Atom Cats Garage, Southeast corner of Boston, MA
Clad in a suit of power armor salvaged from the Brotherhood of Steel, Vina stepped forth with determination to challenge an enemy she had never faced, one that made her nervous beyond anything she'd seen before with few exceptions: freestyle poetry night with the Atom Cats. Sammy was spending the evening with her sister and most of the Pokemon had chosen to roam the wilderness; only Shaggy lay in the back of the improvised stage as a small gathering of fellow power armor enthusiasts waited patiently.
"When I wear my plates, I feel as if I could move the Earth,
No bullet can stop me, no blade can pierce,
Yet when I think of love, the thing that is of most worth,
Armor cannot guard from a pain most fierce.
My dearest fights in the depths of space,
She rides a horse with silver wings,
But I know she yearns to return to this place,
And out to her, my soul doth sings.
Thank you."
Vina stepped down from the hand-built stage as her audience politely clapped and cheered, many of them wearing power armor suits of their own. She murmured thank yous as she took a seat next to a being in a suit of T-60 armor with red flames painted on it; his name was Duke, if Vina remembered correctly.
"Far out poem, pal," Duke said with a nod.
Vina nodded back. "Thanks. Never tried poetry before."
"Could've fooled me," the Atom Cat answered with a verbal grin.
Vina leaned over and began scratching one of Shaggy's heads while another visitor began reciting something about the joys of personalized armor. She politely clapped along with the rest of the group when he finished. Everyone took a turn reading, a generally-positive atmosphere purveying, until throats were dry and fonts of inspiration dryer. Once the event turned to mingling, Vina turned to leave, whistling to Shaggy before leaving the garage.
"You can read a poem next time, Shaggy," Vina promised. "Might even get you a suit of your own."
The Zweilous snorted.
