"This house is huge!"
Shantae twirled around in the large expanse of the lobby room she was in, following Risky to wherever she kept her aquarium. She'd been looking forward to this all day, a million guesses of what Risky's house would look like, but none of them prepared her for this.
The house – or more fittingly, mansion – sat on a large piece of land with two spanning yards at the front and back, appropriately decorated with shaped trees and hedges and flowers of all kinds, with a smooth dirt path winding through them. A tiled driveway led to Risky's garage, passing a fountain with a sculpted pirate ship atop it all.
Behind the house and the backyard, a clear view of the ocean. Dark blue folds melted with the light blue sky, waves sparkling in the sunlight, and the faint smell of sea salt in the air. The house was just far enough not to be considered a beach house, but close enough that Risky could walk to it if she wanted to.
The house itself was grand, coloured off-white with black roof tiles that contrasted the bright paint. It was quite reminiscent of a shingle style housing, though modified with Risky's preferences. It was clear without a doubt that the lilac-haired woman was very wealthy.
"It is, isn't it?" Risky replied nonchalantly, leading the way. A smirk appeared on her face. "It may appear larger to you than to me, however, because-"
"Don't even finish that sentence," Shantae interrupted with an icy glare, causing Risky to smile and chuckle, a sight and sound Shantae wanted more of.
Being led to one of the doors to the right, the purplette beginning to notice a naval trend in the theming of household decorations. Little ships, flags, anchors, and anything related to the sea were dotted around Risky's furniture, spurring Shantae to ask about them.
"This is just a guess, but I have the feeling you like the ocean?" She beamed at the older woman, who stopped outside the door and smirked again.
"Whatever gave it away?" Risky joked. "I suppose I should tell you what my job is." She nodded towards a particularly large model cruise liner that was in the lobby of her home. "I'm the captain of the Tinker Tub, the largest and most luxurious cruise ship to ever sail the seven seas."
"You're the captain of that ship!?" Shantae asked in shock, her jaw unhinging. She had seen the Tinker Tub docked in the bay sometimes, often wondering who the captain was, and jealous of those who could afford a ticket to travel on it. She had made it a personal goal to one day save up enough gems to take herself and Sky on a cruise on the ship. Never had she thought that she would meet the captain herself. "No wonder you're so rich! Even after taxes and staff payments – which I don't understand, by the way – you're earning so many gems through something you enjoy! Not that I don't enjoy working at the pet store, but I am a little jealous that living costs aren't that much of an issue to you."
Risky's smile slowly disappeared as Shantae spoke, replaced with a distant look.
"It didn't always use to be this way…" she murmured. Before Shantae could ask what she meant, Risky opened the door and pulled her inside.
What greeted her was a large room with three walls replaced entirely by aquariums that went two-thirds up the wall, the sections above them deemed to be hatches, if the hinges were to indicate anything. The inner corners of the aquariums were rounded, Shantae realising that there weren't three aquariums – there was only one. Every wall was a fish tank save for the one with the door.
Decorations littered the bed of the aquarium, from sunken ships and bridges, to more natural rocky caves, coral and underwater foliage. A group of small squids swam around, bright red with purple spots, occasionally dipping into a decoration to hide. They weren't very large, about the size of a fist, but they were easily visible.
As Shantae dropped her jaw in surprise and admiration for the second time in a few minutes, Risky chuckled and gently led her to a smaller tank in the corner. The fish that she had just purchased noticed this, quickly hiding behind the few decorations in the tank and huddling together.
"I've had them in quarantine since I got home yesterday. They should be ready to go into the big tank, correct?"
When Risky received no answer, she turned her head to see Shantae against the glass, observing a squid with an expression of awe on her face. Risky shook her head in annoyance before raising her voice.
"Hey! I asked you something!" she snapped, causing the younger teen to jump in fright. "And keep off the glass, I just cleaned it!"
"S-sorry!" Shantae stammered, leaving the tank behind and walking over to Risky. The older woman muttered something incomprehensible under her breath, turning back to the smaller tank. Shantae felt guilty, as well as a little bit scared. Was Risky one of those mean people she detested? Surely she wasn't attracted to one of those types of people… if this was a crush in the first place.
In a calmer voice, Risky commanded Shantae to help her transfer the fish to the larger tank. She pulled out a ladder to reach the hatch above the tank, taking a bagged fish from Shantae and releasing them inside the aquarium, repeating it for every fish.
Once every fish was put inside, she guided the purplette to where she stored her water chemicals, mixing them into the water. When that task was complete, she slid down the ladder, turning around to be greeted by a Shantae who was trying her best to look like she had been watching the squid the entire time.
Judging by her red face, Risky had no doubts about what she had been really looking at. She smirked to herself, putting the teen on the spot.
"See something you like?" Risky waltzed closer as she asked, Shantae's ocean blue eyes snapping to her own, glancing down at her body for a quick second, then blushing more and turning away again, all while stammering and stuttering. Risky giggled, grabbing Shantae's arm and dragging her out of the room. "I suppose you want payment for your help."
