Ever opened their eyes to an unfamiliar wooden ceiling, shifting slightly on the uncomfortable surface, they continued to stare upward taking in the model bi-planes that hung from invisible strings as the events of yesterday came rushing back into their mind. 

Reaching up, Ever brushed their fingers over where their arm used to be, letting out a pained sigh. “Yep. Still gone.” Pushing themselves up, they swung their legs over the edge of the cot to look around the room, noticing the sleeping Tesla who had her back turned to the drifter. Ever used the lull of the early morning to take stock of the surroundings that they hadn’t had time to yesterday. The walls, like the rest of the building, were made of dark wood with copper piping running over the ceiling that led to a gas-powered space heater. The room, aside from its obvious aesthetic, looked like any normal person's room with clothes on the floor and posters on the walls. 

It seemed normal enough, at least until Ever noticed what was written on the aforementioned posters. They read like wartime propaganda saying things along the lines of: ‘Don’t be D.A.F.T side with F.A.D’ and ‘Report. Apprehend. Detain. Remember: It’s the right thing to do.’ There was even one that looked like a steampunk parody of those ‘We want you’ World War II posters, but instead of Uncle Sam, there was a rugged-looking man wearing an aviator hat and a pair of tinted goggles. He was pointing out of the poster and had a speech bubble that said, “D.A.F.T wants you for their Aviation division!”

Ever took in the posters that littered the walls and wondered if this was normal in this world. If it was normal for an adult to cover their walls with propaganda, that is.  But, then again, until about a day ago Ever had been a suicidal 29-year-old and really, they had no right to judge what people papered their walls with especially given how bare the walls of their own apartment had been. The longer they looked, the more they saw the same two acronyms over and over and over again. They seemed like organizations, but Ever didn’t have the slightest inkling of what kind they could even be. 

Ever suddenly noticed a poster in the corner near Tesla’s head that looked like a vintage airshow advertisement. It had a bi-plane parked with a pilot leaning against it and the words, ‘D.A.F.T’s Annual Aviation Extravaganza. Don’t miss out on the event.’ It was followed by the date that Ever didn’t recognize, and they wondered if it was current. Their curiosity only grew at what D.A.F.T and F.A.D were as a few more posters jumped out at them. 

Tesla suddenly began to stir, turning over in bed. Her eyes began fluttering open as she slowly pushed herself up. She stretched her arms over her head, and let out a large yawn before  her legs over the edge of the bed. 

The young woman ran a hand through her hair, smacking her lips together while scratching her back. “Ya been awake long?” 

Ever wasn’t sure how long they had been up and simply shook their head. 

Tesla let out another yawn. “That’s good.” Stretching her arms down to her toes, her back cracking as she did so. 

Ever looked at the posters, littered with the same two names over and over. 

Tesla sat back up, threading her fingers together and stretching them over her head as Ever asked. “Can I ask you a question?” 

Leaning back on her hands, Tesla mumbled. “Shoot.” 

She looked lazily at Ever, who was thinking about which words to use. “What are D.A.F.T and F.A.D?” 

Tesla’s eyes widened as she straightened up. She looked at them with an intensity Ever hadn’t thought she was capable of, and Ever nearly flinched as she practically growled. “Where did you hear those names?” 

Ever pointed at the posters behind Tesla. “On your posters. I just wanna know what they are.” 

Tesla’s body visibly relaxed as she scratched the back of her head, clearing her throat awkwardly. “So, you just wanna know what they are? Like that’s it?”

Ever nodded, glad that they seemed to be getting somewhere with this train of thought. “What are they? They sound like organizations but what kind are they? What do they do and why? And for what reason were–”   

Ever was cut off by Tesla as she raised her hands and laughed. “Whoa! One question at a time.” Taking a deep breath, Ever closed their eyes, trying to think of a way to get as much information with as few words as possible. 

Eventually, they settled on. “Are they organizations? And what if so, what are their functions?” 

Tesla raised a finger at Ever. “That’s two questions.” Ever let out a sigh as they pulled their hand over their face. 

They had to resist the urge to strangle Tesla. “Just answer the goddamned questions!” Ever growled and Tesla recoiled from the intensity or the words. ‘Good.’ Ever watched as Tesla swallowed as she ran an anxious hand through her hair. Growing ever impatient, they placed their hand in their lap leaning forward slightly. “Well, I’m waiting for my answer.” They kept their voice controlled because in their experience, a controlled and calm voice tended to be more intimidating than a loud and out-of-control one. 

Tesla shifted under Ever’s intense gaze, and she cleared her throat. “Well, they are organizations.” 

“And?” Ever narrowed their eyes at Tesla as if demanding an immediate, complete answer. 

