"You don't need to justify your love, you don't need to explain your love, you just need to practice your love. Practice creates the master."
― Don Miguel Ruiz

Tommy stands in the center of a large gymnasium. He stretches his body, pushing his arms above his head and kicking out his legs to work through any of the remaining kinks. When the tenseness starts easing away, he plants both of his feet on the ground, each foot even with one of his shoulders. His fists are level with his chest, but he purposefully flexes his fingers while leveling his arms on either side of him. He takes a deep breath, letting his eyes fall shut. In the resounding darkness, he locates the energy inside of his body that correlates with his powers. He allows the energy to gyrate inside of his core, spreading out to the tips of each of his limbs. He opens his eyes, narrowing his vision at a small colored block that children play with. It is several yards away from him, but it begins to vibrate in place. Tommy directs his powers onto the box, slowly untethering each chain that holds it to the ground. There aren't many chains for such a small object, so it doesn't take long for the object to hover above the other blocks.

"Very good. Try lifting up the other blocks," Philza calls out from where he stands halfway between Tommy and the blocks, out of Tommy's direct line of sight. Tommy follows the directions given to him. He maintains that one block, but he starts to untether the other blocks. It takes a little longer, but soon another one joins the first one. A third follows soon after. Tommy focuses on a fourth block. It stubbornly refuses to be unbound. Tommy feels a headache start to form across the back of his eyelids. Tommy ignores the object's blatant disregard for his powers and his own pain. He wants to be able to lift up all of the blocks. He isn't satisfied with a measly three.

"Deep breaths, Vendetta. Focus. Center yourself," Philza reminds Tommy. The blonde realizes that he's been holding his breath. He releases the grit he has on his teeth. He makes sure to keep his hands from folding back into a fist. Tommy must keep a grasp on his own self. His powers won't work unless he remembers clearly where they're coming from. Tommy learned this the hard way.

"Remember, this is what you've been doing all along. There isn't anything different from using your powers before to using them right now," Philza instructs Tommy. His powers have always been relinquishing gravity's control or increasing it twofold. It's only now that Tommy realizes he doesn't need direct contact with the object. He can untether gravitational chains or put a few additional ones on there without needing to be close to the object. He just needs to figure it out.

The fourth block starts to lift off the ground. It collides with the third block, sending them both in opposite directions. They would continue perpetually, but they soon get out of Tommy's current range. They both drop to the ground, clattering against the mats. Philza says, "Don't pay attention to them. Lift up the other blocks."

Philza has been teaching Tommy control rather than range. It doesn't matter how far Tommy's abilities can reach if he can't actually control them. Tommy sees the value in this, but it irks him that objects can be just out of his reach. What would happen if the out of reach object was a knife aimed at Serenade's stomach? Tommy is the only one allowed to kill the villain, after all. That's the only reason Tommy is concerned about that.

Another block lifts up off the ground. Tommy feels his heart thudding in his chest as he lifts up another one. Four blocks are in the air. Two of them are out of reach, but there are four more left to be lifted up. Tommy feels a tremor start to arc through his body as he senses the remaining chains holding the blocks down. Thin as wires, Tommy only manages to grasp one of them. His grip is slippery, but he finds a way to temporarily snap the wire. The block starts to float, joining their companions in the air.

The chains suddenly snap back into place. All five blocks drop to the ground. Tommy nearly crumples alongside them, but he settles for putting his hands on his bent knees. Tommy heaves a breath, feeling a trickle of sweat slide down his neck. Tommy shakes his head. If he was touching one block, it would be no trouble to keep it floating for a couple of days. As it stands, this activity is really siphoning Tommy's strength. It isn't just the fact that Tommy is doing this remotely at a distance. It's also the fact that Tommy is doing it with multiple objects. He has never done more than two before, and even then, it strained his body.

"You're doing great," Philza praises. Tommy shakes his head, not believing his teacher for a single second. They have been at this for the better part of a week, and Tommy is barely making any progress. The first day, he hadn't been able to lift a single thing that he wanted to lift; only miscellaneous objects bore the caustic light of his powers. Tommy will still sometimes do this, but he managed to gain control of his powers... most of the time, anyway. Now, it was about focusing on the objects he wanted to float. Tommy wasn't progressing as quickly as he wanted to, even when Philza assured him that he was doing exemplary given their timeframe.

