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Kirby and the Amazing Labyrinth Friend Rescue - Chapter 3: Elline and Claycia
"I'm going to go crazy at this rate! There's no way I can understand what Claycia is thinking—!"
Something was sent flying as soon as those words were screamed aloud. This unidentified flying object, as if its target had been predetermined, hit King Dedede directly in the face as he appeared through the mirror.
"...!"
King Dedede fell over without being able to respond. It was a lump of clay that had been sent flying. And it had been sent flying directly into the King's mouth.
"...What?" The perpetrator who had thrown the clay looked down at King Dedede in surprise. She was a fairy with translucent wings. Her pointed hair was separated into different beautiful colors—blue, orange... Her clothing, too, was a vivid, blinding pink.
Kirby, who jumped out of the mirror after King Dedede, spotted the small fairy and instantly shouted, "Oh, Elline?! It's Elline!"
"Huh...? Kirby?!" The fairy's eyes went wide and round in surprise.
This colorful fairy, Elline, was one of Kirby's friends. Once, she had gotten wrapped up in a big incident, and had sought Kirby's help. They had gone on an adventure together.
Elline looked first at the collapsed King Dedede, and then at Kirby, tilting her head. "...What happened? Why are you guys coming out of a mirror..."
Before she could even finish, Magolor, Meta Knight, and Waddle Dee tumbled in one after the other. Elline was startled into speechlessness.
Kirby asked, "Elline, why are you here? Are you lost in the labyrinth too?"
"Labyrinth? What labyrinth?"
"The mirror labyrinth..." Kirby said, looking around.
They were in a small room. There were very fashionable tables and chairs, and other furniture, but they were all in miniature size. That is to say, they were sized for Elline.
"Where are we...?"
"What are you talking about? You're obviously in my room."
"...Huh? Aren't we in the mirror labyrinth...?" Kirby blinked repeatedly.
Elline tilted her head again, her expression clearly showing that she had no idea what was going on. "You sure aren't making any sense. Seriously, what happened? I was so surprised when you suddenly fell out of my mirror!"
"Mirror..." Kirby approached the mirror on the wall. It was a large mirror, with a beautifully constructed frame. The design looked very similar to the mirror in the cave that Kirby and the others had jumped through.
Meta Knight said, "It seems that even in the mirror labyrinth, some mirrors lead towards the outside world. The mirror we all went through was connected to this place through sheer chance."
"I bought this mirror from an antique store a few days ago," Elline explained. "Claycia was into it as soon as she laid eyes on it. She said she felt some kind of strange power coming from it. Claycia's an amazing artist, so she can spot art's hidden potential from a mile away!" Elline sounded proud, but then suddenly came to her senses and corrected herself. "W-Well, despite all that, she has the worst personality. No matter how talented she is, I'd never hang out with someone that incomprehensible!" She spoke louder than befitted her tiny body. It was threatening enough to make her audience flinch.
Kirby, blinking, asked, "What's wrong, Elline? Did you get in a fight with Claycia?"
"It wasn't a fight. Listen, Kirby..."
But before Elline could get into it, King Dedede stood abruptly. He spit out the clay in his mouth with tremendous force, and shouted at Elline. "What do you think you're doing, you hooligan?! If you're going to throw something, at least throw something edible, you complete dunce!"
"Oh, no, I'm so sorry. You're, uh... King Dododo, was it?"
"King Dedede—! I'll never forgive you for mistaking the name of the illustrious ruler of Dream Land!"
"Sorry, sorry." Elline dodged King Dedede's attempts to grab her, sticking her tongue out. "Teehee, I guess I messed it up. But anyway, Kirby, I haven't seen you since the whole Seventopia incident!"
"Yeah... Hey Elline? Why are you fighting with Claycia? It's not like last time, is it...?" Kirby couldn't help but worry when he remembered what happened before. Claycia was Elline's friend, and an incredibly talented artist. But previously, she had been controlled by evil forces, and had threatened the peace of Dream Land.
Elline shook her head. "It's not like that... Probably."
"Probably?"
