Magolor awoke to find himself face-to-face with the still-sleeping Meta Knight. He gave a quiet sigh as he remembered the night before. It was so exciting... so amazing!

Yet, the aftermath had left him feeling conflicted. It was clear to him now that the warrior had developed some feelings for him—feelings that he wasn't sure he shared. While it was true that he greatly enjoyed the armsman's company and surprisingly had much in common with him, he was questioning whether or not he truly felt the same way toward him.

[i]'I definitely like him a lot. He's one of the few people who've given me any sort of respect. He's been so kind and helpful, and at the very least, being friends with him alone is enough to make me want to stay on Pop Star after getting what I need...'[/i]

He shook his head, finding it hard not to groan in frustration as he was unable to sort out his feelings. He nuzzled in closer to the larger male instead, trying to shove these thoughts into the back of his mind.

The gesture was not returned. Meta Knight shuddered in his sleep, wearing an expression of discomfort. Every now and again, a limb would twitch agitatedly, as if his body was making an unconscious attempt to put some distance between itself and something else. His breathing wasn't the slow rhythm of someone in a deep, restful sleep, but instead came in rasping, unsteady breaths.

"...Meta?" Magolor's ears tilted as he saw the knight's shaking form, then quickly raised upward as he heard his partner—his friend's... breathing.

"Meta? Meta, are you okay? Wake up!" He spoke louder, put his hands to the other, and shook him a little. He wasn't sure if that would help or not... If all else failed, he could get some cold water, but he didn't want to resort to that.

Luckily, he wouldn't have to. The swordsman awoke with a sudden start, fluttering his wings violently. For a short moment, the terror that had engulfed him in his sleep still remained, and the very first thing he did on instinct was to reach under his pillow for his blade. Unfortunately, his reflexes worked far faster than he was able to snap into reality, and he slashed at random.

It was only after the pillow he'd slept with was cut clean in half that he realized he'd just woken from a nightmare.

Magolor backed up to the wall, utterly terrified. His eyes were open wide, staring at the blade in fear, and silently begging for the knight to put it away, acting as though merely looking at it could kill. He supposed he could count himself lucky that he had no limbs; otherwise he was certain he would have lost one!

It took him a long moment to calm his nerves enough to speak. He cleared his throat, and tried to sound comforting, though it was clear that he was almost as shaken as his friend.

"Are... A-are you okay?" he asked, getting closer, though actively avoiding the blade, giving it a cautious glance.

Meta Knight was left staring a little wide-eyed at the Halcandran beside him for a second or two before relaxing some. He let his muscles loosen up as his grip on the hilt of his sword weakened, but he was still left panting from the burst of adrenaline he'd gotten.

“Sorry... I'm fine,” he breathed heavily, willing himself to calm down and not looking forward to the explanation he'd likely have to give. It was not well-known that he still had nightmares every so often, and it wasn't something he wanted to be well-known. The last thing he wanted or needed from anyone was pity.

“I apologize for that,” he spoke with sincerity, setting the sword down at his side and making a conscious effort to fold his wings back behind him. Avoiding the foreigner's gaze, he hastily reached under the two halves that used to make up the pillow he'd used, and retrieved his mask before doing anything else. He hadn't missed the fear in the Halcandran's eyes—deep, genuine, well-founded fear. If he'd slashed in a different direction just a moment ago...

He shut his eyes in an attempt to shut out the very thought itself.

“I should have had better control of myself,” he muttered bitterly.

Magolor gave an awkward laugh. He wanted to say something to lift the mood a little, but he could think of nothing to cheer either of them up. He attempted to sit down beside the puff, and put a rather shaky hand against him. Partially, this was to try and comfort the knight, though it was mostly to keep his hand from shaking too much.

"I... W-well, it's not your fault. I mean, you were having a nightmare, right?” he tried to console his friend. “It looked like it was a bad one... I-I don't really blame you for that... At least no one got hurt, though... right?" Magolor's throat felt dry as he spoke. He honestly felt like [i]he[/i] had awoken from a nightmare.

