The Adored Shopkeeper

Shovel Knight

"Thank you, have a great day!" You called out to the customer just before they left.

You began humming a familiar tune as you walked around your shop, organizing things that were out of place. Then the door opened and the bell jingled, letting you know someone entered.

"Welcome!" You exclaimed. "Have a look around to find what you're looking for."

"Oh, I've already found what I've been looking for." A male voice says, making you look up.

"Alright, let me just-"

"It's you."

You grew nervous as the man gave you a creepy smile, making you step back.

"I'm sorry, I'm afraid I'm not available at the moment." You said, turning around and walking back to the counter.

He followed you and leaned against the counter, which started to make you uncomfortable. You looked down to see a ring on his hand, letting you know that he was married.

"Um, I'm sure your spouse wouldn't be too pleased to know about what you're doing." You said, wanting him to leave you alone.

"She's not gonna know." He said, making you more nervous.

"Oh, but she will." You hear a female voice say.

You and the stranger looked to see a shorter woman clad in blue armor holding a shovel. You looked at her for help as the stranger basically laughed.

"What are you gonna do with your shovel?" He asked.

"I can do many things with this shovel." She explained. "For I am THE Shovel Knight!"

"Shovel Knight? That sounds fake."

"Oh, you haven't heard?"

Shovel Knight walked towards the counter and stopped in front of it. She then used the handle of her shovel and quickly brought it down on the man's foot. He yelled out in pain as you stepped back startled.

"Hey, what the-" he spoke.

"You leave this person alone." The knight stated. "Otherwise I'd have to use the other end of my shovel, unless you wish to keep bothering them."

"Okay fine, I'll leave, sheesh."

Shovel Knight removed her shovel off the stranger's foot and he turned around, making his way to the door. You sighed in relief as the bell jingled again and you looked at the knight.

"Thank you so much." You say, smiling.

"It's no problem." She said. "I saw that you were uncomfortable, so I stepped in."

"Still, thank you."

You smiled wider as you stuck out your hand.

"My name's [____]." You introduce. "Nice to meet you."

She took your hand and shook it.

"Nice to meet you too, [____]." She said.

You both pulled back as you stepped around the counter.

"I'm assuming you didn't come here to help me." You state.

"Oh, I'm actually looking for meal tickets, do you sell any?" The knight asked.

"Of course, follow me."

You then led her to where the meal tickets were, stopping once you both arrived.

"How many do you need?" You asked.

"Just one." Shovel Knight replied.

You nodded and grabbed a single ticket, walking back over to the counter.

"Alright, that'll be...." You thought for a moment. "Twenty five gold, please."

"Twenty five?" The knight asked in surprise as she took the necessary amount of gold out. "That's cheap, I ought to come here more often."

"Heh, well, I try to keep them as low as possible especially with the other prices being so high."

"Yeah, that's reasonable."

The knight pocketed the meal ticket before turning around and heading for the door.

"Have a great day, Shovel Knight!" You called out.

"And I to you!" She called back.

You laughed a little as the door closes behind her, smiling as you went about your day.

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Shovel Knight sat in front of a campfire, staring up at the midnight moon. She was leaning against her shovel that was implanted in the ground, humming slightly.

"[____]..." She mumbled, then laughed a little. "Ah, [____]."

She thought back to how stunning they were, especially with their smile. Oh, how she wanted to see them smile like that again.

"Absolutely mesmerizing..." She mumbled to herself.

She then thought about her beloved Shield Knight and how she was going to save him. He hasn't been replaced, she thought, but he might feel that way once after being saved. Though, if he saw what this shopkeeper looked like, then he'd possibly might change his mind.

'Yes, I'll just have to show him.' She thought.

Because all that she wanted was the stunning shopkeeper she met earlier.