Disclaimer: Yes, we know this drill all too well. We know I don't own a single iota of any of the gorgeous gals of DOA XTreme Beach Volleyball. None of them, nor one stitch of the dazzling swimsuits they prance around in so prettily...Ahem! Anyway. It's me, JohnB73, back with more fanfiction fun! This is part 2 of 3, and I have a couple of ideas regarding an epilogue. Yes, suave old Mister Behind-the-Scenes, Zack, will make an appearance there. But for now, I have another (I hope) unexpected offering of lesbian-flavored goodness to delight your palates with. At no time should you enjoy this fic while in the last trimester of pregnancy, suffering from ADHD or epilepsy, or operating heavy machinery.
Part 2: Opposites Attract
It was day seven of the vacation on Zack Island, and Tina was starved. Her long day of playing volleyball with her dark-skinned friend Lisa had given her an appetite, and she headed back to the hotel with a determined stride as the sun began sinking towards the sea, casting soft orange and pink hues over the sky from the western horizon. She was a woman on a single, undeniable mission. Food. Lots of it. Then dessert. Lots of that too. Lisa had decided to take one last dip in the waters of Niki Beach before night, so they'd hugged goodbye, and parted ways for the night.
As she entered the restaraunt of the luxurious hotel, wrapped in a zebra-striped bikini, she saw that it was nearly empty, save for Kasumi and Hitomi at a far table, and Helena sitting at another, closer table. Helena was wearing one of the hotel's soft terrycloth robes, which teased Tina's mind with wonderings about what was under it...or not. Fighting off her soft blush, she approached Helena's table.
"Well, hey, 'Lena, How've you been today?" she asked brightly, smiling, her soft Southern drawl catching glances from the other two girls, who leaned close to each other. Their hands rested on each other on the tabletop, and they whispered to each other. Tina just smiled, having a pretty good idea of how well they had been getting along since the accident she'd heard about.
"Oh, Tina. I'm just fine, thank you. How was your day?" Helena asked, pausing in the course of her own meal, and dabbing at her plump lips gently with a napkin before speaking.
"Aw, not too bad, but I worked up one hell of an appetite! Gimme a whole cow! I'll carve off what I want now, and ride the rest home!" Tina replied, mimicking the gesture of snapping a pair of reins in mid-air and laughing. Helena blinked for a second, then chuckled in her low, cultured way, pressing the back of her hand to her mouth. A waiter promptly stepped to the table, and took a lengthy order from Tina, gaping a little at everything she wanted.
"And if I don't see that Long Island Iced Tea in about two shakes, It's gonna get ugly in here!" Tina snapped after the retreating man, smirking. "Gotta keep the help in line, ya know, or they'll just never respect ya." she said, lowering her voice to a quieter tone for Helena.
"I suppose you're right, but that's no need to be so...raucous about it." she replied, pausing as though choosing her words with care.
"Raucous? Damn, girl, you just ain't seen raucous yet. Wait till that next Dead or Alive tourney comes along, and I'll show everyone what a real rumpus is all about!" Tina boasted, still grinning.
"Maybe so, but I'd rather not think of that now. It always brings back sour memories...like why I got into the first of these tournaments, to begin with." Helena replied, brushing a lock of her sweeping blonde bangs away from one aqua-blue eye.
Tina nodded, an apologetic pout on her face, as she took her drink from the waiter's tray. "About time too...what'd you do, have to crank up the still out back to make the liquor?" she snarled, sending the waiter away with a glare and a well-flexed bicep. Helena covered another soft laugh, her cheeks flushing slightly.
"So, can I ask you a question, Tina? Is it really so easy to be so...blunt with people? I would have a very hard time dealing with others the same way that you do." Helena asked, leaning toward her dining companion slightly. The waiter came again, placing two plates of hot, steaming food on the table. Tina's light blue eyes lit up at the steak with a side of hash browns, and the second plate, laden with biscuits and gravy. As she took he knife and fork, sawing busily at the tender steak, the waiter backed away, not taking his eyes off of her for fear of losing a hand, or worse. He turned and nearly fled, drawing another bemused chuckle from Helena.
"Well, it's easy when everyone else is from the same place as you, and everyone thinks more or less the same about most other folks. There was never much call to be shy back home, 'specially since I first started bloomin' when I hit eleven." Tina answered, putting a chunk of steak into her mouth and chewing, closing her eyes in pleasure.
"Sacre bleu! Eleven? You don't mean to tell me that you filled out so much, that soon?" Helena gasped, her eyes wide. Across the room, Hitomi and Kasumi finished their drinks and got up, leaving hand in hand and waving to the other two. Helena gave a small wave, and Tina shoveled a forkful of hash browns into her mouth, after adding a generous dollop of ketchup to them.
"Hell, it was a surprise to me too. Imagine, goin' around, running, riding horses, wrasslin' your big brothers, and then Bam! The good Lord Almighty hits you with a pair of big honkin' boobs like this!" Tina said, sitting up straight and thrusting her shoulders back for emphasis. Helena blushed deeply until she relaxed her pose again.
"I...would imagine. I can only wonder what it was like. I was a bit late in blooming, myself. I'd been looking forward to it, though, and when it did happen, I was just full of joie de vivre! I felt that I was finally what I was meant to be, not an awkward girl-child anymore." Helena confided, her voice soft and her eyes distant. She looked up to see Tina smiling gently at her, and blinked.
"What? That sounds like it was really neat. I mean, that you had it to look forward to. I just got sucker-punched with all I've got. You and me, 'Lena, we really are a lot different, ya know?" she explained, taking a long sip of her drink and resting her hand on the tabletop. "I mean, I don't mind showing myself off, and you go around in one of those long, fuzzy robes like an old housewife...you're really shy for someone who's so purty."
"Oh, well...I just have this on because I'm still getting used to a little something I picked up while shopping today. It's...different, but I suppose I'm adjusting." Helena replied, smiling coyly.
"Aww, nooo...I know you're not gonna tell me you went and bought the Venus! I had my own eye on that!" Tina all but wailed, dropping her head and shaking it. She picked up her fork, spearing another free bite of steak, and chewed intently.
"Well, no. I don't have that much money with me yet. But you say it is gone? Maybe another will come into stock in a day or two. The shopkeeper must imagine that more than one of us would want that." Helena ventured. Tina nodded in deferral, then grinned.
"So, do I get to see what you bought? I'll show you mine, if you show me yours..." she said, winking at Helena boldly over the rim of her glass, inspiring a fierce blush from the blonde Frenchwoman.
"Why, Tina Armstrong...am I deceived, or is this a flirtation?" Helena asked, a small smile gracing her flushed face as she shifted in her seat, one of her hands now resting on the table as well, near to Tina's. "Not that I'm not intrigued, or even...flattered, if it is, mind you."
"Depends. I could just be joshing you, goofing around 'cause the bartender can actually make a decent drink. Or, you might just be right. Which do you want it to be?" Tina asked, placing her hand gently on Helena's. Helena's hand twitched a little,then she turned it over, bringing their palms into gentle contact.
"I think I like the thought of my being right, rather than you being tipsy. It would let us both sleep a bit easier tonight, I think." she murmured softly, clasping Tina's hand in her warm, silk-soft grip. Tina shivered a little at the feeling, and half-smiled a bit lopsidedly.
"I think I like the way you think. Well, guess all that's left is to box up the rest of this as a midnight snack, eh, 'Lena hon?" she ventured.