Vega.

That name seemed quite familiar but obviously not in a positive way. It triggered something unpleasant in Charlie as he took the book, unable to read the rest of the final chapter. Good thing he had read it before as distracting thoughts now began to course in his mind.

Distracted by foggy memories and fresh images of Menat. Distracted by the scent of her perfume and the warmth of her body. The sound of her voice, the look of acceptance in her eyes when he explained his half-baked analysis of Hesse.

Steppenwolf began to take the shape of acceptance towards the diversion between Charlie and the living corpse, he had become. Acceptance that certain things were just not meant to be. And yet, every time, he could try and put a lid on his feelings towards Menat, she did something that utterly demolished the wall he tried to build.

Dammit.

He couldn't escape it. So, he might as well indulge. Yes, she looked nice. Very nice. That was putting it lightly, however. An understatement if he ever made one.

"You don't have a crush you need to impress" it rang from the back of his mind. He had a crush but not one he seriously could impress. So, he wouldn't try. He'd love Menat from afar until the day he had buried those feelings for good. And say hi to that Vega person until it occurred to him that he looked horrific.

Maybe he should have accepted Menat's offer to dolly him up after all. Charlie searched through Menat's belongings, settling for a hood with cat ears and a mask with a sun print. He looked…horrible when he turned to the mirror. But it was better than nothing he thought as he made his way to the balcony.

From the doorway, Charlie saw Menat in the midst of a deep conversation with a stranger. A pretty boy who looked as if he spent hours in front of the mirror every morning. Someone who touched her quite liberally, touching her shoulders, holding her by the waist, standing uncomfortably close to her. Either she didn't care, or she did but didn't dare to deny his advances.

Jealousy was a really ugly feeling and it seemed to just arrive like a hurricane, kicking Charlie in the proverbial gut. He had always had an issue with letting his emotions rule over logic and it was the bitter feeling that compelled him to fling the door open, causing Menat to turn around and skip over to his side. She stared at him for a bit, smiling like a doofus before she latched onto his arm and dragged him towards the railing of the balcony and the stranger.

"And, this is our fourth housemate, Charlie," she announced, still holding onto his arm.

"What a…pleasant surprise," there was an unimpressed look in the stranger's (most certainly Vega's) eyes as he said words.

Charlie almost felt compelled to answer that act of passive aggression with actual aggression but didn't because of the woman next to him who was in the midst of telling a tale about crab walking gone wrong. Charlie didn't hear the tale over his own mind racing. He should leave lest he exposed the storm brewing inside.

"You should come by again. I'm sure Master won't mind," Menat suggested, coincidentally letting go of Charlie's arm to inch closer to Vega. Be it Charlie's own feelings but he could have sworn that Vega's smirk widened with smug victory.

"I have a slight feeling, she's not too keen on me," he said and that was probably the most genuine sentence coming out of his mouth.

"Huh? Why not?"

"Sordid history but I'm certain it can be reversed if you put in a good word for me."

"Sure! I will!"

So much for Vega getting banned from the Palace of Mysteries. Meaning he'd be swarming around here more often…unless Rose put her foot down and told him to stay away.

"Hm, when you say so with such beautiful vigor, I can't possibly refuse," Vega traced the shape of her cheek with his freakishly long fingernails, occasionally snapping a look at Charlie like he was trying to gauge the other man's reaction.

If the intention was to be a passive-aggressive prick with no boundaries who knew how to push every button, Vega did more than succeed. He annihilated that goalpost when he kissed Menat on the cheek, smiling when she squeaked like that pink cat toy from the fair.

While she bubbled like a swooning maiden, Vega removed himself from her and passed Charlie with such a smug, self-serving look on his face, it was hard not to vomit at the sight. It also happened to be where Charlie realized who this Vega was after all.

A former member of Shadaloo. M. Bison's goon.

"Nice to meet you…cat boy," he smirked before he left the balcony. Go fuck yourself, Charlie thought instead. Jump off a bridge, get hit by a bus. Drown in the ocean, I don't care. Just get out of my sight before I break you like a graham cracker.

Jealousy was painfully unpleasant indeed. It was a miracle, Charlie even managed to keep himself composed. He shouldn't have been furious; he had no intention of pursuing his feelings. If Menat ended up with Vega, that was just how those things went. But Charlie would be the first one to say that Menat deserved better than even that. If this Vega wasn't such a prick, Charlie probably wouldn't care so much. Or at all.

But now he cared. Very much so. He cared so much that it hurt.

"Wow…he's cool," he heard Menat say wistfully when he returned from his own musings. Admiration shone in her eyes as she stared at the door. Obviously, something had happened between them from their first meeting to whatever had occurred here on the balcony.

Whatever it was, Charlie didn't like it. He thought of warning Menat about Vega's past but then again, maybe he had changed. Changed as in not being associated with a criminal organization.

It took an entire day to clean the Palace of Mysteries. Sans Charlie, everyone was beyond tired, cleaning dishes, washing the floors, and airing out the miasma of an entire gala party. After half a night of noise and people, the silence was booming. There was no semblance of routine or structure as everyone dragged their feet about when everything was cleaned.

Things settled down the morning after when everyone was seated in the kitchen. Something was different now and not necessarily for good reasons. Rose was tired as usual, but that was the only return to form. Maggio sat, staring at Menat with a confused look on his face while she sat with her head in the clouds, poking at her oats. The smile on her face was so wide, it could have fallen off her face. Opposite to Charlie, who was still bitter from that meeting with Vega.

