Late....and Mysterious

Drae leaned forward, tightening the last panel on the Argent Flinger. A small pile of finished beam arms sat neatly to his right, each fully reassembled, their polished crystal conduits gleaming under the overhead lamps.

He set the tool down, exhaling. "Four down," he muttered to himself, cracking his knuckles.

Wiping his hands on a rag, he moved over to the first hover bike. Its side panels were already off, internal stabilizers partially exposed. He adjusted his headlamp and bent closer, running a scanner slowly along the crystal conduit lines.

A faint rustle behind him made his ear twitch. He turned sharply, wrench already raised in one hand, muscles tense.

Standing in the shadowed doorway was Yven, frozen mid-step, eyes wide.

"Whoa! Whoa! It's just me!" Yven hissed, hands flying up.

Drae lowered the wrench, glaring. "You almost got a wrench to the skull. Why the hell are you sneaking around like that?"

Yven stepped forward quickly, placing a finger over his own lips. "Shhh! Keep it down! I don't need my old man hearing I just got here."

Drae's brows furrowed. "You took the hover on silent mode again?"

Yven gave a small, almost guilty nod. "Yeah. You know how he gets. Figured I'd just slip in."

Drae shook his head, muttering. "You'll be the death of me."

Without waiting for a response, Yven bolted off to the locker corner, tossing his jacket aside and slipping into his work overalls at record speed. He emerged moments later, rolling his shoulders and tying the last strap on his gloves.

"Alright," Yven said, moving over to the bike, "What's on deck?"

Drae pointed to the conduit lines. "Stabilizer's fried, coil sensors are throwing ghost signals, and the left-side intake's clogged. Check the nav linkage while I finish up the conduits."

"Got it," Yven replied, already sliding under the chassis, eyes narrowed in concentration.

They worked in near-sync Drae's scanner buzzed as he adjusted the crystalline filaments, Yven tugged at flex cables and swapped out burnt modules, their motions smooth and practiced.

As they moved over to the next hover bike, Drae paused, side-eyeing Yven as he pulled out a new set of tools.

"Where were you today, anyway?" Drae asked, voice casual but firm. "You're always late, sure… but today was something else."

Yven flinched at the question, his hands pausing mid-reach for a tool. A guilty, cheeky grin spread across his face as he turned slightly toward Drae.

"Ah... well, uh... my bike broke down," Yven stammered, scratching his head, eyes darting around. "Had to mess around with the intake valve. That's why I was... extra late today."

Drae's eyes narrowed instantly. "Your bike?" He leaned in slightly, voice flat. "We tuned that intake valve last week. You're telling me it just 'broke down' now?"

Yven hesitated, caught. Then he let out a low laugh, shrugging exaggeratedly. "Alright, alright… you got me. Actually, I found a new gig. Something big pays way better than anything we've touched here. Might even get me out of this endless drone work for good."

Drae's eyebrow shot up, skepticism and curiosity fighting for control across his face. "A new gig? Doing what exactly?"

Before Yven could open his mouth again, heavy footsteps approached behind them.

"Yven!"

Both turned sharply. Yven's father stood there, arms folded across his chest, eyes sharp as steel.

"You think you can stroll in whenever you feel like it?" he barked, stepping closer. "We run a workshop here, not a playground. You leave Drae alone with the full load again, and you think I won't notice?!"

Yven straightened immediately, hands up as if facing a wild creature. "I know, I know! I'm sorry, okay? We had... we had a lot of extra repairs lined up today. Got stuck in line waiting for parts, that's all."

His father snorted, eyes raking over him. "Excuses. Get back to work now. And don't make me repeat myself tomorrow."

"Yes, yes, understood," Yven mumbled quickly, nodding over and over.

The older man glared a second longer before turning and stalking back toward the far bay, muttering under his breath.

Yven exhaled in relief, shoulders sagging, wiping a faint sheen of sweat from his forehead. He grabbed a tool and bent over the half-finished bike, clearly trying to bury himself in the task.

Drae, standing next to him, shifted closer and elbowed him sharply in the ribs.

"Don't think I forgot," Drae said, low but pointed.

Yven let out a long, drawn-out sigh, head dropping forward slightly.