Sorry again for being a little late on this one, it was an unfortunate combo of some things happening in my life alongside the fact that, get this, college makes you really busy and makes you have less time to write about space cats. Crazy, I know, lol. Hope you enjoy, though!
Ratchet watched outside the window as Rivet flew their ship through the white clouds dotting the brown ball that was Sargasso, the view becoming obscured before the landscape of a large swamp spilled out before them, countless rocky cliffs, flora, large fauna, and lakes as far as the eye can see.
"Ooh…" He mutters in slight wonder. "I've seen Sargasso before in my own dimension, but I think I like yours better."
"Really?" Rivet asks amusedly, glancing over to him with a smile.
"Yeah, yours has a lot more nature and stuff, it's pretty, and definitely a hell of a lot more beautiful than the empty desert that's Veldin." He replies, still looking out the window before turning back at her with a shrug and a smile. "I mean, granted, last time I went to my Sargasso, I had to run all over an ugly Gelatonium factory that was crawling with Kerchu trying to murder me, but—still! Yours is pretty." He says with a chuckle.
"Wait, Kerchu? Those are still a thing where you're from?" Rivet asks, furrowing her brows.
"I—Erm, yeah?" He answers obviously with confusion. "Why wouldn't they?"
"Well… Because they're extinct here." Rivet replies pointedly with a shrug. "Apparently, they were the ones who were running the Gelatonium factories here before the Morts stepped in. I've only ever heard of them, though, since I've never seen one myself."
"Wait, what? How'd they go extinct?" Ratchet asks in surprise, eyes widening.
Rivet scowls, turning back ahead as they continue to fly through Sargasso's sky. "Nefarious, obviously. From what I've heard, they misspelled his name on some kind of tax form or whatever, and whether her was looking for any excuse or if that prick's just that narcissistic to get that angry over a little thing—or both, honestly—he decided to render them extinct."
"Yes, I believe I recall reading one such account of the incident back in the Archives on Savali." Kit adds thoughtfully, placing a hand on her chin. "Nefarious ensured there were no survivors, as well, as it had occurred early on in his rise to power, and he intended to make their fate an example as to his power and what happens to those who stood against him—or incorrectly filed their taxes." She elaborates bitterly.
"Wha—Seriously?!" Ratchet asks with shock, glancing between the two of them with wide eyes.
"Indeed. If there is anything you are to learn of this dimension, Ratchet, it is that Nefarious' heinous deeds truly know no limits." Kit tells him with a frown.
"You're telling me, every time I think that asshole does something bad, he somehow manages to do something even worse." Rivet says with poison in her tone. "I can't wait for the day I get to crack open that stupid dome of his myself."
"Yeah, no kidding..." Ratchet mutters, a little taken aback by the expression of deep anger on her face, emphasized by how tightly she was gripping onto the steering controls.
However, only a second later, a split-second moment of realization washes over her face before it's exchanged for a small, slightly embarrassed smile as she turns back towards Ratchet while rubbing the back of her head.
"I should probably stop spoiling the mood by ranting about that asshole all the time, huh?" She says with a nervous chuckle.
"What? Erm, no, I don't mind at all. Rant away." Ratchet offers with a small smile, waving a hand over towards her.
"Yeah, no. Trust me, I'm not sure that's a good idea—I can go on for hours about why I hate that psycho and his stupid Empire. Stars know I've done that way too many times before." She returns with a small chuckle before playfully tapping his shoulder with the back of her robotic hand. "And besides, I think it's about time we lighten the mood up a bit anyway!" She adds cheerily.
"Oh, really? With what?" Ratchet asks amusedly, finding her mood to be a bit infectious.
"With the Morts, obviously!" She declares pointedly with a grin before turning back ahead, nodding her head up front. "We're coming up to their factory right now—Home sweet home. I could go for some lemonade right about now, anyways."
Ratchet follows her gaze out the cockpit's canopy, and finds the typical Sargasso landscape still stretching out before them, however, with a giant Gelatonium factory placed in the middle of it, now especially reminding him of his own Sargasso and the factory's embedded all over it as well.
However, much to his relief, as Rivet slows down, beginning to descend towards a landing pad, he finds that these factories weren't populate by the furry, homicidal little nightmares of the Kerchu, but instead even smaller furry little creatures wandering all around. Some were carrying boxes, some had clipboards, some wore yellow hardhats, others didn't—but the thing that they all had in common were a nice and friendly demeanor, in that the ones who weren't visibly occupied with a task appeared to be having lively and joyful conversations emphasized by laughs and the occasional pats on the back.