“Correcto,” the knight admitted, shrugging. He managed to make some progress slowing his heart rate and placed one hand atop Magolor's, resting it there. He speculated that perhaps it would be wise to take some kind of medication if he wasn't going to be sleeping alone anymore, although he hated to dull his senses or reflexes in any way. Then he realized how presumptuous that was. He still couldn't make the assumption that Magolor would be staying in his company for more than a few more days. His brow furrowed a little, something only barely visible past the visor of his signature armor piece.

“I should contact my crew at the castle before we get there,” he deliberately changed the subject, taking his hand away again.

"Hm? What do you...?" Magolor paused for a moment. His mind was so busy with the current events that he had forgotten about the plans they made last night.

"Oh, right! Your ship!" Magolor's ears perked, and a small smile came across his face as that happy thought came in. However, his ears soon drooped once more, as he was still concerned for the winged puff.

"Are... are you sure you're alright, though?" He put his hands around Meta, and gave him a small hug. He wasn't too sure how to go about comforting people, but this was the best he could manage.

“I'll be fine, mi querido, I'll be fine...” the armsman murmured soothingly, leaning into the embrace. It was tempting to return the hug, but he knew he wouldn't want to let go if he did. Normally, he hated having anyone worrying about him, but in this case, it wasn't so bad. He could accept concern over his well-being on the basis of someone just genuinely caring for him, rather than trying to find weakness, but he still tried not to let it get to him much.

“We'll have to think of something to tell the others,” he stated, trying a different route to get out of this conversation. As heartwarming as his lover's concern was, he didn't want to spend any more time basking in it.

"I..." Magolor's ears continued to droop. With a defeated sigh, he nodded, collecting his clothes.

"Right... What should we tell them?" he pondered aloud. He could say that he was interested in looking at the knight's ship. There wasn't anything in that explanation that indicated they were going on a... well, a date, apparently. Maybe he could claim to need fresh air, while Meta feels the need to patrol from above? He shared his ideas with the other, tossing them out in the hopes that maybe it could help spark other ideas, at the very least.

The swordsman considered each suggestion carefully as he dressed himself. He knew very well that no one in the group of three was particularly perceptive, so it likely wouldn't matter much what they said. At the same time, it was far outside of his nature to tell a blatant lie; if he could, he would prefer to say something that wasn't exactly incorrect... Finally, he settled on the best option he could think of that fit such criteria.

“Perhaps the most believable explanation is that we've all been away from the castle for some time without having contacted anyone there. That isn't terribly unusual, but I'm sure someone would appreciate being informed of what's going on,” he spoke contemplatively as he worked out the idea aloud. “Of the lot of us, I can travel the fastest; I fit the role of messenger. At the same time, I [i]am[/i] due to go on patrol.”

"Yeah... I can see that working." Magolor nodded in agreement as he finally got dressed. "So shall we be going together? Or will you pick me up by the road, so to speak?" He giggled a little before hovering toward the door, waiting beside it. "Oh, also, do you wanna go outside first again?" he offered. "I can wait and come out afterward like last time if you'd like."

“I'll go first,” Meta Knight answered almost without thinking about it, moving to the door as well. “We can leave the ship as a pair. They'll know we're going to the same place, and you've never been there; it would make little sense to create the illusion of traveling there separately.” He wrapped his cape about himself, and settled into his usual mindset of formality and indifference. It would be incredibly helpful that his typical behavior was often considered cold and distant. That way, he would only have to act like himself, and no one would suspect anything strange going on between him and the little alien.

"Alright. That sounds good, then. I'll uh... I'll wait right here for a bit, then." He went to sit by the bed as the knight left. Once he felt enough time had passed, he exited the room as well.

"Good morning, everyone! Did you all get a good night's sleep?" he asked in his faux cheerful demeanor as he looked everyone over. However, he was at a loss for words at what he saw.

