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Powder didn’t like to be alone. She never had, not even when her parents had been alive, and she told Silco as much when he asked why she followed him around so often. For a while after being taken in by Silco, she never left his side unless it was absolutely necessary, and he did not complain at all. But, as began to become comfortable living with him, she began to think about possible hideaways. She had one with Vander; a spot where she could tinker and doodle and keep to herself, but not necessarily be alone. She could still hear the noise of the bar, and Mylo, Claggor, and Vi horsing around. If they walked in the right spot, she could even throw something at them, but her little hole was too small for any of them to retaliate, at least until she dared to emerge.
She didn’t have one at Silco’s yet. His office was a safe space in general, but it was large and open, and oftentimes it wasn’t just her and him. He had many visitors like chembarons and mercenaries, who she watched carefully from her little setup in the corner, full of paper and markers and doodles on the wall. But they could see her as much as she could see them, and their gazes lingered on her too much for her liking, sharp and dangerous. She knew mean people when she saw them, and Silco knew a lot of them, apparently. They stared at her and asked questions, all of which Silco deflected or ignored, and as long as he was there they didn’t scare her. But even when there were no meetings, Sevika was still free to come and go as she pleased, and she was as mean as the chembarons…almost.
So Powder began to scheme about a good hideaway. A place where she could still see and hear things around her, but keep to herself. A place where she could throw things at Sevika’s head without her being able to grab her back. One afternoon, she brainstormed ideas, scrawling a list of potential places on a piece of paper in her favorite shade of pink.
If she was lucky, maybe finding a good hideaway would make the voices quieter.
The first place Powder considered was her own closet, but she scratched that off the list in five minutes. She had so few belongings that it was practically empty, but it was too quiet, and Silco didn’t come into her room that often. The voices whispered from the darkened corners, and she struck a line through her closet on her list.
She went to Silco’s closet next. There was less empty space with the overcoats he seemed to like, not that she minded. The whole room smelled a bit like him, which she found comforting, and it kept the voices away. It lasted about two days, until she got some marker on several of his coats.
“I don’t mind it,” Silco said gently when she feared he would be upset, “but I can’t have it on every single one of my coats.”
Powder took his closet off her list. She was fine with it, since she realized Silco didn’t come into his room at all except to sleep. It was too lonely.
The next place was a little alcove behind the bar, where no one walked most of the time. She could look out at the weirdos drinking, and the roar of activity cut out any noise in her head. It lasted a good while longer than the other places, but it came to an abrupt end when she knocked over and shattered an expensive jug of alcohol that was apparently the favorite of some very big, very drunk chembaron, who did not take kindly to his drinks being suddenly cut off.
The resulting bar fight sent Powder scrambling for shelter behind Sevika of all people, who was the only one in the room she considered vaguely safe. After laying the worst offenders out cold, they quickly departed the bar for the safety of the living quarters upstairs.
“It was just a bottle!” Powder shouted, more to herself than to Sevika as she frustratedly tried to keep hold of all her paper and trinkets. “That was so stupid!”
“For once, I agree with you,” Sevika grumbled, nursing a couple of would-be bruises. “But no more screwing around in the bar, got it?”
“I don’t take orders from you!” Powder said, though she had already mentally scratched off the bar.
Silco was not concerned with the bar fight nearly as much as he was with Powder’s safety and the potential threat posed by angry drunkards. She wasn’t disappointed when he decided she wasn’t allowed to hide in the bar anymore, since she still had one more place to try out, and she was certain this one would work.
Silco had grown accustomed to having a little blue-haired shadow almost ever-present alongside him. He never stepped back without looking for fear of stepping on a small foot, and no longer jumped at the feeling of a little hand worming its way into his. So, when Powder started following him around a little less, he took notice. She went off on her own and left him alone sometimes, which he was glad to see, a sign she was becoming more comfortable with her life and surroundings.
He realized that she was seeking some sort of place to retreat. He first came to that conclusion when he found her camped out in his closet, some of his clothes now permanently marked with pastel as a result. Why she sought one was a different matter, and he hoped it wasn’t because of something he had done or failed to do, but he decided not to question her yet. There was something not quite right in her mind, he knew, and if this desire was a product of that or some other whim of childhood, he was content to let her continue to seek it so long as she remained unharmed.
He had steered her away from the bar and she hadn’t seemed to be too upset, so he figured she must have had another location in mind. He didn’t ask, but he found out a couple of days later. A commotion swelled outside his office door, and he peeled his eyes away from the paper in front of him as the noise grew louder. Familiar voices shouted in the hallway, rapidly approaching, and he sighed. It had seemed a little quiet today, and he hadn’t seen Powder since breakfast.
“Let me go, you big piece of—”
“Don’t you dare try to bite me, or I’ll throw you through the wall!”
