Chapter 20: Villainess Ways
The very next day goes along nicely. No bad comments were made, except for joking around half the time. Another convention meeting was planned for that evening and the rest of the day was free to everyone.
"Ring-Ring-Ring-Ring"
During the free time of the day, everyone was relaxing and lounging outside in the courtyard swimming area.
Rose and Gill were splashing each other, but mostly messing around for the fun of it. Señor Senior Junior was also in the pool lounging on a floating-chair, as so was Dementor. Everyone else was sunbathing or sleeping on the lounging chairs.
Drakken had almost been asleep, but his cell phone had been ringing for the past five minutes. Thinking that it might be a wrong number, he ignored it.
"Are ye daft man? Answer the phone already!" Duff yelled, irritated and disturbed from napping.
Drakken growled, annoyed of whom might be calling. "Hello, who is it?" There was a slight pause as someone answered on the other end. "Mother? How did you know where to reach me?"
The other villains exchanged glances, wondering why Drakken's mother would be calling. Yet they listened intently to the conversation.
"Yes, I'm doing quite fine, mother." Drakken said into the phone. "Just taking a break from my radio program and treating myself to a nice vacation."
"Drakken, is that really your mother on the phone?" Rose asked, she just got out of the pool and she was dripping wet.
"Oh... uh... That was one of my callers that won a radio contest last week." Drakken told his mother nervously, motioning to Rose to be quiet.
"Radio contest? Oh my God, you're such a liar! Gimme that!" Rose grabbed her towel and dried herself off, then she took the cell phone off of Drakken and spoke in a voice of sugarcoated innocence. "Hello Mrs. Lipsky, how are you?"
Shego began to laugh, she knew that Rose was using her sweetest voice to drive Drakken crazy, and this actually fascinated the other villains.
"So you haven't been told about me?" Rose asked into the phone, slightly surprised. "I'm Rosalind Machavelli, but I go Rose since Rosalind is such a fancy name. Your son and his assistant kidnaped me three weeks and two days ago. Oh wow, he didn't tell you? Well, your son is an evil villain trying to take over the world. It's not that bad and he hasn't been in jail that many times. Did he tell you he's engaged to be married soon?" She blushed slightly at what Drakken's mother was telling her. "No, I'm sorry to say, but it's not me. I know, I sound like such a sweet girl, but he's engaged to his assistant... That girl with black hair and wearing that body suit. Yes, she's my cousin, I never knew she was until last week! Okay, the wedding is set on the first weekend in May, around Mother's Day. I know, a wonderful way for a son to appreciate his mother and soon-to-be bride. Well, it was very nice talking to you, but I have to get going. Don't worry, I'll make sure your widdle Drewbiekins stays out of trouble. Yes, can't wait to see you then, bye."
Rose pressed a button on the phone to end the conversation. She giggled, her face was very rosy and her eyes were lit in excitement. "Here ya go," She held out the cell phone. "Your mom is so nice! She's just like my mom! I can't wait to meet her at the wedding!"
Drakken took the cell phone, he practically crushed it in his bare hand because he was very mad. "You are GROUNDED until I say so! Now get to your room and don't come out until AFTER THE CONVENTION MEETING!"
"What the hell?" Rose exclaimed. "You would've had to tell your mother that you're a villain sooner-or-later. I mean, hasn't she ever asked about your blue skin?"
"Lab experiment in college," Drakken muttered.
"Liar, you experimented on yourself AFTER you dropped out of college," Rose corrected. "Because why? You thought you could impress your friends with technology... Like robots for dates? Oh my God, you just had to be yourself! And I'll admit now, before your engagement to Shego and finding out that we're cousins... I was really starting to like you, but it's too late now." She stormed off, but in a controlled and calm way.
Drakken watched the young girl walk off and disappear into the hotel, completely mad at himself for letting his anger get the best of him. Maybe it was a good idea that his mother knew that he was a villain, and his engagement to Shego.
"Well I must say," Monkey Fist interrupted the silence, he too had watched the girl leave toward inside. "Miss Machavelli certainly has a feisty spirit."
