July 18th, 2060

One might not think an empty, forgotten lot could hold much worth in the middle of a town.

One wolf knows better. She casually strolls through the old fencing in the front, the gate long since worn down by the elements and people going through. Around her white-furred neck is a respirator and a pair of goggles, both things the wolf’s gotten used to wearing most of the time. With every step she takes, the crunching of gravel and the soft rattling of cans accompanies her, her cargo pants’ hip pockets filled with various spray paints.

Humming a gentle tune, she pulls her phone out of her jacket’s pocket, pulling up a design she had drawn the day before. The pale blue lights near her joints and faint seams in her skin tell of her synthetic nature, alongside the glow of her irises. Nearing the far wall of the lot, the wolf glances up and down the alleyways connecting to it, finding nothing but dumpsters and back doors. With a small grin, she pulls up her goggles and respirator, making sure they’re snug before grabbing one of her spray cans.

The wolf gives the can a good shake before popping the lid off with her thumb. With a practiced hand, she starts her first pass, painting bright gray lines against the dark red bricks.

“Excuse me, miss?”

The wolf jumps with a small yelp, whipping around to find a small velvet ant girl, barely coming up to the woman’s hip, staring up at her with curious eyes. “Whatcha doin’?” the little wasp wonders.

Letting out a small sigh, the wolf kneels down to get closer to eye-level with the girl, pulling down her respirator and pushing up her goggles. “I’m just painting,” she says with a chuckle. “What about you? What are you doing all alone out here?”

“I’m not alone!” the girl says proudly. She points to the dark blue building on the right side of the lot, a bright smile on her face. “My dad owns that one!”

“Really now?” The wolf tucks her phone back into her jacket, offering her hand to the girl. The wasp takes it in her upper two and shakes it with a small smile. "Well, Miss Curious, before you ask, my name's Data. What's yours, kid?"

"Miss Curious!" the girl chirps, earning a laugh out of Data. "It's Kaira! And hey!" She holds her hand up to Data's thumb, putting the gold lights on her hand against Data's. "You have the pretty lights, too!"

Data raises her brow, managing a small huff. "So I do," she says with a grin. “I also have these.” She tilts her head down, showing off the two small horns sticking out of the top of her head and pointing backward.

“That’s really cool!” Kaira cheers, leaning close to get a better look. “My dad and my brother have wings!”

“Really? You know, my mom has wings,” Data offers, her grin turning into a smirk as she pulls her hand back.

A wide, amazed grin comes over Kaira’s face, and Data could almost swear there’s a twinkle in her eyes. “Does she have horns, too?”

“That she does.”

An excited squeal fills the empty lot as Kaira balls up all four hands excitedly, stamping her feet against the gravel. "You're so cool, Data!" she yells.

In an instant, Data’s smirk vanishes into an embarrassed smile, one hand scratching the back of her neck. “I– Well, I mean, I don’t know if–”

“You’re a wolf with horns!” Kaira retorts. “And your mom has wings!”

“Kaira, really, calm down–”

"And you’re an artist! And you have all these cool paints–"

“Kaira,” Data interrupts.

The little wasp stops suddenly, the wide grin slowly fading from her face as Data takes a moment to breathe. "Thank you for the kind words," she says quietly. "I'm sorry I snapped at you. I'm still getting used to… all this," she sighs, gesturing at her body. "I didn't even exist a week ago."

"Neither did I," Kaira mumbles after a moment. Data's ears perk up as the wasp continues, "But, Dad and Piper tell me what I need!” A bit of Kaira’s smile returns, far weaker than the beaming grin she had before. “Plus, I can figure stuff out on my own. Like painting!”

Data huffs a laugh, ruffling the fuzz between Kaira’s antennae as she stands back up. “So, you like painting too, huh?” Kaira nods excitedly, earning a chuckle from the wolf. “Well, I’ll tell you what. You should go back inside–”

“Oh, come on, Data,” Kaira groans, giving the wolf an impressive pout.

“I know, I know, it’s awful,” Data replies with a wink. “But if I’m gonna get this done, you really can’t be near. We may be synthetic, but it still isn’t great to breathe this stuff in. Once I’m done—and I have somewhere to be, sadly, so I won’t be here—then you can add whatever you want to it, okay?”