Sure, Rivet had already told him that the Morts couldn't hurt a fly, but seeing their comradery for himself—along with the fact that they weren't armed to the teeth with mech suits like the Kerchu, too—very much assured him in the confidence that he didn't have to worry about getting killed for once ever since jumping into this dimension.
He feels the ship jostle a bit as they touch down onto the landing pad, to which the cockpit's canopy subsequently opens, making him turn back to Rivet to see her hop out of the ship, stretching a bit with a satisfied groan.
"Man, nothing like a good ol' stretch after a ship ride, huh?" He asks Ratchet amusedly with a smile. "Feels nice."
"Erm, yeah…" Ratchet replies a little distantly, finding himself to be a little transfixed by her muscles as she shook out her legs and pulled her arm across her chest, now able to get a good look at them now that he isn't watching from a distance like when she was fighting in Zurkie's arena earlier. "Nice." He mutters.
"Ratchet?" Kit's voice suddenly speaks up, making him quickly shake his head to snap out of his daze, and prompting him to turn his head to see Kit now standing outside the ship as well, looking at him with a curious glance—making him hope that it was because she got out as soon as they landed and not because he was staring at Rivet for that long. "Are you not going to exit the ship as well?"
"O-Oh, uh, yeah!" He hurriedly replies with a wide smile. "Just, erm, taking a sec to appreciate the scenery, it's nice!" He says, gesturing out to the view before them—a view that was mainly comprised of dirty yellow steel and ugly green tubes crisscrossing the Gelatonium factory directly in front of them.
Kit confusedly turns back to look at the 'scenery' as well, before then turning back to Ratchet with a puzzled and suspicious expression. "Oh…Kay?" She replies uncertainly.
"Well, are you keep sitting in there, or are we going to get going?" Rivet asks with an amused smile, crossing her arms before nodding her head over her shoulder. "Come on, let's say hi to the Morts before we head to my hideout."
"Erm, right, yeah!" Ratchet says with a smile of his own—internally congratulating himself for that dodged bullet—before hopping out the ship as well, taking a moment to stretch himself, agreeing that a good stretch did feel nice.
However, after leaning on his legs, rolling his arms, and leaning side to side for a few seconds, he glances back to Rivet, unexpectedly making eye contact with her for a split-second before she quickly turns her gaze off to the side with an innocuous look.
Was she…?
Nah, don't be silly. He was the first Lombax she's ever seen in her entire life, so of course she was just stealing a curious look, just as he himself did all the time when he first met the rest of the Lombaxes, awed at seeing others so similar yet so different from himself.
A completely, innocent, curious look that was entirely explainable and natural. Obviously. And it was not the first thing that jumped into his mind for some reason upon catching her staring at him stretching. Of course not.
"W-Well!" She suddenly calls out, clapping her hands together. "Let's get going, then!"
"Of course, we will be right behind you, Rivet." Kit replies pointedly, looking over to Ratchet standing next to her before holding her hand out for him to pick her up and place her on his back.
"Yeah, just lead the way." Ratchet adds amicably, beginning to reach for her hand as well.
However, before their hands meet, he suddenly stops, an idea popping up in his mind, stemming from his sneaking suspicion earlier during that conversation of partnership. He begins to glance between Rivet and Kit—beginning to look confused as she still awkwardly holds her hand up for him.
"Erm… Is something the matter, Ratchet?" She asks uneasily.
"Uh… Yeah, actually." He replies coolly, retracting his hand to instead place it on his back, rubbing it slightly. "I think I need to get used to those kinds of seats, because my back feels a little rough. Do you think that, you know, maybe Rivet can carry you instead for a little bit?"
"Wait, what?" They both asked with surprised confusion.
"Are you sure?" Rivet asks, furrowing her brows,
"Your back is really in that much pain? Are you going to be alright to continue?" Kit asks worriedly, looking over him.
"Yes—to both of you, I mean." He answers, glancing between them both before focusing on Kit. "I'm fine, Kit, really, but even after hauling Clank around for all these years, I've still gotta take some breaks time to time when the ol' back's acting up." He says with a shrug and a smile. "Is that a big problem for having Rivet carry you around for, like, five minutes or so?"
"I… I suppose not…" She mutters.
"Cool, and what about you?" He asks Rivet, gesturing over to her.
"I… Well…" She stammers, crossing her arms while looking away.
"I mean, that harness of yours has a mount just like mine does here, right?" He asks, turning around to thumb to said apparatus on his back.
"I mean, yeah, but—"
"Sweet! So, can you do me a solid and carry her around for a bit until we get to your hideout, then?" He offers with a friendly expression.
