It was a bad day to be a tennis ball, especially in the royal tennis court being assaulted on both sides by overzealous princesses. A pair of humanoid fungi sat on the sidelines watching the fearsome assault continue at dizzying speeds. There was mutual agreement between them that they were glad to have fallen out of the running over twenty minutes ago.
"Maaan, and I thought Peach was vicious in the Kart circuit..." Toad commented, rubbing the back of his stubby little neck.
"This is most unladylike.." Toadsworth fretted.
Beat for beat, crack for crack, the ball sailed through the air at near-lethal speeds. The volley continued well longer than either mushroom could have imagined until the ball smacked the ground one more time and a triumphant voice cried, "It's out of bounds! Whee! I win!"
"You did not!" Came the retort from an irate pink clad princess with yellow hair. "Toadsworth! Tell her that was in bounds!"
"I uhh... well.." Toadsworth fumbled.
"It was out! Wasn't it? You only side with her because she's your princess!" The competitor in orange and yellow, sporting a flower jewel on her chest made a face. She had brownish-red hair that was styled slightly different from the pink one, shorter and very tomboyish, which matched her persona perfectly. The girl's yellow top was short and showed off her belly, while the orange bottoms were also several inches shorter than her pink adversary's.
"Actually... it was out of bounds Princess. Sorry Peach!" The generic royal toady chirped up. Of all the 'Toad' species, he was the only one around to have his species as his namesake. He also has a close relation with Peach, so he wasn't afraid to speak up. Though Toadsworth had been Peach's caretaker since an early age, he would not have dared speak so boldly and Toad was sure he was going to have a heart attack from the look on his face. "Great serve Daisy!"
"Thanks!" The one now identified as Daisy said, making a quick peace sign and winked.
"Oh you traitor!" The pink one now identified as Peach made a face at the mushroom then looked over at her foe. "Best 2 out of three!"
"make it best 3 our of 5 and you're on!" Daisy said with a broad smile, running back to the court fast as her legs would carry her.
And so the exchange continued for two more hours. Daisy was never satisfied with a loss, though the rivalry between her and Peach was not unfriendly. The two spurred each other on with taunts and yells, and by the end of it Toad had become their referee instead of the elder mushroom sporting brown spots.
Exhausted and panting, the two girls made their way over to an ornate metal garden table, painted white with matching chairs. They sat at either side, setting their rackets down and crossing their legs in mirror movements. The heated tennis matches may have settled down, but not their laughter. Now, they seemed to take on a much more relaxed mood, for which Toadsworth was rather relieved about.
"Oh Toadsworth!" Peach flagged him down and took a couple light breaths til' he approached them. "Would you please fetch Daisy and I some tea?"
"Tea? Very good then, I could go for a spot myself!" Toadsworth exclaimed and turned to Toad, who was just now climbing into a third white chair at the table, which was a bit too tall for him. "Toad! Be a good lad and fetch us some tea will you?"
Needless to say, the fungus was a bit off guard. "Eh? Me? She asked you Ol' man!"
"Of all the impertinent--" Toadsworth began but was cut off by Peach's hand on his shoulder and her brilliant blue eyes twinkling at him broadly.
"Oh Toadsworth..." she said oh so sweetly, "I asked you to get it because you know how much I love your tea! Would you please get it for me? Pretty please?" A few well timed blinks of her luscious lashes took full advantage of her still somewhat childlike appeal. Who could have said no to her cute widdle face?
"Oh uh... all right. Well then, I will be back shortly. If you will excuse me." Toadsworth said, giving a curt bow and leaving them alone.
"Way to lay on the sweet charm Princess. You're givin' me cavities." Toad quipped to well received laughter.
Peach chuckled and looked fondly at the friendly steward. "Oh go on, get out of here Toad, before Toadsworth finds other things for you to do!"
"Don't have to tell me twice! See ya' at Mario's later?" he said, hopping off the chair he'd just managed to climb into and backing away from the twin crowns.
"Count on it!" Peach smiled warmly and waved off her friend before turning back to Daisy. "How many did you win?"
"Seven! And you managed to get 3 in on me, of course that's in the overall." Daisy beamed proudly.
"I can't believe you keep track like that! All I wanted was a little fun!" Peach laughed again, leaning back in her chair and letting the warm sun beat down on her silky blond hair.
