We Shadows

Chapter 23: falling and an egg drop

"Levi always came first," she said. "I mean, not when I was holed up in my papa's berth, but before when I was department head and now. I'm fighting with Dashiell because I hated how they treated Levi like some sort of magical key with answers to all their problems. And I'm using my influence to change that. But it's hard, Tyson. I work long hours on projects that aren't even mine because I have a lot of lost ground to make up. I have a lot of work to do. I had hoped to share it with Levi since he was congress, but he never had any interest, and now he's not even the archives head anymore."

"Harper told me," Tyson nodded. "I'm not sure what to say, Dylan. I think what you've been doing for the base is amazing. I know I wasn't here for Landing Day or the aftermath, but it seems to me that you are doing your best to make up for it."

She smiled. "Merci, Tyson. That means a lot." She reached for another cookie and took a bite. "These are delicious by the way."

"Marcus's recipe," he said. "There are days that I get very uncomfortable wearing a dead man's clothes, living in his home, baking with his partner. Today is one of those days."

"You handle it very well," Dylan told him. "I would have never guessed."

"I don't have much of a choice," he pointed out.

"You could recycle his clothes and print your own," she countered. "You could have stayed with your parents and avoided Alcott. I'm glad you didn't; you would have been sucked into the other side of this political mess, and we probably wouldn't have become friends."

"I am glad too," he replied, giving Dylan a smile. "And I think you need to come to the baskets game anyway."

"Ugh, Tyson," she groaned. "I just want to curl up in bed and be miserable for a day. I don't want to deal with people."

"Yes, but you said you were done with that," he answered. "You have some social capital with the older generation, the people in charge, but what about your peers? You don't hang out with people."

Dylan rolled her eyes and grumbled.

"And we should eat lunch," Tyson continued. "Because I'm going to be hungry in the middle of this baskets game and it's going to throw me off."

"Are you sure you're not looking for an excuse?" Dylan laughed and moved around him to the kitchen. "What do we want to eat? Something with garlic?"

"Oh no, we're going to be in too close proximity to others," Tyson joked. "Something nice and boring is fine."

"There's some celery," she offered. "Levi brought it home and decided he didn't like it. It's crunch and boring?"

"That's because celery needs peanut butter and raisins and we have neither here," Tyson agreed. "Oh, if you print some noodles and have an egg or two, I can make egg drop soup. That calls for celery."

Dylan pulled the ingredients out that he requested and set them on the counter, but before he could get started, she gave Tyson an unexpected hug. He paused and then wrapped his arms around her shoulders.

"Merci, Tyson," Dylan sighed. "You could have shrugged and left me alone after I called, and you didn't. I needed a friend today."

"Anytime, Dylan," he told her. "I know your life is tremendously complicated, and I want you to know that I'll be here any time you need me to be."

Tyson realized that he truly did mean what he said. He was fascinated with Dylan and her strength and her need to prove herself, not just to the members of the base, but her own self. More than that, he was definitely falling for her, a forbidden relationship given the base's rules on partners. He released Dylan from the hug and busied himself with cooking, wishing that this place let people be with who they wanted. Not that dating was a possible thing anyway, there was nowhere to go that someone would see them, nothing they could do to petition congress. No reason at all to continue this train of thought. Tyson needed to put it aside and never think it again. It was just a crush.

"Why is it called egg drop soup?" Dylan inquired, touching his arm. "Do you really drop the egg?"

"Yeah, if you do it right, it cooks in ribbons," he explained, shaking his head to clear his thoughts. "Do you want to chop the celery? We only need a half a stalk, chopped finely."

"Of course," she replied.

But it was a little late to put the genie back in the bottle. He couldn't stop thinking about Dylan, and how he wished he could be the one supporting her instead of Levi who seemed to be distancing himself at every turn. Why? What was so wrong with wanting this place to be better? Surely Levi wasn't content with the status quo; that had been the same congress that made him department head.

Tyson resolved to talk to Alcott tonight. He needed to tell someone and would feel foolish talking to Keller. Alcott wouldn't judge him, he thought. After all, she had feelings for Levi, even if she didn't want to admit it.

"Everything all right?" Dylan inquired. "You got oddly quiet all of a sudden."

Tyson smiled at her. "Everything's fine," he promised.

___

Hearing the other side. Dylan and Levi are...not wrong about each other, but also not perfect at seeing the other side of the story. It's a little weird for me because I feel very biased (I won't say toward whom) and so making this an equal disagreement has been a struggle. 

Thanks for reading!