In the cluttered expanse of Quinn's workshop, the faint whirr of a drill and the rhythmigs of metal scraping against metal rang out. He k by a workbench, his goggles propped high on his forehead as he tinkered with an assortment of gadgets and parts scattered haphazardly around him. He paused to wipe his grease-covered hands on his overalls before turning back to his project.

  Above him, Fii drifted zily about, floating like a cloud through the air. She kicked her legs and spun around, enjoying the weightlessness. She occasionally bounced off the ceiling and back to the ter of the room, her arms outstretched to catch the various tools that Quinn tossed at her.

  As he worked, Quinn listeo Fii's animated rambling, the occasional grunt or hum in aowledgment.

  "Kenzo! you believe it?" she excimed, her voice eg slightly off the cluttered walls. She tossed a screwdriver back at him. "He's actually going to work with us!"

  Quinn caught the tool a back over his workbench, tinuing his repairs. He gestured vaguely at a toolbox, which Fii floated over to. She opehe lid, and he rummaged around for a moment before pulling out a wrench.

  "And he's invited me to join his band for a cert, too. Well, as Axion, anyways. But still. Isn't that amazing?!" she gushed. "I'm so psyched! This is crazy. It's like a dream e true!"

  "Yeah, I heard you the first ten times," Quinn muttered, rolling his eyes. He straightened, leaning back against his stool to examine his work. Then he clicked his tongue a his tool aside. Apparently, he didn't .

  Fii poked her to at him. "Hey, ! This is the biggest opportunity I've ever had. Plus, I've always wao perform at the Tower of Songs. I 't wait." She giggled, clutg her ko her chest as she spun herself upside down. "And Kenzo's so cool. The way he fights is, like, insane! Have you seen him use his power before? It's super cool! When we fought, I—"

  Quinn sighed loudly, cutting her off mid-sentence. He gnced up, a forced smile on his face. "Yeah, I bet he's something else. Now, are we doalking about that guy?"

  "Well...yeah, I guess so," Fii responded. She flipped upright and stuck to the ceiling, staring at him. She studied him for a moment, noting his irritated expression, then floated over to him. She peered over his shoulder curiously. "Are you mad or something, Quinn? Did I do something wrong?"

  Quinn grunted and shook his head. "No, nothing. I'm not angry. But, uhh, could you grab me a hex wrench over there?" he said, pointing to a er of the workshop.

  "Really? Because you seem—"

  "Wrenches. Please."

  Fii stared at him, her lips pursed, but didn't press the issue further. She flitted across the room to collect the wrenches, pg them on the workbench beside him. "Here. Hey, do you need any help with that, by the way? I wanna learn how to fix things, like you." She gazed at him hopefully. "I do more than float tools around, you know. I use tools too. Let me prove it."

  Quinn paused mid-drill to raise a brow at her. "Uhh, I dunno, Fii. This isly your style. Too many tools and parts. I don't want you actally cutting off a finger or something."

  "It'll be firust me. Please?" she begged. She csped her hands together, staring at him with puppy dog eyes. "I promise I won't do anything stupid. Pretty please?"

  He sighed, shaking his head. "Look, I just...ugh, okay. Alright, fine, I'm vinced. Uhh, you see this?" He gestured to a disassembled radio, its inner circuitry exposed to the open air. "It's busted. See if you fix it."

  Fii leaned closer to the device, staring ily at its internal pos. She he tangled mess of wires and loose screws, the dusty old speakers, the dented frame...she swallowed hard, her stomach lurg. "Umm, Quinn? How do I do that?"

  "Just follow my instrus and you'll be fi's a learning process," Quinn replied. "Now, here's what you do..."

  Together, they painstakingly disentahe wires, resoldered the loose es, and repced the worn-out speaker. Fii hahe delicate tasks with care, her toig out from tration. Meanwhile, Quinn instructed and guided her throughout the repair, stepping in only when necessary.

  Iime, the radio came together, piece by piece, until finally they reected the power cord to the socket. The dial lit up with a pleasant green glow as music crackled from its tinny speakers.

  The song pying was a jazz standard, a familiar melody that Fii reized from the streets. One of those songs that never seemed to get old. As she listeo the music, she turo Quinn, a broad smile spreading across her face. "We did it!" she squealed.

  "Yup, we did. Not bad, rookie." Quinn smirked, wiping his brow with a rag. "Nice work."

  The two exged a high-five before breaking out into ughter. They sat side-by-side at the workbench, enjoying the music for a while, simply listening in panionable silence.

  Eventually, Quinn cleared his throat, gng sidelong at Fii. "Sorry I s you earlier," he said, running his fihrough his hair sheepishly. "It's...plicated. I'm not mad at you, but I get kinda annoyed by Kenzo sometimes."

