Artificial Willpower

Breathe

Art from the spectacular _sleepy.moth_ on instagram!

Every step felt hopeful to Yancy. From the Kitchen table to the sink. From the sink to the living room. From the living room to a nice spot in the grass outside. Things that were once normal, were victories now.

When he held anything without breaking it, he felt his heart swell in pride. When he got himself a towel, walked to the bathroom, and took a shower all while Illinois was at work, he found a genuine smile on his face.

There were still mistakes, of course. After he finished his breakfast, he had accidentally cracked the plate when taking it to the sink (thankfully, Illinois didn't seem to mind. He seemed way more worried about Yancys frantic apologizing than the plate). He had slipped in the shower, but was able to catch himself.

Each mistake made his mood falter, but only for a moment. He tried to remind himself of every small victory.

The next morning, Illinois was already up, as usual. Yancy had always thought he got up stupidly early. Yet at 6:30 on a Saturday, Illinois was wide awake, and had been for heaven knows how long.

Illinois greeted him brightly as Yancy entered the kitchen, "hey Yance, Just got finished with the omelets, so feel free to take one and we can eat."

Yancy nodded and got out two plates for them, "Thanks, 'Noise... Youses cooking is always really good." He said, picking up an omelet with a fork.

Pride flooded him again. Sure, he had to stay very aware of the mechanics at all times, but he was doing it! It was growing a little easier to understand his grip on the fork without denting it. To carry the plates with enough grip to not drop them, but not too much.

"I appreciate it" Illinois said lightly. " Once you're done, I can work on getting the taser working. Then I was thinking we could take a walk, if you're up to it"

Yancy nodded and sat down at the table, "That sounds nice"

It had been a while since he had been able to take a good walk. The prison courtyard wasn't too scenic, and was only so big. His last venture though the woods was filled with panic and adrenaline. It would be nice to walk through the woods with far more calm and friendly circumstances.

Illinois took a seat beside him, and cut his omelet, "Agreed. I could use some fresh air. It's really pretty out there recently. Oklahoma may not have much to do, but spring is so nice here"

"So we're 'n Oklahoma?"

"Oh- I forgot to tell you anything about our location. Sorry. Yes, we're about two hours west from its capital, almost seven hours from the prison you were at"

"Oh wow... I must have been out for a while..." Yancy said, taking a bite of his food.

"To be honest, not really. A normal tranquilizer only works for about an hour. Three, tops. But the one you were hit with was way stronger. Some people are out for almost a full day. But like any chemical, it affects every person different. You were definitely on the quicker end of waking up. From the information I could find, I'd guess eleven hours. From what I can tell, the average is about fifteen. You've got great endurance, Yancy."

"I do?"

Illinois nodded after taking a bite, "of course. It's not only pure willpower and adrenaline that got you out of that place. I think your endurance helped a lot. "

Yancy took another bite, and got a bit lost in thought. The Gang hadn't been able to teach him to fight, but he was always put near the front of them.

He always thought it was because he was disposable to them, and maybe that was a part of it, but now he wondered if it was because they knew he could take a lot of punches. Maybe they didn't value him too much... but maybe they knew he'd be perfectly fine after a few days, and it was just the best spot for him.

Finding worth in a gang wasn't ideal, but he couldn't help but hope they had seen some value in him.

"Thanks..." Yancy finally said, before finally turning his focus to the omelet.

-

About an hour later, Yancy was sitting crisscross on the floor, waiting for Illinois.