"Here," Philza calls. Tommy looks up. Philza is holding a water bottle. Tommy takes the water. He uncaps it, gulping down most of it in one sitting. The water sits uneasily in his stomach. Tommy's face crumples in pain. He puts a hand on his stomach, waiting for the liquid to settle. Philza raises an eyebrow at Tommy. "Are you dehydrating yourself?"

"Like my roommates would fucking let me," Tommy grumbles. For the time being, Tommy, Pearl, Etho, Grian, and Jimmy are staying in Tempestarius' room, along with Tempestarius herself and Sparrow occasionally joining them. It is rough to be with so many people, but Tommy finds that he loves it a little too much. It reminds him of his childhood- a bunch of runaways staying in a warehouse together and becoming each other's family. Tommy doubts he could let anyone into his heart the same way, but it isn't like the people he's staying with are poor company. He finds himself becoming friends with them.

In this new found friendship, they, like Serenade and the rest of the Syndicate, refuse to let Tommy hold onto poor habits. For one thing, he has to eat real food. The siblings- Pearl, Grian, and Jimmy- always make breakfast. Etho makes lunch. Sparrow will sometimes bring dinner, but if he doesn't, Tempestarius teaches Tommy how to make different dishes. Tommy wonders if Niki would be proud of him.

They also prove to be a hindrance to his sleeping habits. Tommy had mostly forgotten all about it despite the scars on his wrist. He learned his lesson when he woke up to rain pelting his head. Tempestarius had been holding his arms, eyes blown wide with concern. Grian was on his communicator, muttering something about 'finding him.' Tommy doesn't remember what he told them, but it must have been close enough to the truth that Etho made an alarm that went over the door and windows. They were always locked, leaving Tommy to sleep in the mudroom or trip onto the chair right beside the window, but on the off-chance that Tommy managed to get out, Etho's alarm woke Tempestarius up. She would drag Tommy back to his place on an air mattress. Sometimes, Grian's wing would fall on Tommy during the night, the heavy weight keeping him in place and earning him unflattering nicknames from Sparrow including 'birdie' and 'fledgling.' No one else called Tommy that, but they didn't do anything to dissuade Sparrow. Tommy was left with taking his own disciplinary actions.

"That's good. Training is useless if you aren't eating healthily, drinking plenty of water, and getting restful sleep at night," Philza nods. "Do you want to keep working on the blocks, or do you want to test out your powers on yourself?"

"Do I even need to fucking answer?" Tommy hands Philza the water bottle, a sparkle appearing in his eyes. Philza rolls his eyes fondly. He takes a step back, giving Tommy plenty of room to move.

Along with an increased range and his powers extending to multiple objects, Tommy's control over the gravity on his body has gotten significantly better. Technically, Tommy still can't fly the way hybrids do or espers with flight powers like the hero Sylph. What Tommy does have is such precision over the gravitational chains on his body that his flight mimicry is nearly indistinguishable from the real thing. Tommy is able to maneuver his body a lot better, and he doesn't need his gliders anymore.

Maybe it's Tommy's enjoyment that allows him to excel so much at it. His feet rise above the ground, a red caustic light roaming across his skin. Tommy flips in the air. He can feel the chains of gravity snapping and reconnecting rapidly, keeping him airborne. Tommy uses his body weight to throw himself in different directions. He gains speed, and he kicks his legs in the air to twirl his body horizontally. Tommy tightens the grip of gravity temporarily to slow him into a stop. His body gets into an upright position. Tommy rises up slowly, and he stares down at Philza with a bright smile stretching across his face. Philza is smiling back at Tommy, a flicker of pride in his majestic blue eyes. Tommy laughs, strengthening the bonds of gravity to drop him back onto the ground. He blows with a flourish, peering up to see Philza openly laughing at his antics. Tommy jumps back into the air to rush over to Philza's side. The trainer doesn't flinch as Tommy tightens the gravitational strings at the last minute, stopping a few inches from Philza's body with enough force to create a blast of wind across Philza's body.

"How are the plans going?" Tommy asks, stepping back onto the ground. He walks with Philza over to the edge of the room where a row of benches prop against the wall. Philza picks up a towel, tossing it over his shoulder at Tommy. The blonde quickly wipes the sweat off his body. He feels like he's just been working out for a couple of hours. He has been exerting his powers for that amount of time, so that's probably why he smells the way he does.

