cobalion. How has life here on Li been treating you, Paula..? Have you started feeling... comfortable here?"

[Deleted]

Paula listened to the two as Perry expressed wanting coco after Paula offered him some. "Hang on, I think I have a bit of It left." She said as she got up from the couch and headed back Into the kitchen, where she quickly served up what she had left for coco as she took the cup for Perry back into the living room and placed It on the table. "And...There you go." She said to Perry as Peach said she brought some cookie's. "Oh...Why Thank you princess, I love cookie's, usually the one's my Mom make's or when It's dipped In coco like the ones I just made." Paula said as she took a cookie off from Peach and dipped It In her coco where she ate It, she blushed happily at eating the cookie before looking back at Peach.

Who wanted to ask her something...About how she felt on Li so far, Paula quickly answered, but was curious as to why Peach wanted to ask such a question.

"Don't worry about what I said to Cobalion, I'm enjoying my time on LI so far...It's Just." Paula stopped and looked out the nearest window.

"I'm just wondering about something...About my own world, Eagleland."

[Mari]

Peach's eyes glimmered with recognition when Paula mentioned her mother. Oh. ...Oh. She didn't allow this to dampen her mood however, as she reasoned it would be pretty messed up if she were dissapointed to find out that Paula still had a loving family. That was a good thing! It just made... the following conversation very awkward. There was just one more thing she wanted to know, an important detail she didn't yet have... The princess chuckled light-heartedly, taking note of Perry's wiggling and helping him get the cup of cocoa. It must've been hard being a parasol at times. "Perhaps one day we'll get a chance to compare recipes. ...We'll have to make you our official taste tester." Peach remarked in a humorous tone, beaming a bit. "...Hey! I want to taste test too!" Perry remarked, apparently jealous over the remark. Peach chuckled at this. "Okay... We can have two taste testers. A second opinion is always good." she would relent, giving Paula a knowing look before finally returning to the topic at hand.

"Are your friends and family back there..? At Eagleland?" Peach wound up asking.

[Deleted]

Paula looked at Peach and happily laughed when the princess suggested that they should compare recipes one day, she took a sip of her coco before speaking again. "Maybe we should, but not right now...I just...got so much on my plate right now, and besides, I'm not really a great cook, all the recipes I had were just one's my Mother passed down to me when I'm prepared to live alone one day, like now and during..." Paula looked at the sanctuary stone again.

"The war on Giygas..."

"But that war's over." She said as Peach wanted to know If all of her friends and family were back In Eagleland. "Yeah...I was actually heading to a reunion to meet three of my closest friends again...We haven't met for two years ever since the war, but then an earthquake struck and I ended up here." Paula said to Peach as she explained Eagleland some more.

"Y-you would of liked It Peach, It was an amazing world to be In...I just...Still have hope that Eagleland Is fine after that earthquake you see, I found something In Crashed Nintendoland that made me worry before we found out about the location of the Sanctuary Stone and Great Grandfather's Diary...Rumours that something might of happened to Eagleland after I left for LI.

But then I found someone I knew just a few days ago...He's actually around here and he would love to see you and Perry...His appearance gave me hope that maybe...My friends and family will one day be found here and I can be reunited with them again...

Dont we all want to be reunited with our loved ones?"

[Mari]

Peach would smile and wait patiently and silently as Paula described her home and the circumstances around her search for its artifacts and her friends and family. Perry also seemed to respect the long stretch of talk, a politeness taught to him by Peach no doubt. Only once Paula finished did Peach speak, sighing contently as she began. "I suppose you're right. I want to be reunited with my own parents every day, and I miss all of the regulars who used to frequent my castle. My mother passed her recipes down to me too; to be honest, I wouldn't know how to cook without them." Peach replied, gazing off into the distance for but a moment as her memory flashed past a few faces. None of them happened to be the Mario Bros. Although they were both more than welcome to visit on a whim, they weren't exactly regulars in the sense that they didn't typically visit on a regular enough basis to qualify.

