Jinny followed quietly when she was asked, still thinking, but about something new.
What had been that look on her Uncle’s face just now? It was just a flash, but it was an emotion she couldn’t quite quantify. Was her having her own eyepatch such a terrible idea? There was something else going on, but she hadn’t the slightest clue as to what that could be. Food for thought, but for later. At least he would think about getting her a cool visor.
When she was led into another locked area, this one full of clothing materials, she smiled a little bit. “I don’t know why this one is locked. Nothing in here seems dangerous.” She picked a bin at random and opened it, finding it full of dark leather. It had a nice scent to it. She ran her fingers across it, feeling the texture and the weight. “Maybe this could make good boots?”
The next bin she dug into was full of kevlar, something she didn’t recognize. It was black and yellow, and quite heavy, with something else woven in that she didn’t know. But she liked how it felt.
She went on, opening this bin and that, asking about materials that she didn’t know, and basically touching everything. Unfortunately there was nothing purple there, but lots of black. She put small samples into a little pile, keeping track of where she got them from.
Then she settled next to him.
“I definitely want to draw ideas for suits, but first I want to show you something I’ve been working on.” There was an eager glitter in her eyes. “It might help figure out just what we need to put in it.” She grabbed his hand. “This time, you follow me!”
She would make him follow even if she had to drag him. Even though he could still pick her up off the ground. Back to the main room they went, with the practice dummies, targets, and very small things like her favorite darts.
“Okay. So. I can use my telekinesis to make things fly, right? I was thinking really hard when I was washing the dishes one day, and I guess I was spaced out looking at the bubbles or something and-” She stopped short. “Wait, that part doesn’t matter. What does matter is this.” She was practically bouncing by this point, barely able to contain her glee.
“Watch this.” She shut her eyes, and took a few deep breaths. Then she concentrated, and with a little noise of effort, simply lifted off the ground.
“Uncle. I Can FLY!” Indeed, she was hovering a few inches off the ground. She opened her eyes and they were a luminous silver. She giggled, and started flying a low, slow circle around him. “I worked it all out on paper. It’s all about math and physics! If I can generate enough energy to act against my own weight on the ground, and I account for the pull of gravity, then boom, up I go! What I can’t do yet is get really high without help. And by help I mean walls.” She was starting to talk a little faster now, with the excitement of telling a secret she’d been hiding for weeks.
She made her way to the nearest wall, and zipped upward. If he was paying close attention, he might notice that she was still only a few inches from that wall, just as she’d been from the ground. Instead of true free-flight like some capes had, she was using her telekinesis to push herself off nearby surfaces and hover. With time and practice, she might do something quite near actual flying. But for now, this was all she had worked out on her own. Slowly, she came to a careful stop beside him, looking up with absolute and utter glee.
“I actually got up in the air last week, but I didn’t want to tell you because… well… I didn’t really know what it could be for. But now-” Now meaning that she was on a brand new, albeit much darker path. “I think this could be something.”