2 Die 4 You

bubbles on the surface

Being labeled as a Maverick was an inconvenience. It was awfully nice that they provided them with a weapon ahead of time. A bit of a reverse calling card, if you will. Perhaps that was what made it ironic that this was the same knife Massimo had used on Vile. Or, they likely had a lot of the things so they used it to mark the next Maverick. Regardless, it was their time, apparently, and that made it mildly annoying.

They let out a bemused snort in thinking over how there wasn't anyone they particularly hated. Vile really was the only obvious danger. And those who were still kicking were getting along pretty well, even with them.

"I'll just tag whoever I find..."

The only problem with that was the still early hour. Who would be up and out of their room by now? They didn't know, so they simply went for a walk.

Their patience paid off once they entered the pool. There, leisurely floating on her back, was Pallette. A smile was on her grin as she floated. She was likely off in her own world and didn't notice them at first. That could easily be remedied with one question.

"It's a bit early for a swim, don't you think?"

Palette moved her head a bit to see who had entered, then smiled as she laid back down again.

"Yeah, maybe," she giggled, "But I had so much fun at the pool party yesterday, I think I unlocked my inner fish!"

They smiled at her joke, to humor her, while their mind considered how to proceed. With her in the water, there were quite a few options. Most, if not all, were a lot less of a mess than using a knife out in the open.

"Would you like to join me?" Palette then sweetly asked.

They mulled the question over for a moment before giving a callous shrug.

"Why not?" they agreed. "I need to change though, do you mind?"

"Not at all!"

Another staged smile, and off they went to the changing rooms. While there, they noticed a pair of artificial gills- ones that covered both mouth and nose. That would be good to have. On a shelf beside them were light weights, meant to be used for pool exercises. Testing the heft for a bit, then lifting their foot up to measure how large they were, the Maverick let out a small laugh. Never let it be said that they didn't let an opportunity pass on by.

"What are those?" Palette asked as they came back out. They smirked a bit at how observant she was while also having no idea what was about to happen.

"Artificial gills." came the simple answer. "They help you stay underwater longer than simply holding your breath. Found them while idling around at the party."

"Oh!" Palette exclaimed- even her eyes lit up at the idea. "Do you have a second set? They sound like fun."

"Unfortunately not." they sighed, along with a click of their tongue. "But we can play a little game with them."

"Really? What?"

"I'll tell you once I get in."

"Okay!"

What a silly, naive girl. Some blondes were able to piece things together rather quickly- this one apparently could not when it mattered most.

"Our game is real simple." the Maverick told Pallette after swimming over to her. "We see who is able to hold their breath underwater for longest. You in?"

"I feel like you'll be cheating," Pallette teased, "But I'll do my best!"

"Excellent." the Maverick nodded. "On my count."