Past In Sips

After Zephyr took Audra's feedback and tested the VR machine, he went back to work. There was no way it'd be fixed before tomorrow, so the delivery was delayed until the day after that. She'd tried apologizing, but he kept insisting that there was nothing to apologize for. Rather, he thanked her for saving him the trouble of hooking in.

Now with nothing left to do while Zephyr troubleshot pod's software, Audra distracted herself from her thoughts by looking at other projects Zephyr had finished.

Some were interesting, like a small drone that could play string instruments, and others were just weird, like an ancient tube TV that was modded to project a simulated terrarium inside. She didn't know who would want that, but hey, the world was a strange place with stranger people. Besides, anything was more pleasant than getting stuck with her own thoughts and body issues again.

Before Audra knew it, it was evening, and the temperature dropped. Zephyr had gone off to take a shower, and she'd just finished putting away a few of the tools and spare parts that littered the workshop.

The last storage cabinet closed with a solid click, lit by the fading sun filtering in. The sound of the shower streamed in the background.

Her stomach grumbled as she patted the case.

Even though they'd already eaten a combined lunch-dinner—this time a pesto pasta—her body still demanded more. like a furnace that needed fuel.

Maybe she could make something light for herself and Zeph—just enough to calm her appetite. Something liquid would probably do, maybe a hot chocolate. She could even make a s'more to dunk it in if he had the ingredients for it.

After a quick search, she found the box of hot chocolate packets she'd spotted earlier and grabbed two mugs from the back of the cabinet. The first was a pink one with a 'C' on it. The other was emblazoned with 'I need no weapon; I AM the weapon!' in large, bold letters.

It was probably a quote from some old web series or movie that she didn't recognize. Either that, or someone had a high opinion of themselves.

Audra chuckled as she imagined Zephyr walking around the workshop with the mug and set it down next to the sink.

While the kettled warmed, Audra gathered the rest of the ingredients she needed from the small pantry. She laid out a few marshmallows and a couple of chocolate bars on a plate. Both of them seemed to be rather old, but she didn't mind too much. Sugar was sugar, and it always tasted good.

By the time Zephyr walked in, Audra was finishing making both of their drinks. A chocolatey sweetness wafted from the steaming mugs. She felt a little proud, especially when Zeph stopped and gave them a curious look.

"Looks like you've been busy."

"Hey Zeph, and yep. I made some hot chocolate for us."

"I see."

He stared at the held-out mug before taking it gingerly.

"…Thanks. I was actually about to make a pot of coffee, but I guess this'll do."

She graciously took his gratitude and angled a s'more into her mug just as he took a seat.

"I see you found the marshmallows too… Hold on, are you dunking a s'more in hot chocolate?"

Half of it had already disappeared down her gullet before he could finish. She flashed a thumbs-up and stuck her tongue slightly out.

"Yep yep! Tastes great. You can have one too if you'd like. Got all the ingredients right here~"

"Erm, that sounds way too sweet. I don't know if my teeth would survive such a sugar bomb."

Audra rolled her eyes at his health consciousness. "You just don't have the palate to appreciate it."

"Maybe not." He sighed in response, taking a sip from his mug.

The pair drank in a comfortable silence for a bit, enjoying the warmth of the beverages and the soft sounds of the night filtering in through the window. However, Audra noticed Zephyr continued to stare a lot at the mug she'd chosen for him.

"What's with that look? Something happen with the mug?"

"Hm? Are you talking to me?"

"Obviously. You've been staring at it like some philosopher."

His gaze shifted toward the darkened skyline.

"I'm just surprised that you chose this mug. I haven't uh, used this one in a while."

"Makes sense with how far back in the cabinet it was. I just saw it and thought it was funny."

Audra took a bite from another half-dunked s'more and gave it a thoughtful chew.

"What's up with the quote by the way? I don't recognize it from anywhere."

"…" Zephyr stare transitioned into some kind of indecipherable expression.

"It's a reference to an old movie from the mid twenty-first century. The character that said that was a scientist turned genetically enhanced supersoldier. It's pretty dumb, but… someone I really cared for loved that line. Said I resembled the guy in some ways."

Audra squirmed in her seat, uncomfortable at the sudden melancholic shift. She'd expected something funny—like a lighthearted quip or an embarrassing story. Not… whatever this was.

"Sorry, didn't mean to bring up bad memories."

"Hey, it's fine. And they're not bad memories. They're just… old ones." A light smile phased in and out of existence.

The reassurance didn't make her feel much better. Guilt sunk her further into her seat, something that Zephyr immediately noticed.

His gaze flickered between her and his mug.

"…I miss my wife."

Audra nearly did a spit take as the pieces fell into place. Wife?!

"C-crap! That's uh—I'm so sorry."

"Nono, that's not what I—Look, it's fine. It's good to think of her from time to time—second best way to keep someone immortal after all. She was a wonderful woman. Always bright, cheerful, and full of life. I… didn't deserve her. She was the kind of person that made you feel special—like you meant something to this world. Had that effect on everyone, not just me."

After getting the last of cocoa out of her windpipe, Audra collapsed her head onto her arms. Was that why he always spaced out? He was remembering her?

"I'm still super sorry. Losing someone close to you… that really sucks."

"Like I said, it's fine. She passed away a long, long time ago."

Audra squirmed in her seat, mentally kicking herself for doing this to Zeph. He just continued with a sigh and half-glazed over expression.

"Used to think she would live forever. But life has a way of reminding you just how fragile everything is. I was too focused on some 'bigger picture' to notice what was happening right in front of me. Before I knew it, I'd lost everything important."

A heavy silence hung between them before he broke it with a weak laugh.

"I'm sorry for rambling. I'm sure this is all boring to you. Or, as the kids might say, 'Overshare much?'"

"N-no, not at all! In fact, I'm honored."

He seemed surprised but waved her off with a light smile.

"I can tell when you're just being polite."

"I swear I'm not. Thanks for telling me, seriously. I'm a sucker for stories. It's just… nice to know I guess."

"Stories, huh? What kind of stories?"

"Just about anything really. I've always had a thing for history and stuff."

"Would you be interested in a slightly brighter story then?"

Audra ears perked up at the offer, stiffening slightly. His eyes were softer now, still lost but clearly genuine. The old man's melancholy had brightened into a bittersweet mellow.

"Oh… Um, sure."

She tried to stop herself from drawing any more comparisons to her dad.

"In that case, I'll tell you some things from my childhood. How about… when I tried building my own Mjolnir?"

The name stirred something in her too.

"…Mio-what now?"

"Mjolnir. You know, the hammer of Thor?"

That immediately made her remember. She remembered seeing comics of the superhero in the antique shop. Her mom had loved to read them, and she'd always thought lightning powers were pretty damn cool.

"I'll bite. How did you do it?"

"Drilled a hole through some scrap, welded a steel pipe inside to act as a handle, then wrapped the pipe in electrical tape with battery packs jammed inside. For the finishing touch, I slapped on a circuit board and a switch, then wired it all up."

Audra put together a mental image in her head as Zeph described it. To her, the entire thing looked janky yet surprisingly promising.

"Did you test it out? What happened?"

"Of course I did! But uh, didn't go so well. All I got was a fire in my grandparent's workshop and a trip to the ER."

Audra went silent as that triumphant image disintegrated from her head.

Zephyr took a sip from his 'weapon' mug.

"What? I never said I was successful."