#readmore'd for dramatic tension

[magicbyhalves]

“Someone I should meet? All the way down here?” Harmony’s voice echoed off the tunnel walls, amused but unsure.

“I know it sounds strange, but, trust me.” Shantae had taken Harmony aside for the day. While they’d had a pretty good time just hanging out, she had grabbed the oldest Half-Genie for a reason. “Here, at the bottom of this silo.”

“That’s quite a leap. Are you sure we can - ”

Shantae had already made the jump. She heard Harmony cry out in surprise above her, and looked up to confirm that the older Half-Genie had followed her. It didn’t take long to reach the bottom - both of them stuck the landing, but Harmony wobbled when she stood up, apparently not used to leaping into mysterious holes in the earth without thinking.

“Don’t worry about getting back up, there’s steps set into the walls,” Shantae reassured Harmony, helping to steady her.

“Why didn’t we use them to get down here, then?”

“Jumping’s faster!” Shantae ignored the startled look on Harmony’s face and looked around, her eyes settling on an eerie light hovering nearby. “Ah, there she is!”

“She?”

The strange light promptly coalesced into a dog, who greeted the two Half-Genies with a cheerful bark.

“This is the ghost dog I told you about! Y’know, the one who gave me the Fusion Stone so you could let me borrow your Quake magic.”

“I see... so this is who you wanted me to meet.” Harmony crouched to look at the dog, holding out a hand. “Thank you for your help, friend. I doubt we would have been able to thwart the Sirens’ leader without your assistance.”

“Of course,” the dog barked. “The Sirens posed quite a threat to the island.”

Harmony jumped a bit, then looked over her shoulder at Shantae. “I know you said that this dog talked, but I wasn’t expecting something like this.”

Shantae just kept grinning.

Harmony turned back to the dog. “It’s strange, but... you sound familiar, somehow. Though I think I would remember meeting a talking ghost dog.”

The dog blinked a few times, then pushed her nose into Harmony’s hand, her small tail wagging rapidly. Her body was starting to look less and less stable, as if the wiggling of her tail was causing the whole thing to fall apart. “Perhaps it will help if I do this,” she said, and then she melted away, back into light. Then she burst into the glorious form of a full genie, armored and fiery and ready for battle. Her gaze remained fixed on Harmony as she drew herself to her full height, and her form settled.

Harmony’s breath hitched. “... Mother?”

“Hello, Harmony.” A small, fond smile crossed the ghost’s face. She reached down, gently placing a hand on her daughter’s cheek and guiding her to stand. “Oh, you’ve grown so much since I saw you last...”

“When my father said you stayed behind to guard the island, I didn’t think that you’d...” Tears were brimming in the oldest Half-Genie’s eyes. She threw her arms around the spirit, undeterred by her arms starting to pass through her form.

“I’m sure this isn’t what you expected, but I’ve been doing what I can from here, yes. I’m sorry I could not come with you all those years ago, but I couldn’t let the Sirens wreak havoc.” She tucked an arm around her daughter and gave her a pat on the head, then looked up towards Shantae. “Do you mind if we have some privacy, little Shifter?”

“Of course not. I’m sure you two have a lot to catch up on.” Shantae had started to get misty-eyed herself, and quickly wiped her eyes on the back of her hand. “Harmony, you remember where the Warp Room is, right?”

“... what? Yes, sorry. This is... a lot.”

“Take whatever time you need, okay? I’ll make sure everyone knows there’s nothing to worry about.” Shantae began the long climb upwards, making use of the Fusion Coin forms she’d grown used to to give Harmony and her mother space as soon as she could.

#drabble #Harmony #Ghost Dog #The Mantle #7S Vacation Arc #The Real Vacation #7S Spoilers #readmore'd for length #readmore'd for dramatic tension #readmore'd for spoilers #(this meeting should have happened ingame honestly) #(thanks for your patience with this one folks!)

[magicbyhalves]

The room before her was small, closed-in. Faintly-glowing plants hung from the ceiling, only growing due to whatever faint light could reach them down in the ocean’s depths. Water rushed from somewhere nearby.

Shantae’s ears twitched as the plants rustled, and then Risky tumbled in from above, just barely managing a graceful landing.

She didn’t seem very bothered by the fact that the half-genie had seen her nearly flub her entrance. She looked relieved, if anything, but only for a moment. Her gaze quickly hardened into something more serious, more... pained. “I knew you’d come.”

“All this for a s̸h̶i̴p̵?” Shantae was surprised by the growl in her voice, but a cold anger was quickly taking hold in the pit of her stomach. “Y̵o̸u̵r̴ ̵c̸r̷a̴b̸-̴b̴o̸a̷t̷ ̴n̴o̵t̸ ̴e̶n̴o̴u̶g̴h̴ ̷a̴n̶y̷m̶o̵r̸e̵?”

“Now, now, there’s always room for improvement, mi-”

“D̷o̸n̵'̶t̶ ̸y̵o̶u̸ ̶m̶i̷r̶a̸s̶ç̸ı̸ ̶m̶e̷!̴” Nega snapped. “Y̷o̸u̶ ̶s̵a̷i̷d̷ ̵y̵o̸u̸ ̶w̴e̸r̷e̴ ̵g̸o̴i̴n̸g̷ ̸t̷o̴ ̷c̵h̷a̵n̵g̴e̴.̵ ̸Y̶o̴u̶ ̶s̷a̷i̴d̶ ̵y̴o̶u̷ ̷w̷e̷r̵e̶ ̸g̵o̸n̵n̶a̷ ̸c̶a̶u̶s̵e̴ ̷l̵e̶s̴s̸ ̵t̵r̷o̸u̵b̷l̷e̸.̶ ̸B̶u̷t̵ ̴h̸e̴r̸e̶ ̶y̸o̶u̵ ̶a̴r̴e̷ ̵p̶u̴l̴l̵i̸n̵g̴ ̷t̷h̶e̴ ̷s̶a̸m̸e̶ ̴k̷i̴n̵d̶a̶ ̸g̵a̴r̷b̴a̷g̵e̶ ̴y̵o̷u̷ ̸a̷l̷w̶a̵y̵s̸ ̷d̸o̶!̸’”

Risky said nothing.

“I̸ ̵k̵n̴o̸w̸ ̷y̴o̶u̷ ̸h̶a̶d̷ ̷s̶o̷m̷e̴t̸h̵i̸n̵g̴ ̸t̵o̷ ̴d̴o̷ ̵w̵i̵t̶h̴ ̶t̷h̵e̸ ̵S̶i̶r̶e̴n̶s̶ ̵k̷i̶d̶n̴a̵p̸p̷i̷n̵g̷ ̸e̴v̵e̷r̷y̴o̴n̷e̵!̸” Nega snapped her fingers, and a fireball flared up. “Y̴o̴u̸'̴r̸e̷ ̴g̶o̸n̴n̵a̸ ̸s̵t̷a̷r̸t̷ ̵e̷x̴p̸l̸a̴i̴n̶i̴n̷g̵ ̸w̷h̷a̴t̵ ̶y̵o̴u̸'̷r̵e̸ ̶d̸o̸i̵n̵g̶ ̵h̷e̷r̶e̵,̶ ̶f̷o̵r̷ ̵r̵e̶a̷l̷ ̵t̵h̸i̵s̶ ̸t̵i̵m̵e̶,̶ ̷o̷r̷ ̸e̸l̸s̶e̷!̸” Her fury bounced off the walls of the small room, echoing and taking their sweet time to fade.

Risky almost looked small. Regretful. But she quickly straightened her stance. “... not here.”

It was so quiet, Nega wasn’t sure she’d heard it.

“You’ll get your answers, but not here. You aren’t the only one the Sirens have been watching.” Risky drew her sword. “Right now, I need to be in your way. I need you to hate me, and I need you to hit me with everything you’ve got.”

“O̸h̸,̴ ̷d̵o̵n̵'̴t̸ ̴w̴o̶r̸r̸y̷,̷ ̸I̴ ̵h̸a̶t̵e̶ ̶y̷o̵u̴ ̵p̸l̴e̴n̶t̷y̷!̴!̷!” Nega roared, charging at Risky head-on.

The first few fireballs were thrown haphazardly, and Risky’s sword easily blocked them. “I said everything you’ve got.”

Nega growled and snapped her fingers again, and a set of spinning pikeballs joined the flames. She surrounded herself with steel and fire, then melded the two together into a molten slag that she flung at the pirate with as much magical force as she could muster.

A few stray shots hit, but Risky dodged most of them. “Everything!” she snapped, pulling her pistol from her belt and firing.

The shots whizzed past her, grazing her cheeks, her ears, her hair. But Risky’s goading was making her furious, blinding her to the pain, and she began to toss out every offensive spell she had. Fire, pike balls, lightning, bouncing projectiles and even some odd boomerangs one of the shops had been hanging onto.

Risky danced around nearly all of it. For every trick Nega pulled out, she seemed to have a setting on her pistol to match, or she’d bat it back with her scimitar, and then she’d move in for a strike of her own.

And at long last, Nega couldn’t take it anymore. She screamed, shutting down all of the spells she had flying around in the process, and rushed Risky with nothing but her hair and her fists. Her ponytail whipped the blade out of her grasp, and then her clawed hands dug into the pirate's cheek, tearing the skin with terrifying ease. The force of the blow knocked Risky to her knees.

Nega gasped when she saw the wound, pulling back her hand and clutching it to her chest.

Something dripped from the tear - too thick and too dark to be blood, and absolutely buzzing with magic. Steam hissed angrily from it, hot and cloudy. The skin around the wound quickly darkened and bruised, and frantically tried to pull itself together. There was a steely, shiny glint just under the oozing muck...

"That'll do it." The pirate stood, shakily, and didn’t even seem to notice. A knowing little smirk crossed her lips as she took in Nega's terrified expression. "... heh. Your mother never liked this part, either." She wiped her cheek with the back of her hand, smearing it. The wound hissed closed with a thin stream of steam, though the bruising still looked ghastly. “You’re more than ready. See you soon, mirasçı.” She pulled her grappling pistol from her belt, aimed up, and shot through whatever hole in the ceiling the plant life was covering.

