Chapter 25: This is Not My Place

Kirby had enjoyed a chance to sleep in, without the little chatterbox yelling in his ear. Still, he was concerned, as Toaster had not woken him up either. Today was a chore day. He should have been bouncing in here to remind me!

Although hesitant, Kirby rolled out of his bedroom, eyes squinting as he was faced with the light of the day shining in from the windows. The whole house seemed quieter than usual, and Kirby was curious to see what was going on.

"Looks like Sleeping Beauty finally woke up," called AC from the nearby room. Coming in, Kirby could see AC was a bit more relaxed than usual.

"What's going on?" he asked, hoping to figure out more.

"What do you think? The radios left so Didi could get back home," scowled AC. "Finally I have some peace and quiet around here. Lampy woke me up a bit early but I'll take what I get."

Kirby smiled. "I agree. It is nice without Radio yelling in everyone's ears… I just wish I had a chance to apologize."

AC smirked, his grin spreading from filter to filter. "A little birdie told me about that fight last night. How did it work out for you? Throw any punches?"

He sighed. "We mostly just insulted each other in front of the lady. I bet she thinks so poorly of us now."

"And it's all your fault, huh?"

"Yeah."

AC stroked at his vents like a human with a beard. "I doubt it. She probably has more important things on her mind, like radio boys with all the hottest new broadcasts."

Kirby's eyes grew wide. "The bet! Do you know how the date went?"

He shook his head. "I haven't heard anyone talking about it. Toaster said it went smooth like butter, but Blankey's still asleep and Lampy's taking a nap."

"I guess… we'll have to call it off then," Kirby smiled. "If we can't find the outcome, neither of us-"

"Not so fast!" he yelled. "How about we wait until Radio gets back and ask him? I'm sure he'll have all the juicy details."

Kirby rolled his eyes. "Fine, but you're asking him."

The two parted ways, as Kirby looked for Toaster and AC went back to whatever he was thinking about. He felt so heartless for leaving AC behind but figured if he spent more time with him, he may get fired up again. AC sure knew which buttons to press.

He figured Toaster would be in the kitchen. Although he did not enjoy going into their; the linoleum tile was not always the easiest on his wheels, he figured the place could use a good clean by now either way. If the little 'crumb cake' was not in there, he supposed he could still get a chore out of the way.

Soon enough, Kirby found Toaster sitting on the kitchen counter where he always slept, his plug still in the outlet. Pushed against the pine walls was the torn-out page of a coloring book, amongst several dull and cracked crayons thrown about. Toaster held half of an intense orange in his right handle, scribbling in the color of a tulip's petal, the color clashing against the green dress worn by the lady watering the flowers.

"Kirby, you're up!" He turned from his coloring to look down onto the vacuum. "I figured we should just wait until next week for chores. It was a big night for everyone yesterday."

He rolled his eyes. "Tell me about it."

"I heard you and Radio had an argument."

Kirby groaned, engine flaring up a small bit. "Look, I don't want to talk about it right now. In fact, I only came in here to get started on chores, so-"

Toaster began to laugh. "I know that's not true. You never vacuum in here. I think you need to talk to someone."

"About what?"

Toaster shrugged, as he climbed down from the tall counter. "I don't know, I suppose you need to vent?"

He too let out a small chuckle. "If you want someone to vent to, go talk to AC."

"Kirby, are you alright?"

"He called me a 'dew-dropper.' What on Earth does that even mean?"

"Let's not focus on the little details," Toaster sighed. "The older Mistress always told the Master to work his problems out. I think maybe we should try the same. Do you have any ideas on how to fix this?"

"Not really."

"Maybe it would just be best to let this blow over."

"Again, go ask AC."

Toaster scowled. "You know what I mean."

"Fine, fine," Kirby laughed. "I bet this really is my fault. Chances are I started it anyway. Calling me a dirtbag was the only truthful thing he ever said."

Toaster's eyes grew wide. "Kirby, don't say that! Sure, you're a little… grouchy, but you're really not that bad. In fact, I enjoy your company."

He smiled. "I'm glad someone does."

...

I'm wondering, out of all the OCs introduced besides Didi, who is your favorite? If anyone has suggestions for adventures their favorite could have, maybe they'll get a short story of their own.