"I would love to meet your friends, and I'd love to visit Eagleland with you one day. I'm sure we'll find all of them eventually. Right, Perry?" Peach would reply, glancing up to the parasol. "Right!" Perry chimed in in a matter-o-fact tone. The parasol seemed to gaze at Peach expectantly, a gaze she returned for a moment. She could see that Perry wanted her to stop beating around the bush. Not particularly wanting to test his patience again, Peach decided to be a bit more forward. She already knew what she needed to anyway and it, unfortunately, left her with rather dim expectations. "But..." Peach began, hesitating for a long moment. "I wanted you to know, and the reason I wanted to speak to you, that even though you're far from Eagleland and your family... You can still have a mother in me, if that's something you would want." Peach would offer, turning her gaze up at Perry. "And maybe a brother too, if Perry is willing." she was quick to add, turning her gaze up at Perry expectantly. The parasol appeared caught off guard by the implied question.

[Deleted]

Paula listened as Peach described her own time's with her own Mother and Father and how her Mother would pass down recipes for her. "Yeah...I guess were both bad at cooking huh?" She said jokingly to Peach as she expressed how she would love to visit Eagleland one day and reassured Paula that they would reunite with there loved one's one day. "You really think so?" Paula said surprised at what Peach said, she quickly blushed. "Gee...Thanks Peach, you know, you re---

She stopped when Peach suddenly spoke again.

"Huh?" She thought as Peach suddenly said that Paula could always see a mother In her...Was this what she wanted to talk about? "What...Are you saying Peach?" Paula said In curiosity as her eye's suddenly widened...Wait she didn't mean...

"Are you saying...You want to adopt me?"

She held her cup of coco In place.

[Mari]

Peach would nod affirmatively to Paula. "Yes, that's precisely what I'm saying." she would go on to admit, beaming at Paula. "It was something I've considered anyway. I would be glad to have you as a daughter if that were something you'd be interested in. I'd love to share that kind of relationship with you, and I'd love ... you." Peach would go on, lowering her gaze for a moment in a slightly bashful manner. She would then chuckle a bit. "But--um... I understand if you prefer to only think of one person as your mother." Peach would go on to relent, offering Perry another cookie to keep him from commenting on the conversation at hand.

[Deleted]

Paula was shocked, so shocked that she almost dropped her coco, but noticed she was about to spill some on her floor and stopped herself. "Oh...Excuse me." She said as she placed her cup on the table and remained silent, looking up to the roof as Peach told her offer to the girl, she did say It was optional...But she wondered, how long did Peach have these feelings...But just as Peach was about to say that she loved Paula...The girl quickly interrupted her.

"Peach...No...You may love me...But I only just...


Like you."

She looked back at Peach and began to talk...Basically giving Peach's answer on her offer.

---

"This Is optional...But I must decline your offer to adopt me...I don't actually see you...The way I see you as my mother...As In, I don't see you as an alternate mother for me, I see you more like a friend, like I do with everyone else In the Sphere...But your now my fifth closest friend, with Perry being sixth...But we only just met, but I know your a wonderful princess.

I don't think I'm ready to move on just yet...I still have hope that I'll find my parent's and maybe they'll move In with me to this apartment...I also cant leave this apartment behind as well...It just reminds me of my old home and I cant let such a thing like that disappear and be a memory to me...

Again...

Also If I did accept then that will basically make me a princess...Or some form of royalty...But I don't want that, I want my friends to see me for who I am, the normal psychic Paula Jones Polestar...Not Princess Polestar...

I'm sorry Peach, being a princess to you Is fine...But I cant do that...So again, I must decline your offer.

I hope you understand and that we can still continue to be friends and go on missions together."

---

Paula sat patiently in front of Peach and Perry, wondering what they will say next, she sighed heavily as she looked out the window...Meanwhile, nearby the three.

He was watching.

"Meow..."