Rivet opens her mouth, raising a finger—undoubtedly about to voice an argument against the idea—however, as she looks back at him holding that amicable smile, looking back at her with a pleased thankfulness, she instead remains silent for a few seconds, lowering her finger down slowly before sighing with a small nod.
"I guess, yeah, sure." She mutters, rolling her eyes before holding a hand out to Kit. "Hop on, I guess."
"I… Erm… Alright, then?" Kit hesitantly returns, walking over to her before taking her hand, to which Rivet then picks her up and places her on her back, making her eyes widen a bit as she looks over her shoulder.
"Wow, you're a lot lighter than I thought you'd be." Rivet comments with slight wonder.
"I… Appreciate the sentiment, I suppose?" Kit answers back, giving a small shrug.
"See? Not so bad, right?" Ratchet offers happily, crossing his arms, unable to help but think about how they looked like partners already, even with the visible hesitance between the two of them. "Now, how about meeting these Morts and getting to this hideout and everything?"
"Oh, erm, right." Rivet replies, turning back to look at him, the uncertain expression she wore as she looked back at Kit over her shoulder fading away into a small smile. "Let's get—"
"Ah, Rivet! There's our girl, dontcha know!" They suddenly hear a voice call out.
They all turn their heads to see a trio of the furry little creatures come walking over to them, wearing friendly smiles and jovial expressions—expressions which quickly turn to amazed shock as they then notice Ratchet standing next to her, making them snap their heads between the two of them while pointing.
"Wha—Wait a gosh darn minute! Is that another Rivet?!" One cries out, pointing at him.
"Wait, another what?" Ratchet asks confusedly, glancing down at himself then back at Rivet. "They talking about me?"
"I mean, I don't know who else they'd be talking about." She responds plainly with a shrug.
"Well, it seems like it, dontcha know!" Another Mort states, pointing at Ratchet. "I mean, he's all furry, got them big ol' ears, about as tall, and got a tail, too!"
"Did he just shave it, though? It's not all bushy like our little Rivet's there?" The third adds, placing a hand on his chin. "Wait, do ya think Rivet's actually supposed to do that too? Trimmin' her tail for cleanin' and health reasons and whatnot?"
"Ooh, maybe!"
"I—Wait, am I?" Rivet asks Ratchet quietly in a genuine tone, looking back at her tail and his. "Is that a thing?"
"Uh… No? Girls have bushy tails, shaving it isn't a thing. Or… At least I don't think it's a thing?" He answers confusedly, thoughtfully placing a hand on his own chin as more of these 'Morts' start to walk over to them, having noticed their arrival and enthusiastically talking to each other about the miraculous sight of 'another Rivet!'
"Why's he all orange, though? I thought they came in one color!" One of them comments.
"Maybe he hasn't been getting enough lemonade, so his fur's actin' up, dontcha know?" Another responds.
"Huh?" Ratchet asks, tilting his head.
"His muzzle looks longer than Riv's there, too!"
"Oh yeah, it does!"
"Wait, what?" Ratchet says, self-consciously looking down at his muzzle that he didn't think looked that long to comment on.
"And look at them ears! They're all high and pointy—straight, too!"
"Wait, aren't Rivet's like that, too?"
"Nah, hers are a bit curvy, and they're sittin' a little low, too, see there?" One says, pointing to them.
Ratchet's ears subconsciously drop a little out of self-consciousness as he glances over to Rivet, muttering a confused 'huh?' as she then looks over at Ratchet's ears, then feeling her own, wondering what kind of curve they were talking about.
"Seems like a skinny fella too, huh? It's almost like he's got no meat on his bones, dontcha know!"
"I'm sure he just needs to eat a good ol' Grunther steak or two to get back up to snuff to be lookin' like Rivet there, though, nothin' a good picnic or two won't solve!"
"Skinny?" Ratchet says, looking at his own body, then his arms, then over to Rivet, where he unfortunately did have to admit that she seemed to have him beat on the brawn department, if not just a bit more.
But as he looks over to her, he could also see a look of great embarrassment steadily wash over her features as more of the Morts begin picking apart their differences in increasingly specific ways, forcing her to turn back to the large crowd now gathered in front of them.
"I wonder if he's wearin' that hat because he's bald under—"
"OKAY, MORT!" Rivet cries out, holding up her hands to silence them. "We get it, he's another Lombax, he looks different from me, too, glad we figured that out! Yeah!" She says with a nervous chuckle.
"Oop, sorry there, Rivet, I guess we just got a bit too caught up in the excitement finally of seein' another one of you runnin' around!" One of them replies with a jovial laugh.
