Debts To Be Settled

22

The dawn brings fresh yellow-white light into the room. People are starting their daily commutes, evidenced by the screeching car horns and the shouting for rationality. The knowledge that Madeleine and the other tailors will arrive soon softly dwells inside Tommy's chest, beating alongside his heartbeat. The darkness took Shadow Girl away earlier. Tommy would have been content to remain with Wilbur, but the brunette casually mentioned that there was the matter of his family. Although Shelby was telling the truth when she told Tommy about Wilbur's usual disappearing act, Wilbur still wanted them to know that he was alright. They were worriers, the whole lot of them, and Wilbur only left behind the promise to return soon when he took the stairs down to the first floor. After some distance, his heartbeat was gone, leaving Tommy alone on the second floor.

Tommy has never truly had a family. He's stayed in the same house as families before, obviously, but he has never been part of them. He doesn't know what it's like for someone to miss him. He doesn't know what it's like for someone to worry about his well being, especially after he assured them that he would be fine. Tommy distantly knows why Wilbur would want to see his family, but having never experienced it, Tommy feels his stomach drop at Wilbur's absence as if he doesn't understand, as if he's an ignorant child.

The thought sickens him. His only consolation is that he knows he would probably feel this cold loneliness regardless if he had a family or not. Wilbur has been missing for days, and it was all Tommy's fault. Without the assurance that he's alive and free, Tommy suddenly feels the same anxiety that has been plaguing him since the beginning of this whole ordeal. Things could have been a lot worse. Wilbur could have been held in less savory conditions. He could have been killed, either by the Syndicate or by the Binary Killer. In both cases, it would have been completely out of his control. Tommy would have to assume responsibility for the former, and hybrid traits are a genetic mystery. It's no one's fault for being born one.

It especially isn't Wilbur's fault. All Wilbur has ever been was kind and considerate. He's so full of life and energy, practically buzzing from friendliness. He is the brightest light Tommy has ever had. To see it stuffed out, for it to be Tommy's fault, Tommy doesn't know what he would do. Nothing good. He would probably try to fight the Syndicate himself, and he knows that is a horrible idea. Tommy doesn't stand a chance against a grunt, much less one of the named villains, but he would do anything for Wilbur's memory.

To distract himself from the misery and the shallow thoughts, Tommy stumbles to his feet. He feels exhausted, but he's far too wired to actually sleep. He could close his eyes on his mat, but the other tailors will be here soon. Tommy might as well pretend like he's working. Plus, the radio and the quiet bustle of his colleague's conversation relaxes Tommy. Another thing that relaxes him, strangely enough, is designing suits. Tommy doesn't want to pick apart that realization just yet. He simply accepts his newest hobby on a superficial level.

Tommy plops down at his desk. His chair rolls underneath him, trying to shove away from the desk. Tommy uses his feet and hands to drag him back to the desk. He opens the furthest drawer from him. A lone sketchbook rests inside the metal cage. It is the same sketchbook Phantasm brought Tommy to use for Nemesis' suit. Tommy has designated it for his suit designing, so he pulls it out. He flips open the cover while reaching for a pencil. He taps his thumb against the tip of the pencil, determining the sharpness. It is a little blunt, but Tommy prefers the thicker, grayer lines.

Tommy uses those lines to form the vague outline of a body. He hasn't studied Pulverize enough to remember his body type. Secret charms don't help him in the slightest, but he knows that Pulverize is a young adult with a fair bit of muscle on him. He is a little shorter than Tommy, but the blonde doesn't presently apply that fact.

Once the body type is done, Tommy gets to work on the actual design itself. Pulverize presents himself as someone incredibly tech savvy. More than that, he has proven this fact by carrying around all sorts of machines including a hoverboard and the wristwatch that summoned the hoverboard. Tommy takes the details from the machines to incorporate into the design. He forces himself to leave plenty of room for whatever additional machines he might want to have.