Nega’s knees hit the floor, and she didn’t try to get up. She’d known Risky was no ordinary human for some time, now, but what she’d just seen...

Shantae gently nudged her in the back of her mind. Hey. I know that was kinda freaky, but, we’re not done yet.

“.̴.̷.̸ ̸r̷i̶g̶h̶t̷.̴ ̵y̴e̶a̷h̸.̶“ Nega released her control, slowly, and let Shantae take over again. They still had someone to rescue, after all.

#drabble #Risky #inadequate vessel #7S Vacation Arc #Day 6 #(risky's been Way Good for a very long time.) #readmore'd for length #readmore'd for dramatic tension #7S Spoilers

[magicbyhalves]

Plink smiled cheerfully as Shantae made her way into the room. “Did you find a Fusion Stone?”

“Sure, if this is one.” Shantae held it out, and the little Seer eagerly took it into her hands.

“This is just what we need! Are you ready to try merging our magic?”

Shantae tried to ignore the nervousness spiking in her gut, and nodded.

“Ok.” Plink took a few steps back, still cradling the Fusion Stone in her hands. “Hold still...” She closed her eyes, focusing on the stone.

At first, nothing happened. But then a strange wind picked up, bustling around the room and rattling the stage lights and equipment. The scent of magic was unmistakable, and its glow surrounded Plink as she continued to concentrate. It suddenly flared up, and seemed to scan the room before focusing on Shantae.

She barely had time to register the oddity before the magic rushed her. It almost felt like Nega whenever she merged back into place, but instead of a warm fiery feeling... it was as if all of her senses were heightened. Sounds were sharper and louder, the scent from vendor’s stalls outside hit her nose like a pikeball to the face, something in this very room was shimmering, just out of normal sight... and then it was gone as suddenly as it had come, leaving nothing but a strange, new beat pulsing in the back of her mind.

“I... I feel like dancing...?”

Plink opened her eyes, giggling and grinning. “Dancing’s how you channel your magic, right? That means out powers have combined!”

“And that... that didn’t hurt you, or anything?”

“Pssh. Why would it hurt?” Plink shrugged. “With my Seer powers, you should be able to reveal things otherwise invisible to the naked eye! Why not try it out in here?”

“Oh, uh. Okay...” Now it was Shantae’s turn to close her eyes, to chase down the beat that had made a home in her head. It was unique, at least, and easy to pick out from the rest of her muted magic. She prepared to channel it, and opened her eyes as the spell burst.

She was no longer backstage - instead, she found herself in a somehow familiar overgrown courtyard, surrounded by magic and misplaced chunks of earth.

And she wasn’t alone.

The woman before her was strange. Her skin was teal, for starters. Her hair was long - longer than Shantae’s, even - and shimmered like gold. Deep blue sleeves dangled from her arms, and a matching skirt draped over her long, bandaged legs. Both sleeves and skirt alike were adorned with golden patterns - the sleeves, in particular, bore the mark of eyes, eyes that matched the earrings that hung from her long, pointy ears. Wrappings similar to those on her legs, clasped by gold, covered her chest. Her gleaming red eyes fixed Shantae with a hard stare. And the magic coming from her was powerful.

Very powerful.

“... Y-you’re a genie,” Shantae managed.

“And you are not my daughter,” the Genie replied. “Are we done stating the obvious?”

“S-sorry, I’m just... not used to being whisked away when I try new powers.”

“You have not been ‘whisked’ anywhere, child. This is your mind’s eye.” The magic in the air stilled, and then hundreds of eyes opened up, eyes that matched the markings on the Genie’s clothing, and stared Shantae down. “What are you doing with my daughter’s magic?”

“Wait. You’re... Plink’s mother?”

“I thought we were done stating the obvious,” the Genie huffed, clearly losing patience.

“Right, sorry. Uhm. She gave them to me. With a Fusion Stone. She and a bunch of other half-genies got kidnapped - don’t worry, she’s safe! She thinks that me having her powers will help me save the rest.”

“Is that so...” The Genie hovered closer now, looking Shantae over. “... wait. Your magic... I know it. You’re the Shifter’s daughter. Shantae is your name, yes?”

“Yeah, I’m - you know my mom?”

“Know her? Do you have any idea how many favors she owes me? Always, she’s asking about the best ways to get around the others so she can slip out to find you.”

“In that case...” Shantae smiled, and offered the Seer Genie her hand. “It’s nice to meet you! And, uh, thanks for helping Mom sneak out. Being able to meet her has... it’s helped me a lot.”

The other woman was taken aback, but she eventually took Shantae’s outstretched hand, and shook. The peering eyes in the sky winked out, and her expression softened. “You said Plink is safe?”

“Mm-hmm. And I’m not going to keep her magic forever - just until I’ve helped the others.”

“Very well. Use the Seer magic wisely, young Shantae. May fortune follow you in your travels.”

-

And suddenly, Shantae was backstage again. Her vision shimmered, revealing a small cache of gems hidden behind some stage decor.

“Shantae, are you okay?” Plink asked. “You kind of zoned out, there.”

“Wha... yeah, sorry. It’s just a kind of magic I’m not used to.” She shook her head to clear it. “I’ll get the hang of it.”

“Okay. I’m sure it’ll help you find the others! Good luck!”

“Thanks. And... thanks for sharing your magic with me. I promise I’ll give it back safe and sound!”

#drabble #Plink #The Seer #7S Vacation Arc #Day 3 #readmore'd for length #readmore'd for dramatic tension

[magicbyhalves]

Shantae had met most of the half-genies by now.

Plink and Vera had been doing some exploring on the island’s west coast, and it seemed like they already knew each other quite well - she wondered if Plink had gotten to the island earlier, or if the two had met before. Plink wielded Seer magic - a way to see hidden parts of the world, she had said. Vera had control over Refresh magic, which presumably did exactly what it sounded like. 

Harmony had been waiting on the outskirts of the resort. Shantae had done a double-take on seeing her - she almost looked like a taller, more human Nega, but Harmony’s calm and serious demeanor had quickly dispelled those notions. She was the oldest of Half-Genies, as it turned out, but she didn’t disclose what sort of magic she used. From the way she carried herself, Shantae could only assume it was powerful.

Currently, she was talking to Zapple, in the tunnels under the city.

“... I’m half-tempted to plug into one of these terminals, see if the power lines run back to some rich guy’s mansion or something.”

Shantae tilted her head, confused. “Plug in...?”

“Oh, sorry. My magic is electricity-based.” A string of lightning popped into existence, circling Zapple and casting terrifying shadows over her face. “IT’S CURRRRRSED!”

Shantae yelped, jumping back in surprise.

Zapple chuckled as the current vanished, quickly as it had come. “Just kidding. I said that for shock value.”

Shantae burst into a little giggle after a moment. “Sorry that took me a bit. That little trick kinda... short-circuited my brain.” She thought she saw a faint flush to Zapple’s cheeks, but it was so brief that she figured she had imagined it.

“So, what’s your power?”

“When I dance, I can transform~!”

“You can turn into anything? Like, a key to a locked door?”

“Nah, usually I turn into animals or other magical creatures.”

“Like, a fire-breathing dragon or something?”

“More like big spiders and harpies.”

Zapple nodded. “That’s pretty cool. Hey, don’t be late for the performance, later.”

“I won’t!” Shantae waved as Zapple headed off, presumably back to the surface and the resort proper. “Okay! We only need to find one more half-genie, and that’s... uh... whoever messed their name up on this sign-in sheet.

A̵n̵d̸ ̷t̷h̶e̸n̴ ̴w̸e̸ ̷h̶a̸v̸e̸ ̷t̷o̸ ̵p̵e̸r̶f̶o̷r̴m̶ ̷o̵n̴s̵t̷a̷g̴e̵ ̸a̶f̶t̵e̸r̸w̴a̵r̷d̸s̵.̶.̴.̶ ̸w̷h̷o̶o̴b̸o̸y̷.

Honestly, that’s gonna be the easiest part of today. Let’s head down that other tunnel we saw!”

It was a fairly short walk, and it didn’t take Shantae and Nega very long to find the last half-genie they were looking for. She looked surprisingly green, and her pointed ears were hidden somewhere under her fluffy hair.

“Um - ”

The half-genie jumped, clearly shaken by their arrival. "Yikes! What the buns?!"

"I'm so sorry! Did I startle you?" She let herself get a better look at the half-genie before her...

D̶o̷e̴s̷ ̸s̴h̴e̴ ̸s̴e̶e̴m̴ ̶f̸a̵m̵i̴l̶i̶a̶r̶ ̷t̴o̶ ̶y̵o̵u̸.̵.̸.̵?

“Wait.” Shantae rubbed her eyes, trying to see more clearly in the dark. “... Rottytops?”

The half-genie looked even more nervous than before, suddenly. “Uh... who’s Rubby Chops?”

A̵l̶l̵o̶w̶ ̵m̶e̵.̸.̷.̷

Nega surged to the forefront of their mind, and she stepped closer to the zombie half-genie - taking note of the fact that she barely even flinched at the change. She made a show of inspecting the other girl’s face, then reached for the back of her head and the clamp that was holding her hair up in place. It came out with ease, and it fell into a familiar,messy style.

“I̷n̶t̷e̶r̴e̸s̵t̶i̵n̵g̵,” Nega murmured, carefully putting it back into place.

“Getting kind of close to a stranger, aren’t you?” The zombie asked with a nervous gulp. Her cheeks were starting to darken.

“N̸o̸t̵ ̶s̵o̴ ̸s̸t̵r̷a̶n̸g̸e̷ ̶a̶s̵ ̴y̴o̷u̸ ̵m̵i̵g̶h̴t̵ ̷t̵h̴i̴n̷k̶.” Nega set her hands on the other girl’s shoulders, and her clawed fingers gently trailed to the tops of her poofy, detached sleeves. They hooked in and inched down the fabric, and she didn’t stop until she noticed a ring of stitching around the zombie’s arms. A little smirk broke out over her face as she set the fabric back in place, letting her claws drag over the other girl’s skin, gently.

The zombie girl was blushing fairly obviously now, and bit her lip as Nega wound her arms about her waist, her clawed hands settling just above her hips.

