"How long?" I ask as I twirl Powder's braid around my finger.
"I don't know." She scratches my chest as she rests her head on my bicep. "A few months, maybe."
And she didn't bother to tell me.
"How much do you remember?" I dread to know the depth of her dreams. Worst-case scenario, her recollection is as clear as living it. Powder's face begins to redden, tensing up to the coming storm of tears.
"It's like I'm being pulled into that world." She fights to hold her sobs back. "Why is this happening?"
"I want it to stop too. That's why I'm doing everything I can to prevent that future." I turn my head over to see Powder's red eyes. "That's not our future."
"She did horrible things," she recollects. I grab her hand.
Powder closed her eyes, shutting them as tightly as she could.
"That monster laughed when she...did...it. Then cried when she couldn't stop." She turns her face into my arm. "Her brain is so messed up, broken."
"She isn't you." I remind her.
"But," she sniffs. "She is."
"No." I absolutely reject it , shaking my head.
"Owen." She lifts her face to look at me. "I can't hide it. You've seen her, I know you have."
Turning over to her, I confront her realization.
"She is me. You." Her gaze fell.
"I what?" I pressed.
"You spent too much time working. Zaun became what we all wanted, and more, but you weren't there. You just kept working, without us," she revealed.
I allowed her words to settle in. How could I be so stupid? Slowly, I sit up, as Powder rises along with me.
"I destroyed the cities." I acknowledged.
"No," she tried to console me. "It's—"
"By ignoring my family, I destroyed the cities and nearly everyone in them." The words seem to lift an invisible burden off me, but I don't feel any better. Powder didn't say anything, for she knows that I'm right. I lift my hands, with no plan on what I want to do with them.
"I did it with these hands. I k, I ki--" my mouth grew drier with each effort. "I did it with these hands, and I might do it again if this keeps going."
She reached her hands out and collected mine in hers. I turn my head to see that she has seemingly centered herself.
"What do we do?" I ask, knowing the answer but not fully confident that it would make a difference.
"We stick together, silly. What else?" Powder said as she brought her forehead to mine. The warmth from her face brought the calm that I needed.
"This is too much. I didn't sign up for this." I admitted.
Powder reached her hand up and caressed my face. "Don't run from me."
I smiled. "You don't like my jokes?"
"Not when it takes you away from me," she confessed as she brought her face forward and our lips met.
The warmth of her lips changed context as I began to taste iron, then the pain came. My hands found their way to her face, and my thumbs dug into her eyes. Immediately, Jinx released her maw from my lower lip. She crawls backwards away from me like a feral animal. Her flexibility makes her the manic monster she chose to me. Thankfully, she only managed to bite through the first layer of my lower inner lip, so I get to keep it. I scrambled to my feet, dazed but not surprised by her vicious nature.
"Smart for you to stay quiet," she said with blood and saliva trickling down her mouth. Her bloodshot eyes made her seem more focused, ironically. With careful patience, she studies me, as if she needs to. We've fought numerous times before. After Ekko fell, I swore to avenge him. Always the softy, that guy should have finished her when he had the chance, but past affections made him hesitate, and she took full advantage of it.
Spitting a partial glob of blood from my mouth and keeping some for later, I waved her towards me. With her signature grin, she launched forward with her glowing magenta eyes. If this was our first conflict, I wouldn't have seen that axe kick descending. I also wouldn't have been able to anticipate her spinning elbow. There's also the accurate anticipation of her anticipating my next action. Thankfully, she didn't anticipate me spitting blood in her face, grabbing her harness, and judo flipping her hip into the ground. Before she could scramble, I mounted her and tried to land a solid fist through her skull for killing our family. But she's a rabid animal, writhing in terror, for she knows I have the advantage on the ground. Her head rose to hit my mouth, but I learned from my past. Using her momentum, I secured her head in a hold and rolled backwards, slamming her hip into the ground again. Jinx shouldn't be able to move as agilely for a while, but underestimating her led the world to this. Achieving a full mount, I wasted enough time. Ignoring her suspiciously limp frame, I pulled my fist back to see a terrified Powder. What is she doing here? That can't be her, but I remember her. Is that, was that MY powder? Those braids, the bangs she ruined because she wanted to style her own hair. Her gap teeth—what is she doing here? Jinx's laughter came out of her mouth, and so did her cruel words.
"That's how I got Ekko, he always hesitated." She gloated, provoking me to hammer her face in.
