Chapter 179: Two Days Without Her Little Humming Box

Dove looked at the marked street, then at the cooling unit on their cart. "I would like the record to show that I bought this before the universe decided to take it personally."

The maintenance worker gave her an apologetic smile. Repairs needed the section shut down safely, and the timetable could change if the crew found more damage. The district could offer collection points for drinking water and limited shared charging. It couldn’t promise every shop a private supply.

"Can we use our charging visits in A during that time?" she asked.

He said yes if the equipment passed inspection and the station confirmed the schedule. That was useful. She wrote it down, then asked which part of their charging plan would still work if the repair ran late.

The mechanic checked their unit later that morning. He found no obvious fault in the cord or repaired fan, but reminded her that running equipment needed a suitable supply and attention. Dove kept the note with the cord, relieved that at least the thing itself wasn’t broken.

Back home, Dove opened Sprout’s equipment shelf. "Two days without the wall socket. What can I actually use to keep our food cold?"

It showed the available purchases. She made it return to the power requirements instead of the cheerful pictures. None of the listed options promised what she needed.

"Then stop showing me things I’d need electricity to enjoy," she told it, closing the menu. She pulled their pantry list closer. They could eat rice, canned meat, and beans, buy fresh food for that day, and sell hot stock while it was hot. She wasn’t spending her savings on something that would sit beside the cooler doing fuck all.

Thorne examined the new awning pieces in the yard while Edrik helped Dove move the most heat-sensitive ordinary goods away from the front window. Nothing spoiled just because the lights went out, but she didn’t intend to wait until a problem smelled bad before noticing it.

"We could take the charging trip together," Thorne suggested. "Bring the things that need it and use the time to see the mechanic about the vehicle."

Dove looked at him. "You just volunteered to look at the motorhome again."

"I volunteered to find out whether it deserves that expression on your face."

Edrik approved so openly that Thorne pointed a fitting at him. "You agree with every expensive idea she has. Name one you’ve turned down."

Edrik considered that with the seriousness of a man about to make himself everybody else’s problem.

"Letting her carry the heavy end of this thing."

Dove planted herself between them with the empty packing cloth. "A stunning debate. Move over so I can do a job that doesn’t involve listening to it."

Dove stood across the rear yard to check the angle while they fitted the awning over the outdoor table. Thorne used his power to curve the existing metal fitting around its support. Edrik kept it reinforced beneath his palm as Thorne tightened the fastener. They released both powers and tested the ordinary supports before opening the cloth.

Thorne tried the remaining loose fitting afterward, shaping it without squeezing the hole shut. Edrik practiced holding reinforcement for the count they had agreed, then stopped to eat instead of pushing through fatigue. Dove moved their food into the shade. Practice was easier to encourage when it ended with both men sitting beside her.

By noon, the outdoor counter sat in proper shade. She set out a sample jug, then filled her own bottle from their household supply. The sale stock could stay behind glass until somebody paid for it.

Three jugs sold to workers carrying water between buildings. One customer returned with his friend, who wanted to trade more than she had available. Dove took his name and said she could tell him if similar stock appeared again. She didn’t promise tomorrow’s inventory merely because a sale sounded good.

The day’s sixty-two normal coins and her exercise reward would help rebuild what the shelf had cost. Favor came through surprised customers, laughter at her husbands’ argument, and affection she chose rather than performed for the counter. She kept the notifications quiet until there was a pause to check them.

After lunch, Edrik asked whether she wanted another short lesson. Dove nearly said no because she was warm and tired. Then she asked for five slow minutes instead of pretending the choice was between becoming a warrior and doing nothing.

He accepted. They worked in the shade behind the shop, with the cart moved out of the way and Thorne watching her lesson from the doorway. The sold-out cabinet stayed closed. Dove practiced keeping enough space to move before trying to escape a grip. When she rushed, Edrik stopped her. When she got it right, he told her exactly what had worked.

"You don’t have to look pleased every time I annoy you," she said.

"You’re making it difficult," he said, watching her try again. "Especially when you keep getting better."

She kissed his cheek at the end and went inside for water. Her body felt like hers in a way it hadn’t when every lesson began with fear. She still couldn’t beat either husband. She could notice an opening and trust her feet a little more.

When Thorne came to check on the lesson, Dove showed him the movement slowly, with his grip loose enough for practice. On her second try she stepped cleanly away, looked down at the distance she had made, and grinned. She had done that without either of them putting her feet in the right place.

"Keep that last step," Edrik told her. Thorne rubbed his thumb over her wrist and said he’d prefer she never needed it.

"So would I, but I’d rather surprise the next asshole." She offered Edrik her hand again. "One more, before I decide sitting down sounds better."

That afternoon Iris confirmed a charging visit for the next day and a paid mechanic’s inspection afterward if Dove still wanted it. Dove agreed to the stated cost in trade goods, set those goods aside, and made sure they weren’t also counted as food for the week.

She closed early enough to sit under the awning with both men and eat dinner while the street cooled. Their food was hot, the portions generous, and the shade was something they had made together from a trip that might otherwise have ended as another wish she couldn’t afford.

Thorne’s hand rested on her knee. Edrik sat close enough that she could lean against his shoulder. Dove watched the first evening customers pass and let herself imagine a road that ended somewhere she had chosen.

Sprout closed the day at one thousand and ninety-eight normal coins and fifty Favor, with no unsold daily jugs left to keep or return. Dove put the tally away and reached for another piece of bread.

Then the familiar Pump Depot carrier appeared at the corner, his repaired pouch held close as he searched the shopfronts.

Ash had written again, and this time the carrier was carrying a second sheet with several signatures beneath it.