"Aye," Killigan agreed. "Must run in the family."
"You really didn't have to punish her even more than the prisonment she's already under." Shego defended her cousin.
"I suppose I was a little too harsh." Drakken admitted, the he sighed. "All right, Rose won't be grounded."
"Oh goodie!" Señor Junior cheered, scaring everyone barely. "Can I go tell her? Please, huh, can I?"
"Now Junior," Señor Senior reassured. "You should leave time for the girl to calm down. Surely you wouldn't want to go up and then return with cat-scratches from a mood that shouldn't be dealt with."
"Yes I would." Señor Junior insisted, thinking something nasty in the meanwhile.
"You guys definitely think too much." Shego commented. "It's like you see my cousin as a cat-mutant villain underneath her innocent identity."
That really got everyone's attention, and thinking a lot more than usual.
"Wouldn't hurt to find out if it's true." Drakken suggested. "This would specifically involve the splicing DNA of a human and cat." He turned to DNAmy. "You still have that Genomic Sequencer?"
"Depends on what's in it for me?" Amy replied, expecting something from this upcoming plan.
"All right fine, how much do you want if the DNA splicing works?" Drakken asked, not liking the idea of paying in cash.
"At least a thousand." Amy smiled, though taking a guess of what equipment would be needed.
"You're kidding, right?" Shego asked, shocked at such a high price for DNA splicing. "That's almost half my paycheck."
"I suppose we could help." Señor Senior Senior implied from him and Junior. "Pay the expenses, but this plan had better be useful to take over the world."
"Oh, it will." Drakken agreed. "Almost like taking over two worlds! Yes, I can see it now... she'll be very intelligent with a 99.9 IQ, have cat-like qualities and other abilities such as speed faster than a flying bullet, and not forgetting other skills well needed."
"You say this like it will happen tomorrow." Monkey Fist gave an incredulous look.
"Well duh," Shego rolled her eyes. "Everyone should know how Drakken is with most of his experiments."
The doctor glared at his assistant/fiancée. "What have I told you about hurting with our words, Shego?"
"Plenty, but do you really expect Rose to cooperate with this DNA experiment?"
Drakken furrowed his monobrow in deep thought. "With a little convincing, yes."
"What are you indicating?" Shego raised her eyebrow in curiosity. "Nothing perverted I hope, you should know better than that."
"Why don't you leave the persuading to me?" Monkey Fist insinuated, grinning evilly. "I have my ways that are not completely harmful, thought this will take time..."
"Good, we'll start the experiment two weeks after the wedding." Drakken interrupted, receiving a rude glare from Monkey Fist. "That's plenty of time, anyone agree?"
"Yes." Everyone replied in unison. Those that agreed except for Dementor and Gill who had been intently listening to the conversation.
Toward the evening, Rose had been enclosed in her room since earlier's incident. She had changed out of her swimsuit and wore a rainbow tube-top with black jeans bordered in rainbow colors and black sneakers. Her hair dried naturally and cascaded to mid-back in elegant curls.
There was really nothing to do, but Rose soon discovered Shego's Villain's Digest magazine in the living room. Knowing that Shego probably wouldn't mind, Rose decides to look through it.
"My God, they call this thing a villain magazine?" Rose couldn't believe it, there wasn't anything important until coming upon a villain quiz. "Whoa! Here's something... I can find out what kind of villain I am... Coolio!"
Rose was about to go into her room to get a pencil, when there came a knock on the main door. She went up to the door and opened it, surprised to see Gill standing outside.
"Hey Gill, what's up?"
"Your punishments' over, so Drakken said you could come downstairs now."
"Well that's nice." Rose smiled, she grabbed her key-card with the Villain's Digest in hand. She joined Gill and they went downstairs.
"So after you went inside the hotel, Drakken said that you didn't have to be punished." Gill said, as he and Rose walked down the hallway to the 'Meeting Room'. "But it was too late to tell you, so he left the punishment as it was."
"That's real nice I'm being told this now." Rose replied sarcastically. "Next time, I'm not listening to a word he says."