“W̴h̴a̴t̸'̵d̵ ̴y̵o̴u̸ ̶s̶a̷y̶ ̸y̷o̸u̸r̶ ̷n̴a̵m̵e̵ ̴w̸a̵s̶?̶“ The question rolled out in a purr as she slowly but surely pressed herself against the zombie.

“It’s... um... uh... alright fine it’s me, geez, Negs!!!” Rottytops finally brought a hand up and shoved Nega’s shoulder, needing some room to breathe.

“E̵e̸e̷h̸e̶e̵h̷e̶e̵h̸e̶e̶~̸!̴ ̴H̷e̶y̶ ̵t̷h̷e̶r̷e̴,̴ ̴s̵w̶e̵e̸t̷h̵e̴a̶r̵t̵.”

“How the heck did you figure it out so fast?! I thought this was a great disguise!”

“O̸h̷,̷ ̶p̶l̸e̷a̴s̷e̴.̷ ̵I̶ ̴k̶n̸o̵w̴ ̴y̴o̴u̸ ̸h̵a̷v̴e̸ ̵a̵ ̴t̵h̵i̸n̷g̸ ̷f̸o̶r̷ ̸c̴o̷s̷t̶u̸m̴e̵s̵,̴ ̶a̴n̵d̷ ̵I̶'̴v̷e̸ ̸s̶e̴e̷n̷ ̷e̵v̸e̴r̷y̵t̴h̶i̷n̷g̵ ̷u̵n̴d̷e̸r̸ ̸t̷h̷a̴t̷ ̵o̸u̸t̶f̸i̷t̴.” Nega’s ears flushed pink. “D̵i̸d̴ ̸y̶o̷u̷ ̶r̵e̴a̴l̸l̸y̸ ̸t̸h̸i̷n̷k̷ ̷I̶ ̸w̶o̶u̷l̵d̷n̴'̵t̵ ̶r̸e̶c̶o̵g̸n̴i̶z̴e̸ ̷y̶o̷u̶ ̸b̶e̶c̸a̷u̴s̶e̷ ̷y̴o̷u̸ ̸p̴u̵t̵ ̴o̶n̵ ̷s̶o̵m̵e̵ ̴p̶o̵o̶f̴y̶ ̵s̸l̵e̵e̵v̵e̴s̷?”

“That’s fair. What would you have done if I was someone else, though...”

“N̷o̵t̵ ̷t̴h̸a̴t̴,” and that was all she got out before Shantae forced herself back into control, blushing furiously. “I am so sorry about her. We missed you, but, that was a little much.” She took a deep breath. “So... when the heck did you get here?! You missed the airship, we thought you weren’t coming!”

“Well, uh. I didn’t actually miss the flight. I actually got there right before you guys took off, but then, I thought it’d be fun to surprise you when we got here, so I... kinda hid in one of your suitcases?” Rotty grinned sheepishly. “I was gonna pop out when you got to your room, but then Sky and Bolo ended up carrying most of it instead, and I had no idea when you’d show up and didn’t wanna pop out early in case either of them ruined the surprise. So I decided I needed a new plan, and then I remembered this was some sorta half-genie festival? So I threw a disguise together and figured we could both be part of it, and then I could tell you it was me after the show tonight, but, uh...” She cleared her throat. “That. Obviously didn’t work.”

“No, it really didn’t...” Shantae sighed, then threw her arms around Rotty’s shoulders and pulled her in tight. “You don’t need to do anything like that for me, you know? I’m just happy you’re here.”

“Aw... that’s sweet of you, firecracker.” Rotty hugged her in turn, and Shantae couldn’t help but breathe a fond little sigh as she felt her girlfriend’s arms pressing into her sides.

“... that said, I hope you’ve got some more casual outfits handy, because we’re getting you out of that thing and you’re telling the other half-genies the truth. Unless you’ve secretly had magic powers this whole time and just haven’t told me.”

Rotty winced. “I mean.. I guess I shouldn’t have lied to that mayor guy. But do we have to tell everyone right now? I was... looking forward to dancing with ya...”

Shantae pressed her cheek to Rotty’s, and her hug got just a little tighter. “You have to tell them. But as for the show... we can talk to the other half-genies and see. Okay?”

“I’d like that.”

#drabble #Zapple #inadequate vessel #7S Vacation Arc #7S Spoilers #readmore'd for length #readmore'd for dramatic tension #readmore'd for spoilers #readmore'd for nega skirting the content threshhold #Fillin #(tfw a twist collapses in on itself because you have bonus character development) #Day 1

[magicbyhalves]

Shantae was still on the roof of the lighthouse. The moon and stars had been out for quite some time, now, and most of Scuttle Town had gone to bed. Even her double was asleep, snoring away in the hammock. But she couldn’t sleep, and didn’t really want to.

She didn’t want to do much of anything. She looked out toward the horizon, toward the shimmering sky and the moonlit ocean, but didn’t really see.

So, naturally, she wasn’t aware of the gentle golden glow that slowly spread over the lighthouse roof, nor did she hear the padding of paws on tile. The sensation of fur pressing against the back of her arms and wrapping around her came to her only through a heavy fog.

It’s late, little flame, came her mother’s voice from somewhere. Right at her side, obviously, but it felt farther away.

“... Yeah.”

You’ve been very quiet. Is something on your mind?

Shantae didn’t respond, not at first. Everything was, for the moment, perfectly fine. But it didn’t feel like that in her mind. It didn’t feel like anything. How was she supposed to even start on something like that?

The tiger shoved her head under her daughter’s arm. The vague feeling of fur came into sharp focus as she felt it under her hand. You don’t have to say anything, if you truly don’t want to. But I am here if you do.

She was about to say that she was fine, but suddenly became aware of the chill coming from the sea, the heat radiating from behind her, the tiger’s breath as it came out in slow, warm huffs. Everything felt real again. And she realized that she couldn’t lie, no matter how much she wanted to.

“... Do you ever feel empty? Even when nothing’s wrong?”

Her mother slowly pulled her head out from under Shantae’s arm. Several expressions flickered over her face - shock, realization, sadness and relief rolled together, somehow. It seems that magic isn’t the only thing you’ve inherited from me.

“You... you get what I mean?”

I’m familiar with it, yes. Her head rested on Shantae’s closest shoulder, now, and her gaze drifted toward the stars. Even before the genies forced themselves away from this plane, I would find myself caught up in sorrows that I could never explain. Having your father and Risky around helped some of the time, but other times, even they couldn’t get through that feeling. It only got worse when I did have to leave. So many listless days, so many restless nights.

Her eyes were shimmering with tears, now. Shantae could feel wet streaks down her own cheeks, unable to remember when she’d started to cry.

I know the circumstances of our first real meeting were far from ideal, but seeing you, being there for you, the way I should have been all these years... it was the first time that I felt like myself in a very long while. She firmly pressed her head into Shantae’s cheek.

She didn’t resist the touch, and leaned into it as far as she could. There were more tears now. “And h-here I thought I was f-feeling this way ‘cause I’m used t-to almost d-dying all the time.”

Well, that certainly can’t have helped. A low, mournful growl rolled from her throat. I’m sorry, Shantae. I should have left the Genie Realm behind sooner. I shouldn’t have gone at all, I should have been here for you -

She threw her arms around her mother’s neck, and pressed her face fully into the golden fur. “You had t-t-to go. I know. T-t-to keep everyone safe..”

No. They have plenty of genies up there. I should have stayed. A large paw wrapped around her shoulders, pulling her in for a proper hug. I should have stayed.

#drabble #readmore'd for length #readmore'd for dramatic tension #Mom #(writing this was... cathartic)

[magicbyhalves]

“Don’t move,” Risky hissed from behind Shantae, keeping the blade leveled at her throat.

The half-genie stood stock-still, and did her best to keep her breathing even. “Risky. You said you came here to steal the city. What does that even mean?”

“Exactly what it sounds like. And thanks to you, my plans are pushed up... ” Her voice was steely and cold, a far cry from its usual boisterousness and bluster. “I’m warning you, stay out of this.”

“A little late for that warning, don’t you think?” Shantae’s long ponytail twitched, then lashed out, wrapping around one of Risky’s legs and yanking it from under her. The pirate hit the floor with an undignified thump and a loud hiss of pain, and Shantae quickly sprinted across the room to give herself some distance.

“Then you leave me no choice...” Risky sprung back to her feet, blade still drawn.

“I’m serious, you should’ve said something a lot sooner if you didn’t want me getting involved!” Flames burst to life in Shantae’s palms, and she began flinging them to provide some literal cover fire.

“You’re not going to get me with that flame wall trick again, brat! I know you’re planning something.”

Shantae ignored the taunt, willing her body to shift before the flames faded.

Risky had been singed a couple of times in her efforts to dodge the flames, but the damage was negligible. The same could not be said when an unnaturally speedy tortoise spun into her, ricocheting around the room with a vengeance.

“I was starting to think you couldn’t to that anymore!” Was that a note of relief...? No, it couldn’t be. “You haven’t been shifting during our little duels.”

“Haven’t needed to.” Shantae bapped Risky in the face with one of her flippers before shifting back and following it up with some more traditional hair-whipping.

Risky’s blade came up, then, moving to parry the Monster Whipper and strike when she could. She caught the half-genie off guard, more than once, but Shantae was quick to retaliate in kind with her own sneaky strikes, with fists and fireballs alike.

Suddenly, Risky leapt out of range. Shantae tried to rush her with another attack, but the pirate was no longer interested in fighting, and moved only to avoid or block the half-genie’s approach.

“Uuugh....! Stop doing that!” Shantae growled, and she began to ready another fireball in her hands, enormous and bright.

There was a brief flicker of pain in Risky’s eyes. She opened her mouth as if to leave Shantae with another obscure hint, but thought better of it - or perhaps, she couldn’t say anything this time. She fled the room and the doors ground open, leaving the half-genie alone.

The fireball quietly snuffed itself out, and Shantae sighed. She took a moment to let herself breathe.

#drabble #Risky #7S Vacation Arc #Day 5 #readmore'd for length #readmore'd for dramatic tension

[magicbyhalves]

Shantae burst into Zapple’s home in Armor Town, a grin on her face and the Fusion Stone in hand. “I found one!”