Bandanna Dee was just finishing putting an inner tube around Kirby, holding one more he likely planned to put on himself in his free hand. Dedede walked over, already in one of his own.

"That next part's at the beach, right? Now's the perfect time of year for a vacation!" Noticing the shocked expression on the Halcandran's face, he added with a sly smile, "We'll get that piece back, don't worry, but we'll take our time doin' it."

[i]'I'm not sure if this is a blessing in disguise... But I suppose I'll take it,'[/i] the foreigner thought dryly, nodding his head agreeably.

Though he did absolutely nothing to make it obvious, Meta Knight also found himself grateful for their fortunate timing. A day at the beach was far from his idea of an enjoyable vacation, and he was more than certain the king would do nothing to help that. Based on past experience, the warrior was almost completely sure he would be given an order to stop being a stick-in-the-mud, along with an inner tube of his own that he would have to use. What a ridiculous image that was.

“If His Majesty doesn't object,” he began diplomatically, hoping very much that there [i]wouldn't[/i] be an objection, “I would like to take it upon myself to make a round trip to the castle today. Someone should be told where we are.” He gave Magolor a significant glance, willing him to chip in as if they hadn't already planned on going together.

"...Oh! Your castle?” Magolor blurted once he noticed the knight glancing at him. “I would like to see that! I've, er... I've never seen a castle before. At least, not outside of pictures! My planet doesn't even have any rulers!"

[i]'Though it does have a crown...'[/i]

Magolor went over to the king, grabbing his hand and shaking it some, doing his best to suck up to him.

"It would simply be an honor to see your castle! I would absolutely love to know what a real one is like!" he insisted, smiling hopefully.

"...Agh... Alright, fine,” the bird grumbled, “I bet old sourpuss Meta Knight wouldn't wanna join in the fun anyway. Let him show you the way, then. Just don't touch anything! I like my servants, and my stuff, where I left 'em!" Dedede ordered before lifting Kirby and Bandanna Dee off the ground as if they were luggage, and heading for the door, finding it a bit difficult to squeeze all of them out. It took some help from Magolor in order to get them all through, and with a farewell, the king took off with the other two in tow, running faster than any other person of his weight probably could.

"...He's... a strange one." Magolor was blunt in his evaluation, to say the least. He hovered through the open doorway with his friend following after.

“We've all grown accustomed to it,” the swordsman shrugged resignedly, removing his cape as he did so. With one smooth motion, the cloth was tossed aside and appeared to vanish into thin air. His wings unfolded and stretched at his sides, performing the familiar and habitual warm-up exercise that was crucial before a difficult flight. He was well-rested enough that it wouldn't be necessary, were he flying solo, but that was not to be the case this time.

“We're fortunate you're not heavy,” he remarked a little dryly. “It's not a terribly long walk to the castle from here, but given the option to fly, I'll take it.”

"So... you're going to carry me, then? I... if you really want to, I won't stop you, but I don't want either of us to get hurt." The alien's ears lowered a bit in concern. Aside from piloting and his usual hovering a few feet off the ground, he'd never flown before.

The knight had to stifle a scoff before it could get out.

“That's the first time I've been underestimated in a long while,” he reflected, moving closer to the Halcandran. “It's almost refreshing.” He extended both his arms toward the other male invitingly, sending a silent prayer no one would be paying close attention to the skies.

“You'll have to hold onto me,” he explained almost apologetically.

"E-eheheh... Well, I guess if you're that confident in yourself, how could I say no?" Magolor laughed a little, going over to Meta closely, and getting a good grip on him.

"Besides, it gives me an opportunity to keep closer to you, right?" He winked, though the light flirting was partially to try and calm his nerves. Silly as it may be with his ability to levitate, the idea of falling from such a great height was still scary.

The armsman embraced the smaller male, but waited a short moment before taking off. He closed his eyes just long enough to take a deep breath and exhale again.

