The scratching of pen against paper filled the quietness of the large cave. A purple-skinned woman was bent over a table, marking the scroll in front of her as thoughts entered her mind. Around her, the cave was quite luxurious and comfortable.
A moderate hole was positioned over the water, where water from the recent rainfall dripped into the empty harbour. A few other, smaller holes dotted the place, vines trailing down like curious snakes, with refreshing sunlight shining through, creating lively shadows that danced across the walls. In a corner of the cave were piles, crates, and barrels of gold, items, and rum. Much of the bigger and more exotic stuff was displayed around the cave, from exquisite swords to detailed models and statues.
A massive, four-poster bed was in a corner, away from all the holes in the roof, its rich, purple sheets contrasting against the golden pillars. Candles were lit next to it, and a book and a diary were rested upon a carved wooden nightstand. A picture frame sat next to them, the sunlight reaching just far enough to conceal its contents.
The pirate had her tongue stuck out to the side of her lips, deeply concentrated on the work she was doing. Her trademark hat sat to the right of the large desk, along with her cuffs and even her belt. Her trusty sword was, of course, nearby, leaning against the stool that she was sitting on.
Stopping her writing to shake the soreness from her hand, Risky looked at the sheet of paper with pride. So much work had been done through the day, compared to what her usual output was. 'Good thing I took this pen with me. Much easier than ink and a feather. I might need a refill soon though… actually, I'll just steal another.' She thought for a moment. 'That's way too much trouble for a single pen. Refill it is!' Risky decided, delicately opening the drawer next to her, not wanting to break any of the ink holders.
An hour later, Risky sank into her bathtub, letting the hot water soothe her. She sighed, leaning her head back and looking at the roof of the cave. She let her mind wander, unconsciously tracing the cracks she spotted. Today had been productive. She had a new plan, and this time – this time , it was going to work. Nothing was going to stop her this time. No wallowing hog-man, no ghost in the rain poncho, no –
No genie brat.
Narrowing her eyes, Risky thought about all the things that she would've had if it weren't for that childish runt. All the power, all the control, over every town and village in Sequin Land. She would be feared! Well, more than she already was. She would have everything at her demand! Wait, she had that too. She would have… she would… have…
What didn't she have?
Risky slowly tilted her head back forward, cooing as her neck popped, relieving her of some discomfort. She sank lower into the tub, letting the water cover everything but the top half of her head, long purple hair both floating in the water and hanging from the tub.
Long purple hair. Someone else also had long purple hair. Long enough to be a deadly weapon, and the bane of Risky's existence. 'Stop thinking about her you fool. You're making it worse. She's nothing to you,' she denied in her own mind.
But try as she could, Risky couldn't stop thinking of her arch-nemesis. The way she spun away from attacks, her cute dance on the spot, her determination. Risky saw it all as flaws. Shantae's naivety could get her into serious trouble, and her determination could do likewise. Her kindness could be abused, and, as proven twice now, her magic was a vulnerability. Yet there was something to Shantae that even Risky admitted was exceptional about her. Shantae never held grudges, and was always willing to give everybody a fair chance, no matter what they did to her, even if the genie was in a mood. The dancer had been Risky's closest thing to a proper friend for a short period of time. Risky couldn't remember the last time she had someone to confide in, to open herself up to.
The pirate gasped, before violently coughing out the mouthful of water she had just inhaled. She had forgotten exactly how submerged under the water she was. Leaning out of the tub, Risky spat out the remaining water, staring wide-eyed at the floor. That's what she didn't have, what she was missing from her life of luxury and riches.
A friend.
A relationship.
A lover.
A… family.
Close to tears, the usually harsh and threatening pirate scrambled out of the tub, snatching a towel on her way out, barely drying herself as she slipped into cleaner gear. She didn't mean to awaken those memories. She wanted nothing to do with them. Ever. So, instead, Risky dealt with the influx of emotions the only way she knew how.
By turning them to anger.
She gritted her teeth, wiping a tear away from her eye, and punched the cave wall hard. The pain shot up her arm, but that just aggravated Risky more, who punched the wall again and again and again, until her knuckles were bleeding. But that would not stop the crazed woman, who started getting vocal.
"Stupid, meddling, childish, bratty, genie runt!" Risky screamed, picking up whatever she could grab a hold of and throwing it as hard as she could, wherever she could.
It wasn't her fault. Shantae either wasn't born or extremely young when it happened. But blaming her felt good. Just as good as slamming that sword into that barrel of rum.
