Chapter Five: There You Are!

Daisy walked over to the dome, finding only toads working on it. There was no one else in sight. Her and Waluigi had gone their separate ways after the park. She thought about what had just happened to her on the walk over to the dome. Waluigi saved her life, she talked with him for hours, and then she gave him her number! Waluigi of all people too! He'd even told her she 'still looked like a princess' without the perfect hair and crown.

She replayed that scene over and over in her mind. It just seemed as though that would never happen to her, especially with Waluigi. When she came to the dome, she asked a toad what had happened to the tournament.

"They're all out playing on Peach's private court. It helped with the schedule apparently. They'll need an extra day," a toad explained.

"Thanks," she said.

She then made her way to the castle and through the entrance. The private tennis court wasn't too hard to find. There was still dirt in the castle from where everyone was stepping. There weren't enough toads to clean the castle? Daisy thought. Man, that dome must be destroyed.

When she emerged from the castle walls, there was a lively match and a roaring crowd to go along with it. It had been a singles tournament and at the moment, it was Shy Guy versus Diddy Kong.

The press was everywhere, and all the newscasts were covering the tennis tournament and the new private grounds that the players had to privilege to play on. Daisy figured this would only happen one time. Peach probably was hating the fact that all these people were moving in and out of the castle. Then they were playing on her private court where only her and Mario had played...sheesh, that must be a hard thing for Peach to handle.

It made Daisy smirk a little. Peach had to have all those luxuries and then when things like this happen, she can't stand other people all over her stuff. Toadsworth must have convinced her somehow, she thought. Daisy herself hadn't even been on this court.

For some reason, Daisy didn't want to be in the flashing lights of the cameras and talking to tons of people. She just wanted to get out of this heat and have something cold to drink.

After being only a few minutes out there, she came back inside the castle. She found the kitchen, and she decided to not make a mess and just grab herself a glass of water with some ice.

The ice made the water so cold, she had to stop drinking it after a few seconds because her throat was turning numb. She got herself another glass after she'd finished that one, but this time, she walked around the castle instead of staying in the kitchen. With the glass still in her hands, she sipped on it now, wanting to conserve what she had before going to get another if she really wanted to.

She took her time walking around, admiring some of the artwork (some) around the castle. She didn't stray too far from the tennis tournament but she went far enough away so she wouldn't have to hear the crowd roaring and booing. She set the glass on a small end table and sat on the red and pink love seat. She set her journal and crown next to her, and she stared at the crown.

'You looked perfectly fine without the crown'...his voice still existed in her head, but she didn't mind. It was a nice thing he had said to her. Compliments like that stuck around in her mind for a long while after they'd been said.

No one had ever said that to her before. It was always about being perfect. About being like Peach, always trying to mind her manners, not getting her dresses dirty, having her hair lay as she desired even if it took a smoking curling iron. Talk about damage to a girl's hair.

"There you are!" a voice exclaimed, startling Daisy so that she almost tossed the crown into the air. She hadn't though, and when she looked up, it was just Luigi.

"Hi Luigi," Daisy greeted.

"Where have you been? I've been asking Peach multiple times today," Luigi said, sitting on the love seat next to her after she'd moved her things to the end table along side the glass of water that was by now condensing and producing a small wet ring on the table.

"Peach told me you didn't sign up for the tournament," he said then. "Why not?"

"Oh, I don't know," Daisy replied. "I just didn't feel like entering. I've done my share of tournaments. I just thought I'd sit this one out."

"Oh," Luigi said. "That's not like you." Daisy thought back to her conversation with Waluigi. Luigi didn't know who she was! How could he say such a thing like that when he didn't even know what her favorite color was? She tried not to let this comment get to her and control herself. She succeed.

"I suppose not," she said. "It's really warm outside too." She took another drink of her ice water, still feeling that rush of an arctic breeze down her throat that felt so amazing.

"Yeah, but being in the crowd is quite disgusting," Luigi said. "Are you going to come out and watch?"

"Maybe later," she told him. "Right now, I think I'm just going to sit here."

"Okay," Luigi said, standing back up. She could hear the hint of disappointment in his voice, but she would go out and watch sometime today still. He needn't worry.

She found herself longing to be back with Waluigi. Sure she was in the most luxurious castle for miles around, but that could never replace her need for someone's understanding and a close listening ear. Waluigi had those qualities, and Luigi didn't even stay with her. Perhaps he had the next match.

She took out her phone and texted Waluigi already:

At Peach's castle. They moved the tournament onto the private court. Bored.