Zapple had been startled by the sudden entrance, but relaxed as she saw what Shantae was carrying. “That’s a Fusion Stone, all right. You’re as resourceful as Plink and Vera said you’d be.”

Shantae handed the Fusion Stone over to Zapple. There was a brief tingling sensation as her fingers brushed the metal gauntlets, and it felt like a long moment before Zapple pulled away.

“I guess I gave my word. Are you ready to combine our magic?”

“Mm-hmm.”

“Okay. Let’s do it!” Zapple stepped back, clasping her hands around the Fusion Stone. It didn’t take long for sparks to start flying around her body, flaring out and dancing around the room. The scent of magic was sharp, tangy somehow, and it leapt for Shantae almost immediately.

She shuddered as it hit - her nerves were electrified, all of her hair was standing up, and for a brief moment she felt the cloth of her vest on her back. Then the sudden shock settled into a steady pulse, bouncing its way through her mind as a sharp beat.

“W-whoa...!” Shantae reached up to pat her hair back into place, only for the residual static in her hands to make more of a mess as she dragged her fingers through it.

Zapple was grinning widely. “Our powers have combined! Spark magic can activate machinery or shock metal. Try it out on, uh... that thing, over there.” She pointed at a strange device behind her on the floor.

Shantae looked over it - it looked like some sort of weird cache. She closed her eyes to search out her new magic and channel it. It surely wouldn’t feel too differently from a Storm Puff... would it?

She felt the spell fire, but when she opened her eyes, she was no longer with Zapple in Armor Town. No, she was back in her ‘mind’s eye’, the overgrown courtyard sprawling under her feet. A storm was brewing, and the air felt heavy.

Once again, someone was waiting for her.

The best way to describe the Genie before her was eel-like. Her skin was dark gray, with lighter patches decorating her body like markings, and looked almost rubbery. Her eyes were a steely silver, like Zapple’s, and her ears were finlike. Instead of hair, she had a natural sort of hood that looked like an enormous, aquatic tail, decorated with bright yellow fins that were sparking with electricity even now. Everything about her was sleek, and Shantae would have thought she was another Siren if she didn’t know any better.

She cleared her throat. “You... must be Zapple’s mother.”

The Genie darted towards her, as if swimming through the stormy air. “Is she all right? Did something happen? What on earth are you doing with our Spark Magic?” She spoke almost too quickly for Shantae to catch what she was saying.

“Uh... she’s fine! I’m just borrowing her magic while I deal with a problem. That’s all.”

The Genie’s gaze was intense, and the storm only seemed to worsen. “What sort of problem? You’re not lying to me, are you? How did you get that magic?”

“I promise you, she’s fine!” Shantae shrank back a bit, narrowly avoiding the stray sparks flying from the strange Genie before her. “We used a Fusion Stone. I just need her powers for a little while, until I can rescue a couple more people...”

“Rescue? From what?”

“Sirens. Or, uh, a siren. The others don’t really seem to be all that invested...”

The Genie’s expression became grim. “You’re best off keeping that Spark Magic, then, those cursed ocean-dwellers can’t stand the stuff. It’s a good thing my Zapple found you - or that you found her - wait, are you the Shifter’s?”

Shantae nodded.

“She never stops talking about you, you know - always going on and on about the things you’ve done -” She got up in the half-genie’s space again, but this time she looked far more eager. “Did you really send the Pirate Master back to his grave? Were you really the one who stopped the Genie Realm from turning to darkness?”

Shantae felt her cheeks growing hot - sure, she’d saved the world a few times by now, but she hadn’t expected her mom to brag about it. “Uh... y-yeah, those were both me. I had help, but...”

The Genie pulled back, clapping her hands together. The storm finally calmed. “Then my Zapple is in good hands, and those Sirens are going to be sorry. You make good use of that Spark Magic, Shantae, and may fortune follow you in your travels~!”

-

“... you busted that thing up good. Have you used electricity magic before?”

“Bwuh?” Shantae blinked a few times, re-orienting herself. She was with Zapple again, and the strange device on the floor had been completely fried. “Oh, uh, I’ve used Storm Puffs before, but this is a whole different level for sure.”

“Good old Storm Puffs. I used to practice with ‘em all the time before my powers spiked.” Zapple nodded, a faraway look on her face. Then she turned back to Shantae, and set a hand on her shoulder. “I’m trusting you with that magic, so prove that you’re worthy of it!”

Shantae nodded, still somewhat amped up from the electricity coursing through her. “You can count on me!”

#drabble #Zapple #The Spark #7S Vacation Arc #Day 5 #readmore'd for length #readmore'd for dramatic tension

[magicbyhalves]

The moment Sky was gone, the Armor Baron's expression hardened. "You seem familiar with my brother's antics," he said, his voice still calm - but it was the same sort of calm that Shantae's own words slipped into when her fury had reached its peak. "Despite our differences, we write each other often, you know." He began to pace, trying to circle behind her like some sort of bird of prey.

Unfortunately for him, Shantae was more than able to keep up with his long strides, keeping him in her sights. "A̷n̴d̸ ̸h̸e̶r̷e̷ ̴I̷ ̵t̸h̷o̸u̷g̵h̵t̵ ̵y̴o̸u̶ ̸t̸w̶o̸ ̵w̴e̴r̶e̷n̵'̸t̷ ̶c̷l̵o̶s̴e̷,̷" she let Nega growl out.

"Foolish as he is, I could never truly abandon him. He is family, after all." He bowed down, bringing himself eye-to-eye with her, as they continued to circle one another. "'Shantae', was it? He complains about you often. It sounds like you're quite a thorn in his side."

"W̸e̸l̸l̶,̷ ̶n̵o̶w̶ ̷t̸h̸a̷t̷ ̵w̶e̶'̵v̶e̷ ̷m̶e̷t̷,̶ ̴y̶o̸u̷ ̷c̷a̵n̸ ̴t̴e̴l̵l̸ ̵h̴i̸m̵ ̵t̸h̷a̷t̷ ̵t̶h̶e̵ ̷f̴e̴e̸l̷i̸n̸g̶'̴s̵ ̴m̶u̵t̶u̵a̷l̷.̶"

"I got rather a curious message from him the other day. He said a genie barged into one of his bases, and nearly ripped him and his darling boyfriend apart - literally."

A brief sense of vindication fluttered in Shantae's chest. Then she remembered she was being threatened.

"But there are no full genies running around, so clearly, in his haste and his fear, he must have forgotten that you're only half a genie." The Armor Baron's voice had dropped to a gravelly hiss, and his lone eye fixed Shantae with a harsh glare.

“As much as I'd l̶o̸v̷e̶ to claim responsibility for that, you've got the wrong genie, I'm afraid."

"Don't lie to me, girl."

"I'm serious! I’m n̶o̷t̷ ̵t̴h̷e̸ ̴o̴n̸l̸y̷ ̸p̵e̶r̴s̶o̸n̸ that doesn’t like his constant campaigning - WHOA!”

The Armor Baron jabbed with a fist, nearly catching Shantae off-guard. Her ponytail wrapped around the offending hand, and she yanked him to the ground with a metallic thud.

“Gonna have to be faster than that - ”

Snarling, he swept his other arm out, knocking her off her feet. He scrambled to get up, yanking sharply on her hair due to his towering height alone. “If my brother can’t handle an eyesore like you, I’ll just have to do it myself!” With his free hand, he reached toward the armor he’d been working on, and shoved his gloved hand into one of the gauntlets. It whirred to life, sparking with electricity, and he slammed it into Shantae’s stomach, nearly launching her from his grip.

Shantae’s pained yelps twisted into angry snarls as Nega came through, her sharp teeth and clawed nails popping out. She clawed at the hand still holding her prisoner, working through wave after wave of electric pain. But the Baron’s gauntlet wasn’t stopping, and her vision started to blur. She made a last-ditch effort to kick him -

The loud scream told her she’d made contact, at least. The Armor Baron dropped her, hunched over in pain. Unfortunately, Shantae wasn’t doing much better - the strange gauntlet had done quite a lot of damage.

Her ears picked up footsteps running toward the room, and a voice...

“What’s going on in here?”

“Ah, Sky. You’ve come back at a bad time. Unfortunately, it looks like I won’t be making that armor for your friend... and, just as unfortunately, I can’t have word of this getting out. You understand...”

The last thing Shantae heard was the gauntlet whirring to life again, and the start of a scream...

And everything fell away.

#drabble #Armor Baron #Sky #inadequate vessel #7S Vacation Arc #Day 5 #readmore'd for length #readmore'd for dramatic tension #(fun fact i basically wrote this immediately after first seeing the Mint Condition bit #enjoy this instead of. whatevever the heck that was)

[magicbyhalves]

“... SO THAT’S MY GAME,” Squid Baron finished, squelching his way into the next room.

“It sounds like it could be a lot of fun!” Shantae was surprised to hear herself saying it, but it was true. Even if it did sound a lot like the world-saving she already did on a regular basis.

“NOW, IF YOU WERE IN A ROOM LIKE THIS... THERE WOULD BE SOMETHING BLOCKING THE WAY, DEMANDING TO SEE PROOF OF YOUR QUEST, LIKE THIS.” He wiggled into the opposite hallway and cleared his throat. “WILL YOU DELIVER THE DAGRON BALLS UNTO ME?” he boomed, somehow louder than usual.

Shantae pulled them from her vest pockets.

“WHOA!!! ARE YOU A SPEEDRUNNER OR SOMETHING?”

“I... grabbed them on the way over?”

“THAT’S A REAL ADVANCED STRAT, THERE.” The Squid Baron straightened himself up, shifting back into a more serious stance as he took the collectibles from her hands. “THE QUEST IS FULFILLED!” He relaxed again, smiling cheerfully. “NOW YOU’D GET A TREAT, OR WHATEVER, AND YOU’D GET MORE POWERFUL.”

“And I could get through the doorway, right?”

“OH YEAH, OF COURSE.” The Baron wiggled off to the side and out of her way, bouncing eagerly once he came to a stop. “DO YOU REALLY LIKE IT?”

“It could use some polish, but the basic idea sounds fun! I’d totally play it.”