“I'll take advantage of any excuse I can get,” he replied, making sure he had a suitable hold on the other for carrying him. He folded his wings in as close to his back as he could and checked the position of the sun to pinpoint which direction to go. Once he was certain, he dashed in the general direction of the castle, getting a running start to help with the takeoff. Then, with a sudden, powerful downward flap of his wings, they lurched upward, beginning their ascent.

The knight only had to put up a very one-sided fight with gravity to get them both airborne, since Magolor was not heavy at all, and his wings were purposefully made to be more powerful than was really necessary. It took only a few more strong flaps before they were able to glide easily on the air currents. They soared high enough above the rolling meadows and patches of trees that the castle was within view, not even quite on the horizon.

Magolor was unable to take in these sights, as he was occupied with burying his face against the knight, shivering with a mixture of fear and an adrenaline rush. This was far different from his usual hovering above ground, and even more different compared to flying in the Lor! He closed his eyes and silently mouthed, [/i]'It'll be okay, it'll be okay...'[/i]

The winged puff was acutely aware of his companion's discomfort, and tried to angle his wings in a way that would allow more speed. The sooner they reached their destination, he figured, the better. It was clear Magolor was not as big a fan of the sky as the knight was.

“You needn't fret so much,” he tried to assure the younger one as they approached their destination. “Even if you fall, I'll be there to catch you.”

Under normal circumstances, even Magolor would have called that line cheesy. Unfortunately, he just didn't have it in him at the moment, and merely held on tighter, trying to fight back panic.

"M-Meta! A-are we almost th-th-there?" he managed to ask, a little hard to hear, due to the wind overpowering his more meek voice.

“Almost, Querido, almost,” the other soothed, minutely adjusting the angle of his wings once again to gradually lose speed and altitude once they were in range of the castle gate. If he'd wanted to, he probably could have landed past it, but he wasn't one to ignore formalities or protocol, even if neither were taken very seriously in this monarchy. It was practically hard-wired into him to be prompt and proper, even before he'd had that sort of behavior further drilled into him in his training. He had a guest with him, and a very foreign one at that, so even though he knew full and well they would be allowed in, they were still supposed to make their presence clearly known to the gatekeeper.

He leaned back a little to position himself upright and backwinged his way to the ground, landing softly. Were no one there to see, he'd likely have continued carrying Magolor himself—maybe even bridal style—but this was not the case. Reluctantly, he let go of the smaller male and folded his wings against his back once more. Scarcely a moment later, he summoned his cape to materialize around him, wrapped up in the usual way he wore it.

The two landed so softly, Magolor hadn't realized the flight was over until a moment after the knight let go of him. This caused a slight freakout for the hovering Halcandran, as with no feet of his own to touch the ground, he believed Meta had dropped him, causing a quick yelp of fright as he finally opened his eyes, only to realize they were on the ground.

This day was certainly a fright-filled one thus far for the poor alien.

“And to think you doubted me,” the swordsman jokingly admonished.

"Okay, okay, I-I'll trust you about flight from now on." He stayed beside the knight as they neared the gate.

With a moat separating the castle grounds from the outside world, this gate was the only feasible method of entry. The gate itself was a rather impressive structure that also served as a drawbridge, flanked by a tower on each side, both manned by waddle dees wielding spears. Another pair of dees stood on the ground directly in front of the mechanism that would lower the bridge. They held their spears crossed one over the other, and stood at full attention as soon as they saw their superior in rank approaching, as opposed to the half-asleep state they'd been in before.

“The visitor is under my watch,” Meta Knight stated both formally and truthfully. It wasn't as if security was very uptight with unfamiliar visitors, but in his honest opinion, it should have been, so he treated it as such.

“Let us pass, and inform Captain Waddle Doo that the King, Bandana Dee, Kirby and I will likely not be returning for a few more days yet.” He gestured to Magolor before continuing. “We are assisting with the repairs of my companion's ship, and he's been hospitable enough to allow us to stay there until the job is finished.”

