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Borrowing Deuce's Magiwheel from him was a complicated effort, but Yuu succeeded in the end.
Said Magiwheel was originally Ignihyde property, and someone would've considered the risks of allowing Magiwheels on campus, if not for the fact that tinkering with technology and parts was allowed, and that, apparently, included making Magiwheels. To look on the bright side, at least those Ignihyde students didn't have the same 'business' mindset as Azul. The Night Raven College population was thus spared from the unimaginable range of terrifying devices that could serve the causes of extortion and shady deals.
That wasn't to say that they weren't dangerous, though. Ortho is a sweetheart, but Yuu makes sure never to forget his ability to shoot lasers capable of destroying a building.
The condensed story was this: the Magiwheel was put together by Ignihyde. Yuu and the other first-years pooled their Madols together—for Yuu, they'd ended up putting in shifts at the Mostro Lounge and Sam's shop—to buy said Magiwheel from Ignihyde for Deuce as a birthday present. Yuu then got interested in driving said Magiwheel, to which Deuce was only too happy to comply. As an exchange, Yuu promised to help fix a jammed part, as Deuce as currently busy with preparing for an upcoming track competition and that particularly difficult unit in Alchemy class.
It was less Deuce being stingy about borrowing his Magiwheel, and more Yuu pestering (not in their words) him about, "anything they can help with, you know, no pressure, but I'm almost always here—and that last 'almost' is for whatever Crowley ends up dumping on me again, but you know what I'm trying to say, right?"
Anyways. Magiwheels. At first, Yuu had been excited about getting their hands on something to fix—something other than microwaves and shelves and air conditioners—but halfway through, they'd started regretting their enthusiastic offers to help Deuce with this, and towards the end, Yuu was just mostly relieved and faintly proud that they had managed to not only not break the Magiwheel, but also repaired it successfully. Without magic!
Yuu planned to enjoy a nice shower, then go for a quick sunset ride to dry their clothes, and then touch down on campus to catch their friends for dinner, and tell them about their awesome trip and fixing up the Magiwheel all by themselves. It was going to be a wonderful start to the weekend.
For now, though, Yuu had to catch their breath. Their clothes were already drenched in sweat and had grass stains stamped all over, so they decided to lie down on the lawn for now, and stare up at the sky above.
It was in this position—spread out on the grass like a fallen cheese slice and scrutinizing a cloud that vaguely resembled Riddle's silhouette—that Malleus' face popped up over their field of vision, with an expression of mild confusion and amusement.
"Child of man," he greeted, being the one out of the two of them to have the more normal conversation starter.
Yuu blinked up at him. "Hi, Hornton. That cloud looks like Riddle-senpai."
They wondered, for a moment, why Malleus showed up at Ramshackle this early, when the campus was still submerged in daylight, with any passing student mistaking him for having slammed Yuu into the ground out of some faux-pas. The next day there would be more rumours that pushed the scales towards Malleus Draconia Being A Really Scary, Powerful, And Easy-To-Offend Person, rather than Malleus Draconia Is A Nerd, And An Expert At Infodumping, Please Invite Him To Your Parties.
"Ah," said Malleus, in response to Yuu's Very Creative Conversation Starter. He eyed the grass, no doubt weighing the pros—being able to get a proper view of The Cloud That Resembled Riddle Rosehearts—against the cons—getting mud and grass and possibly bugs on his person—and decided, in the end, not to lie down. "You are cloud-gazing?"
"Not on purpose," said Yuu cheerfully. They flung an arm to the side, pointing at Deuce's Magiwheel propped up against a tree. "I just finished repairing that. Without magic! I'm all sweaty and stinky already, so I just laid down here for a rest. It just happened that the sky is extra clear today."
"That is rather impressive." There was a soft swish of wind as Malleus circled around to inspect the Magiwheel closer. They can't see his expression, but after a beat, he swivels around to look at Yuu. "I never knew you had a hobby for repairing vehicles."
"Thanks!" Sitting up, Yuu brushed dirt off their palms, clambering to their feet. "That's Deuce's, actually—I offered to help him with a small issue in exchange for borrowing it. Fixing a Magiwheel is undoubtedly different from fixing a toaster, but I like to think that my experience with appliances paid off."