Shantae's eyes widened, before shaking her head.
"No, no, it's okay. I didn't even do anything but hand you fish and dirty your glass." The teen frowned for a moment, a thought coming to her mind. "You didn't even need me, did you?"
"No. No I didn't," Risky half laughed, half cackled. "I didn't need you at all."
She led the purplette to her kitchen and dining area, which had a fantastic view of the ocean. Risky sat her down on one side of the table, before sitting herself opposite of Shantae.
"Why did you invite me then?" Invite was being generous. Shantae was hardly given a choice in the matter.
"I'll be honest," Risky said. Her mind flickered back to her earlier years when she was not so honest. She wasn't making that mistake again. "I may have an interest in you, and I believe the feeling is mutual. Am I wrong to assume so?"
Shantae blinked, unsure on how to answer. She hadn't really been trying to hide it, she supposed. It was more of her not being sure if she really was romantically interested in Risky or if it was just some phase she was going through, like the one time she refused to go outside without applying sunscreen every thirty seconds on mildly warm days.
"You know, an answer would be great," Risky said, her face expressing slight annoyance.
"I, uh… I don't know?" Shantae murmured quietly. Risky rolled her eyes.
"What do you mean you 'don't know?'"
"I've never liked anyone before. I might actually like you or I'm just hitting another phase. I'm sorry…" the purplette trailed off, sniffling a little. Why was it so easy for her to deal with customers, but when she wanted to get to know someone better, she became emotional and nervous?
"There's a difference between being professional with someone and being close to someone, Shantae. You may strive in one but struggle with the other. If and when you find a person who you take interest in, simply be yourself. You will achieve greater outcomes that way."
As her uncle's voice echoed in her head, Shantae questioned if being emotional and nervous was really herself. She knew it wasn't; she had never acted like that around Sky or Bolo, or anyone else for that matter. Maybe once she got past this initial phase of being a nervous wreck she could truly act as herself. But why was she finding it so difficult to do so now?
"You don't need to impress me, you know." The purplette raised her ocean eyes to meet the crimson of Risky's, who looked at her with a comforting smile. Of course the older woman would be able to guess what she was thinking. "Don't think that I haven't seen you act adorably before."
"Uh…" Shantae's concern grew rather quickly after that comment. Risky widened her eyes at the thought of what it sounded like, losing her (mostly) calm demeanour and panicking slightly.
"No, no, no, I didn't mean it like that, in the shop, I've been in the shop before and have seen how you talk to people," the lilac-haired woman stammered, hoping that she had recovered her blunder well enough. By the way the teen across from her relaxed a little, she assumed she had. "Now that I think about it, inviting you over to discuss this may not have been the best idea, especially since we hardly know each other. Would you like to try something else at a different location?"
"No," Shantae said firmly. "I'm here now. Let's do this," she added with a determined smile. Risky smiled warmly back, standing up to grab some food she had cooked and some wine for herself. She grabbed a juice box with a straw for Shantae, laughing at the scowl she got in response, before offering other drinks and properly sitting down to acquaint herself with the younger girl.
The duo talked for hours, and before long, it was nearly midnight. Risky drove Shantae back to their humble home, the teen unable to stop gawking at the luxurious vehicle and its features. Risky chuckled as she stopped outside the house.
"A little boring, don't you think?"
"Shut up," Shantae replied, "not everyone can be as rich as you. And it reminds me of my home town." Opening the door and stepping out, she turned around and smiled brightly at the older woman. "Can we do this again?"
Risky giggled the giggle that Shantae loved so much. "Of course. I'll text you when I'm available."
"Yay!" Shantae squealed. "Oh, oh, I forgot something." With that, she leaned back into the car and kissed Risky on the cheek, eliciting another squeal before quickly backing out and smacking her head against the doorframe of the car.
Risky let out a cackle-like laugh as Shantae groaned and held the rear of her head in pain. "See you soon, Shantae," she purred, winking as she shut the door. Shantae smiled brightly (or as brightly as she could while her head throbbed) and waved Risky off, rubbing her head with a wince once she had disappeared down the hill.
She clumsily got out her keys and let herself into the house, hearing the TV playing as she stepped through the door. She beelined straight for the fridge, pulling out an icepack and holding it over a small lump that was beginning to form.
"Did she hit you?"
Shantae turned to see a hoodie and jean clad, stern-faced Sky with her hands on her hips.
"No, I whacked my head on her car," Shantae replied. The cool sensation of the icepack began to take effect, and she let out a small noise of relief.
Sky let out a sigh and chuckled, "You're such a klutz."
"And you're a bird-brain," Shantae countered. "What did you and Rottytops get up to?"
Sky's smirk turned into an embarrassed pout as she huffed and looked away. "Nothing."
"Oh?" Shantae's smile turned mischievous, wanting to make Sky's embarrassment last as long as possible. It was only fair after all, since the older girl always made Shantae squirm whenever she could. "That doesn't sound like 'nothing' to me, Sky."
