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She hummed softly to herself, a calming, tuneless little melody that kept her in rhythm with the work. Each motion was deliberate, every gesture imbued with a quiet confidence. There was a symphony in her actions: the soft clinks of metal, the hisses of steam, and the occasional hum of released magic as she adjusted the valves on the aetheric engine.

He found himself entranced, unable to look away.

“You have a remarkable touch,” Kato said.

She glanced up. “I like to tinker.”

That would explain the nickname. His brother never had been all that original.

“Left shoulder joint, sector three,” she said, and the mimic’s tail moved rapidly, jotting down the location.

“You’re serious about this.”

Taly glanced at him again, a small smile playing on her lips. “I like knowing how things work. Taking something apart and putting it together again usually does that for me. Right arm brace, sector four.”

The mimic dutifully recorded the information. And Kato found his annoyance melting away, replaced by… not fondness. It was more a fascination that had him drawing closer.

“You’re putting that back together. I hope you know that.”

“Already planning to, boss.”

“I mean it. I don’t want pieces scattered around for days.”

“It would probably go faster if you helped me.”

“So, you can what? Pick my brain for all those juicy trade secrets?”

“Front panel, sector nine. And yeah,” Taly said, flashing him a grin. “That’s exactly what I was thinking.”

It was fascination, pure and simple, that warmed his chest. Taly was curious. Before Sarah—back when Kato’s soul wasn’t entirely black—he’d always been drawn to the curious ones. Hell, he’d been one of them. Like called to like, and all that crap.

“You do know it’s treason to give away company secrets.” He smirked.

“Oh, please. As Skye’s bondmate, I’m practically on the payroll.”

“I see,” Kato said, chuckling. And since she was so blatantly digging through his work, he felt no guilt whatsoever in perusing hers. It was obvious which workbench belonged to her. Each tool had its designated place, arranged with exacting care. Rows of polished brass wrenches and screwdrivers lined the back of the bench, each one hanging from a custom-fitted hook. Below them, a series of small drawers were perfectly labeled in elegant, flowing script, denoting their contents: “Fine Gears,” “Runic Etching Tools,” “Arcane Crystal Mounts,” and a dozen more.

A leather-bound grimoire sat open on a wooden stand. The handwriting on the pages was the same as the labels. Some entries contained disassembly instructions like the coded locations she continued to call out, while others described what appeared to be… inventions.

One page revealed the blueprint for a self-scribing quill, enchanted to record spoken words directly onto parchment. From what he could gather, she was never able to fine-tune the spell-matrix alignment responsible for detecting verbal inputs.

Test #43: Adjusted vocal modulation parameters in the ACI; minor improvement noted, but issue persists under high-frequency commands.

Test #47: Reinforced TR framework with additional binding glyphs; increased stability but still fails with polyglot commands.

Test #54: Experimented with alternative enchantment stabilization techniques using dual-core resonance; reduced lag, but verbal command fidelity remains below optimal threshold.

The last entry was almost three years ago, as though she’d placed the project aside waiting for inspiration that never struck.

Another page showcased a diagram for an intricate timepiece that not only told the time but predicted minor shifts in magical currents.

Yet another a set of aether-powered gauntlets not dissimilar to a design Kato had been working on before he left Emrys Magitek Armaments. He immediately recognized his brother’s precise, angular handwriting alongside Taly’s flowing script—a joint collaboration. The enthusiasm and familiarity were palpable. He could almost hear their laughter and see the sparks of inspiration flying between them as they brainstormed how to make her punches harder and more powerful than ever before.

On the next page, Kato’s fingers paused on a remarkably detailed illustration of an aether-powered handgun. The diagram revealed a sleek, compact design with runes along the barrel meant to channel raw aether into controlled blasts. Notes scribbled in the margins suggested various modifications for enhancing accuracy and power. His eyes devoured the math, longing to scribble a few notes of his own.

“This pistol. Did you make it?”

“Sure did,” Taly called back. “Steam Valve Assembly, Quadrant B1, Section alpha-six.” The mimic’s tail moved with precision as she detached a gleaming joint-work of brass and tension screws.