Aftermath: Approach
LOCATION: AMMONIAN CAMP, BARON DESERT, SEQUIN LAND
DATE: SEPTEMBER 25TH, 16 P.G.F.
TIME: 2100 HOURS
So, you're probably wondering why, of all places to begin after spending an entire three-part series of chapters either sliding down a perilous, snowy mountain or navigating a trap-infested underwater temple under siege, we've suddenly made the jump to some seemingly random military-occupied desert in the middle of the evening. Well, if you've been paying attention, then you'll know exactly what's coming of our next intermission… and let me tell you, this one hits with a collective *BOOM* of at least three grenades exploding and a rocket launcher being fired, followed by the subsequent *FWOOSH* of a Stinger missile launcher aimed at an airplane that had been zipping through the night sky while its pilot (joined by about five other aircraft) rained a relentless barrage of bullets at a group of pirates wielding some heavy-duty otherworldly equipment you might be familiar with. The air also found itself polluted with the nonstop sounds of gunshots going off like popcorn in a microwave. Yyyyeah… got enough context? If not, then allow me to elucidate…
"Don't let a single one of these blue-blanket jar-heads breathe without them knowing just who they're messing with! You got that!?" commanded the one, the only, the most vicious woman in all the known land, Risky Boots as she led an utterly merciless assault on yet another helpless individual who was probably just minding his own business. And, just as she made that request, multiple *KABOOMs* followed by a dazzling yet devastating fireworks display lit up the sky with fire and twisted metal. Multiple airplanes were shot down, forcing some soldiers dressed in blue to hurriedly ditch their doomed war vehicles to parachute to safety. Meanwhile, teeming hordes of Tinkerbats were making a mess out of what appeared to be a military camp that served as the home base of the Ammonian Army, evidenced by flaming tents with giant blue flags scattered throughout the vicinity, in addition to the blue jacket-adorned militia fiercely defending their territory with their own brand of rifles, turrets, and even a(nother) tank that shot cannonballs.
"Of all the people and of all the places!" Complained a particularly large, muscular one-eyed man in a long blue coat and a very identifiable matching raccoon hat sporting a pointed goatee as he oversaw the battlefield from the other side of the compromised base. "We've got a real problem on our hands if this feisty pirate broad's here, so dig your heels in and fight until your last breaths, men! That's an order!" he commanded as another huge explosion of a nearby tank nearly frightened him stiff. Breathing to keep his composure, he fired a spray of rounds from a semiautomatic rifle that, from the look and design of it, came from a certain parallel dimension. Firing in short, controlled bursts, he eliminated a good four Tinkerbats as a means to allow his men to advance. Soon after, he turned toward his right-hand women, who'd been carefully eyeing up the battlefield from a makeshift tower behind him. "Any reason Risky Boots is paying us such a warm, friendly visit, ladies?" he asked.
"Not a clue, boss!" Twitch replied, lying prone and scanning the vicinity through a pair of goggles that came equipped with a built-in flashlight that assisted her with seeing in the dark. "Two o'clock, Vinegar!"
"Heard!" Vinegar replied, also lying prone and armed with a sniper rifle from the other world's arsenal. With a swift pull of the trigger after lining up her shot, the resulting *BOOM* sent a round flying at nearly the speed of sound to strike a rocket launcher-wielding Tinkerbat right in the chest, vanquishing it in the process. "That's one more down, but we're not gonna last much longer like this…"
"You think it might have something to do with some of these guns you said you swiped off that meddling genie girl and her friends?"
"Probably, but I don't see why that would bring her to us! If anything, she should've been hounding them!" Vinegar reasoned, firing another shot into the distance as she peered down her rifle's scope.
"Well, there's gotta be SOME reason she's mucking things up over here, and for once, I doubt that it's because she finally came to her senses and realized she needs an Adonis-like stud in her life," Ammo Baron pondered, still firing short bursts as he ducked behind a barrier made of sandbags. "Not that I'd entertain that prospect for more than just general curiosity, of course."
"Ugh…" both Twitch and Vinegar groaned at the same time, apparently having had more than enough experience with their leader's self-indulgent vanity.
"I also got word that she did the same thing to that weirdo recluse Hypno Baron the other day," Ammo Baron continued as all three of them did their best to support their comrades on the front lines as another voluminous *BANG* rang out, taking out another airplane while more of Risky's forces charged in, hammering the Ammonian Army with their bolstered might. "Apparently, she blew up his castle and made him go after Shantae after you girls met with her in that valley we cleaned out not so long ago?"
"She did? Wow… I don't think that was mentioned to me at all last time I ran into them…" Twitch murmured, appearing to be in the dark on the whole Genie's Hem situation. "Where'd you hear that from, A.B.?"
"From Skull-Face himself after he came to me ranting about some guy dressed in our colors that was teaming up with that hairy little squirt. He said Risky Boots sent him to dispatch her and that mystery recruit, but something went wrong, and the two of those troublemakers ended up switching bodies with each other for a day until they showed up in Genie's Hem. They beat that old geezer into submission and forced him to change them back," he informed with a humored chuckle. "Funny thing is, I don't remember making any new hires recently. It's good to know our greatness is recognized, though. I also ought to give whoever that mystery poser is a medal for decking Hypno Baron while being stuck in the body of an adorable young lady."
"What!? Switched bodies!?" Twitch exclaimed almost losing her focus as she removed her goggles and peered down at Ammo Baron, who'd still been holding his ground. "And… a new recruit wearing our colors…? I can't imagine anyone like that working with Shantae… I mean, unless he was talking about T-!"
"Twitch, look out!" Vinegar called out, tossing her weapon over the fort and grabbing her partner to pull her to safety. Just as the two young Ammonian women were about to jump from the top of the miniature tower, a deafening *KABOOM* ripped through the air, accompanied by the violent scattering of stones and sand in all directions. As Twitch and Vinegar fell from the tower and landed hard on the sand next to one another, their sights were immediately filled with the view of the tower on which they'd just been standing, replaced almost entirely with a smoldering cloud of smoke and fire.
"Holy Shrimp on a Shish Kebab!" Ammo Baron remarked in complete surprise at the carnage he'd just bore witness to. "How is this woman packing so much heat!?"
"Vinni, are you alright?" Twitch asked, climbing to her feet and extending a hand to a sand-bathed Vinegar.
"Urgh… Y-yeah, I'm fine," she assured, taking her partner's hand and receiving assistance with getting back up. "But we're not safe. Just before we jumped, I saw-!" she was about to inform when the collective shouts of nearby Ammonian soldiers being defeated alerted them of the situation at hand.
"Hey, wha? How'd you little freaks get through my army so fast!?" Ammo Baron was heard complaining as a plethora of weapons were cocked and aimed at him. Twitch and Vinegar looked in his direction to notice their commander being surrounded and stuck up by a squad of Tinkerbats. And before either one of the girls could make a move, they were soon greeted by an additional Tinkerbat platoon that surrounded them and aimed a series of handguns and marksman rifles at them. Faced with no other choice, they stuck their hands up in surrender, mirroring Ammo Baron as the Tinkerbat squads' bodacious leader confidently sauntered her way onto the scene while resting a shotgun over her shoulder.
"Hold your fire! Our mission here has been accomplished! In record time, no less! Good work, boys! Now, we collect on the bounty…" Risky Boots ordered and menacingly mentioned as she held out a hand signal to stay her Tinkerbats. Soon after, she turned toward her captives. "Well, well, well… Look what we found here; a pack of sneaky, colluding military weasels who just don't know their place," Risky taunted with a most sinister grin as she nodded approvingly at the sight of her enemies being crushed under her unrivaled might. She also scanned around the vicinity to see that other squads of Tinkerbats had also checkmated teams of Ammonian soldiers, many of whom surrendered after they noticed Ammo Baron being subdued.
"Not sure where you're getting your info, lady, but no one here's done any colluding," Ammo Baron corrected, glaring at Risky with hot anger at the fact that she'd just done to him what she'd already done to Hypno Baron. "Also, the type of animal we use in our uniform decorations isn't a weasel… Err, anyway, why are you even here? We have no beef!"
"See, it would certainly look like that at a glance, Ammo Baron, but… a little more research would do you wonders in discovering that your pathetic little minutemen have been causing me and my crew a substantial amount of grief lately," she 'politely' suggested, walking toward him and getting a closer look at his helpless situation. "Between a chance encounter in the woods near Scuttle Town, a brazen preemptive assault on my secret training grounds in the Prickle Stitch Valley, and another unfortunate encounter with at least one of your airheaded call girls over there in another remote location where you shouldn't have interfered, I have reason to believe you're the one who's been stockpiling some of the supposedly nonexistent 'beef' between us." At that, Ammo Baron froze, understanding right away that one unfriendly encounter with Risky Boots's forces looked bad enough. Two was pushing it. Three? That was a death sentence waiting to happen. However, he refused to be intimidated, even in the wake of his surprise at the revelation.
"Well, my proud soldiers and I only go where we find valuable resources or opportunities to expand our influence and bolster our might," he defiantly reasoned. "If you find yourself standing in our path, then well… Your loss, sweetheart. In your case, though, there ARE better ways to get my attention." As you might imagine, Risky was thoroughly displeased with such insolence; so much so that she shoved past her men and stuck her shotgun right into Ammo Baron's chest and cocked it.
"I suggest you keep your yap shut unless you're instructed to speak, or you'll be eating more bullets than a kid eats candy on Halloween! And trust me; I guarantee the stomachache will be at least a hundred times as unpleasant for you."
"Ammo Baron!" Vinegar called out as she and Twitch attempted to shove past the surrounding Tinkerbats to protect their leader, though they were quickly met with resistance in the form of at least three Tinkerbats firing warning shots into the air while the rest poked and prodded the girls with their weapons.
"Shoot, they've got us stuck…!" Twitch complained, her heart pounding as her thoughts began to race about what would happen next.
"Don't make any sudden moves, girls! The last thing I need on my conscience is either of you giving this pirate woman a reason to disfigure my immaculate bod," he awkwardly informed them. While they didn't particularly like the delivery of the message, they understood enough to get that he didn't want them (or at least, himself) to get hurt. As such, they remained still, their hands raised toward the sky like they were trying to grab stars directly from outer space.
"That's a good boy," Risky teased, much to Ammo Baron's chagrin as he sneered at her. "Good to know even a hopeless meathead like you isn't too stupid to know when he's beat."
"Hmph. As feisty and charming as always, I see. I at least gotta appreciate that you've always been a strictly-business kind of woman," Ammo Baron crudely remarked with a smirk.
"And while 'business' is good, Ammo Baron, I'd like to kindly remind you that it can get very bad for you if you even sneeze without my permission in this situation. Capiche?" Risky advised, still sticking him up with the shotgun. In that moment, Ammo Baron exhaled through his nose (which wasn't visible on his face in the slightest, so… yeah, figure that one out, because I can't) in what seemed like defiance, but what I could probably guess was actually him clearing his (invisible, possibly nonexistent) nasal passages of anything that might make him sneeze.
"You still haven't even explained what you're doing here, little miss Sea Queen," the burly man retorted, vexed by Risky's attempt to extort him. "If you're looking to solicit my services like you so kindly did to Hypno Baron, I'll have you know it's gonna take more than idle threats to convince me to help you." At that, Risky let out a most ear-gracing cackle that all non-Tinkerbat witnesses found especially pleasing; so pleasing in fact, that they all covered their ears as tightly as they could until she was done.
"Oh, please," she dismissed with a smirk. "As if it's that much of a challenge to convince you to lend your aid. If I so wanted, all I'd have to do to you is blow a simple kiss in your general direction, and you'd be putty in my hands…"
"Don't flatter yourself, toots. I've got some pretty high standards of my own; standards that, as of right now, I'm not really sure you'd ever measure up to in a million years. Genie girl's got a much better shot than you at this rate."
"Not like I was looking for any dates with a pathetic, one-note, sweaty tank jockey momma's boy like you, anyway," Risky shot back, matching his derision with some of her own as she found herself just a tad unappreciative of his mention of a certain purple-haired pipsqueak. "Trust me; you would NEVER be worth my time in that regard, you repulsive sack of rancid bacon grease."
"Ooh, harsh…" Vinegar commented after sucking in air through her teeth.
"Jeez, this hag doesn't have one merciful bone in her body…" Twitch added, equally as astounded by Risky's boundless cruelty.
"…You didn't have to bring my mother into this…" Ammo Baron mumbled, just a tad sore about Risky's callous comment.
"Anyway, Ammo Baron, I'm here because, as my men have so graciously informed me, your two spoiled little lackeys over there have been cavorting around with our most favorite—by which I mean most despised—half-genie nuisance a little more than occasionally, and before I set out to destroy her, I figured I'd sever her connections along the way. You are just a minor steppingstone in that direction."
"I haven't even SEEN Shantae since maybe a little while after she blew up my airship and ruined my plot to enhance my army's might with clothing made from the fibers of those magic flying carpets!" he exclaimed, though you'd be pretty hard-pressed not to consider such a confession ridiculous… that is, if you're not familiar with the context. And even if you are, you have to admit how insipid and harebrained such a scheme sounded. "And unless she randomly came to me and asked to join the Ammonian Army, or my limitless girls-only fan club, I'd have absolutely no reason to join forces with her. And I doubt either of my most loyal seconds in command would waste more time than just one measly trip to some uncharted valley in the middle of nowhere, hanging around with that enchanting little rascal. If anything, we'd actually be hunting for YOU, since you were apparently the one who robbed us of that Propulsion Generator we scored from Techno Baron!"
"Ya snooze, ya lose, chief," Risky deflected with little care for what she'd done. "That generator's mine now. You could try to take it back from me, but don't be upset when you lose every limb that I think might come into contact with it as a result."
"Risky Boots, you no-good, scheming old witch!" Twitch bellowed out, angered immensely by the Pirate Queen's arrogant show of dominance. "We haven't done anything to you to cause you to torment us like this! You're lucky we didn't outright declare war on you and your scrawny bat freaks!" Risky, hearing every word of Twitch's derisive comments, turned toward the two young ladies and glared with an inconceivable fury.
"And you know we'd more than likely wipe the floor with you if we were more prepared! Only cowards ambush other factions when there's no reason to attack!" Vinegar added, equally as unhappy with Risky Boots as Twitch. Risky did not immediately respond, however. Instead, she signaled a finger, prompting the Tinkerbats surrounding the two girls to prod them with their weapons and force them to walk toward her. Afterward, she smirked, turning her attention back to Ammo Baron, who'd been looking back at her in anticipation of what she might do to him. Once Twitch and Vinegar were close enough, she gestured her hand again to order them to stay in place, guns still drawn.
"Word of advice, ladies: In the heat of battle, there's no such things as rules or codes. In the end, the last woman standing wins by any means necessary… and as a bonus: Only a true loser blames anything but themselves for their failures."
"Oh, you mean like how you always blame Shantae or your idiot Tinkerbats every time YOU screw up?" Twitch and Vinegar commented at the exact same time, delivering double the burn as they threw Risky's advice back in her face. And speaking of Risky's face, it instantly contorted into the most life-threatening, vicious, scowling death stare she'd ever mustered. One could see veins protruding from her forehead, she'd been made so angry.
"Easy now, girls," Ammo Baron laughingly commented, enjoying the rib a little more than he should have. "We don't have the first aid equipment necessary for a burn that severe." Ammo Baron only got two additional 'Ha has' out before his laughter was suddenly stopped by a sudden, forceful *THRASH* of a fist ramming into his stomach with the force of a torpedo. "Hurckk…!" he grunted, every molecule of air knocked out of his lungs as he fell to his knees, dropping his weapon and clutching his stomach. "Agh…! Ah, you…! Urgh…! Wow, some arm you got there…!"
"Hey! What the heck is your deal!?" Vinegar barked, ready to tear Risky a new one for assaulting their leader.
"We're gonna kick your sorry butt, you crazy old hag!" Twitch added as the both of them attempted to charge the Pirate Queen, only for them to be tightly restrained by the surrounding Tinkerbats before they could get close enough to even graze her. The pirate minions piled on, restraining Twitch and Vinegar by their wrists and ankles and making sure they couldn't move, much less throw away their lives by laying a hand on the supreme ruler of the seven seas.
"See, you fools never did get to learn your lesson on why I am NOT to be trifled with… and now that I think of it, that's probably why you got the not-so-bright idea to team up with that despicable genie brat, isn't it?" she theorized, standing triumphantly before the Ammonian girls while leaving Ammo Baron to nurse his sudden case of pain-induced nausea as he remained on his knees.
"We were only teaming up with her to get our generator back!" Vinegar yelled, struggling against the might of Risky's pirate crew. "The one you stole!"
"And as I said, that generator is MY property now. You had no hope of getting it back, no matter what you did," she sternly rebutted. "Yet, even with that debate resolved, there still remains the question of why some of YOUR men are armed with MY weapons. Care to explain that one?"
"Apparently, they're not YOUR weapons!" Twitch argued, also trying to rip herself free from the Tinkerbats' collective grip. "We know you used our generator to somehow make a portal, invade some other planet, and steal those guns from there!"
"Ah, so you know about that, too? That only means you've also come into contact with the OTHER loose end I've been trying to tie up…" she lamented with a sigh. "Curse that obnoxious dog, yapping away all my secrets…"
"And unlike you, we were given permission to collect and use them as we please!" Twitch further screamed, though she quickly regretted doing so.
"Twitch!" Vinegar admonished, glaring at her partner. "That's strictly confidential…!"
"Not anymore, it isn't," Risky cut in, intrigued by the revelation. "So, you girls really WERE in cahoots with that dim-witted do-gooder duo, huh?"
"I'm confused… I thought you girls said you were just sneaking these weapons out from under the nose of this mystery acquaintance of Shantae's after your attempt to kidnap him ended up being a bust…?" Ammo Baron blurted out, further compromising their situation.
"W-well… Kinda-sorta, but… we um… th-things changed…?" Twitch stammered through her reply to Ammo Baron as a blush crept onto her face, revealing (even more) that she may not have been entirely upfront with her arrangements with a certain pair of heroes. Nevertheless, Risky snickered in amusement.
"Oh, really? You've also been making moves on my escaped captive in a futile attempt to lure him into helping your cause?" Risky asked, growing more intrigued with the unceremonious reveals, though her question went ignored.
"Well, when were you gonna let me know we were changing from the original improvised plan of dancing around with those do-gooders long enough to swipe all their weapons for ourselves?" the Ammonian commander questioned, rising a bit as he caught his breath.
"As soon as we were clear on how to proceed! Honest!" Twitch hastily answered, her heart thumping as she found herself on the hot seat. "I uh… I-I just needed more time to get closer to Tay-Ta—er, Shantae's new sidekick to… soften him up a little more. We um… I think I've made a lot of progress. I… was meaning to give you an update, but it slipped my mind…"
"Oh. Well, you should've told me that sooner. At this point, I was ready to send a whole platoon of our guys with you to drag them over here, because this whole 'waiting for the right moment to strike' business after your first encounter with them was taking way too long. But, so long as you had a handle on it…" Ammo Baron acknowledged, revealing (to astronomical levels) that he was inches away from arranging another kidnapping.
"Huh? Since when was that the pla-!" Vinegar almost asked, apparently not at all in on the developing story.
"Not now, Vinni…!" Twitch interrupted, her blush deepening as her eyes darted around the area.
"What do you mean, 'not now'?" Vinegar questioned again. "I don't remember any of this being discussed before."
