Hello! Please, enjoy what you read at your own will, within reason and respect. Thank you for reading.
Disclaimer: I do not claim nor own anything. All rights are reserved to their respective owners and no copyright infringement intended. This fiction is for pure entertainment only and not for commercial purposes.
In Scuttle Town's dance parlour, there was a party going on. Shantae, Scuttle Town's guardian and half-genie hero, was told by the lady of the dance parlour to dance for a VIP. It came as a shock, but the lady assured Shantae that there would be no touching. Only watching and that Shantae could shout for help at any moment if it has gone too far. When asked who was asking for Shantae, the lady giggled at her and said that she was special. The lady owed a favour for the VIP.
Now, Shantae was in the VIP room with the curtains drawn and the door closed with the party going on behind it. The room was pleasant and comfortable without feeling too intimate. Shantae took a liking to the curtains draped at the corners of the room and beautiful pieces of embroideries on the walls. The carpet was easy in the eyes with a nice texture it with Shantae's bare feet. Two cushions on the floor behind a table and the other at the side with fruits and drinks.
If the VIP asked for Shantae to have a nice chat, she would sit by the side of the table instead of near the person. There was a good distance for Shantae to run and get away before she could be caught or touched inappropriately. Shantae hoped that was not the case, blushing at the prospect of dancing to one person. Shantae had never done this and preferably enjoyed dancing for the joy of it. But the lady begged of Shantae to do this just one time to return the favour and could not turn it down.
Anyway, Shantae was pleasantly surprised by the outfit she was given to wear and dance in. Shantae's long purple hair tied back in a ponytail was untouched with her tiara still adorned around her forehead. Shantae's gold earrings have switched to crescent sapphire earrings. They were smaller than the gold earrings. Around Shantae's neck that had a collar changed for a soft transparent silk red scarf with both ends going down to her waist, matching the red bandeau with a dark chocolate trim embroidery of sea waves and no vest on. Shantae's usual red and black harem pants were on, but it came with a few attachments to the waistband with strings and beads. Finally, some golden rings for the wrists and anklets for the ankles.
Overall, Shantae was pleased and happy with what she was given to wear. The lady said it was the VIP's pick to accept the conditions to follow. Shantae appreciated it and gave her a sense of trust. It still felt weird to dance for one person, considering that Shantae could at any time and choice just leave and not do it. Being the kind and helpful person Shantae was, she could not turn away the lady's plea. After all, Shantae has learned and earned much, thanks to the lady.
"Shantae!" The lady called from behind the door.
"The VIP is here. Are you ready?" The lady asked.
Well, at least Shantae was going to earn something out of it and maybe talk about her dancing skills. Shantae took a few calming breaths and get her head in the zone. The VIP just wants to see Shantae dance, she told herself from inside.
"Yup! I'm Ret-2-Go!" Shantae answered happily, facing the door with her hands on her sides.
"That's the spirit! Well, you can go on in Miss," The lady said behind the door.
There was no reply and the door was opened to allow the VIP inside.
"Holler when she does something you don't like," The lady informed to Shantae and the hooded woman.
The hooded woman nodded while Shantae replied with a 'Thank you' back at the lady. The lady gave a smile at Shantae and closed the door. Now it was just the two of them, Shantae tried hard not to be curious at peaking underneath the hood to see who it was. Shantae was glad it was a woman to see her dance and make her feel confident to give the woman her very best.
"Please, have a seat," Shantae offered and stepped to the side with a wave of a hand to the table and cushion on the floor behind her.
The mysterious woman nodded and walked towards the table. Thankfully keeping a distance from Shantae respectfully. Shantae waited for the woman to sit on the cushion cross-legged. Then, the woman looked at the food and drink.
Shantae warmly smiled and told the woman, "You're free to eat and drink anytime."
The woman raised her hand and pulled back her hood to reveal a grinning pirate, Risky Boots.
"Risky Boots!" Shantae gasped and fell into a combat stance.
"In the flesh," Risky said with a familiar chortle (a softer one) and a swipe at a fruit on the table.
Shantae quirked her brow at Risky's tone, "What are you up to this time?" She asked.
Risky shrugged her shoulder and took a bite of her apple, moaning at the freshness of the fruit. Shantae frowned as Risky grinned at her, testing her patience. Risky swallowed the chunk of food in her throat and pulled off her bandana with a sigh. Letting free of long purple hair down to Risky's waist.
"Catching a break," Risky answered with a shrug of her shoulders.