"Indeed, your mastery over various appliances is laudable. Briar Valley is largely sustained by magic, though its modes of transport are little... Mirror-portals are common, back there, and... "
It seemed that Malleus was about to go off on one of his rambling tangents, and Yuu spoke up before they would end up standing there for an entire hour. Now that they weren't staring at the sky, the sensation of their shirt plastered to their skin felt acutely uncomfortable.
"I hate to interrupt, but do you want to come in and sit down? Mostly because I need to take a shower before I go anywhere else."
Then, "right! You were coming over for tea! That's why you arrived so early!"
Thankfully, Malleus looked more amused than miffed. "I will take you up on that offer," he said, and the two of them crunched their way to the Ramshackle door. It should—and used to be—concerning that Yuu didn't carry a key on their person, nor bother to lock the door when they went out, but only their friends came by, anyway.
In their opinion, it was more concerning how students could easily stroll into other dormitories. They briefly wondered if this was another one of Crowley's ways of cutting costs by slacking off in the security department, and came to the conclusion that students would probably just duel it out in the event of any disturbance. Despite fighting with magic being banned, there had been an awful lot of it since Yuu's time at Night Raven College.
"I'll be really quick," said Yuu, making their way down the hallway with Malleus in tow. "Grim's in, if you want to chat with him while I'm gone."
Grim was sitting on the dining table, paws fiddling with their shared phone. Despite Grim's one-track mind concerning food, Yuu suspected that he did remember their multiple warnings telling him not to sit on the table. They also suspected that the main reason Grim did it so often was because it made him feel tall, which, Yuu digressed, was understandable, and so they never mentioned that particular suspicion and made do with unsuccessful tuna rationing.
"You're finally back, Yuu!" cheered Grim, with zero inclination to move. "I finally managed to beat that level! It took me all afternoon, but the Great Grim doesn't give up!"
"The one with the Eldritch boss? I thought you were going to that the new event chain quest first." Yuu stayed in the doorway as Malleus went over to Grim and sat down, peering at the phone screen. "Also, I thought I just told you yesterday not to sit on the dining table... "
"I've gotta show Hornton the game! Where else am I supposed to stand?!"
"That's—you were on the table before we even came in," said Yuu, half-heartedly and not bothering to argue anymore. "I just don't want fur getting in our food."
"Lord Grim does not shed," sniffed Grim.
Yuu sighed. "Whatever. I'm going to shower. Don't get myopia."
When Yuu re-entered the kitchen, towel around their neck and wearing a T-shirt that Floyd had given them ("PROFESSIONAL RICE FRIER" stamped across the front in big block letters), Malleus was clutching their phone sideways, eyebrows furrowed and furiously mashing at the screen. Grim draped on his shoulder, surprisingly silent. Yuu took that to meant that Malleus was either doing so terrible that even Grim didn't have the heart to call him out on it, or that Grim was stunned into not speaking by Malleus' gaming skills.
It was an endearing sight, even slightly comical; one that Yuu wanted to take a photo of, except that their phone was the very device their two friends were so engrossed in.
"How's your gamer club initiation going," said Yuu, rounding the table to put the kettle on boil. "You've got shoulder privileges already, you sly old dog."
"You could also have shoulder privilege if you so wished," said a distracted Malleus, who was still tapping away.
Yuu's mind conjured the image of themself being thrown over Malleus' shoulder like a bag of cement. Somehow, they had the feeling that it had probably happened before, at least once, from the chaos and blacking out that happened way too many times for what was supposed to be a fun school activity. Or would he have levitated them in the air like a balloon? That sounded funnier, and more probable.
Ignorant to the bizarre imaginations going on inside Yuu's mind, Grim huffed, tail swishing in agitation. "Not a dog! And 'm not old either. Henchman, your metaphors are all wrong!"
"That's precisely why I enjoy using them." As the kettle behind them began to let out a series of crackling and popping noises characteristic of most Ramshackle appliances, Yuu flopped down into their seat with a yawn. "By the way, Grim, what's the battery percentage right now?"
"... fgnah," said Grim, and went limp.
There was a small stretch of silence in which Malleus continued to be engrossed in the phone, Grim who stayed silent in order not to create any more opportunities for Yuu to berate him, and Yuu themself, who was currently contemplating if this was what older relatives experienced at gatherings, where the younger ones buried their heads in their devices and refused to talk to them, despite only being able to see each other once or twice a year.