"I don't sense anything as evil as last time. It's just... just..." Elline looked irritated, as if remembering something. "The point is, she's a big meanie! She gets on ALL of my nerves!"
"Huh...?"
"She won't answer me even if I go out of my way to talk to her. I thought maybe she just didn't hear me, and so I tried again and again, and then she just shouted at me telling me to shut up! Just now, even, I bought some snacks because I thought we could eat them together, and you know what she said? 'I don't feel like eating that!' Then she just turned away!"
"Whaaaat—?!" Kirby suddenly gave a full-bodied shudder, his expression going serious. "She doesn't feel like eating snacks...?! That's absolutely impossible! Something is wrong here! Claycia must have come down with a serious illness!"
"...Well, that's how I'd react if it was you in that position, sure, Kirby." Elline regained her composure. "Claycia is an artist, so she's always had a fickle side. It's been like that for ages... But she's really crossed the line this time!"
"...Really...?"
"I've never seen her act that cruel. I'd understand it if she were possessed by some evil spirit. And then we could just get rid of the evil spirit. But it's not like that this time...!" Elline clenched both of her fists, shouting in frustration. "This is just the way she is! She's been a selfish, cold meanie since the day she was born! And I'm not going to be friends with her anymore!"
"What?!"
"I'm not going to live with her anymore! I decided I'm going to move out. I hate Claycia!"
When Kirby heard those words, he became as sad as if Elline were speaking about him. Even Kirby fought with his friends. Sometimes he would argue with Waddle Dee over little things, and get huffy about it. But they always made up before long. Sometimes he was the one who apologized, and sometimes Waddle Dee apologized first. After all, fighting with a beloved friend, you can't help but feel sad and lonely. It would be too sad to imagine never playing together or talking to each other ever again.
"Elline..."
But just as Kirby was about to step into the conversation, a loud laugh rang out. It was King Dedede. "Wahahahaha! Booooring."
"What did you just say?" Elline turned to look at Dedede, offended.
King Dedede shot back with casual arrogance. "These friends, or whatever you wanna call 'em, are always doing some stupid thing that you can't stop worrying about. Look at me. As a magnificent king, I've got tons of lackeys, but I don't have a single friend holding me back!"
"...That's not something to brag about."
"I suggest you follow my lead and ditch the stupid friends. You can learn from the best!"
"Th... They're not stupid. Friends are important!"
Elline's response was reflexive, but Kirby chimed in to agree. "That's right! Friends are important! You think so too, don't you, Magolor?"
Magolor turned around with a blank look on his face after suddenly being addressed. "What? What are we talking about?"
"You think friends are the most important thing too, right? You think we should do anything for our friends, right?"
"...Uhhhh...?" Magolor was lost. This wasn't surprising, seeing as he had completely ignored everything Elline had said, and had instead been wandering around aimlessly in his boredom. But once he saw how serious Kirby's face was, he hastily nodded. "Of course! Friends are so important! Speaking personally, my friends are more important to me than my own life!"
"See? Magolor thinks so, too! You should make up with Claycia, Elline."
"..." Elline shook her head, a stubborn look on her face. "This is different."
"No it's not! Claycia is your very bestest best friend, right? It's too sad if it all ends with one fight!"
"..."
"C'mon, Elline."
Elline finally relented, softening into gloom instead of anger after seeing the way Kirby was looking at her. "...You're right. But... no matter how much I want to make up, I can't do anything about it as long as Claycia is acting that way. She won't even speak to me."
"Then I'll go talk to Claycia for you!" Kirby said, enthusiastically. "I'll ask her why she's acting so cold towards you. Then you guys can make up."
"Kirby..." Elline shook her head. "Thank you. But it's useless. Claycia's not going to tell you anything."
"I won't know that until I try! Where is Claycia right now?"
"...She shut herself up in her atelier. She's gonna get super mad at you if you barge in."
"That's okay! I don't mind making people mad! I'm gonna go right now!" Kirby dashed out of the room at top speed.
"Ah, Kirby..." Before Waddle Dee could even say anything to him, Kirby was already gone. He turned to King Dedede instead, wearing a look of relief. "I should have expected you'd have such a great idea, Your Majesty. I never would have thought of deliberately saying all of those things to make Elline react!"
