Disclaimer: I do not own Ratchet and Clank or any of its characters. Rivet Appreciation Week 2021 prompt list by weeksofrac of Twitter.
I figured I'd combine both prompts for today and just do some Rivet having fun at her favorite hangout…
Standing in the Eye of the Hurricane
Day 5: Dancing and Zurkies
Chapter Summary: Day 5 – Dancing and Zurkies. In the downtime she had, when she wasn't on the run from the empire's army and eager to be in a public place, Rivet always headed for Zurkie's.
The bar-and-grill restaurant was a lot quieter than it had been the past few days. A few groups lingered near a few of the tables, but the game consoles were empty and the bar had only three visitors. Low noise came from the arena, but from the type of shouts and a quick peek through the window, it was easy to see Lil Zurkie guiding the clean-up crew wiping down the battlefield. The whole restaurant felt like it was one less person away from being defined as a ghost town.
Then again, it was a Wednesday, and it was a common, unspoken rule that no one wanted to get wasted on a Wednesday night.
Which worked well for Rivet's busy schedule.
The Lombax swept into the bar-and-grill, letting the smell of the food and energy of the diner wash over her. She breathed out a sigh of relief as the weight from her shoulders lifted. The week had already been a tough one, even with the streak of good luck she had been having, and the trouble was shaping up to continue on for the rest of the week.
It was why Rivet gave in and immediately headed to Zurkie's for one night to relieve the stress.
She stepped over to the jukebox. A content, peaceful expression settled over her face as she eyed the empty space around the music player. Usually, she'd have to fight her way just to get a possible song request, but for tonight, she had first picks on whatever song she wanted.
The moment she got close, her robotic finger tapped against the buttons and pulled up the intense dance song that had been in her head for the whole day.
Fast beats immediately left the jukebox. With a short bit of footwork, Rivet danced away from the jukebox, putting some space between her and the music player. Once the necessary space was there, she paused, let her body get ready to match movements with song beats, and let the rest of the stress drain away.
The first verse started, and Rivet threw herself into the dance.
She ducked down, landing on her robot hand and kicking her legs up into the air. They twirled, moving with the slick movements of the hand on the floor. Her other hand then came into play. It caught her before she fell toward the floor, keeping the swing of her legs flowing.
Rivet rolled her body, using her arms to dodge around the swing of her legs. She whirled around on the floor, air rushing through her face, letting the momentum of her dance carry her through the movements. Gloved and robotic fingers smacked against the ground in quick succession as the height of the song played out.
Before the third verse, Rivet landed back on her feet and righted herself. The moment she was standing at full height, the Lombax jumped and crisscrossed her legs, twirling herself around. Arms flew out and did the wave. Boots tapped against the floor, matching to the final beats of the song.
And once the song was done and her breath was all gone, Rivet paused and crossed her arms over her chest, letting the confidence boost flood her veins.
Now that was what she needed.
The song trailed off, and Rivet turned around to put in another song. Something slower came on, one to act as a breather from the intense warm-up. There was still a certain bounce to the slower song.
Rivet was well-prepared for any type of dance.
With a quick pause to match up her movements to the song, she skipped her feet in place to the beat of the song. A smile lit up her face and her eyes sparkled with the beauty of the moment.
This was what she needed. Just some time to cut loose and have some fun outside of the stress of everyday life. A minute to breathe in air and enjoy the life she was supposed to be living if she wasn't constantly fighting the emperor-
The smile soured on her face, and her eyes flicked down to the floor. Her dance lost energy, and it wasn't long until the Lombax stopped dancing to the song.
She needed another song, something that would keep her so active she wouldn't be able to focus on the life she could have had.
Rivet whirled on her feet, stomping back toward the music player. Metal fingers jammed against the buttons. Zurkie cleared his throat from the bar, giving a silent warning to not harm the machine, but Rivet ignored the bot's subtle message and pulled up the fastest song she knew.
It started, and Rivet was already moving.
Her legs were kicked up in the air before the song got going. Blue eyes shut tight, and everything in her mind was wiped from thought. The only thing that mattered was the dance.
Air hummed in her ears, and her lower body lost all weight in the momentum. Hands moved faster and faster, pushing up the speed of the movements, dodging whirling legs without any trouble. Anger pushed her, turning her world into a blur. Anything to forget that irritating tyrant's face-
"Ah, ma chérie! Fancy meeting- AHHH!"
