Chapter Two: Roll the Roulette

 

Toad Town, The Mushroom Kingdom

 

[Toad Town]

 

After one year of intensive excavation, Toad Town was once more a flourishing coastal metropolis and already rivaling Seaside’s impressive commerce.  The small port was expanded to include several more shops and residential areas in celebration of the city’s reopening, and eager merchants from all over the Mushroom Kingdom came to set up businesses in the peaceful hillside.

 

Another sign of the town’s prosperous future was the arrival of a large passenger cruiser stopping by on its way from Dinosaur Land to the glitterstone mines of Salinia.  The large Sun Sprite emblem on its side gleamed in the morning air and quickly attracted a crowd of citizens interested in seeing the massive vessel.  To everyone’s disappointment, the crew merely refueled and dropped off a few crates of cargo before pulling up anchor and sailing away.

 

Nobody seemed to notice, but a Yoshi and a friendly Boo who had come off the ship never got back on.  The two figures were a common sight in a city as diverse as Toad Town, and they were treated like any other locals as they made their way through the various taverns and department stores that lined the streets.

 

“I’ve forgotten how much I liked this place,” Yoshi said.  He moved his eyes around excitedly, trying to take in all the lost memories and the places he’d never seen before.  “Club 64, Tayce T’s new restaurant, the train station… we’ll never be able to see it all before we have to leave.”

 

“Who says we’re running on a schedule?” Blue Boo said.  He stopped to reposition his azure top hat carefully over the transparent surface of his head and looked around as if nothing had happened.  “You might have an appointment to keep, but I’m going to paint the town red… er, blue.”

 

“I still say Glitzville would’ve been more down your alley,” Yoshi said, grinning.  “Why you wanted to come along on a sightseeing trip beats me.”

 

“Sightseeing and antiquing aren’t the only benefits this place has, my friend,” said the Boo, flashing a pointed tooth.  “Even a berg as whitewashed as Toad Town has an underground scene.  I’ve heard there’s an elite casino here to rival Grate Guy’s, and I mean to find it out before I shove off.”

 

“I doubt it, but now that you mention gambling, it does seem I heard something from someone about a casino… can’t remember where.  Let’s go over to Merlon’s place first, though.  Mario said he was anxious to meet me, and I’d hate to disappoint a Shaman.”

 

“An intolerable people-pleaser, that’s what you are.  What Merlon doesn’t know can’t hurt him, and if we just float on past his place without knocking, who’s left the wiser?”

 

“I’m surprised at you, Blue,” Yoshi said cryptically.  “Shamans are known worldwide for being the wisest of men, and here you’re trying to discover a hidden casino.  Who better to ask where it is than the most knowledgeable person in Toad Town?”

 

Never one to like admitting a fault, Blue Boo crossed his arms in frustration and fiddled with his hat for another minute.  “Ok, you win this around.  We’ll go see the old guy, but then I want to hit the roulette table.  You have to be there to watch me score the big prizes, too.  Red essence, volt shrooms, the sky’s the limit!”

 

“More like your pocket’s the limit,” mumbled the dinosaur, and looked over at the Boo, “assuming you’ve got any.”

 

“Now you’re the one thinking narrowly,” Blue Boo whispered and carefully removed his hat.  Stuffed inside the wide rims were several gold coins and other vouchers.  “Never underestimate a ghost.”

 

“I’ll remember that,” Yoshi laughed, and they turned a corner onto the main boulevard that led up past Merlon’s fortune-telling shop.  “Here we are, right where it used to be.  There’s a little water damage on the roof, but otherwise it looks just the same.”

 

“Was there always a note on the door?” Blue Boo asked and vanished, reappearing next to the entrance.  In another second he was back and holding the letter which had been pinned onto the house.  “Looks like it’s from the Shaman.  Take a look.”

 

“A letter stuck to Merlon’s shop,” Yoshi muttered to himself, reminiscing about a certain book he’d read.  “That sounds awfully familiar.”

