"So…I gots the question for 'ya, Shantae…it's been on my mind for some time."
"Okay. Shoot."
"How did you and Risky do the deed?"
"Curse it all Rotty. Can you go a day without being a nuisance?"
"All part of my contract, honey. *Smack*"
"If you're going to kiss me, do it for real. We're right next to each other."
"Oh, Sky! That's way too easy."
Shantae couldn't help by giggle at Sky and Rottytop's little tirade as they walked through the main road through town. Today felt so great! Her back and feet didn't hurt, the weather wasn't going nuts, her stomach was nice and easy, and she felt incredibly energetic! If her belly didn't stick out, she would be cartwheeling through town right now.
"But really, how did you, a girl, get knocked up by Risky, a girl?" Rottytops honestly asked, complete with Sky sighing and shaking a head like a mother who saw her child go and do the thing she told them to not do.
"Genie magic!" Shantae chirped.
"Oh." Rottytops just let out. "I mean…I figured that. But…"
"I'm not giving you details!" Shantae laughed out. Rottytops pouted at that. Sky dragged Rottytops ahead with a long annoyed grunt.
…still, it got Shantae thinking back to the fated night. After agreeing to Risky's proposition, things got heated incredibly quickly. Risky tore off her top and asked Shantae to do the same. Once her top was properly taken off, Risky pressed breasts against breasts and shoved Shantae against a wall. After whispering of what she planned to do to the half-genie that night, Risky stuck her tongue into Shantae's open mouth and easily tied down Shantae's tongue…
…and then the Tinkerbats interrupted by carrying in a bed…
Shantae quivered. That night was a mixture of many emotions…some good, some bad…each day her mind changed if the night she gained Nina was a good memory or a bad memory. Much like how she viewed the child…Nina could be someone she could grow to love…or something she would rather forget.
"Stop lollygagging!" Rottytops slapped Shantae on the back, breaking her train of thought. "Geez, you keep getting lost in your thoughts as of late That baby is really distracting you."
"Sorry, it's just…" Shantae motioned over her enlarged belly. "This isn't a pet rock, you know."
"Yeah, yeah." Rottytops sighed and rocked back and forth. "You know…" She wagged her finger for a while without saying anything. She frowned and sighed again. "…never mind, it's something stupid." Sky had turned around to return back to her group with her now iconic annoyed expression. Shantae wanted to pry, but Sky just wanted to keep going towards the restaurant.
The smell! Dear gods, the smell! Shantae could lick the air and her tongue would just explode…much like that bird that landed on the minefield outside her home this morning. The servers were ecstatic to see one of their favorite customers walking in so they provided immediate service with the freshest food, steaming hot off the tandoor. It even made Sky smile as she happily dug into her meal of shrimp vindaloo.
But then Sky had to run off, recognizing two guards that were supposed to be on duty right now, leaving Shantae alone with Rottytops. Once Sky dragged the guards off to glue to their posts, (And the way she stressed that part meant she would be doing that literally.) Shantae scooted her chair up to Risky and gave a firm stare at the zombie. "Tell me what you talking before?"
"What?" Rottytops muttered between chews of rice.
"About the baby." Shantae patted her pregnant belly. "You were going to ask something but you then stopped. What were you going to ask me?" Rottytops looked down and then away from Shantae, shoveling in another spoonful of rice and curry. "Rotty, if you would tell me what were you going to ask…I'll can…get you something of Sky's."
Rottytops nearly dropped her spoon to the ground upon hearing that. "…anything?"
"Anything." Shantae sighed. "I'll ask to stay at her house for a few days. She'll agree to it, as her house is safer than mine. I'll grab whatever you want…" Shantae stopped herself and held up a hand to also stop Rottytops. "I can get you some underwear…"
"No, our relationship isn't that deep yet." Rottytops waved it off with a whistle.
"'kay, what would you rather have? Shirt? Skirt? Bra? Or something silly?"
"Her head bandana."
Shantae snapped her fingers. "You want to smell her sweat or something?"
"Brain juices actually."
Shantae slammed her head into the table. Rottytops tapped her on the back. "I'm kidding." Rottytops stated. "Still, I do love her hand bandana."