"Eh?" Shantae startled as if she was dreaming or seeing a fake nemesis.
Risky scoffed, "My crew wanted a party, so we infiltrated and enjoyed ourselves here," She explained to a flabbergasted Shantae.
"But you're all wanted," Shantae said, dropping her combat stance as she watched Risky casually drank.
"Not a problem. They're somewhere watching the dance and having a good time nearby, hidden," Risky answered.
Shantae huffed, "Is this the part where I hear screaming behind me?" She prompted in a deadpanned manner.
Risky laughed and looked at Shantae with a smirk, "Nope."
Shantae pursed her lips and glared at Risky as if that was a lie or mockery. However, it was too unlikely considering that Risky revealed herself to Shantae and took off the bandana. And to see Risky eating away without worry raised the unlikely hood of Risky's Tinkerbat crew appearing in the party. It did not happen after some seconds and Risky let out a sigh.
"Come on now," Risky called out, pulling Shantae's attention to her.
"Where is the dance I've been promised?" Risky said, frowning as she rested her elbow on the table and taking another bite of the fruit with a frown on her face.
Shantae scratched the back of her head as she said, "You're really not up to no good?"
Risky rolled her eyes, "Are you going to disappoint me and the lady?" She shot back.
Shantae huffed and sagged her shoulders, "I guess not," She said aloud and smiled at the present event.
"How would you like me to dance?" Shantae inquired professionally, putting aside any hostility to enjoy the opportunity to amaze Risky with her dance.
Risky gave it a thought and answered, "Something soft and fluid, with a bit of upbeat to it. In your own way."
Shantae widely smiled at the response, "As you would like."
Giving a bow and allowing Shantae to gracefully walk to the side and play a music from the stereo. The request was a nice change of pace to Shantae's energetic and lively dances. The kind of dance Shantae was about to perform gave way to her passion and joy to perform. Excited and composed, Shantae stepped back to the centre of Risky's view as she let the soft tempos and beats of music play.
Shantae took up and idle stance with her hands taking both ends of the red scarf between her index and middle fingers, splaying out the rest. Adopting a pose with a focused and serene look in Shantae's eyes, Risky was gazing at her with the fullest attention.
The music drifted in a soothing rising tempo of a flute and tambourine. Shantae followed and flowed along the instruments with a graceful and fluid turn on the spot. Showing Risky the side of Shantae's body with an arm stretched out and a hand risen above the head. Shantae's feet was slightly in front of the other, slightly turning her legs as to emphasise her hips and waist.
The beating of drums started. Shantae wiggled her hips at the beat of the drums as she twirled her hands and waved her hands side-to-side with her foot turning in place. The entire body turned as Shantae stretched the scarf behind her back, all the while keeping an upbeat form as the flute played a flurry of tunes and the tambourine rattling its rings alongside.
A brief silence followed, then the drums picked up again with a rapid beat followed with a flute and tambourine starting a rhythm of mystical sounds and ambience. Risky watched mesmerised by the movements of Shantae's dance.
At the wiggles and shimmies of Shantae's hips, a constant fluid motion as she did wonders with her turns and steps, going around the room with the sway of her long purple hair, Risky could not believe that she had such a precise synchronisation with the instruments. There was a reverberating energy oozing out from Shantae, flowing with the instruments playing its music as she let herself go blissfully in her zone.
The arch and twirls of Shantae's hands and arms; the subtle curling of her thighs and knees, lifting the heel to the rotations of her hips. Risky could see the flex of Shantae's belly, an enticing view but was in awe and wonder with the grace of a dancer. Risky's eyes went up to the chest, shivering and closing her fingers into a fist.
Shantae pulled her arms in, putting her palms together as she twirled and shimmied her chest together with her hands. The feet were wide apart, exposing Shantae's legs and belly in such a fiery structure. The music winded down and went into a soft chime of a bell and a strum of an accordion. Through this, Shantae brought her hands up above her head and turned her neck left and right as she fully tilted her hips and rotated her shoulders along the pace of the music.
Risky's throat went dry as she watched the impressive dance and that she could not look away at the beautiful expression on Shantae's face. Pure bliss and a wondrous easy smile. The music picked back up suddenly, and Shantae's entire form swayed in place without a stutter. Foot pulled back together at the tilting of the hips, hands continuing in motion above the head, and the chest fluidly moving in motion to the twirls.