"You are the bane of my existence and I CAN'T WAIT TO SLIT YOUR THROAT," Risky roared, picking up a jewelled sceptre and throwing it at the tub, causing jewels to fly everywhere and the sceptre to bend. The runt had even beaten her while transformed as a mouse.
"WHY DO YOU EXIST?! WHY DO YOU RUIN EVERYTHING I PLAN!? WHY. DO. YOU. NOT. LEARN!?" The pirate collapsed next to her desk, tears running down her face from anger, and one could even say sadness. She was sweating heavily, her cave workshop now in ruins. She curled up in the fetal position and bit her trembling lip, drawing a shuddering breath.
"Why are you so kind…" she murmured, burying her head in her knees. She wasn't going to cry. Not today. Think of something nice. Nice like Shantae.
'SOMETHING ELSE NICE, NOT HER.'
"Hold it right there, Risky Boots!"
She could still hear that stupid catchphrase of hers, as if it was right in front of her, foiling her genie realm takeover. The purple-skinned woman bit her lip. 'Not. Today.'
"Risky?"
There it was again. That high, adorable voice, that reminded her of something so close to her-
"Risky."
Hold on a second.
Risky lifted her head a bit, surprised to see the half-genie heroine peering at her closely. Out of shock, the pirate punched Shantae square in the face before she got to utter another word out of her mouth.
Shantae shrieked and fell backwards, feeling blood rush out her nose at an alarming rate. Ignoring the pain, she shot back up and twirled backwards, readying into a fighting stance. Risky was ready too, her hat now on her head and her pistol in her hand. Shantae did a quick scan of the area, and noticed Risky's sword was leaning against a stool.
"What are you doing here, girl?" the older woman asked in a low tone. "Shouldn't little brats like you be sleeping in for another hour?"
Shantae narrowed her eyes. Risky had to admit, she did look quite menacing with a blood trickling from her nose and a very pissed off face to match her mood.
"I came here to stop whatever plans you're making this time, Risky," the genie replied.
"Oh ho ho, don't lie to me little girl. You came here because you wanted another kiss, didn't you? I should just shoot you dead right now. Get you out of my way permanently." Risky smirked, but made no movement to aim at the younger girl.
Shantae had to admit, another kiss would've been nice. Rottytop's pep-talk this morning had bolstered her spirits. But now…
"I'm not little! As I said, I came here to stop your plans. Instead, I found you screaming insults about me and wanting to slit my throat." Shantae lowered her stance, just a bit. "Is it true?" she asked in a wavering voice. "Do you hate me that much?"
"Much more than that, darling. Perhaps death is too good for someone like you. Maybe I should force you to be my slave. Or extract and invert your magic again, and make sure you're tied to a pole so that you can't escape what you deserve," Risky sneered, enjoying the sadness creeping up on Shantae's face.
"I-I'd rather you didn't, Risky. I, uh… a-are you okay? You looked kind of down just then… You know, before you punched me in the face," Shantae spat, quickly hiding the sadness welling inside of her.
"Well, what would you do if you had someone that had a reputation of ruining your plans just appear in front of you like that?" Risky countered. She had her there. "And the Queen of the Seven Seas doesn't need to explain to someone inferior, like you, what is going on in her personal life. Instead, you should GO AWAY!" she finished, throwing the empty ink bottle she had snuck into her hand at the genie. It shattered against Shantae's forehead, and the dancer fell to the floor.
"Get up and fight me, runt."
Nothing. Risky tried a little louder.
"Get up and fight me! That's an order!"
Still nothing. Risky groaned, and cautiously walked over to the body heaped on the floor, her pistol ready in case it was a trick. No movement.
The pirate squatted, and slowly rolled Shantae over. Not only was there a new gash on her head, but she was unconscious.
Well. That was certainly easier than expected.
"This is… good. Very good!" Risky stood up and clapped her hands happily, before walking to the desk and grabbing the sword that she had left there. She licked some blood off her knuckles, before turning back around and looking at the knocked out heroine. Risky dragged the sword along the floor, the scraping sound resonating off the cavern walls. As she reached Shantae, she raised the sword above her head, ready to deliver the killing blow.
But Risky hesitated. Was this right? After everything Shantae had done for her? The malicious grin she had on her face faltered a little.
"No. This ends now. I will take what I deserve. Goodbye, brat."
She swung.
Ooooooh, cliffhanger.
It's funny how I put just as much work into this as I do with my English essays. And I said I'd barely upload this year. Whoops.
The next chapter has already been started, so it shouldn't be too long until that's uploaded.
Please Rate and Review! All feedback is appreciated! *returns to farming Loki Prime*
Until next time,
-Tommycats