For Fii, sleep was a battleground of sorts, and st night was a no-holds-barred skirmish. As the hazy light of m filtered into her little makeshift home, it seemed like sleep had emerged the victor, leaving her with the spoils of fatigue. The rhythmic dripping of st night's rain from her leaky roof was an ever-present background chorus, ting the seds she had wasted in her bed.

  Ugh. Too early. Way too early.

  Sprawled out on her makeshift bed of worn-down pillows and ragged bs, Fii stared blearily at the corroded steel roof. A single bead of water traversed its path from her leaky ceiling.

  After all these nights here, you'd think she would have fixed that by now.

  Another water droplet began to form; zily, almost carefree, and with a heavy sigh, Fii rolled to her side, unsciously groping around for her bo pull it over her head.

  She grumbled when her fingers met nothing but air. Why wasn't the b right o her? ht. It had wandered off thanks travitational barrier.

  After a brief mental tug-of-war, the desire to ze around until noon triumphed over her better judgment. With a flick of her wrist, the floating b folded itself over her.

  Ah, the simple pleasure of being ed in warm ess after waking up on a chilly m...

  And so, the battle began. On one side was her cozy haven, being her into the world of sweet slumber. Oher side, were her responsibilities. Her big toe stirred from uhe covers, seemingly deliberatiween joining her in dreamnd and urgio face the day.

  Traitor. Why was it even moving at all? Go back to sleep!

  Despite her reluce, her mind started its wake-up routitempting to peel back the yers of sleep-induced haze. The gears in her head ked—slowly at first, then faster until her thoughts whirled. No surprise there. With everything going on, tranquility of mind wasly her forte tely.

  Everything was just... a lot. From the trivial inveniences, like leaky roofs and finicky faucets, to the more pressing issues, such as gang violend whatnot, it all seemed to be stantly demanditention. This wasn't ting her ever-growing list of Superhero-adjat responsibilities.

  Life's kind of a jerk sometimes.

  Before she could make any further attempt to escape Morpheus's clutches and kick-start her day, an involuntary noise erupted from her throat: A big yawn. She couldn't stop that huge maw from opening wide, and her body took the ce to stretch, elig several audible pops from her joints. There was something strangely satisfying about it, like a gia button for her body.

  Whatever. Time to get up.

  Sitting up in her improvised bed—a well-worn mattress from the fifth-hand store tucked snugly into a fotten er of an abandoned shanty house—she rubbed the drowsiness from her eyes. In the cramped space, her 'kit' of sorts was merely a stovetop with a single burner alongside an icebox—a less-than-reliable traption that robably older than the shanty itself.

  Turning on a touch-to-heat kettle with her finger, she waited as the water inside gradually warmed. Too bad she couldn't use her gravity powers on it. Messing with something that gees heat via gravity was a horrible idea. While she wasn't sure why, it just gave her a weird feeling that something could go very badly wrong.

  Half-asleep in her reverie, the bubbling sound from the kettle pulled her back to the present. P herself a cup of boiled water, she dipped in a synth-tea bag—a cost-effective luxury of artificial floral notes—and ihe slightly off-putting fragra wasn't real tea, but with just a hint of honey and a squeeze of lemon, it was almost... good. Almost.

  Alright, m ritual engaged.

  Syic tea in hand, she grabbed a meager sele of ingredients from her tiny icebox, wobbling slightly as she straightened her posture.

  An attempt at cooking breakfast began, mostly relying on a mishmash of edible vegetation she had collected earlier. From dandelion greens, wild carrots, and a handful of mulberries to some radishes, onions, and garlic scapes, Fii sprinkled in whatever was at hand.

  Over the years, her ary skills had evolved—or devolved, if you ask Quinn—into an art form of its own. Not g about the details or pnning ahead, she tossed everything into her pan and hoped for the best.

  It was her way of stig it to the system. Why waste time following recipes or measuring things out precisely? A spsh of this, a handful of that, leftover pudding—what could g?

  "Are you okay?" Quinn asked, eyeing her uneasily as she turned down his offer for the third time. "You never pass up on the opportunity to eat here. Last week, you almost jumped over the ter for some leftovers."

  Fii's eyes shifted away, uo look into his baffled expression without feeliomach lurch at the mere idea of ing anything right now. If only her stomach would settle down, everything would be just fine. Her hands rubbed her sides, hoping the gentle massage would pcate the turmoil brewing inside her.

  "Fii, e on, what's wrong?" The in his voice cut through the persistent hat had been her stant panion since m.

  If she wasn't a metahuman, would she have died from food poisoning?

  "Well, I tried this new recipe," Fii admitted after a moment of silence. "And... well, it tasted weird, so I did any more of it. But it still didn't sit right." As soon as she finished, a gag escaped her lips, as if her stomach was rebelling against the memory alone.

