The glass door swung open and closed as the pitter patter of the droplets hit the tiled floor. Blank emotion flew through Krystal's mind as she shivered against the heated water. Suddenly, she shivered her last when the liquid finally seeped through her cerulean fur to offer her its warmth. As her body functions returned, so did her sad thoughts.
How pitiful of me. They've been so kind to me thus far, and yet I feel as though instead of joy, I only bring a disturbance. I… but Wolf is right. Even if I bring a disturbance, the only thing I can do now is survive and fix this… no, EVERYTHING I've done. It's the least I should do.
Krystal stood in the shower a while longer, pondering what she would say to Fox the next time they meet.
I'm sorry for the past.
I regret everything I did… could you ever forgive me?
Please, I beg you. See past my mistakes?
She shook her head in frustration as possible scenarios came and went, apologies getting blander and blander. She couldn't even find the words to convince herself of her resolve.
"*Sigh* This is hopeless right now. I shouldn't dump everything on him."
"And to myself," She thought quietly as she heard a knock on the door.
Wolf's voice leaked through the noise of the water, "Hey Krystal. I've got a clean change of clothes here, and Tristan's up. I still have him in the guest room for now."
"Thank you very much," Krystal responded, "I'll be able to come out soon, if you could wait a little longer."
"Not a problem, he's very interested in my merc stories."
"He's always been excited to meet you. I'm glad he's enjoying himself," she smiled to herself.
"Yup. I'm gonna leave it to you now, I can hear him calling me."
"Thanks."
After his footsteps died out, Krystal picked up the soap and started to wash herself. The orange scent of the lather filled her nostrils as it filtered out of her fur. Spurred by Wolf's words, she came out of the shower a minute later, the steam from the shower barely covering the mirror with a thin layer of fog.
After drying herself with the towel on the shower rack, she had a proper look at herself, and realized how malnourished she looked compared to her previous self.
I knew I wasn't in the best condition, but this is very far…
Sighing in resignation, she dried her fur of any remaining moisture and opened the door slightly to take the clothes on the other side. The garments were a pair of sweatpants that were slightly too long and baggy for her, and a t-shirt that was a little tight around her chest that had a print of "AQUAS RESORT" across.
Finally, she opened the bathroom door all the way and walked with her dirty clothes and towel over an arm. Making her way back to the guest's bedroom, she heard Wolf's voice, "And that's how I met your mother."
Krystal knocked on the door to signal her presence, and she heard the gruff voice again, "Well, speak of the devil."
Wolf opened the door and beckoned her to come in. Tristan was sitting upright on the bed, his black fur and hair curled in different directions.
"Mom! Uncle Wolf was telling me about how he met you. He said that it was a surprise that Star Fox had a GIRL on the team. I said he's wrong and that you're really strong."
"Oh, did he now?" Krystal said teasingly, "Well, he's being really nice right now so I'll let it go for now."
It took her a moment to realize what Tristan had called Wolf.
"Wait… Uncle Wolf?"
"Yeah!" Tristan's smile was as bright as the sun streaming in, "He said I can call him Uncle Wolf, because… uh…"
"I'm his older friend," the gray lupine was quick in interjecting, his usual tough guy tone breaking slightly.
"Uh-huh…" Krystal nodded unconvincingly.
She noticed the slight shifting of air as his tail drifted side to side.
"Anyway, sweetie," She told Tristan, "It's time for a shower. Like at Falco and Katt's house."
"Okay!" Tristan turned to Wolf, "I can take care of myself right now, Uncle Wolf. Thanks for telling me stories. I wanna hear more soon!"
"Alright, I'm not going anywhere," Wolf's softened voice replied.
Tristan hopped off the bed and walked towards the open door. Krystal silently thanked Wolf as she guided him towards the bathroom.
"Okay mom, I know how to take a shower."
"I know you know, just make sure you are clean so we don't make anything else dirty. I bet Uncle Wolf will tell you more stories if you are nice."
"Alright!" The black fox's tail whipped back and forth in innocent excitement as he shut the door quietly. Krystal waited until she could hear the shower running, and returned to the guest bedroom. Wolf was sitting on the bed, staring into the distance at the wall, clearly deep in thoughts.
"Wolf?" Krystal broke the silence.
"Yeah?" Wolf's eyes drifted to Krystal.
"I wanted to properly thank you, for everything. I might sound like a broken record, but you may have to be prepared to hear it all the time."
"That's alright. As long as no one gets hurt, it's alright.
"So… Uncle Wolf, huh?" Krystal smirked.
"Yeah. It's really weird to be called 'Wolf' by a kid, much less 'Mr. O'Donnell'" He shivered, "It kinda rolls off the tongue, yeah?"
"So you want me to call you Uncle Wolf?"
"No, no! It's just weird that a kid would call me by my name."
"Fair enough." Krystal sat down on the bed.
"So… what are you going to do now?" Wolf asked.
"About what, exactly?" Krystal replied.
"Fox."
She sighed, "I know I'm not ready now. I had no intention of meeting him."
"What?"
"I actually came because I heard from Falco that you lived here. What he failed to realize was that Fox was here as well."
"Oh, I see. Well, maybe it was fate that brought you here." Wolf went back to staring at the wall.
"Perhaps," Krystal exhaled.
A long silence filled the room as both were struggling to talk about something.
I should make dinner for them, to at least thank them for their hospitality. I should take the laundry and-
"So… what happened with Panther?" Wolf broke.