The office door slammed open as Sevika marched in with even less ceremony than usual, her expression thunderous. In her mechanical arm, she held a struggling Powder, who Silco barely recognized at first glance for the grime that covered her from head to toe, discoloring every aspect of her normally vibrant appearance.
“Put me down!” Powder yelled, her flailing sending dirt scattering across the floor.
“Gladly.” Sevika let go, and though Powder landed on her feet, the impact shook loose even more dirt.
Silco raised an expectant eyebrow at them. “What happened this time?”
Powder opened her mouth, but Sevika got the first word in. “This little rat has been crawling around in the vents. Didn’t know it until her foot came through the ceiling.”
“I didn’t think that would happen!” Powder retorted, glaring at her.
Silco waved a hand at Sevika. “You may go.”
Sevika muttered something under her breath and stalked out of his office. The fire in Powder’s eyes faded a little with her departure, and when she looked at Silco, she seemed a little apprehensive, twisting her hands in her shirt.
“Am I in trouble?” she asked.
“No.” As much as Silco didn’t appreciate the dirt on his floor, he couldn’t be angry at her for attempting to explore, even though it looked like she had rolled in sewage. “But I do want to know why you were in the vents.”
Powder shrugged. “I was looking for a place to just…hang out.”
“Do you not like the place you have made for yourself here?” He gestured to her little corner.
“I like it, but a lot of weird people visit you.”
Silco could not argue with that. Most of his guests were rough around the edges, if not poorly adjusted or worse. “Do they frighten you?”
“No, but sometimes I just wanna be away from people without being…away.” Powder’s face puckered in a frown. “That probably sounds stupid.”
“I understand,” Silco said. He knew exactly how she felt, probably even more than she realized.
Her dirt-streaked face brightened. “You do?”
“I do.” The longer he looked at her filthy appearance, the more amused he became, but he kept his expression neutral. “Am I correct in assuming your search for a location has been unsuccessful thus far?”
“The vents were okay, until Sevika ruined it.”
“And how did you get into the vents?”
“I, uh, opened a hatch.”
“With what tools?”
Powder fidgeted, looking a little guilty. “…Yours.”
Silco came dangerously close to smiling. “Your ingenuity is impressive.”
“I didn’t think I would break through the ceiling.”
“It’s just as well. You could have hurt yourself or gotten stuck if you persisted.” Silco steepled his fingers. “You can keep looking for a place, and wherever you find one doesn’t matter to me, on one condition. It has to be somewhere I can reach you if you need help, which means no vents.”
Powder, for the first time, actually pouted at him, her lip jutting out petulantly. In the back of his mind, he knew obstinance was to be expected of a child, as frustrating as it could be, but he found it endearing nonetheless. It was a sign she was becoming even more comfortable with him.
“Do you consider that unfair?” he prompted.
“No,” Powder said with a sigh, swinging her arms. “I guess it was a little gross.”
“Which is precisely why you’re going to take a bath.”
Her eyes widened like he had sentenced her to some cruel and unjust punishment. “But I took a bath last night!”
“And you were clean until you crawled in the vents. Going to bed like that wouldn’t exactly be comfortable, I’d imagine.”
Powder looked down at herself. “It’s not that bad.”
Silco stood from his desk, not quite ready to address the implications of her statement. “Come. You can use those bubbles you enjoy so much, and then afterwards you can keep looking for a place you like. Does that sound fair?”
Powder tried to look displeased, but she loved bubbles too much to hold her pout, her lips curling into a smile. “Yeah, I guess so.”
Silco dared to return her smile. “Excellent.”
Powder sighed, watching Silco’s office whirl around her as she spun in his chair. He had gone to some meeting he couldn’t bring her to, leaving her to anxiously wait for his return. His office seemed too quiet without him, even though he rarely made much noise while working. He had suggested she continue her search while she was gone—while being careful, of course—but she was about ready to give up on the idea of finding a hiding place. It had been a week since the vent failure, and every other little corner she found just wasn’t good enough.
She stopped spinning, the motion beginning to make her dizzy. The chair’s leather squeaked as she slouched further into it, kicking her legs up on his desk. For a few moments, she pretended she was Silco, trying to modify her expression into the intimidating one he usually wore.
Then she noticed the crisscrossing rafters above her.
The idea popped into her mind instantaneously, and she pushed herself out of the chair, dancing out into the middle of the room, her head thrown back as she studied the rafters. There were plenty of them, and lots of space for her to sit, but she had to test it. Her eyes were drawn to the pipes crawling up the walls, angular and wide enough to provide purchase for her to climb up.
Too enthralled by the idea to not try it, Powder headed for the pipes.
Mylo said she sucked at climbing.
“Shut up,” she growled, grabbing onto the first angle and pulling herself up. She managed to get a toehold, and slowly stood to her full height, pressing her front hard against the wall and clinging to the next section of pipe for support. Her legs wobbled a little precariously, but she forced herself upwards, climbing closer to the rafters.