Kaira beams, giving Data's leg a quick hug. "Thank you!" the little wasp calls, pushing off of the wolf to run down the alley and slip into her house's back door.

Data smiles after her for a long moment before resetting her mask and goggles. One more shake is given to her spray can before she continues on her work.

Just as the faint crunch of gravel makes her aware of someone behind her.

A dark gray paw comes to rest on Data's shoulder, and she glances over to meet the purple of Chroma's eyes. "I see you have a fan," he says with a small laugh. He's dressed in a simple pair of jeans and an open duster, happy to show his scars to the world.

"I'm not gonna warn you, you should know better," Data says dryly, muffled by her respirator. "And we'll see. She just met me, after all."

A wave of residual paint blows towards Chroma, only to be redirected by a barrier of clean air. "So, what? You think she can't like you this soon?" he asks with a raised eyebrow.

"I just don't think I made that much of an impact," Data says with a shrug. She gives a critical eye to the bright gray profile of a wolf head she's painted, before putting the cap back on her spray paint. She lets the can slide back into her pocket, replacing it with a darker gray can. Shake. Uncap. Spray, this time in a wide circle within the wolf head. "Sure, I shared a bit, but…"

Chroma pulls his hand away, crossing his arms with a grin. "I raised your siblings, all twelve of them," he points out easily. "Kids will latch on to whatever they find interesting. I wouldn't be surprised if she's talking the antennae off of her father."

"She's known me for minutes," Data retorts. She adds a few rectangles to the outside of her circle, finishing the gear shape. As she puts her second can away, she mutters, “You really think she’ll care that much, knowing me that little?”

“I’ve only known my daughter for a week, and I still love her,” Chroma points out softly.

Slowly, Data turns to her father, a faint shimmer in her eyes and a wag in her tail. “That’s not fair,” she manages with a faint crack in her voice.

“Maybe,” Chroma admits with a shrug. “And maybe I should be more careful with how I go rooting through servers.”

A laugh escapes Data, and father and daughter let a warm chuckle take over for a moment. “Maybe,” the synth agrees, a crinkle in the corners of her eyes. “Unless you want more of me.”

Chroma’s smile drops like a rock as he scoffs. “Gods no, one of you is more trouble than I thought,” he mutters, in spite of his wagging tail. A long wheeze leaves Data, and she finally pulls off her respirator, letting her beaming grin show. “So, how’s this looking so far?” Chroma asks once she recovers, smirking at his daughter.

“I don’t know,” Data admits. “This is as far as I got when I was sketching it, and I was really hoping I’d come up with something now.” She opens her mouth to continue, though she just ends up shaking her head and gesturing at the wall.

Chroma takes a moment to inspect her work, taking in the wolf head with the gear set into it. “Can’t imagine who this might be based on,” he muses. “But, you could always call it a work in progress,” he offers. “Doesn’t need to be done in one go.”

Data lets her gaze drift to her work and she quietly nods. "Suppose so," she says softly. "Just kinda wish I had it all to begin with."

"Well, things just don't work out that way all the time," Chroma says, gently patting her shoulder. "Now, come on, Dahlia didn't spend all this time scheduling for us to be late to dinner."

"'Us' or you?" Data asks as she turns, leading the way out of the lot.

"Not gonna answer that one," Chroma murmurs, getting a new wave of laughter out of Data as the pair head down the road.

Come morning, Data returns, a new sketch on her phone and pockets full of paints. Glancing up at the wall, she stops, taking in her work.

Around the neck of the wolf head she painted is a crude rendition of a flower necklace, made with bright pastels and more than a few bumps courtesy of a misuse of extra paint. Atop its head is a pair of antennae, and inside the gear is a large, bright pink heart. Just below one of the flowers is a roughly-written 'KAIRA' in yellow.

Data chuckles to herself as she pulls out her own yellow paint. In just a few movements, she adds a simple '& Data' beside it.

Satisfied, Data takes a picture of the art before leaving with a bounce in her step.

And the wolf makes sure to return the wave from the wasp in the window.

_{Written April 22, 2022}