As I twist my spine into my hook, the stinging sensation ignited soon after my fist made contact with her cheek. Powder recoils, covering her face upon contact, awaiting my next assault. My perception shifts once again.
"Powder, what?" I ask as her expression is one that I never want to see from her. The sharp pain on my knuckles and bottom lip centered me. The metallic taste of blood stimulated my primal senses, bringing me back to my world. My right hand is clenched so tightly, the nails cut deep enough to draw blood.
"Please, don't lose yourself," she pleads as she reaches her arm out. She's on the ground, in the same position that Jinx was in. Blood drips from my lip, trickling down to my chin, then finally, falling down onto Powder's shirt.
My jaw nearly dropped to the ground as I realized what happened. Before Powder could touch my face, it happened again. Jinx seized my hesitation and lashed out, like a snake in tall grass. I recoiled and scrambled back on my hands and feet. Powder shifts between the monster Jinx and her true self. I gave up, curled into a ball, and wait for it all to be over. Jinx came without weapons, as we agreed. If she were to end me here, I doubt that it would be quick, as I hoped. Knowing her, she will take her time and relish every instance of pain dealt. To my relief, her gentle hand lands on mine.
"Owen..." Their voices are merging.
"Stop, just stop, make it stop." I begged with an exhausted will that's close to cracking.
"It's okay, I'm here." Powder... Jinx cooed, and to my horror, they mirrored each other. I'm seeing both worlds at once.
Memories merge and tear apart. As I remove my hands from my eyes, I see her and the world around us. One instance, a world of havoc, chaos, and at the brink of global war. The other, Zaun and Piltover, being the only worlds I know. Then there's Powder, holding my hand and forearm, not knowing what to do. She's experiencing the merge the same as I am, I know it.
"I can't stop it, but I'm here." Powder promises as Jinx remains quiet.
I need help. Someone, anyone, Sky, Jayce, Viktor, please help me.
"I'll make your pain go away." Jinx promises as Powder is struck silent upon hearing her raspy voice. "Just hold still." Jinx placed her hands around my neck and covered my windpipe and jugular veins. "You deserve at least this."
"NO!" Powder shrieks as she tries to regain control, but Jinx is clearly stronger. They occupy the same body, mind, and soul. As much as I believe in Powder, there is no way that she can overcome Jinx in any capacity.
As Jinx begins to crush my neck, a being in the sky reveals himself. With a gaunt face, a slender physique, and hair of blinding fire, Viktor maintains his celestial form. It happens again: another being, cold, metallic, with a mask covering his face. That can't also be Viktor, could it? Judging by what we went through, it's the only logical conclusion. Jinx and Powder shed a tear as darkness begins to take me again. Struggling against the grip of an enhanced shimmer addict is a fool's errand. Might as well have tied Dyneema rope around my neck. Hopefully, Viktor's other half desires what the Viktor I know desires, I hope I know him that well. He looks down towards me and flexes his hand. A few seemingly unnecessary dramatic gestures later, and all is back to normal. Powder released her grip around my neck.
"Owen!" she screams as she sniffs her sobs in. "Don't do this to me!" she orders as she lifts her fist and hammers my chest. But her tiny arm hardly moved me. She begins to panic, grabbing the strap of my overalls and forcefully shaking me. "Not again! Wake up, wake up!" she screams and starts drumming my chest with her fists. The impacts eventually caused my heart to beat, which, in turn, forced me to inhale the glorious Zaun smog. My throat burns as I cough at the reintroduction of the polluted atmosphere. My vision returns, and Powder's stressed and relieved face graces my weary soul. My mouth feels a bit dry as I try to speak.
"Don't talk," she calmly soothes with a shaky voice as she cups my face. "Just breathe."
She appears as tired as I feel. While I took my time, being grateful that smoggy air is better than no air at all, I couldn't help but look up at the sky. Powder grew curious and turned to see what I'm looking at, but Viktor won't let her see him, not yet anyways. Thank you, she almost got me, I projected my thoughts to him. Thankfully, he received it and vanished from my sight.
"What are you looking at?" she asks as her eyes return to me.
Raising my hands to my neck, I expected pain, but along with numbness, I found my fingers. The human body never ceases to amaze me with how it lets you know how much pain you are in. Powder's face is filled with guilt the longer I hold my hand to my neck.
"You're not her. It's not your fault." I state as I sat up, but she knows the truth, and I know the truth.
Powder wearily shook her head. "Liar."
Jinx kicked my ass because I gave up, and Powder kicked my ass by calling out my lie. How much more can I take?