  Her eyes began to sting with uears. ing for a whole day and drinking plenty of water seemed like a good solution to whatever was messing with her.

  But still. No lunch? That would suck...

  Quinn sighed and slung a damp dish towel over his shoulder, a furrowed brow betraying his . "Why am I not surprised? Last time you attempted cooking, didn't you tell me it was a recipe of 'anything that fits on a pan' or something like that?"

  A sheepish nod from Fii was all the firmation he needed.

  "Is the mysterious 'something that fits on a pan' from a reputable source, or was it another one of your fantastical creations that not even rats would eat?"

  A mere shrug of her shoulders was enough ter a wave of hat had her reag for the edge of the ter in front of her. Anything to steady her dizzy head.

  Quinn exhaled in exasperation, reag out to pour Fii a gss of water before speaking. "My best guess, based on the avaible evidence: food poisoning. Your symptoms suggest Salmonel bacteria or some wild strain of E. coli. on in undercooked eggs, rare meats, inated veggies, or unwashed hands."

  Despite feeling uhe weather, Fii couldn't help but find humor in Quinn's exposition. "Or maybe," she added, "just poor kit hygiene. How do you know all that anyway?"

  Quinn fshed a brief grin. "I've been reading up on general first-aid and basic medie in my spare time. Some of us here are still ied in learning and self-improvement." He pointed pyfully at Fii who frowned, uanding the i of his jibe.

  "I read books," Fii tered defensively. "If there's nothing else to do. Sometimes..."

  His lighthearted prodding at her love-hate retionship with academics elicited a smile from her. He gave her a smile of his own. Ohat was iious. Too bad it was tainted by an ever-present worry clouding his features as he handed her the gss of water. "I'd go see Sheri if I were you. She'll give you something for your stomach. Otherwise, you use their fancy toilets all day, instead not to puke on the job. Again." His grimace matched hers.

  "What do you mean by 'again'?" She grumbled between sips.

  "That night you ate the..." He shuddered at the memory. "...purple pudding?"

  ht. That i.

  "Right," Fii mumbled, carefully getting up to leave. Her ihreateahemselves, and her equilibrium wobbled. Deep breaths were her lifeline; without them, she wasn't sure how she'd keep her nausea in check. A frustrated sigh escaped her lips.

  This was going to be one of those days, wasn't it?

  Tug the memories of this m's misadventures into the er of her mind reserved for self-induced ary mishaps, Fii headed towards The Aether ic. Each step was measured, a tango of sorts with the relentless hat g her from the i. But, despite the challehe simple act of walking provided a wele distra from her roiling innards.

  As she he ic, the usual line of people waiting at the entrance seemed more like a ival queue than anything else. versations buzzed among the crowd, filled with pints about life, injuries, and the odd medical mystery.

  The rhythmic tapping of a e against the asphalt caught her attention, and Fii noticed Old Joe in the midst of the throng. She offered him a wave as he swung his head towards her, his deep-set eyes catg hers with the crity they always held.

  "Oi! How's ya doin', Superstar?" Old Joe called out in his peculiar, jumbled speech. A trace of an old Kurigali at mingled with his slum talk. "Ya lookin' a li'l off. Doesn't look like ye've got a full basket today. Got a case of drench, yeah?"

  He moved to join the queue, using his e to nontly sweep aside a few pining youths to make space for himself, without the fai hint of remorse.

  Meanwhile, Fii leaned against the wall of the ic to steady herself. "Worse," she groaned, "a nasty case of the gut jitters, brought on by my own hand."

  His cackle cut through the hum of the crowd.

  Now they were all staring at her. Everyone. Great. How wonderful. Exactly what she needed right now. Public humiliation.

  "Did I mention you're the best, Joe? Truly, the best?" she grumbled, fshing a sarcastic smile. It probably came aore like a grimace than anything else.

  Joe shrugged, a wide, toothy grin on his weathered face. "Nothin' I ain't heard before! If only more people knew. World'd be a better pce if I got ta run it." He chuckled before he motioowards her belly and spoke, "Yer an idjit, kid, but y'are tryin'. I'll give ya that. Now, don't let that bugger ihrow ya around like a ragdoll, or worse, dismiss ya."

  "Great advice, as always," Fii muttered, another wave of hreatening t her to her knees. "Thanks, Joe."

  "Ya wele, Superstar. Oh, that reminds me..."

  Oh no. That was usually a precursor to...

  "Ba the day," Joe's voice kicked up to a higher volume, projeg more than usual, ensuring that everyone present could hear him. "there was a story about a gal who went and had somethin' big ied into her bum..."