 

“Just open it already,” his ghostly comrade said impatiently.

 

Dear Trespasser,

 

I have taken a well-deserved trip to Rogueport for the purpose of seeing my ungrateful sons, daughters, nephews, nieces, and any others that might not have gotten themselves killed.  If your confusion persists, that means the shop is closed, shut up, and sanctified until I return.  Anyone brave enough to try breaking in will be set aflame by a powerful security spell I’ve concocted whose devices are far too complicated for you to reverse before you’re burned to a crisp.  Also, have a nice day and drop a few coins into the slot if you want good luck.  No, really, it works.

 

Professional Wizard and Prestidigitator,

Merlon the Magnificent

 

“That settles that,” said Yoshi.  “I guess it’ll take us awhile to find the casino.”

 

“Don’t worry, pal.  I have a special feel for the seedier places of a town.  If there’s a din of sin and pleasure to be found, count on me to uncover it faster than you can say it’s name.”

 

~*~*~*~

 

After three exhausting hours of searching every back alley and uncharted passage in the city, the pair of tourists found themselves drinking fruit smoothies in what was formerly Tayce T’s restaurant.  It now belonged to an upstart entrepreneur who didn’t seem to have a name.

 

“So we can just call you the Chef?” Yoshi asked.  He was concentrating on pulling the last bits of fruit out of a tall cup and handed over a few coins for a refill as soon as he was successful.

 

“That’s right,” said a Terrapin who once was called the Apprentice.  “I used to have a different name, but that road is behind me now.  I’m looking forward to the future!”

 

“Wonderful,” muttered Yoshi, intent on his second beverage.  “Anyway, would you happen to know if there’s a casino in this town?  My friend here is dying to gamble away money that he doesn’t have.”

 

“Yes, some of my louder customers like to talk about it.  You should speak to Chet Rippo; he hangs around the docks during the day and pawns off worthless items.  I think he might sell directions to the place, if I remember right, but it’s awful pricey.”

 

“Forgetting your past isn’t always the best policy,” Blue Boo said, stumbling into his rare philosophical mode.  Whenever he got a cold drink or two into him, the ghost felt especially bold in counseling others.  “Why, some of my best years have been behind me.”

 

“Where else would they be?” asked Yoshi, snickering, and reached over to pull the Boo’s glass towards himself.  “I think you’ve had enough.”

 

“Maybe for you, friend,” the Apprentice broke in, “but my past isn’t anything anybody would like to remember.  I made a lot of mistakes, and my old master was quick to point them out.”

 

“You said master?”

 

“Right, my cooking instructor,” the Terrapin replied.  “I was apprenticed to him.”

 

“Oh,” said Yoshi, and looked oddly at Blue Boo.  “Sorry to hear that.”

 

“Your customers seem a little dim.  Time to lighten up their lives with a little bit of Booish charm,” the ghost said dizzily and floated off, vanishing to terrorize the other patrons in the café.

 

“I still don’t know what that means,” Yoshi said with mild frustration, drowning another full glass of Blueberry Bonanza.

 

“It’s an expression,” the Apprentice clarified, watching Blue Boo’s barely visible form approach a booth full of young chattering Toads.  “He’s not going to—”

 

With a suddenness that shook the Terrapin, the Boo reappeared as a towering, fang-bearing monster and let out a horrendous moan.  Frightened beyond sense, the Toads screamed and battled their way past confused customers out into the street.

 

“That’s not going to be good for business,” the Apprentice said sadly.

 

“That’s not going to be good for anyone,” Yoshi agreed and led his friend out of the café.

 

“Tha—thanks for coming,” the Terrapin said, shaken, and was left rattling the tip jar while they left.

 

As the two made their way through the salt-grimed breeze of the port, Blue Boo became increasingly bored and decided to make up for it by scaring the trousers off every person they ran into.  Never a fan of practical jokes, Yoshi tried to hang a few steps behind to avoid being associated with the ghost.