Both waddle dees nodded, but said nothing. Obediently, they cooperated to turn the crank that would lower the drawbridge, paying the foreigner no mind.

"So, will we be seeing any friends of yours here in the castle?” Magolor asked curiously, watching as the drawbridge lowered. Despite the guards' weaponry, he found himself less than worried about what they could do. He wondered if the rest of the guards and servants looked as cute and fragile as them.

“If your ship is docked here, then you must know some people."

“I'm familiar with most everyone who resides here,” the armsman confirmed, leading Magolor across the bridge as soon as it was lowered. “Besides the civilians, I have a crew under my own jurisdiction, rather than directly following the King's orders.” He took a moment to consider how he would be explaining this to all of them. This idea of bringing anyone unfamiliar along on a patrol seemed outlandish for him, and he wasn't yet sure he wanted anyone knowing the truth about his relation to Magolor, despite how close he was to his followers. Even he himself didn't know exactly what the nature of their relationship was; how would he explain it to anyone else? His wings ruffled just the tiniest bit under his cape as he tried to work out what to say once they inevitably crossed paths.

Unfortunately, he wasn't given much more time to think about it. He caught a glimpse of Sword Knight and Blade Knight standing atop the castle wall, no doubt keeping watch for his return. They had already spotted him and moved out of his sight, likely on their way to meeting them now.

"A whole crew? And they take your orders before the Kings'? How much trouble has he ever given you for that?" the foreigner asked cynically, raising an eyebrow. It was one thing to let an entire ship in your castle, but Magolor could not see Dedede letting an entire crew to stay at his castle that easily unless he could boss them around.

“It was part of the agreement we came to when I arrived here,” the armsmaster explained. “In exchange for our protection and service, I'm allowed to have more authority over the crew than he is.”

Before he could say much else, Sword and Blade arrived. It was quite obvious that they wanted to speak with their lord.

"Sir Meta Knight," Sword adressed him first, bowing. "Welcome back! It's been a couple days since you last checked in, and we were starting to worry." As Sword spoke in an accent quite unlike Meta Knight's, his gaze was slowly being directed toward the new person beside him.

"Pardon me, Sir, but might I ask who your companion is?"

"I, uh... I can answer that," Magolor spoke up, raising a hand. "My name is Magolor. I'm not from this planet. You see, my ship crashed here on Pop Star, and Meta, Kirby, and the others are helping me fix it. So... I guess I'm the biggest reason you haven't seen them for a few days... Eheheh..." Magolor rubbed the back of his head awkwardly as he concluded his explanation.

Sword folded his arms and tilted his head some. It was hard to see behind his helmet, but his expression was a somewhat incredulous one. This "Magolor" wasn't exactly formal, even adressing their leader as simply "Meta," which no one ever seemed to get away with. A strange alien indeed...

“Small wonder you haven't come back until now, then,” Blade Knight commented wryly. “I'd disappear for a day or two myself, if it meant staying around someone that easy on the eyes.”

"Um... th-thank you?" Magolor blushed at the comment, and made an attempt to cover his face with his hood.

The three knights were close enough to one another that under normal circumstances, Meta Knight wouldn't have minded a quip at his expense such as that one. However, hearing someone else speak that way about Magolor gave him a mild twinge of possessiveness. He couldn't let on that it bothered him, of course, so he defaulted to his usual formality instead.

“Gather the others and get the Halberd ready for takeoff,” he ordered flatly, before anything else could be said. "We're leaving as soon as it's ready."

"Yessir! Though, er... might I ask why, Sir?” Blade inquired. “Are you not helping your friend fix his own vessel? Why trouble yourself with going out on patrol at a time like this?"