A shrill, high-pitched scream echoed in her ears. Rivet's eyes popped open to see familiar feet before her legs plummeted from being above her body to slamming into the floor.
A scared pirate's face met her gaze as she groaned and opened up her eyes.
"Pierre… Why?"
The blue-clad pirate blanched. "Erm, 'why' what exactly, mademoiselle?"
Rivet's eyes narrowed into slits. "Disrupting my dancing?"
A long claw reached up to tap at his mouthpiece. "Ah, yes, I see."
Her eyes rolled as she pushed herself to her feet, ignoring the slight throb in her legs. "I'm kinda busy at the moment. I don't wanna be bothered tonight, Pierre. No fighting, no flirting-"
He raised a claw cutting her off. "Ah, well, I was hoping not to bother you, but ask you a simple question, ma doudou."
Rivet went quiet. Slowly, the Lombax raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms over her chest. A touch of anger and confusion lined her face.
"No, it is not what you think it is," Pierre huffed, waving his hand in a dismissive manner. "My first language is not translated well into the Common Language, so it means something different than what it sounds like!"
"Then do you wanna tell me what it means?"
Pierre froze, looking off to the side and embarrassment decorating his face. "Erm… No, unfortunately I cannot. Too untranslatable, I'm afraid."
Rivet kept her eyes on Pierre, the deflated from her defensive position with a heavy sigh. "Fine, I'll look it up in a dictionary later. What was it that you wanted to ask me? Duel in the battleplex? My daily schedule as to where I'll go next so we can run into each other on every planet?"
Pierre made a clicking sound in his mouth, offense shining on his face. "Tsk, what do you take me for, a lowlife predator? I am a gentleman first and foremost, mademoiselle, and I would never stalk you wherever you choose to go." He looked off over Rivet's shoulder, a misty look in his working optic. "Ah, but that is the beauty of our relationship. We are two opposing winds, destined to go our separate ways, yet collide when fates decree us to. A love story of two star-crossed lovers-"
"Pierre."
He paused, flicking his optic back to Rivet's tired face.
"Just ask your question," she sighed.
Nervousness flashed over the robot's face, and a touch of humility slipped into the robot's body language. It was an action Rivet had learned over the years of dealing with Pierre: if the pirate was more withdrawn in on himself and nervous, it was due to him being sincere enough to show a split second of vulnerability.
"I was hoping I could join you in your dance, ma minette." He shifted on his feet, and it was clear he knew what Rivet would do if she didn't like what she heard. "You were just starting to have fun, and then your face soured like a precious piece of candy. Beautiful, yet so upset." Pierre raised a hand and opened his mouth, clearly about to start dramatizing the analogy, but then dropped his hand. "I thought if I were to dance with you, you would be distracted from your troubles long enough to have fun again. …Just like… old times, if you will."
A quiet spell settled between them. Other noises from the rest of the nearly-empty restaurant drifted over to where the two stood, keeping the atmosphere from being unnerving.
At first impulse, Rivet was tempted to wave Pierre away and throw herself back into dancing. It was less of a hassle to dance on her own.
But then again, she did need a good distraction, and Pierre was willing to be an on-friend rather than the weird friend-enemy she had to struggle with…
Her right hand pinched the bridge of her nose. "Alright," she said, rubbing at the area. "We can dance together. But no romantic dancing or songs, got it?"
Pierre pressed a hand over his heart. "Of course, mademoiselle! Just so long as I live to see another beautiful smile grace your pretty face!"
Rivet just rolled her eyes at that.
The Lombax stepped back over to the jukebox, turning to the side so that Pierre could also see the music selection. "Whatcha wanna dance to?"
Claws settled under an elbow while his other hand tapped against the side of his jaw. "Perhaps a lively one? Like a shanty one would sing along the high seas!"
"I'm not dancing to a sea shanty."
Pierre grumbled. "Such a 'buzzkill,' as you would say…"
Rivet poked at the buttons, pulling up a fun song that she knew was lively, but thankfully wasn't a sea shanty. "What about this one?"
The opening notes to the song played out, and a large smile curled up the corners of Pierre's mouthpiece.
"Haha!" he cheered. "Now this is a song to dance to, ma moitié! Come, let us wash away that anger you hold in your heart!"