"That's because it wasn't…!" she rasped, winking at her repeatedly to try and communicate a secret message to her partner.
"Oh… huh," Vinegar pondered, seeming not to pick up on Twitch's hint as she soon came to a realization of her own. "Ohh, I get it now! Wow… I gotta hand it to ya; that's pretty genius, Twitch!"
"Huh? What are you talki-?"
"No wonder you had to keep it so tightly under wraps… It was all a matter of playing along until it was time to strike… and one of the best ways to do it was to make genie girl's friends believe you had an obsessive crush on Tay-!"
"Shut up, Vinni…!" Twitch very strongly urged, though the warning had come too late.
"Ohh, I see what's happening here…" Risky Boots remarked, putting the pieces together as listened in on the 'secret' exchange.
"See what?" Ammo Baron asked, pulling himself back to his feet, though he still clutched his aching stomach.
"The prelude to my next big move on those fools, unfolding right before my very eyes…" Risky answered with an ominous snicker as she grinned wide with malevolent, calculating intent. "See, here I was, about to destroy everything you own in this forsaken wasteland, steal back all the weapons you took from my troops in that valley, and beat you all so thoroughly that you'd wake up in the next century if you were lucky as revenge for intervening in my latest plan… but you have all just given me a MUCH better idea…"
"And why would we want anything to do with you!?" Vinegar asked, already unwilling to cooperate, though her inquiry went unnoticed.
"You there. Pigtails," Risky callously addressed Twitch, who'd flinched in shock.
"The name's Twitch!"
"Sure, whatever, Twiddle Dee," Risky dismissed. "Anyway, my men have reported to me that you in particular have been unusually close to a certain alien vagabond… to the point where you were spotted frolicking with him and one of that insolent halfling's little gal pals in an abandoned airborne temple that no longer exists… and the funniest part is, they let me know that genie girl was nowhere in sight at the time, considering you were spotted at around the same time I last ran into that meddling twerp in the Thimble Canyon…"
"Wh-what? I could've sworn we took out all your Tinkerbats up there! How could any of them have gotten away to let you know that!?"
"Hold on… You teamed up with him again!? Without me!?" Vinegar quizzed, apparently unaware of the adventure her teammate embarked on in the Sheared Spool Shrine while seeming to be offended that Twitch kept it secret from her. "I guess that explains where you got that heaping load of fancy, ultra-expensive jewelry and all that money from, but still…!"
"Hmm, how naïve you are…" Risky remarked, mirthfully shaking her head as she continued to address Twitch. "And how quick you are to confirm my suspicions, which further incriminates you. I must say, though, you must be quite a brilliant actor, because I was also let to know you got all sorts of cuddly with them while you were up there messing up my plans and snatching up a massive load of treasure that was rightfully mine. Either you're really dedicated to your job as a lapdog, or you're becoming something of a double agent amongst your ranks…"
"I-I have no idea what you're talking about, you cantankerous ogre!" she very brashly insulted, glaring at Risky as she did so.
"That sharp tongue of yours could earn you and your friends a late dinner and an early grave at the same time, if you catch my drift," Risky threatened, pointing her shotgun directly at Twitch's face. "Watch your mouth, little girl. Anyway, your little story has quite a few holes in it, from what I'm seeing. However, rather than force you to humiliate yourself in front of your cohorts and your brain-dead leader for my amusement, like you know you deserve…"
"Hey!" Ammo Baron complained, finding Risky's description of him just the tiniest bit inaccurate.
"…I'm gonna go the more strategic route and offer you Ammonian imbeciles a chance to join the winning team," Risky 'politely' suggested.
"We'd never in our lives join forces with you! Don't waste your breath!" Twitch argued again.
"Now, I know I said 'offer,' but don't mistake that as me implying you have a choice," Risky countered with another mischievous grin. "Either you help me, or I unleash the full might of my crew's new toys on your tawdry little campsite and leave you with nothing but the clothes on your backs, just like I did to that repugnant wizard."
"Well, what could you possibly want from us?" Ammo Baron asked, at this point very curious about what Risky had to offer.
"All I want at this point is your assistance with nipping the problem of a certain meddling half-genie in the…? Huh?" Risky was about to offer when, in a case of déjà vu, a group of dripping wet Tinkerbats wearing propeller packs came hovering in, much to her irritation. "Ah, here we go again… What are you doing here!? I thought I sent you to that abandoned underwater labyrinth to investigate the rumors about the long-lost Siren Queen and the Miracle Lima Bean!"
The five Tinkerbats that came in were quick to land and explain in their own unique nonverbal style what happened to make their mission go horribly wrong as they frantically flailed their limbs about to divulge the details of their unpleasant experiences in the Siren's Requiem Labyrinth.
"Seriously? Of all the ludicrous, asinine, and utterly unlikely scenarios in the history of forever, you actually managed to run into Shantae and that foolish boyfriend of hers in that underwater temple!? What would they even be doing down there!?"
"Boyfriend…? Who…? No…" Twitch murmured, uncertain of who Risky was referring to… or rather, she WAS certain, but she didn't know for sure if Risky's statement was accurate.
Meanwhile, one of the Tinkerbats took the lead on explaining more of the catastrophe that took place miles upon miles below the surface level of the sea.
"And now you're telling me that, while four of you got tied up trying to deal with Shantae and some random girl wearing a chrome headband and other strange neon colors, who I honestly haven't a clue who that could possibly be, you and your entire platoon of at least thirty—if not forty—encountered that bumbling mutt of a 'sidekick' of hers alone while you were armed to the teeth… and you STILL couldn't beat him!? How!? He's just one dumb guy! Against a literal militia equipped with the most powerful portable weapons we've ever known! What kind of incurable incompetence must you fools be infected with to-!?"
The Tinkerbat, while not meaning to cut Risky off, revealed some of the other key details of the forty-to-one encounter that yielded a most unfavorable outcome for Risky's loyal servants. Once the information hit Risky's ears (or, er, eyes, I guess), her eyes went wider than the moon in the sky as she took a second to process what she'd just been told.
"…Glowing silver eyes… Surrounded with Dark Magic… and filled to the brim with uncontrollable rage, huh? Interesting…" she pondered, wondering just what the image of a certain someone consumed with evil intent would look like. "It's just like the brat when I converted her Light Magic to Dark Magic using the Magic Reverser, only… this time, if it sounds right, there wasn't a need for such a device. You're saying it just… happened right when you were about to capture him? And that he only let you go because it looked like he struggled to reel himself back in by the time he axed the rest of your platoon?" she asked the Tinkerbat, who merely nodded. That was all the confirmation Risky needed to find her mood suddenly brightening with ironically the darkest of intentions. "Perfect…!" she exclaimed with another grin as she turned back toward Twitch.
"What do you want now?" the distraught Ammonian acolyte asked, though she found herself both confused and incredibly concerned with what she'd just overheard. There was too much info being thrown at her all in one big scoop, but the gist of it from her end appeared to be that Risky's men encountered Shantae and company and… something related to Dark Magic happened. What that meant regarding Tayshan, though? Twitch wasn't sure. She would get no time to ponder it, however.
"Change of plans, folks. Well, another change of plans. Rather than give you the task of simply barging in and attacking that brat, which you'd invariably and royally screw up anyway given YOUR track record, I've got something… a bit simpler, yet much more rewarding for us to negotiate."
"Simpler?" Ammo Baron asked again, still as far out of the loop as he could be. "More rewarding?"
"Yes, in the sense that I think we have a fair shot at apprehending a certain refugee from another dimension right from under that pipsqueak's nose."
"What!?" Twitch bellowed, horrified by Risky's new idea.
"What's in it for us if we help?" Ammo Baron demanded to know. "If you know me, then you'll know I never work for free, sweet cheeks."
"Call me that again, Ammo Bozo, and I'll have you walking the plank into a pit of man-eating crocodiles!" Risky threatened as she turned and glared at him, taking not even the slightest bit of nonsense from the impertinent Ammo Baron. "Now, if you want to negotiate a reward of your own, I can definitely see to it that your army gets a portion of my new arsenal… with MY permission, considering every one of those guns is MINE, if I'm making myself clear…"
"Crystal…" Vinegar sarcastically remarked.
"I mean… we already have some of them, and it isn't like-!" Ammo Baron was about to explain.
"The table scraps you picked up pale in comparison to the rest of my expansive collection," she countered, causing the Ammonian warmonger to raise his one and only eyebrow. "And besides, even for a couple extra guns, why turn down a job so easy, you could probably do it in your sleep? Granted, I see that your lackeys couldn't even pull it off when they were wide awake, but I digress."
"Get bent, Risky! It isn't like you could do any better!" Vinegar shouted, not taking kindly to the Pirate Queen's disparaging comment.
"Except I have," she confidently retorted. "The last two times I encountered him, I easily mopped the floor with him before some… unfortunate circumstances thwarted my attempts to fully subdue him."
"So why don't you go get him yourself instead of making us do it, since you think you're so much better than us!?"
"Because at this point, that meddling genie brat is all over him like fleas on a filthy animal. Additionally, you bumbling blonde buffoons have already made it apparent you're close enough to them that you have some use; especially the one with the pigtails. Aaaand, since this conniving little cutie over here has an exclusive 'in'…" she added, sauntering over toward Twitch and grabbing her under the chin as she clamped her fingers onto her cheeks.
"Let her go!" Vinegar demanded, growing much more irritated with Risky's disrespect and encroachment.
"Get your filthy hands off me!" Twitch also demanded, clearly preferring that Risky not touch her.
"You're going to be the key in luring that fool into the trap we'll be setting…"
"No, I'm not! I would never think to sell Tayshan out to you! Now get off me!"
"Aw, isn't that sweet?" the Pirate Queen taunted through gritted teeth, appearing to be quite annoyed at the mention of the soldier. "You know him by name. Although, what strikes me as odd is that you seem awfully concerned about them out of nowhere. Your own plan was to convince Shantae and her friends to drop their guard enough that it'd be easy for you to abscond with these weapons, was it not?"
"N-no!" she denied, though her response raised some concern from her teammates.
"It wasn't?" Ammo Baron asked.
"No! I-I mean, yes!" Twitch stammered, unsure of what to say next. "I-I mean… er, that… was the idea, but…"
"Which one is it?" Ammo Baron asked, still finding himself unclear on what Twitch's big idea was. "Vinegar, do you know what's up?"
"Not a clue, boss," Vinegar responded, finding herself just as perplexed.
"Um… I… The original plan… was… uh…" Twitch found herself trying to explain, though her mind went blank for convincing clarifications.
"…to find some easier, more convenient way to manipulate him into joining your side, so you could gain an edge over me on how to use my weapons while possibly scoring yourself a new… let's say 'ally,' right?" Risky guessed, her unwavering confidence nothing but evident. On the other hand, Twitch's eyes widened in shock as the blush on her face grew deeper as she went silent. "Uh-huh. I knew it. You're so easy to read, I'd swear you were a walking bedtime story."
"Oh, so THAT'S what it was?" Ammo Baron realized for himself. "Why didn't you say so?"
"How… did you…?" Twitch hesitated to ask, shocked by Risky's deduction.
"Trust me, honey; with my years of expertise and experience, I know a lovesick puppy when I see one," she teased, staring right at Twitch as she laughed in her face. "I should probably tell you you'd be wasting your time, if THAT'S your bright idea."
"Lovesick? Whoa, where'd THAT come from?" the thoroughly discombobulated army general questioned again, thus solidifying his status as an avid consumer of this unfolding series of very dramatic reveals.
"I'm not lovesick!" she fervently denied, shaking her head out of Risky's grasp. "The point is, I already had an agreement with him and Shantae that we'd help them as long as it meant us getting our generator back! And we don't plan on changing our minds anytime soon, no matter what you try to 'offer' us!"
"Now hold on, Twitch. Don't go turning down potentially lucrative deals when the return looks as good as it does," Ammo Baron objected, much to Twitch's surprise.
"B-but Ammo Baron!"
"I mean it, soldier!" he commanded, crossing his arms and delivering a stern look aimed at her. "Clearly, the lady is asking us to complete a mission in exchange for something quite valuable. Even if it isn't that generator, we can still take solace in having access to some impressive, very high-tech artillery the likes of which Techno Baron could never provide. And after the heavy losses we've suffered over the past couple months, we can't exactly afford to turn down such an opportunity just because you have a silly crush on some boy who apparently spends most of his time around that nosy, goody-goody genie anyway!"
"Well… y-yeah, but…" Twitch stammered, failing to deny her leader's assertion as her heart thumped with uncertainty at the mention of her 'silly crush' and whom he'd spent most of his time around.
"Ammo Baron, cut her some slack," Vinegar spoke, standing up for her best friend. "She has a point. After all this time and after all we've witnessed of her, do you really want to strike a deal with Risky Boots of all people? And besides, crush or no crush, I can verify that despite all the unpleasant encounters, I'd much prefer to work with genie girl than with this arrogant shrew."
"You should learn how to keep your subordinates in check, Ammo Baron," Risky cut in. "They sound like they'd really prefer to be turned into smoking, sandy craters in this desert, rather than make the smart choice. For shame…"
"That's enough out of you two," Ammo Baron declared, growing both nervous and frustrated as the discussion continued. "I won't hear another word about your preferences if they don't sound like they'll benefit our negotiation. Am I clear?"
"Ammo Baron, wait!" Twitch pleaded. "I-!"
"AM I CLEAR!?"
"…Sir, yes, sir…" Twitch and Vinegar dismally complied, growing even more uncertain of what to expect, as it appeared Ammo Baron was all ears on Risky's proposition.
"That's more like it," Risky taunted again before turning back to Ammo Baron. "Anyway, I assure you, I didn't come here empty-handed. I've got a couple crates full of rifles for your infantry as a sort of… signing bonus for our new arrangement. Rifles just like the one you had in your hands, actually. They're waiting on my ship for you and your guys and gals, should you accept the terms. All you'd have to do is agree to help me snatch up Shantae's little pet alien, and there will be much more coming your way…"
"If all we've gotta do is help you cage some punk to get our hands on some of those guns rather than scavenge for 'em, you'd better believe you've got yourself a deal!" Ammo Baron preemptively accepted, prompting Risky to walk toward him, whereupon they shook hands to consider their deal closed.
"Excellent…! In the wake of our new pact, I'll be right back," Risky mused, quite proud of her… shrewd negotiation skills as she signaled for her Tinkerbats to release everyone and march off toward her ship, which found itself docked at least a couple dozen yards away.
"No…! We…" Twitch murmured, a pit forming in her stomach as she realized they were now in the middle of a conflict they initially wanted very little part in. Once Risky and her Tinkerbats appeared to be out of earshot, Twitch and Vinegar approached Ammo Baron with many reservations on their minds.
"Not to question your decision, sir, but… why did you strike a deal with her?" Vinegar hesitantly questioned, appearing just a little nervous about the arrangement.
"Because I'm not crazy like that decrepit old fogey Hypno Baron, that's why," Ammo Baron reasoned, displaying just the slightest tinge of fear in his voice. "He told me what happened when he tried to refuse her 'offer.' Curious, I found the time to inspect the damage she did to his castle and uh… well, let's just say that there weren't no castle on which to inspect any damage… only towers of smoke, fire, roasted trees, and scorched earth all around for miles."
"Whoa, really?" the taller Ammonian acolyte remarked with a gasp. "I mean… I'd only heard she attacked him, but jeez…"
"Yeah, and now she's on our case like locusts on fresh agriculture, which is absolutely not good for us in the state we're in…" he worriedly pointed out. "Without a doubt, the Ammonian Army's fallen on some hard times since our investment in that airship went up in literal flames. That's no secret. The only way to buy us enough time to reorganize after the whoopings we took recently is to agree to whatever it is she's asking. I don't fear anybody, but it pains me to admit that Risky Boots is a HORRIFYING force to be reckoned with."
"So, why are we joining up with her, if you know she's as big a threat to us as she is?" Twitch asked, immensely concerned with the implications of their coerced alliance.
"So we don't wind up on the business end of that marauding pirate woman's new toys, simply put," Ammo Baron reasoned. "If we let her, she'd have completely wiped us out with those things. I figured you girls stumbled upon a goldmine of heavy artillery when you first introduced these fancy new weapons to me, but by the magnificent hairs on my chiseled chin, it seems like we're gonna have to play it safe until we get our time to shine…"
"But what about Shantae and… and Tayshan…?" Twitch asked, though she hesitated to finish her question for fear of sounding too concerned with individuals who were not affiliated with their group.
"What about them? Don't tell me you've gone soft on that dancing little furball and her friends now," the manly commander shot back with a scoff, finding it odd that she'd even bring them up.
"N-no, of course not!" Twitch hastily rebutted. "I'm just saying… we already made a deal with them. We gave them our word we'd stay on their side until they beat Risky, at which point we'd get our cut of the spoils AND our generator back…"
"And now, a much less dangerous deal has been made in its place," he countered. "We're kinda out of time to cross our fingers and hope this ally of that genie girl would come around and work with us full-time after what just happened. Not to say we didn't benefit from their cooperation, but we've got bigger fish to fry, and you girls parading around with them has clearly drawn too much unwelcome attention for that first arrangement to be worth it by now."
"But Ammo Baron!" Twitch objected.
"No! I've made myself quite clear," he cut in, putting his foot down. "If Risky Boots wants this mystery man handed to her on a silver platter, then for the sake of the Ammonian Army, that's what we're gonna give her… for now," he further declared, doing nothing to hide the disdain in his voice as he heard rustling and footsteps coming from behind him. The three Ammonian affiliates turned to see Risky, ordering her men to set down three olive green cases and open them to reveal the semiautomatic rifles she'd promised.
"As promised, here is your generous bonus," she announced, gesturing toward the boxes. Ammo Baron eagerly approached and peered into them, only to find himself mildly disappointed.
"That's it? There's only four of these rifles in this box," he complained. "So what, you're only gonna give us twelve in total?"
"I said I'd give you a signing bonus; I never mentioned how big it would be. If this doesn't suit you, then I'll gladly take it all back and-!"
"No, no, it's… it's fine," Ammo Baron wisely appeased with a sigh of tightly contained frustration. "Twelve is perfectly fine."
"That's what I thought you said," Risky smugly remarked with a devious grin before turning her attention toward Twitch and Vinegar. "You two! I need to have an additional word with you before I shove off."
"Yeah, what is it?" Vinegar impatiently asked, finding herself far less than fond of even breathing the same air as Risky Boots, much less conversing with her.
"Since you two were the ones in direct contact with those irritating interlopers, you two are going to be an integral part in my next scheme. As I mentioned earlier, you will be responsible for luring them into the trap we're going to set for them."
"No way! I don't want any part in your schemes, Risky!" Twitch vehemently rebuffed, scowling at the buxom buccaneer.
"I do believe that illusory choice was forfeit the very second your boss agreed to strike our deal, sweetheart," Risky countered. "Besides, this part of the job would be much easier for you, considering you girls formed such a strong and unbreakable 'friendship' with them."
"I said NO!" Twitch furiously argued, sending Ammo Baron into a silent panic as he watched the verbal altercation taking place.
"Whoa, whoa, Twitch, calm down… You don't want to set us back even-!" Vinegar tried to intervene.
"I don't care, Vinni! I can't fathom the idea of betraying Tayshan to save our own skins!"