"Okay." Shantae breathed out as she lifted her head off the polished table. "Back to the subject at hand. What were you going to ask me before you stopped?"
Rottytops blushed, at least the best she could given her undead status. "I…want to do the same thing with Sky."
Suddenly, the air became heavy. Shantae's appetite faded and her stomach hovered up. Rottytops' head bobbed up and down before she buried herself down onto the table. It was a good minute of awkward silence before Shantae could bring herself to say: "You want to do that? With Sky?"
"Yes." Rottytops said, all muffled by her lips pressed against the table.
"Why?" Shantae exasperated. "I…mean…" She stumbled over her words, mixing in random noises and incomplete words. "…I COULD do it…" Rottytops pulled herself up with a weird smile. "…yes, I could make it possible for you and Sky to have a child. But why?" She traced a circle on her pregnant belly with her open palm. "Like I said, this isn't a pet rock. It's a living…" Shantae stopped and arched a eyebrow in thought. "Okay, if you were the father and Sky were to carry your child, would the baby be half-dead, half-alive? And how would you even go about it…wouldn't you being a zombie mean your DNA wouldn't it…"
"But it's magic." Rottytops pointed out. "It doesn't have to make sense right?"
"I guess not…"
"Okay." Rottytops sighed and laid her hands flat on the table. "The reason why I want to have a child with Sky?" Her hands shook as she started. "Sky…is someone I really care about. Like, more than a usual friend, more than a fling." She balled up her hands and rubbed them up and down the table. "I…want to have a life with Sky. I want to share a bed and a roomy shower with her. I want to kiss her every day, every hour. I want…to be with her."
"Rottytops…"
"And I'm serious." Rottytops banged the table, getting the attention of some of the patrons and the servers for a brief while before they all decided it would be better to not get invested in the affairs of the zombie girl and the half-genie. "I really want this! And I think we would make a good couple, and have a cute baby and, and…"
"I'll do it." Shantae told.
"You would?"
"Only if Sky agrees." Shantae poked Rottytops. "If Sky feels the sameway, and wants to mother a child with you, I'll use my magic to give you the *ahem* equipment to perform…"
"OH THANK YOU!" Rottytops grabbed Shantae into a massive bearhug and clutched her tight. "THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU…"
"Uh-huh."
Both girls turned around to see Sky standing there, dumbfounded, and carrying a bottle of glue. "I see you swing both ways." Sky clicked her tongue.
"This is a…" Rottytops started before detaching herself form Shantae. "…a BFF hug! You know, a normal…"
"One of your hands is on her left breast."
Good thing Sky already had the glue on her. So after silently fixing Risky and paying for the meal, the three left the place without a single word shared amongst each other. The trio walked through town quietly to the next destination on Shantae's list: the shopping district by the docks. Soon the sound of merchants calling out products and deal and street musicians playing replaced the general ambience of the streets.
"Oooh, sale on coffee beans." Rottytops cheered as she dragged Sky off with her. This allowed Shantae to start humming a nice gentle tune and go into a different direction without constant supervision. She browsed the rows of vendors for half a hour, making sure to look behind her every so often to check to see if Sky went on a warpath looking for her. Shantae also made sure to look up, in case Wrench was summoned.
Everything was fine…until Shantae's ears picked up something she didn't expect to hear for many years.
"FFFRRREESSSHHH FISH FROM ACROSS THE WORLD! IT'S A STEAL AT THESE RATES!"
Shantae's eyes went wide and all the curry in her stomach stormed up like a ship in a hurricane. She followed the voice to the source like a coffee-less zombie to brains. There, at the end of one of the docks, laid a fishmonger and her crew…a very familiar fishmonger and her very familiar crew. Not many people surrounded the stand and little of those people were buying the obviously low quality fish. Shantae approached the fishmonger in big clothes and dodgy wig and hoarsely whispered, "You said…"
"I would never return?" The fishmonger put on a wicked smile. "Yes. I said I. I, as in Risky Boots. But I'm not Risky Boots, I'm Ricky Barrow, fishmonger." Ricky held up a giant carp. "Free of charge for the pregnant lady?"