"Of course you should have expected it. Every word that comes out of my mouth is great! Friends are just a nuisance!"
"...Um?" The smile disappeared from Waddle Dee's face. Apparently, King Dedede hadn't said those things for Elline's sake, or for some other ulterior motive. It was just what he actually believed.
King Dedede looked down at the stunned Waddle Dee with suspicion. "Hey, Waddle Dee, you're not trying to say YOU have any friends, do you? All friends are banned in Castle Dedede. You don't have my authorization to go making any friends I don't know about."
"Ah... Uh... Ummm..." Waddle Dee stiffened.
It was Meta Knight who intervened to save him. "More importantly, we should head to Claycia's atelier ourselves. I do find myself concerned by the concept of a sudden cold demeanor."
"Sir Meta Knight...?"
"If Claycia is once again controlled by another entity, that will be problematic for us. I'm going to evaluate the situation." Meta Knight turned with a flutter of his cape.
This seemed to cause King Dedede to remember something. "Hey, you. Whatever your name was. Cream?"
"It's Elline!"
"You're gonna keep insisting that friends are so important, huh?"
"Y-Yeah. Friends are more important than anything!"
"Hmph, you're a real dunce. But if you really think it's so important, then why not? I'll have the two of you making up in no time!"
"...Huh?" Elline was struck by the unexpected offer.
"Prepare me an offering of your gratitude. Food! Meat is my favorite. The more the better!"
"W-Wait just a second... If you try to butt into this, with your big mouth, you're just going to make things even more complicated. I feel a lot better leaving this to Kirby..."
"Oh yeah, get used to feeling a lot better. Because King Dedede is gonna get this all sorted out for you!" With that arrogant retort, King Dedede left the room.
Waddle Dee was about to follow him out, but he heard Magolor muttering behind his back.
"Why can't they just leave other people to their own business...? This is a waste of time..."
Waddle Dee stopped and turned around. "It's not a waste." He was so irritated by Magolor's words, he couldn't help responding. "Nothing Kirby does is ever a waste. I'm sure this detour will be important, too."
"Hmmmmm... I guess it's just completely beyond my understanding," Magolor said, condescendingly, before quickly leaving the room.
Kirby knocked on the atelier door, shouting, "Hello, Claycia! This is Kirby! Open up!"
There was no response. Kirby's knocks grew increasingly louder.
"It's Kirby! I have something to talk to you about. Hey, open up!"
After countless, countless knocks, there finally came a reaction. The door violently swung open, and Claycia stepped out. She still had her beautiful blue hair and her trademark stylish beret. But judging from her face, she was in a scarily bad mood. Her shout rang out like the clanging of an alarm clock. "Shuuuut uuuuupppp!! Do you realize how much noise you're making while I'm trying to concentrate on my artistic labors, you idiot!?"
Kirby happily leapt towards Claycia. "Hello, Claycia! Long time no see! How have you been?"
"Hm? Who were you again?"
"Did you forget? That's so mean. It's me, Kirby!"
"Kirby... It sounds kind of familiar, but it's also not ringing any bells." Claycia crossed her arms in thought. "I forget anything that's not art-related basically as soon as it's out of sight. And now of all times, I especially don't want to have to think about anything else. I'd rather concentrate on my artistic labors."
"Biscuit flavors? Wow, that sounds delicious! I want to concentrate on it too—!"
"Whatever are you talking about? Sorry, I don't understand any non-art-related vocabulary."
Meta Knight arrived in the middle of this conversation, followed closely behind by King Dedede, Waddle Dee, and Magolor. Claycia turned to look at them.
"What is all of this? Why are you all coming to my atelier...?"
"Um, Claycia, we want you to make up with Elline," said Kirby.
Claycia looked down at Kirby, evidently mystified. "Make up? In order for us to make up, we'd need to have gotten into a fight. I'm not fighting with Elline."
"What?! But Elline is so sad. She said you got really cold all of a sudden."
