Tanya tiptoed up the stairs toward her flat. The street outside had been as barren as ever since the swarm attack. It made her uneasy—but she supposed it made sense. If they were pack animals, they'd come in large swathes, but between those surges, there wasn't much around at all.

The key felt familiar in her hand. Comfortable. Ishita must've found her spare, because Tanya's own set—with the familiar tattoo gun keyring—had been left for her on the workbench, right beside the tattoo chair where she'd last slept.

She ran her fingers over the plastic charm. Flat, two-dimensional. An image framed in molded plastic, a gift from another apprentice, years ago. Tanya slipped it into the lock and turned. The mechanism clicked, but when she pushed, the door didn't budge.

Shit.

Of course, they'd barricaded it. Probably in case of another invasion. The staircase door had been screwed back into place—still busted, but secure enough not to draw attention. One good smack, though, and it would crumble like a house of cards.

So much for slipping in quietly. She'd hoped to wake Ishita without bothering Fahad, but that wasn't happening now.

She knocked. Paused. Knocked again, a little louder. It took a few tries, but eventually, she heard the telltale shuffle of footsteps and the loud screech of something heavy being dragged. Her dresser, maybe? Impressive, if they'd managed to haul that out of her bedroom.

The door cracked open, still on the latch. Ishita's bleary eyes met hers.

"Tanya? Everything okay?"

Tanya nodded. "I have designs for you to look at. It's almost time."

Ishita yawned. "Didn't even realise I'd fallen asleep until you knocked." She held up a hand, eyes unfocusing slightly as she stared past Tanya's head. Tanya was getting good at spotting when people opened their interface—the way their gaze slid off her in a particular way.

Ishita's eyebrows knit together. She nodded. "Still got two points left."

"It'll drop to one in the next few minutes, I'd bet."

Ishita smiled, but the fear in her eyes betrayed her. "Well, let's get going then."

The two of them made their way down to the shop after barricading the room with Fahad in from the outside. They'd hear him if he yelled, and by the time something was in there, the barricade would no longer be keeping him in there anyway. The mood felt like a funeral procession. Tanya reminded herself that it was the opposite.

This is gonna save her.

But even that thought rang hollow. She couldn't convince herself to feel good about it.

The shop still held that strange, familiar blend of beans and ink. Mrs. Eceer was in the same spot on the sofa as before, her hand flopped onto her lap, head tilted down. Soft snuffling noises confirmed she was asleep.

Tanya guided Ishita to the tattoo chair. She didn't see any point in waking Mrs. Eceer, but there wasn't time to wait around either, so she kept her voice low.

"I've got three options for you. If you don't like any of 'em, that's fine. If you want edits, also fine."

Ishita looked awkward on the recliner—sitting bolt upright, barely balanced on the edge.

"An' relax, too, why don't ya? It's just a chat, yeah?"

Ishita hesitated, then shuffled back, sinking further until she was finally reclined. She didn't look much more comfortable, but it was something.

"So, what've you got for me?" Ishita asked, trying to keep the mood light.

Tanya ran with the energy. "Here's number one." She pulled out the ombre claw design and handed it over.

Ishita blinked, eyes wide. "It's very…"

Tanya laughed. "S'alright. You can say if ya hate it."

Ishita leaned in, lips pursed like she was studying something serious. "Actually… It's growing on me. It's Martyr-themed, right?"

Tanya grinned. "Good catch. I wanted to start by giving you the best synergy I could."

"Synergy?" Ishita echoed. "Like... stuff working together?"

"Yeah, exactly. It's meant to mesh with your class as well as possible."

Ishita nodded slowly, her gaze still fixed on the image. "Do you have any way of checking what it'll actually do?"

"Sorta. I think so. It's a new Ability of mine. Wanted to get your thoughts first."

Ishita nodded again, with no hesitation. It struck Tanya how strange it was—that struggling to adapt to new Abilities had become such a universal experience.

She placed the first design on her lap, and Tanya handed over the next one—the realistic hand.

