Noah set the bridge down after another minute of examination and said: “The joint needs
reinforcing on the left side. Otherwise it will fail under lateral pressure.”
Ethan looked at it. “I know,” he said. “I was going to do that next.”
“Okay,” Noah said. And that was that.
They packed up the remaining components together with the same quiet efficiency they had
used to build it, Noah organizing the joints by size, Ethan coiling the cables in the way
the instructions specified and which he considered slightly suboptimal but was willing to
concede for the sake of the kit’s longevity. When everything was packed Noah looked at
the bridge for a moment and then looked at Ethan.
“Can I take it?” he said. “I want to fix the joint.”
Ethan considered this. “Bring it back when you’re done,”