“AWESOME! I’M GONNA GO PITCH THIS AROUND. MAYBE AN INDIE STUDIO WILL PICK IT UP OR SOMETHING. GOOD LUCK WITH YOUR WORLD SAVING QUEST!” He hummed a little tune as he left the room, presumably from his upcoming project.

Nega started to grumble and huff the second he was out of earshot. “I̵ ̴t̵h̶o̴u̵g̴h̵t̸ ̴h̴e̷'̶d̷ ̸n̸e̸v̸e̵r̷ ̵l̶e̴a̴v̸e̶!

Aw, it wasn’t that bad. That game really does sound kinda fun!

I̶t̵ ̸l̷i̴t̷e̵r̶a̸l̵l̴y̵ ̴s̶o̶u̵n̶d̴s̸ ̴l̵i̶k̸e̷ ̶w̸h̶a̴t̵ ̵w̸e̴'̴r̴e̷ ̷d̴o̶i̶n̴g̵ ̸r̸i̶g̸h̴t̵ ̶n̵o̴w̸."̴

Shantae made her way through the hallway that the Baron had been blocking, and was pleased to find a rounded entryway to a labyrinth in the next room. Something familiar and unpleasant tickled her nose, but she shook it off for the moment.

“You ready?

Y̸e̵a̷h̷,̴ ̴l̵e̸t̶'̴s̶ ̷g̴e̴t̶ ̷o̶n̸ ̷w̵i̴t̷h̷ ̸i̷t̸.̷”

Confidently, she strode through the doorway, ready to take on anything that this labyrinth threw at her...

And then the smell of sulfur hit her full force, sending her to her knees with a gasp.

The sea vents scattered around were spewing the stuff, and the bright magma and rust-red stonework only served to drive her further into panic as her vision swam and her mind spiraled, back to the Oubliette, the flames, the pain, pain, pain racing up her back and the smell of burning fabric and flesh -

Nega forced herself to the front of their mind, shoving her other half into the cool, quiet, and, most importantly, safe darkness that she normally occupied. “E̸a̸s̴y̴,̴ ̶e̵a̸s̶y̴.̶.̸.̵ ̵I̸'̶l̸l̵ ̶t̷a̵k̷e̸ ̶c̷a̴r̵e̷ ̵o̵f̷ ̴t̸h̵i̴s̶ ̸o̵n̷e̸,̵ ̶o̵k̷a̵y̶?̶ ̵Y̶o̷u̴ ̵s̶i̷t̶ ̶t̸i̴g̴h̷t̷ ̵b̵a̶c̵k̷ ̸t̴h̵e̶r̵e̷.”

... thank you. Shantae managed after a few quiet moments.

“'̶C̸o̷u̸r̸s̶e̷.̴ ̷W̸h̷a̶t̵ ̴a̵r̷e̸ ̶d̸a̴r̸k̷ ̸s̶i̴d̷e̵s̴ ̴f̷o̷r̷~̶?”

#drabble #Squid Baron #inadequate vessel #7S Vacation Arc #Day 4 #(shaky 4th wall) #readmore'd for length #readmore'd for dramatic tension

[magicbyhalves]

Shantae poked her head into Vera’s hut. “Vera? Are you in here?”

She was, and she perked up on seeing the other half-genie. “You’re back!”

“I sure am!” Grinning, she held up the amulet. “And look what I found~!” She gently tossed it to Vera, who snatched it out of the air with a cheerful laugh.

“My lucky amulet!” She pressed her cheek to the smooth stone, a relieved smile washing over her face. After a quiet moment, she hooked it around her neck. “It was crafted right here on this island. You might’ve guessed this already, but it’s made entirely of Fusion Stone! We’ll be able to combine our magic and save Harmony and the others! You ready?”

“As I’ll ever be...!”

Vera let a hand rest on her amulet, and closed her eyes in concentration. As before, with Plink, the room was quiet at first, and then a strange wind picked up. The whole room swayed and rustled with it, and yet, there was something comforting and natural about it. The scent of magic made itself known once more, and it seemed to grow from Vera’s presence, blooming outward and reaching for Shantae.

The magic suddenly burst, and engulfed her. Shantae swore she felt the rush of cool water as the magic hit, and it felt as though her body was starting to unwind, only for a rush of energy to spring her back to life, more powerful than ever. She took a deep breath of the renewed air, and as she exhaled, the strange new feeling went with it. A new melody, calm and powerful, hummed through her mind.

“... incredible...!”

Vera smiled brightly. “It looks like our powers have combined! Refresh magic can heal your wounds, but it can also bring life to others! Try it out on this plant over here, it’s looking a little sad.”

Shantae walked over to the plant, and gently took one of its leaves between her fingers. It felt dry and crackly, and she let go and stepped back, fearful of damaging it. She closed her eyes to focus and chase down the fresh new beat Vera’s magic had instilled her with. As she felt the spell fire off, her eyes opened.

Vera’s room was gone. Once again, she was in the overgrown courtyard in the strange, magical realm. Her ‘mind’s eye’, Plink’s mother had said. But there seemed to be more plants this time around.

Just as before, she had company.

The genie before her was even stranger than the last. Her upper half was very human, although her hair looked more like thick, lush vines than anything else. Around her waist, her dark skin seemed to fade into tree bark, and rather than legs she propped herself up on a large, winding root, decorated with flourishing roses. Her red eyes were warm, as was her smile. The magic coming from her was strong, but soothing, and a pleasant floral scent that Shantae couldn’t quite place seemed to drift from her.

She was very pretty, all told.

“Uh... h-hello.” Shantae nervously scuffed a foot along the ground.

“Hello,” she called back with a little giggle. She reached out, and gently ruffled the hair on Shantae’s head. “You’re not my darling Vera, but you’re almost as cute.”

“O-oh. Um. Thank you.” This was her mother, then.

“I must ask, what are you doing with our family’s Healing magic? Has something happened to Vera?” The warmth did not leave the Genie’s eyes, but she did frown, and seemed to wilt somewhat.

“Well... yes. But she’s safe, now! I was able to rescue her.”

The Healer Genie let out a sigh of relief, and the wilt was gone. “Thank goodness for that.”

“Vera is letting me borrow her magic for a little bit. There are some other half-genies still in danger, and I need to help them, too.”

“I see. Well, if Vera trusts you with the family magic, then so do I.” The Healer Genie seemed ready to leave it at that, but suddenly stopped, and leaned down to peer curiously at Shantae. “Ah, I recognize you now... I’d know the Shifter’s magic anywhere.”

“Is that a good thing, or a bad thing...?”

“She’s caused her fair share of trouble, like the rest of us Genies, but she’s got a big heart. I’d definitely call it a good thing, Shantae.” She pulled herself back, and gave the half-genie another gentle hair-ruffle. “You take care of yourself - and of my Vera, too, all right?”

“I will. And I’ll take care of your magic, too.”

“I’m sure that you will. May fortune follow you in your travels.”

-

“Wow, on your first try, too!” Vera was saying as Shantae found herself in the room again. “I thought it’d take you a little longer to get the hang of it, but you’re a natural!”

Indeed, the sickly plant was in full bloom.

“Oh, uh... thanks! I’ve actually got a little experience with healing spells, but it feels different giving it to other people. And plants.” Shantae stepped away from the now-healthy flower. “Now that I think about it, I’ve been seeing plants like this all over the island.”

“Maybe one of them will lead to something unexpected?”

“Maybe.” Shantae looked to Vera. “Thanks for letting me borrow your magic. I’ll take good care of it until I can get it back to you, I promise.”

#drabble #Vera #The Healer #7S Vacation Arc #Day 4 #readmore'd for dramatic tension #readmore'd for length

[magicbyhalves]

“W̶h̵y̴ ̴d̶o̷ ̵w̷e̶ ̵a̵l̵w̴a̶y̶s̵ ̸e̵n̷d̶ ̴u̸p̵ ̶i̴n̶ ̶l̷a̷b̸y̵r̷i̵n̶t̵h̸s̸ ̷f̵u̵l̵l̴ ̵o̵f̵ ̴s̵t̵o̷n̵e̶w̶o̷r̴k̸ ̷a̷n̸d̸ ̴w̶a̵t̴e̴r̴f̶a̵l̶l̴s̵?

I dunno. It’s not the worst thing, though, is it?”

Shantae and Nega were making rather short work of said labyrinth, truth be told. Timing puzzles were easy when you had a double who could split and re-merge with your magic at will. And monsters were easy to fight when they could be tag-teamed and tricked.

Now, she came to the end of a dark hallway. The room it spat her out into was fairly open, and had a surprisingly high ceiling for how deep down they were. But as she stepped through, a heavy stone door slammed shut behind her. And the only other way out of the room was blocked by none other than...

“Risky Boots.”

“In the flesh~.” Her response was automatic, and almost friendly. “Fancy meeting you here!”

“Yeah, I could say the same thing. What are you doing here?”

“I’m after this island’s treasures, of course. I am a pirate, after all.”

Shantae crossed her arms over her chest. “This treasure wouldn’t happen to be related to anything like, say... kidnapping a bunch of half-genies off a show stage?”

Risky balked, startled. “Whatever are you talking about? I’ve only just arrived here. Do you really think I could set such a thing up that quickly?”

“Yes.”

“That’s flattering, but I didn’t take your missing friends.” The pirate drew her sword, pointing it at the half-genie before her. “Regardless, I can’t have you getting in my way...”

Shantae reached for her own blade... and then remembered she’d left it at home. So instead she charged at Risky head-on, fists and hair at the ready.

Risky rushed to meet her, and clicked her tongue. “You didn’t bring your scimitar? After all the trouble I went to in order to send you that spare... I was hoping for a more proper duel.”

“You shot it at my house in a box. Besides, I probably wouldn’t have been allowed to bring it on the airship, anyway,” Shantae sighed. She was more than able to parry Risky’s strikes with just her bracers - if she didn’t know better, it felt like she was making them easier to read, like some sort of warm-up.

“And yet they let your dark magic aboard?”

Nega snapped to the forefront, catching Risky’s wrist with a clawed hand. “O̸h̶,̸ ̷p̷l̴e̵a̵s̸e̶.̴ ̶I̴ ̸w̶a̶s̵ ̷j̶u̶s̴t̶ ̷a̷n̴o̷t̸h̷e̸r̵ ̷p̵a̷s̴s̴e̸n̷g̷e̶r̶.”

