With tears welling in her eyes, the young girl furiously dissected the machinery. She was swift and calculated, but her emotions made her movements messy, sloppy. The realization made her bite her lip, and move quicker, though.
When it was finally done she choked out a sob. She hadn't realized she was holding her breath this whole time. "Shocker" she giggled to herself.
Pink, green and blue haze clouded her peripheral vision as she worked.
The giggle turned to hiccups and hiccups turned to laughing and singing as she drew.
She drew and she drew and she drew some more until the creaking of the pipes overhead made her thirsty, and she finally got up. The pages she had been so curiously working on were released from her grip and fanned out across her makeshift worktable.
The tears were now nothing but streaks to tell the tales of ghosts, and now that it had mixed with the healthy cover of mud and grime on her face, it made no difference to her now. She liked it. An accessory.
She smiled to herself, catching her own reflection in the distortion of the tubes expanding her workshop.
As she passed a heap of what anyone else might consider junk, she picked up the small music box she had held on to from her past.
It was one of the only things that Jinx let Powder keep.
And as she wound up the tune it felt almost as if Powder was the one turning the knob. Her now aged and slender fingers had morphed into childlike hands, soft and fresh with cuts and soft bruises that came with being adventurous, and unafraid of fear. The hands of her youth came to her often. Mostly in nightmares, and although this moment felt like a dream, she was unsettled deeply.
"No..."
"It's only been colors lately"
Her scared voice reminded her of childhood so much, and now anger had began to shoot through her. Intense dread filled her stomach with aching agony.
She wanted to run from the sound of the music about to play, the music she had just anticipated eagerly.
She dropped the music box as if it were not one of her most secret prized possessions, and walked away from her pile, convincing herself that she was bored instead.
(OH MY GODDDDD!)
She had plans! Why was she wasting time?!
She tipped an invisible hat to her invisible alter ego and grabbed her favorite utility belt.
She had scavenging to go do.