Chapter Text
Maniacal laughter filled the dark, portrait ridden basement, and the gem fueled power crown of King Boo illuminated the dark corners with an eerie purple glow. Glowing violet eyes peered out from said darkness, and if one looked from the corner of their eye, they could see his misty, glowing silhouette.
As King Boo's laughter picked back up, an elderly voice interrupted him. King Boo's arch-nemesis' technological benefactor, Dr. E. Gadd, flipped the light switch on and loudly said, "Enough of that. You may be fresh out of your hole, but you aren't free yet!" In a quieter voice, to himself, he continued, "can't have you bothering young Luigi with your nonsense again. As if Hellen Gravely wasn't enough…"
King Boo, as his namesake dubbed him, made a boo-ing noise, his silhouette becoming visible before the small scientist. He scowled his large fangs at the hunched man, a growl sitting just behind his teeth, "Tch, then what do you want, you annoying old fart? You release me? For what?"
Instead of answering, the old man gazed at him for a long moment, his eyes hidden behind his large spiral glasses. King Boo hated those glasses.
Just when the annoyance was finally getting to him, the scientist snapped his fingers, "why, boyo, for an experiment of course!" And without warning, the scientist activated a thick bracelet the royal boo only now realised he was wearing, and fast as lightning, it snatched his crown right off his smooth, ghostly head,
"Hey!" King Boo shouted, reaching his shrinking arms out for his power crown. His size, previously unnaturally large for a boo, was now only a fraction larger than an average boo, though his fangs, strangely coloured eyes, and indigo tinted tongue all stayed as they were. King Boo shook with restrained rage, floating closer to the scientist, "You! Give that back!"
Alas, the scientist had prepared this from the very start, and without a word, locked King Boo back into his container, the King screeching and hissing all the while.
Turning to the crown, the eerie purple light of the innocently glowing gem reflected off the old scientist's face and glasses, a small grin formed across E. Gadd's face. Gem experiment phase one was a go.
–
Meanwhile, in a newly built mansion on the outskirts of Toad Town, a tall human man with dark brown hair and an even darker, meticulously combed moustache, spoke into the receiving end of his mobile phone, "-es, Mario, I'm sure I have everything. Mamma mia, for the last time! I left those things in the cottage for you ."
"Yes, I know I moved into a mansion. No, it's not haunted this time. I got it built myself!" The man muttered under his breath in quick Italian, knowing his brother on the other line would catch it. This prompted an explosion of the language on the other end of the line, and Luigi held his phone far away from his ear.
As soon as the barrage of his mother tongue quieted on the other end, he was quick to bring it back on topic so he could finally say his goodbyes and settle into his new residence. He had a lot of setting up to do.
"Okay, Mario. I have to let you go, I've got a lot to do! Sì, of course you can visit soon. Cià, cià, Mario!"
Quickly, before his older brother could continue to berate him for nothing, Luigi ended the call. His older brother was a worrywart, which, when it came to Luigi and his history of getting into trouble, was warranted. Not only was Luigi a bit of an anxious mess sometimes, he also had a bit of a history with mansions and the ah, possibility of visitors. The paranormal kind.
Boo kind, to be precise.
However! This was a newly built mansion he'd commissioned from some hard working folk from all over the Mushroom Kingdom, and he'd even had a hand in the plumbing himself. He knew the ins and outs of this particular mansion intimately. It was purely Luigi, if he did say so himself. It was a breath of fresh air for him, literally and figuratively, as it was in an expansive countryside to the west of Toad Town.
It was not a large mansion, and did not have the multitudes of bedrooms and dining rooms and ballrooms that he'd seen in other mansions, but it was a quaint little number with six bedrooms, four bathrooms, a library, and a den. The dining room was combined with the kitchen in an open concept area, which was perfect for dining with a large group of friends (which he now found himself with since his arrival in the new world). There were also two living rooms, one on the first floor, and another on the second. This was especially nice since Luigi knew Mario would be over quite a lot, and sometimes it was just nice to get away from his overbearing older brother.
Not only that, but the basement of Luigi’s new mansion was also outfitted with two extra bedrooms, a home theatre, and a trophy display room for the various sports the Mushroom Kingdom was known to organise throughout the year. Whether he came in first, second, or third, Luigi happily displayed each trophy under a small spotlight built into each shelf.
All in all, it was the most modern house in the Mushroom Kingdom, and Luigi was very very proud of it. He couldn't wait to show it off to his few friends and feel the hustle and bustle of a busy house.
As he entered through the main entrance, he kicked the door gently shut. Daylight filtered in through the large windows, illuminating the mostly bare residence. He’d had a lot of furniture commissioned or bought second hand, though it still felt too little to fill the space. As Luigi dropped his bag by the door and left his shoes by the entryway, he crossed his arms and surveyed his new home.
To the left of the entrance was his large kitchen, fitted with stylish white marble countertops and green tile backsplashes along the wall. It was outfitted with an extensive espresso coffee bar (oh how he’d missed it. There was only so much tea he could drink. These particular beans were sent directly from Kong Country, and he was dying to try them), an up to date and modern stove top, hooks for his few aprons, and a stainless steel, double door, JUMBO fridge.
Not to mention his countertop island with bar stools, and his favourite part, the walk-in pantry that actually wrapped around behind the wall of his kitchen. All the things he could store… Luigi was practically in kitchen heaven.
Still, he was wasting daylight just standing around drooling over his dream kitchen. The house was fairly open concept, which Luigi liked. Less spots for things to hide. Not that he was worried about that.
As he passed by the door again, he grabbed his bag and headed upstairs, to the master bedroom. This room featured a large bay window with a cosy lounge built in right underneath, so he could look over the rolling plains and see Toad Town and Peach’s castle in the far distance. There was also a beautiful hand carved vanity and dresser against one wall, and a sliding barn door which led to his new walk-in closet. He felt bad that he only had a few outfits to fill the space for now…
On the other side of the room, there laid the master bathroom, which was split into two rooms; a towel room with sink and toilet, and a large shower and bathing area. The shower itself had three nozzles for maximum effective wash and rinsing, and the bathtub was a nice and extra large jacuzzi style that Luigi was just imagining spending cold nights in, with some candles and light jazz for ambiance so he could fully relax.
Luigi made a quick move to face plant into his large bed and sighed dreamily. Back home, he would never have been able to afford a place so luxurious, and yet… here he was. With more money than he knew what to do with, and a beautiful mansion that just called for him to spend quiet days gardening and quieter evenings reading by the fireplace. There was nothing to worry him here. No King Boo, no spooky portraits or shaking chandeliers, no Bowser or Waluigi or Wario. No pressure.
For now, Luigi would spend the rest of the day getting acquainted with his home, he would plan a lovely meal and have Mario over, and then perhaps doodle a more comprehensive garden plan for both the front and back of his new manor. It would take some time, but the land was perfect for many different flowers and vegetables, and he was even thinking of tackling the care of a few piranha plants.
With these thoughts in mind, Luigi proceeded to do none of these things as the first snore left his tired body, still firmly planted on the bed like a rock.
–
Elsewhere, as day turned into night, in a dark basement laboratory, a large purple gem detached from its royal setting and began to shine deep within its core. If one listened closely, they would hear what sounded like multitudinous high pitched, ghostly cackling echoing throughout the room.