"Where'd you even find him anyways?" Another asks. "I didn't even know there were more of you Lombaxes, we ain't even heard of them around here in… Well… For a good long while at least, dontcha know!"
"Well, you don't have to just refer to him as 'him', he's still standing right here, Mort." Rivet says, rolling her eyes while holding up a hand over to Ratchet, who snaps out of his confused daze upon noticing their full attention on him, prompting him to coyly raise a hand with an awkward smile.
"Oh, uh… Hey?" He greets with a small wave.
"What's yer name, then, fella?" One of them asks amicably.
"Erm, Ratchet." He says with nod. "And you are…?"
"Oh, where are my manners? I'm Mort!" She returns, walking up to him to hold her hand out that Ratchet shakes.
"Wait, really?" He responds, furrowing his brows in confusion, glancing over to Rivet, then back over the rest of them, thinking that Rivet was just referring to Mort as a species. "Then… What's your name, then?" He asks another standing behind the one in front of him, letting go of her hand.
"Right, I'm Mort!" He answers before thumbing behind him. "And that there's Mort, Mort, Mort, Mort, and especially Mort." He says, pointing to various… Morts.
"Hey, don't forget about Mort!" Another one calls out.
"Ah, shoot, right! Mort, too!" He corrects himself, tapping his forehead in a 'duh' motion with a chuckle. "Must've been hittin' the lemonade a little too hard this mornin', it seems like."
"Hey, happens to the best of us, dontcha know!" The one standing next to him agrees, patting his back with a laugh.
Ratchet, however, simply stares back at them all with a blankly confused expression. "Uh…"
"Does Mort know about that?" Rivet asks from beside him, raising an eyebrow while placing her hands on her hips, prompting Ratchet's attention back to her and her utter neutrality to the situation—in stark contrast to Kit's own visible confusion of the situation, exchanging a very puzzled glance with Ratchet.
"Well… No, but, I think we can keep it a secret from her, eh?" He replies with wink. "You ain't gonna be spilling the lemons on me anytime soon, are ya, Riv?"
"Pssh, me? You know who you're talking to?" She replies amusedly. "Nah, you're good, but just know I'm not covering for you in case she ever finds out, you hear?"
"Loud and clear, dontcha know!" He replies with a firm nod.
They both chuckle, but as she does, she then glances back over to Ratchet, still staring at her in utter bewilderment, remaining silent as the obvious question is painted all over his face, making her shrug with grin.
"You get used to it, trust me." She tells him.
"I…"
"So, Ratchet," The Mort in front of him speaks up, "We didn't quite catch where you've been hiding all this time!"
"Oh, uh… Yeah, that's a bit of a long story." He replies, shaking away some of his confusion for an awkward chuckle as he rubs the back of his head. "Pretty crazy, too, I doubt you'd believe me, honestly."
"Oh, hush now, the fact that there's a Lombax standing in front of his is already crazy enough, so what's a little more craziness?" She replies, waving a hand dismissively.
"Well… Uh…" He looks back over to Rivet for some assurance, crossing her arms, and she simply shrugs while rolling her hand in a 'go on' motion.
And with that, he himself simply gives a shrug, exhaling a breath as he looks back to Mort. "Well… I come from another dimension." He states simply. "I told you it was crazy."
"Wait, what? Didya just say you're from another dimension?" She asks, tilting her head.
"Um… yup!" He confirms with a nod. "Not from this dimension—or this galaxy, even. Well, I mean, actually, I was technically born Polaris, then raised in Solana, but—Long story. Point is that I came here with my dad and my friend, we got split up, I'm looking for them, and I found Rivet here to help me out." He says, gesturing over to her with a smile. "Again, long story, but yeah. I warned you it was crazy."
"No kiddin'!" She replies with a hearty laugh, right before then walking up to his side and reaching up to slap a hand onto his back. "But no worries, you can tell all them specifics sometime later, because we need to celebrate first! Mort, get the lemonade!"
"Sure thing!" Another one from the crowd replies with a thumbs-up before going off to fetch the beverage while the others around him all voice their approval of this impromptu celebration.
"Wait, celebration for what?" Rivet asks confusedly.
"Well, celebration for finally managing to find yourself a boyfriend, obviously! We were worried you wouldn't be able to find someone, what with you bein' the only Lombax in the galaxy and whatnot, but wouldn'tcha know it, here's one standing right here!" She says joyfully, holding up her hands over to Ratchet with a large grin. "Musta been one heck of a lucky find for you, huh?"
Ratchet, however, simply froze up in shock, that word 'boyfriend' slamming into him like a freighter, eyes wide and lips tightened into a dazed expression, unable to formulate any kind of response to… that.
