[Mari]

Toad Town had seen better days. Abandoned and having long since succumbed to disuse, the humble yet beautiful town now only brought sadness to Princess Peach's mind as she wandered through it. What she wouldn't give to see the streets populated with happy toads once again. What she wouldn't give to see the streets populated with happy toads once again. It was a very depressing train of thought and she found herself sitting down to brood across the road from the house in question. One could see the faces of spectral toads occasionally peeking out at her from the window, but Peach wasn't paying attention. She just hoped Daisy would get here soon. She needed the emotional support of a friend by her side to overcome this stupor.

[TartoonHand94]

Over of the bleak barren horizon came a conspicuously bright and sunny orange figure. It was none other than Princess Daisy responding to a summon by her beloved sister-in-arms Princess Peach.
"...And here I thought the pyramids were spooky." She cringed, scanning the abandoned remains of Toad Town searching for her friend. It didn't take long for the orange clad maiden to spy the bright pink dress in the otherwise blandly colored environment.

"Oh there you are Peachy!"
Daisy spied happily,  picking up her pace and rushing over to greet Peach, leaving a trail of dust clouds behind her.

"I got your call about something strange in the neighborhood..." She said stopping in front of the sitting Peach.
"...And here I am, Princess Daisy, at your service!" She announced with a  curtsy, bending down into the brooding princess's face, hoping to plant a smile on it.

Getting a better look at Peach, Daisy read legit signs of distress on her face.
"So, what's the matter?" She asked with genuine concern. She stayed down on one knee, and put a gentle hand in Peach's.
"Tell me everything." She encouraged with a warm supportive smile.

[Mari]

Peach seemed to brighten up once Daisy arrived, standing up and performing a curtsey. "Well hello, Daisy~ Thanks for coming." Peach replied, smiling brightly at the other princess. "Well, to be honest--I just needed someone to accompany me while I investigated this house. There are some ghosts of citizen toads inside, but I don't think they're happy." Peach explained softly, glancing towards the luxury house. It didn't appear to be very big, but one could see paranormal activity just looking at it. The ethereal face of a toad was watching, but faded from existence moments after being noticed.

The princess turned back to Daisy and presented her with both of her hands, garbed in soft silken evening gloves. She would move out to take Daisy's hands in hers and pull them close to her, beaming playfully at the other. "I hope you're not afraid of ghost~!"

[TartoonHand94]

"Pshh, I ain't scared of no ghost!" Daisy scoffed, cocking of her neck. "And I bet won't need no vacuum cleaner either.

In fact, I'm glad you called me instead of -" Daisy briefly took her hands out of Peach's and put them to her cheeks in a pose akin to The Scream "M-M-Mariooooo!!!~" she howled in a mock impression of Mario's little brother before breaking the impression with her own laughter.
"We can do this Ourselves!" She affirmed, putting her hands back in Peach's and returning the playful beam.

Daisy turned to look at the house. It wasn't the "Mansion" Luigi kept inviting her to, but it did fit the Haunted description. The first thing to really grab her eye was the etherial face of a toad watching her. This didn't scare her as much as it did catch her off guard and make her do a take.
"...on second thought, that Poultergust 5000 could actually come in handy." Daisy said flatly.

[Mari]

Peach couldn't help herself. Luigi was kind of a dork, wasn't he? Not that she'd ever call him on it. He had a bit too much going on in other areas of his life to be dealing with that from her. Peach leaned forward and whispered in Daisy's ear instead, her cheek brushing against the other's and her sweet peach perfume greeting Daisy's nose. Huh. Did her namesake come from her perfume, or did her perfume come from her namesake? "I'd rather have you here than either of the mario brothers." Peach whispered in a sugary sweet tone, giving Daisy's hands a little squeeze as she pulled back, grinning mischievously at her. It would normally be a tougher call, choosing between Daisy and Mario , but frankly Mario's expertise... Well... His expertise was not here, and having another girl for company suited her just fine.

Peach allowed herself to share a moment of intimacy with Daisy, just staring into the other's eyes. Her own blue eyes glimmered with tiny pink heartss just below the surface, barely noticeable unless one were looking right into them. ...Huh. Peach's body was a mystery, it seemed. "What do you say we head on it..? We'll mostly be talking. I don't want to fight them, even if they try to chase us out." Peach explained, shifting to hold only one of Daisy's hands and begin leading her inside.