"No I didn't. Lately I've been here in my atelier focusing on my artistic labors, and so I haven't even seen her."
"Whaaat? That's so strange. You didn't ignore her or yell at her to be quiet? Or reject her invitation to go eat snacks...?"
"Did I? I can't remember. Once I begin focusing on my artistic labors, I lose the ability to carry a normal conversation. My brain is far too occupied with my art, after all."
"...Hmm," murmured Meta Knight. "I had been apprehensive, thinking perhaps she had been taken over by some wicked power, but I see now that there is nothing to worry about. It seems this woman is a mere artist."
Claycia raised her eyes to look at Meta Knight as soon as she heard those words. "Excuse me?! I cannot allow that to slide! I am no MERE artist! I am the supreme artist, Claycia, blessed with dazzling talent that shines through in all my works. I suggest you revise what you have said!"
"Hm. Sorry." Meta Knight apologized quickly, before turning to Kirby. "We don't need to worry ourselves with this. Let's just tell Elline that Claycia was focused on her art and had no ill intentions."
"Sure!" Kirby nodded, but King Dedede cut in.
"Wait, wait, wait! I can't let that happen."
"Huh? Why not?"
"How is anyone going to thank me for something that gets so easily resolved?" King Dedede pushed past Kirby and Meta Knight to go up to Claycia. He lowered his voice, whispering darkly. "You know... Elline was talking about you. It wasn't good. She said you were selfish, and a bully, and as cold as a refrigerator..."
"Y-Your Majesty...!" Waddle Dee hastily clung to King Dedede. "Please stop. Why are you trying to get them to keep fighting...?"
"Isn't it obvious? If the fight heats up, then the reconciliation heats up too. If it's a huge fight and then it gets resolved, then Elline is going to be more grateful to me than she'll know what to do with. She's gonna thank me with the highest quality steak possible!" King Dedede licked his lips, entranced by the idea.
Waddle Dee timidly attempted to pacify Claycia. "I-It's not like how he's making it sound, Claycia. Elline wasn't talking bad about you. She just had a few misunderstandings…"
However.
Claycia didn't hear a word that Waddle Dee said. She looked approving, nodding along at Dedede's testimony. "That's my Elline. She really does understand me."
"...Um?"
"Being selfish and cold is the mark of a true artist. You can't call yourself an artist until you sink deep into the chilling darkness of solitude!" Claycia closed her eyes, putting her hands on her own shoulders, hugging herself with a tight squeeze. "I'm scared of my own genius. That's right! My heart is as cold as the inside of a refrigerator, and as dark as the inside of a closet! And so, I am an artist! The genius talent in my soul cannot be comprehended by ordinary people!"
"...Hmmmm." Kirby stared blankly up at Claycia. "Being an artist sounds tough."
"Now that you understand, please take your leave. I'm hashing out a never-before-seen, super miraculous work of art right now."
"What makes it super miraculous?"
Kirby's question was innocent, but the expression on Claycia's face suddenly changed. She had been flushed with excitement, but now the color had drained from her cheeks.
"It's… it's…"
"It's?"
"Aaaaahhhhhh! I can't tell youuuuuuu! I haven't thought of anything yet!"
Claycia clutched her head, writhing. Kirby and the others watched with quiet amazement.
"Haven't… thought of anything?"
"Right. After all, I'm planning a real miracle here. Something no one has ever experienced. It's not easy to just come up with artwork like that!"
Meta Knight said, "Aha, I see. So you are frustrated with your art not coming out the way you envision, and you took that out on Elline."
"Don't say that like it's so matter of fact, please. Normal people cannot understand my troubles!" Claycia sighed, dissatisfied.
"Hey, Claycia," said Kirby. "We'll help you."
"What was that?"
"If you can finish the super miracle, then you'll get along with Elline and talk and eat snacks together again, right? Then I'll help you with the super miracle!"
"What are you saying? I'm not understanding." She shook her head. "I need no help with my works of art. I would turn down a hand even from the gods of art themselves… After all, I am a true genius… Hey! Wait! Who said you could come in my atelier?!"
