Distorted sunlight danced across the Last Drop as morning came. A faint smell of alcohol lingered, and sparkling dust hovered in the air.
It was a typical morning for Vi and the gang.
Mylo yawned while he swept the floor. Dust and trash were brushed into a pile while he kept a keen eye out for any valuables. Sometimes a drunken person would lose their wallet or item, and it was their job to collect it. When it was a wallet, a coin might "accidentally" go missing.
Following behind him, Claggor mopped in silence over the areas already dusted. He was focused, working without complaint and keeping a steady pace. Sometimes he'd glance over at Mylo, who would usually share in the loot with him.
Meanwhile, the ladies occupied themselves in their own ways.
Vi perched herself on the counter, legs dangling while resting her chin in an open palm. She slouched forward with a bored expression, watching the boys work and occasionally glancing at Powder. Her off-hand loosely held a hard brush for scraping gunge, tapping it lightly on her leg.
Small pings and twangs resonated through the bar while Powder, the curious tinkerer, was busy fixing a Chemtech light.
Her usual menial job was to wipe down surfaces and collect stray bits of trash. Easily distracted, however, she'd get lost in the mechanic's world. If it wasn't Chemtech lighting, it was replacing missing gears for height adjustments on tables or chairs.
Vi watched her now, quietly. Powder's little hums and scrunched concentration reminded her of better times, of innocence. Not everything needed fixing in the Undercity, but Powder always tried.
"Every morning we do this," Mylo complained. "I could be doing so much more!"
"You missed a spot," Vi commented dryly, pointing with her brush.
He glared at her before sulkily trudging to the spot she pointed out, which was indeed missed. Mylo groaned and flicked his broom in exaggeration to sweep it up.
"I could be practicing with my lockpicking kit! Learn the fine art of persuasion on the streets, or fixing things better than Jinx! But no! I'm sweeping the floors…"
Claggor chuckled and paused his mopping.
"You can't fix anything. Powder always comes in after you and fixes it."
Faint giggling echoed from around the corner of the counter, but Mylo rolled his eyes and resumed sweeping.
"She fixes it after most of the work is done. Also, is this before or after she breaks it?"
Claggor paused again and sighed in annoyance before resuming to mop.
"She fixed your hearing gadget, didn't she?"
His mouth opened briefly to counter Claggor's words before closing and muttering with reluctant acknowledgment, "Yeah…"
The room became silent for a short time before Mylo broke the silence again.
He raised his broom like a staff and smirked, "Who do you think would win in a fight with one of these?"
"With one of wh-"
A wooden thud resounded as Claggor brought the mop handle up just in time.
He frowned and then smirked. Claggor adjusted his grip and held the mop like a sword, leaving a trail of murky grey water on the floor beneath him.
The two began circling each other. Vi and Powder couldn't help but watch the spectacle with growing excitement and giggles.
Thud.
The doors to the Last Drop swung wide open.
Orion stood there in his usual jacketed outfit, amused as he also watched the spectacle unfolding. Claggor and Mylo paused and were about to break away when Orion, with a mischievous grin, joined in.
"Two bronze on Claggor!"
"Hey!" Mylo started to reply, but Claggor immediately got into it.
Swinging his dirty mop and silencing Mylo, the two engaged in fierce combat! Dirty water sprayed everywhere, dust was flung out from the mop, creating a chaotic scene that almost looked magical in the fractured morning light.
Grinning, Orion's gaze shifted back to Vi and Powder.
Powder's blue hair disappeared as she eagerly raced downstairs.
Vi's eyes lit up and she hopped off the counter, briskly walking up to Orion.
"Took you long enough!" she waved, her face bright with excitement and relief.
She didn't mean to show it, relief wasn't her style, but seeing him walk through that door eased something in her chest. She'd been tense all morning, wondering if he'd flake again. Typical of her to worry and hide it behind a smirk.
Clunk clunk, clunk, clunk clunk clunk-
The dramatic battle raged on in the background while Orion found himself face-to-face with a pile of Powder's sketches.
"Look at these! Oh-oh! I also made this," Powder exclaimed, pulling out a small telescope.
Orion smiled and tested it. The magnification was mild; everything was a few feet closer but heavily distorted. Instead of criticizing it, though, he spoke with exaggerated excitement and amazement.
"Wow! This is amazing! You're going to make Topsiders jealous with this!"
Powder giggled, bouncing in place while Orion continued to look through her telescope and praise her sketches. Her head bobbed side to side, humming happily to herself. For just a moment, her world revolved only around his praise.
"Do you- ENOUGH!" Vi shouted through the wooden banging, turning sharply to the boys who froze with their weapons locked together.
Fresh dust and murky grey water coated the nearby surfaces they'd just cleaned, undoing all their work. Orion sheepishly glanced between them and Vi.
Vi's teeth clenched, her head snapping back to Orion. With a glare, she poked him firmly in the chest.
"You're helping clean this."
"But—" Orion began to protest, but Vi took a dangerous step forward, glaring at him with an expression that dared him to challenge her.
"Grab a rag," she commanded.
Again, he heard Powder's giggle.
Sighing, Orion shuffled toward the counter to retrieve one. The two "warriors" exchanged guilty glances before meekly returning to clean the messes they'd recreated.
What would've been finished in no time took an extra hour. Vi stood behind Orion, glaring at him the entire time. Once it was all done, everyone except Vi, who remained slightly irritated, let out tired sighs.
"So where were you?" Mylo asked first, drawing the ire of Vi, who clearly wanted to ask first. Orion tensed the cloth between his hands repeatedly, speaking with an idle tone.
"Working. Gardening. I have to make a living too."
"Where? At the Cultivar?" Claggor asked, while Mylo tilted his head with a skeptical, "Really?" expression.
"Not the Cultivar, but yeah," Orion replied with a shrug. "Not very manly but it pays for food."
Mylo wasn't quite convinced, creeping in a suggestive, accusatory tone, "I heard there was trouble topside at a garden."
His tone quickly shifted to a mocking chuckle. "No way that's you though, especially after letting Vi walk all over you like that."
"I caused this mess," Orion shrugged.
A sharp glare from Vi and Claggor cut his taunts short, but it didn't stop Orion from feeling deflated.
He sighed internally. 'He's not wrong, though. I did let her.'
After a long pause, Vi carefully and slowly spoke while exchanging glances with the rest of the crew.
"We're heading down to the Sump to check out the market. Do you wanna come?"
Orion frowned, recalling Vander's request with another internal sigh.
'They'll head down even if I say no…' he grimly thought. Vi and the gang had a rebellious streak that peaked during the show when they decided to sneak into Topside to steal from Jayce's workshop.
Even if he offered to let them check out his place, it wouldn't be as exciting as the Sump markets. Hopefully they weren't referring to the Black Lanes, but he had a bad feeling they were.
"Sure! I was thinking about heading down there myself," Orion casually replied.
This earned him a questioning look from Vi.
Powder squeaked with excitement.
"Ooh-hooo! Let me get Fluffers!" In a flash, she darted back downstairs again.
Crossing his arms, Orion felt the outline of his loaded gun. His pocket also held a full silver coin, while the other he'd safely stashed back at the house.
'This'll be a good chance to find the weapon markets. But the main goal is to get through this without any trouble.'