"Well, I'd say that was fun. You're just saying that about keeping track because you lost the overall!" Daisy grinned a bit more impishly this time while tugging at one of her floral earrings which matched the brooch on her chest.
It was a beautiful day out, and aside the poorly beaten tennis ball, it was generally a good day to be anyone. The sun was smiling, the clouds were happy, and the plant life was rich and green. It was so gorgeous, Peach couldn't help but give a happy sigh at the peaceful afternoon. After a while though, the two started up conversation again. "So, how's Sarasaland these days?"
"Oh, it's good... with Daddy around everything seems to run smoothly." Daisy nodded slightly, thinking of her home kingdom. "Oh! What about your father? Didn't Mario just free him from Bowser's exile?"
"Ohh... yes." Peach replied, a little less enthusiastic than Daisy thought she'd be.
"ehh? Peach... Your father being back should make you happy right? When was the last time you saw him anyway?" Daisy waved to Toadsworth who was coming back with the requested tea.
"Well... I don't know, maybe it's just that he's been away so long... but he's treating me like a little girl!" Peach said with some indignation.
Daisy laughed and grabbed an iced tea of the tray for herself, sipping it through a cherry pink straw. "Is that all? He's your father, of course he thinks of you like a little girl. What else is bothering you? It's not like he's forcing you to get married or anything!" she said cheerily, looking at Peach, eager for rich gossip.
"Oh heavens no!" Peach gasped at her friend's boldness. She had well appreciated her spunky counterpart, but was still caught unaware at some of her forward statements.
Toadsworth gave them both odd looks. "Ahh... Excuse me Princess, but your father would like to speak with you when you're... ahem... done here." He said formally, offering another iced tea to Peach.
She nodded and gladly accepted. "Thanks. Oh.. Toadsworth? Girl-talk... would you...?"
"At once." He bowed and hurried out of sight, though he dared a concerned glance at his charge. His spots would be outright black the way he was fretting!
"So what don't you like about your dad being back?" Daisy continued to press her, a twinkle in her starry sky blue eyes.
"Well, the increased security for one." Peach said dryly, glancing over her shoulder at more than a half dozen toadstool troops. Noting that they had drawn her attention they all quickly burst into mismatched whistles and blank stares in all directions before fleeing.
Daisy laughed again. "Okay, that could be annoying... but I'm sure it's just cause he cares for you!"
"Right... now... why would you think dad would be trying to marry me off?" Peach nudged back at her friend, lightly stirring her tea with a straw after adding a pinch of lemon and packet of sugar.
"Ohh no reason. My dad's just been trying to get me hitched." Daisy said making a face.
"You? Married! Not in a million years... I just can't imagine you settling down!" The pink clad princess had her turn to laugh, which the other princess shared in the laughter.
"You're right, neither can I! He'd have to be someone at least twice as competitive as I am!" She smiled smugly and made a peace sign again.
"Oh really...?" The blonde's tone took on a more sassy hint to it. "You know... I've noticed you visiting Luigi's house a lot..." An unwholesome smile crossed Peach's lips as she finished.
"Hey! You aren't implying Luigi and I are you...!?" Daisy was shocked that her friend had even suggested such a thing.
"Well... you two do get along..." Peach put up a hand as Daisy protested with her with a look that would put a basilisk to shame. "Hey now, no sense in denying it! You two are a good team! And you've always seemed to get along well."
"Well... maybe! But... but not like ... that!" Daisy shook her head fervently. "And what about you and Mario?" She shot back, happy to see the color of the princess change to a bright red. "Hmm? Ever since he came to this world he's been doing nothing but rescue you... I'd almost think you had some arrangement with Bowser... 'OH! Mario! Help! Save Me!'" she mocked, unable to control her laughter anymore.
"Daisy! How dare you! And don't remind me how many times he's rescued me either!" Peach said, a bit mortified. She'd all but lost track of how many times he'd rescued her from Bowser or some other evil's clutches... but the times she had helped him in turn could be counted on one hand. Her princess ego was a bit sick of the Damsel in Distress routine.
"Ohh don't be like that, you know I'm only teasing! Ahh well... Hey! I'll go freshen up, we'll meet back in the courtyard when you're done with your dad, okay?" Daisy smiled.
"Okay!" Peach lightened and got up from the table. "A little freshening up could do us both some good." She smiled resolutely, thinking how nice her pink dress would feel after the sweaty gym clothes were off. The last thing on her mind now was what her daddy might have in store for her...