Kirby wasn't paying attention to what Claycia was saying. He'd already trotted past her into the atelier. Just as she went to try and throw him out, everyone else entered the atelier, too.
Something was sent flying as soon as those words were screamed aloud. This unidentified flying object, as if its target had been predetermined, hit King Dedede directly in the face as he appeared through the mirror.
"...!"
King Dedede fell over without being able to respond. It was a lump of clay that had been sent flying. And it had been sent flying directly into the King's mouth.
"...What?" The perpetrator who had thrown the clay looked down at King Dedede in surprise. She was a fairy with translucent wings. Her pointed hair was separated into different beautiful colors—blue, orange... Her clothing, too, was a vivid, blinding pink.
Kirby, who jumped out of the mirror after King Dedede, spotted the small fairy and instantly shouted, "Oh, Elline?! It's Elline!"
"Huh...? Kirby?!" The fairy's eyes went wide and round in surprise.
This colorful fairy, Elline, was one of Kirby's friends. Once, she had gotten wrapped up in a big incident, and had sought Kirby's help. They had gone on an adventure together.
Elline looked first at the collapsed King Dedede, and then at Kirby, tilting her head. "...What happened? Why are you guys coming out of a mirror..."
Before she could even finish, Magolor, Meta Knight, and Waddle Dee tumbled in one after the other. Elline was startled into speechlessness.
Kirby asked, "Elline, why are you here? Are you lost in the labyrinth too?"
"Labyrinth? What labyrinth?"
"The mirror labyrinth..." Kirby said, looking around.
They were in a small room. There were very fashionable tables and chairs, and other furniture, but they were all in miniature size. That is to say, they were sized for Elline.
"Where are we...?"
"What are you talking about? You're obviously in my room."
"...Huh? Aren't we in the mirror labyrinth...?" Kirby blinked repeatedly.
Elline tilted her head again, her expression clearly showing that she had no idea what was going on. "You sure aren't making any sense. Seriously, what happened? I was so surprised when you suddenly fell out of my mirror!"
"Mirror..." Kirby approached the mirror on the wall. It was a large mirror, with a beautifully constructed frame. The design looked very similar to the mirror in the cave that Kirby and the others had jumped through.
Meta Knight said, "It seems that even in the mirror labyrinth, some mirrors lead towards the outside world. The mirror we all went through was connected to this place through sheer chance."
"I bought this mirror from an antique store a few days ago," Elline explained. "Claycia was into it as soon as she laid eyes on it. She said she felt some kind of strange power coming from it. Claycia's an amazing artist, so she can spot art's hidden potential from a mile away!" Elline sounded proud, but then suddenly came to her senses and corrected herself. "W-Well, despite all that, she has the worst personality. No matter how talented she is, I'd never hang out with someone that incomprehensible!" She spoke louder than befitted her tiny body. It was threatening enough to make her audience flinch.
Kirby, blinking, asked, "What's wrong, Elline? Did you get in a fight with Claycia?"
"It wasn't a fight. Listen, Kirby..."
But before Elline could get into it, King Dedede stood abruptly. He spit out the clay in his mouth with tremendous force, and shouted at Elline. "What do you think you're doing, you hooligan?! If you're going to throw something, at least throw something edible, you complete dunce!"
"Oh, no, I'm so sorry. You're, uh... King Dododo, was it?"
"King Dedede—! I'll never forgive you for mistaking the name of the illustrious ruler of Dream Land!"
"Sorry, sorry." Elline dodged King Dedede's attempts to grab her, sticking her tongue out. "Teehee, I guess I messed it up. But anyway, Kirby, I haven't seen you since the whole Seventopia incident!"
"Yeah... Hey Elline? Why are you fighting with Claycia? It's not like last time, is it...?" Kirby couldn't help but worry when he remembered what happened before. Claycia was Elline's friend, and an incredibly talented artist. But previously, she had been controlled by evil forces, and had threatened the peace of Dream Land.
Elline shook her head. "It's not like that... Probably."
"Probably?"
"I don't sense anything as evil as last time. It's just... just..." Elline looked irritated, as if remembering something. "The point is, she's a big meanie! She gets on ALL of my nerves!"