But then, as more Morts are also voicing their congratulations and best wishes towards Rivet, saying how happy they are for her, Ratchet breaks his impression of a statue to slowly turn his head over towards Rivet, finding that she had more or less the same reaction as him—being frozen in shock with her eyes wide, mouth agape as a look of embarrassment, shock, and dismay washes over her features while her eyes dart across the crowd of cheering Morts.
And on her back, Ratchet could see Kit gently place a hand over her mouth with wide eyes of her own, glancing between both her and Ratchet, unsure of what exactly to do.
"Now we'll warn ya, Ratchet, that Rivet here can be one heck of a spitfire at times, but I'm sure you must've seen it yourself by now just hanging around her, eh?" A Mort standing next to Ratchet says, giving him a playful elbow that was simply returned with Ratchet looking down at him with the frozen expression on his face. "We just hope you'll be able to keep up with her, dontcha know!"
"Hey, if all Lombaxes are like our little Riv here, then I don't think we've gotta worry about a thing!" Another Mort amusedly adds. "'Specially if she's snagged herself one that says he's from another dimension, he must see all kinds of crazy like she does!"
"Wait… Wait! Now wait just a gosh darn minute!" One Mort cries out over the others as they continue to rouse in celebration, prompting both Ratchet and Rivet's attention onto her as well—holding a vain hope that she was going to end this madness. "I think we do gotta worry about a thing, since we're neglecting a little something!"
"Whatcha talkin' about, Mort? Sure, the lemonade's not here yet, but don't you worry, Mort's comin' back with it any minute now!" The one next to her responds confusedly.
"I'm not talkin' about the stinkin' lemonade, Mort, I'm saying I think there's something Rivet's missing with this whole 'boyfriend' deal!"
"Which is?"
"Well, you've gotta admit that we didn't think Rivet was going to find herself a boy anytime soon with her being the only Lombax around these parts and whatnot, and I just realized that I think we didn't think to give her a certain… talk whenever boyfriends and girlfriends get together!"
Ratchet furrows his brows in confusion at that statement, wonder what the hell she was talking about, and glancing over to Rivet and Kit, even they seemed a little puzzled at her concern—albeit still just as stunned at this whole 'celebration' in general.
Although, whatever this Mort was saying, it seemed like the rest of them somehow understood her, as their revelry was put on hold as most of them wore looks of sudden realization while a chorus of 'oh!'s flooded through the crowd.
"Shoot! Why didn't we realize that?!"
"We've gotta fix this ASAP!"
"Didn't we get a book about this one time? Should we get it?"
"Oh, yeah! That's right! What was it called again? It's been a hot minute since I last thought of it…"
"Oh, the 'Grunthors and the Speetles'! Yeah, that was it!"
"Wait, what?" Ratchet somehow manages to utter through his paralyzed vocal cords, to no one in particular.
"Oh no." He hears Rivet also utter beside him, but in a tone that was seeping with dread, now apparently catching on to what they were saying, Ratchet seeing a look of pure dismay wash over her features.
But before he could ask her what they were talking about, a couple of the Morts rush up to Rivet, grabbing both her hands as they lead her away from him, parting through the crowd of furry creatures while more gather around Ratchet with awkward smiles.
"We, erm, need to have a little chat with Rivet for a quick minute, sorry about that!" One of them apologizes as Rivet's quickly being led away, now beginning to protest this action and begging them to let her go.
Ratchet watches her for a few more moments before looking back down to the Morts now around him, unable to deny that he felt a tiny bit fearful of what was to come.
"Uh… It's, erm, okay?" He responds hesitantly. "I'm… Not in any kind of danger or anything, am I?"
"What? Of course not! You're in great company!" One standing next to him says with a laugh, reaching over to pat his back. "We just want to get to know you a little better now that you're going to spending time with our little furball, dontcha know! You might be a Lombax, sure, but we still wanna know if you're gonna be a good boyfriend for Rivet!"
Rathcet holds his hands up. "Okay, wait, wait, wait, hold up! I just wanna make it clear right now that Rivet and I are not—"
"Guess who's back with the lemonade!" A voice suddenly calls out, cutting him off as they look to see the Mort that left earlier now arrive with many pitchers of lemonade on a tray, couple with a lot of stacked cups.
"Ah, just in time! Why don't you get your keister over here and pour Ratchet here a glass, we were just about to go ahead and ask him to tell us all about himself!" The Mort standing next to him says jovially, waving his hand over.