“The others are more than capable of retrieving the scattered pieces for now,” the armsmaster answered easily, already having anticipated that question. “Pero, while they're doing that, Dream Land is otherwise rather defenseless,” he reasoned, “and besides, we haven't patrolled the eastern border since over a month ago.” He tilted his head upward to look to the sky, still clear and perfect for flying. “This would be a good day to do so, ¿no le parece?”

"I... Well, yes, you are correct, Sir. We certainly haven't patrolled that area in a while... Very well. Blade?" Sword turned to his companion and signaled him to follow before heading off in the direction of the ship.

"All these years, and I still don't understand that strange language..." Blade muttered as they left.

"...So, Meta, am I really that hot? " Mags eventually joked, finally lifting his hood after the lower-ranking knights were out of earshot.

“Err...” the winged swordsman was caught off-guard, hearing it put so bluntly. “That isn't the word I would use, exactly...” he trailed off, feeling oddly flustered. He was wary of making any comments about Magolor's appearance that he wouldn't take well. The first word that came to mind was 'adorable,' and the knight doubted very much it was one the Halcandran would want to hear. It sounded too patronizing.

"Hehehe... Then what word would you use, hm? Come on, you can tell me~" Magolor teased, bringing his hand around the other's side and pulling him into a quick hug. "I mean, after..." he looked around before speaking any further, "after the last two nights, there's got to be at least one word you'd use to describe me.”

[i]“Créeme[/i], there are far more than that,” the armsman sighed almost wistfully, and found himself having to fight off a flood of images from the aforementioned nights before he could dwell on them. “I would be more than glad to tell you, but this isn't the time.” He somewhat reluctantly pulled away from his partner's embrace and started making his way to the castle's front doors. “I have to put a word in with the workers in the kitchen before we leave.”

"Fine, but I'll expect an answer next time I ask." He smirked, happy to at least know that he gave the knight some good times. "So... what's in the kitchen that you need?”

“I was thinking of what we should eat later on,” the puff explained, pulling one of the enormous doors open himself, and gesturing for Magolor to go in before him. “Are steak and wine acceptable?” he ventured, naming the first few things that had come to mind for a dinner date. He was thankful that Halcandran fare seemed conveniently similar to the food on this planet, but he wasn't sure to what extent that was true.

"You... you have wine on this planet? Good wine? Are... are you sure they'll let us have any? I mean... good wine is... hard to come across, as far as I know." It was quite obvious that Meta's choice of food and drink for their little day off was one the alien more than agreed on. Just thinking about it was quite the distraction from looking around at the castle's interior as he entered.

“You would be amazed how much farther respect can get you than actual authority,” the knight answered earnestly, closing the door behind them. He started down the hallway, ultimately heading in the direction of the kitchen.

“Technically, I shouldn't rank high enough to make such a request on short notice and have it fulfilled,” he explained, “given that I am not of the nobility. Yet, because I have earned the respect and favor of so many in this country, I can nearly guarantee it will be done.”

"Wow. You're that famous and well-liked here? That's impressive. Wish I could get as much respect from people," the younger of the two said, forcing a smile. Respect wasn't exactly something many people gave him. It practically took him ending up on an entirely different planet before he had ever been treated as a friend rather than an outcast. No matter what, that was something he really didn't want to risk letting go of...

And yet, a different feeling began to spark inside the Halcandran, if only a little. He was unsure of what it was, but...

"...Meta, have you ever had any of your admirers try to get... well... close to you?" he suddenly asked, turning to face the knight. Even he didn't understand exactly where that question sprouted from, but he couldn't help but want to know the answer.

“Yes, unfortunately, there have been several,” the knight recounted, turning a corner to the left. He made sure his guest was still following close behind before elaborating.

“It hasn't happened in a longer time than I care to pinpoint. In nearly every case, it was only a matter of infatuation.” He could practically still see the star-struck look of awe in the eyes of those who had tried to court him in his younger days. It had been nothing more than hero-worship rather than actual interest in who he was as a person.

