Ships Ahoy!

The Shrew and the Tamer

(or, The Rival, part 2)

A/N Fun fact, originally there was supposed to be a chapter before this one called "The Counterparts", exploring Olive and Otto in a sibling-style relationship and why, in this fanfic, they didn't work together as a couple. But as I wrote it, it just seemed to fit less and less with my story's canon, so I opted not to include it. Maybe I'll work it into a future fanfic instead, idk.

Orchid liked to make everyone think she was a borderline psychopath.

Then again, perhaps she really was. Not every seven-year-old had an affinity for Trigonometry and Calculus, after all. Except for this one kid she knew named Andrew Wiggin, but the International Fleet had put a claim on him since the boy's birth, before he could even be considered for Odd Squad. So that just left Orchid. And if everyone called Andrew a psychopath, then maybe she was, too.

Eh. Not like she cared. It kept other people out of her way, for the most part.

Except Obfusco. He'd never stay out of her way even if she wanted him to. Since the day she'd started at the Academy, the two of them had argued so much that they eventually became best friends. That way they could argue more conveniently.

Also except Owen. At least, initially. He hadn't really wanted to be her partner, either, but with no other openings and a three-year Investigation requirement to fulfill, the two of them had no choice. The partnership failed epically, of course. When he wasn't ticking her off with absolutely everything else he did, Owen had this bad habit of running and hiding at the first sign of confrontation in every case they had to solve, then lying about it later. Wasting her time dealing with a deadweight partner left no chance for Orchid to work on building her Dinosaur Room, but they both knew that neither could stay out of each other's way until the three years were up. Luckily, when Owen was finally promoted to Head of Security, he never had to get in her way ever again.

Finally except Otto. That one pretty much explained itself.

But otherwise, everyone else left her alone with her dinosaurs. And that's just how Orchid liked it.

And then she met Ori.

* * * * *

Brushing her hands together, Orchid stood up to admire her handiwork. Just as with her first day on the squad, the boxes and cart that had dared to block her path and stare her down with those figure-eight eyes now lay defeated and in ruins. I win again, she thought triumphantly, turning away to continue skipping down the hall.

Then her sharp ears picked up the click and squeak of the Basketball Door opening, followed by a thud and a young boy's voice. "Phew! Three more boxes filled, two more boxes to go." A gasp. "Hey! What happened to my other boxes?" And a groan. "Ugh, this is the worst first day ever!"

The worst first day ever? Ha! Your boxes had to remind me of my worst first day, so I think I've got a better claim than you, you little upstart. Indignant, Orchid whirled back around and stepped forward to face a brand new agent over the box ruins. "No it isn't," she declared, satisfied by the flinch he made. "Lemme tell you about my worst first day..."

When she finished her tale, the look of utter bewilderment she got back showed he didn't understand a bit of it. "How is that your worst first day? It obviously just happened."

Orchid wanted to tsk at him so much. She wanted to point out that events can repeat themselves, and that the same thing had indeed happened years ago as it had today. She really wanted to tell him how stupid and single-minded he was for not even considering other possibilities. She wanted to label him as just another Sherman. She wanted to drop the mic and walk away without any explanation at all. But for some reason, none of that wanted to come out. It was as if everything inside her that she did normally had shut down. "Three choices," she finally said, trying to pull herself back on track. "I can say sorry, or I can help you, or we can go to a movie!"