"Hmph. You seem awfully worried about someone you didn't even know existed until as little as a week or two ago," Risky observed, genuinely perplexed by Twitch's protective outburst. "What, did you ACTUALLY make friends with him or something?"
"That's none of your concern! I'm not lifting a finger to do your bidding!"
"So, that's a definite 'yes.' How pathetic…" she judged with a derisive chuckle. "Even sadder when we consider the reason behind that development. You're not doing yourself any favors fawning over someone who doesn't return your sugary little feelings."
"I never said anything about-!"
"You didn't have to, little girl. It's written all over your face," Risky pointed out, much to Twitch's embarrassment as she clammed up, not expecting the Pirate Queen to make such a deduction.
"Leave her alone, Risky. That has nothing to do with your mission for us," Vinegar chimed in on Twitch's behalf.
"I don't remember asking for your input, Vanessa."
"It's Vinegar!"
"Whatever, Vincent."
"What!? Why, you…! That's not even a girl's name!"
"Neither's Vinegar, but you don't see me pointing that out to the world."
"So, you DO know my name!"
"No, Victoria, I don't, nor do I care what it is. Now be quiet while I talk some sense into your little cousin or whatever," Risky very crudely remarked, somehow still getting Vinegar's name wrong despite having just mentioned it. "Anyhow, uh… Tanya."
"Twitch," Twitch corrected.
"Timothy," Risky once again in-corrected. "As I was saying, there's no use in trying to 'save' Tayshan from the punishment he rightfully deserves. As far as I know, he and genie girl have already sealed the deal, so there really shouldn't be a problem with you helping me capture him."
"What? What are you talking about? He and Shantae aren't dating!"
"Right, and I'm a seven-eyed, linguine-eating moose from the dark side of the moon."
"They're NOT dating! They told me that themselves!"
"Oh? Then what was it I heard directly from Shantae about the two of them making out in the middle of a desert date they were on?"
"Nice try, but I was… unfortunately told about that," she rebutted, though she momentarily looked away in disdain. "Apparently, you tricked some scorpion monster into taking a tainted gem from you, after which he poisoned her at your behest, forcing Tay to save her by kissing her," she explained, much to Risky's shock. "Everything they went through was your fault!"
"You knew…!?" she almost reacted, though she took a few seconds to reel herself back in. "Of course, of course… Word of my magnificent exploits spreads quickly, I see…" she further commented as she tried to think up another scenario to distort in her favor… which of course, she soon realized she had a PERFECT…ly embarrassing account of her own to use. "But, what I bet you didn't know is that pretty much right after that encounter, he…" she trailed off before approaching the wary young woman and whispered into her ear the oh-so-tantalizing bit of gossip she'd had in store. Upon hearing it, Twitch gasped and pulled herself away.
"You're a dirty liar! He would never do something like that! Especially not to you!" she exclaimed, catching Vinegar by surprise.
"What? What did you say?" the taller young blonde woman asked, having been left out of the loop.
"Oh, but it's true, Tiffany! The second he saw me again, he was all over me! I admit it; I underestimated him, thinking Shantae had a better handle on him. But at a moment's glance, Tayshan and I found ourselves tangled up in a heated, sandy embrace like no one on this backwards landmass has ever seen!" she lied, putting on a phony dramatic performance as she did so. "Of course, with me being a master tactician, I easily got the upper hand and found myself firmly planted on top of him, hardly breaking a sweat. Despite him being the handsy beast he turned out to be, I subdued him with relative ease."
"I don't want to hear any-!"
"And it could've just been me, but I don't seem to recall him making a very strong effort to escape my clutches once I put him in his place. Instead, he just laid there under me, seeming to have been ready to give himself up to me. Almost… like he enjoyed being dominated by me," she salaciously teased, much to Twitch's irritation as Risky winked at her. "And, I'll admit, I let my guard down for just a solitary couple of seconds as I… admittedly warmed up to the idea of making him my new pet and stealing him away for myself. Big mistake, because just as I was set to draw our raunchy little scuffle to a close, that's when it happened…" she informed, actually blushing herself with mild embarrassment as she crossed her arms over her chest and continued with her false account of the incident on the Kitschy Quilt Desert.
"No. No, no, no, heck no! No way that could've happened, no how! Not a chance! How stupid do you think we are?" Twitch denied.
"Your obvious stupidity has little to do with the fact that I'm telling you the truth," Risky snidely remarked. "You'd be stupider not to believe me. Either way, you can ask him yourself, but don't expect him to outright confirm it," she casually remarked with a shrug as she turned her back to hide the sneaky, dastardly grin she wore on her face. "Of all the things I'd lie about, such a humiliating experience is not one of them, I assure you," she barely found the decency to confess as she turned around and sighed. "To think… Me, the undisputed Queen of the Seven Seas, defiled by some… some irresponsible, clumsy dog of a man just before that meddling halfling swooped in and saved him from my much-deserved wrath! Ugh, it was horrible!"
"…You… you're serious?" Twitch asked, studying Risky's mannerisms and finding herself beginning to doubt her own assertion that Tay was not capable of being so inappropriate. It certainly didn't help that she, in a way, had some experience with this in the form of a certain conversation that was had in the Prickle Stitch Valley that came up in her mind only after Risky made her claim.
"Absolutely. I still feel his big, rugged, sandy, manly hands pressing firmly against my chest every time I recall it. Worst part is that, even after I showed my disapproval by headbutting him in the face, he barely showed a shred of remorse for it… in front of Shantae of all people, no less! He didn't even bother to mention it to her after she saved him, as though he were planning on keeping it a dirty little secret for himself! Oh, the humanity!" she exclaimed, striking a dramatic pose to sell her story.
"…No… He'd never…!" she tried to deny, finding herself becoming steadily more frustrated as she ruminated on Risky's words in conjunction with her previous thoughts. "Or… would he…?"
"How would you know what he was truly capable of, Terra? I mean, how often have you actually seen him aside from your chance encounters when you're interfering with my plans?" Risky asked in order to further drive her 'point' across. "All the time he spends around that irksome squirt and her bird-loving buddy, and you don't think he's once tried anything funny with one of them, too? Ah, I can only imagine the indecency…"
"Hm…!" Twitch pondered further, her frustration turning into anger at the mere mention of Sky, whom she already harbored nothing but bitter resentment for. But, much as she hated to admit it, Risky raised a compelling argument.
"Are you just pulling our legs, or are you dead serious about that?" Vinegar spoke up, just a tad skeptical about Risky's story. "That whole tale sounds awfully fishy, and I don't know that you're a reliable source of information."
"I wouldn't have mentioned it if it wasn't true, Veronica," Risky nonchalantly replied. "I'm just trying to save your best friend Theresa from making a huge mistake by trusting such a handsy cur when no other girl within fifty feet of him—myself included—can trust him not to do anything weird. Buuut, if that's the type of guy you want, then who am I to stop you? If you're still having doubts, I certainly wouldn't mind letting you interrogate him once we captured him. Doesn't that sound grand?"
"Hmph. I still don't really buy it, but… it isn't like you're giving us any better options," Vinegar dismissed. "I… also don't really like the idea of pulling the wool over the eyes of someone we just made friends with, but if what you're saying IS true, then… I… I guess it's at least worth it to investigate," she further acquiesced, seeming to be coming around to believing Risky as a sense of distrust in hers and Twitch's new 'friend' arose within her as well. "My only question is why you're so fixated on snatching him up rather than, say, Shantae, whom EVERYBODY knows you've got a nasty beef with."
"I'm sure I mentioned that I tried that once already, and it didn't yield the best result," Risky answered, a sour look plastering itself across her face as she sneered. "Shantae knows too much about me, so the straightforward approach is what she'd expect. As I've learned, however, getting to her friends would grant me a much better chance of getting her right where I want her. Oh, and I should probably mention that if any one of you gets the bright idea to try and warn them instead of following my orders, I'll know, and I'll utterly obliterate you where you stand for even thinking of it. I'd strongly advise you play this out the smart way for your own safety."
"Yeah, yeah, we know. It isn't like we're that closely connected to them anyway, but I can't say I like the way you operate. Much too sneaky and underhanded, even for our standards."
"There's the teapot calling the kettle black," Risky shot back.
"Whatever… As long as you don't go destroying any more of our base or pilfering any of our now-limited resources, then we're good to go," Ammo Baron interjected with a sigh and a nervous scratch of his head. "If taking down one guy helps me save my army from you, then it's an offer I'd very much like to refuse, but one that I know I shouldn't."
"That settles it, then. Uh… You game, Twitch?" Vinegar asked, concerned for her friend's wellbeing.
"…I don't know…" she dismally responded, her heart pounding furiously like it was on fast-forward as she found herself almost entirely lost in thought about Risky's suggestion that Tay may not have been as thoughtful as she'd initially envisioned. One particularly chilling and unnerving thought she had was that he hadn't even attempted to contact her using the Ammonian Transceiver she'd secretly loaned to him. She was already wary enough of the possibility that he didn't return her feelings, but… being hit with a bombshell like what the pernicious Pirate Mistress had revealed? On top of what had already been witnessed of the soldier's behavior around girls other than Twitch herself? And, as Risky mentioned… what WAS he up to when Twitch wasn't around? The seeds of doubt firmly planted and growing rapidly in her conscience, the young woman's mood suddenly shifted to total cognitive dissonance; exactly as Risky planned as the devious swashbuckler watched on in silent glee. "I… I guess so… I'd rather hear both sides of the story, so…"
"Excellent!" Risky proclaimed, having taken their collective uncertainty as their agreement to help construct a wicked plot to kidnap Tayshan (again) to ultimately lure Shantae into an inescapable trap of most diabolical proportions. "Alright, while we have the time, why don't we discuss some of the details on how this is gonna carry out, hm?" she took the lead, gesturing for her new (coerced) allies to huddle together and drum up a game plan… which, as you may have guessed, was not for our ears, as Risky would have ripped them off using rusty pliers if we tried to eavesdrop. So, without missing too many beats, we make our conveniently timed transition…
Elsewhere…
LOCATION: SCUTTLE TOWN LIGHTHOUSE (OUTSIDE), SCUTTLE TOWN, SEQUIN LAND
DATE: SEPTEMBER 25TH, 16 P.G.F.
TIME: 2203 HOURS
"Gosh, Aash… I didn't know you were having this many doubts about us so soon…" Shantae pondered as she and her new significant other sat on the wooden bridge just outside her home, gazing into the stars and conversing with one another after a long, grueling day of underwater adventuring. "I mean… I half-expected this to be something we'd be talking about, but wow…"
"It is not that I have doubts about us as a couple, kanafeh," Aashiq clarified, sighing in what sounded like a deep sense of concern as he adjusted the sling his arm had rested in following his shoulder being dislocated and subsequently fixed during their last crusade. "It is that… after the events of our journey, I fear that we may have… jumped the gun, so to speak…"
"Jumped the gun? I mean, I get what you're saying, but… you're the one who asked me out. Now, you're telling me you feel like you shouldn't have?"
"Not quite. I desire nothing more than to be by your side, Shantae, and to support you in any capacity that I can. I thoroughly enjoy being together with you after all the time we spent away from one another. However, my concern lies in that… well… I am… coming to the realization that I am… not good enough for you…"
"Aash, come on, don't say things like that," Shantae consoled, nudging the young man as he sat next to her. "After all we've been through, and after an adventure as hectic and as incredibly dangerous as this last one, we should be celebrating the fact that we pulled it off on top of celebrating that we're finally a couple."
"Yes, but it is rather difficult to celebrate in my condition and after we nearly lost our lives in the confines of a sunken, trap-infested temple teeming with ferocious monsters," he remarked, momentarily flashing back to the many traumatic moments during their trip that left a lasting impact on the unfortunate Hypnotist apprentice. "And, believe me, I would have loved nothing more than to commemorate our union, but… it just feels… undeserved…" he admitted, his gaze turning toward the gleaming stars above them.
"I don't exactly know how to convince you that you 'deserve' to be with me, but I'll tell you right now that you shouldn't worry about that. We've known each other for way too long for that to even be a thought for us; at least, that's what I think. You do have a point about how bad things got on our last trip, but don't let that get you down. I told you, I won't let anything else happen to you, as long as we stick together."
"That is another concern I have been mulling over," he replied, growing more worried as he turned his gaze toward her. "I would not want you to have to watch over me during journeys as arduous as the Siren's Requiem Labyrinth if it means I would potentially drag you down like I already have. I-I mean… there were multiple points at which I had to be saved by either you or Tayshan, and… and I feel incredibly guilty that you both suffered to keep me safe…"
"Aash, stop. It's okay," Shantae assured, rubbing his back as she looked directly into his eyes. "Tay and I have been working together long enough to where we rely pretty heavily on each other, and just by teaming up with me these past couple weeks, he's learned how to survive and navigate environments like that labyrinth all on his own. Granted, I … I know things got really bad for him this time around, but that's why we ultimately stick together as a team. You're capable of learning as you go, too. I won't pretend like I don't know that Tay's got a literal world's worth of other past experiences from before he and I even met that help him adapt, but above all, it just takes time, practice, and patience to build your skills up. I can vouch for that myself."
"…Much as I appreciate the sentiment, darling, I cannot bring myself to believe I would be capable of handling a job as taxing as regularly embarking on the sorts of adventures you partake of," he politely, yet sadly rebuffed. "While I still hope to become a competent and seasoned magician in my own right, I can tell already that perhaps I am not cut out for your line of work. It is quite intensive; more than I could have ever imagined." At that, Shantae drew in a slight, disheartened gasp as he confessed his lack of confidence in his ability to handle Shantae's adventures.
"Aashiq…"
"I find myself repeating the events of the day in my mind, and every time I do so, I find myself growing more uncertain about how much I truly contributed. Considering the events of that ambush by the lady pirate Risky Boots's minions where Tayshan saved me from an explosive device, only to find himself completely immobile from magic fatigue as a result… I was totally incapable of assisting him until I got the idea to call you over… And then there were the multiple instances where you had to slow your pace down before and after we got lost in the dungeon maze, culminating in me nearly dying after falling into a trap and giving up hope until you rescued me at the last possible second… and as if that were not enough, I also must refer to the numerous times of me being caught off-guard by that awful Siren Queen, which resulted in the injuries I sustained… especially to my shoulder. Each and every single one of those times, I found some way to be rendered helpless until at least one of you two bailed me out…"
"All of those were setbacks, sure, but that doesn't mean you should beat yourself up over the way this journey went. It was your first one. No one ever gets it completely right on the first try."
"Shantae…" Aash called to her in a rare show of distress as his eyes began to waver. "Tayshan bravely took a direct hit from a full-force energy blast from that siren monster in my stead rather than allow me to attempt to pull him out of the way… after he spent however much time alone being beaten, tortured, and ravaged not only by the Siren Queen Radiyah, but also by a massive horde of those Tinkerbats that ambushed him shortly before he went in to fight her…" he revealed, a sorrowful tear running down his face at the mere mention of his comrade's condition by the time they found him in the middle of his battle with Lady Radiyah. At that, Shantae gasped in shock.
"What…?" she asked, apparently having not been made entirely aware of the circumstances of her other partner's condition at the time of their battle against the Siren Queen.
"Meanwhile, we were spending so much time on our own, rekindling our friendship, trading stories, and talking about becoming a couple as though our lives were not in imminent peril…" he went on, his heart aching with regret as he focused on his significant other. "And to think, even after we reached the agreement, I completely failed to protect you like I should have been able to… to the point where you used up almost all your strength to fling Queen Radiyah across the arena when I endangered myself again right after Tayshan saved me…"
"Aash, you really don't have to put so much pressure on yourself about whether or not you can protect me or Tay. I'm a hero, and heroes are capable of protecting themselves… well, most of the time, all things considered…" she explained, scratching her head in slight embarrassment. "And while I'm sure he can speak for himself on this, Tay is all sorts of reliable. He can help you, too. Still, it'd be unfair of me to expect you or anyone to leap headlong into danger for my sake every time I found myself in a sticky situation. And even then, this really doesn't have as much to do with you being my boyfriend as you're thinking it does. We're together because we like each other as people; not because I had a standard set about you tagging along on my adventures. Even if you didn't want to go on another trip with me, I'd still want to spend quality time with you, doing things that we both enjoy. Adventuring is my main hobby, but it isn't my only one, y'know."
"Hm… I… suppose you have a point there…" Aash spoke up, remaining concerned about his faith that their relationship would work out. "It certainly brings me relief that you establish such astute distinctions between an adventuring partner and a lover. However, it still concerns me that being present during your journey yielded such a handicap on you that you and Tayshan suffered for it. I cannot accept this as a truth and still somehow find myself worthy to be your boyfriend…"
"Aash, neither of us suffered because of you. Stop blaming yourself for-!"
"Kanafeh, I want to believe that I was not at fault for some of the mishaps we experienced, but there is no doubt in my mind that I was not a healthy contributor," he interrupted. "While I acknowledge my own efforts to make things easier for you, there were far more significant setbacks that were my fault alone… The most useful thing I feel I was able to do was heal Tayshan just enough, so that he would at least be able to get up and walk around… after he threw me out of the way of that magic attack. It is only a wonder that he has not returned to us after three or so hours in the Bathhouse."
"He did also mention something about meeting up with Uncle after he was done there, so I'm sure he's fine now. The Bathhouse should be closed by now anyway, so he's either on his way back, or he's with Uncle. But Aash, I don't know if I'm feeling too good about where this conversation seems to be headed," she revealed, a nervous tinge evident in her voice. "Not to be blunt, but the way you're talking makes it sound like you're really not happy… and, if I didn't know better, I'd say it almost sounds like you want to break up…" At that, Aash went silent, stunned by Shantae's preemptive deduction. Wide-eyed, he merely gawked at the half-genie, momentarily at a loss for what to follow up with. Granted, she was right (which was baffling, to say the least for a multitude of reasons), but he wanted to ease into the topic of whether they should remain together after a mere few hours. Regardless, his silence spoke volumes to poor Shantae, whose expression changed from moderate worry to a somber shock as she absorbed the vibes she'd picked up from him. "…You… want to break up…?"
"…I… I feel as though, after our adventure through the Siren's Requiem Labyrinth, I… I am neither ready, nor worthy to be your significant other…"
"Aash, why?" she asked, her heart sinking harder than a cruise ship with a massive hole in its hull as her eyes began to waver. "We just got started after all the talking we did about how we'd try to make this work. You said yourself that you wanted to be with me and that you felt we were connected from the day we met. You… You were the one who asked me to be your girlfriend… Why are you changing your mind after just a couple hours? I mean, I get it if you were intimidated by the way things turned out on this adventure, but I keep telling you not to let that get you down! Was your time really that bad that you're scared of the idea of being with me now? Did I say or do something that made you upset?"
"No, no, sweetheart, no!" Aash tried to console as he laid a hand on her shoulder. "Through thick and thin, I actually really enjoyed our adventure together! And believe me, if it were not for my shoulder needing time to heal, I would certainly not mind joining you on the next one to at least give it one more shot. It is just… I am thinking back to how we even got to this point, and I feel… like I did not ask you at an appropriate time, nor did I consider the sheer gravity of your quests as you embark on them. It… also further concerns me that in the midst of our conversation leading up to me asking you out, someone else was in grave danger, and we did not arrive to help him until it was nearly too late…" he further explained, causing Shantae to go silent as she found herself impacted by Aash's words.