"Huh...?"
"She won't answer me even if I go out of my way to talk to her. I thought maybe she just didn't hear me, and so I tried again and again, and then she just shouted at me telling me to shut up! Just now, even, I bought some snacks because I thought we could eat them together, and you know what she said? 'I don't feel like eating that!' Then she just turned away!"
"Whaaaat—?!" Kirby suddenly gave a full-bodied shudder, his expression going serious. "She doesn't feel like eating snacks...?! That's absolutely impossible! Something is wrong here! Claycia must have come down with a serious illness!"
"...Well, that's how I'd react if it was you in that position, sure, Kirby." Elline regained her composure. "Claycia is an artist, so she's always had a fickle side. It's been like that for ages... But she's really crossed the line this time!"
"...Really...?"
"I've never seen her act that cruel. I'd understand it if she were possessed by some evil spirit. And then we could just get rid of the evil spirit. But it's not like that this time...!" Elline clenched both of her fists, shouting in frustration. "This is just the way she is! She's been a selfish, cold meanie since the day she was born! And I'm not going to be friends with her anymore!"
"What?!"
"I'm not going to live with her anymore! I decided I'm going to move out. I hate Claycia!"
When Kirby heard those words, he became as sad as if Elline were speaking about him. Even Kirby fought with his friends. Sometimes he would argue with Waddle Dee over little things, and get huffy about it. But they always made up before long. Sometimes he was the one who apologized, and sometimes Waddle Dee apologized first. After all, fighting with a beloved friend, you can't help but feel sad and lonely. It would be too sad to imagine never playing together or talking to each other ever again.
"Elline..."
But just as Kirby was about to step into the conversation, a loud laugh rang out. It was King Dedede. "Wahahahaha! Booooring."
"What did you just say?" Elline turned to look at Dedede, offended.
King Dedede shot back with casual arrogance. "These friends, or whatever you wanna call 'em, are always doing some stupid thing that you can't stop worrying about. Look at me. As a magnificent king, I've got tons of lackeys, but I don't have a single friend holding me back!"
"...That's not something to brag about."
"I suggest you follow my lead and ditch the stupid friends. You can learn from the best!"
"Th... They're not stupid. Friends are important!"
Elline's response was reflexive, but Kirby chimed in to agree. "That's right! Friends are important! You think so too, don't you, Magolor?"
Magolor turned around with a blank look on his face after suddenly being addressed. "What? What are we talking about?"
"You think friends are the most important thing too, right? You think we should do anything for our friends, right?"
"...Uhhhh...?" Magolor was lost. This wasn't surprising, seeing as he had completely ignored everything Elline had said, and had instead been wandering around aimlessly in his boredom. But once he saw how serious Kirby's face was, he hastily nodded. "Of course! Friends are so important! Speaking personally, my friends are more important to me than my own life!"
"See? Magolor thinks so, too! You should make up with Claycia, Elline."
"..." Elline shook her head, a stubborn look on her face. "This is different."
"No it's not! Claycia is your very bestest best friend, right? It's too sad if it all ends with one fight!"
"..."
"C'mon, Elline."
Elline finally relented, softening into gloom instead of anger after seeing the way Kirby was looking at her. "...You're right. But... no matter how much I want to make up, I can't do anything about it as long as Claycia is acting that way. She won't even speak to me."
"Then I'll go talk to Claycia for you!" Kirby said, enthusiastically. "I'll ask her why she's acting so cold towards you. Then you guys can make up."
"Kirby..." Elline shook her head. "Thank you. But it's useless. Claycia's not going to tell you anything."
"I won't know that until I try! Where is Claycia right now?"
"...She shut herself up in her atelier. She's gonna get super mad at you if you barge in."
"That's okay! I don't mind making people mad! I'm gonna go right now!" Kirby dashed out of the room at top speed.
"Ah, Kirby..." Before Waddle Dee could even say anything to him, Kirby was already gone. He turned to King Dedede instead, wearing a look of relief. "I should have expected you'd have such a great idea, Your Majesty. I never would have thought of deliberately saying all of those things to make Elline react!"