"Obviously, this'd be your hand, not mine," Tanya said quickly. She perched on the workbench, fiddling with a pen, trying to act like this was all normal. "I'd get it as close as I could, physically and in terms of Ability, but... I'm not exactly sure how it'll come out. Haven't done anything realism since all this."

Ishita studied the drawing in silence. After a moment, she raised her other hand to hold it too, then glanced down at the bandaged stump.

Her brows furrowed in confusion—then softened in sudden understanding. She stared a moment longer, then lowered the design to her lap.

"And the third?" she asked, her voice thick.

Tanya handed it over without a word.

Ishita gasped. Tears spilled silently down her cheeks.

"Sorry," Tanya began.

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Ishita shook her head. "It's my flat, yes? It's beautiful." She placed it gently atop the others, fingertips brushing the delicate henna design, starting with the mandala. "This bit, it—"

"I saw the wedding photo in your hallway," Tanya said. "Couldn't remember it exactly, but—"

"No. I love it." Ishita broke down. Her sobs were nearly silent, just the faint sound of her breathing catching. Her shoulders trembled, and her body curled in on itself.

"Omar," she whispered.

Her husband. Ah, fuck.

Tanya froze. She'd always been useless when people cried—never knew what to say, how to help. And with this kind of pain? It was beyond her. She settled on resting a hand on Ishita's shoulder, whispering a feeble, "You can let it out."

Ishita gripped the page tighter and twisted in the chair to face her. Her voice was clear, almost steady—but the tears kept pouring. Her eyes were bloodshot, lashes clumped with wet.

"It's perfect, you understand. It—it—"

She waved the page in the air, words catching in her throat, unable to shape what she meant.

"It hurts too much," Tanya said.

Ishita nodded. "That henna, it…" She hiccuped from the weight of everything, exhaling like she was breathing through a straw just to stay steady. The paper scrunched under the pressure of her blanched knuckles.

Tanya reached out, taking the edge of the page with one hand. With the other, she gently pried Ishita's fingers from it. Ishita blinked, realised, and let go. Tanya smoothed the creases and set it aside for now.

Ishita rubbed her face, dragging her thumb beneath her eyes. She sniffed, adjusted in her seat, and focused on her breath. Tanya had the tact to look away.

"What do you think of the other two?" she asked quietly.

Ishita slid them out, laying one across each leg. "The first is scary," she said, "but good. If I'm stronger, I can defend Fahad better."

She picked up the second design—the realistic hand—and offered it back to Tanya.

"The second… It'll never go back to before. Not really." Her voice was calm now. "I thought I wanted it, but… even if I wanted my old hand back, it'd have to be grey now."

She looked down at the odd tinge of her remaining hand. That was all that needed to be said.

Tanya took the stencil and placed it beside the other one on the workbench.

"This…" she began.

"Isn't quite right yet?"

Ishita nodded, then cast a stricken look her way. "Sorry—"

"Shut up," Tanya said, grinning. "Like actually, shut up."

Ishita's eyes widened, her mouth forming a surprised little 'o'. Then she laughed. Long and hard. It was the first time Tanya had heard her laugh, and it was raw and beautiful.

Mrs. Eceer woke with a startled snort. She looked around wildly, scrambling to her feet as her gaze darted between Tanya and Ishita.

"What is—are there monsters?"

"Just deciding on tattoos, Mrs. Eceer," Tanya said brightly.

Mrs. Eceer blinked, then sat back down with a grunt. "Hm." She shuffled on the sofa and looked away again.

Tanya and Ishita shared a smile—one that said more than Tanya could ever put into words.

"Shall we see what they all do anyway?" Tanya offered. "I made the designs with intentions, so I'll tell you what my Ability picks up and what I put into each. We'll tweak this until it's exactly right."

"Yes, let's," Ishita said.

She watched, fascinated, as Tanya laid the pages out again on the floor.

Tanya laid the three designs out in a row on the floor, giving them space like they might need to breathe. She knelt in front of them, took a deep breath, and flipped each one over so the clean stencil backs faced up—blanks ready to catch the data.

"I'm going to start," she warned Ishita, though her voice was distant, like it was already receding. Even just the thought of letting her Concentration waver was enough to feel the pressure building in her head.