Not an appropriate time to ask? Then, why did he even bother pushing the envelope while they were down there? Didn't consider the sheer gravity of her quests? That much was understandable, but come on… However, she found her growing frustration tempered by his final statement that their courtship came at roughly the same time someone else was left entirely alone to fend for himself. That much couldn't be denied… which, as far as Shantae thought about it, made more sense as to why Tay had chosen not to be present to hang out with them following their return home. That knowledge caused a guilty knot to form in the pit of her stomach. Still, did Aash really need to consider ending their relationship pretty much as soon as it started? As the half-genie ruminated on his concerns, she broke eye contact with him and began staring deep into the crashing evening waves of the ocean ahead.
"…Shantae…?" Aash hesitantly called to her, reading the unmistakable disappointment on her face.
"…So that's it? Now you don't think this is the right time for us to be together, after you seemed so sure we should be a couple as soon as we got the chance to rekindle our friendship?" she quizzed him, a swirling mix of irritation and disappointment forming within her as she sighed out a hot breath of air that contrasted with the frigid nighttime atmosphere. "And now, you're also having second thoughts about whether it was really a good idea to be my boyfriend in general?"
"I am… aware that my change of heart does come across as rather sudden, so your frustration with me is indeed deserved, Shantae. I will not deny that," he acknowledged, taking his hand off her shoulder as he grew nervous to the point of trembling in his spot. "However, I feel as though I have done you an injustice by convincing you to enter a relationship with me at a point where neither of us appeared certain of whether it was even a good idea…" he trailed off, pausing for a moment to attempt to choose his next words carefully. "I-I mean… when we were discussing the possibility, I noticed you were rather hesitant to draw a definite conclusion on whether you were interested or not. I dare to ask… Were you entirely certain that you wanted to be with me?" Shantae paused for a moment to ruminate on his question before she gave a reply.
"…Not… really, but I had the idea we would work it out over time," she admitted, sighing again as she folded her legs in front of herself and wrapped her arms around her knees as she listened to him. "I kinda… no, definitely thought that maybe this was a little sudden and a little soon after we got reacquainted, but… at the same time, we've known each other for so long and always got along so well… and the more time we spent together today, the happier I got that we were pretty much picking up where we left off… almost as though you had never left Scuttle Town to begin with. And… well… it sort of made me realize I was wrong about what I said to you back in Genie's Hem… about not liking you that way anymore… and, once I figured that out for myself, I… I figured it'd be easy for us to smooth things over, if I gave us a shot… but I guess that isn't really the case now, huh?"
"It very well could have been the case, were it not for me realizing just how much of a detriment it would be to you if I were to ignore the proverbial red flags; those red flags being my ignorance of your responsibilities as a hero, my own inadequacies as a suitable partner, my lack of insight into the commitment aspect of a relationship with one as well-rounded and as wonderful as you, and… well… forgive me for saying this, but… your close friendship with someone else…" he mentioned, at which point, Shantae lost her staring contest with the ocean as she reeled back and turned toward Aashiq, who'd still been looking directly at her as he adjusted himself on the splintery, rickety bridge.
"I hear what you're saying, and… well, the more I think about it, the more it starts to make sense, I guess…" she began, calming herself just a bit before continuing. "I mean, my hero duties are pretty much always going to be time-consuming, and I already know they could put a huge strain on our relationship. That's why I thought it was so great that you wanted to come along. That way, we'd be adventuring partners in addition to being boyfriend and girlfriend… But, I guess that's coming back to bite both of us, considering what happened. And, while your words are always sweet, Aashiq, you don't have to put yourself down to try and make me feel better about us breaking up… You're an amazing person, too; no matter what anyone says. But, as far as commitment goes… Other than what I just mentioned, I can see what you mean, what with us needing to find some way to dedicate time to see each other between points of me spelunking and exploring the land wherever adventure leads me and your own responsibilities with your apprenticeship with Hypno Baron…" she further pondered, moving to adjust her long, silky hair that remained untied as a gentle breeze rolled through the peninsula. "It'd be tough, no doubt. Really tough. I mean, it definitely took us quite a while just to meet face-to-face again, and even that was a chance encounter…" she explained, though she hesitated before she addressed his final point. The mere thought of how to address the nature of her friendship with 'someone else' made her heart skip a beat as she grew hot with apprehension.
"Yes; one during which you were not even in your own body originally," he remarked with a humored shake of his head. "As if the odds of us simply crossing paths again did not feel low enough."
"Exactly," she agreed with a small, forlorn chuckle. "We really hit the jackpot for good and bad luck striking at the exact same time. But, yeah… I suppose maybe it was a little far-fetched to think we could just jump into it simply because we never really got over our crushes on each other… But Aash, you have to understand how excited I felt when you admitted to me that you liked me back. It was like a dream come true. Regardless of everything else, I jumped for joy on the inside when you let me know you were as interested in me as I was in you. And I know I was a little bit insensitive when I said no before, but… well, ignoring the fact you tried to ask both me AND Tayshan out at the same time, seeing you again at that point brought up a lot of unresolved feelings of regret and frustration. But, like I said, after we spent today together, things just felt like they clicked all over again. The anger, the confusion, and the uncertainty just washed away in a flash… It's partly because of that, that I leaned toward saying yes to us becoming a couple when you asked me."
"Hm… Wow, I… I did not consider that at all… Goodness… However, I am now curious. All of that was only partly why you said yes?"
"Yeah… I'll… also admit, I might have… found myself getting a little more curious recently about what it's like to be in a romantic relationship in general, and now I'm realizing it's also because of that, that I jumped the gun just as hard as you did…" she confessed, blushing a bit as she rubbed her forehead with a hand as she felt a slight awkwardness wash over her.
"Oh… Well, I would not fault you for that, kanafeh…" Aashiq acknowledged, finding himself just as guilty as she found herself. "It appears we are on the same page, regardless."
"Yeah… much as I hate to admit it," she revealed again, momentarily cutting her eyes toward the ground, going silent for a moment before she continued. "But then, what does my friendship with Tayshan have to do with you and I not being able to work as a couple?" she felt all but compelled to ask, though she was afraid of what he might reply with.
"A lot more than you believe you let on," he cryptically answered.
"…And by that, you mean…?"
"You two have built a connection much stronger than you and I ever have, and in a much shorter span of time," Aash deciphered. "At least, as far as I have observed. I need not go into detail, but I feel that with a man like him by your side, you have very little to worry about."
"So what, are you implying that I should date him instead?" she defensively asked, seeming to predict that to be the direction in which Aash was headed and growing unusually angry as a result. "Because I already explained that-!"
"No, no, that is not what I am saying at all," Aash cut in with a nervous chuckle as he waved his hand in front of himself as he faced her. "Or… maybe a little. Either way, I am merely stating that you should keep him close. I can tell that he cares very deeply for you; even if he may not outwardly admit it."
"Oh… How do you know that?"
"Because if what I observed of your interactions with him was not enough, I also have a hunch that he took a knife blade directly to his chest for you during our time in the Siren's Requiem Labyrinth without even feeling the need to tell you what he did."
"What!?" she bellowed in utter shock, also not made aware of the event until this point. "When!?"
"When we were on that unstable raft, drifting through the rapids as we fought to keep the monsters at bay. I did not witness the attack itself, but judging by his position when I turned after hearing him yell, and based on what I overheard him saying to the Tinkerbat about it intending to stab you, it appeared he threw himself in harm's way while you were handling the other monsters."
"Oh. Ohh… Ohhhhhh…" she realized, flashing back to those pulse-pounding moments during their exhilarating water ride where they fought temple monsters and Tinkerbats alike. "Wow… and here, I thought it was… and he didn't even say anything about… Wow…"
"Indeed. As far as I have witnessed, he proves himself to be quite dedicated to aiding you at all costs; to a point where I wonder just how far he would go to make sure you do not get hurt."
"Oh… R-really?" she asked, finding herself wondering more about the absent soldier as Aash conveyed his viewpoint. Granted, she knew for herself how far Tay would go to protect her. She already thought that him kissing her was far enough for him. Getting brutally stabbed on purpose, just so she wouldn't be stabbed herself? She couldn't believe it… Her heart began to pound as she let the realization sink in. Just when she thought she knew everything about what he'd be capable of, she always found out something about him that completely surprised her. Just… what kind of guy was he, anyway?
"Yes. And he has done the same for me, despite him and I not even knowing one another well. That alone makes me more worried about how things would go if I continued to join you on such perilous quests. Bringing it back, however, I must apologize profusely to you for… well… for presenting you with such a fanciful idea as us building a new relationship on top of our old one, when at the end of it all, you may have had the right idea all along…"
"That we should either start over and take our time or stay non-romantic friends?" she guessed (more like reminded) as she stretched her legs back out to hang over the side of the bridge.
"Y-yes…"
"Hm… Well… I don't really know…" she uneasily began, her heart thumping harder in her chest as she conceptualized the sheer brevity of their romantic connection and the reasons for it even happening, in addition to the reasons their relationship was ending so soon. "I mean… part of me would prefer that we stay together and try to work things out, but… I also kind of get it that, even though we're very familiar with each other, we still managed to move things way too quickly… Maybe we really weren't ready for each other. Even worse, we did it at a time where someone was left hanging because we got so distracted…" she further admitted, a guilty pang shooting through her abdomen as she instinctively gulped after making her statement. "So… alright. I… now that we've talked, I think we should break up…" she concluded, inadvertently stinging the young, injured magician as he flinched in a surprising sense of heartbreak.
"Wow… That sounded so much more painful actually hearing it from you than it did simply imagining you saying it…" he ironically and morosely stated as he hung his head, even though he was the one who initiated the breakup.
"Aww, I'm sorry, Aash!" she sympathetically offered her apology as she reached over and patted him on the back. "I didn't mean to make you feel bad! But hey, there's plenty of time for both of us to reflect on what we had, and what we can do to improve ourselves. And I'm positive you'll find someone who totally deserves your affection in the same way you showed it to me. And that person, be they a boy or a girl, I'm equally as positive will love you just as much." At that, Aashiq couldn't help but chuckle a bit as he looked toward the ocean and spotted a gigantic marine figure approaching from the distance. At that point, the two of them rose to their feet in preparation for the impending arrival.
"Well, you certainly know how to let a guy down easy, Shantae. You are indisputably an incredible woman," he half-joked, reeling her in for a hug, which she returned without question.
"You wanna talk about me letting you down easy, yet you're the one who just broke up with me… Way to try and spin this to make me look like the bad girl, Aash," Shantae teased.
"Not quite, kanafeh. I never even got the chance to suggest that we break up; you were the one who guessed it, and you were the first of us to reach the conclusion. Therefore, you are actually the one dumping me," he teased back with a chuckle, which Shantae shared as they remained entangled in one another's arms right as the figure, turning out to be Giga Mermaid, arrived.
"You're such a dork, Aash," she lightly teased, mussing his hair with her hand as they separated. "But for the record, this breakup was mutual. I don't want to hear any rumors about how either one of us kicked the other to the curb."
"I shall not even mention a word it," he promised, crossing his index fingers in front of his mouth.
"Mention a word of what?" Giga Mermaid asked, confused about their conversation due to showing up at the very end of it.
"Nothing at all, Giga Mermaid," Aash dismissed.
"Hm… If you say so… Anyway, is it too late to ask you about what happened in the Siren's Requiem Labyrinth?" she posed. "Its destruction could only mean that the fabled, legendary monster hidden within its confines was awakened and subsequently permanently laid to rest…"
"Yeah," Shantae confirmed with a nod. "Apparently, there was an undead Siren Queen in there who wanted to take over the world and turn it into her own siren-ruled utopia after wiping out about half of the world's population… by which she meant all boys and men except for a select few. We had no choice but to stop her, because she tried to kill us. Or rather, she started off trying to kill Aash while taking Tayshan and me as her servants."
"I understand," Giga Mermaid acknowledged, her voice resonating with disappointment. "I feared those Tinkerbats would cause enough of a ruckus to disturb her slumber, and it is even more unfortunate that you had to be responsible for taking her out before she escaped… My apologies."
"You have nothing to apologize for," Shantae assured.
"I appreciate your forgiveness, young Shantae. Although, I fail to see your hilarious sidekick. Is he okay? Did he survive?"
"Yeah, he's fine. He's somewhere in Scuttle Town right now, which is where I'm headed to go look for him. Coming with, Aash?"
"I am afraid I must decline," Aashiq replied, walking toward Giga Mermaid. "I must return to Genie's Hem to explain my extended absence to Master Hypno Baron. Please give Tayshan my warmest regards. I have overstayed my welcome as it is, unfortunately. Giga Mermaid, do you mind taking me home?"
"Of course, I do not mind, Aashiq! Hop aboard!" she pleasantly offered, cupping her hands on the bridge and allowing Aash to hop in. "Your arm… Your abdomen… Were you hurt during your travels?" she asked, noticing the sling and the bruise on his stomach.
"A little, but it is nothing too serious," Aash dismissed, though he did his best to keep his shoulder stationary to prevent aggravating it. "I shall explain the full course of our time in the labyrinth in detail on our way back to Genie's Hem, if you do not mind."
"It sounds like it will be quite the daunting tale. I look forward to hearing your take on your journey," she humbly accepted Aash's offer as she lifted him up to chest level, making sure to keep him secure in her grasp.
"In that case, I'm gonna go find Tayshan. Good night, Giga Mermaid! Good night, Aash!" Shantae bade, waving at her allies as they got set to take off.
"Sweet dreams, kanafeh! And… um…" Aash bade back, though he found himself stumped on what exact words he wanted to use to properly see his ex-girlfriend off. Despite this, he tried anyway. "I-I hope we meet again sometime! Er, y-you know! Platonically! As er… friends… and stuff… like the good old days!" And there you have it; the most awkward goodbye speech ever given from one ex-relationship partner to another.
"Yes! Uh… I-I also wish for us to meet again platonically… as friends and stuff like the good ol' days," she returned, still goofily waving as she involuntarily smirked and nervously scratched her head with her other hand. Yyyyeah, it went without saying that things would probably be awkward between the two of them for quite a while before they could get used to the idea of being friends without the presence of unexplored (or in this case, overly explored) romantic pressure.
"I would also like to make casual acquaintance with you as platonic friends if our paths cross again!" Giga Mermaid chimed in, completely oblivious as she smiled and carefully moved a hand to wave back at Shantae. Little did she know, her interference only made things more awkward.
"Er, sure? Well, until then, I hope you guys see a safe trip home!" Shantae offered her well wishes, which caused Giga Mermaid to giggle.
"I see you have got a small knack for puns yourself," she commented, much to Shantae's confusion. "See a safe trip, because we're traveling by sea…" she further pointed out, revealing that, so long as anything SOUNDED like a pun, Giga Mermaid would find some way to laugh at it. Seriously, maybe SHE should've been the one to narrate this story. I'm sure she'd get quite the rise out of it like high tides (ignore that; that was an accident). But, I digress. Shantae chose not to reply, instead opting to stand, smile, and wave while waiting for Giga Mermaid to turn around and set sail with Aashiq (which she of course did within a few seconds that felt like hours) before turning around herself and heading toward Scuttle Town to find her remaining partner. As one might imagine, however, she felt a painful pang in her heart not long into her trip that manifested from her rather sudden breakup with Aashiq. She did not shed tears along the way, however; she simply glued her eyes to the ground as she strolled along the pathway to Scuttle Town, wondering how something that seemed to be so great, could end so abruptly…
Later on, elsewhere…
"…I'm not really sure why you're askin' me about all that, Twitch. How is any o' this relevant to our goal o' stoppin' Risky Boots?" Tayshan asked Twitch through the Ammonian Transceiver she'd provided to him following his last escapade with her as he sat, leaned up against a tree trunk on the outermost part of the forest on the outskirts of town.
"I'm just concerned that things… well, that they might not be going that smoothly for you… That's all," Twitch spoke through the transceiver, her voice coming out as muffled and scratchy due to the poor sound quality of the device. Through the auditory difficulty, however, one could easily pick up the tone of concern in her voice.
"Whether things are goin' smooth for me or not, grillin' me about unimportant details like what happened durin' my last encounter with pirate girl doesn't seem like the best use of our time."
"It isn't so unimportant when it involves you getting grabby with her," she scolded, apparently upset with Tayshan over a certain incident related to his most recent personal encounter with Risky Boots at the end of a particular mission. "Why didn't you mention that when you told me about your time in that desert the other day?"
"Because it wasn't relevant t' mention then, an' I don't think it's relevant now," he curtly replied, growing impatient with Twitch's badgering. "I didn't think you gave me this thing just t' play an intrusive game o' 20 Questions about what I'm doin' when you're not around or who I'm hangin' with. I'm not even sure at this point how you even found out about us bumpin' int' Risky Boots, much less how you'd even come up with the idea that I did anything weird t' her of all people on purpose. Like I said, what happened there was a complete accident, an' she's been holdin' a grudge ever since. Either way, I still ain't clear on what my tellin' you about that disastrous wrestlin' match with her would do for either of us or our goal."
"It does a lot more than you think, so I'd appreciate it if you answered me a bit more straightforwardly instead of dismissing the concern, Tayshan," Twitch continued to scold, evidently growing more frustrated that Tay was apparently not answering her questions the way she wanted him to. "What happened between you and her?"
"Oh, for goodness sake… I'm not repeatin' myself after this," he irritably replied. "Shantae an' I ran int' Risky, Risky attacked me, that led t' us gettin' into a fight while Shantae fought her Tinkerbats separately, an' Risky eventually wound up on top o' me. I tried t' get her off me, she moved the wrong way, I slipped an' grabbed her, she nearly knocked me out cold for it, an' then in a very unwelcome turn of events, she swore revenge in the creepiest way imaginable before Shantae saved me. Period, dot, the end. What more are you lookin' for?"
"Oh, it must be so simple to admit to something so crude like it's not a big deal, but that's why we have to communicate more effectively! How are we supposed to work things out if you're so busy getting distracted with these other girls that you never even bother to try talking to me? And for that matter, have there been other accounts of other girls getting needlessly close to you?"
"Yo, you are wildin' out right now," Tay sternly rebutted, unappreciative of his Ammonian ally's intrusion into his personal business. "It's one thing t' dig int' my business like I owe you an explanation for every situation I'm involved in where you're not there, but I'm not gonna sit here an' entertain you interrogatin' me to a point where you're expectin' me t' cough up irrelevant information for an irrelevant topic. Like I said, I thought we was supposed t' be usin' these things t' talk about how t' coordinate for team-ups in the future."
"Just answer the question, will you!?" Twitch yelled through the radio, startling the soldier as he flinched in surprise. "Have there been other incidents?" Tay had nearly lost his patience with Twitch at this point, but breathed a deep, heavy sigh before responding.
"None that were my fault or by my own will," he bluntly replied, unsure of what else to say to her. "I'm not out here forcin' myself on people, but yes, other uncomfortable situations have come up; Risky Boots bein' one of 'em. An' if that upsets you, then I'm sorry, but is that the answer you're lookin' for? I know I said I'd be honest about anything I did from the Prickle Stitch Valley on, an' I intend on keepin' my word, but I think you're takin' this too far. Either way, is that gonna help us move along an' focus on workin' together instead o' goin' back an' forth over useless nonsense?" he asked back, though he didn't get a reply. After a few seconds of silence, he grew curious. The seconds began to grow longer before he took the initiative to speak again. "Hello? Twitch?"
"…I can't talk now. We'll continue another time. Good night, Tayshan," she finally replied, though she sounded less angry and more… dare he say, dejected and rushed. Concerned, he tried to call back to her.