“Por supuesto, that's to be expected when you've earned such titles as 'Shadowslayer,' 'Demonsbane,' and 'Sir Meta Knight the Vanquisher.'” As nice as those names sounded, he spoke them with evident disdain in his tone. He enjoyed being recognized and honored for his efforts and skills, but it had also made people view him differently at the time. Rather than being seen as an equal, he'd often been treated like a legend or myth, looked upon with a mixture of fear and reverence that kept him distant from everyone else. It had been difficult to grow accustomed to, and he was thankful that wasn't the case nearly as much anymore.

"Oh..." Magolor gripped his cape somewhat tightly as the other spoke. Did so many people really want Meta that badly? And purely because of his history? It was clear the puff wasn't fond of all of that, yet even still, the alien couldn't help but frown just slightly.

"...It sounds to me like they liked [i]what[/i] you are, rather than [i]who[/i] you are..." he finally said, no longer in his usual happy tone.

[i]'Is there really no other way to get more respect, then? I really don't have any other choice...'[/i]

“That would be an accurate way to put it,” the swordsman conceded. They were nearing the kitchen now, and from the sound of it, it was far less busy than normal. He suspected the relative lack of commotion coming through the double doors was due to the King's absence, as was the lack of servants coming and going when compared to a typical day.

“I'm fortunate that isn't the case anymore,” he added a little more lightly. “Since I arrived on Pop Star, I've been able to earn most everyone's esteem for who I am as a person more than what I'm capable of as a warrior. I'm likely still not the most approachable person around,” he speculated, “but I'm treated as an equal and not a celebrity.” He briefly reflected on the time he'd spent in Dream Land. He was still far from being extroverted at all, and there was still no one he was incredibly close to, but there were a few companionships he'd founded, and he was familiar among the locals.

“I'm still looked up to, but not quite in the same way as I used to be,” he finished, holding the door open for Magolor once again.

As if to illustrate his point, a waddle dee leaving the kitchen with a full tray of drinks waved at him cheerfully while passing by, and chirped a quick but casual “Welcome back, Sir Meta Knight!”

Admittedly, it filled the alien with some hope, if only for a brief moment. Perhaps the people of this planet were naturally more welcoming to outsiders? If Meta could gain friends and respect upon arrival, maybe he could do the same!

[i]'...No... people on Pop Star might respect me, but I'd still be treated the exact same back home. No matter what, I have to do it...'[/i] He wrapped his cape around himself a bit as he entered the kitchen, looking around for something to take his mind off of these thoughts.

He followed his friend, who entered the room filled with half-busy staff, trying to locate the head chef, or at least the sous-chef. The waddle doo who normally filled the role of executive appeared to be absent today; a dee wore the uniform instead. The second-in-command was busying himself with slicing vegetables, but still noticed Meta Knight approaching before they were within speaking distance.

“Well, we don't see you down here too often,” the sous-chef commented affably once the warrior stood close enough. “Is there something you need?” He kept his eyes fixed on the task at hand, but his tone was attentive and amiable. It was the tone of someone who served every dish they made with a smile.

“Actualmente, there is,” the puff replied, grateful that he'd been asked. “If I were to purloin two steaks, a bottle of your highest-quality wine, and a cook or two to prepare the meal aboard the Halberd later, would they be missed much?”

The dee swept the diced pieces of the carrot that had been in front him aside thoughtfully before answering.

“Do you know when the King will be back?” he ventured uncertainly.

“In a few more days' time.”

“Then you're all set.” The chef waved a hand dismissively. “He's the only one who ever gives us any trouble... other than Kirby,” he muttered the last part spitefully.

“Gracias,” the knight sighed in relief, bowing his head just a little. He turned back to Magolor.

“Shall we wait aboard the ship?”

“Sure. Where to?"

"It's at one end of the castle, not too far from here." The swordsman led Magolor out of the kitchen and toward their destination. A few long hallways later, they came to an unmarked door that looked the same as any other, but opened up to an elevator. The knight stepped inside first and pressed one of the only three buttons, labeled with an arrow pointing downward.

