Summary: Team K' is up against a horde who plans to take over cities across the world including South Town.
The problem is, that a bystander gets involved in the mishap. Who are these new foes? Where did they come from? Is Team K' enough to put a s...
To interrupt the silence inside the secret hideout, Maxima's stomach became loud and borborygmus, cluing in on wanting breakfast. "Anyone interested in grabbing a bite?"
"Umm..." Feeling like a total train wreck, Octávia felt the need to look for more suitable clothing. A graphic tee and pajama pants will simply not do. She requested both men to be her chaperones while out in public.
"Nope." K' confidently declines, not being in the mood to do anything.
"And why not?" Octávia counters crossing her arms. "The enemy could be out there waiting for us."
"Listen, Goldilocks, I'm not going, and that's that!"
"Timeout, you two!" Getting the feeling that an argument might occur between his friend and the heroine, Maxima stands between them. Posing as a referee, the blue-clad cyborg agrees to go with her, giving his teammate a break. He would rather not have any more hassle for the rest of the day. "Ready to go, Octávia?"
"Sure thing." Together, both of them safely leave the premises to explore out in public. The cybernetic combatant calculates the estimated time of arrival for them to reach their destination. Till then, they engage on a certain topic to keep each other occupied.
"I wanted to know, what's it like being a cyborg?" His acquaintance requested while hugging her bandaged arms. "I mean, I never expect to meet one in person so I'm curious."
"What's it like, you say? It's quite phenomenal. Let's see..." Maxima discusses this further in much detail. He states that everything is so different for him, bringing a whole new perspective to the world. The birds in the sky above them. He can tell those are a flock of spotted sparrows.
The pedestrian who is about to pass by with their pet. He can determine its breed and is microchipped. He can also identify which electronic devices each person is carrying inside their bags and pockets. The structured buildings throughout the area. He can point out where the real security cameras are from the fakes. The cars that are parked aside from the two-lane road. He can figure out if they are electric, hybrid, or fuel-type vehicles just by a full-on body scan.
"Amazing. You see more than the average human can!" As the proud brunet trailed off, Octávia could sense that he is truly in his element.
"Ah, here I am rambling on when I hardly know anything about you. Would you like to share a bit about yourself?" The young woman agrees, reminding the grappling giant about her interests in movies and live entertainment.
"...Chick-flicks and blockbuster films, but I didn't have time to watch the ones that came out this week. Instead, I saved up enough money to make plans to go out of town..." She explains her weekend outing, including missing out on her trip to a J-pop concert, her car trouble, meeting K' at the Roadhouse, and him physically attacking an authority figure. Twice.
"Yeah...As you may already know, he doesn't like to socialize with people." Maxima casually changes the subject to the pyrokinetic fighter. "You see, my partner is not the easiest to get along with, but that's because of his past. If you can, please forgive his attitude from this morning. He's just tuckered out, to say the least."
"Maxima, what do you mean by 'your partner?'" Octávia asks curiously. The older man clarifies that he is K''s fighting partner, best friend, and partner-in-crime, having the young man's back no matter what happens. To him, Maxima appears as a loyal and supportive person in the silver-haired fighter's life, much like a fatherly figure and role model. "Really, now? I had no idea! That says a lot about you."
They safely reach the nearest discount clothing store in the area. Stepping inside, the shop showcases a limited selection of apparel and accessories. 'What to choose...' Tempting herself into retail therapy, Octávia looks around to see what clothes suit her current style.
The blue-suited fighter stays on high alert like a top-tier bodyguard protecting a very important person. He observes everything around him, making sure he and her are not being tracked down. Taking note of the shop's security cameras, he already has them temporarily deactivated So far, nothing out of the ordinary stands out.
Not wanting to keep her new friend waiting any longer, the female customer selects a few items before motioning toward the check-out line.
"Octávia, do you mind..." While making her final purchase, Maxima insists that she pays in cash only. 'Oh, that's right. For my safety...' It has not been registered to her brain that she is being sought after by this mysterious antagonistic group as well. Regardless, she listens to her new ally. Leaving the store, they start heading back to the hideout.
"Oh look!" Along the way, they spotted a food truck parked on the curb. Placing an order for herself, she asks Maxima if he can eat this kind of food.
"Can I? Of course!"
To show her appreciation, she rewards him with his choice of an extra-large parfait cup. She points to her ally allowing the food truck server to offer the treat to Maxima. "It's not much, but I hope this will do for now."
The cyborg's brown eyes were beyond delightful. Receiving her order, Octávia asks what the leather-clad fighter would want. In between bites, Maxima confirms his partner is a picky eater who dislikes sweet stuff. "...But I'll take his share for seconds." She feels bad for leaving him out on something to eat.
Upon returning to the secret hideout, both of them check to see where their couch lounger went off to. After exploring briefly, they finally see K' comfortably asleep in his bedroom; the one where Octávia had slept in.
Maxima states, "Some of us had a very long day yesterday, so let's take a moment to recuperate." He parted ways with his guest to finish off his food in his room.
Glancing at the slumbering Beast of Prey's direction, the second party could not help but agree with that statement. Thinking that he could have said something earlier, she takes her leave to eat first and then get changed in a separate room.
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¹ BGM: "Life is Beautiful" from the Deadly Premonition OST.
² VIDEO: "Deadly Premonition Whistle Theme 1 Hour" YouTube, uploaded by Mister Chuffy. June 21, 2013. (https://youtu.be/DhcEtShgU9o?si=WbAsKPAAcViBITLj).
³ CHARACTER: Octávia (Reader) who might have a shopping addiction. Lol [Photo used just for laughs! Reminder: she is supposed to represent the reader.]