"Twitch, hold on. Let's not leave off on that note. I don't think we're bein' too clear about-!" he tried to explain before the channel had been cut, leaving him with loud, obnoxious static as he held the talk button on the device. Realizing what this meant, Tay repeatedly pressed the button a few more times, only to receive static every time he attempted to reestablish contact. Sighing in frustration, he slammed the device on the ground nearby before sighing away some of the resultant anger he'd experienced from what was evidently a very unfriendly exchange with Twitch. "Man, what a weird conversation…" he murmured. "She really just called me up on this thing out o' the blue just t' yell at me about what I shouldn't be doin' around other girls an' why I should be callin' her up more before she basically cut the line on me… I'd almost be convinced we were an old married couple with the way she acts toward me. Shoot…"
And with that statement, he breathed another, deeper sigh as he picked the remote back up and put it away before relaxing himself on the trunk of the tree. However, as he stored the device in his inventory, he noticed something unusual. Reaching in and rummaging around in his pocket, he eventually grasped a foreign object and pulled it out. The object, a tiny rectangular chip of sorts, fitted with all sorts of miniature fixings and colorful attachments that glowed a bright neon purple as he observed it.
"What the…? Is this… a Circuit Chip?" he asked himself, utterly puzzled as to how the object wound up in his possession. "Where did this even come from? I don't remember pickin' this thing up at all. I'm positive I didn't have this thing at all before now, either. Unless…" he pondered, thinking back to his recent crusade through Yarnball Heights and the Siren's Requiem Labyrinth. It didn't take him long to cease attempting to figure out where he got it from, however, considering just how much action-packed, nonstop adventure had happened in the span of one day. He moved on to ponder what he'd do with it, seeming unable to recall why he needed it or why it rested in his inventory. After a moment, however, he put the Circuit Chip away, figuring he'd at least keep it until he could find its use. Afterward, he crossed his arms over his bare abdomen (probably worth mention he was still shirtless) and peered up at the stars as a frigid breeze rolled through and ruffled the lush, bushy foliage in the vicinity. He went silent, beginning to ponder his current situation up to this point and where it would eventually lead him in the long run. His time for contemplation would not last long, however, as his ears were soon filled with the sounds of someone attacking the nearby haunted scarecrows, prompting him to turn his head forward.
"There you are!" A feminine voice called out as its owner attacked one last scarecrow with a thrust kick, causing it to explode into spooky little vapors as its clothing fell to the ground. The individual, a young woman garbed in a sapphire blue two-piece dancer costume and sporting a long, thick, untied curtain of purple hair, casually strolled toward Tayshan as he sat back up, wondering why she was approaching him. "Uncle said you'd be somewhere in or near the town, but I didn't expect to find you here of all places."
"Shantae?" Tay called back with a raised eyebrow, though the sinking feeling in his gut immediately made it apparent that he had not necessarily been desiring to see her at this time. Nevertheless, she closed the distance, stopping in front of him as they locked eyes with one another.
"What are you doing all the way out here, Tay?" the curious young girl asked in a mix of concern and curiosity. "Haven't I told you about the monsters that show up on the outskirts of town at night?"
"I was just takin' some alone time t' collect my thoughts. And yes, you did warn me, but as far as I recently learned, they don't really bother you or give chase if you don't go near 'em. Plus, the monsters are super slow an' super weak out here," he explained, not moving to get up. "I also can't help but notice you're still wearin' your hair down."
"Hm. If that's the case, then I guess I'll take that to mean you've leveled up a bunch since we started working together. And, I don't know if I told you at the time I told Aash, but that Siren lady destroyed my Elemental Hair Tie, so no more hair color-slash-power switches. I'm still pretty bummed about it, but I'll live. I also didn't want to put my old tie back in before I washed my hair. Anyway, mind if I lounge here next to you?" she politely asked with an innocuous smile.
"Go for it, homegirl," Tay permitted with a nonchalant shrug, prompting the half-genie to walk over and take her seat beside her sidekick under the sturdy, leafy plant and stretch out to relax in much the same way he had. "Sorry about the hair tie."
"It's alright. It wasn't your fault," she assured as she made herself comfortable. "Hm… Y'know, this actually feels kinda nice. Ignoring the monsters, it actually seems pretty peaceful out here. The breeze rolling through the trees, the sounds of the nocturnal bugs and birds chirping away, the gentle stillness of the atmosphere as you get a view of all the stone columns in the distance… I can see why you got the idea to spend your alone time out here…" she preemptively began as a means to open up some conversation between them.
"Right…" Tay agreed, though the atmosphere was not what was on his mind at the moment. "Where's your boyfriend?" he asked to immediately address one of many elephants in the room, despite how awkward he felt just conjuring up the question. Shantae, feeling much the same, flinched in surprise that was tempered only because she expected him to ask, and a moderate level of sadness over the fact that Tay had asked her a question she did not have a very satisfactory answer to.
"…Ex-boyfriend, and he was picked up and taken home by Giga Mermaid… He told me to tell you he said good night, by the way," she somberly replied, catching the soldier by surprise as he turned his full attention to her.
"Whoa, what happened?" he asked, concerned for her in spite of his shock at her revelation. "Why y'all break up?"
"Nothing bad, Tay, don't worry," she began, though she had to take a moment to sigh away some of the fresh, stinging disappointment she felt. "It was mutual. We talked while you were healing up and meeting with Uncle, and we concluded that maybe we weren't right for each other after all…"
"After just a few hours o' y'all bein' a couple? Jeez, I don't think I've ever seen or heard a relationship begin an' end that fast…"
"You're telling me," she agreed, her brow furrowing at the thought. "After today's trip, Aash said he… he didn't feel like he was worthy of my attention and that he felt like he would just be getting in the way of my adventures. I tried to explain to him that even if he didn't come for another one, we could make things work, but… then we got into what it would really mean if he and I continued to date when we're going in different directions… and why it was probably a bad idea to start dating in the middle of a trip…"
"Huh… Sounds like a lot went through both your minds," Tay observed, reading the dejection in her tone as she turned her head away from him to avoid him seeing her face. "I mean… There ain't a lot I can say there, Shantae, but I… uh… hm…" he paused, trying his hardest to think of something… ANYTHING to say to her in that moment that would make her feel better. "Er… That sort o' thing can be real hard, but…?"
"…If you're trying to find something to say that would make me feel better, Tay, don't worry about it. I'm not that upset about us breaking up," Shantae clarified, much to the soldier's shock as he went silent while never taking his eyes off her. "I've had some more time to think about it since I set off to look for you, and… weird as it is to say, I'm actually kind of relieved."
"Really?"
"Yeah. I mean, finding myself single again after just going into a relationship with my first-slash-only crush ever is basically the most humiliating feeling in the world, like I've been walking around with a giant 'L' on my forehead after blowing it at a huge dance show…"
"Ouch…"
"'Ouch' is an understatement. But, I'm relieved because I wasn't really sure what I would've been able to do if we were still together."
"What do you mean, if you don't mind me askin'?"
"Well… The amount of time we'd need to devote to seeing each other when we physically live so far apart from each other, the fact that he works for Hypno Baron while I go out and juggle a bunch of different tasks that may occasionally include beating up Hypno Baron, the fact that he's not interested in the slightest in joining me on adventures anymore due to how our journey through the Siren's Requiem Labyrinth went, and… weird as it is to say, I… kind of got the impression that neither of us was grown up enough to accommodate for each other. All that, and while we were talking, we both realized we acted on a whim based on how much we missed each other without really understanding how much we've changed before I said yes to him asking me out."
"Sorta like you mentioned t' him in Genie's Hem," he pointed out, seeming not to be so surprised by Shantae's reasoning.
"Y-yeah…" she admitted, growing more embarrassed once she was reminded of how she made at least some of those exact points when she'd previously rejected Aashiq's offer to date. "I sound really stupid now, don't I? Going back on my word and saying 'yes' to him after I told him 'no' before?"
"Not necessarily," he nonchalantly replied with a shrug, astonishing the young lady as she turned back to him.
"What?"
"That happens sometimes, homegirl," Tay explained. "You run int' somebody you like or used t' like, you find yourself curious about how they've been, an' soon enough, old feelings start to sprout up again. You two were apparently inseparable when y'all were younger. Y'all made that very apparent. I actually got t' see a ton o' that durin' our trip with how much y'all hugged, an' laughed, an' pretty much radiated with excitement just bein' around each other. Y'all picked up where you left off, basically. Plus, you both had feelings that had just been sittin' somewhere in the back o' your minds t' collect dust until you ran into each other again."
"Yeah, but I said to him right in front of you that I didn't think it was a good idea to date. And then… And then I said yes to him anyway the next time he asked… Doesn't that make me look just a little hypocritical?"
"Yes, but it ain't like you're immune to it just because you acknowledged that before you made the decision," he clarified, if not just a little coldly.
"Oh, gee. Thanks, Tay. You're a real picker-upper," she sarcastically remarked as she frowned at him, not expecting him to be quite so blunt.
"I'm not gonna sugarcoat it, Shantae, but I'm also tryin' t' explain that, for what your connection t' him was, I could at least understand why it played out the way it did," he elaborated, noting her displeasure with his remark.
"Could you? That's… interesting," she observed, finding herself intrigued with her partner's words. "Mind explaining a bit more?"
"There really ain't a lot t' explain. In a nutshell: You two spend a bunch o' time together an' grow t' really like each other, he disappears before either o' y'all could make your feelings known, you both try t' get over each other, but one meetin' where y'all got t' really talk to each other again more or less undoes everything y'all tried t' do t' get rid o' your crushes on each other, y'all meet again after that, y'all realize that y'all still click real well, y'all decide t' skip rebuildin' the friendship because it already appeared t' still be there, an' y'all go right int' datin' each other. Tell me if I'm missin' any details."
"Wow, Tayshan… That… That's exactly it! Like, not a single detail missed, hit the nail on the head, pinpoint, bullseye, exactly it! How'd you know?"
"It was just me readin' the signals y'all sent each other," he calmly answered. "I'm no expert, but there wasn't much either one o' y'all was hidin'. That, an' I already kinda-sorta had an experience like that not too long ago, minus the part with rebuildin' or skippin' the rebuildin' of any friendship t' enter a relationship," he further revealed, alluding to a conversation he had with a certain someone he'd harbored feelings for in the past.
"Really? Huh… I had no idea. What stopped you from going down the same path I did?"
"Among a few things, the fact that when I ran int' my old crush again, she was a lingerin' spirit in some random cave light years away from home in a different dimension, an' the fact that once we made amends, she disappeared forever. I ain't have a choice but t' move on, basically."
"Oh," Shantae plainly replied, though it took her a couple seconds to realize the implications of his answer. "Wait. Oh! Ohhhh…" she somberly droned as a result of her epiphany. "Jeez… S-sorry, Tay, I… Wow, I can't believe I almost forgot…"
"Ah, don't worry about it," he assured. "I'm not holdin' that against you. Anyway, my experience gave me at least a little bit of insight int' your experience, in a sense. As in, I completely get how you might have still been fond of Aashiq, even after the extended absence an' the initial decision you made not t' get involved with him."
"That… makes sense, I guess… but what still has me kicking myself is that I got so roped into liking him again that I stopped reading between the lines…" she admitted. "Like, I already had a feeling it wouldn't work between us as we are now, but part of me really wanted it to. I mean, it wasn't more than maybe an hour into us becoming a couple that I gave him my first- er, s-second kiss just before we found you," the young woman further shared, perplexing Tay in the process.
"Second kiss? When was your first?"
"You should know when that was, Tay," she flatly retorted, shaking him to the core. "You were there. As a participant."
"O-oh… Right… That's what you meant…" he sheepishly acknowledged, scratching his head as he momentarily looked away in embarrassment before clearing his throat. "Of course… Um, a-anyway, sounds like y'all moved a lot faster than I thought y'all would. I mean, the most I got t' see was you two kissin' each other after he got his arm messed up. Either way, it was pretty hard not t' notice how close you two got between the beginnin' an' the end of our trip."
"Yeah, I can see that now…" Shantae also recalled, her face growing warm as she temporarily shot her gaze toward the sky. "Uh… By the way, I… I'm really sorry… about leaving you to fend for yourself…"
"Hm? What do you mean by that?"
"Aash told me about what you told him," she explained. "He said you fought off an entire horde of Tinkerbats all by yourself while we were lost in the underground dungeon before you went in to fight the Siren Queen. We… showed up almost too late… Um… I… that must've been really hard to deal with… especially after you ran out of energy."
"Oh. Well… It is what it is," he rather dismissively stated with a shrug, evidently none too fond of the memory.
"You're not upset about it?" she asked, reading his dismissal as having been okay with the circumstances.
"Is that even a question? I'm furious about it," he openly admitted, turning his gaze toward the stone structures ahead of them as he was made to think about how exactly he wound up in those situations. He additionally found himself upset that she would even ask if he had any hard feelings about nearly dying as a result of being left alone to wipe out an army of Risky's minions before being made to attempt to defeat their most challenging Boss monster yet. "I haven't been this angry since I first got t' Sequin Land, but I don't really know how t' deal with it."
"Oh… That's what I figured…"
"I have spent a good chunk o' my time out here tryin' t' find the right words for how t' address this with you, but even now, I don't even know where t' begin."
"Alright. I can understand that," she conceded.
"Can you, though?" he asked back, disbelieving of her assertion. Taken aback, Shantae shot him an expression of complete surprise. "What I went through in those last two rooms in that labyrinth… Shantae, I have experienced nothing… NOTHING like it before. Maybe you can relate t' this much, but findin' yourself trapped in a room deep within some abandoned temple at almost the bottom o' the ocean, surrounded at every turn by Tinkerbats with guns an' explosives, all of whom want nothin' more than t' take you down at all costs, when you're tapped out for energy an' resources, your allies are nowhere t' be found, an' you're desperate to survive… It's a livin' nightmare. I even had a mortally-wounded, dying Melody make me promise her that I'd avenge her before she literally disappeared right in front o' me. That… Even for how unkind she was at first, that… that still hits me… I never thought I'd have t' experience anything like that again, but… shoot…" he confessed, shaking his head in disbelief.
"Goodness…!"
"An' then, despite my best efforts, they almost ripped me t' shreds in under five minutes before…" he paused, for some reason gripped to the point of almost suffocating when he conjured up the harrowing memory of the moment he was at his most vulnerable in the face of the enemy… the moment he feared he would lose everything… the moment where… "…I completely lost control…" he whispered, looking downward and staring at his trembling hands as he ruminated on the inconceivable event of him becoming tainted with a most macabre influence that drove his unspeakable actions that followed.
"Tay, I… I know," Shantae offered her sympathy as she studied the unusual expression on his face. If the half-genie could put it into words, she might've seen pure, unbridled frustration… if not also at least a tiny bit of retroactive fear in his multicolored eyes. She understood, however, what he was alluding to when he stated he 'lost control,' which more or less confirmed her suspicions.
"I can't even clearly remember what happened until I snapped out of it enough t' let the last Tinkerbat go," he further shared to her surprise. "Heck, I don't even know why I let the little cretin escape, despite our goal t' beat them all before they caused too much chaos down there… I just 'woke up' before I attacked it, an' I was so out of it that I… I guess I felt like I tore through enough of 'em that I couldn't even bring myself t' finish the last one off as I had it in one hand and had that knife in the other…"
"Knife?"
"Yeah. The last weapon I remember usin' in that fight against them Tinkerbats was the knife, which I don't even have with me now. Anyway, once I saw the Tinkerbat scurry out o' the chamber, I looked around an' saw nothin' but a giant, empty room littered with red bandanas, monster remains, busted statues, an' weapons all over the place. I barely even got the chance t' question what I did before I got lured int' Radiyah's tomb because she started singin'. Before I knew it, I was right in front of her. And then after that, we started t' fight. An' as we fought, it didn't take long for it t' become apparent that I couldn't win… at least, not without a very unlikely stroke o' luck an' a lot of outmaneuvering her, above all else. The second I slipped up, she made me suffer for it. I don't really want to even go int' detail about what she did t' me before I eventually I got close enough t' get her with a neck strike that stopped her from singin'… but even then, I only scored that hit because o' one more instance of me blackin' out in a blind rage. Only, I remember enough from that time t' know I escaped her grasp an' somehow delivered the blow… After that, though, I had t' dig up every ounce o' willpower I had t' even continue t' fight her through a ton of injuries until you an' Aashiq finally showed up."
"Gosh… I knew you went through a lot, but that must've been really hard."
"Yeah, well it wouldn't have been as hard if you two were there with me from the start like you were supposed to be," he sternly retorted.
"Hey, cool it," she warned, none too receptive of his tone. "I get it if you're mad at me, but you don't have to be rude."
"Hmph. Everything I just told you, an' you're upset about me bein' 'rude'? Shantae, what other way is there t' express that point? We needed t' stick together, but you an' Aash ran ahead an' basically vanished before I could catch up, an' the next time we met, you two were suddenly in a relationship while I'm standin' on my last legs against a boss who had every opportunity to cut me down whenever she felt like it."
"And I said I get that, but that doesn't give you the right to take your frustration out on me!" she yelled, climbing to her feet and glaring at him. "Aash and I didn't leave you on purpose. We fell into a trap set up by Risky's men and got stuck in a completely different part of the temple that took us forever to run, fight, and climb our way out of. We weren't gonna let you get hurt if we could help it."
"Easy for you t' say, when you weren't the one bein' slammed around, strangled, an' stabbed by a deranged, fresh-from-the-dead Siren Queen after bein' shot up an' nearly captured by an unusually large group o' Risky's sneaky little henchmen," he angrily replied, standing up himself and pressing his hand to a fresh set of new scars lined across one side of his abdomen. "I can understand that y'all got stuck in some other part o' the temple, but if we kept ourselves together, either we'd have all been down there, or we could've fought that brigade o' Tinkerbats an' that Radiyah woman as one solid unit. I can completely understand an' drop my beef with everything that happened before that, with you yellin' at me an' blamin' me for not followin' your orders or sayin' things you didn't like, an' yet, bein' so concerned about everything Aashiq did that you both became your own team while I worked more or less on my own, but I don't know if I can just snap my fingers and get over everything that happened once we actually got inside the place."
"What!? Tayshan, what are you even talking about!? You're still fixed on something that happened before we even went to the Siren's Requiem Labyrinth? I never took you to be one to hold a grudge. Also, Aash and I did not 'become our own team' and leave you alone! We were all working with each other the entire time! We were together through all of it up until Aash and I fell into that trap! At no point did either of us ditch or isolate you!"
"No, you an' Aash were workin' together most o' the time. I spent most o' that trip fightin' on my own, an' I just happened t' be near you two. Anything I tried t' do t' contribute was met with criticism up until we got separated."
"Are you serious right now!? You know that's not true!"
"Then whose hand was it you were holdin' pretty much the entire time? Who were the ones showerin' each other with compliments an' praises while collectively an' consistently puttin' the third wheel of a teammate down for not doin' good enough for them!?" he asked, growing angrier as he thought about each question. "Who were the ones gettin' so close an' comfortable with each other that one of 'em allowed the other one, with no field experience, t' tag along on a mission that could've gone south in so many ways that the entire temple should've sank t' the absolute bottom o' the ocean the minute we set foot in it!?"
