Clear Skies

Chapter 5: Compromise in Love

Yusei, Crow, Jack, and Kalin gathered around the table in the Team Satisfaction hideout. I loitered behind Kalin, who smacked the next section of the map. "Today, we're taking on Sector K!"

Crow stomped his boot on the ground. "No, nope, no way. I'm not fighting another gang for eleven days in a row. This waking up early and having no free time is driving me nuts, dude! We need a vacation!"

The reaction from Kalin had me believing Crow uttered a word that could summon a demon. "Team Satisfaction doesn't do vacations!"

"I have to side with Crow on this one," Yusei said. "Our health is important, and we'll suffer if we're forced to give it our all every single day. One day off won't set us back."

Kalin threw up his hands. "Tough luck! Vote's three against two."

"Jack and Rain didn't even vote yet!" Crow countered.

Jack pinned the two of us with a glare. "I vote for vacation."

"Majority rules!" Crow cheered. "If you'll excuse me, I have a bed to get acquainted with."

"See you guys," Yusei added. Jack left without words. Once the sound of their footsteps faded into the distance, Kalin ruffled his hair and groaned. He picked at the edge of the map and grumbled the word "vacation" in various mocking tones.

"Hey-"

He yelped and flinched away from me. "Jesus! I forgot you were here."

"What's vacation?"

The huff that followed could've blown a tree down. "You'll have to ask someone else. I don't know the meaning of the word."

"Then why does it make you so angry?"

He scraped his hand down his face. "We had a good few days there where the jokes didn't go over your head. Now I'm gonna have to reset the counter."

"Y-you keep a counter?"

"Maybe! Look, vacation's when you take a few days off from your regular job to relax. Which we would never need! We play card games for Christ's sake."

"What about the parts where we have to wake up early, scout the enemy hideouts, the times we need to tie guys up, searching the-"

"Okay! Okay, I get it," he said. "My policy is that I can rest when I'm dead. I've only got so much time, so I'll change the Satellite all I can with what I have left. If nobody else is joining today, I'm going for a stake out."

The rising sun washed over the calm waves. I rested my hand on the crumbled wall as I watched him busy about. He clenched a pen between his teeth, nabbed a couple of maps, and dug through that box in the corner. He dropped the items on the table and dusted off his hands. I asked, "Can I come?"

"Nah. I can't be sneaky with a plus one."

"Oh."

"Don't say it like that!" he yelled.

"Like what?"

Kalin squinted over his pointed finger. "All sad and... pout-y. Yeesh. I figured princess over there would be fine entertaining herself. Why don't you try looking around the place for a change?"

"The hideout?"

"Satellite," he corrected. "It's your home now. Not by your choice - you're stuck here with the rest of us."