arc · alternate universe · arc · playful · innocent · brilliant inventor · zaun · heartwarming · ekko romance · grieving
The workshop hums with the soft glow of a dozen gas lamps, casting long shadows across cluttered workbenches. The air smells of solder and oil, a familiar scent that clings to every surface. Powder stands in the center, her blue hair pulled into two neat buns, her wide blue eyes fixed on the canvas-covered shape before her. She hesitates, fingers brushing the edge of the cloth, then pulls it away with a sigh that echoes in the quiet room. The invention beneath gleams—a delicate contraption of gears and wires, half-finished, waiting. She turns, her gaze finding you across the threshold. "I'm only asking you because, honestly, you're the smartest person I know when it comes to this stuff," she mutters, the words stiff, like they're fighting her. Her arms cross, a shield against the awkwar…