The inside of the house was badly damaged, with half of it having completely collapsed. Daisy would sense a chill, followed by the sensation of someone watching her back. The door slammed moments later. "Oh!" Peach blurted out, and when the duo turned to investigate the phenomenon they would find themselves face to face with one of the ghosts from earlier.

The spectral member of Peach's royal guard stared at her rather blankly, as if he were just guarding their exit like any other.

[TartoonHand94]

Daisy's impression was all in good fun. After all, her life got a whole lot more exciting after meeting Mario. He introduced her to Luigi, who she always felt was the cuter, funnier of the two deep down, but more importantly she got close to Peach thanks to them.  
Speaking of getting close to Peach. a hint of pink blush was dabbed on Daisy's cheek as Peach's grazed her's as she got a noseful of Peach's delicious perfume. If she hadn't had a taste for peach's before they met, it's definitely become one of her favorite fruits now. This blush got a little redder when Daisy heard what Peach had to whisper.

It deeply flattered Daisy. the Mario brothers were a big deal. All she'd ever hear from the Mushroom Kingdom was news about how they saved the day time and time again. It seemed something was always going on in Peach's kingdom compared to the quiet monotony of Sarassaland. The Mushroom Kingdom was always such an exciting place, and the princess was exciting to match. She was so beautiful, she was so sweet and kind, she was such... such a magical person all around! It never sat right with Daisy how good guys and bad guys alike always overlooked her kingdom in favor of the Mushroom Kingdom, Hyrule, or Space itself. But with Peach, princess of the famous Mushroom Kingdom herself, always gave Daisy the time of day and made her feel like she was special too. She got into trouble a little more often than Daisy would be comfortable with happening to herself, but she honestly couldn't blame Bowser for wanting her in his castle, nor could she blame the Mario bros for saving her. She'd scour 8 worlds for Peach all the same. She'd proudly be her plumber any day.


Daisy was snapped out of Peach's hypnotic stare when asked if she was ready.
"Always Ready." she answered in a sensual tone before correcting herself "I mean yes. I'm totally ready for the mission." nodding like a dork, firmly grasping her hand as she was lead inside. Daisy felt a chill run up her spine. She understood now why Luigi'd get all jittery exploring a haunted house alone, but Daisy was in a much better condition to not be frightened. She was a tough old girl, plus she had a princess to be brave for.
"So it's not Ghost Busting but Ghost Negotiating; A 'Geeet Ouuut' 'We're Trying!' sort of deal." Daisy understood, briefly making her impression of King Boo king of the boos' voice.
"It makes sense you called an experienced diplomat for this and not someone who'd just jump on them." pretending this needed any more justification.


A noiseless gasp was all Daisy could make when the door slammed behind them. Face to face with the first ghost in no time. Daisy simply nodded to it, acknowledging its presence as if it was still alive.

[Mari]

Peach was similarly startled, taking a deep breath as she stared down the ethereal, expressionless face of one of her guards. She stared at the toad for a moment before speaking up. "...Why are you here..?" the princess asked, a tad bemused. The guards didn't just hang out in random houses across toad town. Seeing one here in full uniform was somewhat unusual in that regard. The ghost continued to stare at Princess Peach, a moment of silence following before it replied.

"Why weren't you?" the spirit asked before abruptly fading from existance.

Peach stepped forward, but nothing seemed to happen. She glanced at Daisy, concern on her face. What had the toad meant by that? It was awfully rude to ask someone a question in response to a question, especially when that someone was the princess you served. It was entirely uncharacteristic for her guards to treat her that way--so why..?

Peach turned and surveyed the ruined house, gazing around it. Nothing presented itself however, so Peach began to move about. "I guess they don't want to speak to us..." Peach mused aloud, trying to get a good look at the second floor by peering past the collapsed ceiling at one part of the house. There didn't appear to be any stairway leading up there--at least not anymore. Once again, the house was partially collapsed.

[TartoonHand94]

Daisy cringed at the implications of what the ghost toad said before fading. There was some bad juju floatin' around here.
"Maybe they don't..." Daisy shrugged not sure how to put it"...But from my experience with Pionpis, they probably have a lot to say to you." sighed Daisy under her breath.
She looked across the walls and the floor of the partially collapsed house, joining Peach to look up at the collapsed ceiling. "Bun?..." Daisy began to ask, gently taking her hand as if to brace her for the question.
"What exactly... happened here?" She asked concerned.

