Chapter 5: An Average Thursday (Or So They Thought)
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It was a laid-back Thursday afternoon, the perfect day for a little R&R. Vapor and Rosie were strolling down the Star Island boardwalk, enjoying some well-earned time together. Vapor had a hand behind his head, looking up at the clouds with his usual chill grin, while Rosie walked beside him, occasionally nudging his arm playfully.
“Ya know,” Rosie said, smiling up at him, “we don’t get many days like this. No Wousay, no Maketo with her… whatever she’s up to.”
Vapor smirked. “Yeah, it’s just you, me, and a whole lotta—”
Suddenly, a booming explosion rattled the air, sending birds scattering from the trees. Smoke rose in the distance, and a familiar, sinister laugh echoed across the island.
“Oh, come on,” Vapor muttered, sighing dramatically. “Can’t we have one date without getting ambushed?”
Sure enough, out from the smoke strode none other than Mad Wousay, with her typical devious grin and an army of drones buzzing around her.
“Hope I didn’t interrupt anything,” Wousay taunted, crossing her arms. “But I just couldn’t pass up a little mid-week chaos.”
Vapor rolled his eyes and gestured toward her lazily. “Wousay, why can’t you pick a different day? Like, I dunno, Monday? This is supposed to be a chill Thursday.”
Before Wousay could retort, a familiar voice called out behind them.
“Did someone say chaos?” Maketo chimed in, striding onto the scene with her usual flair. But this time, there was a distinct Texan twang in her voice. “’Cause I got all the chaos ya’ll could ever need, right here!”
Vapor blinked, doing a double-take. “Wait, hold up. Since when did you get a Texan accent?”
Maketo grinned and tipped an imaginary hat, leaning on one hip with a smirk. “Oh, reckon I just felt like a change of pace. Gotta keep things interesting, don’t ya think?”
Rosie stifled a laugh. “I think it’s cute! Just… unexpected, is all.”
Wousay, clearly unimpressed by the catgirl’s theatrics, snapped her fingers, sending her drones buzzing toward the group. “Enough talking! It’s time to take you all down!”
Maketo twirled her pistols with a showy flourish, her accent even thicker. “Alright, partner, you asked for it!” She leaped into action, taking out drones with pinpoint precision. “I reckon I’ll send ya packin’!”
Vapor and Rosie exchanged an amused glance, then sprang into action themselves. As drones zipped around them, Vapor sidestepped each attack smoothly, tossing in a casual wink to Rosie. “This is a pretty wild date, huh?”
Rosie grinned, swinging her battle axe to smash a drone to pieces. “Wouldn’t have it any other way!”
As the smoke and sparks finally cleared, Wousay, now drone-less and frustrated, stomped her foot. “This isn’t over!” She disappeared in a flash, leaving the group alone on the battlefield.
Maketo dusted herself off, spinning her pistols back into their holsters with a flourish. “Well, that’s that, ya’ll! Hope I put on a good show.”
Vapor couldn’t resist one last comment. “You know, if you keep that accent, we might have to start calling you ‘Cowgirl Maketo’ or something.”
Maketo grinned, her Texan drawl as thick as ever. “Well, I reckon I’d be just fine with that, sugar.”
The group laughed, and Vapor turned to Rosie, slipping his arm around her shoulders. “So, what do ya say? Round two of our date, minus the explosions?”
Rosie leaned in, smiling. “Sounds perfect.” And with that, they headed off, leaving Maketo to practice her new Southern charm on an unsuspecting island.