"That's enough!" Shantae shouted, refusing to be castigated by her partner. "Aash proved himself to be a great teammate during our trip, so don't you DARE stand there and act like he caused more harm than good! Even with as much as he took fault for and as much as he suffered alongside us, he still put in a ton of work that saved both of us! You can't deny that, even if it was his first time! Speaking of, what do you expect me to do when a first-timer tags along? Abandon him and tell him 'sink or swim?' No! I'm obviously going to be right there with him, beginning to end, making sure he understands what it takes to keep himself safe when danger lurks at every corner! I didn't exactly need to hold your hand, Tay, because you already know what the deal is! Even on our first trip through this very forest, you showed me you could handle yourself with some guidance! Aash didn't have the same skillset as you do! So, I'm not sure why you're expecting me to hold your hand, when we're 'X' amount of adventures in, and you've been by yourself at least three times by now! It sounds to me like you got all worked up by Aash just being there! If the case was that you were jealous, then just say that!"
"Argh, Shantae, that is not the point!" he yelled back at her, nearly at the top of his lungs as everything went silent around them. "You will never hear me say Aash wasn't good! I know from experience that he pulled through when we needed him to! And if I need t' make this clear t' you, I don't do jealousy! I'm not even sure why you'd think that I'd be jealous of anything related t' him, or why you'd figure that was the reason I'm so upset with you right now! My issue is that you brought him along when he wasn't ready! What's worse, even he knew he wasn't ready. He admitted that t' me outright when he was tryin' t' heal me. I can't stand t' see people get hurt on my watch, which is why I gave it everything I had for the sake o' the both o' y'all! Yet, he was in harm's way from start t' finish, no matter what we tried t' do t' protect him. He was shot, he had his arm nearly broken, he got choked up, beat down, an' almost sliced open before the end of our trip, an' that's only what I saw. I can't even begin t' imagine what happened t' y'all in the other part o' that two-layered maze. He's lucky t' walk off the battlefield alive with just a shoulder sprain an' a few cuts an' bruises, considerin' what we went through."
"I can acknowledge that, but-!" she tried to cut in.
"The reasons he even wanted to come along in the first place was because you figured he could handle it, an' as far as I saw, it was a chance for y'all t' catch up. An' you already know by now that the last thing I'd ask you t' do is hold my hand, so if I'm givin' that impression, then maybe I ain't bein' clear. My point is that if we're supposed t' be a team, then we should act like a team. I don't care one bit what you said t' Melody about not needin' my or Aash's help; if we're there together, there ain't no room for anybody t' try an' outshine, outpace, or 'help' somebody else in ways that aren't necessary when we all have a common goal an' a need t' cooperate cohesively," he reasoned, shocking the half-genie stiff as she was reminded of what she'd said to Melody as a result of the late siren picking on her for receiving (male) assistance during her trip. "I thought you saw it that way, but I guess I was wrong. If, even after all this time, you think I'm nothin' but a hopeless lapdog t' you, then how about you come out an' say that!"
"…I see I hurt you with that comment, too…" she lamented after momentarily going silent in utter shock at his angry outburst, sulking a bit as she processed his statement. "Look, I didn't mean to say what I said to that siren. I got upset because she kept making fun of me, and after a certain point, I guess I felt like I needed to protect my reputation. I explained to Aash that I meant I could probably have found a way to clear the labyrinth on my own, but that it'd be a lot harder than it was with you guys there. And I meant that I was helping you guys by showing you ways to build your skills like I do, but in hindsight, I made it sound like it was a burden rather than a privilege to have you working with me. I'm sorry about that."
"Oh. Uh…" Tay stammered, surprised that she openly admitted to making the mistake of giving off the impression that she didn't appreciate his assistance.
"And maybe you're right about Aash…" she further confessed. "I really did think he could handle it, though. Like I mentioned in our last argument, I learned to give people a chance because when I gave you a chance, you set a sidekick standard I didn't think was possible at first. But, instead of keeping my conversations with him focused on our task, I… let our past relationship get the better of me. I only realize that now because while we were breaking up, he presented the idea that we might've gotten careless because of how excited we were to be around each other during the trip. And even after we got lost, we still went about our business and became a couple—or, as you put it, our own team—in the middle of finding a way back to surface level, while you were fighting for your life all alone against Risky's henchmen and even the Boss monster. Thanks for being there to protect him, regardless. He really appreciated it."
"…Hey, I think I was a bit harsh when I-!"
"And… when I think about it, I realize I was being unnecessarily mean to you at multiple points throughout the day," Shantae gathered up the courage to put out there, shocking Tay into total silence. "And I owe you an apology for that, too. Tayshan, you're more than a 'lapdog' to me. Much, much more. You're my sidekick. My student. My adventuring partner. But most importantly, you're my friend. One of my best friends. Yet, I still let you down by leaving you to fight for yourself while I got so distracted hanging with Aash that I focused more on that than on protecting the both of you until it was almost too late…" she elaborated, her tone growing sadder in tandem with her facial expression as she looked up at him while they stood in front of one another. "You even became possessed by Dark Magic again, you wound up in so much trouble."
"What? How… How did you know about that?" he had to ask, astonished that she figured that out without him explicitly telling her.
"Uncle vaguely clued me in on it before I showed up here, but I had a hunch of my own, too. Lately, I've been able to sense it when there's a heavy enough concentration of it nearby. I… also feel like I can, in a way, sense when you're in trouble, regardless of whether Dark Magic is there or not."
"You can? How? An' when did that become a thing?" he asked, alarmed at her revelation.
"I don't really know, but… I just can. When Aash and I were lost in the maze, I kept getting this gut feeling that something was wrong on your end; a feeling I hope never to experience again. That feeling was key in leading us on the right path back to you, but the closer we got to finding you, the worse the feeling got. It disappeared after a while, and I would've probably written it off if it wasn't for your eye still glowing silver at this very moment," she concluded as she gestured a finger toward his face. In response, Tay touched the eye Shantae was referring to, taking a moment to contemplate before he made his next statement.
"I… I tried t' see if your uncle could help me out with this, but he said that the only way he knew how t' reverse it was with a Magic Polarizer that he didn't have anymore…"
"Which I'm sure he probably let you know was lost in my last crusade to stop Risky Boots. Either way, Tay, that shouldn't have happened to you. The fact that the Dark Magic changed the color in your eye means that we've gotta be more mindful of how much stress we're under while we're on our quests. I didn't think it could get to you like this, but I probably should've taken the hint from when you became possessed in my body back in Genie's Hem."
"…Yeah. You warned me about it from before even that point," he replied, still poking at his eye. "I just took it for granted before it actually hit me today; at least, in my own body. I also didn't think it'd transfer over from our time fightin' that wizard. All I really know now is that stayin' calm an' in control is key in makin' sure I don't have another outburst. I… I don't know at all what I'd be capable of if I let it take me over again. Just based on what happened in that temple… It was such an astoundin' lack of conscious awareness, an' such unfathomable boilin' rage that welled up inside me that I destroyed almost everything I touched… an' even though I can't remember much, I have just enough memory to know I can do some serious harm if I wind up like that again. I won't lie, Shantae; it scares me…"
"I know how you feel, Tayshan. I really, REALLY do," she agreed, stepping closer to him and planting a hand on his stomach to inspect his scars up close. "I was there before. Not quite to the extent you faced it, but I was there. I'll look out for you, no matter what, though. Just like how you've looked out for me," she added, sliding her hand upward toward his shoulder, where another small scar had been present. She took a shaky breath as she was reminded of how he got it, just by looking at it. "And if I can help it, I'm sure we can find a way to at least get your eye back to normal," she concluded, shifting her hand up further to where she'd been cupping his cheek. Tay, despite being thrown off by her disarming gesture, maintained his composure… well, mostly, as he felt his heart begin to beat heavier as a result.
"As always, I owe you my gratitude, homegirl," he generously offered, taking a deep breath to calm his nerves. "And… Hey, sorry for givin' you such a hard time today. I understand that you're doing your absolute best t' keep this place safe, an' I… I should be more respectful o' that instead o' makin' things harder for you. I also didn't mean t' blow up on you like that. It just gets a bit complicated sometimes t' figure out where we're at exactly, considerin' everything that's happened since we started workin' together. It's even more complicated when we've already got so much longer t' go before we actually accomplish our main goal, in addition t' what's at stake with the longer this situation carries out…" he further explained, briefly flashing back through a series of recent memories of his experiences as he pondered how they would stop their shared enemy without said enemy causing more mayhem and destruction than she already had.
"Water under the bridge, Tay. We both had a lot going on today, so it's nothing to dwell on. And I get it. I understand that… that maybe we weren't on the same page like I thought we were up to this point. I'll do my best to make sure we can cooperate like the titanic team we are from here on out. For now, though, let's just make sure we're better prepared for the next quest, alright?"
"You got it, boss," he agreed, finding the courage to return her friendly gesture by gently planting a hand on her head and rubbing it a bit. As it appeared, the two of them had just about made amends with the focus of maintaining and building upon their partnership. However, there were still at least a couple of uncomfortable topics to address. "Uh… I should ask, though. Are… you gonna be alright? Y'know, like… are you absolutely sure you're not upset about breakin' up with Aashiq?"
"Eh… I-I'll get over it," she hesitantly answered, not certain of if she could believe it for herself as she thought about what she'd gained and lost in a span of a couple hours. "I think… sometime this century…"
"That answer doesn't sound too certain. Tell me what you really feel, homegirl."
"…To be perfectly honest, Tay, I feel like the biggest loser on the planet," she flatly remarked, sulking as she removed her hand from the young man's face. "I mean, I know we probably couldn't have picked a much worse time to start our relationship. I can definitely understand that now. But it still hurts all the same that it ended before the day did…"
"Aw, come on…" Tay consoled, rubbing her head, though he did feel bad for her. "It ain't like he's the only guy in the world for you. Plus, who's t' say y'all won't get another chance in the future, be it with each other or with other people?"
"Yeah, but he's the only one aside from you who actually knows me in and out and accepts me for who I am. I know I've also got Rotty, Bolo, and Sky, but there's stuff that you and/or Aash know about me that none of them do. It isn't very easy coming across guys like you two, who can get past all my awkward quirks, my numerous flaws, and my 'hero' status and treat me like a regular person."
"Er, I mean… if you're just gonna throw THAT at me…" he nervously replied, stiffening at the implications of her assertion.
"I know, but it's true. You said it yourself; Aash and I picked up right where we left off during this trip, and even though I had my doubts, I still kinda wanted it to work out for us. In one day, he went from my first crush to my first boyfriend to, as of maybe an hour ago, just another guy I'm familiar enough with to call an acquaintance. Now I wonder… Does that even count as my first relationship? I mean, we kissed a couple times, sure, but who the heck breaks up with their boyfriend after not even half a day? I almost feel… like I was robbed… or, I dunno… baited and switched… or something… like a dream that you wake up from before a really special moment happens in it, and you spend the next ten minutes either trying to convince yourself that the dream was real because of how great it made you feel, or trying to go back to sleep to finish it before you either forget what you were dreaming about or you realize forcing yourself back to sleep won't work… I… I just… I'm so disappointed, even though I shouldn't be… I… Ugh…!" she quickly gave up trying to explain, groaning in frustration as she squeezed her eyes shut. Taking that as a sign she wasn't coping well, Tay pulled her in and hugged her, much to her surprise.
"It's okay, Shantae," he offered his vote of encouragement. "If you're angry about it, it's alright t' be. Just the fact that you two were able to finally communicate your crushes to each other after all the time y'all spent apart is an accomplishment not a lot of other people in your situation can speak about. Shoot, I know for a fact that I'm a part o' that 'didn't confess in time' crowd, so you've already done way better than I ever have. An' uh… Er, h-hey, it still sounds like you both handled the breakup maturely. At least, I hope…. Um… I-if anything, y'all hopefully don't wind up like Sky an' that slug dude…" At that, Shantae found it in herself to giggle at Tayshan's awkward attempt at consolation.
"I had a hunch you'd be awful at this, and I was right," she teased as she shifted her head to look at him, much to his chagrin as he looked down and pouted at her.
"Hmph. Excuse me for not havin' the qualifications of a seasoned relationship counselor. You an' Sky have made that painfully obvious t' me."
"Could've fooled me, considering you knew to a 'T' every step of how Aash and I got together."
"Well, I DID say y'all made it abundantly clear you were still sweet on each other. Didn't take a professional psychologist t' point that out."
"Fair," she conceded, still allowing herself to be wrapped up in Tay's arms as her heartbeat quickened. "I'll admit, I'm not exactly the smoothest with keeping my feelings under wraps."
"I won't fault you for that; especially because you're far from the only one that experiences that sort o' thing at times."
"Speaking from experience, Tayshan?"
"Too much experience," he confirmed, sighing away some of the dread he suddenly felt as a result of being reminded of his own 'relationship' troubles. "An' none of it good."
"Judging by the sound of that reply, I think I know what you're talking about," she deciphered. "And presuming my idea's the right one… I do sort of wonder what you plan on doing about Sky and Twitch, Tay. That can't go on forever."
"Wow, you're good," he confirmed. "But yeah, that really shouldn't be as much of an issue as it is. I already told both of 'em I wasn't interested in datin' until I at least figured out if I'd be stuck here forever or if there was still a chance t' return t' my world. Sky said she'd ease up on me, but Twitch makin' her desires as apparent as she's made them—not t' mention how aggressive she's been—has been forcin' Sky to go back on her word."
"That makes sense," Shantae acknowledged with a grain of salt. "But then… I mean hey, having Twitch call you 'daddy' seems like a pretty open invitation for her to be more eager about claiming you for herself, don'tcha think?" she dared to drill him, causing him to flinch in utmost embarrassment.
"Hey, hey, I did not tell her t' call me that!" he confessed in a flustered panic. "She made some smart remark after I told her an' Sky I'd be takin' the lead in that airborne tower, an' me bein' such a master at pickin' the worst things t' say at the worst times, I told her I'd give her a reason t' call me her father if she continued t' act up instead o' listenin' t' me. I swear!"
"I know, it's alright… You might've guessed I learned that from Sky, but I can't help but imagine what you trying to take the lead would look like in that scenario," the young woman pondered with a highly amused chuckle at his shameful comment.
"Oh, don't you go grillin' me like I don't know how t' lead a squad," he jokingly shot back as he smirked. "I just… don't know how t' handle when squadmates find every chance t' twist your words int' somethin' completely outrageous… I'll admit that much."
"I'll take your word for it, Tay," she acknowledged with a smiling nod. "Anyway… After this long, you've surely come up with an idea of which one of them you'd pick… right?" she asked, growing nervous as she continued to allow him to hold her.
"I'm about as certain now as I was when this first became an issue that I don't really want t' date, period," he confessed with a tinge of nervousness. "An' even if I was t' choose one of 'em, I can't really see how that'd work when I spend so much time around you that people already have the wrong idea about us." At that, Shantae could feel her partner's skin warming up as his breathing grew heavy. But then… she sort of felt her own body react the same way. Shaking it off and silently dismissing it, however, she continued.
"Good point, but I'm still a little worried you might get yourself in trouble."
"Dang, I still haven't shaken that 'shameless flirt' idea out o' your head yet?" he flatly asked.
"No, no, not that," she laughingly answered. "I mean because neither of them seems to want to give up simply because you tell them 'not right now.' I'm more concerned that they'll eventually force you t' choose one of them at this rate."
"In that case, I only hope either that day never comes, that I can settle it once an' for all once it DOES come, or that I can rely on you t' bail me out in the worst-case scenario."
"And what exactly would you expect ME to do to save you?" she asked rather incredulously, though she was eager to hear his reply.
"Either find some way t' turn me into a chameleon so I can camouflage my way out o' there, or tell 'em you're claimin' me for yourself. Whichever one sounds more realistic," he joked, causing Shantae to shoot him a surprised look that caused his heart to sink. Realizing he'd made another unsavory comment, he instinctively let go of her and took a silent moment to choose his next words carefully. "S-sorry, homegirl… I keep forgettin' you hate it when I uh… make jokes like that…" he stumbled to try and explain before she gave her reply.
"Well, Tay, in the unlikely event that you become my new boyfriend, I suppose you could count on that," she replied with such an adorable blushing smirk that threw him so far off his game that one could see his brain orbiting the moon. "I wouldn't put all my eggs in one basket, though. Until that time comes, I've got a ton of practicing to do to learn a spell where I can transform people other than myself into animals. I've got your back either way, but as long as neither of those options is on the table just yet, I suggest you make up your mind about them on your own while you have the time," she further joked with a giggle.
"…You… You're… not mad…? About…?"
"No, don't sweat that. I know I screamed at you about this sort of thing earlier, but it was mainly because I didn't expect you to be a fan of that kind of humor," she assured. "It… probably didn't help that I was worried about what Aashiq would think of me at the time after uh… well…" she trailed off, blushing harder as she turned away and cleared her throat. "After he saw us…"
"I know what you mean," he interjected, also blushing as he looked down toward the grass beneath his boots and rubbed his forehead. If I had to guess, it appeared that he didn't want to even think about, much less mention the event in question. Regardless, he stopped contemplating what to say to address such a massively uncomfortable topic once he noticed that his holster was empty. After a moment, he found himself looking back at her. "That actually kinda reminds me…"
"What, your gun?" she guessed before he even had the chance to ask for it as she reached into her top and pulled the shiny firearm out. "Here ya go," she nonchalantly stated as she tried to hand it to him. Rather than take it immediately, however, Tay craned his head, glancing at the gun before glancing at Shantae as she held it out for him to take. Noticing her sidekick's hesitation, she cocked an eyebrow as she returned his baffled stare with one of her own. "…Uh… What? Why are you looking at me like that again?"
"You need a better hidin' spot for your inventory, homegirl," he carefully remarked as he shook his head. At that, the half-genie scoffed.
"Really, Tay?" she incredulously asked, unreceptive to his sage advice as her face grew hot. "All this time, and you're still worried about where I keep my items? I already told you that I don't have traditional pockets and that my inventory was the next best thing. As a former inhabitant of my body, I figured you understood my struggle by now."
"Trust me, I definitely do," he assured, though he remained reluctant to reclaim his weapon. "An' it's partly because o' that, that I'm makin' the suggestion."
"Well, while your concern is appreciated, I assure you it isn't that big a deal."
"It is t' me…" he sheepishly murmured, growing more flustered as their latest disagreement over where Shantae should store her items played out. Hearing him loud and clear, however, Shantae resisted the urge to explode with embarrassment at the comment. What did he mean by that, exactly? Before she could think further on it, however, she scanned him up and down just once and breathed a pressured sigh to dispel her apprehension. Afterward, she replied.
"Hmph. Easy for you to say, since your pants have all those pockets and compartments for just about everything you carry. Not everyone has the luxury of having access to a million storage spaces in one pair of pants," she teased with a smirk. "You should just be glad I remembered where your gun was this time."
"Sure, but for the record, the problem wasn't that you didn't remember where it was last time; the problem was that you 'remembered' a little bit too soon, an' then you grabbed my 'other' gun without lookin' first," he shot back, causing her jaw to drop as she lowered the hand in which she was holding his handgun and gawked at him, utterly floored by his casual mention of… a certain embarrassing firearm-related incident. Hoo boy… this is the epitome of awkward… Uh, anyhow… Reading Shantae's shock, Tay instantly regretted every word of what he said as his brain began to race for things to say to cover himself for figuratively shooting himself in the foot. "…Uh… I… Wow, I am so sorry I…" he was about to apologize before his train of thought was completely interrupted by the sound of whimsical laughter coming from… well, if his ears were working correctly, right in front of him.