[Mari]

Peach was silently contemplating the situation, deep in thought until Daisy took her hand. She was a tad surprised by the gesture but smiled at Daisy in response. However, Daisy's next question wiped the smile off her face.

DPxjGktSp_1d20 (Peach's Knowledge Check)

"I don't know. I... wasn't there." Peach replied softly, turning her gaze away guiltily. Suddenly, another girl's ghostly voice spoke up.

"That's a bit of an understatement."

The ghost was on the upper floor now, peering down at them. How long had she been there? It seemed as if she'd appeared while the girls weren't looking. "You weren't there when we needed you most; where were you?" the ghost asked, clearly a bit upset. For now, she hadn't acknowledged Daisy.1d20

[TartoonHand94]

Daisy blinked a clear expression of "That must have been it!" but didn't know just how to put it in words without setting off a guilt bomb. This would be a heavy weight on anyone's shoulders, but for someone who already has as much baggage as Peach? 
"Then that means our first mission is to find out-"
Daisy turned up to the ghost on the upper floor.
"Hey!" Daisy called back to the ghost, a little turned off by it's rude interruption. "She's here now! Tell us! What did she miss?" she pleaded, taking her first opportunity to find out what happened.
(p8782vxSp_1d20-1 Daisy's Detective Charisma)1d20-1

[Mari]

"...What do you think?" the ghost asked in an annoyed manner, gesturing to the widespread destruction around them. "Are you just finding out about the destruction of your kingdom now..?" she went on to ask.

Peach hesitated for a long moment, nodding hesitantly. "Well... yes." she replied softly. "I left to pay a good friend a visit and when I came back--everything was destroyed." Peach replied softly.

[TartoonHand94]

Looking around and doing the math in her head made Daisy really uneasy. This was a tragedy that resonated with her on an uncomfortable level.
As a princess herself, Daisy very much understood the responsibilities that come with the position. Considering how often she left her kingdom to visit Peach's, she always had faith she had left the kingdom in good hands... but what if she didn't?
What if she did one day come home from a soccer game to find her own kingdom leveled like the field? What if this what's happening to Sarasaland right now?
Daisy cupped her mouth with her hand in a clear gesture of worry. Gaining a sense of empathy for Peach's predicament, she motioned to work on the problem at hand where she was.

"Yeah b-but we have no idea how or why this happened." Daisy protested in Peach's defense. "If she had any idea this could have happened, she'd have never left! Right?" Daisy called upon Peach to testify.

[Mari]

"Uh... Right." Peach replied, sounding a tad unsure of herself It didn't seem like staying here had been a good idea, frankly.

"...Then you'd be a ghost like us." the ghost remarked, apparently unimpressed. "You were supposed to be here to lead your kingdom. We couldh ave evacuated. Now there is no kingdom."

Peach's eyes widened. "None..? The life sphere is filled with toads! They survived!" Peach was quick to correct and reassure the ghost, only for her to fall silent for a moment before disappearing.

[TartoonHand94]

"Yeah! There's still a kingdom, with a castle and living Toads and everything!" Daisy testified in Peach's defence. "Sure a building or two was totaled, true but-Hey where are you going? Come Back!" the impatient princess Daisy commanded of the ghost as it disappeared.
"How rude." She scoffed, crossing her arms before giving what the ghost said a chance to sink in. Daisy's cupped hand became a fist that she bit on for a reason unchanged from before.

Daisy put a gentle arm around Peach, figuring she could use some support after what they just witnesses. "Toads Did survive." she reassured the pink dressed but distressed princess "The ghosts here just don't know it." pulling her in for a supportive embrace.

"Welp, now we know this place is haunted, and now we know why." Daisy recounted, not having let go of Peach yet. "What we haven't figured out yet is how, and what do we do about it."

[Mari]

"...We didn't survive." a voice remarked in response to Daisy's words. Peach leaned against Daisy in a somewhat lazy manner in response to having an arm wrapped around her shoulder. She glanced up at the other princess, turning her gaze betwixt her and the ceiling as she searched for the source of the disembodied voice. "We were trained to protect you, but when the time came we died for nothing." the ghost went on, eliciting a frown from Peach. She didn't seem to know what to say to that.