[Mari]

Peach sat there quietly for a very long moment. How could she feel so shocked by an answer she'd seen coming long, long before she'd ever asked her question? Peach supposed that there were just some feelings one never, ever got used to. Rejection, disappointment, heartbreak. They never stopped being awful, no matter how many times one experienced them or how much one thought they were ready to face them. The princess would nod in understanding, closing her eyes for a moment. "Of course, Paula; I understand." she replied rather quietly.

It was probably the biggest lie Peach had ever told.

The princess fell silent for a moment, distracting Perry with another treat as she retraced her steps. She seemed intent to let the topic fade away as quickly as it had come up, judging by the way she promptly changed the subject. "Y'know, I've been looking for my own parents too. I wish I'd learned anything from my searches that could help, but I've had some very poor luck so far. I did get one idea from a woman recently though." Peach began, watching Paula carefully to see her reaction.

[Deleted]

Upon hearing Peach say she understood when Paula declined her offer for adoption in the lightest way possible, Paula smiled at the princess and took a deep breath after what she just said. "Phew, thank goodness, I thought you were not going to take the answer very well and freak out, which Is why I respect your calmness Peach and I really hope you understand what I said." Paula said to the Princess as she soon spoke about her own parents, wondering If she'll ever find them, at least It's a better discussion then the one she came here to discuss.

Paula grabbed her cup of coco again and started to drink from It once more as Peach said a woman helped her by give an idea about there whereabouts. "I see...What's this woman's name?" She said In curiosity as she suddenly heard something behind her, she turned and looked happily at the thing that made that noise. "Oh, It's Widdles, Peach, Perry, It's time you get to know one of my best friends In the world." She said as she quickly called out to Widdles.

"Here Widdle's come out!"

The figure revealed himself to the trio.



It was a cat, Paula's pet cat Widdles. "Someone found him a few day's ago outside of the Life Sphere uninfected, he usually sleep's on roof's or high places, like the fridge or the roofs of the apartments." She said as Widdles walked towards Peach and Perry...However he was only interested In one of them and that was the person who was the highest In the room...Perry.

He quickly jumped up on Perry and tried to lie on his face, Paula jumped off of the couch and placed her coco down again before walking toward's Widdles.

"Widdle's come down, Perry Is not one of your resting spots...Are you hungry?"

[Mari]

"Her name was Rosalyn. She's offering therapy to those in need." Peach replied. Before she could unveil her plan to find her parents, however, something devilishly hidden revealed itself! "Cat!" Perry blurted out before abruptly getting a face full of Widdles. The parasol seemed a bit alarmed by this and Peach wasn't feeling much differently. The princess eyes widened as she realized where Widdles was. "Oh my..." Peach murmured, gently shifting Perry off of her shoulder and slowly lowering him to the ground, simultaneously tilting him so that Widdles would be slowly forced to hop off. She didn't want to see what would happen if Perry got frustrated and tried to get her off himself. He couldn't really be trusted not to eat things he probably shouldn't, after all. "I wonder how he managed to stay uninfected for so long." Peach asked curiously. Perhaps if this cat could do it, so could her parents?

[Deleted]

Paula walked to the kitchen and took out a can of cat food called "Twoson Mewson!" that she found at a nearby...Market, what you were expecting her to go to Sigma Mart? Heck no! As she opened and poured It In a bowl, she took out a wooden spoon and started mixing It around the bowl, all the while Peach wanted to know how Widdles stayed immune from the infection. "They did say he was wandering around Li for a day, so he got lucky It seems...Thank pickles." She said as she took the bowl and put everything else, besides the wooden spoon in which she put that In the sink, In the trash as she took the bowl of cat food back to the room that everyone else was In.

"Here Widdle's, here's some twoies!" She said happily to Widdles as she placed the food bowl in front of the three as Widdles took notice of the bowl and jumped down to It. Beginning to eat, Paula keeled down and petted the cat before looking back at Peach.

"Now that's over...Who Is this Rosalyn, Is she one of the new people In the sphere...And I guess I can understand why she's doing therapy work, It's great we finally have one In the sphere, do you know how many problems everyone has here?


Not to be rude or anything."