  "Oh? Why is that?" Fii asked, cog her head.

  Quinn shrugged his shoulders. "Eh, don't worry about it. Anyway, it's cool that your power is growing or whatever. So you affect things farther away now? And you float around too?"

  Fii nodded, gesturing toward herself. "Yeah, it's pretty awesome. My range has expanded, and I kind of see this weird gravity stuff now, or something. It's hard to describe." She crossed her arms, deep in thought. "I didn't expect that to happen when I fought Kenzo, but it worked out in the end. I feel a lot stronger. You should've seen it. It was awesome."

  "Hm. Cool, I guess." Quinn ented dryly. He pulled out a cigarette and lit it, taking a long drag. A thin stream of smoke curled around his head as he exhaled. "Hey, you make me float around too? I wanna know what it feels like."

  "Sure. Hold on, okay? Don't freak out."

  Suddenly, they both began to drift gently toward the ceiling. Fii gri Quinn, holding him steady as they slowly rose into the air. He gasped, ging to her arm, his eyes wide with shock.

  "You good? I gotcha." Fii teased. She bumped his shoulder pyfully and stuck her to at him. "e on, this is easy. Rex."

  "Woah woah woah, hang on. I...I, uh, yeah. I'm fine, I'm good. I'm all good." Quinn stammered as he shifted about irying to find his bahe cigarette slipped from his hand, floating upward in a spiral as he reached frantically to retrieve it. He grumbled as he swatted at the errant stick.

  Fii ughed as they drifted around the room. "See? We're flying, Quinn. It's fun, right?" she teased, spinning them around in a zy circle. The motio his hat toppling off, spinning through the air. She giggled as she watched him frantically try to grab for it, his limbs filing about aimlessly. "Gotta admit, though, I was hoping you'd scream or something."

  Quinn flushed and punched her in the shoulder lightly. "Oh, shut up! You freaked me out!" he whined. "Hey, don't make me fall."

  "Rex, dude. I'd never drop you."

  Fii and Quinn floated through the air, suspended above the workshop floor. They stared down at the ground, their hair hanging loosely about their heads. Fii's short locks drifted gently, swaying with eaent, while Quinn's shaggy hair stood on end in all dires. He squinted up at her with a pyful gre and poked her in the side with his foot.

  She retaliated, poking him batil their impromptu tickle fight devolved into a full-blowling mat midair. Iween the giggling and ughing, they hovered about, py-fighting without a care in the world. Their grappling soht them close enough to touch the ceiling above. With a shove from Fii, they smacked their heads against the paneled surface, boung off with a dull thud.

  Quinn rubbed his scalp gingerly, scowling at her, who only chuckled in response. She fshed him a cheeky grin, stig her to. He rolled his eyes at her, but a faint smile tugged at his lips.

  They tiheir slow drift around the room, floating zily in the air. As the music pyed, Qui his eyes shut for a bit. He savored the warmth of the sunlight streaming through the window, the faint st of motor oil and solder, the gentle rustle of fabric as they bumped into each other.

  After a while, he broke the sileh a chuckle. "This is kinda 's peaceful."

  "See? Told ya." Fii nudged him, grinning impishly. "Being Axion is great and all, but I like these moments too."

  Quinn nodded, his expression thoughtful. He g Fii and smiled. "Yeah. Me too."

  They stayed that way for some time before finally desding back to the floor. As they nded, Quinn stumbled slightly, wobbling on his feet. He leaned against the workbend took a deep breath. "Whew! Okay, that was...that was something else."

  Fii giggled as she touched down beside him. She adjusted her shirt and ran a hand through her hair, brushing out the tangles. "How'd you like it, Quinn? Awesome, right?"

  "Definitely. But ime, I'm putting on a helmet, though."

  "Haha, fair enough. Wanna do something else?"

  "Hmm...Oh! I just remembered something. I've been w on something for you." Quinn hurried over to a closet and flung it open. He rummaged iil he found what he sought, pulling out a pair of roller skates with amber wheels and a sleek bck chassis. "Ta-da! What do you think?"

  Fii walked over and picked up the skates, iing them closely. She tested the grip on the underside and examihe thick rubber soles. "Woah...they look great. But...I already slide around on my own, though."

  Quinn waved a finger in front of her nose, his expression stern. "Yeah, but you also pihat your shoes would wear out too quickly, remember? Shoes aren't meant for skating around. That's what these babies are for. And they're also durable, too."

  He tapped on the bck chassis, smiling proudly. "Check it. This stuff is high-tensile carbon fiber posite, and the wheels are a mix of carbon nanotube-infused rubber and Kevr. Very durable. Should st a while."