"Earth to Menat. What planet did you go to?" Rose raised her voice a notch and Menat jittered to reality, looking around like she had no idea where she was before she stared at Rose.

"Huh? Did you say something, Master?"

"Damn, what did you do to Menat? Why have you turned her into a lovesick puppy?" Maggio flashed her a cheeky grin, that only widened when she blushed.

"Don't be like that! I'm not in love. I just…well, I'm just interested in having a date even if it's with Vega."

"The former Shadaloo member? Oh, no wonder I got a strange feeling when I heard he had donated to many charities and groups," Rose mused and Charlie was not surprised by that, as opposed to Maggio exclaiming "What?!"

"Master, maybe he has changed!" Menat urged, her face reddening. Rose looked at her as if she had just heard the biggest lie of the century.

"Perhaps but his reputation hasn't. He's a merciless playboy, excusing it with wanting to find his one true love of endless beauty in this cold and miserable, ugly world," each word she said sounded as if she had to force them out one by one without bursting into laughter at how fantastically dumb it sounded.

Vega certainly looked like the type of person who'd spout such nonsense. Charlie didn't have much of an appetite this morning and he felt it even less when he heard those words. He shifted his attention to a fully disgusted-looking Maggio, glad to see he wasn't entirely alone in this unpleasant feeling.

A look of worry rested on Menat's face as if she was becoming gradually aware that she may have been pulled in by a man who made a hobby out of pumping and dumping women. The doubt in her expression quickly evaporated by determination. Almost, she seemed to see reason, but love was apparently blind, no matter how she denied it.

Aside from his bed and Menat's room, the bell tower had become Charlie's favorite place in his new life. It would be here where he found peace of mind to think, to practice the romantic detachment from Menat. Now he found himself alone, staring into the horizon when Maggio came to the top of the tower.

"Hey, so have you heard? Menat and her new boyfriend are gonna hold a date here over the weekend," the young man said, as he looked over the railing. The words felt like kicks to the teeth and Charlie had to look at him with a stare that simply asked; what on God's great holy green fucking earth molded by his fucking hands did you just say to me?"

"Oh, I'm not into her. I just fucking hate that guy. Really unpleasant," Maggio pressed out as if answering a question no one asked.

"You can say that again."

"…Wanna sabotage it?" the apprentice asked with an expression that suggested that he most certainly would like to.

Sabotage. Even thinking about it was dangerous. A beckoning call like a siren. Let it be? No, Charlie decided. The suggestion was like a hypnotizing deal with a demon. He could only stare at Maggio with his hands gripping the railing so tight, it was as if the hard metal could bend from the pressure.

Maggio shuddered from the stare, shoving his hands into his pockets, "Look, Menat is like a second sister to me. And as her baby brother, I wanna make sure she doesn't end up with creeps."

"That makes two of us," Charlie said. A different yes. Words that drowned out the inner screaming of selfishness roaring through his mind.

Yes, what he had agreed to was ultimately selfish. Maggio did it to protect her but Charlie, green-skinned monster that he was, did it because he had lost his damn mind. And he wanted her. He couldn't have her of course but he could make sure that someone less unfitting would get her. Damn, he was still human after all, huh?

They left the bell tower after that, finding themselves by the entrance of the church. The wind was beginning to pick up, making the cold unbearable at a higher altitude.

Maggio began gesturing with his arms, as he laid the framework for their plan; "Okay so they are doing a home date, meaning we have a better chance of sabotaging it. First things first; we must stick to them like leeches."

"Stick to who?" a voice asked behind them and they collectively stiffened. Charlie could recognize it miles away, but he didn't expect his old friend to show up like a phantom.

"Guile…" Charlie greeted, a bit blindsided by facing the possibility of having to explain this new mission to his old friend.

"Right, what are you two planning?" Guile asked like the dad he had become, tipping his shades to his hairline. Before Charlie could explain properly, Maggio candidly preempted him.

"Operation rescue-Menat-from-playboy-Spaniard-before-she-gets-her-heart-broken or RMFPSBSGHHB," the younger explained with no tact or filter for that matter. He looked so proud of himself, and Charlie couldn't help but sigh.

"You know, military operations usually have catchier names," He pinched the bridge of his nose. "Just call it Operation Cat Trap."

"He's right, kid. Now, what's this about rescuing Menat from a playboy Spaniard?" Guile asked with a gleam in his eyes.

"Some douche named Vega is trying to woo her," Maggio answered with disgust.

Guile grimaced, then looked at Charlie who shared his displeased reaction. Despite the mask on his face, he hoped that his emotions were coming across clearly enough for the soldier to pick up the hints. In response, Guile grabbed his chin, musing on the information before he asked, "All right…space for one more?"

Oh. Charlie did not expect him to ask that, let alone approve. Why did he do that would be a very warranted question and yet Charlie couldn't complain; not with that selfish side beginning to rear its ugly head. Never mind the type of person Vega was.

"Yes!" Maggio exclaimed with the energy of ten suns. "The Dude Triumvirate!"

Terrible name aside, it was decided from that moment on. The three of them would embark on possibly the worst non-official, non-military secret operation someone would ever go to the effort of thinking to plan. Operation Cat Trap. All for the sake of one starry-eyed girl against the vanity of a playboy Spaniard.