"Ooh, goodie! You seem like an interestin' fella, Ratchet, I'm sure you've got all kinds of things to talk about!" The lemonade-bearing Mort replies as he walks through the crowd, the Morts he passes buy each grabbing a cup off the stack while some occasionally take a pitcher off the tray to begin distributing it to the others until there is a single pitcher on the tray, along with only a handful of cups.
"No kiddin'! Especially if it's someone who's from another dimension, too!" A Mort next to him says, grabbing a cup and the pitcher to pour a drink of lemonade before holding it out to Ratchet. "Here ya go, a nice, refreshing cup of lemonade to wet your whistle!"
Ratchet confusedly looks to the lemonade, then the smiling Morts around him, beginning to drink lemonades of their own as they look to him expectantly, and back to the lemonade, once again thinking for the hundredth time since this adventure started of why this dimension seemed so strange.
His father gets kidnapped, Nefarious practically runs the galaxy, he gets to meet a new friend, meets a new Lombax that seemed to share a lot in common with him, and now he was surrounded by a crowd of furry creatures with the same name that are obsessed with lemonade and instantly accusing him and Rivet of dating just because they both happened to be Lombaxes.
But, after a few seconds of standing in pondering silence, he simply sighs while taking the glass of lemonade, resigning himself to at least being thankful that one quirk of this dimension was the fact that he was able to visit Sargasso without fear of being killed by Kerchu this time—only possibly being killed by embarrassment from these Morts.
"Alright. Shoot, I guess." He says with a shrug, putting the cup to his mouth to take a swig as he's instantly hounded with dozens of questions.
"Mort, seriously, let go of me!" Rivet calls out in vain, desperately trying to wrench her hands free of the two of them leading her with a third one, both of whom were not budging one bit in their grasp.
"Calm down, Rivet, we're just trying to save you some embarrassment, is all!" One of them states as they lead her out of view of Ratchet and the Morts, going around a corner of the factory.
"Oh, really?!" She bites back irritably with a scowl. "I think it's a bit too late for that when you just look at Ratchet and instantly say that he's my BOYFRIEND, for crying out loud!" She cries out, the Morts finally letting go of her hands as she immediately plants them on her hips before throwing one out over to where they came from. "I mean, what in the hell was that about, Mort?! We've only known each other for like, an hour!"
"So? Love at first sight is still a thing, dontcha know, so who's to say that wasn't the case with you and that Ratchet fella, huh?"
"Uh, because you weren't there when we first saw each other, for one thing!" She answers, crossing her arms. "And secondly, because it wasn't 'love at first sight' or anything, because we're not dating!"
"Oh, really? Then why'd you bring him over here to meet us, then?" One Mort answers smugly, crossing his own arms with a smirk and raised eyebrow.
"Because we weren't here just to meet you, we're here because he needs my help saving his dad and his friend from Nefarious!" She cries out in exasperation, throwing her arms up. "Or—Someone else! I don't know, point is that they're missing and hopefully not dead, so we just need to head to my hideout to try and find them, okay?!"
"Oh." The third Mort utters plainly with a surprised look she shared with her two companions, right before she thane quickly shakes her head. "Well… Our point still stands! Who's to say that you two aren't going to date at one point? After all, you seem really friendly with the guy for someone who's admitted she's got some issues with making new friends, dontcha know! I mean, it's been a hot minute since you've brought over one of your Resistance buddies to your home, even!" She points out, raising a finger.
"That's… That doesn't have to do with anything, okay?!" Rivet replies, but with a moment of clear hesitation in her answer. "I'm just doing this because we just so happen have to use my equipment I have hooked up in my hideout, is all!"
"Oh, really? And not because he also happens to be Lombax, too? A male Lombax, I should add?" Another Mort responds.
Rivet doesn't immediately answer, instead crossing her arms as she simply stares back at the three of them with a disgruntled expression and a frown, all the while they stare right back at her with knowing smiles.
And unbeknownst to her, Kit was still resting on her back, and even though Ratchet told her not to do it without permission, she couldn't help but take a quick scan of Rivet out of curiosity as she floundered with these seemingly innocuous questions. And, just as she theorized, she found that her racing heartbeat and stammering was almost identical to Ratchet's when they first met as well.
But as she was mulling over this interesting observation, Rivet gives a large sigh. "Alright, fine, maybe something has to do with him being a Lombax, okay? It's not like I've ever met one before after dreaming about it for my whole life, let alone one that says he's from an entire dimension full of other Lombaxes, too!" She huffs in resignation.
"Oh, really? There's more of ya out there, then?" One Mort comments with interest, placing a hand on her chin.