"Oh, him? I haven't talked with him after I left him."
"How'd you find out?"
"It was obvious. He was asking for it every night, and he was getting more and more frustrated. Can't blame him, but it's our son. He was both of our responsibilities. Part of our split was my fault. I couldn't give him what he wanted," She confessed.
"Well, to me it just sounds like Panther's an asshole," Wolf chuckled.
"It's not something to laugh about!" Krystal said sternly, "I broke another relationship, and you're supposed to be helping me fix them."
"Sorry, sorry," Wolf stopped, "It's just surprising that he hasn't changed a bit."
"You're right about that."
Another awkward pause ensued until Tristan came patting down the hall and back into the room.
"I'm done!"
"Good job!" Krystal and Wolf simultaneously spoke.
Tristan just beamed and sat on top of the bed in between Wolf and Krystal.
"Sweetie, your hair is still a little damp," Krystal took the towel from Tristan's hand and properly dried his hair."
"Thanks mom."
"You're very welcome," Krystal replied, "I'll wash these clothes at the laundromat. The bedsheets, too."
"Nonsense, we have a washer and drier, I can-" Wolf started before Krystal cut him off.
"No, I also need some more time. I'm sorry, but could you take care of Tristan while I get them washed? I won't take longer than three hours."
Wolf checked his watch, "It's almost three o'clock. That'll be six o'clock when you get back."
"Do you eat dinner earlier than that?" Krystal asked, worried about her plan.
"No, I just thought you might want to eat earlier, I think Fox is back at five."
"Well… I'll go and wash them, then while they are washing, I can come back to eat dinner really quickly and then go back to dry the clothes."
"Then just stay here and wash the clothes then."
"Sorry, I can't do that. Give me some time to think, please," Krystal pleaded.
"Fine. How are you going to get the laundry to the laundromat, anyway?"
"I'm going to carry-"
This time, it was Wolf who cut her off, "Nuh, uh. That won't fly. With the amount of laundry we have, there's no way you can walk two miles with a pile of clothes and bedsheets. The laundry room is the first door to the left, it's not as far as the laundromat."
"Then where should I take some time?" Krystal asked in slight desperation.
"I'll take care of Tristan, just outside in the living room. You can use this bedroom to think."
In defeat, the vixen only responded with a sigh.
"Wait, what about me?" Tristan tilted his head in confusion, "Where do I go?"
"In the living room, the one with the big tv," Wolf answered in a soft tone.
"Why?"
"Because your mother is very tired and needs some time to herself. And you get to spend time with me!" Wolf said with a hint of excitement.
"Are you okay mom?"
"I am, sweetie. It's very kind of you to ask." Krystal faked a smile.
"Now, let's give her some space," Wolf guided the vulpine out the door, winking behind his back.
After the door closed shut, Krystal buried her face in her hands. Her plan was a disaster.
Damn it… I really didn't think it through. How else should I try to pay them back?
She breathed out a huff in frustration and stood up, opening the door and walking down the main hallway. She passed by the couch and stopped to listen, where Wolf was spinning more tales for the eager fox's ears.
"Those Aparoids were a big trouble, heheh. That was one of the few times our teams worked together."
"Wow! I bet with both Star Fox and Star Wolf, you can beat anything!"
"Yup, those glory times were fun. Not to say I'm not happy now either."
"Tell me another!"
"Alright, alright."
Krystal resumed her march to the laundry room. She opened the laundry door, and peered around in the small room. The washer laid on top of the dryer, with a shelf on the left hand side holding the soap and dryer sheets.
Okay… I can do this, I've done it countless times before, this should be easy.
Krystal went back to the bedroom and took all the dirty garments and sheets from the guest room and threw them into the washer. She then started the machine, the insides spinning around and tossing the wet clothes around.
"Okay… It'll take about forty minutes before it's done…" She observed the timer until the time went down by one.
"Yeah, And I'll be taking care of the laundry now." Wolf leaned in the doorway, his arms crossed as if he had waited a long time.
"What? No, I said I would do it, and I intend to follow through with my promise."
"Naw, personally, I'm more worried about the time Fox gets back. He's had the whole time for himself, and you haven't got any. Don't worry, Tristan's playing video games on the tv," Wolf told her, "If you don't mind," He said after a pause.
"I feel as though I'm being taken care of too well, and… well, I also wanted to make dinner, too," She confessed.
"Dinner?" Wolf tilted his head, "Haha, you think I can't cook? Wait till you see it to believe it."
"But I feel as though I'm not doing enough…"
Wolf's expression turned a little sour, "Well, I appreciate how much you want to contribute, but face it. You can't do shit now but to make things up. You're only making it harder on yourself and everyone, too."
Krystal was slightly shocked by Wolf's sudden change of tone, but understood where he came from.
"I understand, I'll go rest and talk with Fox when he gets back."
The lupine's face softened with , "Alright. I know you've been taking care of a kid out in the streets, both of you deserve better than that."
"Thank you," Krystal said, in an apologetic tone, as she brushed past Wolf to go back to the bedroom. She left the door slightly open as she went in.
"Wow! Uncle Wolf! Look at this!" Tristan yelled from the living room.
"Coming! Wolf called out, his steps echoing through the slit in the door.
Krystal somberly sat on the bed as she contemplated multiple scenarios for what seemed like hours.
Thank you for reading this chapter!
There'll be a backstory chapter next, so please look forward to it!