The kettle let out a whistling sound. It was not sharp, as characteristic of most normal kettles; instead, it was almost melodic, if you counted a middle-schooler's first attempt at Hot Cross Buns on a recorder as melodic. To spare it some slack, though, Yuu supposed that there was something impressive about a kettle being able to let out a continuous whistle of varying pitches.
As if the bizarre whistling was some sort of victory herald, Malleus finally dropped the phone onto the table. There was a clunk. "I did it," he smiled—no, beamed.
Yuu thanked the Seven that they were not holding Grim right now, because they would've squeezed him the same way one squeezed a ketchup bottle.
On his shoulder, Grim lifted his head, and wiggled out of shock. "Myah! You did do it!"
(If Yuu was holding Grim right now, they would've squeezed him the same way Floyd squeezed people, strength notwithstanding, but with similar effort.)
Yuu's fragile human mind (in the words of Sebek, who did have a rather biased viewpoint but accurate phrasing, including the legendary "arms so twiglike a noodle would mistake it as its long-lost cousin" that was now a practice cheer for the sports clubs, and, during one week, sparked rumours of Coach Vargas using said phrase in regard to a Pomefiore student) failed to comprehend the sudden switch of hearing a ghastly tune to seeing the sun—the moon in analogy would be more accurate—come out of the clouds, if said moon was accompanied by a bright-eyed and fluffy cat that was still so very cute despite the numerous dents it waged upon Yuu's wallet.
To cope with this sudden event, Yuu stood up and started making tea. Their mug was a pumpkin-shaped one that was a leftover at Sam's during last Halloween, with eyes that would glow when liquid was poured in. Grim's was a group effort, with Yuu and Ace teaming up at a pottery workshop to make a mug with cat ears on the handle and molded letters that read 'WORLD'S #1 MAGE'. Malleus wasn't a Ramshackle resident, but he came by frequently enough to have a mug of his own, a triangular grey one that he claimed to possess an 'interesting grip'.
When Yuu turned around, they found Malleus and Grim looking at them with a surprising—innocence? geniality?—similar to how students would sit with their backs straight and have their notes ans stationaries all ready on the table, in the hope that their teacher would at least be mildly appeased and not berate the class as harshly for slacking off on the recent exam.
Grim clamped down on the phone with his jaws and skittered off to the charging port. Malleus tried to look mildly curious of the content inside the mugs (it was always hot chocolate for nights and red tea for any other time; Yuu was budgeting).
"Many thanks," he said solemnly, as Yuu placed the mugs down on the table. "And apologies." Malleus inspected the depths of his tea with the same gravity as a ruler discovering poison planted by a close yet suspected courtier. "If serving boiling tea is your way of bestowing upon me a chance for atonement, I will gladly accept."
"You say that as if I don't have boiling tea in my mug as well," said Yuu, deadpan. "Apology accepted, by the way. What I want to know, is—are you a gamer now?"
Malleus leaned back. "A gamer? ... no, I cannot imagine myself being as passionate about games as Lilia and Shroud. That experience was enlightening—it truly requires both skill and reflex to keep up with such a level of intensity."
"Not all games are as fast-paced as that," said Yuu. "Now that I think about it, I can't see you being a meta-chaser at all, even if you do get into those types of games."
"'Meta-chaser'? I believe I've heard of that term before, but I cannot say that I am familiar with its meaning."
"It means people who, hmm... " Yuu tapped a foot. "There are characters in a game, that you spend currency to get, right? Some people get characters based on the personality or appearance of said character—basically, they get the character because they like them. And then there are some people who only get characters because they're particularly strong, but those players don't care for the characters themselves, not at all. The latter are called 'meta-chasers', because they only care for chasing the 'meta'."
Malleus adopted a pensive expression. "This is a genuine question, but... I was under the impression that progression was the main goal in most games?"
"Well, think of it this way." Yuu moved their mug away so that they could rest their elbows on the table. "You're on a quest to get stronger, to gain experience and collect weapons to defeat a powerful opponent. On your journey, you only make rapports with people who can be of some use to you—a blacksmith for weapons, a witch for enchantments, et cetera. Of course, there's nothing wrong with having an interest in someone purely for their abilities, but if you only care about what purpose a person can serve for you, wouldn't that make for a pretty miserable journey? You won't have any bonds or attachments that are genuine, because you never get to know the other party beyond your goals."