Risky could not look away from Shantae's dance. The upbeat in the music went in a pace stretching out a set of flourishing tunes, and then back to a constant tune. This time, Shantae had turned on her side and crooked her knee a bit, arching her back and tilting her head back with her hands circling in front her chest while keeping her hips in motion. The pronounced bounce in the dance had Risky tapping a finger on the table, an exuberant energy that was accompanied by Shantae's harmonious dance. It was impressive to see such a feat and improvisation according to Shantae's own dance and the music allowing itself to just play.
The accordion played a solo of upbeat down and up winds. Shantae drew her spine straight, tilting her head to the side as she pressed a foot forward. Waving a hand up and the other down to the exposed side resting the wrist on the hip, twirling the hands in motion and shimmied the chest. When the solo ended, the drums began and the other instruments followed after a few beats. During the beats, a quick and smooth motion of twirling to the side and bringing the hands behind the back, Shantae swayed on the spot with her back to Risky. Risky gazed along Shantae back, head to toe and even the scarf that waved between Shantae's legs and sides.
Suddenly, the music changed its rhythm with a jumpy tune. It brought Shantae to skip and twirl to the side and swing her head back and forth, and her arms stretched out to the side going in a small waving motion. Risky stared at the belly that has such a pleasing motion to the eyes as the ambient of the music fluttered.
It was short-lived as the sound of the flute rose and made Shantae twirl to the side, hugging the scarf around her body. Risky gave a low growl as the scarf caressed the small of Shantae's back, covering the side view of the belly. Shantae did not hear the growl, absorbed in the zone of her passion.
Shaking the shoulders as Shantae pronounced the tilting of her hips, the music about to reach its end, a wave of adrenaline rushed through her body as she was about to end the dance. The instruments stopped at the end of its flurry, halting Shantae's movement at the tilt of her hip and leaning on the side. A slow, smooth sound of the flute began to call the end of the music. Shantae turned her back to Risky, sweeping a foot around in a fluid small rotation to put them together next to her other foot.
With Shantae's back to Risky, she began to slowly descend with her arms gracefully spread out like a wing, waving fluidly as her bottoms lie above the back of her heels, and arching her back at the same time with her head pulled back. As if a falling back and lying down on the ground, Shantae touched the ground as the music ended at the same time. Shantae was now arching her belly to the ceiling, but not so prominently with a slight upturn to the centre.
All in all, Risky gaping mouth and stunned expression had left her speechless. The silence went on for about a few seconds until Risky gave an applause to Shantae's performance. The clapping woke up Shantae to see Risky's expression of wonder and wide smirk. Shantae blushed and got up on the front, then turning to bow.
"I'm glad that you enjoyed it. What you would like me to do?" Shantae asked, her ecstatic smile unable to leave her face.
As words could not describe Shantae's dance, Risky beckoned her with a thumb to the side of the table. Shantae walked to the side of the table with a small skip in her steps. Risky caught on and subtly shook her head as she put aside the bitten apple forgotten in her grasped hand. Going for a drink, Risky poured herself a cup and chugged the whole liquid down her throat. Risky did not realise she had been feeling dry and poured herself another to drink in sips this time.
Shantae just sat and placed her hands on her lap, bristling with excitement and joy at Risky's applause. Though Shantae should keep her wits and grits around Risky, she wondered if Risky appreciated dancing itself. Maybe Risky liked dancing with the way she had outdone Shantae in rare moments of fighting each other without the crew and make-shift ships.
"Your mother was no ordinary dancer," Risky started, looking at Shantae with a grin.
Shantae tilted her head, "From what I hear, she protected the town that way. So it must be magical beyond ordinary," She said.
Risky chuckled, "Magical, that's it. Like your transformations," She pointed out with a nod.
"The guardian she was, her magic and the genie things she did were akin to dancing," Risky stated and smiled as Shantae caught on.
"I see," Shantae smiled, "She and I are different levels, I bet," She thought aloud.
Risky snorted, "You're right that she is far magical at it than you," She agreed and Shantae pouted.
"But," Risky looked at Shantae with honesty in her red eyes and added, "The heart of your dance is that to a pirate's passion for treasure."
Shantae blinked her eyes as she processed Risky's words. Risky rolled her eyes over Shantae's frozen state as she picked up the bandana she had pulled over to the table nearer to Shantae. Risky stuck her hand inside her hooded cloak and pulled out from its pouch a bandana, a red white stripe bandana. Putting the bandana and tying it around Risky's head she got up to leave. By now, Shantae startled with a blinding smile on her face after processing Risky's words.
