Adventures into hyperspace...but maybe untrue...

Southie sat cross-legged in front of Olfgar, her black boots kicked off to the side, fingers steepled near her lips as she listened intently.  She could listen to him talk for hours... 

Olfgar leaned back on one arm, a grin tugging at the corners of his mouth as he launched into one of his stories...  this one, a ridiculous sci-fi tale he'd "sworn was true."

"So there I was," Olfgar began, voice low and dramatic, "hurtling through hyperspace in a cargo freighter I'd borrowed......" 

"Borrowed," Southie interrupted with a skeptical smirk.

"....*eyeroll* fine, stolen," Olfgar conceded with a chuckle. "Anyway, this ship wasn't exactly top of the line. The nav system thought every star was a planet and every planet was a black hole. I'm dodging false warnings left and right when suddenly.....  BOOM!" He smacked his hands together, making Southie jump slightly. "A wormhole opens up right in front of me, purple lightning everywhere. I've got two choices: slam the brakes and disintegrate… or floor it and hope the wormhole isn't hungry that day."

Southie's brows arched high above her round glasses. "You… floored it, didn't you?"

"Of course I did." Olfgar gestured as though this was obvious. "And next thing I know, I'm not in my galaxy anymore. I'm smack in the middle of a space station run entirely by… get this… sentient vending machines."

Southie blinked, her lips twitching as she fought back a laugh. "Vending machines?"

"Vending machines!" Olfgar repeated, animated now. "There was a soda machine in charge of security, a gum dispenser running the government, and don't even get me started on the coffee bot....  guy thought he was a war hero because he'd survived a spill during the Great Espresso Uprising."

Southie finally broke into a giggle, shaking her head.

"Oh, and it gets better," Olfgar said, leaning in conspiratorially. "Turns out they'd mistaken me for the prophesied 'Snack Savior' who'd free them from tyranny. So there I am, holding a stale pack of peanuts, leading an army of fizzy drinks and candy bars into battle against… a cosmic microwave."

Southie clapped a hand over her mouth, laughing hard now. "A microwave?!"

"The microwave was their overlord!" Olfgar exclaimed, eyes wide with mock seriousness. "It had this evil, glowing timer and a vendetta against all snack-kind. Took me three hours and the sacrifice of a brave chocolate bar to defeat it. When it finally exploded, every vending machine bowed and started chanting my name."

Southie leaned over, laughing until tears welled in her eyes. "You’re making this up!"

"I would never!" Olfgar said with a grin, holding out his hands in feigned innocence. "Let's just say… if you ever see a soda machine wink at you, you’ll know why."

"Wait!  Let me guess!  Your favorite movie growing up was, Maximum Overdrive, huh?"  Southie wiped her eyes, breathless. “You're unbelievable.”

"And yet," Olfgar said with a wink, "you keep listening."

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