I just sat there, my pride shattering, not by a random street thug, not by a mutated street orphan, but by someone who knows me too well. My entire face is on fire, so this is what shame feels like. My head grew heavy as I lost the confidence to maintain her steady gaze. But Powder lifts my head with her hand.
"You don't have to lie for me." Powder state as she wiped her eyes. "Look, that was a lot, and I'm tired."
The red bruise on her left cheek became more apparent the longer I looked at it. Reaching my hand out, I gently ran my finger over the area. Powder flinched slightly upon contact.
"I'm so sorry." I apologized as I cupped her swelling cheek.
She shook her head. "No, that was scary." She brought her hand to mine. "We're still together, that's what matters."
I lowered my hand to her chin and leaned in to kiss the mark. "I never want to hurt you."
We embraced each other in a tight hug.
"I never want to hurt you," she repeated as her breath stung my bruised neck.
We just sat there, sitting in awkward positions that would normally be uncomfortable to tolerate. But in that moment, we were afraid to let go, for numerous reasons. I don't want to pull back, only to see that monster again. To be forced to confront her, in that body, the body of the man that hates her, it would destroy me. That hatred felt justified, but even so, Owen suffers for hating her so much. Eventually, our grip weakens due to pure exhaustion. Slowly, we separate, taking measured retreats, till finally we met eye to eye. In that brief moment, we were waiting for that to happen again. Thankfully, we are safe. This is my Powder, and I feel that I am her Owen.
"Imagine explaining this to Vi." I whispered with my sore throat.
Powder burst out laughing.
"You're backing me up on this." I demand as I made the attempt to stand.
"Oh yeah, I know." The smile stayed on her face as she offered her hand. Together, we helped pull each other to our feet.
When our eyes met again, the levity settled, and reality reminds us of our fates.
"I'll never stop fighting." That was too general. I should have followed that up with something, but what? Fighting for what? I couldn't think of anything else, as if those words weren't meant for me to speak. I hope Viktor truly accomplished what he set out to do.
"I'll be right there with you." She follows up with an embrace that brings me further comfort. As she rubs my back, I wonder what she thinks of future Owen. Who am I from Jinx's perspective? Must not have meant much if choking me was an act of mercy. Then again—
"Owen," she called out to me.
"Yes?" I answered, She did it again.
"You're thinking too hard." She strikes yet again. When she releases me, she grabs my hand and leads the walk back.
"Not good enough." Sevika announces as she throws me along the ground. In the outer plains, east of Piltover, we have all the room we need to train privately. The only downside to this is the privacy. No one would hear the screams, and when we're done, it's a long walk back.
Quickly recovering to my feet, I charged at her again, this time aiming for her legs. She caught my head, keeping me low to the ground. I managed to secure her leg, however, she used her body weight to push me flat on the ground.
"What now?" she asks.
Rolling over, I lock her arm in an armbar by securing her arm in my legs. She lifts me up, about to slam me into the ground. Instead, I used the momentum to fly over her head and roll into the landing.
She smirks. "Stop dancing and fight me."
This is where things get messy. These gloves make grappling easier, as they fit my style. Lowering into my stance, I keep in mind to stay light on my feet.
"Gonna test you a bit, better not get hit." Sevika warned as she approaches me.
The only thing I can rely on is that she isn't intentionally trying to cripple me. Her training is harsh but fair. If she messes up and goes too far, she'll go out of her way to make things even. However, I need to earn that opportunity. For each accidental black eye, cut, or split lip, she'll offer an opportunity to get even. If I don't capitalize on it, that's my loss. But she keeps track, for which I am grateful, because I have a lot to make up for. Being too tall for my reach, I have only one option: attack her body and legs relentlessly. Eventually, the right strike will expose her head. Each attempt I made against her was countered with the knowledge of a professional. It was all experience, she rarely used brute force to counter me. Every strike to her body was fruitless, her legs seem to be the only part of her body that I can effectively strike. But she's a quick learner too. I inadvertently taught her how to negate leg kicks. When she sensed me slowing down, she simply pushed me, sending my fatigued body to the ground.
"Take 5," she huffed as she sat next to me.