Then, because this conversation had taken a nosedive towards Philosophical Debate (Reserved For Tuesdays), Yuu cleared their throat and tacked on, "but it's just a game, and everyone can play it however they want to! I just think that it's quite inaccurate to claim that ranking among the top should take priority over how you yourself want to enjoy your experience. If some people genuinely have fun in doing that, then good for them! My issue is less with that perspective itself, but how it's been made the universal priority among not only players but companies too."
Malleus was silent. Yuu wondered if they had 1) broken him with information overload—unlikely because Malleus himself was prone to speaking long paragraphs of opinion upon opinion, but possible because this was probably new information to him—or 2) offended him—quite unlikely, yet possible if they had come off as judging people making the necessary ties to rule a country—or 3) confused him.
"I see," said Malleus at last. "Yes, I suppose it would be a waste of the painstaking effort put into storytelling and environment if players only focused on getting the highest numbers. For example, what distinguishes a gargoyle from ordinary aqueducts is its symbolism in historical periods and events, making them much more than a simple structure only meant for tangible function."
"Right!" Yuu said, relieved, and internally cheered. "Anyways, despite all that, I rarely play games myself—I just end up absorbing all that because lots of people I know are avid gamers. Grim's got loads of recommendations, though—our phone has tons of storage ever since Ignihyde upgraded it."
"That will have to wait," replied Malleus somberly. "I am still working on getting used to new-fangled electronics. Lilia does have a console, though, and he has considerable experience with it."
"I hope it goes well! Maybe one of these days, they'll invent a phone with a stronger resistance to unintentional magic interference."
At this point, Grim came skittering back and hopped up onto the table, nearly falling off the edge in his attempt to avoid knocking over the mug. Yuu had to hold him up by the scruff of his neck.
"Slow down, soldier! Also, the tea's still hot."
"Ffgweh," said Grim, and flopped facedown onto the table. "I can't wait for dinner."
"Yuu has served us boiling tea as punishment for our poor manners," Malleus informed Grim. "We must make haste to Heartslabyul to obtain decent tea."
Yuu poked Grim's back with a finger, to which he let out a squeak, but didn't move. "I do so adore your charming jokes, except when they're directed at me, which immediately renders them tasteless and terrible."
"Doesn't everyone," said Malleus, smugly.
Yuu resisted the urge to whack Malleus on his arm, or put his head into a noogie. Hanging around with someone for an extended period of time meant that you started to adopt some of their methods of expressing affection, and for Ace and Grim, it was randomly launching yourself at people (Deuce) knowing that they would drop whatever was in their hands to try but fail at catching you, ending up with both parties crashing to the floor.
It didn't help that Deuce himself tended to pat them on the shoulder or back during the rare heart-to-heart moments that their friend group had, with an awkward sincerity that made Yuu want to squeeze his cheeks like they did to Grim. Ace, with his long, octopus-like arms like a cartoon character trying to wrap their arms across the entire cast. And that Grim was—despite his magical abilities and yelling—still cat-shaped, furry, and a massive tsundere.
Yuu made a face. "I cannot believe you." Drawing their mug closer, Yuu hesitantly touched two fingers on the side of their mug, and deemed it an acceptable temperature. "Also, it's already been a while—yeah, the temperature's okay."
"Effervescent," said Malleus, and straightened up. "Awake, young Grim. Our tea is finally safe for consumption, and will not damage the sensory nerves."
Yuu squinted at him over the edge of their mug. "You know, I'm beginning to think that you talk that way on purpose, instead of needing to keep up appearances or from not knowing what contractions are."
Malleus smiled enigmatically. "Why, I am aware of a great amount of knowledge."
Grim finally lifted his head. "I need a nap," he said, echoing Yuu's thoughts, and padded across the table to his mug.
There was more comfortable silence, with the occasional clink and rattle from above. Sunlight through the windows streamed in, enkindling specks of dust caught in its trajectory.
From outside floated faint laughter, and a distant pitter-patter of running footsteps. The origins of Ramshackle was a constant mystery that dwelt in Yuu's mind: why were all the other dormitories located in the origin land of its patron Seven, while Ramshackle was housed within the Night Raven walls? Did Ramshackle have a patron figure, anyway? Its raven symbol was obviously tied to the school's name, and yet Yuu couldn't find anything about Ramshackle's history in the school library.