“We both know you’re more than that, mirasçı.” She drew her pistol with her free hand, but Nega pinned that arm, too, before she could fire. “You were probably the most dangerous thing on that vessel.”

“I̴ ̶d̷u̷n̵n̷o̶.̴ ̴W̴e̷ ̷w̵e̸r̶e̴ ̶r̴i̵d̶i̵n̴g̵ ̶w̵i̷t̴h̸ ̸S̴k̷y̶,̴ ̴a̴n̴d̴ ̸h̶e̵r̶ ̷t̴e̴m̶p̴e̴r̶'̶s̷ ̸w̶o̵r̷s̴e̸ ̵t̵h̵a̴n̵ ̸m̵i̴n̵e̵...” Nega snickered.

Risky let loose a cackle, even as Nega flung her to the far side of the room. “So, when are you two going to fight back properly?”

“E̵h̸?̸

Huh?”

“You’ve done nothing but defend.” Risky beckoned. “Come on, hit me with something other than banter!”

“Oh, I’ll hit you all right...!”

Shantae ran at her, hair already lashing out in a furious flurry. The trading of blows was much more even, now. Pirate and half-genie alike were both covered in numerous scrapes and bruises by the time Risky held up her hand, stumbling back out of Shantae’s reach.

“That’s... enough for now.” There was a flicker of fierce pride in Risky’s eyes, but it only lasted for a moment. “If you want to find out what happened to those half-genies, you won’t have to look very far.”

“What makes you so sure...?” Shantae huffed.

“There’s more to this island than you think. Ta-tah~.” And Risky was suddenly gone, though Shantae had no idea where - or how.

The stone doors groaned open.

“D̷i̴d̴.̵.̴.̷ ̶d̶i̶d̶ ̶t̸h̷a̶t̷ ̵f̸e̵e̸l̷ ̴l̷i̴k̸e̸ ̶a̷ ̶t̴e̵s̶t̶ ̸t̸o̵ ̴y̸o̶u̸?

A little bit, yeah. She’s definitely not telling us something. Let’s... let’s keep going.”

#drabble #inadequate vessel #Risky #7S Vacation Arc #Day 2 #readmore'd for length #readmore'd for dramatic tension

[magicbyhalves]

Indeed, the next room had one of the strange cages resting in it, and the smell of magic flooded the air. The room felt warmer than the rest of the labyrinth, and it was a welcome change. Shantae made her way towards it, a smile on her face because surely, it only made sense, given how haunted the place was, didn’t it? Rotty had to be here.

But as she got closer, her smile faltered, her ears drooped, and her girlfriend’s name died in her throat.

Harmony was in the cage, struggling to stay awake. She was standing, but just barely, clinging onto the bars.

“... Harmony.” It came more quietly than she would have liked. Shantae cleared her throat to try again. “Harmony!”

“Shantae?” Unlike the others, Harmony snapped to attention immediately.

“Thank goodness you’re okay. I’ll get you out of there.” A rescue was still a rescue, after all. Shantae ran her hands along the bottom of the cage and thumped the release panel when she found it.

Harmony stumbled out as the bars receded, her ears perking up immediately as she hit the water. “The others? Did you find them, too?”

“Plink, Vera, and Zapple are all safe. I still need to find Rottytops.” No, no, no, this was all wrong. Rotty should have been here. It would have made sense.

But a rescue was still a rescue.

But it wasn’t who she’d wanted to find.

“I’m glad to hear about the other half-genies, at least.” Harmony’s voice cut through the encroaching fog in her head, though she still sounded distant. “You mentioned you two were close, when we were backstage that night. I can’t imagine how that must feel.”

“... yeah.” It all came back to that stupid performance, and those stupid sirens, and the fact that she’d been stupid, too. “She shouldn’t be mixed up in this... she shouldn’t have been up on stage in the first place, I should’ve tried harder to stop her - ”

She was spiraling.

You’re the only one that wasn’t captured? Zapple’s accusation echoed through her mind, stinging her again.

It was all too much.

“It’s my fault...” Shantae gulped, trying to hold back the flood of sobs ready to spill from her throat. “It should’ve been me - ”

Harmony’s arms were around her, suddenly, in a steadying embrace. She pulled Shantae’s head into her shoulder and held her tightly. “This isn’t your fault, Shantae. None of us knew what was going to happen during the performance.”

“It should’ve been me...! I should’ve gotten caught and then she’d be okay, and... and...!”

The hug got tighter around Shantae’s shoulders, and the dam burst. She broke into loud, ugly sobs, clinging to Harmony for support. The other half-genie murmured soft reassurances in between her heartbroken wails, and then hummed a soft tune under her breath when she ran out of things to say. Shantae could barely catch the melody as she continued to whimper, as she desperately tried to reign it in and failed, only crying harder.

“I have... I have to get her back...” she choked out.

“You will,” Harmony said, her voice still soft and low. “You rescued the rest of us, didn’t you?”

“Y-yeah...” Shantae ran out of tears at last, but her breaths were still shaky. She stepped back and looked up at Harmony, her eyes still wet and red from crying. She quickly wiped her eyes on the back of her hand, sniffling, as if it could erase what the other half-genie had already seen if she was quick enough. She should’ve held it in, she thought, waited until she was further through the labyrinth for this little breakdown - there was no way that Harmony had any respect for her now, surely.

But Harmony was smiling gently at her. “So I have no doubt that you’ll be able to rescue Rottytops. Here. Use this.” She pressed a smooth, metal object into Shantae’s hand.

She turned it over to get a look at it. It was a Fusion Coin, and carved into it was a smiling little frog of some kind.

“That’s a Sea Frog. You’ve probably seen them hopping around in the water all over the island by now. They can swim through saltwater at incredibly high speed, and they’re expert divers, as well. With those abilities, you should be able to clear out the rest of this labyrinth - and find your girlfriend, too.”

“... thank you.” Shantae pocketed the coin. “Can you get out okay?”

“Now that I’m out of that cage, I’ll be just fine.” Harmony pulled Shantae into another, much shorter hug. “You’ll be fine, too. I know you will.”

Shantae hugged her back, muttering another quiet “thank you,” then turned away and jumped for the much deeper pool in the room. As she dove down, her body shifted, and soon she was cutting through the water with little webbed frog feet.

#drabble #Harmony #7S Vacation Arc #Day 5 #7S Spoilers #readmore'd for length #readmore'd for dramatic tension #(You got SEA FROG)

[magicbyhalves]

this keeps happening with these fights..

“I̸'̷m̴ ̸n̴o̷t̸ ̴c̷o̷m̷p̸l̷a̷i̷n̴i̷n̶g̶ ̸a̸b̵o̸u̵t̵ ̶i̴t̷,̴ ̵t̴h̸a̸t̶'̷s̶ ̶f̸o̷r̷ ̵s̵u̵r̷e̴.”

One of the tubeworms coils around behind Nega, knocking her off of her feet. She ends up flopping against it, and while she can’t feel it against her back, the angle’s surprisingly comfortable to sit at.

The Siren lowers herself closer to eye-level. “That’s much better. You said you had a question?”

“Y̴e̷a̶h̷.̶ ̷D̴i̸d̵ ̵y̴o̷u̷ ̵k̴n̶o̵w̸ ̸y̶o̶u̵ ̷h̶a̴d̷ ̴a̵ ̶h̴a̷l̶f̵-̶g̸e̵n̶i̷e̸ ̵i̸n̷ ̵a̵ ̴c̵a̶g̶e̷ ̷i̷n̴ ̸y̵o̶u̷r̵ ̷l̶a̶b̷y̶r̵i̵n̴t̷h̷?̶ ̴Y̵o̵u̵ ̸d̴o̸n̶'̵t̵ ̵n̴o̸w̶,̴ ̵I̶ ̷m̶e̵a̸n̴,̴ ̷b̸u̶t̷.̷.̷.”

“... it’s already started, then.” She tenses up, frowns.

“W̴h̴a̵t̸'̴s̶ ̶h̵a̸p̶p̸e̸n̶i̵n̶g̶?”

The Siren looks the other way, looking nervous.

Risky’s words from the mine come back to her. The one of whom they will not speak. “.̷.̴.̶ ̵Y̸o̶u̴'̵r̸e̶ ̸s̶c̸a̵r̴e̴d̷ ̵o̸f̴ ̵y̴o̸u̵r̷ ̶b̶o̷s̵s̶ ̷f̷i̷n̶d̵i̵n̶g̶ ̵o̷u̸t̶ ̶i̵f̶ ̷y̸o̶u̷ ̵t̵e̵l̵l̴ ̷m̶e̷ ̵a̵n̴y̴t̷h̶i̵n̶g̴?̴ ̷I̶'̸m̴ ̵p̵r̴e̵t̷t̵y̶ ̶g̶o̸o̸d̸ ̶a̶t̷ ̴t̸h̵r̷a̸s̴h̸i̶n̸g̶ ̶t̶y̸r̵a̴n̸t̴s̷,̸ ̸y̶'̵k̶n̵o̷w̸ ̸-”

The Siren clamps a hand over Nega’s mouth, shushing her, and they’re left alone with echoes. Once they’ve gone quiet, her voice drops to a whisper. “Our kind lost a war, a very long time ago, against the surface. She means to seek vengeance, and drag every other Siren along with her to make it happen.” She pulls her hand away. “You said the half-genie was freed?”

Nega can only nod, stunned.

“Then you should go. If you’re smart, you’ll leave this island, but if you really intend to stop her... then you’ll want to find the Sunken Shipyard. There are remains from the war there, and spirits.” She pulled herself up to her full height, and the tubewom at Nega’s back nudged her back onto her feet before retreating towards its shell.

“T̸h̵a̵n̶k̴s̷.̷ ̴I̷'̸m̸,̸ ̸u̷h̸,̸ ̸s̸o̷r̶r̵y̴ ̵a̵b̶o̴u̸t̸ ̵y̶o̷u̶r̷ ̸w̸o̸r̵m̶s̸.̸ ̶A̵g̸a̴i̴n̴.”

“They’ll be fine. Now go on, before I decide you’re a safer bet as food for them.”