"Of course you should have expected it. Every word that comes out of my mouth is great! Friends are just a nuisance!"
"...Um?" The smile disappeared from Waddle Dee's face. Apparently, King Dedede hadn't said those things for Elline's sake, or for some other ulterior motive. It was just what he actually believed.
King Dedede looked down at the stunned Waddle Dee with suspicion. "Hey, Waddle Dee, you're not trying to say YOU have any friends, do you? All friends are banned in Castle Dedede. You don't have my authorization to go making any friends I don't know about."
"Ah... Uh... Ummm..." Waddle Dee stiffened.
It was Meta Knight who intervened to save him. "More importantly, we should head to Claycia's atelier ourselves. I do find myself concerned by the concept of a sudden cold demeanor."
"Sir Meta Knight...?"
"If Claycia is once again controlled by another entity, that will be problematic for us. I'm going to evaluate the situation." Meta Knight turned with a flutter of his cape.
This seemed to cause King Dedede to remember something. "Hey, you. Whatever your name was. Cream?"
"It's Elline!"
"You're gonna keep insisting that friends are so important, huh?"
"Y-Yeah. Friends are more important than anything!"
"Hmph, you're a real dunce. But if you really think it's so important, then why not? I'll have the two of you making up in no time!"
"...Huh?" Elline was struck by the unexpected offer.
"Prepare me an offering of your gratitude. Food! Meat is my favorite. The more the better!"
"W-Wait just a second... If you try to butt into this, with your big mouth, you're just going to make things even more complicated. I feel a lot better leaving this to Kirby..."
"Oh yeah, get used to feeling a lot better. Because King Dedede is gonna get this all sorted out for you!" With that arrogant retort, King Dedede left the room.
Waddle Dee was about to follow him out, but he heard Magolor muttering behind his back.
"Why can't they just leave other people to their own business...? This is a waste of time..."
Waddle Dee stopped and turned around. "It's not a waste." He was so irritated by Magolor's words, he couldn't help responding. "Nothing Kirby does is ever a waste. I'm sure this detour will be important, too."
"Hmmmmm... I guess it's just completely beyond my understanding," Magolor said, condescendingly, before quickly leaving the room.
Kirby knocked on the atelier door, shouting, "Hello, Claycia! This is Kirby! Open up!"
There was no response. Kirby's knocks grew increasingly louder.
"It's Kirby! I have something to talk to you about. Hey, open up!"
After countless, countless knocks, there finally came a reaction. The door violently swung open, and Claycia stepped out. She still had her beautiful blue hair and her trademark stylish beret. But judging from her face, she was in a scarily bad mood. Her shout rang out like the clanging of an alarm clock. "Shuuuut uuuuupppp!! Do you realize how much noise you're making while I'm trying to concentrate on my artistic labors, you idiot!?"
Kirby happily leapt towards Claycia. "Hello, Claycia! Long time no see! How have you been?"
"Hm? Who were you again?"
"Did you forget? That's so mean. It's me, Kirby!"
"Kirby... It sounds kind of familiar, but it's also not ringing any bells." Claycia crossed her arms in thought. "I forget anything that's not art-related basically as soon as it's out of sight. And now of all times, I especially don't want to have to think about anything else. I'd rather concentrate on my artistic labors."
"Biscuit flavors? Wow, that sounds delicious! I want to concentrate on it too—!"
"Whatever are you talking about? Sorry, I don't understand any non-art-related vocabulary."
Meta Knight arrived in the middle of this conversation, followed closely behind by King Dedede, Waddle Dee, and Magolor. Claycia turned to look at them.
"What is all of this? Why are you all coming to my atelier...?"
"Um, Claycia, we want you to make up with Elline," said Kirby.
Claycia looked down at Kirby, evidently mystified. "Make up? In order for us to make up, we'd need to have gotten into a fight. I'm not fighting with Elline."
"What?! But Elline is so sad. She said you got really cold all of a sudden."
"No I didn't. Lately I've been here in my atelier focusing on my artistic labors, and so I haven't even seen her."
