A/N: I decided to recycle Yoshi rather than introduce some random new character, and once more, added more of Larry's scheming, mainly explaining why he left digging up Lemmy to the last minute.
Act V. Scene ii.
Larry glanced at the clock. The timing was going to be close, but he had to wait until it was completely dark before he'd risk raiding the cemetery. Of course, Ludwig was cutting it closer, wherever he was. At this rate, it was starting to seem like Larry was going to have to go alone – as if having to do it under a looming deadline was bad enough.
When he gave Lemmy the potion, he had figured 42 hours was going to be more than enough time, but then Bowser had insisted that Larry perform a full autopsy before he buried his brother in the above-ground grave that was customary of royal Koopas. Larry had originally planned to exhume Lemmy Wednesday night after the funeral, giving him plenty of time before his brother woke up, but with Bowser insisting he took the rest of that day as well as Thursday morning to thoroughly examine the body and figure out the cause of death. Larry was just glad Lemmy hadn't gone to sleep until well after midnight on Tuesday (as reported by Kammy and Kamek), or there would have been a chance of him waking up even as they placed him in the crypt. Now, Larry calculated that he wouldn't rise until after sunset, but not by much.
Larry whirled around expectantly as the door opened, but the only one there was Yoshi. "Oh, so you are back from Jewelry Land. But where's Ludwig? Or did you guys travel separately?"
"I'm afraid I didn't go to Jewelry Land," panted Yoshi, clutching his stomach.
"What?" Larry's face was livid.
"I'm sorry! I was on my way out, but then I saw some berries, and I was really hungry after Daisy's wedding – Sarasalanders never serve enough food. So I ate some, but then Wario and Waluigi ran out and nabbed me. Apparently the berries had some kind of special seed they were going to sell or something. They locked me up and made me drink some sort of laxative potion. It felt like it was turning my insides inside-out! My stomach's still killing me – please! I need something to make me feel better, and I can't go to the regular doctor because if word gets back to Fawful, Wario and Waluigi say they'll skin me alive!"
"Probably illegal imported berries from the Waffle Kingdom," muttered Larry absentmindedly. He had been rushing around the room as soon as Yoshi had started talking half-listening to his rambling story, but more focused on the conundrum caused by the latest wrench to be thrown into his plan.
Yoshi scowled at the inattentive Koopaling. "Hey! Weren't you listening? I need help."
"You shouldn't have eaten someone else's berries, idiot," snarled Larry as he pulled a crowbar out of a toolbox.
"Hey, look, I'm sorry, okay! I guess the letter you wanted me to give your brother was an invitation to the wedding or something? Well, Bowser didn't bump the date up until after I left, and I wouldn't have delivered the letter in time for him to get back by yesterday morning anyway. And I certainly wouldn't have known he died, so it's not like I could have told Ludwig to at least try and hurry back for today's burial ceremony."
"Nice to see you kept apprise of current events when you were in captivity," remarked Larry, but before Yoshi could say another word, the Koopaling had pushed by him and disappeared into the still-darkening night.
The fact that Ludwig wasn't coming wasn't the problem, but rather, the possibility that Peach had come instead is what worried Larry. If word reached her that Lemmy was dead, Larry knew she'd blame herself, and there was no telling what could happen then. He hoped she would have the common sense to shrug it off and stay put, but he worried her old goodie-goodie nature would reemerge if enough guilt built up. Add to that the belief that her plan to return home and free the Mushroom Kingdom was completely kaput, and she would have very little reason left to act rationally besides self-preservation. But Larry had seen the look in her eyes when she agreed to sleep with Lemmy, and he knew she didn't value her life as highly as she once did.
The last rays of the sun still streaked across the sky, but Larry couldn't afford to wait any longer. If Peach was returning, she would go straight for the graveyard that held her poor little victim, and Larry had to beat her there. He had to stop her before she threw out their best chance for beating Fawful – a longshot was better than nothing, after all, and after so many missteps, Larry wanted to see something come out of the struggle. He would pull Lemmy out first, and of Peach didn't show up, they'd leave and he'd sent another letter to Ludwig (and hopefully, Peach). He'd ask Lakitu this time – he was fast. Larry wished he had a cloud to ride on too as he stiffly walked through the town, wishing he could run all the way without fear of drawing suspicion, or that the cemetery was actually near the funeral home. When the city planner died, Larry decided he would be going in the sewer.