Another metal doorway wooshes open - presumably, it leads to the labyrinth’s entrance. Nega skitters from the room, her mind still reeling...

#question #inadequate vessel #Tubeworm Siren #7S Vacation Arc #Day 4 #7S Spoilers #(Chapter Clear...) #Anonymous #readmore'd for length #readmore'd for dramatic tension

[magicbyhalves]

The room before Nega was suspiciously wide-open. Plantlife crowded the room, half-charred and flourishing despite it. A sea of magma bubbled somewhere in the distance. Despite her current circumstances, it still made for a breathtaking view, and she stopped to observe it.

The echo of a set of familiar boots reached her ears, stepping closer, and then Risky Boots was looking out over the view at her side.

“Hello again, mirasçı.”

Nega glanced over, not turning her head. Risky’s hand was twitching at her side, but not to go for the hilt of her sword. She pretended she hadn’t noticed as the pirate finally made a decision, reached up, and ruffled her hair. It was... friendly, but still strange. Especially since they’d probably be fighting one another pretty shortly.

But now wasn’t the time to get into all that, so her only response was, “H̸e̸y̷.”

Risky’s hand promptly dropped back to her side. “I must admit, I’m surprised to see you running around in here on your own. Where’s your other half?”

“S̷h̸e̸'̵s̷ ̶h̵e̶r̷e̷,̷ ̸j̴u̷s̵t̵ ̷t̴a̴k̶i̸n̶g̵ ̶a̷ ̶b̴r̶e̴a̶k̶.” Nega’s ears drooped, and she shot the pirate a more obvious sideways glance. “O̷u̶r̴ ̷v̴a̵c̵a̶t̸i̶o̶n̶'̷s̷ ̷b̶e̷e̴n̵ ̷r̵u̸i̸n̶e̷d̸,̴ ̷y̸o̸u̴ ̵s̶e̶e̷.”

“I can only imagine. All this running around, getting mixed up in other people’s business... why, that’s hardly a vacation at all for you two.”

“Y̴e̴a̵h̸,̷ ̷n̵o̵ ̶k̵i̸d̴d̶i̶n̸g̶.” She turned to face Risky properly. “Y̵o̴u̶'̶v̸e̷ ̸g̴o̵t̶ ̷s̷o̵m̸e̸ ̴e̶x̶p̴l̵a̷i̷n̷i̷n̸g̸ ̶t̵o̸ ̶d̴o̸.”

“So demanding...” Risky sighed and stepped back. “Very well. I’ll answer one question - and one question only.”

“Y̸o̷u̷ ̸s̵a̵i̷d̷ ̴y̵o̴u̷ ̶c̶a̶m̴e̸ ̸h̷e̸r̶e̷ ̴f̷o̵r̸ ̷t̸r̵e̶a̴s̷u̵r̷e̴.̸ ̶B̷u̸t̶ ̷t̵h̴e̶ ̴o̷n̴l̸y̷ ̶t̴r̷e̴a̵s̴u̴r̴e̵ ̸I̴'̷v̵e̷ ̸f̵o̷u̸n̵d̵ ̷a̴r̴o̵u̴n̶d̷ ̸h̴e̷r̶e̷ ̷a̷r̴e̵ ̷s̸t̶a̸n̵d̵a̷r̷d̸ ̷g̴e̶m̸s̴ ̸f̴r̷o̵m̴ ̸m̷o̵n̶s̶t̵e̶r̷s̸ ̷a̵n̶d̸ ̷s̷t̷u̷f̸f̸.̶ ̷A̶n̴d̶ ̵t̶h̴a̶t̶ ̶w̴e̴i̴r̸d̵ ̴g̵o̴l̷d̸ ̵c̴a̴c̵h̴e̷ ̴i̸n̴ ̵t̸h̴e̸ ̶l̷a̷b̷ ̶b̷a̵c̷k̶ ̶t̷h̸e̶r̸e̸.̴”

Nega fixed Risky with a hard stare. Despite the magma bubbling nearby, the room seemed to have taken on a deathly chill.

“I̴'̴m̸ ̶a̴l̶s̶o̷ ̸t̸h̷i̵n̴k̵i̵n̴g̶.̶.̸.̷ ̶t̶h̶o̵s̸e̵ ̵h̵a̴l̴f̸-̷g̷e̶n̶i̷e̴s̶ ̵v̴a̴n̵i̴s̵h̶i̴n̸g̵ ̴t̷h̷e̶ ̴s̵a̷m̷e̴ ̸t̶i̷m̴e̷ ̷y̶o̶u̴ ̷s̵h̷o̴w̶ ̴u̸p̷.̴.̸.̸ ̶i̵t̸ ̸c̶a̶n̷'̸t̵ ̴b̷e̸ ̷a̷ ̵c̶o̴i̵n̷c̵i̸d̵e̶n̷c̷e̴.̷ ̷A̷n̸d̷ ̴a̷l̴l̴ ̵t̶h̸e̶ ̶S̷i̴r̸e̶n̴s̵ ̷w̴e̵'̴v̴e̵ ̷r̶u̸n̴ ̸i̵n̶t̵o̷ ̶s̷o̶ ̵f̸a̵r̵ ̵d̴o̸n̸'̷t̵ ̵w̵a̶n̶t̸ ̸a̷n̵y̶t̷h̴i̴n̵g̸ ̶t̵o̷ ̷d̴o̸ ̵w̴i̵t̶h̴ ̵'̷e̴m̵,̷ ̴o̴r̷ ̴d̷i̶d̷n̷'̴t̷ ̷k̴n̴o̴w̷ ̷t̷h̸e̷y̴ ̷w̷e̷r̶e̵ ̵t̸h̵e̶r̸e̷.̶ ̵S̶o̶m̵e̵t̶h̵i̸n̶g̸'̵s̶ ̶n̶o̵t̷ ̶a̵d̶d̴i̶n̴'̴ ̶u̴p̴,̷ ̵a̷n̸d̴ ̵I̸'̵m̸ ̴p̸r̷e̶t̸t̷y̵ ̷s̴u̶r̶e̶ ̴y̴o̷u̵'̸r̵e̵ ̵t̷h̴e̶ ̷r̴e̴a̵s̷o̷n̶ ̶w̷h̸y̴.̵ ̶W̷h̴a̴t̵'̷s̶ ̴r̴e̵a̷l̵l̷y̸ ̷g̸o̵i̴n̷g̴ ̶o̴n̸,̶ ̷a̶n̷d̶ ̶w̷h̸a̵t̸ ̵a̷r̴e̴ ̶y̶o̸u̵ ̶a̸c̸t̷u̵a̸l̷l̷y̶ ̴a̴f̴t̴e̵r̸?̵”

“Shame, shame... that sounded like two questions to me. But I’m feeling generous.” Risky drew her sword, smirking. “If you can beat me, I’ll give you the answer.”

“J̶u̵s̶t̷ ̷t̴e̵l̸l̶ ̵m̷e̴!̷!̸!̵“ Nega rushed her, not even bothering with magic. She threw a punch, but Risky’s blade came up in a flash, clanking against her silver bracers.

“Impatient, aren’t we? Come on, mirasçı, you know how this works by now.”

Nega’s fist lit up with a fireball. Risky’s gaze flickered to it, and then the half-genie slammed the pirate in the stomach with her free fist, sending her reeling.

“I can’t even be mad about that!” Risky laughed. “I wonder, though -  did you get that sense of trickery from your mother, or from me?”

“S̷o̸r̴r̵y̶,̸ ̵B̴o̶o̸t̸s̷,̵ ̸b̴u̶t̵ ̵t̵h̵a̴t̸'̴s̵ ̷1̷0̶0̵%̸ ̷g̶e̸n̷i̷e̵ ̵g̴e̷n̶i̴u̶s̸ ̴a̶t̴ ̴w̴o̸r̸k̸!”

“Are you sure?”

Pistol fire whizzed past Nega, and she yelped as it grazed her cheeks.

“I think there’s more scallywag in you than you care to admit.”

“Y̴e̵a̵h̶?̴ ̴C̸o̸u̸l̴d̷ ̵a̶ ̷s̷c̸a̵l̸l̷y̴w̶a̷g̷ ̸d̵o̷ ̴t̶h̸i̵s̶?̸!“ An enormous fireball began to build in Nega’s hands, and her arms started to shift into a more pure, sinister form of dark magic, with familiar bony accents rising from the magical mass...

Risky balked at the sight, and didn’t react as Nega flung the fireball. Somehow, she was still standing after it finished burning out, though she looked rather charred. “... Stubborn as ever,” she managed at last, and she stepped as far back as the room would allow.

A triumphant grin broke out over Nega’s face, and her arms shifted back to normal. She hadn’t even noticed the change. “W̷e̷l̸l̶?̷ ̶Y̸o̴u̵ ̶p̴r̷o̸m̴i̸s̵e̸d̷ ̵m̴e̷ ̴a̴n̸s̶w̶e̴r̵s̶!̸”

“One answer,” the pirate corrected. “Very well. Gold and gems are all well and good, but the real treasure is the Sunken City itself. And I intend to take it.”

The half-genie frowned, cocking her head to the side.“.̷.̸.̴ ̸Ho̵w̴ ̸d̶o̴ ̵y̴o̶u̶ ̴s̴t̵e̸a̵l̵ ̶a̶n̵ ̵e̷n̸t̶i̷r̴e̵ ̸c̶i̸t̷y̶?̴”

“I said I’d answer one question. Now, go on. You wanted to get past, didn’t you?” Still looking vaguely unsettled, Risky leapt from the room, leaving ashes in her wake.

Nega let out a quiet grumble as she headed for the door. “T̷h̴e̷ ̵c̶i̶t̶y̸'̷s̴ ̶t̸h̵e̸ ̵t̸r̸e̴a̸s̵u̴r̶e̴,̴ ̸h̵u̷h̶.̵.̶.̶”

#drabble #Risky #inadequate vessel #7S Vacation Arc #Day 4 #readmore'd for length #readmore'd for dramatic tension #(oh right risky's afraid of exactly one person and nega's got the last of his magic)

[magicbyhalves]

The doors to the room ground shut with a harsh scraping of metal. Shantae winced, her ears reflexively drooping. The sound of familiar boots hitting the floor was surprisingly soft in comparison, though it still echoed through the room.