"We're almost done," Philza assures Tommy, probably sensing how restless Tommy is becoming. Tommy loves the domesticity with the others at Chromia Tavern and Inn, and he does have a certain fondness for training with Philza, but Tommy is not built for this lifestyle. His dreams, as fleeting as they are, are filled with his family's tortured screams. He needs to get revenge soon before he goes insane. "We have the idea to set a trap. We're going to subtly hint at the whereabouts of a facility where the antidotes are being made. We'll even have Supreme there giving treatments to Red Army soldiers. Crimson will need to send a team, and with how heavily guarded the facility is, there will be multiple cultists. We can capture them and use the antidote, just as we did with the Scarlet Demoness and Technician. We might not get all of them and we most likely won't get Crimson himself, but this will be a decisive blow against the head of the monster."

"When are we making the trap?" Tommy asks, ready to listen for any orders even if he is taking them from the Syndicate's personal trainer.

"We won't be part of it," Philza smoothly replies. Tommy scowls at him, opening his mouth to spout insults. Philza raises an eyebrow, gesturing around them. Tommy looks, and sure enough, several of the weights including those children's blocks are floating in the air. Tommy's expression changes as he throws his hand down, forcibly trying to get the objects to drop back to the ground. A few of them do, but Tommy's emotions are still too high-strung for the last of them to fall completely.

"Crowfather and Inchling will also be there," Philza murmurs, staring at Tommy intently for any other reaction. The floating objects all drop to the ground. Not because Tommy has more control over his powers, but because they are all held down by thick chains that make them nearly three times as heavy as they should be. One of the children's blocks explodes under the weight of gravity pressing down on it.

"I can fucking handle myself," Tommy informs Philza, ignoring the blatant display right beside him about how he clearly can't.

"I'm not saying I don't believe you, but I am saying that it isn't worth it. The Syndicate will handle this just fine," Philza gently adds, his eyes shining with nothing but honesty. "I promise we'll get you for the final battle, no matter how far along you are with your powers."

"If you promise..." Tommy trails off. He doesn't like being benched, but at least he's getting a spot on the team for the final game. At least, Tommy thinks that's how that metaphor works. He doesn't actually watch sports.

"There you are! How about you go shower and change? I'll take you out for dinner," Philza sounds pleased. Tommy rolls his eyes, but he doesn't argue. Tommy walks away from Philza. In the adjacent, smaller room, Tommy grabs onto a duffle bag that he always takes to the gym with him. He steps into the adjoining private bathroom. Tommy turns the shower on, waiting for the water to get lukewarm. Tommy starts to change out of his sweaty clothes. He removes his communicator from his pants pocket. He sends a quick message to Tempestarius to tell her that he'll be going out for dinner with a friend.

Tommy steps into the showering. He goes through the motions quickly. He doesn't have anything to clean his hair and body with, but the water chases away the sweaty feeling, so Tommy thinks the shower was well worth it. As he steps out, he reaches into his bag to pull a towel out. He starts to dry his body, shivering at the cold temperature. When he's dry enough, he checks his communicator. Tempestarius asks about the existence of his friends. Tommy snorts, replying that he's going with someone he knows.

Tommy changes into the extra clothes he brought with him. They were bought for him by Techno when the man realized how unprepared Tommy was for an overnight stay. Tommy likes the clothes. They are a little too big for him, but Techno thinks Tommy will grow into them once he bulks up. Tommy doubts he ever will, but he wears the clothes, anyway. The blindfold around his eyes is Tommy's, however. It's been with him for such a long time that Tommy doesn't remember where he got it from... who gave it to him.

Tommy packs his duffle bag back up. He throws it over his shoulder. He grabs his communicator, looking at the screen. Tempestarius asked him if this someone was a person he could trust. Tommy thinks it over as he walks to the entrance of the Syndicate's private training quarters. He looks up at Philza, meeting the man's smiling face. Enough, Tommy types and sends off. He shoves his communicator into his pocket, looking up to meet Philza's eyes.