There was no objection left in me, she managed to beat them out of me. The wind blew over us, cooling our stressed bodies off and filling in the silence. To this day, I'm trying to figure out her angle in this. Does she intend to stand by me? Or is her every move the will of Silco? Granted, I'm in no position to question her motives. But to break bread with someone like her, I need to know where she stands. Sitting up, I prepared myself for anything. Sevika is a rough-looking woman. A city like Zaun only tolerates three types of women: the vicious, the seductress, and the healers. There are too many opportunists looking for any sign of weakness, and females are particularly vulnerable. Things were worse before the crime sweep. Although we have better control now, there are still those who haven't changed. Sevika is an oddity that needs to be studied. If she had hung around the Drop more often, I might have been comfortable with admiring her personally. Currently, she's still more of an urban legend, even though she's sitting right next to me.
"Go ahead and say it." She looks over at me with a playful grin. "I know you can't stay quiet for long."
She's right.
"You're doing a lot for me, but I know it isn't solely for me." I began.
"You're right, it isn't just for you," she states bluntly, which I appreciate. "It's also for Zaun."
"Those magic words, for Zaun, give me goosebumps every time." I said without sounding too rehearsed.
"Are you going to be straight with me?" she asked without her usual gruff tone in her voice.
"Was kind of hoping that you would be straight with me." I admit.
She softly chuckled. "So, we're both still trying to size each other up?"
"You want honesty? Then I expect the same from you." I stipulate.
She smiles. "I would have never taken that kind of crap from a kid. But you've got guts."
"It got me killed." I answered honestly.
"Unfortunate to say, but Zaun needs people like you." She mistakenly assumes that I'm doing all this out of the kindness of my heart.
I've got a funny feeling that I know what you are going to say." I predict her projecting my favorite industrialist's qualities.
"You put everything on the line, owned your mistakes, and made things right. That is a leader," she boldly compliments in a somewhat gentle manner.
"You're making me blush." I defended, but she didn't see it that way. "Who told you? I didn't see you in the crowd."
She unstrapped her gloves. "People talk. The story spread so far that you turned into a mythical figure."
I began to unstrap my gloves too, but Sevika signaled for me to keep them on. "That's disgusting, I'm not that special."
"Not many people can survive a lightning bolt. Anyway, I had to see the truth for myself. Then I found Vander, he led me to you in the med room," she reveals.
"That must not have been a flattering sight." I comments as I adjusted my gloves.
Sevika stood up and grabbed a body pad and strapped it on.
"Wanted to talk to you directly after Vander told me the story, but he didn't see the whole thing. The only person who saw everything was Powder." She disclosed as she gave the okay to start punching.
"So." I began unleashing combinations against the pad. "She tattled?"
Sevika snorted. "She spilled everything, then cried herself to sleep."
She swung at my head, and I stepped under them and continued my combinations. "That's a first, she must really care."
Sevika had to brace herself as I finished a combo with a cross. It was powerful enough for her to take a step back.
"Good, now practice your 1, 2's," she instructed.
I nod and begin following my jabs with crosses against the body pad.
"Listen, son, I mean, kid. You're on your way to doing great things, just don't lose sight of what keeps you grounded." she recommends.
Funny that she said that, what keeps me grounded. Powder keeps me grounded. Keeps me from inadvertently destroying the world. It's strange how one little change can make a big difference. I'm not all that special. Just a fluke in Fate's plan. I'm pretty sure that I'm not supposed to be alive, I wasn't supposed to have made it to the age of 6. I was so frail, and when that beast grabbed me, it held me hostage for a whole year.
"Bout time you stopped." Her rough voice snaps me out of it. My arms are on fire. "We'd better head back, I don't want you getting any ideas."
"What do you mean?" I asked as I began to unstrap the gloves.
She pointed up at the sky, I followed her finger. The clouds above are growing darker by the second. It's not like before, when I forced a storm to produce lightning. This is natural, so it won't be as deadly.
"Let's get moving, boss." She delivered that last word with playful disdain.
As we made our way towards Zaun, there was plenty to think on. That slip up earlier wasn't by mistake. She really thinks of me as a son, huh? I don't know if it's safe to ask her about it, I'll just dance around it until she picks it up.
"What do you think of Vander?" I asked as I kicked at the tall grass.
"He's a good man," she simply states. It seems like she doesn't want to talk about him much.
"But not good enough for you?" I dared to ask.
She looks down at me. "What are you getting at?"
"Was he ever special to you?" I pressed on.
"You don't want to go there, kid." She had enough, now I have to save the mood.
"Because you're special to me." I disclosed because it wasn't a complete lie. She's a useful person to have around, loyal and protective. The only thing I don't like about her is how lonely she must be. I doubt that Silco has provided much in terms of company.