Where the forest began, a cluster of trees stood against a rectangle of yellowing sky, their silhouettes smudged with amber. Yuu stared, and wondered.
"Madol for your thoughts?"
Shifting their gaze to what was in front of them, Yuu found Grim lying flat on his back, asleep and snoring in puffs.
Yuu made a face. "My Magiwheel trip is going to have to wait until Sunday," they said, with exaggerated disappointment. Inbetween, Yuu tapped their fingers on the table, and sobered up. "... I hope to know the history behind Ramshackle one day. It's a work in progress, but I'm trying my best."
"I see," said Malleus. "Then I wish you the best, though you hardly need it." He paused, letting the silence to be filled in by Grim's snuffling, and Yuu drinking away their last mouthful of tea.
"Perhaps libraries and records outside of Night Raven College would lend some perspective—I did peruse the library at our school for information on Ramshackle, but little was said about its founding origins, with most cataloging on its fall into disrepair."
"Oh, you don't know much about that either? It's really quite curious, the more I think about it." Yuu bit their lip. "Night Raven College was established with the Seven in mind, with Ramshackle belonging to none of them. The raven motif must've been tied to some central theme in the founding, and the architectural style sets Ramshackle's construction in a similar period of time as the college's establishment. There's got to be something... what exactly, however, I've yet to know."
The conversation moved on, then, from inscrutable events of the past, to speculation about the theme for the upcoming winter festival, and an anecdote with Epel and Ruggie tag-teaming Leona, with Malleus offering Yuu a place at the Gargoyle Studies Club, again (it was a running joke), and Yuu showing Malleus photos of the Heartslabyul hedgehogs on their now fully-charged phone.
As the sky outside dimmed to a periwinkle shade, Yuu stood, gathering the mugs and placing them in the sink. Malleus also stood, pushing his chair in. There was still... an hour, at least, until the cafeteria was open for dinner, and they did want to take that Magiwheel out for a spin.
It was during these small moments that Yuu bemoaned only having one phone to share. It wasn't too bad at times, since that one time Yuu had torn Grim a new one for draining the battery with his gaming.
The memo pad was near the door, so Malleus ended up trailing Yuu down the hallway and back. "I'm going out too, so I'm leaving Grim a note," they explained, and stuck the note next to the asleep Grim. "I really should get him a phone... " added Yuu, more to themself than at Malleus.
"Ah, the vehicle," said Malleus, and this time the both of them did go to the front door with the intention of exiting it.
Yuu rounded a corner in search of the Magiwheel, a small spark of alarm flaring up in their mind—they'd forgotten to chain the Magiwheel to anything, and they didn't know for sure if it had anti-burglar enchantments. Fortunately, it was still there, propped up against the side of the house.
They turned around and saw Malleus there, and couldn't help but feel a little surprised. He hardly left as abruptly as he used to, but neither of them made a habit of dragging on goodbyes. Then Yuu remembered that Malleus was like a vampire, not because of his pale skin and height, or his love of ancient things, or his formal way of speaking; but in the way that he needed an explicit invitation for most things, even though they were already good enough friends that Yuu would come back from an errand to see Grim showing Malleus a terrible sitcom on the sputtering television, and during his walks, Malleus would sometimes get accosted by an enthusiastic Yuu, dashing across the grass with a strange new snack from the Mostro menu.
"Actually," said Yuu, "do you also want to hop on? I promise the fuel's all filled up, so we won't start falling into thin air all of a sudden."
"Oh," said Malleus, slightly surprised, as if he wasn't the one unconsciously radiating puppy-eyed vibes. "Well, I am powerful enough to catch both of us and fly back to campus if the worst happens."
"And the Magiwheel."
"And the Magiwheel," agreed Malleus.
Yuu rolled the Magiwheel away from Ramshackle and towards the direction of the forest. They'd only been on one twice, and both times had been Deuce driving, with Ace and Yuu and Grim somehow managing to all fit and not fall down. Yuu had gotten claw marks on their shoulder from Grim trying to hold on for dear life.
Crunch. Crunch. Footsteps on rock beneath dirt beneath grass. Soon, they'll be in the sky.