 

“You know,” he said finally, “I hear Glitzville is very nice this time of year.”

 

“Again with the stadium?  You don’t want me here, do you?”

 

“Well,” Yoshi said, dragging the word out, “it’s a possibility.”

 

“If that’s the case,” said Blue Boo, crossing his ghostly arms, “then maybe I won’t give you the honor of my company next time.”

 

As the dinosaur stared at his friend in frustrated confusion, the most colorfully dressed person they’d run into interrupted their silent stand-off.  He seemed to be an overweight bird wearing a royal blue cloak and mask with some sort of bobbing appendage attached to the top of his head.

 

“Chet Rippo’s the name, bargains, deals, and blow-out sales are my game,” he said quickly, producing various items in the palms of his hands faster than any magician.  “I’ve got trinkets, knickknacks, bric-a-brac, antiques, protiques, food, cards, good luck charms, bad luck charms, anything you want!”

 

“Protiques?” Yoshi asked.

 

“You know, the opposite of antiques.  Haven’t you ever heard of going protiquing?”

 

“Not especially…”

 

“I have,” Blue Boo said, determined to get one up on the dinosaur.

 

“Now here’s a sophisticated lad!” the con-artist gleamed, wrapping a feathery arm around the ghoul.  “How’s about a new rim for that lovely hat?  Or one of my patented strength booster wrist bands?”

 

“But I don’t have a wrist,” Blue Boo said, studying his formless hand.

 

“Flipper band, then,” Rippo said quickly.  “One size fits all!  One for you, too, Mr. Dinosaur?”

 

“We’ll pass,” Yoshi said, restraining Blue Boo from handing over a pouch of coins.  “If you know anything about finding the Toad Town Casino, however, we might be willing to cut a deal.”

 

“Deal’s my middle name!” the costumed avian said enthusiastically.  “Casino, eh?  That’s a problem, a mystery, an enigma!  It’ll cost a mighty finder’s fee, but the pay-off is big, I tell ya, gargantuan, humongous!”

 

“Bweee!” Blue Boo exclaimed, rubbing his arms together in anticipation of the black jack tables.  “So you know where it is?”

 

“Abso-positive-alutely!”

 

“Fine,” Yoshi sighed and handed over a modest amount of coins.  “I hope that’s enough.”

 

“Oh, it’s good and all,” Rippo said reluctantly, “but my talons won’t budge for less than… 50 coins.  I’ve got a nest to feed!  Poor little Miriam, at home and with all those wonderful little chicks.  Poor David hardly has enough to go to finishing school.  But then Daddy’s my middle name, and I’ll work my tail feathers off if I have to.”

 

“I thought Deal was your middle name,” Yoshi muttered and handed over the offered price.  “Now, then, the location?”

 

“Oooh, pretty coins, I love ‘em!” the bird shrieked and counted out every golden oval.  “Check around this tree here, growing up so nicely across from me.  There’s a pipe behind it, and this card will grant you access.”

 

Blue Boo snatched the card gleefully out of the bird’s hand and floated towards the direction it mentioned.  Yoshi sighed and trailed behind, unable to help the feeling that they’d been taken in more ways than one.

 

~*~*~*~

 

“What do you mean there’s no entrance fee?”

 

“Just what I said,” the casino owner spoke plainly, handing back the card.  “Anyone can come in.  My customers always lose enough money for me to break even, if you know what I mean.”

 

“So the Chet Rippo guy doesn’t work for you?”

 

“Rippo?” the portly Toad laughed.  “You’re not from around here, are you?”

 

Yoshi groaned and walked away only to spot Blue Boo across the roomful of roulettes, blackjack tables, and slot machines.  Cackling in his usual careless fashion, the ghoul was throwing dice across a green playing board with two female Boos watching him eagerly from either side.

