A/N: Seeing as Larry is related to Lemmy, whereas the Friar had no such affiliations, this scene's conversation was also changed around a fair bit.
Act II. Scene iii.
The sun was still low in the sky when Larry got out of bed. He needed to get some supplies, and the best wares were at the black market, whose vendors vamoosed once the rest of the city started to get busy. Fawful's peacekeepers left them alone for the most part, but that was because they were smart enough to stay in the background without being told. While technically he was only registered as the funeral director, Larry had many other lines of work. He provided under-the-table medical care, mainly dealing in potions and healing items. He carried more nefarious wares as well, however, and like the actual black market, the peacekeepers were happy to look the other way. He could also marry people, however that particular service didn't come up that often anymore – although it had been an asset back during the plagues, when tearful couples tied the knot as one or even both of the partners teetered on death's door.
He was just packing his things when the door flew open and Peach strode in, a devilish grin on her face. Larry raised an eyebrow. "Couldn't sleep again? Or are you just up early – you look a lot more cheerful than you usually would at this hour."
"I couldn't sleep – I have exciting news!"
"Donkey Kong didn't agree to help you out, did he?" Larry was surprised – Peach had visited the day before, looking for spare Shy Guy masks for her and Daisy's costumes, and not even she was very confident in the plan at that time.
"No, no – as we expected, he's too scared to cross Fawful, but I came up with an even better plan."
Larry grinned, his eyes glinting. "Oooh, really? Tell me."
"I'm going to marry your brother," said Peach.
Larry blinked. "Uhh, which one?"
"Lemmy."
Larry raised both eyebrows this time. "Lemmy? But what reason could you possibly have for wanting to marry him?"
"The reason why Fawful defeated out nations was because we were always fighting, and what better way is there than marriage to forge an alliance?"
"An alliance between who? There is no Koopa Kingdom, there is no Mushroom Kingdom – you're not a princess, Lemmy's not a prince. I don't envision Mario taking the news well, and all you're gonna do it give my father an aneurysm by revealing that you'd rather marry his goofball son than him – his goofball son who's what, twenty years younger than you?"
"He's a legal adult, that's all that matters," huffed Peach. "And I'll worry about the details later – but we have to get married today."
"Why? Before the love potion wears off?"
"I used no such thing."
"Yeah, I suppose you wouldn't need too – not with those looks, and especially not with that silver tongue you've been honing."
"I learned from the best," said Peach.
Larry rolled his eyes – but he didn't deny the compliment. "But why Lemmy?"
"He's easy to manipulate," shrugged Peach. "No offence."
"None taken – he is pretty gullible."
"So, will you marry us? I'm thinking sometime in the early afternoon."
"Aren't you rushing into things? You haven't even thought the rest of your plan through. Good plans are only good if they're complete."
"If I don't marry him right away, he might get married off to Birdo," explained Peach. "And then I'm out of options."
"You'd think of something else."
"But the plan I have right now is good."
"The half a plan you have is good, yes, but it's what happens after the wedding that worries me."
Peach sighed. "I already agreed to marry Lemmy – you don't want me to let him down, do you? Your poor brother?"
Larry snorted. Peach knew very well that he had forsaken any fraternal love for his siblings long ago: if she thought he still cared about what would happen to Lemmy as a result of her plan, she would have found someone else to marry them. Larry always had a cool head, and after he finally figured out that a cold heart made him even better at manipulating people, he never went back. His only regret about breaking from his family was that he was on the outside looking in, rather than sitting pretty at the center of the clan, twisting things around him to suit his needs. The funeral business ensured he had a stable place in the community and dealing in contraband power-ups meant he was well-connected with the shadier stuff too, but he knew it would be better if he didn't have to worry about Fawful. Peach just wanted peace, but Larry wanted his freedom and power back – and she knew this, but she had chosen to put their differences aside, at least, until Fawful was gone and she could afford to heed to her old morals. Perhaps, Larry often wondered, she was going to come up with that part of her schemes later.
"Oh no," responded Larry after a moment. "I wouldn't want my idiot brother heartbroken before the plan called for it. Or did you not think that far ahead either?"
A slight shadow crossed Peach's face: unlike Larry, she still had some decency left, but desperate times called for desperate measures, and she forced any caring thoughts for the young Koopaling away. "No," she admitted. "But I don't intend on letting him down until after Fawful's gone: then he'll see it was necessary."
"He's not that bright," said Larry dryly. "Fortunately for you. Fine, I'll marry you. But right now, I have stuff to do, so get outta here."
"Fair enough," said Peach. "I have stuff to do too. I'll see you at, say, noonish!"
As she ran off, Larry shook his head. He had taught Peach well – a little too well. Overconfidence was a killer: that's why his father always lost his schemes. But he had to admit, of all the plans they had brainstormed so far, this one was the best: all it needed was a few more details to be ironed out, and who knew? Maybe it could actually work.
