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Factor 5 Nova gets scooped by a slightly older mutant runaway
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Cassie snuggles up and starts disassembling the top computer one-handed.

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Blaze splits her attention between Bill Nye and what Cassie's doing.

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Cassie's tossing larger plastic parts into the tub and smaller parts into the divided tray as she breaks the machine down; occasionally she extracts her other arm to hold something steady or pry something up.  It seems like she's doing it partly on autopilot- her eyes are on the screen about half the time.

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It's...nice. Strangely so. Blaze finds herself smiling, ever so slightly.

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Around two episodes and three computers later, Cassie's phone buzzes.  She shifts away from Blaze for a moment to pull it out of a pocket.  "Right, groceries are ready to pick up.  You wanna come with or stay here?"

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She thinks for a second. "-I can help?"

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"Mmkay, let me just shift to my outside chair and we can get going- actually, would you mind putting this tub over by the washing machine for right now, while I do that?"

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"No, I can do that."

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"Cool, thank you."  She tugs the tub off the seat and hands it to Blaze before transferring into the chair herself; it's lighter than it looks.  "I paid when I put the order in, so we just need to go there, get the bags in the van, and come back," she calls over her shoulder as she skitters off toward the ordinary-looking chair.

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Blaze nods as she goes to put the tub where she was told, and then moves back towards Cassie.

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The driver's side of the van is modified to accommodate a wheelchair, but the passenger side retains its bucket seat.  Cassie clips the wheels in place and hits a button on the rearview mirror. 

"Thank you, working door,"  she murmurs as it starts to slide up.  "I really ought to fix the other one at some point, I know what's wrong it's just a pain to reach..."

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Blaze settles into the other seat. "I- could help?"

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"Mm- it's not a bad first project, if you're interested, 's big enough and simple enough to see clearly, but might be better to start with something at ground level?  So I can point at things without needing to both be on the ladder.  And mostly one door is plenty, 's why I haven't gotten to it, there's a bunch more interesting things to fix first."

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She nods. "O-okay."

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Cassie glances away, rubbing at the back of her neck.  "Anyway, uh, how d'you feel about music on the way there?"

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"Uh- if you want?"

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Cassie nods, and the radio starts playing something slow and jazzy, quiet enough to easily talk over.  The sky is gray and vaguely misty as they pull out into the street, but it doesn't seem likely to start raining again.  The grocery store is in a slightly nicer neighborhood, but not too far off.

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...Blaze finds she likes the music, and will be humming along by the time they reach the grocery store.

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Cassie turns it up a little bit as she pulls up alongside a set of lockers outside the store and starts opening the wheelchair lift on the side of the van.  "Let's see, we're in- number four, ugh, I hate when they put me in the tall ones..."

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"I can get it?" Blaze says, slipping out of the van.

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"That'd be great, thank you."  Cassie wheels out onto the lift and, after glancing around to make sure no one else is in the parking lot, pops open the locker and the van's back door simultaneously.

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Blaze smiles a little, and then starts to lift the shopping out.

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Cassie can wheel around to the back of the van and form a tiny bucket brigade with her, so Blaze doesn't have to take more than a couple of steps with each bag.  "Can you see which one's got the eggs in it?  I wanna make sure nothing can roll on them."

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Blaze nods, and finds the eggs, telling Cassie as she hands the bag over.

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Then they can get the rest of the bags loaded up in short order and head for home.

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