They walked inside the 'Meeting Room' the convention meeting was over and there was time for relaxation and recreation. The table was occupied by a Poker Game (Drakken, Shego, Killigan, Monkey Fist, and Dementor). Señor Senior Junior was again playing the pinball machine, Señor Senior Senior was sitting on the couch talking to DNAmy.
"Thank you VERY MUCH for not telling me that I was NOT punished!" Rose yelled as she passed by the table and settled herself on a sofa-chair.
Drakken caught every word, he growled in loss of concentration. "Rosalind! I was about to let you know that your punishment was canceled, but-"
"You though I could make use of the free time I had in the hotel?" Rose finished the sentence. "Yeah, I did. There was no one online, so I took a nice five hour beauty nap and I happen to come upon this villain quiz in this Villain's Digest."
"Who said you could touch that?" Shego asked. "I had that laying on the coffee table in the living room."
"Okay fine," Rose holds out the magazine. "Take it, I did want to find out what kind of villain I am."
"On second thought, why don't you take the quiz." Shego offered, thinking this could help with the DNA plan. "You could always give it back later."
"Geez, never thought you'd see it my way." Rose smiled, she opened the magazine to the page of the quiz. She began to read the questions silently and mark off her answers.
The poker game resumed though no one seemed to be winning, Señor Senior Junior got bored with the pinball machine and decided to await with Gill to find out what villain Rose might be.
"No way, you have to hear this last question." Rose giggled, not believing the question in the magazine.
"Well read it, child." Señor Senior Senior replied. "Don't keep us waiting."
"Okay, you're at a villain convention and other villains seem to be getting more attention than you. What would you do?" Rose burst out laughing while everyone else exchanged weird glances.
"So what's your answer to that?" Señor Senior Senior asked.
"There's only three answers." Rose scanned the page in the magazine. "I know I wouldn't make noises to be noticed, and the only power I'd have to steal the glory is my Pokemon, but the best answer I like... I'd let others enjoy their moment in the spotlight because my time will come eventually."
"That's so sweet!" DNAmy cooed, she pinched Rose's cheek (and for the last time). "Your parents have brought up such a proper angel!"
"Yeah, right," Rose rubbed the sore spot on her cheek. "Proper? Somewhat. Angel? Maybe, but that really depends on the mood."
"Come on, lassie. We haven't got all night, ya know." Killigan said impatiently. "Tell us what villain ya are."
Rose rolled her eyes and sighed. "Traditional Glamour Villain, they have a love for adventure and strong sense of style. Going along for the ride, but true villainy is not in their blood. Taking charge is when they truly shine while helping others achieve their villainous goals. They could reach great criminal heights if concentrating less on fashion and more on action."
"In other words," Drakken comprehended, and for once actually listening. "You'd only be considered a sidekick."
"Sidekick?" Rose yelled, outraged in shock. "There's NO WAY I'm gonna be a sidekick. That's so not me, seriously! A sidekick villain would only bring shame on the Machavelli family name. My older brother was a top agent in Team Rocket as was my uncle before he died 14 years ago, my younger brother is an Elite Rocket, and my father was definitely the best Rocket back when his mother took charge of Team Rocket!"
"Rosalind! Calm down!" Shego took away the magazine and smacked some sense into her cousin. "Look, that villain quiz is fake. You don't have to be a sidekick, I know that's not your true villainy."
"Thanks anyway," Rose sighed in upset. "I guess it was a waste of time. Well, I'm gonna head up. Good night." She left the room with her spirits lowered, and yet doubting other things as well.
"How long would it take now to persuade the girl?" Señor Senior Senior asked, within the long dead silence. "If this experiment is suppose to happen two weeks after the wedding."
"Will you keep quiet?" Shego snapped, she threw the magazine on the floor and returned to her seat at the poker table. "Remind me to burn that magazine, all thanks to that because Rose is how she's acting now! For all we know, she could be listening right outside that door!"
The rest of the night was kept quiet and less commented on any later plans mentioned.
§To Be Continued§