"Wait, this castle has a bottom floor? Are we... going underground?" he asked as he followed Meta Knight inside the elevator, looking at the buttons.

"Correcto," the armsmaster confirmed. "The Halberd was a project I kept secret from His Majesty for several years, until it was completely necessary to reveal it." Nearly the second he finished his sentence, the elevator began to drop with no warning.

Magolor wasn't expecting the elevator to lower so quickly, and ended up being bumped in the head before he adjusted to it.

"O-ow..." He rubbed his head with his free hand, hissing a bit. That was going to leave a bit of a mark.

“Are you alright?” the older of the two fretted slightly.

"Agh... I'm fine; probably just gonna have a bruise... S-so, how'd you keep it secret for so long? Did he just not pay close attention? Did he even know about this part being in his castle?"

"How do I put this gently...?" the knight pretended to wonder, feigning deep thought. A moment passed before he concluded, "The King is an absolute moron." He waited out a giggle from his friend before continuing more seriously.

"It's not difficult to do these things without him catching wind of it, especially since he's not particularly well-liked. Several of his followers knew of this, but didn't tell him."

"I... think I completely understand that." Despite being grateful that the king was helping him, the Halcandran was of the opinion that the King was rather rude and obnoxious. It wasn't hard to believe he treated his servants even worse.

"It's as I said before," Meta Knight shrugged. "Respect will get you farther than authority. Dedede has no respect for his subjects, so in turn, they have no respect for him, either. They'll still do as he orders them to, but nothing beyond that." As he spoke, the elevator began to slow to a stop.

"Oh... So... is he only helping rebuild my ship just to make himself look good...?" the alien asked, ears drooping a little. Ouch. That definitely did not help ease his worries...

[i]'Maybe this place needs a new king. One who knows how to respect his subjects... and can have that same respect back in turn.'[/i]

“Doubtful,” the knight answered flatly. “He's not clever enough to think of that, nor would he expend the effort if he didn't genuinely want to.” The elevator finally came to complete stop as he concluded. “He may be obnoxious and spoiled, but he is basically a good person at heart. Far better now than he was once, for certain."

"Oh. Really? What caused him to... change..." Magolor's question was put to a screeching halt.

The door opened up to what appeared to be a vast hangar of sorts, but occupied by only one warship that took up the majority of the space. The ship was immense; it appeared to be at least a mile long from the front end to the back. Mostly a dark, gritty bronze or black in color, the structure's most striking feature was the bow, crafted to resemble its owner's mask. In its inactive state, there were no wings visible, but there were enormous thrusters at the back end. The only weapon in plain view was the largest one, a massive laser canon mounted on the back of the main deck. Near the quarter deck, a ramp was extended from the ground to a door, and several crew members appeared to be leaving and entering through it, some of them carrying various equipment and other resources.

"That's... How did you get this thing in here? H-how do you even get it out?!" the alien suddenly asked, turning to the knight with wide open eyes. He had quickly forgotten about his thoughts about the king. He wasn't sure how large a vessel he expected the knight to have, but it certainly wasn't something of this size! This blew the Lor Starcutter out of the water! And judging by the cannon alone, it was likely more than capable of making that phrase literal... And this was simply the outside! The thought of the inside just made him more excited!

"I... where did... how did... Y-you're really letting me come onto this amazing ship?!" He was practically vibrating in anticipation.

Meta Knight wasn't able to hold back a small chuckle at the Halcandran's reaction, feeling a surge of pride. He hadn't expected his partner to be quite that impressed.

“Por supuesto,” he chirped, and had to remind himself not to take Magolor's hand in his own, or outwardly show affection in any other way, for that matter. “Come, we'll look at the interior,” he beckoned, already starting toward the entry ramp.

"Alright!" the younger male nodded quickly in agreement, and hovered closely behind his partner as they headed toward the ship.