Tesla avoided their eyes as she mumbled. “They, uh, they’re uh–”

Ever cut her off, impatient to get their answer. “Use your words.” 

The host furrowed her brow at Ever, and they quickly returned the gesture in kind. 

Ever opened their mouth to yell at Tesla to say something already when she beat them to the punch. 

“They have to do with Drifters. They help them.” Tesla’s voice was hesitant and she seemed to be trying to convince herself more then Ever.

Ever raised an eyebrow at Tesla. ‘Well, that’s not vague at all.’ A tense silence fell over them both.  Moments later, Ever watched as Tesla turned to look at the posters on her walls looking…Unsure? Uncertain? Un-something for sure. It was watching Tesla frown up at the worn posters that Ever began to wonder if what Tesla had said was true and that the two groups really were there to help. They let out a sigh. ‘I’ll figure it all out eventually.’ 

Tesla ran a hand through her hair as a voice called out. “Wake up or miss breakfast!” It was muffled to the point that Ever couldn’t tell who was speaking. 

Tesla stood up, causing the bed to squeak at the sudden movement. “We should probably get down there. She’s serious ‘bout the no breakfast thing.” Just then, Ever’s stomach spoke up, protesting its emptiness with gusto. 

Placing their hand over their stomach, Ever muttered. “Yeah. Breakfast sounds good.” Tesla walked over to Ever, turning her back to them and crouching down. Ever quirked a brow at Tesla. “What are you doing?”

Tesla looked over her shoulder. “I’mma carry you downstairs. Easier that way.” Ever nodded, wrapping their arm around Tesla's neck and letting her pull them up onto her back. Tesla gripped their thighs, hoisting them up higher on her back, and Ever wrapped their legs tightly around Tesla’s waist as she opened the door. 

The trek downstairs was, thankfully, uneventful and when they entered the kitchen, Ever’s nose was assaulted by the wonderful scent of: “Pancakes.” 

The smell made their mouth water and their stomach growl as Tesla set them down carefully on a chair. Ever searched for the source of the smell, finding it at the stove, where Jax was currently cooking up a storm. There was a plate stacked with pancakes and another stacked with what looked like Canadian bacon. As they stared at the food, their stomach growled loud enough that they felt the need to apologize. 

Tesla simply laughed and smiled. “Don’t worry ‘bout it. I’ll make you a plate.” Ever watched as she picked up a plate from the stack and pile it high with pancakes and bacon. Tesla placed it in front of Ever before pulling a fork and knife from a cylindrical container and setting them next to the plate with a smile. “Dig in. If you don’ finish it, give it to me. Matron Julia doesn’t like leftovers.” 

Ever nodded as they awkwardly picked up the fork and stabbed one of the pancakes. Attempting to be careful, they leaned forward though ended up struggling to maneuver the food into their mouth. As they tore off a chunk, Ever leaned back up to find two pairs of curious eyes staring at them. They chewed slowly before attempting to speak around their mouthful of food. “What? It’s hard to eat pancakes with one hand.” Ever choked down their food as Tesla stood up. They watched as one of their hosts moved over to where they sat before taking the fork from them. Pairing this with the nearby knife, Ever watched as Tesla cut up their pancakes. 

Tesla handed the fork back to Ever after she finished cutting them up. “There, that should be easier.” She said curtly, obviously not in the mood to be a caretaker. 

Ever quickly stabbed several pieces of pancake, shoving them into their mouth. They began chewing and swallowing as fast as they could before shoving in one mouthful after another. Soon, all that was left was the slices of bacon, and Ever didn’t waste time in devouring them as well. They pushed their plate forward and mumbled around a mouthful of food. “More please.” Ever watched as Tesla and Jax exchanged looks, perplexed at their responses. “What?” 

Tesla scratched the back of her head and muttered. “We don’t normally do seconds ‘round here but, hey, if yer still hungry, we can get somethin’ to eat in town. How’s that sound?” 

Ever looked at Tesla tilting their head in confusion. “In town?” 

“Oh right, I never told you. Matron Julia said I hav’ta bring you into town to get ya fitted for fakes and new clothes. Mine are too big and, even if they weren’t, there’s not enough of ‘em fer both of us.” Tesla smiled and Ever looked down at the clothes on their person to see that, yes, they were much too big for them. They hung loosely on their body, and Ever was suddenly very aware that they were very close to showing their breasts to the two people in front of them. 

Ever grabbed a fistful of fabric, pulling it up their chest, their face flushing. Suddenly, Ever processed what Tesla had said before her comment about their clothes. “Fakes?” 

Tesla pointed at her arm and said. “For yer arm ‘n leg. So, you can walk on your own.” 

Ever looked over at their lack of an arm and mused to themselves. ‘That does seem like a good idea.’