The pirate threw himself into a jig, one that was clearly something he had learned from his crew. Feet jutted out and his arms crossed over his chest. He moved in an overdramatic way, but one that was just in-time with the rhythm of the song.
Rivet couldn't fight the goofy smile growing on her mouth. With a shake of her head and a small laugh, she joined in with Pierre.
She redid the move she had done during the last slow song, skipping in place and moving her feet in-time with the beat. A touch of flair slipped into her moves, and an overconfident expression decorated her facial features.
Pierre caught the expression, let out a little huff of offense, and whipped himself into a different move. He mimicked her movements, jumping with each skip just to try and show up the Lombax at her own game.
Oh, so that was how he wanted to play…?
Rivet's fangs flashed under the restaurant's lighting, and the Lombax laughed as she lifted a hand to her head and kicked up her feet. It was similar to a jig, but one that was less of an energy-stealer like Pierre's.
The pirate hollered, whipping off his hat in a flourish and switching up his move set to try and match Rivet's moves. He stumbled, just barely keeping up with her rhythm, but mimicking a weaker version of her jig. "Ha!" he laughed, smoothing out his movements. "Is that the best you can do, ma cœur?"
Something of an evil grin spread across the Lombax's face. "Oh, I'm just getting' warmed up!"
"Then show me the best you can do!"
Rivet winked, turned to show her side to Pierre, then leapt backwards into a flip.
Her robotic hand hit the floor. Her legs whirled. The world blurred together into a mess of colors as she moved as fast as her body allowed her to. Flips, twirls, spins…
She didn't think to stop until her sides began to scream from the exertion.
At the final moment, Rivet launched herself into the air with her robotic hand. Her body contorted, and she landed square on her feet, lungs torn and mouth fully open to suck in as much air as she could handle. Sweat coated her forehead.
When she looked over to Pierre, she found a pirate collapsed on the floor.
The song trailed off behind her.
"Perhaps I should not have tried that…" he murmured. A groan left his form, and his good optic rolled up. "Ah, so this is the end… I thought it would have been much more beautiful…"
No matter what she did, she couldn't get the smile off her face. She stepped over to Pierre, leaning over him.
"Ah, now this is a much prettier way to die."
"You're not dying, you dork." The Lombax stuck out her hand. "Come on, let's get you up before you damage the feather in your hat or something."
Pierre to his feet, patting his hat and brushing his fingers against the soft feather. "You're right, mademoiselle! Such a terrible end it would be if I was looking less than perfect." He plopped the hat back on his head, adjusting it in a way that was far more dramatic than it needed to be. "There we are!"
Rivet chuckled under her breath.
It had been nice to dance with him. Pierre made good on his promise, and his goofy nature kept the smile on her face for the whole time. She was still up for more dancing, but if the Lombax was going to do more, she needed some refreshments first.
Rivet tilted her head, putting her hands to her hips. "Hey."
Pierre looked down to her, a lot cheerier than he had been at the start of their meeting.
"I think I need some refreshments before I get back to dancing again." Rivet nodded toward the bar, stepping to the side so Pierre could see. "Do you wanna join me and talk about… well, whatever's been up lately?"
The joy on the pirate's face was so sincere and immense that Rivet knew her simple invitation had made his day.
"I would be honored to join you!" He held out a hand, bowing to the small Lombax. "Come, I shall treat you and I to some of Zurkie's finest… and cheapest."
Oh, she couldn't get the stupid grin off her face.
"'Finest and cheapest,' huh? I see you're covering your tracks to totally ditch me and leave me with the bill once everything's all eaten up."
"What can I say? I go wherever the winds of destiny take me."
"The winds of destiny tell you to specifically leave me with the bill?"
As she shook her head and led the pirate over to the bar, stress disappeared from her mind. While the rest of her week was shaping up to be just as rough as the first half, there was tonight, and Rivet planned to make the most of it.
Even if she was left with the bill at the end of it.
Song Inspo: "Bite Marks" by Au/Ra.
I have no idea why most of these stories are so long, but wow, I guess Rivet week made something click inside me. Had to include Pierre because I love him so much, and I wanted to see more of his friendship with Rivet. Didn't know how well his character turned out in this, and I don't know if I used every French term correctly, but GHJK I'll call it here for today.
Thank you all so much for reading and supporting! :D