"Yes, exactly!" Rivet says with a nod. "And once we save his dad and his friend, I… I might be able to see them, too! And not to mention the fact that he was telling me all about the fact that he's a hero who saves people in his own dimension—even being able to take down a Nefarious of his own—and about how he grew up thinking he was the only Lombax left, too, and I figured he was someone that I could trust. Trust enough that I'm not worried about bringing him to my hideout so that I could try and help him." She says with a small shrug, looking away.
But after a few seconds, she then looks back to the trio of Morts in front of her, waving her finger across them. "But apparently, I can't trust you guys to not make me want to crawl in a hole and die after you instantly decided that we were a couple before he even said a thing! Just because he's a Lombax that also happens to be a guy doesn't mean we're dating! I mean, come on! Seriously?!"
"Well… Alright, fine, let's say that you two aren't getting all lovey with each other—"
"Which we aren't!" Rivet states firmly, raising a finger.
"—There's still a good chance you're going to get lovey with someone at some point if you're gonna be minglin' with all sorts of Lombaxes now, and we've gotta prepare you for it, dontcha know!" She advises in a friendly tone.
"I guess this is our bad, assumin' you weren't gonna find anybody sometime soon, so we didn't think to give you this talk since we were honestly kinda dreadin' it. But, it looks like our tardiness sure bit us in our lemons this time, huh?"
"You can say that again, Mort!"
Rivet gives them a deadly glare. "Guys, if this talk is what I think it is, then do not—"
"Now, the most important thing is that you two be sure to keep the peel on that lemon, since you don't want the seed in it to sneak into your lemonade and plant a tree!" Mort helpfully states. "You've always gotta be safe it about, no matter what!"
"OKAY, I THINK WE'RE DONE HERE, MORT!" Rivet says loudly while covering her ears, trying to pretend she didn't hear that come out of Mort's mouth, let alone trying to keep the image of doing that with Ratchet out of her mind (but terribly failing to do so).
"But you've gotta know this stuff if you don't want more Lombaxes runnin' around—"
"I AM AN ADULT WITH ACCESS TO THE HOLONET, MORT! I KNOW THIS STUFF ALREADY, I GOT IT!" Rivet yells out in response as she begins walking away from them. "I'M NOT AN IDIOT, SO STOP TALKING ABOUT IT!"
"Oh, really? You do?" One of the Morts ask curiously, tilting his head.
"YES!"
"Oh, well, good for you, then! Hope you two have fun and be safe while doing it!" The third one calls out happily, giving her a small wave.
"WE'RE NOT—GODDAMMIT!" Rivet cries out indignantly as she rounds the corner and out of view of the trio of Morts, looking off to where she disappeared to with jovial smiles on their faces before looking to each other.
"We raised such a smart and safe girl, didn't we?" One of them says proudly.
"You can say that again, Mort. I'm so happy for her!" Another says, placing her hand on her chest.
"Now how's about we get ourselves some of that lemonade, dontcha know?" The third proposes.
"I'm in!"
"Me, too!"
Meanwhile, around the corner, Rivet was storming off to Ratchet, holding a cup of lemonade in his hands that he was drinking while chuckling along with the Morts surrounding him, seemingly having the time of his life while she wanted to get out of here ASAP, lest they say anything else that made her want to contemplate pulling a blaster on herself to end her misery.
"I can't believe them. I mean, dating? Seriously? That's just…" She sighs, shaking her head—but mostly to just try and throw the idea of dating Ratchet out of her mind. "Silly! Is what it is!"
"Erm… I believe they were simply just trying to help you as your caretakers?" Kit helpfully yet hesitantly speaks up from Rivet's back, finally speaking up with a raised finger.
"Yeah, well, I'd say they were doing the opposite of that by doing… whatever the hell that was." She grumbles while thumbing back behind her.
But before Kit could reply to that statement, she is cut off as Rivet finally reaches Ratchet and the Morts, the former of whom was currently in the midst of retelling some story of his.
"And then that Qwark guy was like, 'How was I supposed to know that was your sister? It was mating season!'" He says with some amusement, broadly gesturing with his hands while the Morts around him crack up into laughter.
But as they do, Ratchet glances over to see Rivet walking up to him, and his face lights up in a smile as he holds up his lemonade to her.
"Oh, hey, Rivet! Me and the Morts here were just talking, they seem really fun, actually! And hey, you were right, this lemonade is tasty!" He says amicably, oblivious to the hell that Rivet had just finished enduring.
"And you seem like a pretty fun guy yourself, Ratchet!" A Mort next to him adds, lightly nudging him with his elbow. "I'm sure Rivet'll love to have you as a—"
"OKAY, RATCHET, GOTTA SAVE YOUR DAD NOW, ENOUGH TALKING TO THE MORTS, BYE!" Rivet loudly declares as she grabs his wrist to begin dragging him off and away from the Morts, much to his confusion.