Taking a few seconds (that felt like hours) to blink and shake his head enough to check if his senses were betraying him, he took one more look at Shantae to see that, of all things he'd expected her to do in this situation… he'd never expected her to bust out laughing to the point that she had doubled over, holding her hand over her eyes in response to such a scandalous comment. Never feeling less certain of what was happening in front of him, the startled soldier froze, nervously waiting for Shantae to suddenly get angry and smack him halfway into another dimension (not necessarily his own dimension, mind you) for making such a crude remark. However, what shocked him further was that such a moment never came. Instead, Shantae spent the next few seconds recovering from her humored burst of enjoyment as she wiped her eyes and took a breath to recuperate before she turned her attention back to him.
"…What is goin' on…?" he stammered in complete and utter shock.
"Ah, now that was a good one," she smilingly praised, much to his total astonishment as he listened to her. "Wow… You never cease to surprise me. Your 'other gun', huh?"
"I… uh…"
"Whew, I needed that laugh," she confessed, resisting the urge to giggle some more at a joke her partner apparently didn't even mean to make.
"…Wh-what?" he tried to ask, his surprise and befuddlement written all over his face; something Shantae took additional humor in as she chuckled some more.
"Your reaction makes it even funnier," she graciously informed him as she tried again to hand him his firearm. Though still way beyond baffled, Tay got Desert Eagle from Shantae once again and secured it in his holster while still staring at her in unadulterated bewilderment. "Tay, it's alright," she informed him, tapping a hand on his chest. "If you're expecting me to be upset about that joke, I'm not; I'm perfectly okay."
"Really now?"
"Yes, really. So, you can stop looking at me like I grew three extra arms," she leniently advised him.
"Oh, uh, r-right," he acknowledged, fixing his face to where he wasn't cluelessly gawking at her. "Still, sorry about that comment…"
"No need to apologize, Tay. I should probably be apologizing to you for uh… my awful mistake…"
"Uh… that's alright," he uncertainly forgave. "I mean, I guess I could understand how you could… er… how… you might have… not been able t' tell the difference in that situation?" he awkwardly tried to spare himself the embarrassment to say, though it only caused his mentor to burst into another fit of laughter that caused him to tense up as his face became hotter than summertime hamburgers fresh off a grill as he batted his gaze somewhere else and groaned. "…VERY poor choice o' words, now that I realize it…"
"Wow… You're too much…" she pointed out, mirthfully shaking her head before she paused to collect her thoughts. "I still wonder, though, if uh… We… need to have another talk…?"
"…Nah, I'm alright," he uh… 'skillfully' denied. "If you mean what I'm thinkin' you mean, then there is nothin' I could say now that would make a discussion like THAT happen without it gettin' as weird as it could possibly be."
"Yeah, but Tay…" she began, her smile fading as she grew uncertain of how to word her next statement. "Umm… How… do we… uh… I guess, make sure what we said about 'keeping it professional' stays firm in our minds after all we've been through?"
"Good question. I uh… can only say that uh… As a male… er… things happen?" he nervously and avoidantly admitted, shrugging as he shot her a befuddled look. "I mean hey, you've… been me before, so, like… uh… in no better words, physical situations will cause physical reactions. It's… not somethin' that can always be controlled."
"…I guess that's true that I SHOULD know a little bit about how boys function by now, having spent so much time around you, and even a little bit of time AS you…" she admitted as well, seeing his point. "And I definitely hear you on the 'reactions' bit. But still… as a female… um… I uh… it's pretty difficult not to… gather an idea of sorts… from what happened… and that's made even more concerning, considering what I remember about our time in Genie's Hem in relation to this," she brought up as she found herself reminded of her experience of being in his body, much to his surprise as his eyes widened. "…And I'm only bringing THAT up now because of your point about reactions…"
"So, what idea are you gettin' at?" he dared to ask, thrown off by her equally avoidant explanation of her concern regarding him.
"Uh… W-well… I don't quite know how to put it in a way that won't come across as completely awkward, but… since we're basically drowning in it together right now, I may as well come out and ask it to try and get it out of the way… Tay, do… you uh… do you… find me… um…" she stammered, losing her nerve as her face grew so red that it almost resembled a purple-haired bell pepper. Her eyes bored holes into the ground as she crossed her arms and attempted to finish her question. "…Wow, I'm too scared to even try to ask it…" she muttered, instinctively nibbling on the knuckle of her index finger.
"…Ah, I knew this would come up eventually…" he lamented, growing just as flustered as he shot his gaze elsewhere and rubbed his forehead with a hand. "And… well… to spare you the embarrassment of havin' t' ask, then… Y-yeah… I mean, I thought I made that apparent when we first met, but I guess with the longer we've been around each other, the more evident that became…" he admitted, causing her to perk up as she immediately directed her thoroughly astonished gaze back to him. Before she could ask him to elaborate, he spoke further. "But I'm fully aware of our current status an', more importantly, how long it took us just t' start talkin' to each other again. I swear, I haven't let it get in the way of our primary goal, an' I won't start now. An' I definitely don't plan on lettin' it get in the way of our friendship. Granted, since we've already made our stances clear, I can assure you there's nothin' t' worry about."
"Oh. O-okay. Cool…" she acknowledged, nervous to the point of almost trembling as she and Tay tried their hardest to climb over this utterly gigantic mountain together. "I mean, I… guess I should admit that I'm flattered. Really, I am. Like, REALLY flattered… that you think of me that way… awkward as it is to say, it's… I guess I'll say it's… sweet of you to be honest with me… I… appreciate it…?" she admitted, though such an admission put a sudden and acute pressure on her, as she was uncertain of if she would also get the… dare she say, 'hot seat' to come clean herself. Hearing his reluctant confession sent a subtle, swirling mix of excitement, uncertainty, and even a tinge of curiosity dancing through her mind as she briefly thought about her own sentiments toward him before he spoke up.
"You're really not makin' this easy for me when you say things like that. I hope you know that…" Tay timidly complained, scratching his head in anxious bewilderment.
"Oh. Sorry, I'm just… thinking out loud," she excused herself, shaking herself out of her train of thought. "Er, anyway, I'm also relieved to know we're maintaining our boundaries. I have to ask, though… Are you sure about that? As in, you're not going to treat me any differently because of… that?"
"Hm. I haven't treated you any differently before, an' as long as we're on the same page, I don't see a reason t' treat you any differently now. The day that happens, is the day I give up bein' at your side t' see this war with Risky Boots to the end," he vowed, taking a deep breath and planting a hand over his heart as he solemnly gazed at her. "I promise." Reading his expression and processing his words, Shantae went silent for a moment. Taking a deep breath of her own, she calmed her nerves enough to make her next statement.
"Awesome. You haven't broken any promises yet, so I feel like I can trust you to keep your word; no matter how hard it gets." At that, Tay completely lost his serious energy as his jaw nearly hit the floor.
"…Oh, no you didn't. Shantae, did you just…?" he had to ask, caught completely off-guard as he gestured a hand toward her. Internally, he expected her to be totally innocent and predictably ask him what he meant. However, that would be too… well, predictable. Instead, what had happened was…
"…Maybe?" she sheepishly admitted with an innocent, yet ironically mischievous grin as she shrugged and stifled a chuckle. Yeah, forget his jaw hitting the floor; Tay almost found his jaw completely dislodging and crashing hard enough to put a dent in the ground, he was so astonished. "I… won't lie. I was kinda hoping that one would fly over your head…"
"Wow… An' yet again, you completely shatter my image of you into a billion pieces with the more we dig into each other…" he remarked, shaking his head in utter disbelief.
"Oh, good, because I haven't done that enough already, right?" she asked, her cheeks remaining hotter than neutron stars as she giggled away some of her nervousness. "I almost don't want to find out what you think of me now, but I remain forever curious."
"In a few words… You're a naughty girl underneath that sweet, bubbly exterior o' yours…" he concluded, shooting her a most suspicious stare. "I tried so hard not t' believe it, but the cat's out the bag now. There's no denyin' it."
"Naughty? That's a little harsh, don'tcha think?" she complained, pouting at his accusation.
"Harsh, but accurate," he nonchalantly answered, standing firm by his opinion. "I dare you t' convince me otherwise."
"No, no, I'd rather not, for fear of possibly sinking your opinion of me lower than it already must be…" she denied the challenge, huddling into herself a little as she instinctively worried that he might've viewed her in a negative light as a result of her joke.
"Low? No, not low at all. My opinion of you is still high as can be, if that makes you feel better," he clarified. "I'm just sayin' that you've got some interestin' proclivities that I'm pickin' up on with the more we get t' know each other."
"Oh. That's understandable," she agreed and nodded, though his statement brought her some relief. "Well, here I am, Tay. The one, the only, the 'Half-Genie Hero,' the otherwise-normal teenage girl, Shantae in all her awkward, goofy, nerdy glory," she oh-so proudly presented, stretching her hands outward from her sides.
"Well, it's an honor an' a privilege t' know what is basically the REAL Shantae, who I would say is more down-to-earth than 'awkward,' more lively an' entertainin' than 'goofy,' an' more unique an' endearin' than 'nerdy,' if you want my honest opinion. You're one in a hundred million, homegirl. Don't let anybody tell you any different," he remarked. To say that his comment touched her was an impossibly huge understatement. For a moment, she froze, gawking at him as he confidently grinned at her, seeming so certain that he liked her as the person she was, that, even after all they'd been through, he'd somehow always found utmost enjoyment in her company. In that moment, her heart began to pound hard enough in her chest that one could hear its rhythmic beat echoing throughout the spacious, chilly evening atmosphere of Scuttle Town's outskirts. Her cheeks continued to radiate with situational intensity the likes of which she'd not experienced in… well, ever. She couldn't for the life of her identify an exact description of what churning typhoon of emotions began to stir from her very core, but whatever it was… It sent a monumental rush of warmth surging through every inch of her body as her stomach did about five hundred backflips before erupting with butterflies as she continued to blankly stare at him. It was in that moment that Shantae acknowledged for herself something she had been uncertain of, had finally been clarified… but she dared not speak it into existence at this point in time. At this same point, however, Tay began to grow concerned as his smile faded with the longer they remained silent. "Uh… Homegirl? You alright?"
"Tay… I… Wow… you… don't know the half of how that makes me feel…" she shakily admitted to him, her eyes wavering as she continued to stare at him (almost to the point of it being entirely involuntary), trembling with a mix of relief and monumental joy that he thought so highly of her.
"…Uh-oh. Aw, I done did it again…" he lamented, a sudden sense of dread washing over him as he studied her. "Hey, look… I… I get it that I might've been a little excessive there. Doesn't' help after what I just admitted… Sorry…" At that, Shantae burst into a small fit of giggling as her mood appeared to brighten significantly.
"No, no, silly, don't apologize. I meant that I appreciate what you said. Honestly, it… It makes me so glad to know that's what you think of me. Right when you need to, Tayshan… you always have the most impressive way with words…"
"I swear, that ain't always on purpose," he replied, waving his hands in front of himself as he began to drum up more appropriate ways to take responsibility for his 'shameful' comments. "Sometimes, I just say what comes t' mind, an' what I say can come across as different from what I mean…"
"Again, Tayshan, it's okay. You can relax. Like I said, I appreciate your kind words greatly. Like, VERY greatly," she assured him, growing fond of his nervous mannerisms in that moment. "So greatly that I can't even think of a more descriptive way of letting you know how much I appreciate what you said. Thank you…"
"Oh! Oh, alright. Cool, cool…" he understood as he breathed a very heavy sigh of relief, though he remained nervous. "You know me, heh… I'm just uh… callin' it as I see it…"
"And you're definitely calling it well, Tay. Also, in case it's still a surprise to you, I… actually kinda like making jokes as silly as the ones we just made. I just… don't get to do it often. Y'know, because I'm so used to people other than Rottytops being so prim and proper around me that it's sort of made me skittish about that sort of thing around most people. One thing others don't know about me is that I can handle my fair share of… uh… taboo humor, I guess I should say? I have Rotty to thank for that, much as I hate to admit it… but, I still find myself pretty self-conscious over what I'm willing to talk about, and I realize I've set some pretty strict boundaries because of that…"
"Ah… wow, the more you learn… huh. Then again, I shouldn't be as surprised as I am, when we think about the day we spent literally inside each other's bodies, learnin' as much as we did about each other. But, it still astounds me t' learn that about you, ironically enough," he admitted, not-so-secretly stunned by her confession that she enjoyed a wider range of humor than he thought. "On a side note, this Rottytops must be a real charmer…"
"Oh, you have NO idea," she remarked with an unabashed giggle. "And… yeah, we know so much more about each other than two friends probably should ever know in a lifetime… especially considering that you're a guy and I'm a girl. Nevertheless, I hope I can trust you to say NOTHING to anyone about what you know about me, Tayshan?"
"Death before dishonor, Shantae," he smilingly remarked as saluted her and swore himself to total secrecy. "Your information is considered classified and top secret, and will be heavily guarded at all times, and at all costs. In return, may I ask the same of you?"
"Aye aye, captain," she joked, returning a salute with one of her own. "Your secrets will be anchored with me to the Pirate Master's locker."
"Cute," he commented, chortling at her enthusiastic vow of non-communication.
"Glad you think so! And here I was, thinking you hated that word…" she smilingly pointed out.
"Yeah, when it's used t' describe me," he admitted with another chuckle. "I have no other issues with the word except that I don't normally use it. Either way, you fit the description much more accurately. No contest," he added, causing her to flinch, though she contained it as she momentarily turned away, her heart continuing to pound as she adjusted her hair and nervously looked back at him with her cheeks glowing like holiday lights. Reading her mannerisms, Tay nervously got the idea to chill out with the compliments before he said too much and got himself in trouble.
"Erm… Thank you," she sheepishly accepted his praise, pressing a hand to her chest and letting out a deep exhale as she recomposed herself. She found it odd that she'd been reacting to his words this way, but she kept her cool as best as she could as she focused her gaze back on him.
"No problem," Tay acknowledged with a modest grin and a thumbs-up.
"Great. I'm also glad we're at an understanding now," she commented, changing the subject. "In hindsight, though, I do have to say that joke you made about 'what I could handle' was pretty clever, too. Just… I didn't expect you to be the kind of guy to go there; at least, not on purpose. I got upset because of that, and I apologize. Aash and I used to joke like that, but we kept it pretty much secret, and we didn't do it very often at all. Even though you and I are friends, I didn't go that route with you because of how upset you seemed to be about the joke I made the other day about you and Aash becoming boyfriends…"
"One o' many things I'll never live down as long as I'm around you," he flatly remarked as he sulked and frowned. "If our weird little banter session before that temple collapsed was any indication, I assure you I can take a joke. Only, knowin' you, I felt like you weren't actually jokin' about me an' him."
"…Weeelll…" she bashfully and laughingly teased, pressing her index fingers together and casting her flustered gaze elsewhere again. "I mean… you kinda already know my opinion on it, which isn't helped by the fact that he likes guys and… well, your interactions with him have only tempted me to entertain the idea in my mind."
"Wow… You're terrible," he declared, shaking his head in disbelief and shooting her a deadpan stare.
"The worst," she quipped as she returned her gaze back to him. "But there's no denying you appreciate that about me by now, right?"
"Oh, trust me, I love you for that, among other things," he nonchalantly remarked as he momentarily turned away with a roll of his eyes, though he remained unaware of the consequences of making such a bold statement. Shantae found herself speechless as a result; something he failed to pick up after a moment of silence had passed.
"I… huh… wow… T-thank you…" she quietly, timidly expressed her gratitude, twirling a finger through her hair as she lowered her head and looked up at him. "I… don't know what to say… I er… I love you, too, Tayshan."
"Oh! Uh… G-Glad t' know the feeling's mutual," he assured as he smiled and gave her an additional thumbs-up, though he did his best to hide the sudden rush of apprehension and surprise at hearing her tell him she loved him as a response to his sarcastic comment. "Um… As long as we're cool, there ain't nothin' t' worry about. Anyway, while I'm glad we could knock another friendship barrier down, this discussion is supposed t' be about how you're gonna get over Aashiq."
"I'll be fine on that, Tay. Don't worry about me," she assured with a flick of her hand as she calmed down. "I'm still disappointed that he and I couldn't work things out, but after talking to you, I feel like he and I were right to stay friends. I mean, I spent half the night clarifying that with him before he left. I don't need to spend the other half of the night doing the same with you. We've spent more than enough time on it, if you ask me. Plus, it isn't like he and I dated for a year and then broke up or anything. It was literally only a few hours between us starting to go out and us breaking up; like a candle that you light and then blow out minutes later, basically. Now that we aired everything out, I'm not anywhere near as bummed about it anymore."
"Oh, alright. Good, because I didn't have a whole lot left that I could say t' make you feel better," he admitted, breathing a sigh of relief as he mentally thanked the heavens above he didn't have to keep pretending to be a counselor. "That would've been way too much pressure on me. What a load off my shoulders…"
"Well thanks for clarifying who I SHOULDN'T go to the next time I lose a boyfriend, ya jerk," Shantae quipped as she approached Tay and playfully shoved him. In response, Tay laughed with her, relaxing a bit himself as it seemed they were back on good terms for the first time in what felt like an eternity.
"I excel more at coverin' you in the middle of an adventure than I ever could tryin' t' coach you through the stages of a breakup, homegirl," he remarked, approaching her and laying a hand on her shoulder. "I have that goin', at least. If nothin' else, Shantae, you can count on me t' be there for you; even if we're separated. I hope you know I still think about how I could make things easier for you when our paths split; somethin' I hope I proved in our Boss Battle today."
"Of course! On the bright side of it all, you did a huge number on Radiyah that made that fight so much shorter and easier than it could've been. Thanks for that! I'd still have preferred that you didn't get hurt in the process, though."
"Ah, it's fine now, as long as we don't wind up in a similar situation in the future. I just hope we can handle the next battle if it winds up bein' as tough as this last one was. Still, what kind of adventurer would I be if I couldn't take a few hits… or stabs… or gunshots… or magic attacks… or explosions… or, uh… other various forms o' damage I didn't think I'd live t' experience, much less talk about? Jeez, I went through a lot more than I thought I did…"
"Point taken," Shantae agreed with a chuckle at Tay's mild sense of disbelief at his own experience. "If you're feeling nervous about what might happen next time, I can assure you I'll do my best to keep you out of harm's way."
"Thanks, but I should hopefully be good from here on. We generally pull through by the end of any expedition we embark on. Through it all, I'm just glad you're safe, homegirl."
"Aw, Tay!" she exclaimed, touched by his sentiment as she beamed at him.
"I mean that. Even with the memories of what happened today, the last thing I'd wanna do is see you get hurt. Seriously, if it came down to it, I'm confident enough t' say I'd die for you if I had to," he proclaimed, though that statement hit the half-genie in a way that immediately wiped the smile off her face as she gazed in a sudden onset of worry at him. After another moment of silence, save for the wind howling through the open atmosphere, Tay felt another wave of nervousness wash over him as he studied his team leader's expression. "…You alright?" he asked, though he would not receive an instant verbal reply. Instead, Shantae approached him again, wrapping her arms around him as she pressed her head into his chest. "Uh…?" he droned, caught by surprise at her action. Before he could say anything else, however, Shantae turned her head upward to lock eyes with him as she held him tight.