  Fii raised her eyebrows in surprise. She ran her fiips along the skate's polished exterior, admiring the sleek design. "Wow, that's so cool. Where'd you get the materials from?"

  "Bought 'em from the Rust Market, mostly. Some of the parts are leftover from some old projects I've scrapped, and a couple more from the junkyard." Quinn scratched his cheek, fshing her a guilty grin. "Also may or may not have asked Edith for a teensy loan. But she didn't mind, so yay! And these skates are all yo on, try them on."

  "I don't want to ask how much ChitCreds this cost, but thanks, Quinn! I owe ya." Fii slipped her shoes off and dohe skates, strapping them snugly around her ahe fit felt fortable—not tight or loose—just right.

  "Alright, give them a spin," Quinn enced. "Tell me what you think."

  Fii pushed forward with one foot, gliding smoothly along the workshop floor. The skates glided effortlessly over the smooth crete, their grippy undersides leaving faint bck streaks with each rotation. The amber wheels hummed faintly, a pleasant whihat reminded Fii of aric kettle ing to a boil. She circled around the room, gradually pig up speed, before returning to where Quinn waited. "Woah! These things are great, Quinn. I love 'em! Thanks!"

  "Good to hear. It's also got something else. If you flex your pinky toes, you lock the wheels so you don't slip around. Flex them again, and you unlock them and roll again. That way, you walk normally without sliding everywhere. There's a simir meism at the heel too. The brakes eomatically when you shift your weight to the back of your heels. Give that a try, too."

  Fii skated around the room once more, log her wheels and walking ba. She practiced a few times, trying to master the finer points of stopping and starting. Soon enough, she was able to slide gracefully around with ease, shifting from skating to walking with ease.

  The skates were perfect. Fitting too. She made a mental o repay Quinn someday for the gift.

  "Try using yravity slide thing with those on," Quinn suggested.

  "Oh, okay! I nning to, anyway." Fii stepped back, assuming her usual pose.

  She focused, feeling the familiar pull of her gravikinesis. The sensation was different this time, her feet anchored to the skates, the skates to the ground. She pushed off, sending herself hurtling forward at a dizzying speed. She let out a yelp, her eyes widening in shock as she approached the wall.

  But as she was about to smash into it, she jumped and twisted, nding on the wall's surface feet-first. The momentum carried her upwards, her body perpendicur to the floor.

  As she approached the ceiling, she slowed to a halt, her pating the force of gravity from the ground. She found herself standing on the ceiling, fag the floor below.

  Quinn looked up, raising a brow. "Huh. That's kinda weird to see," he remarked.

  "Hey, I fight people from any dire now," Fii bragged. She crouched a off the ceiling, flipping in mid-air to nd gracefully beside Quinn. Her momentum carried her past him, ung her to the other side of the room. She slid across the floor, rolling to a stop. "Phew, okay! That was kinda tricky."

  Quinn gave her a high five. "Nice. Practice makes perfect, as they say. Looks like the skates work well with your powers, eh? You o break them in, though. But that's expected."

  "Mhm. Definitely. They're great, Quinn. Thank you so much." Fii grinned, grabbing his arm and pulling him in for a hug. "Seriously, I love 'em. You're the best!"

  Quinn clumsily returhe embrace, giving her a couple of light pats on the back before letting go. He stepped bad stuffed his hands in his pockets. "No problem. Happy to help. I'm just gd they fit."

  Fii brushed the hair out of her fad regarded Quinn carefully. He had gone quiet again. Maybe he still needed a little cheering up? "Wanna go out tonight? Get something to eat?" she offered. "My treat!"

  He tilted his head, sidering the invitation for a moment. "Uhh, sure, why not? Sure beats eating another ration pack alone in my workshop, heh. But...hang on a sec, gotta get myself ed up. Gimme a moment. I smell like I've been w for days straight. Which is kinda true, but whatever."

  "Okay, sounds good. Lemme know when you're ready to go, alright? I'm gonna practice with the new skates some more. Meet you at Rao's then?"

  "Yup, sure. Be there in an hour." Quinn headed for the exit, calling out over his shoulder. "Seeya ter, Fii!"

  She waved goodbye, watg as he left the workshop. She stood there in the ter of the room for a minute, lost in thought. It had been a productive day—the most fun she had in a while.

  A warm, fuzzy feeling bubbled in her chest. She loved spending time with Quinn. He had a knaaking her ugh and always knew how to cheer her up, even when she wasn't feeling her best. She made a mental o visit him more often after this, whenever she had the time to spare.

  In the meantime, she had some practig to do.