Chapter Text
"You're not coming."
Vi's voice was stern and unyielding. Powder looked up at her sister in hurt disbelief. This was the most important mission they could ever go on, saving Vander, saving their dad, being heroes. She was old enough to come on jobs and this was more than just a job, this was family. She would have gone if it had been Claggor or even Mylo much less the only man she'd ever remembered as a father.
"I'm not afraid!" she protested.
"Look, Powder. I need you to stay with Little Man. He can't be alone right now, not after he saw everything with Benzo." Vi's face remained stern but her eyes took on a haunted look.
The gears turned in Powder's head. This wasn't about punishment for her jinxing things on the last job, it's about Ekko. Her best friend Ekko who was the only one who understood her love of inventing no matter how often things didn't work. Her friend whose mentor died as her own father was kidnapped. Powder's frustration and anger subsided in an instant, leaving the young girl limp and unsure without her earlier confidence. Suddenly her earlier priorities in packing felt amiss. She set down her bag while speaking.
"How bad is he?" Powder asked.
"Bad, Pow-Pow." Vi let out a shaky breath and placed her hands on Powder's shoulders to ensure she'd keep her attention on what she was saying.
"Benzo was that he had, just like you're all I have. He needs someone with him, especially if the guys who took Vander come back for more," she paused to stroke her sister's face, "He knows their faces, and you know your gadgets. I need you to keep each other safe."
It only then seemed to occur to Violet what had been obvious to Powder, that Ekko hadn't followed her back to The Last Drop. If Powder's job was to stick with Ekko, she'd have to go out and find him. Every moment here was letting Vander's abductors get more time to continue with their plans. Vi was going to have to trust her sister to go out and bring him back alone. Powder understood how big of a job this was and if her sister tried to double back now it would break something between them. Vi grimaced at the footsteps of Mylo and Claggor on the stairs, then quickly crossed the room and grabbed a metal canister.
"Take this flare in case of anything, and I promise I will find you," Vi held Powder's hair and gently touched their foreheads together.
"I will Vi. I will." Powder repeated, nodding as her siblings walked out of their shared room. She examined the canister in her hands and toed the bag at her feet. She definitely needed to start repacking. The smallest of Vander's children turned and dumped out the contents of her bag on the bed, replacing things as needed. First a blanket from her bed, then a bottle of juice from upstairs, and finally she put Vi's flare on top for easy reach. Powder barely noticed her ducking out of the bar, privately mapping out the route to Benzo's. It was where Vi had last talked to Ekko and the first place she should check.
Up and over rooftop pathways the blue haired girl clambered her way to Ekko's window above the shop. He had shown her his private workspace a couple of times, but getting anything out of there for their adventures was cumbersome, leading to them simply playing in the tunnels. It was clean up there, neat and carefully curated. The smell of oil and metal shavings was the only commonality between it and her own corner of the bedroom below The Last Drop. Ekko always made it feel like a private paradise in the undercity for curious minds and part of her still held to those cheerful memories.
The smell of dead bodies in front of Benzo's shop managed to float up from the ground, coupled with the heavy stink of blood chased away any pleasant emotions about the excursion. Powder willed herself to remember Vi's first real warnings that she could remember, don't look, just keep moving. She jumped to the window ledged and peered in to the lightless room. A sinking feeling entered her chest. What if she was looking in the wrong place? It was dark and Ekko wouldn't want to be in a building that's lower floors still reeked of blood. Powder pushed past the glass and into the shadow filled room, just to check and make sure. She stood there, squeezing the straps of her bag nervously in the shadow filled room wondering if she should turn around for several minutes.
"Powder?"
Ekko's sniffling voice came from the bottom of a corner filled with topside items to big to be easily displayed in the cases downstairs but not quite big enough to be called furniture and have other items placed atop them. Powder finally exhaled. She wormed her way through the piles on her hands and knees until she reached Ekko. His eyes were red from crying and all his trademark bravado had disappeared like sand from a broken hour glass. Powder threw herself into a hug, despite his knees being in the way and his fists being balled in front of him.
His body was still shaking. Powder realized that this must be what happened to Ekko when he had an episode like hers, and subsequently loosened her grip to be no longer strangling. She peeked up at him. Ekko's episode seemed different; he hadn't hugged her back, or even move into a less awkward position though it'd already been a full minute. His first thought had been to go to the smallest space possible where he could curl up away from everyone else and shut everything out. Powder reasoned he'd need time to fully come back to the place he went in his mind. Until then...
"I'm here." Powder's voice muffled from her chin being dug into his shoulder.