"Whaaat? That's so strange. You didn't ignore her or yell at her to be quiet? Or reject her invitation to go eat snacks...?"
"Did I? I can't remember. Once I begin focusing on my artistic labors, I lose the ability to carry a normal conversation. My brain is far too occupied with my art, after all."
"...Hmm," murmured Meta Knight. "I had been apprehensive, thinking perhaps she had been taken over by some wicked power, but I see now that there is nothing to worry about. It seems this woman is a mere artist."
Claycia raised her eyes to look at Meta Knight as soon as she heard those words. "Excuse me?! I cannot allow that to slide! I am no MERE artist! I am the supreme artist, Claycia, blessed with dazzling talent that shines through in all my works. I suggest you revise what you have said!"
"Hm. Sorry." Meta Knight apologized quickly, before turning to Kirby. "We don't need to worry ourselves with this. Let's just tell Elline that Claycia was focused on her art and had no ill intentions."
"Sure!" Kirby nodded, but King Dedede cut in.
"Wait, wait, wait! I can't let that happen."
"Huh? Why not?"
"How is anyone going to thank me for something that gets so easily resolved?" King Dedede pushed past Kirby and Meta Knight to go up to Claycia. He lowered his voice, whispering darkly. "You know... Elline was talking about you. It wasn't good. She said you were selfish, and a bully, and as cold as a refrigerator..."
"Y-Your Majesty...!" Waddle Dee hastily clung to King Dedede. "Please stop. Why are you trying to get them to keep fighting...?"
"Isn't it obvious? If the fight heats up, then the reconciliation heats up too. If it's a huge fight and then it gets resolved, then Elline is going to be more grateful to me than she'll know what to do with. She's gonna thank me with the highest quality steak possible!" King Dedede licked his lips, entranced by the idea.
Waddle Dee timidly attempted to pacify Claycia. "I-It's not like how he's making it sound, Claycia. Elline wasn't talking bad about you. She just had a few misunderstandings…"
However.
Claycia didn't hear a word that Waddle Dee said. She looked approving, nodding along at Dedede's testimony. "That's my Elline. She really does understand me."
"...Um?"
"Being selfish and cold is the mark of a true artist. You can't call yourself an artist until you sink deep into the chilling darkness of solitude!" Claycia closed her eyes, putting her hands on her own shoulders, hugging herself with a tight squeeze. "I'm scared of my own genius. That's right! My heart is as cold as the inside of a refrigerator, and as dark as the inside of a closet! And so, I am an artist! The genius talent in my soul cannot be comprehended by ordinary people!"
"...Hmmmm." Kirby stared blankly up at Claycia. "Being an artist sounds tough."
"Now that you understand, please take your leave. I'm hashing out a never-before-seen, super miraculous work of art right now."
"What makes it super miraculous?"
Kirby's question was innocent, but the expression on Claycia's face suddenly changed. She had been flushed with excitement, but now the color had drained from her cheeks.
"It's… it's…"
"It's?"
"Aaaaahhhhhh! I can't tell youuuuuuu! I haven't thought of anything yet!"
Claycia clutched her head, writhing. Kirby and the others watched with quiet amazement.
"Haven't… thought of anything?"
"Right. After all, I'm planning a real miracle here. Something no one has ever experienced. It's not easy to just come up with artwork like that!"
Meta Knight said, "Aha, I see. So you are frustrated with your art not coming out the way you envision, and you took that out on Elline."
"Don't say that like it's so matter of fact, please. Normal people cannot understand my troubles!" Claycia sighed, dissatisfied.
"Hey, Claycia," said Kirby. "We'll help you."
"What was that?"
"If you can finish the super miracle, then you'll get along with Elline and talk and eat snacks together again, right? Then I'll help you with the super miracle!"
"What are you saying? I'm not understanding." She shook her head. "I need no help with my works of art. I would turn down a hand even from the gods of art themselves… After all, I am a true genius… Hey! Wait! Who said you could come in my atelier?!"
Kirby wasn't paying attention to what Claycia was saying. He'd already trotted past her into the atelier. Just as she went to try and throw him out, everyone else entered the atelier, too.