  Fii buried her fa her hands and tried to melt into the crete wall of the iother of his wild tales. No one o hear about that story. Least of all her.

  "Jo—"

  "No, no, wait a minute. Just a minute! Don't interrupt! It ended up somewhere near her liver. The ol' docs were givin' it some really weird name, but I don't remember what. And then, right after, she let some fel y with her, without lettin' 'er insides settle first!"

  "I don't o hear this—"

  "Well, sure as day, she got sicker than a cow with the drips, 'n her lover-man started ag all sorts . Unnatural like. Get this: her belly gets all bloated and swells up to the size of a sack of potatoes! Ended up squirtin' bck pus, stank worse thah. You wouldn't believe the sight! Her man didn't st long. Got himself turned into a zom..."

  Kill me now.

  "...then they just took the bloke and doused him with some petrol and..."

  Fii stopped listening after that, trying to tu Joe's ramblings by humming a merry tuo herself. Eventually, the story reached its climax and cluded, leaving her in peace, tle with her own biological chaos.

  A young boy in front of Fii in the queue shot a look at her before sg his fato a grimace. "Gross!"

  Just fabulous.

  "Joe," Fii hissed through gritted teeth, "why? Why?"

  "Just a friendly reminder, is all," Joe said with an irrepressible grin. "Try not ta get into any, er... tight spots." He coughed, a sound more remi of ughter than disfort. "Don't end up like her, or somethin' even worse, alright?"

  Ugh.

  "Don't sound too unusual ta' me," a random onlooker piped up. "Just the other day, my buddy found a bug up his butt after he passed out in the park. Should've seen him twitch for hours, all squirmy. Like one of them worms at the fish shop!"

  That. That story just pushed her o a whole new level. This was definitely not something she o hear right now.

  Great. Super great. This line was taking forever! Fii's patience was running thin, her fiappilessly against her arm, and her eyes darting bad forth.

  "Oi! Everyone move over! Our Super he doow, ye scawags, shift aside!" Joe suddenly bellowed, and before Fii could protest, she was ushered to the front of the line.

  If there had ever been a moment when the world decided to team up against her, it was this one. Her cheeks fred red-hot, her eyes fixed on the ground, and she clutched her arms tightly around her midse in a futile attempt to suppress the surging nausea. All the attention, the he murmurs, the apologetic looks, only served to make everything worse.

  "You didn't have to do that," she groaned.

  Joe's ughter echoed as she vahrough the ic dreeted by the familiar ical atmosphere, sterile and harshly lit.

  Sheri looked up from her notepad, her usually pleasant expression turning sour.

  "Fii," she aowledged, a pointed exhale punctuating her greeting. "As much as I enjoy seeing you... What have you dohis time?"

  Not even a hello?

  The sight of the room she'd grown all too familiar with added a touch of ao Fii's already overwhelming nausea. "Hi, Sheri," she replied. "o see you too."

  At the invitation to join her on the examination table, Fii steeled herself, and readied herself for yet another lecture. Knowing Sheri ari professional approach, she already knew she was in for a less-than-f check-up. Taking a seat on the paper-cd bed, she was just brag herself for what was to follow.

  With practiced movements and the efficy that Fii had grown to associate with the ic, Sheri began her examination. She quizzed Fii on her symptoms, all the while jotting notes in her indecipherable scribble. Fii swallowed her disfort and reted the story of her regretful ary decision—glossing over certaiails—watg Sheri's face transform into a mask of disapproval.

  Was it really so hard to believe that she mao give herself food poisoning?

  "Oh, Fii," Sheri murmured, her eyes saying it all. "So, this is going to be one of those appois, is it?"

  Fii chuckled nervously, twirling her white hair with a finger, a habit when nervousness began to set in. "Maybe..."

  Sheri let out a soft sigh before fshing the penlight in Fii's eyes. "Normally, I could try giving you some antibiotid an IV, and we could be doh it." She pursed her lips as she circled around Fii, her from various angles. "But since you're a metahuman, that won't work. Your body's... strange, and probably has weird resistance, or something equally annoying."

  "Fantastic," Fii grumbled.

  "So, my reendation is lots of water a," Sheri cluded, handing Fii a bottled water before motionio lie down for a full check-up. "You rest in your old room upstairs. At least you'll have a personal toilet in there. It's a miracle you've held on this long."

  Ugh, the poking and prodding started now, exactly what she wanted right now.

  "A hero's job is never done, is it?" Sheri remarked with a sigh. Her hands were warm on Fii's bare stomach as she gently probed. Then, without warning, a deep, painful pressure lied, wreng a cry from Fii. "Good news is that it's probably just food poisoning. If you're unlucky, appendicitis. Don't panic, that was the test."

  Great. Super great. Worst. Day. Ever.