Chapter 3
"No, no. On that wall!" Katt directed. Fox, Falco, and Slippy were helping her move her new furniture into her room. She had purchased a shallow wardrobe, a dresser, a pink rug, and a queen-sized mattress and bed frame.
Fox glared daggers at Falco, a look that said plainly, you're making me regret granting your request.
Once everything was in place, she began to unpack her clothes and personal items. True to her own spirit, the furniture was all made of a dark, vibrant cherry wood. Everything had a slight pinkish tint.
When she was finally done, hours later, everything looked much nicer. It had taken her a week to convince the rest of the team to make a stop by a civilized planet for her. They finally agreed, on the terms that she would be the only one going to the surface, and she needed to find a way to get her own things up into orbit. She had indeed gotten her things into orbit, right in the middle of the bridge of the Great Fox - much to the chagrin of the rest of the team - using the ship's own transporting system.
Fox had muttered something about "abusing knowledge" and "using good things for evil", but she decided not to hear him over the sound of her bright new pink-themed room.
During her first week on the Great Fox, she had hardly spoken to anyone aside from asking about a stop to buy new furniture. Even Falco began to wonder about her great periods of silence.
He caught her, finally, on her way back from the kitchen the day after the furniture move. She had a cup of juice in one hand, a bowl of cereal in the other, and a blueberry muffin in her mouth. "Katt!"
She looked up in surprise.
"You're a part of the team, we're all on the same ship, and I still hardly see you. What's up with that?"
She shrugged, still holding the muffin between her teeth.
"I mean, I thought... I thought the whole reason you joined was because you wanted to be closer to me."
She raised her eyebrows as if she were about to laugh at the ridiculousness of his suggestion, if not for the muffin in her mouth. Shit, is it really that obvious?
"I mean, Katt, I..." He glanced up as Slippy exited his room. "Forget it." He walked around her and left.
Katt shrugged and continued to her room with her food. She sat on her bed, cross legged, and set down her muffin to devour the cereal before it got soggy. What the hell was that about? He's sure acting weird. She had been hiding out in her room partly because she liked her privacy, and partly to avoid interacting with anyone. Especially Falco, who constantly made her nervous.
There was a knock at her door. "Katt?"
Again? Did I do something wrong? She opened the door, chewing a bite of her muffin.
Falco glanced over his shoulder, making sure no one was behind him. "Can I come in?"
She raised an eyebrow at him and swallowed the bite of food. "I dunno, somebody might see you." Her voice dripped with sarcasm.
He rolled his eyes. "Katt, I just want to talk to you, and I don't want the rest of the team getting ideas."
"Aren't there cameras in the halls? Rob might be judging you."
He scoffed. "Can I just come in?"
She couldn't hide an amused grin. "Sure, Falco."
He closed the door behind him. "Look, I... Maybe I got the wrong vibe from you, but I really thought you had joined because you wanted to be around me."
"Maybe you did get the wrong vibe."
"Well, I... I asked Fox if you could join, because I... I kind of... I wanted to be around you, too."
Her heart skipped a beat. "Well, I don't blame you. I'm pretty fun to be around." Play it cool. Play it cool.
"You haven't even been around in the last few days, though. I've hardly seen you, except for like, weird glimpses as you go down the hall."
"Well, you know I'm more of an introvert. Too much socialization wears me out, believe it or not."
He gave her a suspicious look. "What do you mean? You're usually the center of attention."
"Hey, now. I didn't say attention wears me out. Just the socialization involved. Why do you think I wasn't with you at the walk of fame after you defeated Andross?"
"Well, because you didn't defeat Andross; we did."
"I helped!" Katt crossed her arms. "I nearly flew down to join you all right there, but I saw the crowd and I left. Introversion isn't the same as being anti-social, it just means that sometimes I don't have the energy for unnecessary socialization."
"So... socializing with the team is unnecessary?"
"Well, I already know all of you. No need to introduce myself, and there are no missions going on. Nothing's really happening, so I kind of assume there isn't much to talk about day-to-day."
"Well, maybe I want to talk to you day-to-day."
Katt raised a brow. Her heart beat doubled its speed in one hop, but she forced herself to keep a calm demeanor. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means I... I want you, Katt."
She didn't reply.
"I do. I just... I don't know. When you said you wanted to be on the team, I came up with every excuse possible for Fox and he still didn't see through it. He told me the reason I was asking him was because I just wanted to be around you. And he was right. And when Slippy teased me the first day you were here... I mean, he was right, too."
"Falco, why are you telling me this?"
"Because, Katt. I want you." He leaned in as if to kiss her. Her eyes fluttered closed and she tilted her head just slightly. He hesitated, a grin spreading across his beak.
She opened here eyes and scowled at the sight of his smug expression. "Falco Lombardi, if you have been playing me this entire time I swear to every god you don't believe in..."
He laughed.
"You asshole!"
"I knew it! I knew you joined for me!"
Her face burned red. "Get out! Get out of my room, you jerk!" She stood up and pointed to the door.
He hesitated in the doorway, leaning towards her. "You're not even gonna kiss me goodbye?"
She responded by hurling her shoe directly at his face.
He ducked and ran down the hallway.
Katt closed the door softly as tears blurred her vision. How could he be so cruel? She sank to the floor, curled her knees to her chest, and cried.