Risky waited for Shantae to look up, at least. “Hold it, kid.”

“Risky Boots. You said I wouldn’t have to look far to find out who took the other half-genies, but... the plant monster I ran into at the end of that labyrinth had nothing to do with it.” The metal sound had left her on edge, and the idea that Risky was hiding something made that feeling worse. “What’s really going on?”

Risky chuckled. “Are you really asking me for help?”

Shantae felt a prickling at the back of her mind, and the familiar sensation of falling back as Nega took her place.

“Y̴o̸u̷'̵r̶e̸ ̴t̴h̸e̷ ̸o̴n̴e̶ ̸w̴h̵o̵ ̴w̷a̴n̶t̴e̵d̵ ̸t̷o̷ ̴g̴i̴v̵e̸ ̴t̷h̸i̷s̶ ̴f̷a̴m̵i̴l̸y̷ ̴t̶h̵i̷n̷g̴ ̴a̸ ̷s̸h̸o̸t̷.̷ ̷A̶n̴d̴ ̸f̶a̵m̴i̴l̴y̴ ̵h̸e̵l̴p̶s̴ ̷e̸a̸c̵h̶ ̷o̶t̸h̷e̷r̵ ̸o̵u̸t̷.̷ ̴S̶o̵,̸ ̶y̵e̶a̸h̶,̶ ̶I̶ ̶a̵m̷.”

“... Very well.” Risky’s expression softened, if only just. “The true rulers of this island are not the land-lubbers up above, but rather the Sirens that dwell down below.”

“S̴i̴r̸e̸n̸s̸?”

“Seven in all. Five that rule over their domains, one wretched runaway... and the one of whom they will not speak.” A hand played on the hilt of her sword. “If you want to save your friends, you must destroy the Seven Sirens.”

“... wait, destroy? The one we found just wanted a little sunlight... and she seemed confused that Plink was in her labyrinth at all.” Shantae jumped back into control, and a fireball snapped to life in her hands. “You’d better not be messing with me...!”

“Is that so? How curious...” Risky shrugged, then drew her sword. “Whether you believe me or not, you’ll have to get past me if you want to go any further!”

Shantae flung out a wall of fire, forcing the pirate to shrink back. She rushed through the flames herself, fists lying, and landed a pair of solid hits before Risky caught on, using her blade to block the half-genie’s blows.

“Much stronger start than last time,” she mused.

“What, you have some pointers you wanna share?”

“Distractions are good, but only if you can make the most of them.” Risky brought up her pistol with her free hand.

Shantae yelped as she was forced to jump back and weave through a hail of bullets, most of them grazing her despite her best efforts.

Risky laughed. “Come on, I know you can fight better than that!”

Shantae growled, then shot out another firey wall.

“This, again?”

On the other side of the flames, though, Shantae was welding her flames and her pikeballs into a molten projectile. This, she flung through the flames, and she couldn’t hide her smug grin as they hit Risky head-on. She thought she heard a metallic thunk, but it was probably just the sound of the pirate hitting the door. She dispelled the flames, and found herself facing down a rather ragged Risky.

“My, you’re persistent...” she huffed, stumbling away from Shantae. There was that flicker of pride, again. “You needn’t worry... I didn’t come to this island to capture your friends. I already told you - I’m after this island’s treasure, and its treasure alone. Good luck dealing with those Sirens.” Once again, she made herself scarce, gone in a way Shantae couldn’t hope to follow.

The metal doors groaned open again, far more quietly than they’d closed.

“Ugh... what’s her deal...”

#drabble #Risky #inadequate vessel #7S Vacation Arc #Day 3 #readmore'd for dramatic tension

[magicbyhalves]

Mercifully, Scuttle Town was fairly empty thanks to the late hour. Shantae didn’t have to worry about running into - or over - anyone as she made her mad dash to the front gate, and nobody would have to see the panicked look on her face. Even if she was no longer the town guardian, it simply wouldn’t do.

Ẃe͘'r͠e ͝probably̕ o̵v̛er̨r̶e͏ac͞t͢i͝ng͜, Nega murmured in her head. It̴'̕s pr̴o̴b̨a͢b͡ly ͡so̵m̀e͘th̶in̛g͏ silly,҉ ̷l̸ik̨e, a҉n ͡ax̶le ̕r̨e̸fu͡s҉i͝n̡g̸ ̸to ̵c͢ooperate̕, ̡ór̛ ͡she go҉t d̶i̷s̢tr͢a͢c͜ted ͟b͠y so͟me͢t̨hįn͘g͟ s҉he̢ ̛fou͏n̕d͏ ̀i̡n͜ ̨t͘he ̷wa͜gon̵ wh͞i͡le͘ ͡lo̵o̷king ̕a͡ro͜un̕d.

“M-maybe, but, I don’t wanna take the chance if it’s serious! If something’s happened that I coulda been there to stop, I - ”

S͜low͏ ͏do̷w͟n...͢

“Nega, she’s important to me! To us! If something happened to her then - ”

N̴o͢,҉ I méa̡ņ,́ ͡lite͜ra̴ll͠y͡, ͠s̕lo͘w ͏dówn,͡ h̛er ͟wa̷g̸o͏n'̡s͟ r҉i͞g͘ht ̷t̸h͡e̛r͠e̕. St҉i̸ll̀ at͝ t͡he fr̕o͘n͢t̡ ҉gat͟e.

“O-oh.”

And so it was. Disco looked mildly startled at Shantae’s panicked antics, but other than that, the wagon seemed to be fine. The light inside was even lit.

Shantae’s ears twitched, searching for a sound. There was a quiet shuffling from inside the wagon.

Sée?̴ ̧Éve͞r͟y̷th͏i͟n͝g'͘s ͞f̨i҉ne.̸

“... I guess so. Still, she was gone for a while... I should probably check in.” She reached out and knocked on the door to the wagon. “Rotty...? Is everything alright in there...?”

There was silence for a long moment, and then a low growl rumbled from the wagon’s depths.

..́.̷ ͠O͝k͏a̶y̕, ma҉y̨be ít̕'s n͢o͜t finé.͠

“... I’m coming in, okay?” Not waiting for an answer, she opened the door, ready for whatever awaited her...

Rottytops was sat in a slump on her couch. Her eyes were glazed over, and it took her some time to realize Shantae had even entered. Slowly, she turned her head to get a better look. “... you   shouldn’t   be   here,” she said at last, a frown slowly making its way to her face.

“I’m sorry, you were just away for a while and I got worried... what’s going on?”

She stepped toward Rotty, who suddenly sat up at attention.

“STOP.”

“Eeep!” Shantae quickly jumped back.

“Sorry.   You   being   way   over   there   is   the   only   thing   keepin’   yer   brain   safe   right   now.” Rotty slumped back into the couch.

“O-oh gosh.” The half-genie’s eyes darted around the wagon. “Uh... okay, where do you keep your coffee?”

Rotty slowly raised an arm, pointing at a drawer on the other side of the room.

Shantae dashed over, grabbing Rotty’s beat-up coffee pot along the way. “Do you have water for this?”

Roty pointed to another part of the room.

“Thanks!” She put everything together as quickly as she could, then snapped her fingers under the coffee pot to get a small fireball going. It didn’t take long for the scent of coffee to start wafting through the wagon...

Shantae made her way back to the couch, and carefully handed the steaming coffee over. Rotty accepted it with a slow, trance-like reverence... then unhinged her jaw and unceremoniously dumped its entire contents down her throat. Almost instantly, the glaze in her eyes cleared up, and she heaved a sigh of relief.

“Whew! That was close. Sorry you had to see me like that. I was, uh, getting low and didn’t wanna worry ya, or end up hurting you or somethin’, so I came out here.” Rotty looked a bit sheepish. “I was... gonna get around to the coffee thing, but when yer between base instinct and higher functions, stuff gets harder, so...”

Shantae threw her arms around Rotty and squeezed her tight. “Why didn’t you tell me? There’s coffee places in town, I could’ve gotten you something...!”

“Well, it’s, y’know... a zombie thing. You may be cool with all this stuff - and I love ya for it - but most people aren’t.” She sighed. “It still gets to me sometimes, y’know.”

“Rottytops Cadaver, you listen here!”

Rotty’s cheeks flushed, and she sat up straighter, startled by Shantae’s outburst.

“It doesn’t matter what people in Scuttle Town might think - or wherever we might end up in when we’re both traveling, or whatever! If something like this happens, I... I want to be there for you, and help you! The same way you’ve been there for me, when I’m dealing with... y’know, my weird magic stuff, and nightmares, and all that.”

“That’s sweet, firecracker, but I don’t wanna hurt you if somethin’ goes wrong...”

“I’m immune to zombie bites, remember?”

“Sure, but not to gettin’ yer skull cracked open like one of Sky’s eggs!”

“That’s a good point, but if you tell me when you need help, we won’t have to worry about that!” Shantae huffed and pulled back from the hug, looking Rotty in the eyes. “I don’t want you to feel like you’ve gotta hide from me. I love you, Rotty... all of you... so, let me be there for you, okay...?”

Rottytops, briefly stunned silent, nodded. Right as she recovered and was about to say something, though, Shantae abruptly pressed a kiss to her lips. It started gently enough, but just as it was getting more intense, the half-genie suddenly pulled away.

“Aw geez I shoulda put some sweetener in that coffee that was so bitter oh gosh.”

Rotty burst into a wild cackle. “What th’ heck did you expect after I shoved the whole pot in my face, ya dork?”

“Yeah, I really should’ve thought that through... b-but I’m serious! I meant all that stuff before!”

“Yeah, I know ya did. You’re the best, Shantae.” It was Rotty’s turn to pull her into a tight squeeze, and she nuzzled into her girlfriend’s cheek. “So, how do ya feel about staying the night, hmm~?” A familiar mischievous tone was already creeping back into her voice...

Shantae took it as a good sign. She giggled, even as her ears started to turn red. “Well, since I’m already here, I may as well get comfy.”

#drabble #inadequate vessel #Rotty #(hhhhhhhheeeeeeergh more long serious stuff) #(local ozi writes a BOOK) #(readmore'd for length) #(and dramatic tension)