She pivoted in front of me, and I stopped in my tracks. "You like playing dangerous games?" Maintaining her stoic expression, I'm getting the feeling that I'm pushing my luck.
"I'm completely serious." I confessed as I looked up at her. "At this point, you're more than an assistant to me. Is that wrong?"
Sevika maintained her eye contact as she knelt in front of me. "Silco warned me about that mind of yours."
"But what do you think?" I asked without blinking. For some reason, she doesn't scare me, maybe that bolt fried my survival instinct.
It took her a while to answer. Then the edge of her lip curls into a grin. "I think that you care enough to stand in the way of danger. It's an admirable trait, but sometimes, it's best to avoid it at all costs."
I nod in understanding. "But what if it needs a hug?"
She finally broke her tough act and chuckled. "You better not tell anyone about this."
"That you can be warm when you want to?" I said as she allows me to climb on top of her back.
"Something like that." She stood up and proceeded to walk towards Zaun, securing my legs with her arms.
"I had trouble opening up to people too. Still do now that I think about it." I admitted.
"Believe me, keeping your life private is both your defense and your greatest weapon," she explains. The first trickles of rain fell, causing Sevika to increase her pace.
"If only everyone saw it that way, sadly, I have to 'change' for the better. It's not fair." I mockingly complained.
"It almost sounds natural hearing you complain," she comments as her pace increased.
"Don't get to do it often. Only you understand it as being a part of my routine." I mention as the bridge above shields us from most of the rain.
"What routine?" she asks.
"Thinking of turning my humor into a profession, making people laugh, when I'm done improving Zaun." I expressed.
"If that's the case, you can take your sweet time," she retorted.
I fell limp in her grip. "That hurts, it really did."
"Sleep it off, because you still have work to do," she cruelly reminds me as we head for the lift.
The Last Drop is packed with people, it's so busy that Vander didn't have time to talk. On the bright side, it gave me all the time in the world to fall into a coma. It would have been a great sleep if I wasn't disturbed by my favorite brother.
"Owen, can you help me out?" Mylo's wonderful voice woke me out of a beautiful dream.
My crusty eyes open up to see his punchable face smiling down at me.
"Mylo, how did your teeth get so crooked?" I asked as I wiped my eyes.
"I know, I know. I should have let you sleep, but I need your help, it's really important." He spoke urgently.
I'm leaning in the direction of giving him a meaningful ear. However, I'm kind of pissed, and I don't want to rush decisions like this.
"It better be as important as you say it is." I declared as I sat up. "Because if it isn't, I refuse to accept any accountability for my actions."
"It's Gert," he said with his hands up, as if it had significance.
"Wow." I just sat on my bed looking at him. "Who the hell is Gert?"
"My girlfriend," he eagerly declares, with a smile that I haven't seen him express before.
Given that love is blooming in the air, I decided that something has to be done about it.
"I see." Breathing in the energy of patience, I play along. "What can I do for you, lovebirds?"
Mylo gives me the full display of his teeth. "Thank you, man, I mean it. Thanks."
As I stand to my feet. I observed his nervousness. He must really have something special in mind for this lady.
"Waiting for your plan." I said with reinforced calmness.
"Oh!" he seemed to wake up from his secret mindscape. "Come over here."
He led me to his bed. Kneeling beside it, he reached under and felt around for what he wanted to show me. "It's around here, somewhere."
"I'm burning in anticipation." I sarcastically sighed.
"You're going to put those fires out with your own sweat," he said as he pulled back a torture mechanism. The design is one that looks illegal for any age to possess. It has a polished wooden handle that's fastened to a metal foundation. Above it is the beginning stage of something that I never would have imagined Mylo would be interested in.
"It's not done yet. It needs something else, but I don't know what." He talks mostly to himself as he pushes a tiny red button. The device springs to life. The baton-looking device has metal appendages that snap at the air. There is no balance, no motive, they snap at the air like a bug doing a battle dance. I am at a loss for words.
"So, what do you think?" Mylo asks as if he is incapable of reading my face.
There are many ways that I could approach this situation. Knocking Mylo out here and now is my preferred method. Explaining the strange device to Vander and Vi would make it self-evident that something is wrong with him. Whoever this Gert is, is in danger. That device looks like something that has no business being in any living being. I don't care to know how they spend their time together, I've got my own problems. But this takes precedence over the cosmic storm I'm trying to avoid.
"You have no idea what you made, do you?" I began with a calm and centered voice.
