Chapter 11 Goomburger Again

Mario didn't know if smiling was appropriate in this scenario. Obviously, he knew who was here; the jovial and enthusiastic inflection gave it away. He could feel Toadette beaming at him as his…or, rather, Luigi's eyes were covered. He imagined that she was happy, and he also imagined Luigi would be happy in this scenario (after he got over his fright of course; the "guess who" game always did spook him a little bit). So, he decided that he may as well pretend to be happy.

"Daisy?"

Daisy squealed in delight, removed her hands from Mario's face, and turned him around to face her. The delight in both her eyes and smile was glorious in every sense of the word. She was like an excited puppy when she opened her mouth to speak to the supposed youngest Mario brother.

"It is so nice to see you!" She nudged him in the arm, the gesture playful but no less painful. Mario rubbed the spot she had punched as she examined the outfit that he wore. "Yo, dude, what's with the penguin suit?"

Mario snorted. Elegance, grace, and formality, thy name was NOT Princess Daisy.

"Oh, I was just taking him out on a last minute shopping spree," Toadette said. "Wanted to get him ready for your D-A-T-E."

Daisy sent the Toad girl a smirk. "A shopping spree, huh?" She stole another glance at Mario's tuxedo, covering her mouth to suppress giggles. "What store were you visiting, the Dweebinsky Bistro?"

Mario sent her a sideways look. "If you don't like it, we can take it back and I can put on regular clothes." Even though he'd rather not change while in Luigi's body a third time, but he didn't mention that.

Toadette gasped. "Take it back? Are you crazy Luigi, you can't take it back! It looks perfect on you! Besides, like I said before, you can't go on a date in a plumber's uniform." Her eyes twinkled. "Especially when you're going on a date with a Princess."

Mario snorted again. Somehow, he got the feeling that didn't matter to Daisy one way or the other. As already established, formalities were something Sarasland's princess avoided like the plague. Regardless, he still relented with a sigh.

"Alright."

"Ohhhhh," Daisy said, trying to hold back a squeal as she vibrated like a phone going off. "Weegee, you and I are going to have so much fun!" She grabbed hold of his hand, dragging him through the mall. "I've got lots of fun stuff planned!"

Mario looked back at Toadette. "Yes, but what about…"

"Oh, don't worry about me!" Toadette said. "I'll be just fine. Go have some fun, you two love birds!"

Mario looked back at Daisy. He didn't know what tricks she had up her sleeve. Unlike Peach, she was more of a wild card, always doing the last thing that anyone expected her to do. What's more, based on what Luigi had told him, she tended to be a gutsy adrenaline junkie. She would jump off planes, ride rollercoasters, punch koopas right in the snout…she would do anything as long as it was "to the extreme." And honestly, Mario didn't quite know how to feel about this. He would much prefer Peach's attitude, with her being more laid back and more traditionally Princess-like. And besides, Daisy was Luigi's crush, not his. Sure, he too wasn't against kicking Koopas' butts so hard they were red for days, but…*sigh* he didn't know. This scenario kind of felt off to him. He felt like he was robbing his brother of a special, once in a lifetime treat.

Which…he kind of was. But, unfortunately, there was no way out of it. So, he decided to just relax and see what Daisy's desires for this special day were. Who knows, she might end up surprising him for the better.

Well….Mario's predictions weren't completely wrong. Daisy did end up surprising him. But the surprise wasn't one that delighted Mario, nor was it one he found pleasant.

"I don't know about you," Daisy said as she stuffed her face with one of the five burgers she had purchased, "but I can have Goomburger for every meal during the next year."

Yep. Goomburger. Good…for nothing…Goomburger. Daisy had taken him to the place that had been haunting him for the better part of yesterday. Why? Why did the gods have to have such a twisted sense of humor? Was this their way of punishing him? This had to be their way of punishing him.

Daisy laughed as she wiped her mouth free of grease. "In fact, that's my new year's resolution. I am going to purchase one item for Goomburger every day. Whether it be a burger or fries or a chocolate milkshake, it doesn't matter. I will chow down on whatever this colorful little place serves me."

Mario made a face as he looked down at his chicken sandwich, one that the servers had been WAY too generous with mayo on. Mario despised mayo with every fiber of his being. Of course, he also despised that he was on a date at Goomburger for the second time in the past twenty four hours.

Seriously, whatever did Mario do to the gods to make them so angry at him? He'd be more than willing to clear it up. Heck, if the gods were so intent on punishing him, he would much prefer an eternity in the Underwhere as opposed to going to this disgusting fast food restaurant again.

"You're being awfully quiet," Daisy said.

Mario did a double take. "Huh? Oh. Well, you know me!" He forced a laugh and a smile. "I'm Luigi, the quiet and shy type."

Daisy smirked. "You're right. I forgot about that." She leaned over the table and playfully pinched his cheek. Just like the punch in the arm from before, it hurt like the dickens. "You stay true to yourself, Weegee. It's the easiest way for you to stay adorable."

Mario batted her hand away. "Strange." He rubbed his sore cheek. "I didn't take you for the type to find people adorable."