–

Since they're in Empires and Tommy's new living arrangements are there, too, Philza takes Tommy to a barbecue place in the borough. Tommy has never been there before, but he hardly goes to any restaurant except for the cafe Niki would sometimes work at and Charlie seemed to like a lot. In contrast, Philza must have been a regular with the way the lady behind the counter smiled at the man. Philza doesn't even need to look at the menu, rattling off orders. Tommy opens his mouth to tell her what he wants, but Philza puts a finger to his lips with a wink. Tommy cringes at the action, losing his chance to tell the worker what he wants to eat. Tommy huffs, understanding that he'll just have to eat whatever Philza ordered him.

The restaurant was rather empty, which made getting their orders surprisingly quick. The woman hands over their bags with a bright smile. She makes idle chit chat with Philza as the man swipes over some credits. She waves at both Philza and Tommy when the two of them exit the restaurant. Tommy frowns, eyeing the multiple booths they passed up. He thought all of them were perfectly acceptable, but Philza opens the door for Tommy. The blonde walks outside. He glances over his shoulder at Philza. The man's smile is mysterious as he walks into the alleyway beside the restaurant. He stands near the dumpsters, and Tommy hopes that his food is in the bags he's holding because he doesn't trust Philza right now.

"Bring us to the roof," Philza commands, but his voice is soft and amused. Tommy raises an eyebrow. Philza holds his hands out to Tommy, one of the bags hanging off his fingers. Tommy takes the request seriously even when he rolls his eyes. He uses the days of practice he's been accumulating to lift the bags up into the air. He tries to lift them up higher, but he doesn't have telekinesis. Tommy has to nudge the bags higher up with his hands. He starts flying after them. He can't do any fun tricks since his concentration is divided, but he manages to get onto the roof easily. He sets the bags down beside him.

"Now, bring me up," Philza yells up. Tommy blanches. He can barely do inanimate objects. There is no way Tommy is using his powers remotely on a human being. Tommy is about to fly down to get Philza, but the trainer shakes his head. "Come on, Vendetta. This is what we've been training for, isn't it?"

Tommy bites the inside of his cheek skeptically. He breathes out slowly. He turns down all of his senses, focusing entirely on Philza. He hears a 'woah!' but he pushes the sound down. Tommy peeks an eye open to see Philza floating upward. Tommy cracks a tiny smile. An unfortunate mistake, because gravity snaps back together. Tommy rushes forward, grabbing Philza's hand before the man can go splat against the ground. Tommy powers transfers manually, and he pulls Philza onto the parapet. Philza frowns at him, "That was cheating."

"That was saving your fucking life," Tommy hisses, glaring. As his trainer, Philza should have known Tommy wasn't ready for lifting a human being.

Philza shakes his head. "You're overthinking all of this, Vendetta. These powers are yours. They have obeyed you for... what, ten years now? They will continue to obey you as long as you prove that you are stronger than them."

Tommy looks away. This feels like what Tempestarius told him. His powers are still his, only they're stronger now. Tommy has to prove that his mind is still stronger than the will of gravity.

Tommy hears a noise behind him. He whirls around to see Ravager and Serenade- both in costume- landing on the roof, Serenade attached to Ravager's side. Serenade peels away quickly, rushing over to Tommy and Philza. Serenade presses close to Tommy, nudging their shoulders together. Ravager takes his time. All the while, Tommy is staring at Philza. The man shrugs, "I messaged them about being hungry. Two birds, one stone."

"Could you even kill two birds?" Serenade asks, raising an eyebrow. Tommy eyes him curiously. He doesn't get the question, so there must be an inside joke Tommy isn't privy to.

"You little shit," Philza murmurs affectionately, shaking his head.

Tommy laughs. "Hey, just because he is one, we probably shouldn't say that to his face with his fragile ego."

Serenade gasps dramatically. "My ego is plenty strong."

"And large," Ravager adds, looking over at Philza. "Can we eat yet?"

Tommy breaks down into laughter. Serenade turns to hit Ravager's arm. Philza is smiling as he starts distributing everyone's food. Tommy is surprised that Philza managed to get his favorite sandwich. Tommy shrugs, supposing someone from the Syndicate told him.

Tommy and the others sit on the roof. They continue talking even as they eat. A warm, homely feeling fills Tommy's chest. By the time they are done eating, Tommy is full of regret.