"Tay… I appreciate the sentiment, but… Please don't say that," she humbly requested, much to his surprise and concern as he laid a hand on her head.
"Sorry. Was that too much?"
"No, it's just… the last thing I ever want to think about is you having to lose your life at all, much less for my sake after what happened to you today," she admitted, squeezing him tighter as she continued staring right into his discolored eyes. "You've sacrificed enough as it is."
"Oh, don't worry about that, homegirl," he assured as he found himself returning her hug, keeping his gaze locked on her. "It was just an expression. One that I stand by, but it's an expression, regardless."
"Yeah, but given your track record, I'd rather not take our chances."
"Track record?"
"The last time you said you'd do something to keep me safe, you actually wound up having to do it; the day after you said it, no less," she clarified, alluding to events recently past.
"R-right… I… guess I see your point," he conceded, feeling a mix of nervousness at the umpteenth mention of the Kitschy Quilt incident… and dread, as he found himself hoping that his most recent statement wouldn't eventually ring true.
"Good. And trust me, Tayshan, I'd much rather have you kiss me a thousand times than die on me once," she readily admitted, absolutely petrifying the poor young man as a look of such shock was plastered on his face that one would think he'd been frozen in ice from the moment Shantae's comment reached his ears. Reading his expression (in addition to feeling the soldier's entire body heat up like a furnace in the summertime), Shantae immediately realized what she was saying and panicked. "Uh, er, I-I mean, if it came down to it. Not like I WANT you to kiss me again or anything. Oh! B-but, I'm also not saying it like I mean a kiss from you is a bad thing. I-I mean, I wouldn't mind if you had to do it again, because-! No, wait! I meant I don't want you to d-do that, but like… uh, if we had to do it again, like, under the same set of circumstances… or um… no, I wouldn't want to have to be poisoned again for you to-! I-I mean… erm… I-I…"
"…I think I get your point… homegirl," Tay finally became unfrozen enough to say, though Shantae's suggestion still threw him for so many loops, one would've felt like they'd been flying around the world at light speed, spiraling at about 5,000 revolutions per minute. "I… uh… would also prefer to kiss you again… rather than die…?" he tried to agree, which only made her face turn bright red as the two continued holding one another to the point where, if I didn't know better, they could basically feel each other's voluminous heartbeats and piping hot body temperatures through the contact alone. "…That… didn't make this any less awkward, did it?"
"…Yyyyyeah, if anything, it made this even MORE awkward…" she offered her sage words, each second they remained in each other's grasps feeling like a raging inferno roasting the two of them alive. After a solid sixty seconds of pure, unadulterated adolescent awkwardness, our extremely smooth and well-coordinated heroes got the idea to finish their supposedly friendly hug session, whereupon they each darted their eyes around the vicinity. Shantae nibbled on her finger in embarrassment while Tayshan scratched his head in wonder of how they'd get past such an unbelievably humiliating moment. Before entirely too long, however, Shantae cleared her throat and shook off a tiny fraction of her situational discomfort as she figured she'd had her fill of it. "Let's… just go home now and unwind. Ready?" she asked, though that caused the soldier to perk up with concern.
"Uh…" Tay began, uncertain of how to address the issue her suggestion brought up.
"What?"
"About that… I… wasn't plannin' on goin' back t' your house t' sleep there tonight," he revealed, dropping a complete bombshell on the half-genie.
"What? What do you mean? Why wouldn't you want to come back to my house? Were you that upset with me?"
"No, no. Well… at the time, I might've been... It was more like I figured you'd have invited Aash there t' sleep over, an' when I first split from y'all t' hit the Bathhouse, I was thinkin' maybe we needed some space an' time away from each other after today," he reasoned. "Plus, I'd been thinkin' about doin' this since the other night… so, I rented a hotel room uptown usin' some o' the money I collected from the Sheared Spool Shrine… for the next two weeks…" he sheepishly confessed through a waterfall of pressure, further alarming her as she listened to him.
"Oh. Well, why didn't you tell me you were going to do that before?" she asked, somewhat hurt by the revelation.
"I was gonna eventually come back t' the lighthouse an' tell y'all, but you came here before I even thought about headin' back. I… don't wanna come across like I'm ungrateful for you lettin' me stay at your house, but after our last couple fights, I was under the impression we probably needed to give each other some breathin' room while we still met up t' work together durin' the day… Plus, after two straight weeks bein' here almost exclusively under your roof, I figured I'd need t' eventually branch out in the event I'm in Sequin Land for the long haul. I don't exactly wanna look like I'm leechin' off you if I found the means t' provide for myself, y'know?"
"Oh… I… guess that makes sense…" she reluctantly agreed, hanging her head a bit. "I can see why you made that decision, since we weren't seeing eye to eye. But, is… is it too late to consider canceling your reservation?" she asked, not even considering his other reason for purchasing his hotel room. "My door's always open to you."
"I appreciate that, but yeah, it's too late. I already used some o' the services there, which negates the possibility of a full refund. It's a very nice-lookin' place, with all the key necessities, like a shower, a comfy bed, an' some other essentials. But, they said if you don't occupy the room the night you make your reservation, you forfeit it while they keep your deposit. I… kinda have t' go an' sleep there t' make my reservation official, not t' mention worth the very pricey investment. I'd rather not have that money or that room go to waste."
"Right… If you're talking about the Crown Jewel Inn, then you picked the best—if not the most expensive—hotel in Scuttle Town. They're known for their strict rules, but their provisions around this area can't be beat. Good choice. But… Alright… I-if that's how it's gotta be… then, so be it…" Shantae acquiesced, finding herself unusually unhappy with the news that Tay was basically (and abruptly) moving out of her house.
"Yep… so… If nothin' else… I guess this is where we say goodnight an' go our separate ways until tomorrow?"
"I… guess so… unless maybe I could come with you?" she suggested after a moment of thought.
"Come with me? Why?" he asked, perplexed that she would make such a suggestion.
"I… suppose I… could use the company," she admitted, momentarily looking away as she shyly wrung her hair. "I mean, not to sound like I can't handle being by myself again, but I… was kind of getting used to the idea of you being around, and I was hoping we could hang out again? Y'know, spend some time unwinding after such a monstrously difficult day. Plus, um… I… I don't really want to be alone with my thoughts after breaking up with Aashiq, nor do I want to repeat the events of you and I separating because we weren't on good terms like last time…"
"Hm. Well, that makes sense. I was kinda thinkin' about what it'd be like t' be alone when I rented the room, too, but is that… really what you'd want? I mean, I ain't sayin' no, but I was figurin' you eventually wanted your house t' yourself after some point within the couple weeks you've let me stay."
"I mean… it isn't like you were freeloading or anything," she raised. "If you were just some stranger I was housing who didn't have anywhere else to go, then sure, I'd probably want to see you find your own place after a little while. But… I dunno, I… I guess, in a sense, I don't mind you staying at my house. You're… a pretty great roommate, if I'm going to put it out there." At that, Tay chuckled.
"I would hope I am," he joked, though he felt his stomach do a few flips. "And… I sincerely appreciate that you think o' my company like that. Still… I feel like I wouldn't wanna wear out my welcome, so this was gonna have t' be done eventually. I mean, unless we got married or somethin'. In that case, it wouldn't be an issue t' continue 'living together.'"
"Married!? Jeez, Tay… That's a little strong there," she grumbled, resisting the urge to flinch at the mock suggestion as she processed the rest of his statement.
"Heh, sorry," he apologized with a slight chuckle.
"Glad to hear it," she shot back with a smirk and a point toward him before she refocused. "Uh… I… see your point, either way. You definitely have a mature way of thinking about things like this."
"I do?"
"Yeah. I mean, I still wouldn't mind you sticking around at my house, but I can't argue with the idea that you'd eventually want your own space with your own privacy and all that. Honestly, I'm… pretty much the same. It's also a good thing to see that you're learning your way around Scuttle Town as though you've always lived here. I just wasn't expecting you to 'move out' so soon," she confessed.
"Fair. It ain't exactly like I gave you proper notice. I'll acknowledge that. Thanks for understandin', either way."
"Of course…" she concurred before the two briefly went silent just long enough for Shantae to collect her thoughts. "…Still, if you want, I… could… W-well, if you're up to it, we could hang out at the hotel while you get settled in there?"
"Eh, why not?" he nonchalantly agreed with a casual shrug, at this point having no objections. If anything, he was… strangely excited to have her come along; not that he wanted to outwardly show that, of course. "The hotel folks DID say that while most o' those rooms only have one bed, they allow additional guests, so long as the staff are made aware that a paying customer has company… within certain limits, I think."
"Okay. So, are you sure it's alright to come there with you? I don't want to impose…"
"You ain't have to say more than a couple words, homegirl. Of course, you can come. I just hope you don't mind there bein' one bed in there. We'll have t' share unless I sleep on the sofa in the room. It's small, but I think I might be able t' make it work for a hot minute."
"You're asking if I mind that there's one bed there, as opposed to the zero I have in my own house?" she asked back, perking up with excitement. "You can bet I don't mind it! Also, I'm not going to make you sleep on a couch in your own room. Why don't I take the couch?"
"Because you deserve way better than t' be sleepin' on anything other than a bed; least of all a couch. It's perfectly fine, Shantae. You can have the bed. I'd prefer that you be comfortable in the event you're spendin' the night in this hotel room with me."
"You're sweet, Tayshan, but I couldn't. I'd feel bad taking over the room like that, when I'm not even the one who paid for it. Plus, a couch sounds a hundred times better than the hammock I usually sleep in."
"Yeah, but I've got couch-sleepin' experience," he countered. "Clearly, I'm more qualified to take on such a dangerous task," he added with a smiling wink.
"Oh, you're much too kind, sir," she joked back. "But there's no need to deprive yourself of such coveted resources for my sake," she added before a thought rang up in her head. "Actually, how big IS the bed?"
"Huge," he answered in a word. "Enough for like, three or four of me t' fit on. Why?"
"Oh! In that case, why don't we sleep in the bed together? I think we can at least trust each other enough to share it if there's that much space on it, right?" she innocently asked, oblivious to the sound of her own question.
"…For lack of a better response, yes…" he very carefully stated, trying not to think about the… um, 'odd' implications of the suggestion while finding himself almost too conflicted to tell her the presumable multitude of reasons why that may not have been the best idea. "But… after what we just talked about… Don't you think that's kind of a bad arrangement…?"
"Not necessarily. If we far enough away, then that should negate the issue entirely. I've slept in the same bed with Sky and Rottytops on separate occasions during sleepovers. We all even slept together in the same bed on one isolated occasion, but don't tell Sky I told you that."
"My lips are sealed, though it certainly begs the question o' what that looks like…" Tay pondered at a rather… unsuitable time to ponder the idea of three attractive young women sharing a bed together.
"Tay…" Shantae called to him, eyeing him up and down suspiciously.
"What? Don't look at me like that. You're the one who put that out there. What do you expect me t' do? NOT totally think about the idea o' you, Sky, an' that other girl sleepin' together?" he remarked, much to Shantae's surprise as she exhaled in disbelief.
"Did… Did you just… throw a comment back at me that I made to you in a previous conversation?"
"Shoot, I was hopin' you wouldn't catch that…" he teased with a chuckle that utterly outed him as trying to throw shade at Shantae for some strange postulation she made to him in the past.
"…Y'know what? I'll let you have that one," she conceded as she joined him in giggling at the innuendo.
"Oh, gee, thanks," he sarcastically remarked. "I always wanted my closest friend t' let me daydream about her escapades with her other female friends."
"Hey, what can I say? You'll come to find out that I can be pretty generous and understanding. Besides, while you've just got a random thought, I'VE recently gotten myself an actual, full visual of what it looks like when you and Aashiq get cuddly together~! Imagination is one thing, but what you and he did today totally takes the cake!" she teased, giggling at him as he reeled back in complete befuddlement.
"…Ah! Uh… That's… not fair…!" he complained, his face heating up as she made him reminisce about the uh… 'intimate' boy-on-boy moment in question.
"Yyyeah, it definitely is, Tay," she jokingly countered. "Don't play the 'shipping' game if you didn't come prepared to win~!"
"…One o' these days, you're gonna slip up, an' when you do, homegirl, I'll be there." Tayshan grumbled, crossing his arms and pouting while attempting to hide what may have been a blush on his face.
"I'll be sure to watch my back," Shantae acknowledged with another chuckle before she cleared her throat. "Anyway, Tay, my point is that us sharing a bed shouldn't be a huge deal. Like I said before, I've shared a sleeping space with Sky and Rottytops in the past."
"That's fine an' all, but they're girls," he pointed out, relaxing his stance as they refocused their discussion. "I am… how you say, not a girl."
"Yeah, but you're no stranger," she countered. "Plus, I trust you. But, if it's that much of a concern for you, and you're so sure you wouldn't want me to sleep on the sofa, then how about we sleep head-to-toe? As in, you take one end, and I take the other?" At that, Tay reeled back in surprise.
"Huh. Head-to-toe, eh? Interesting…" he pondered. "I haven't had t' do that since boot camp."
"Oh, so you've already had the experience!"
"Indeed. Of course, havin' another dude sleep next t' me with his smelly feet in my face wasn't exactly the most thrillin' experience I ever had…" Tay regretfully confessed with a shudder.
"Well, in that case, you know I keep my feet very clean," Shantae replied through a lighthearted giggle. "Regardless, I'll be sure to keep them away from your face. If anything, my feet wouldn't even reach that far, considering the height difference between us. Either way, it's up to you. It's your room. Like I said, I'm perfectly fine taking the sofa if you're really uncomfortable."
"You raise some good points, homegirl, like always," he acknowledged, accepting her points as he warmed up to the idea of having her sleep over. "If you're comfortable enough with me t' do the head-to-toe thing, then let's do it that way."
"Awesome!"
"You got it. In that case, the only thing I'd worry about is if you'd keep me up all night again with that snorin' habit o' yours."
"What!? Get out of here! I do not snore!" she complained, apparently unaware of her own sleeping patterns.
"Right, an' lumberjacks don't chop down trees… which, incidentally enough, is what your snorin' sounds like."
"Shut your face! I don't snore! I have no idea what you're talking about!" she vehemently denied with a blush, refusing to accept the possibility that she was not a quiet sleeper.
"If only you were awake t' hear it… Anyway, you've convinced me once again," he permitted, changing the subject back to its previous topic while secretly hoping that he'd be able to endure what he'd just signed up for. "So… as long as we're sleepin' head-to-toe like soldiers in a base, then I wouldn't mind sharin' my bed with you." And even then, he still couldn't believe he'd been extending such an arrangement not to a fellow soldier, but to a female friend. It threw him for a multitude of loops to conceptualize it.
"Great! Then it's settled! Let me just go and grab a change of clothes or two. I can also bring one of your outfits with me, if you need it," she offered, seeming to be far more excited to be spending the night at a friend's (temporary) place than nervous about said friend being male. It was her happy-go-lucky sense of nonchalance, however, that indirectly allowed Tay to ease his own nerves about the arrangement.
"I was actually gonna go back t' your house an' pick some o' my clothes up, so we'll go together in this case. Deal?"
"Deal! I can't wait! Alright, now that we've got all the chips off our shoulders, let's hit the road!" she cheerfully requested, prompting the two of them to head back through the town to prepare themselves for yet another sleepover in a slightly different location within the confines of Scuttle Town… before Tay stopped to ponder what she'd just said.
"Chips… Wait," he suggested, prompting her to stop in her tracks and turn back to him.
"Hm? What's up?"
"You just reminded me," he began, digging into his inventory and pulling out the glowing purple object he'd been studying earlier. "I found this in my supply… compartment just before you showed up here. I'm not sure what it is…"
"A Circuit Chip?" she quickly identified, perking up with intrigue as she approached and observed it for herself. "Neat! After all this time, we're one step closer to getting you that Heart Monitor that Uncle said he'd build you!" she proclaimed, thus reminding Tay what the device was for.
"Ohhh, right… Wow, I COMPLETELY forgot we were supposed t' do that…" he admitted, handing the Circuit Chip to Shantae, who got it without an issue. "I don't even know where it came from, but here it is. I'm surprised you even remember what it was for."
"I'm an expert treasure hunter, Tay; there's no room for letting any Key Item slip from my radar. I can't blame you for forgetting, though," she acknowledged with a chuckle. "We've definitely had a healthy blend of surprises and sticky situations that would make anyone blank out on an errand as seemingly small as gathering pieces of equipment for Uncle to build a device that monitored your overall health."
"An' now that I'm reminded of it, this basically goes on t' prove the point I made when we first started," he claimed, shaking his head and sighing. "By the time we even came close t' gatherin' the parts for this Heart Monitor thing, we'd pretty much lost all reason t' need it."
"I wouldn't go as far as to say that, all things considered," she countered. "We still don't know how to accurately tell when you need to heal, and today was a first in you getting hurt to the point of bleeding by the time Aash and I found you. I'd still say we should probably make it a priority to get the Copper Wire, which is still being held by Barracuda Joe back on Naga Mountain. Goodness, I hope he's still there…"
"You're rememberin' way more about this thing than I am," he remarked with a vexed shrug. "But, if this really is for the sake o' progressin' this adventure the right way, then I ain't really opposed to it at this point. I just hope it doesn't get in the way of us stoppin' Risky Boots, because her goons seem t' be gettin' wiser with those guns every time we encounter them. And, as far as I can recall, we needed… a Busted Remote, a Circuit Chip, an' the Copper Wire, right?"
"Yep! We already have the remote and the chip, so the wire's all that's left! As for the Tinkerbats, we should be able to handle them with no issue, as long as we keep ourselves in tip-top shape like we have been. Still, we also need a Super Slugger Spell Reversal to turn Barracuda Joe back to normal with, so until we get that, that Copper Wire's out of the question."
"Shoot, that's right…" Tay lamented, folding his arms and contemplating. "Well… as long as there's no other unwelcome surprises, Shantae, I guess we can probably spend tonight brainstormin' places t' find somebody who might be able t' help us out?"
"That Spell Reversal will show up before we even know it, so don't get discouraged, Tay," the half-genie assured. "We can talk more about that tomorrow, but until then, come on! Let's get our stuff and head to your hotel room before it's too late!" she urged, grabbing the soldier by the hand and basically dragging him off to spend the remainder of the evening recuperating from their latest brush with unspeakable peril and tribulation.
And so, we close with our heroes gearing up to catch up on some well-deserved rest as they drum up ideas on where to embark on their next grand pilgrimage through the diverse and incredibly dangerous landscapes scattered throughout Sequin Land. However, they remained completely unaware of the devious machinations of the diabolical swashbuckler Risky Boots. And without a solid idea of what the scheming Pirate Mistress was up to, Risky basically still had the element of surprise in her already-overpowered arsenal. And speaking of surprise, what would become of the Ammonian Army? Or its commanding officers, Twitch, Vinegar, and Ammo Baron? It was already established that they (unwillingly) joined forces with Risky in a covert plot to ambush and kidnap our one-and-only extraterrestrial soldier, but would they really go through with it? Especially after all that had been done to establish an alliance between the Ammonian Army and our fabled heroes? And… how exactly would our heroes handle such a catastrophic betrayal if it were to be carried out? I'm not sure, folks… Things seemed to be heating up in more ways that I thought I'd have needed to count, but as always, stay tuned and keep your eyes peeled for the next exciting installment! Sweet dreams!