"Wha—Hey, I thought you said you wanted me to meet the Morts and stuff?!" He protests, getting lead away from them against his will, awkwardly holding his cup of lemonade in his free hand.
"And it looks like you did, come on!" Rivet hastily answers, trying to get away from the Morts to prevent any further embarrassment by them once again insisting that they were—
"RIVET!" She hears one of the Morts from earlier yell out, "JUST REMEMBER WHAT WE TOLD YOU ABOUT—"
"I HEARD YOU THE FIRST TIME, MORT, I GOT IT!" Rivet yells back over her shoulder, wanting nothing more than to keep her from finishing that sentence with Ratchet in earshot.
"I… Well… Erm, it was nice meeting you all!" Ratchet awkwardly bids farewell with a smile, setting his lemonade down on a crate as they pass by it, freeing his hand into a wave.
"Same here, Ratchet! Have fun, you two!" One calls back as the others around him say goodbye with the same sentiment.
"I, erm, guess we will, then?" Ratchet calls back confusedly.
"NO, WE WON'T!" Rivet corrects him, raising a finger to them, glaring at them for a few seconds as they walk away, still practically dragging Ratchet along by the wrist before she feels comfortable enough to turn back ahead with a sigh, letting go of him as he looks back to her with furrowed brows.
"What do you mean we won't?" He asks confusedly. "I mean, yeah, the circumstances aren't exactly fun, but that doesn't mean we can't have a good time together still?"
"Well—no, I'm not saying that we aren't going to have fun or anything!" Rivet quickly corrects herself as Ratchet begins walking alongside her as she leads the way. "I'm just telling them that we aren't going to have… fun." She says irritably with a frown.
"And… What does fun mean, exactly?" Ratchet asks, placing a hand on his chin, puzzled by her odd behavior.
"It's… nothing! Nothing at all that you have to worry about! It's just a… an inside joke between me and the Morts, yep!" She hastily explains with a wide smile, staring back at him as he raises his eyebrow.
"Oh… Kay, then?" He replies reluctantly. "I… Guess it's just something I'm out of the loop on, then?"
"Yep! Totally! I'd love to explain, but I think it'd take too long, so let's just forget about it for now! Yeah!" She says with a nervous chuckle, patting his back.
"Inside joke?" Kit speaks up curiously. "Is that what that was between you and those Morts earlier, then?"
"Uh… Yep!" Rivet says with a nod, turning her head to look at her over her shoulder.
"Well… I know you said you do not have the time to fully explain the intricacies of this joke, but can you at least elaborate on what the Morts meant when they advised you 'keep a peel on the lemon so that the seed in your lemonade doesn't grow into a tree' when they were discussing about you and Ratchet?" She asks innocently, placing a hand over her chin. "I admit that was a curious statement that I am struggling to comprehend. Lemonade is an insufficient environment for flora to grow, after all."
Rivet freezes upon Kit's seemingly innocuous statement, slowly turning her head to look back at her with wide eyes, mouth agape as all of her efforts to prevent that little tidbit away from Ratchet absolutely shattered with her innocent question.
Kit sees this look of shock on her face, prompting her to shrink back a bit with an apprehensive expression. "Erm… Did… Did I just say something I should not have?"
Rivet doesn't answer, instead staring back at Kit for a few seconds before reluctantly turning her head to look back over to Ratchet, internally bracing herself for whatever reaction he had, and hoping to the stars that it went over his head just as much hers.
But, unfortunately, it seemed like the universe was being particularly cruel to her today, as his wide eyes, rigid posture, stunned look, and ears that were standing straight up told her that he now perfectly understood what those Morts meant—and especially by what they meant by 'fun'.
Unable to bear this tense silence whose seconds felt like a whole eternity, Rivet loudly clears her throat, looking away for a bit before straightening up with an awkward smile, thumbing over to the path ahead of them.
"SO!" She calls out loudly, "How about we, uh… Make sure Clank and your dad aren't dead or anything right now?" She asks with that wide grin.
"I, erm… Yeah! Let's do that! Totally!" Ratchet replies with similar fervor, picking up on this unspoken attempt to just forget (or try to forget, at least) this little incident. "Lead the way!"
"Will do!" Rivet says, now marching off down the path leading to her hideout with Ratchet in tow, all the while Kit remained absolutely bewildered on Rivet's back, glancing between the both of them, still confused as to what the cause of this sudden awkwardness was that she still was unable to fathom.