"Are you kidding?!" Daisy laughed as she took a sip from her giant diet soda (kind of a counterproductive product, honestly). "Of course I find people adorable! Toads are cute, koopa troopas are cute, Polterpup is cute…" her face fell a little. "By the way, how is Polterpup doing?"

Mario blinked. Polterpup? Huh, that was actually a good question. Mario hadn't seen the ghost dog for a while. Which was weird, especially considering the bond that the specter and his brother shared. Did Luigi still have him? Did he put him up for adoption?

He ultimately decided to answer Daisy's question with a shrug. "I honestly couldn't tell you, Daisy."

Daisy grinned. "Well, that's okay." She took another sip from her comically large cup. "When you see him, tell him his favorite princess says hi."

Mario snorted. "Favorite princess, huh?"

Daisy raised an eyebrow. "What, is that so hard to believe? I am pretty lovable, Luigi."

"Oh, I know; I'm completely aware of that." He snickered and muttered under his breath "especially since Luigi won't shut up about you."

Daisy's eyebrow rose even higher as she leaned closer. "What was that?"

Sweat beads formed all over Mario's new body. "Oh, uh…I said that I can't shut up about you! You're the one thing I like to talk about, twenty four seven, three sixty five."

Daisy continued to stare at him before shrugging and leaning back. "Eh. I suppose that proves my point."

Mario let out a breath of relief. He didn't want to ruin this date by bringing up the swap, no matter how unbefitting a restaurant like Goomburger was for a date with a princess. Oh, speaking of which…

"Why did you choose to come here of all places?" Mario sent one more disgusted cringe toward his sandwich. "I personally want to take a princess out to a fancy restaurant, not a fast food joint that has food produced in a factory assembly line."

Daisy snickered. "It could be prepared inside of a toilet bowl; as long as it's good food, I don't care." Mario sent her a cringe as she took a bite of her second burger. She didn't even seem uncomfortable being on the receiving end of that look. "I'm being hyperbolic, of course."

"Good," Mario said. He pushed his sandwich to the side. "But still, wouldn't you want to be eating at someplace nicer? I mean, this is a date for crying out loud! And when I'm on dates, I want to show the girl I'm with that I care for them more than anything! And I'm sorry, but I don't think Goomburger is the way to do that!"

Daisy snickered. "Geez, man. You sure are passionate about this particular subject."

That caused Mario to shrink back. "Well, you know…" he took a bite of his fries, one of the few menu items at Goomburger that didn't make him want to throw up. "It's just something I think about from time to time."

Daisy laughed. "From time to time. Riiight." She took another bite of her burger, not even caring that ketchup was getting on her chin. "But I don't think the place you take your girl out matters in the long run." She shrugged as she removed the top bun and took the pickle out of her sandwich. "You don't need the fanciest places or any other types of bells and whistles. As long as you care for each other, love each other, and have a good time in the long run, then where you go on a date doesn't really matter. Heck…" she laughed. "I've heard stories of dates going wrong in every possible way, yet the couple still walks out of it thinking the experience was worthwhile. Why?" She smirked. "They got to spend time with each other."

Mario snickered. "Believe it or not, that was Toadette's dating tip number 31."

"Well then, I guess that makes it official!" She sat up. "Take advice from a girl, Luigi; dates don't have to be expensive or perfect."

Mario considered this. He suppose he saw he point. He hadn't really agreed with it when Toadette presented it as a tip. In fact, he had even verbally objected to it. But hearing it come from Daisy, someone who Mario knew really cared for his brother, actually made Mario reconsider his position about Goomburger. He thought back to his time with Peach yesterday. In the long run, the princess had seemed happy that she got to spend time with him. And maybe he would have felt the same about her, if he wasn't so preoccupied being hung up by the location of their luncheon.

Wow. Was Mario inconsiderate? I mean, he had walked out on the date prematurely. Was he a jerk? Had he acted like a jerk to the woman he loved?

"Luigi?"

Mario sighed. "Sorry. Just….I just have a lot on my mind."

Daisy nodded. "I see." She snickered. "Well, I'm going to go out of my way to ease your tension." She looked around before her eyes settled on the center of the food court, where a carousel rested with its shiny, colorfully painted horses. "What do you say about a ride on the merry go round?"

"The merry go round?" Mario shook his head. "That seems a little juvenile, don't you think, Daisy?"

"So what? It's a fun activity that we can do. Besides, it doesn't really matter what we do as long as we do it together." Her eyes glittered. "So, I say that we go on the merry go round."

Mario hesitated, wanting to object. Knowing how stubborn his brother's love interest could be though, he realized objecting would do nothing for him. So, he sighed.

"Fine."

Daisy beamed. Together, they made their way over to the merry go round. They got on horses right next to each other, and as they bobbed up and down, Mario couldn't help but still think about his disastrous date with Peach. Could he fix things with her? Oh, he hoped he could…

"Hey."

Mario seized up when he felt Daisy holding his hand. He slowly pulled away, much to the Princess's confusion. "Sorry. Sorry, it's just, uh…sweaty hands."

Daisy hesitated before nodding. "Okay. Whatever you want."

Mario nodded. With nothing else to do he supposed he might as well enjoy the rhythm of the carousel.