 

After the dinosaur started over to make sure Blue Boo gambled within his coin range, he was stopped by two penguins, one an icy blue and the other a flaring green.  Both stuck out their fins in what looked like an attempt to shake hands, but an argument soon erupted over who got to greet Yoshi first.

 

“Can I help you?”

 

“Oh, yes!” the green one exclaimed, turning with a wide grin.  “My name is Haloono, and this is my excitable friend Paloka.  We’re pleased as ice cones to meet you, Mr. Yoshi.”

 

“How did you know my name?”

 

“Your name?” Paloka asked, scratching his round head.  “We don’t know it, but we’d be glad to find out.”

 

“It’s Yoshi,” the dinosaur said, realizing the misunderstanding.

 

“A Yoshi named Yoshi,” muttered Haloono.  “Sounds pretty silly if you ask me.  Say you were being asked your species and then your name.  There’d be a lot of confusion, I’ll tell you now!”

 

“Oh, freeze off, Hal,” the other said, stepping forward.  “You see, we’ve always read about Yoshies in Herringway’s novels and… you have read Herringway, right?”

 

“Well, I…”

 

“He’s just about the greatest author ever,” Haloono put in hurriedly.  “That Ryanoshi guy, he’s an amateur compared to Herringway.  Talks and talks and talks without anything to say.”

 

“The point is, Herringway knows how to mold a story,” Paloka continued, clearly with irritation.  “Beyond that, though, you Yoshies are just about the most interesting creatures in his tales, and we’ve never seen one in person.  It’s too cold for you all in Shiver City, or at least that’s what we hear.  Island folks don’t visit us without due cause for obvious reasons, and we don’t visit them for even more obvious reasons!”

 

“Naturally, but I—”

 

“No need for an apology, son!” Haloono broke through, waving his arms frantically.  “We know the costs, the parkas you’d have to buy, the time spent away from home.  It’s all familiar to us.  Hey, we just came here to see the damage done in the flood.  Sorry to hear about that by the way.  It’s an awful thing.”

 

“Horrible!” Paloka interrupted.  “We donated some money to the recovery fund.  It’s our small part in the larger mix of life, or however you say it up here.”

 

“Gentleman!” Yoshi shouted finally.  “I must say it’s been a pleasure meeting you fine people, as well, but I must get going.  You see, my friend over there is—”

 

“Say no more!” Haloono smiled warmly, shaking the dinosaur’s hand a second time before Paloka pushed him aside and shook the other one.  “We don’t won’t to be a bother, just wanted to say hello.  You’ll promise to drop by and see us if you’re ever in Shiver City?”

 

“It’s a deal,” Yoshi said, moving past them.

 

“What a nice kid,” Paloka said, already scanning the room for another interesting character.  “That’s a Pianta, isn’t it?”

 

“Whoah, a big one, too!  Let’s go say hi and give him the old Shiver City greeting.”

 

Yoshi, meanwhile, was halfway across the room and trying desperately to look over the tightly packed crowd when Blue Boo ran into him at full speed.  With a halting yelp, the pair collided and fell to the ground among the countless tramping feet of those above.

 

“What have you done?” Yoshi asked, groaning as someone smashed his tail.

 

“Well, see, I was winning the big coins until this punk old guy bets a hundred and I didn’t have anything to match him and…”

 

“Perhaps it’d help if you just spat it out, Blue.”

 

The Boo nodded hesitantly and flashed a nervous grin.  “I bet more than I had, and now security’s after me.”

 

“In less than fifteen minutes you’ve done this,” Yoshi grumbled and picked himself up. 

 

A rough-looking group of black-suited Piantas were searching thoroughly through the casino with clubs held firmly in their massive hands.  Whimpering, Blue Boo steadied his hat and disappeared faster than Yoshi could grab him.

 

“Don’t float off!  Make your way over to the door, and I’ll meet you there in a few minutes.”