Shantae looked to Risky missing at the table with a gasp and then to the side, where Risky was about to pull up the hood and leave. Shantae got up and rushed over to Risky and calling out. Risky stopped as Shantae quickly closed the distance, and suddenly turned to take Shantae in her arms and kissed Shantae's lips. Shantae eyes widened as her lips met Risky's lips and her entire body receptively embracing Risky by the waist.
A moan left Shantae's throat, her mouth opening as Risky's tongue slid in to wind around hers. A hand brushed and caressed at Shantae's hip and the small of her back, arching into Risky with their bodies flushed together. Risky tilted to the side and raised Shantae's head a little bit upwards, and bent Shantae back as she kissed deeper into Shantae's mouth.
Shantae held onto Risky like her life depended on it, melting in Risky's embrace and fiery passionate kiss. A surge of bliss and butterflies flutter outwards from inside Shantae's body, causing her to close her eyes and return the kiss with her feelings. Risky hummed and sighed as they briefly parted their lips to take a breath of air, and then they returned to kiss again as they held each other closer.
Shantae's heart beat loudly in her ears, overwhelmed by the sheer amount of love and warmth that stimulated from the lower back and her mouth. The sounds that escaped from their throats pressed their emotions further, inciting blissful feelings that had them keening for more.
But, Risky had to go and parted their lips, causing Shantae to sigh with eyelids half-opened. Risky grinned and winked her eyes, bringing them back up to a standing position. The two were panting with their cheeks flushed from the heated kiss. Shantae's mind had blanked out from the pleasurable kiss and was surprised to the numbness of her own body. The two gazed into each other eyes with a look that was eager to go further than this. And Shantae felt like she could see the affection and love in Risky's eyes as if she mattered in the depths of Risky's heart and soul.
Risky leant into Shantae's cheek to place a chaste kiss there and then whispered into Shantae's ears, "I'll be waiting."
Like that, Risky pulled her hood up and went out the door to leave the dance parlour. Leaving behind a frozen and love-struck Shantae in the room, wondering how and what had become of the two of them. It was supposed to be a dance out of a favour that Risky had done for the lady. Now, Shantae could not make up what had her embracing and kissing Risky. Let alone be in love with a pirate that had the essence of Dark Magic.
With the warmth of the body returning, shivering as Shantae raised a hand to touch her lips. Shantae smiled a soft, loving smile that had her remembering the taste and feel of Risky's lips and the tongue that sought out hers with full of want and tenderness. Shantae did not even remember looking at Risky throughout the dance as she had been absorbed in her own passion. When Shantae started to put Risky in view as she danced, her heart raced a mile faster and her body as light as a feather.
Shantae decided to chase Risky and went out the door, but she stopped after a step when she felt something at the small of her back. Shantae reached behind her pants and felt a paper slipped into the back of her pants. When had it gotten there? Shantae blushed as she thought of Risky touching in there. With the letter in Shantae's finger and pulling it out to look at it, Risky had drawn and written down a map to where Risky would be waiting – Shantae's home, the Lighthouse. 'You can keep your bandana' was scrawled at the bottom.
Shantae turned around to find the bandana that Risky mentioned. Going back to the table and looking there, Shantae found the bandana on the floor beside the cushion where Risky had sat. It was the bandana she wore when Risky needed Shantae's help – a purple bandana with a squid's skull decoration. Shantae took the bandana preciously in her hands and folded it, putting it inside the side of her pants with a bright smile.
Quickly, Shantae rushed out the door and the dance parlour with a quick goodbye to the lady. The lady was surprised and let Shantae leave as the party bustled on. Meanwhile, the Tinkerbats had been watching the dancers in the parlour elsewhere underground with their improvised telescope as wide as window. The food and drinks were coming down in the chutes, undiscovered and taken from the parlour's storage.
It was peaceful in the dawn of Scuttle Town. Shantae could not be happier as she ran along the town at night in a different outfit that no one questioned or bothered to look at. A beautiful smile was what Shantae had in the glimmer of twilight.
Author's afterwords:- Happy New Year. Or Late Happy New Year whichever way. Just wanted to write about this and I found myself enjoying it. The game is fun to look at and play. The dance in the story is improvised than to what it is in the game. Shantae's Half-Genie Hero kinda' had a little segments of dancing animations.
That's where I thought of this story and wanted to keep the personality of Shantae's dance here. I'd say Shantae's dance is filled with life and joy. It's fun to look at and see the bright joy on Shantae's face. Anyway, have a good this year and that you may endure the things to come with a peaceful resolution.
I hope you enjoy what you read at your own will, within reason and respect. Thank you for reading.