"Nothing special."
"Oh, really?" Shantae said, clearly not believing her. "Then I guess nothing happened on my date either." She threw the icepack back in the freezer, the ache in her head mostly gone, grabbing a packet of dumplings to cook. She heard a groan behind her, and she smiled inwardly to herself.
"Fine. We went out to this pizza place she loves and she told me everything she likes and got me to do the same," Sky summarised. "She's really into zombies for some reason."
"And?" Shantae pressed.
"And what?"
"And?"
"Ugh, you're such a—"
"Such a what, Sky? You do the same to me."
Sky folded her arms with a dramatic 'hmph,' glaring at Shantae. The purplette giggled and stuck her tongue out, taking out a pot and preparing her meal. "Well?"
Sky muttered something about Shantae and best friend status under her breath, to which the aforementioned girl's grin only grew larger.
"She invited me to go out on another date with her next week and possibly back to her place…" Sky eventually got out, pulling her hoodie over her face in embarrassment.
"Aw, that's adorable," Shantae cooed, reaching up to pat Sky on her head. "Widdle Sky got another date."
"Shut up." Sky swatted Shantae's hand away, brushing some of her hair out of her face. "So, what about you?"
"She straight up told me she was interested in me," Shantae replied. She placed a lid on the pot, setting a timer to come back and turn off the flame.
"Really?"
"Yep."
"And what did you say?"
"I, uh… told her I didn't know how I felt and then felt guilty for it," Shantae admitted. The duo headed back to the living room, Sky turning down the volume of the TV to hear her friend better before settling on their patchy blue couch.
"I see," Sky mused, playing with the tip of Shantae's long hair between her fingers as she got comfortable. "Did anything seem amiss or dangerous about her?"
"No, not at all." Shantae decided not to mention Risky trailing off strangely when the purplette had mentioned her job. "You can stop babying me, you know. We're not in high school anymore."
"Sorry Shae, but you're like a little sister to me. I'll protect you for as long as we're friends. Emphasis on 'little.'" Sky stuck her tongue out as she said it.
Shantae rolled her eyes. "Fine. As your 'little sister,' it's my job to make your life miserable. I'll be back after I text a saucy message to Rottytops via your phone," she retorted, challenging Sky with a smile.
"If I hold it up above my head, you can't reach it. So I automatically win," Sky responded, before the two fell into laughter together. "What's her job?" Sky asked after they had calmed down.
"She's the captain of the Tinker Tub."
"She's the what now!?" Sky gasped, her eyes widening in disbelief. "That's crazy! You should get us tickets if you can."
"Skyyyy," Shantae moaned. "I'm not gonna abuse her interest in me for free tickets."
Sky seemed to droop a little at the comment. "Oh, I know, Shantae. You're far too kind to do to that to anyone." The blonde sat back up and shuffled over to properly sit with the purplette. "But keep it in mind?"
"We'll see." Shantae smirked. "Maybe we could bring Rottytops with us if I did. Get you two a room together. Sound-proofed, of course."
"The same type of room you and Risky will share? Of course," Sky grinned back in response.
Before Shantae could respond, the timer in the kitchen went off, signalling to her that her dinner was cooked. She heaved herself off the couch, heading to the kitchen and turned off the flame, before expertly transferring dumplings from pot to plate and topping it off with some of her favourite sauce.
Heading back to the living room, Sky had already turned the volume back up and was just starting a movie, patting next to her for Shantae to sit.
"Aren't movie nights usually on Friday nights or the weekend?"
"Consider it a special treat for ourselves for our successful… dates." Sky seemed to not quite like using that word yet. She shook her head. "Our own little friend-date, then."
"That sounded worse," Shantae said flatly.
"You get the idea."
The movie began to transition into the intro sequence, Shantae delightedly digging into her food, when Sky came close to her ear.
"I need to get groceries and other supplies tomorrow, so I'll be leaving you alone for two to three hours. I'll give you a list of what needs to be done but I made a draft of one while you were in the kitchen."
The blonde handed Shantae a small piece of paper, who began to turn as red as tomato as she read a question on the which of Risky's 'department stores' she was most interested in.
"Skyyyyyyy!"
The laughter and cries of the two girls were drowned out by the sound of a spaceship emanating from the TV.
This was meant to be uploaded yesterday but I decided to leave it as I had work earlier. Saturday nights in my time (AEST) will now be the normal update schedule as I believe it would be better not to stay up late finishing these fics when I have work early the next day.
This particular chapter came about from another story I had long ago and got refitted to suit the purpose of this story. You may notice the difference in (the severe lack of) quality from where I wrote this a while back to the past fornight.
Uni starts next week for me so I'll see how the fortnight thing stays up, as I may need to put this fic on hiatus too to be able to finish my workload. I aim to avoid this as much as possible.
I feel like I struggle with anything outside of dialogue so I'll try and remedy that in future chapters. Keyword being 'try.'
As always, reviews, faves/follows, criticism, and feedback are all welcome and appreciated!
Till next time,
-Tommycats