 

“Won’t work,” said the ghoul.  “Primarily, I can’t hold this trick for long.  Also, there’s the little matter of me having to point you out as collateral when I couldn’t show for the bet in the first place.”

 

“Good point,” said Yoshi, and noticed that the bouncers had already spotted him and were now pushing people angrily aside.  “Here’s the new plan: we make a mad dash for the exit and don’t look back.”

 

“Works for me!”

 

Yoshi hoisted the lightweight Boo onto his saddle and fluttered high over the crowd, drawing a few unwanted gasps of excitement before he landed with a thud near the pipe at the head of the room.  With the wisps of his ghostly tail smoking behind him, Blue Boo hopped off of the dinosaur and sucked himself through the pipe while Yoshi followed closely behind.

 

Once they popped out under the shade of a blooming tree, Yoshi looked around for somewhere to hide.  Blue Boo was pulling himself from a cluster of branches above, and the clumsy sounds of the Piantas could be heard thudding out of the pipe.

 

The shrill whistle of a train engine punctuated his words and gave him an idea for the trouble.  Pumping out lazy clouds of gray smog, the train was making final preparations before departure and would be leaving from the Toad Town Station in another minute or so.

 

“We’ll take the train.  Come on!”

 

“But where’s it going?” Blue Boo asked, finally free from the tangle of leaves.  “And what about tickets?”

 

“Did someone say tickets?” the familiar voice of Chet Rippo greeted them, and the crafty bird jumped out from behind a building as they ran past.  “If you’re thinking about leaving on the train, all the seats for the next circuit are sold out.  Lucky for you, Honest Rippo has a c-RAZY bargain on the last two tickets.  Fifty coins for the pair, but since you two are repeat customers, I’ll be kind and make it forty.  Do we have a deal?”

 

“Unfortunately, yes” Yoshi sighed and made the trade.  Behind them, the Piantas from the casino were climbing out of the pipe and making their way across the street.  “Now let’s go, Blue!”

 

“But my flipper bands!” the Boo said pleadingly while Chet Rippo slipped a green bracelet over his ghostly fin.  “They’re one of a kind, Yoshi!”

 

“No time, no time!” the dinosaur mumbled and dragged the ghost towards the train station.

 

They flew over the queue line with the Piantas closing fast behind them and flashed the tickets at a screaming collector before they boarded.  Making one last shrieking sound, the engine started up and moved slowly along the tracks as the bouncers were turned away at the gate.

 

“That’s one more town we can’t show our faces in now,” Yoshi said, letting out a long sigh as he and Blue Boo sat down in an empty row of seats.  “Still, I can’t accuse our trips of ever being dull.”

 

The ghost was busy making inappropriate gestures to the Piantas as the train passed them by, but he turned at last and gave a signature grin.  “Yeah, did you see them running?  They couldn’t have caught us in a million years.”

 

“Unless you’d decided to window shop for charm bracelets.”

 

“Who says I didn’t?” Blue Boo said slyly and held up one fin with a red band wrapped around the middle.  “Rippo cheated us, so I cheated Rippo.  That’s fair play in my book.”

 

“Among other things,” Yoshi said, laughing wearily as he laid his head back against the seat and drifted off to the sounds of clattering wheels against the railroad track.

 

“Attention all passengers,” the engineer said over a speaker system that ran through the cars.  “We have just left Toad Town Station and will be arriving in Dry Dry Desert by four o’clock tomorrow.  It’s a straight trip, folks, so don’t expect any delays.”

 

“Uh, Yoshi, the guy just said we’re going to—” Blue Boo said, and then stopped himself.  “Eh, there’s nothing we can do about it now.  Besides, I’m sure there’ll be another stop after this one.”

 

The ghostly form floated out of the seat and over Yoshi, exiting through the rear of the car onto the platform behind.  After pushing his top hat a bit farther along the back of his head, Blue Boo rested gently on the railing and looked out over the rolling ocean as it sped by.