She pressed her hands on either side of the first sheet—the ombre claw—and leaned in. The motor-whirr started up again in her brain, slow and soft at first. She let it build.

Her eyes jittered as before, but she kept them on the paper, let the words rise out of the blur like bubbles in murky water.

* * *

Design Analysis: [Martyr Claw]

LOADING……

Intentional Focus:

Vitality Exchange

Protective Priority

Proximity Synergy

Possible Active Parameters:

Martyr Link (Passive): Nearby allies marked as "protected" receive damage mitigation. 20% of mitigated damage is rerouted to the w3arer.

Reactive Claws (Trigger): When damage is absorbed from another, the claws elongate and harden. Increases offensive capability temporarily. ERROR_LOADING

Sacrificial Surge (Trigger): Allows user to reroute their own pain into a target

Growth Pattern: Linear. Abilities increase in efficiency with the wearer's constitution and emotional intent.

Potential Risks:

Burnout from sustained use. Emotional distress may amplify or destabilize effect.

Ability intensifies in proximity to danger. May override self-preservation instincts.

* * *

Tanya pulled back slightly, blinking hard as the pressure rolled around the inside of her skull. Each analysis was full of pop-ups— explaining key words, getting distracted by potential new options for the design, or even attempting to combine this information with Ishita's Interface itself for deeper analysis. Every time her brain was pulled towards the latter, a sharp zap of pain jolted from her brain all the way down through her spine. She hissed between her teeth, then reached out with trembling hands and placed the next stencil—the realistic hand—in the center.

* * *

Design Analysis: [Regenerative Replica]

Intentional Focus:

Symmetry

Sensory Restoration

Growth & Integration

Active Parameters:

Bio-Adaptive Form (Passive): Hand synchronises with user's physical stats—strength, dexterity, and stamina adaptively scale.

Nerve Lattice Rebuild (Progressive): Sensation and pain return over time. Initially faint, increasing with usage. Painkillers or numbing runes may delay growth.

Morphic Reconstruction (Progressive): Aesthetic evolution occurs over days/weeks. Will increasingly match the original hand in appearance and feel, including minor idiosyncrasies (freckles, nail shape, scars).

Growth Pattern: Exponential with consistent use. Slower if ignored. Merges over time until theoretically indistinguishable from original.

NEW UPLOAD—HTDFSG———

Potential Risks:

Phantom Pain Recurrence likely during early stages.

Level-ups cannot be set at creation, new paths may be forged through aftercare.

* * *

Tanya nearly gagged. That one had been dense. She rolled her neck and pressed her palms into her thighs until her fingers tingled, grounding herself before reaching for the final stencil—the one that had made Ishita cry.

Her stomach pitched. Her vision pulsed like a migraine mid-flare.

One more. Focus.

She lowered herself to the final design.

* * *

Design Analysis: Henna's Grace

Intentional Focus:

Mutual Growth

Selfless Utility

Gentle Power

Active Parameters:

Focused Light (Passive): All healing from Henna's Grace uses Concentration.

Anointed Touch (Trigger): When used on an ally or self, healing is transferred. Can purge minor curses, poisons, or fatigue in large enough amounts.

Celestial Bloom (Passive): Tattoo power and control increases with pacts made in service to others.

Growth Pattern: Consistently upward.

Potential Risks:

Slow power curve

Diversifying Attributes required can cause an overly split build

* * *

Tanya pulled away from the floor and flopped backwards onto her ass, hands over her eyes.

"Okay," she said, still panting. "That's all three."

She opened her eyes slowly, flickering them to get used to the real world again. It was so plain without the constantly swimming text before her eyes.

She turned to Ishita to start summarising, but Ishita's mouth was wide open. Ishita slid down from her perch on the tattoo chair until she was kneeling beside her on the floor.

"Ishita?" Tanya asked.

"It didn't do that before," Mrs Eceer said. Tanya looked over to her. Mrs Eceer adjusted her glasses, blinking slowly.

"What's goin' on?" Tanya said, growing more confused.

"Tanya," Ishita started, "Do you have any idea what that Ability looks like to others?"

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