When they were a sufficient distance away, Yuu knelt down to test the engine. It rumbled loudly, at first, but quieted down to a steady humming. They swung a leg over the seat, running their fingers across the controls, the blinking blue panel and the sleek metallic handles and the numerous switches that claimed to shoot sparks and confetti and—well, those ones Yuu wasn't going to touch.
Malleus approached the Magiwheel the same way one would approach a skittish horse. The comparison made Yuu feel slightly better about the possibility of crashing to their death, because there was at least one other person as apprehensive about this as they were.
"Just position your arms the same way you'd hug a column," said Yuu, recalling their first Magiwheel trip when there was that initial awkwardness about having to place their hands on a friend's waist, but having any hesitation vanish the moment they'd gotten in the air, and instead had the continuous thought of Sevens am I going to slip I regret this I regret everything what the hell and then calming down when the ascent had finally stopped, with the breeze coursing along in currents and the sky opening up before them.
"I see," said Malleus, and did just that.
The thought of getting helmets flickered into their mind, but Yuu dismissed it after a beat. Falling from several hundred meters would not be salvageable by the presence of helmets, even if they were enchanted.
They pressed down on the handle, slowly; the Magiwheel thrummed louder and started levitating—the panel ticking one, two, three, five, ten meters—Yuu jerked their head up, and set their eyes on the edge of the forest, where sunlight slathered the roofs of tiny, scattered houses in honey.
"I'm not going to crash," said Yuu to themself. Behind them, Malleus laughed.
"No, you aren't," he said, and part of Yuu's nerves were replaced by mild exasperation.
"Deuce is going to kill me if I crash his Magiwheel," said Yuu grimly, as the Magiwheel continued its ascent, thrumming louder as it did so. "After crying and lamenting our brotherhood, he'll revive me to yell and then ban me from approaching Magiwheels within a one-mile radius."
Malleus laughed again. Yuu comforted themself by convincing their mind that Malleus was laughing out of nervousness, not amusement, and briefly entertained the idea of doing a sharp swerve later on, just to scare him. A little.
Finally, Yuu deemed it at an acceptable height, and they glided across the forest as if driving upon a glass highway.
"Forgot to tell you, but I'm planning to head towards the beach," they said, when the Magiwheel attained a mostly constant altitude. Yuu's shoulders relaxed, just slightly; they no longer felt as if they were suddenly about to let go of the handles. "Hardly any people go to visit it even on weekends—the view is plenty amazing on its own, but it's even better during sunset."
"I look forward to it."
"They always say that it's the best spot to visit with a Magiwheel, but no one ever says that it's more or less the only spot. There's not much to see on such a small island, to be honest."
They didn't notice it at first, but with some consternation Yuu realized, as the wind whipped across their bare arms, that they were probably supposed to fetch a jacket, at least, if not gloves and a helmet. A gust sliced past their cheek, and Yuu shivered at the sensation.
"Do you want to fly back to campus?"
"I can handle a little bit of wind," sighed Yuu. "Are you sure you're not the one feeling apprehensive of my Magiwheel skills."
"No need," Malleus said, and they could hear the smile in his voice. "I trust you."
"Hm," said Yuu, temporarily caught off guard. Then, with a feigned casualness, "thanks for trusting me. I'm still not joining your club, by the way."
"One of these days. You are in no club yet, after all."
"Who knows? Maybe I'll end up starting a Grotesque Studies Club."
"You wouldn't," said Malleus, sounding almost offended. "I have long since removed all of them from the school premises."
This time it was Yuu's turn to laugh. "I can actually imagine that," they grinned. "No, I'm not going to establish a new club. It's way more fun to crash yours and try to assign classmates to the gargoyles. That chimera on the east block, for example, reminds me of Grim."
"Truly?"
"I genuinely mean it! You see the resemblance, don't you? It's what you see seconds before Grim launches himself at the face of whoever's trying to steal his food—bared fangs and outstretched paws and all." Yuu paused. "I think he actually did launch himself at Crowley's face that one time a few months ago."
Malleus didn't reply. Yuu took the silence to mean that he was trying not to laugh out loud, which was a fruitless endeavor, because they could feel his arms shaking; and it wasn't from fear. Regrettably.
Wordlessly, they leaned forward, stepping down on the pedal. Numbers on the panel twinkled blue as they rose, engine-song loudening to a crescendo. The Magiwheel shot forward, trailing smoke and heat and unheard laughter—a star shooting towards the horizon, where light melted into water, color into color.