The climb took much effort and careful movement, and she nearly lost her footing several times, but she finally managed to wrap her arms around one of the rafters, hauling herself up with a triumphant gasp. She flopped onto her belly and laid there for a few moments as she regained her breath, her limbs dangling into the open space below.
Once she was rested, she sat up, studying the space around her. The rafter she sat upon conjoined and crossed with others in the middle of the room, giving her plenty of vantage points from various angles. The walls were dark metal and untouched, perfect for drawing on. The air was warmer, mustier than it was on the floor, smelling of dust, but it wasn’t something she couldn’t handle.
She peered over the edge at Silco’s desk below, and grinned to herself. This was a perfect spot; she could already imagine him sitting there beneath her, and she could still talk to him if she wanted to. She briefly considered his condition of being able to reach her, but shrugged it off. He was tall, and could totally get to her if he stood on his desk…probably.
Best of all, the voices were quiet. They usually were in Silco’s office, only butting in occasionally, but almost never when he was present.
She swung her legs over the edge. Now, to practice getting down.
Silco opened his office door, bracing himself for the cannonball of gangly limbs and tight embraces that usually greeted him when he returned from his meetings. He almost felt disappointed when he found an empty office instead. That was unusual, but the child was likely still looking for a satisfactory hiding place.
He stepped further into the room, shrugging off his overcoat and dumping on the couch before moving towards his desk. As he passed it by, he noticed a marking on the surface that hadn’t been there when he left, in the shape of small, slightly dirty boot prints. He frowned. What could the girl have possibly been doing—
A paper fluttered down in front of his face, causing him to rear back and reach for his knife. It landed on his desk in front of him, two letters scrawled in pastel colors and embellished with little doodles.
HI!
Silco looked upwards sharply, and met Powder’s gleaming gaze. She was crouched on the rafters like some sort of creature lying in wait, and when he finally noticed her she could not restrain a delighted laugh. “Did I surprise you?”
“Child, what are you doing up there?” Silco asked, fear of an enemy attack quickly replaced with fear for her safety.
“I found a good hiding place!” Powder said, shifting her position so her legs dangled over the edge.
Silco bit back an exasperated sigh. “You cannot be up there.”
Powder’s glee vanished behind a scowl. “Why not? You can reach me if you stand on your desk!”
“It’s too dangerous.”
“No it’s not! I’ve gone up and down like twenty times since you’ve been gone!”
“How did you get up there?”
“The pipes.” Powder pointed to her makeshift ladder, and Silco could see the appeal. Finding different ways to navigate up and around structures was a skill learned by many children of the Undercity, a necessity for survival. Even he knew how.
“And how did you get down?” he asked.
“Like this!”
Silco immediately regretted his question when Powder thrust herself into the open air. His heart jumped into his throat, and he lurched forward to try and catch her. His attempt was only partially successful when she landed halfway in his arms, halfway on his desk, but she managed to take the impact with some modicum of graceful positioning.
“You frightened me,” he scolded breathlessly, his arms aching from being pinned between her and the desk.
“You didn’t have to catch me!” Powder cried, disentangling herself from his grasp and standing up, hands on her hips. “I’ve been practicing!”
“I suspected as much.” Silco took a moment to collect himself, calming his racing heart as he wondered if the boot prints would become permanent.
“I’m fine,” Powder insisted, spinning in a little circle to prove herself. “I haven’t hurt myself at all, see?”
Silco missed nothing, and he caught her arm, pulling back her sleeve just enough to reveal a new bruise blooming on her skin. He raised an eyebrow at her. “Is that so?”
“That was just one time!” Powder insisted, a whining note entering her tone. “I was carrying my markers, and I hit my arm.”
Silco looked up at the rafters. Paper peeked over the edges, proof that she had already begun to make the space her own, and he let out another sigh. “So, you want to make that your hiding place?”
“Yes, it’s great! You can totally reach me if you stand on your desk!” Powder thought about it for a moment. “Or, you could climb up the pipes too.”
“I’m not so sure about that.” Silco studied the prints on his desk. Maybe she really had gone up and down twenty times. “If you even come close to falling off, you can’t stay up there anymore, understand?”
“I won’t. I’m getting better at climbing.”
“And no more scaring me like that. You’re going to give me a heart attack.”
Powder snickered. “You’re not that old.”
Her laughter turned into a shrill squawk when Silco tweaked her side before lifting her onto the floor. “No, but I don’t like being scared anyway.”
Powder leaned against him, giving him the most pleading look she could muster. “But I can stay up there?”
“We’ll see how it goes.”
Powder grinned, and he could already see the mischievous little gears turning in her head as she hugged him with all her might. “Thank you!”
“You’re welcome, child,” he murmured, returning her embrace gently.
She pulled away, eyeing the rafters thoughfully. “When Sevika comes, can I throw things at her?”
There it was. Silco almost chuckled, running a hand over her hair. “Nothing harmful.”