Undulating Serendipity

This Plan is...Not Good

"What's the meaning of this?" Toadsworth asks when Daisy's somehow managed to gather them all together.

"I know this is going to sound insane, but sadly, we are living in a reality where even the insane sounds plausible. So bear with me." Daisy says, holding up her letters. "You know I've been writing Luigi letters, trying to reach out to him, let him know I'm willing to listen to anything he might want to talk about, right?"

Both Toad and Toadsworth shake their heads, so she goes on, "Of course you don't. Because..." she shows them the Return to Sender stamp on them. "He never got them in the first place. And then earlier tonight, I was reading over them, trying to figure out what I could possibly say that would work better, and it hit me out of nowhere, what the problem was."

With a flourish, she throws the letters into the air, letting them flutter onto the floor. "We really don't know anything about what he's been through."

"Is there a point to this?" Toadsworth rubs his eyes as he coughs.

"Look, the fact is our efforts to reach out to him about what happened are getting us nowhere. I'm not getting any responses to my letters, and I'm betting you both would get the same results if you tried as well." Daisy says grimly. "So if we don't know anything, why don't we find someone who does?"

"Huh?" Toad looks lost.

"We find Life, Love, and Family, these meanings for everything that know him better than we do and have them answer what he's saying to them." Daisy explains.

"I can already see a problem." Toad points out. "How exactly are we going to make Love, Life, and Family talk to him?"

"We hire actors." Daisy says simply. "We find aspiring actors to play, Life, Love, and Family. They find wherever Luigi goes during his routine, and they respond to what he's been telling them."

"Are you asking us to help you have your friend committed?" The rainbow spotted Toad, named Zoey, asks.

"Huh? Committed to what?" Toad asks, confused.

"She's asking if you want us to help you have him put in prison. Locked away where no one can get him." Caleb, the circle spotted Toad, clarifies.

"Oh stars no." Daisy shakes her head. "Nothing so drastic as that. It's...Luigi is not doing well at all. We don't need to have him committed to know that. No, what we're trying to do is expose it for others to see as well."

"So you're sponsoring our play, and all you want us to do is intervene?" Zoey summarizes.

"That would be the idea, yes." Toadsworth nods.

"Well?" Zoey turns to Caleb and Cara. "Should we do it?"

"Absolutely not!" Cara says immediately.

"I think we should!" Caleb says at the same time. "20,000 coins for all 3 of us."

"Are you joking?" Cara demands.

"We're in." Caleb tells them. "But we want 30,000 coins. Each."

"Pardon? What happened to 20,000?" Toadsworth asks.

"30. I like it." Zoey agrees.

"We can't do this!" Cara tries to say.

"Cara, can't you see?" Zoey lights up. "This is what we're here for."

"You heard them explain that he killed someone, right?" Cara reminds them.

"Of course I did!" Zoey adds. "Which is why he's begging for anything the universe is willing to tell him how to proceed. And that's us, Cara!"

"Just to be clear." Cara whips her head around in anger. "You want us to play mind games with this murderer for what exactly? To make your kingdoms look more threatening than you actually are?"

"No!" Daisy, Toadsworth, and Toad all say at the same time.

"When you put it like that, yeah, it sounds horrible." Toad admits.

"But it's not that simple." Daisy says.

"Oh no?" Cara crosses her arms. "Enlighten me."

"Luigi is one of our most beloved friends." Daisy starts. "Yes, his brother got more of the fame and glory, but Luigi was never jealous of that. All he ever asked for was credit when he actually did something. He was happy to let Mario be in the spotlight, which left Luigi content to build personal relationships whenever Mario was off adventuring. There's not one person or Toad that has said differently since everything happened. And now he's letting everything fall apart."

"And you think this is going to make an actual dent?" Cara asks.

"He killed his best friend." Daisy states bluntly. "And now he's letting himself and everyone he cares about drown with him in his guilt, and we've reached a breaking point. We need him back with us, if only long enough so we can go through with this alliance." Daisy sighs. "30,000, you said? Fine. Take it from my vaults. I don't care."

"Daisy!" Toadsworth exclaims. "You can't, that's for--"

"Not anymore." Daisy says in resignation.

"So how is this going to work, then?" Zoey asks.

"Well, first we draw up contracts for you to sign." Toadsworth says. "Because I don't need to tell you, no one can ever--"

"No no." Zoey stops him. "I mean how is this scene supposed to play out? If we're hypothetical meanings, is it just Luigi who's allowed to see us, or can everyone else see us too?"

"That's...fair." Toadsworth concedes. "How is this going to work, Daisy?"

"Only Luigi?" Daisy says it like a question, like she's not sure. "Is that not what we're trying to do?"

"Trying?" Caleb scoffs.

"Have you thought about this at all?" Zoey demands.

"Of course I have!" Daisy defends.

"No, actually you haven't." Toad argues. "What if they're in a café and want to eat something? How are they supposed to do that if--"

"What café has Luigi been going into lately?" Daisy points out.

"Not the point!" Toad says.

"I got it!" Zoey exclaims, shutting them up for a moment. "We decide who sees us, and why, wherever and whenever that might be."

"Okay. That works." Toad nods.

"Now." Zoey says next. "What else?"

"Well, Luigi only wrote three letters." Daisy says. "So who exactly would be playing Love, Life, and Family?"

Zoey nods, then points to Cara, "Love. Very fitting.", then gestures to herself, "Life.", then points to Caleb. "Family."