"And you're absolutely sure you know what to do in case of flooding?" Princess Toadstool asked worriedly, while walking briskly towards the exit of her castle.
"Yes, Princess," Toad droned wearily. His tiny little feet and tiny little legs had to struggle to match the pace of the princess who towered above him, but he managed to keep up.
"And in case of termites?"
"Yes, Princess."
"And in case a stray Goomba wanders in and eats my secret stash of chocolate bon-bons?"
"Oh…" This time, Toad's voice was remorseful, as if he were disappointed with himself. "You mean that candy I accidentally threw out yesterday?"
"You Iwhat/I!?" The princess punctuated her outrage by halting abruptly. Toad also stopped, with a fearful expression on his face. He tried to summon some fake tears, but found himself unable to keep a straight face upon looking the princess in the eye. Her usually poised countenance was filled with rage and tinged with a pink color matching that of her dress.
"Relax, Princess! Your snacks are safe."
"Phew…" Toadstool's face regained its normal hue, and she exhaled, relieved. She and Toad resumed their trek, though they had few more steps to take before they reached the castle lobby, and then the exit.
"But you're gonna hafta loosen up a lot more if ya wanna enjoy your vacation with the Bros." By this time, they had reached the double doors of the castle. Toad dutifully pushed one of them open and held it ajar while the princess stepped through. He followed after her, then closed the door. "Don't worry! I've gotten everything taken care of back here. You just have a good time at Dinosaur Land, okay?"
Toadstool smiled, and then, stooping down to Toad's height, she kissed him lightly on the forehead. "Thanks. You're so sweet!"
Toad returned her smile, and waved to Mario and Luigi. "That goes for you too, guys! Take care of the princess for me!"
Mario and Luigi, both in their Tanooki flying suits, ambled over to Toad and the princess. Luigi patted him on his enormous noggin. "Good luck with taking care of the castle and everything, kiddo! And don't get the kingdom destroyed by Bowser, or anything like that."
Mario bashed his brother over the head, and he fell to the ground. "Don't say things like that!" Then, he turned to the diminutive mushroom retainer. "We're counting on you, Toad. We'll come back from Dinosaur Land soon, and bring you a souvenir! How does that sound?"
"It sounds great! I'll be looking forward to seeing you three again."
"And we will, too. But, we'd better get going before these P-Wings wear off. Princess?" Mario took Toadstool's hand and together they lifted into the air. Shortly afterward, Mario landed briefly to pick up the dazed form of Luigi.
"Good-bye, Toad!" the two conscious vacationers called out. Luigi managed to flash a goofy grin and a clumsy peace sign before passing out. Toad continued to wave until they were out of sight. Once they were gone, he re-entered the castle and got to work planning how he would take care of the castle and kingdom while they were gone.
"Mental note: Replace the princess's bon-bons before she gets back…"