"I know! It's supposed to be for her hair, but I can't seem to get it right," he finally explains.
"What? Her hair? How is that supposed to benefit her hair?" I asked, bewildered.
"Well, you see, it's supposed to grab her hair and twist it for her." I can see that he's getting a kick out of explaining it to me. For once, I'm glad that he dispelled what I was dreading.
"Alright." I exhaled heavily. This I can work with. "Those arms are supposed to grab hair and simply twist it?"
"Right. She talks about spending too long twisting them herself." He pokes at the arms to test their stability. "I want to help her save time."
I sat down on the bed to catch my breath. "So that you can have more time together."
"Exactly, you get me. Um." He frowns. "You okay?"
"Yeah, you just surprised me, is all." I stood up. "Let's hit the bench."
We made our way to the workbench and prepared for the fun part.
"Alright, first. We need to account for all the ways in which this can go wrong." I states.
He nods before putting his goggles on. "Exactly why I came to you first."
We began to work in silence as we drew up plans for redesigning the device. An instrument that deals with hair has to be gentle, otherwise, disaster is inevitable. Mylo isn't as simpleminded as he fooled me into believing, he actually has a bright mind. Much like Powder, he has a knack for deconstruction and redesigning machinery. The only difference between the two is the scale of talent. While Mylo's intuitive mind comes mostly from being gifted, Powder seems to eclipse us both in the field of innovations. Those two just might be smarter than I am. The only reason I seem intelligent beyond my years is from pure necessity. Living on my own didn't give me the luxury to goof off and be a kid. All that changed when I met these people. I took in a deep breath and cleared my throat. I wish this idiot had asked me to help him with things a lot sooner, I should know him better.
"We have to run tests to see all of its quirks." I suggested as I aligned a wire within the position that connects to a custom trigger. "This will be a way to control the pressure of the pull."
"I know what you mean." We trade places, and Mylo looks over the device. "And the finishing touches, for the prototype at least."
"Even if it works, we need to keep testing it until it breaks. When it does, we can redesign it to make up for its weaknesses." I explained as I watched Mylo work. His nimble fingers distinguishing themselves from Powder's hands. They have so much more in common, how are they at odds? It can't be just sibling rivalry.
"You already got it all worked out," he responds with a measured tone. This is a different Mylo, one who is confident in his every move, different from the arrogant Mylo that constantly boasts.
"That's where it ends. This is clearly your project, you have to bring it to the final stage." I directed, and I lean against the bench.
Mylo just nods his head, and I silently wait until he's done. When he finally pulls back from leaning his face into the twister, he holds it up, appreciating its slightly more appealing form. The baton has been reduced in length to make the device more approachable. A multi-layered, stocky baton that extends its arms to twist sensitive materials into a desired pattern.
"Here it is, man." He holds it up with hands that would soothe a crying baby.
"And it's all yours." I said as I looked over the newly constructed device.
"No, no." Mylo shook his head. "You helped."
I shrugged. "Not from the beginning, that was all you. And that's what's going on the papers for mass production."
Mylo brought his goggles down. "What?"
"Yep." I nod with a grin. "When this is beyond safe to use, you are going to be pretty rich, if I have anything to say about it."
Mylo's face twitched as he slowly came to terms with what just happened.
"You. You can't be serious," he finally gasped out as he placed the device down.
"You deserve to be rewarded for your work. That's the world I want to build for you all." I expressed.
He chuckled as he nervously fidgeted with his arms, not knowing if it's right to express what he felt.
I spread my arms wide. "Bring your skinny ass in here."
His once grateful face slacked into a smirk as he landed a playful, soft punch to my liver before he hugged me. "Thanks, I mean it."
"You better." I said as I patted his back.
Upon release, we slowly recognized a new problem: how do we test this? While we could use cloth, there isn't much to spare. Then, a blue angel came to answer our silent prayers.
Powder's thin legs pattered down the stairs, then graced us with her presence. "Oh, hey, you guys, what's up?"
I put my hands together. "Before you panic."
Powder's curious face shifts to apprehension.
Then I point to Mylo. "Your brother has something to ask you."
He shoots me a glare, and I return it with a sinister smile, then back away. Slowly, he straightens his back and holds his device in his hands. Approaching Powder with his request slowly changes him, forcing him to use a muscle that he hasn't bothered to flex: humility. They now stand before each other, an arm apart.
"Powder, I need your help." Mylo asks with a face of sincerity.
Her eyes drop to the device in his hands, then back to his face. "Okay."