Tanya stared down at the blank paper, and it felt like it was staring back at her. Mrs Eceer had moved over to the sofa to be polite. It was clear neither of them wanted to put her off, but they weren't doing a great job considering the way they both stared straight forward to keep from looking over was incredibly unnatural.

"Just be normal, guys, please," Tanya sighed.

That got her a new round of unnatural poses, looking away from her.

Tanya sighed, staring down at the paper again.

Think, Tanya, think.

Even though Ishita wanted her to decide, it felt wrong not to use any of the information she got from Ishita at all. She'd need to go way off her previous designs to avoid using it intentionally anyway and avoiding it for the sake of it felt even more stupid than the risk of keeping it in mind.

You're massively overthinkin' this.

For a moment, Tanya missed the adrenaline of battle; at least that way, she didn't have time to second-guess everything. She imagined what this situation would be like if Ishita were actively dying and very promptly changed her mind.

She thought back on their conversation. It seemed like the biggest sticking point was whether the Intentions pushed the prosthetic away from her build and towards another Attribute, or if that would overcomplicate her magic or upset their alien overlord.

Tanya grimaced. She was thankful for this Class in a lot of ways, but she hated it too. It had all this information, and it kept it all back because of some rules it didn't explain.

She sighed and pushed away the resentment until it was just a ball of indignation deep in her belly. Tanya decided that the biggest deciding factor was if Ishita would continue to push her Class down a new path as she levelled or if she'd accept Martyr as it was. Seeing as Tanya's Class had already been guided so much by her, she suspected that pushing it towards an adjacent core mechanic would be possible, albeit difficult. If Ishita didn't commit to trying to change her Class, Tanya suspected that a very different hand would become less and less useful as her Abilities grew stronger and solidified, but stayed completely separate from her new prosthetic's levelling. If it were as simple as Ishita being sure she'd push to change how her Class worked, it would be a resounding yes, but Tanya wasn't certain whether Ishita would take the risk when it would make her weaker in the meantime.

She paced in the small space between the brick wall and the end of the sofa where Ishita and Mrs Eceer were pretending to be distracted. Mrs Eceer was doing a better job at it, focusing on her Interface, but even she kept turning her head to see Tanya out of the corner of her eye. Ishita could barely hold it in—her fingers were placed on the bandaged ball on her lap, and she leant into the back of the sofa, but there was nothing relaxed about any muscle in her body.

Tanya leant against the wall, groaning and sliding down it. The bricks scratched her exposed midriff and arms. She kept dropping until she hit the floor, her hands gripping the back of her head and her face planted into her knees. She could see her tattoos in her peripheral vision, and her head jumped up. She stretched her legs out, Mrs Eceer's boots squeaking across the floor from the motion. She held her hand before her, staring down at Assistant on her wrist.

She pushed herself to her feet, dashing to the kitchen with her wrist cradled in her other hand. The smile grew on her lips. She did have someone to talk to about it.

• • •

Tanya's mouth dropped open. "What do you mean no?"

The hand hovered a foot above the table, eye level with her on the stool. It stamped twice for no again, but because it wasn't resting on anything, it sent it into a slow tailspin like Assistant was flying in space. It wiggled upright again, trying to regain composure, and put its hands on its hips. Well, it did the closest to that it could anyway, with its thumb and pinky pressed against the fingers beside it, held out at an angle. Another uncanny moment was when the hand could stretch at weirder angles than looked natural.

"You won't help me?" Tanya said, incredulous.

The hand stamped for no again and spun to face away from her.

Tanya shook her head. "Why?"

That only seemed to annoy the hand more. It clenched into a fist.

"Sorry, sorry," she held her hands up. "I just need more information. I can't mind-read you…yet." She nudged Assistant slightly, like a jokey elbow but with a knuckle instead to avoid sending it flying. Assistant didn't react.

"Please," Tanya said, her voice taking on a more serious edge. Beneath her mediating facade, Tanya was struggling not to be pissed off. They didn't have time for this.

Assistant turned back around, then extended one finger toward the room, sweeping it across the cluttered space.

"Here?"

It did it even more dramatically.

"Everywhere? Everything?"

The hand stamped once for yes.

Tanya blinked, her mind racing. "Everywhere, huh?" She rubbed her forehead, staring at the hand. "That really isn't specific. "

No response.

"You want something big?" Tanya asked.

No.

"You need something?"

No.

"I don't understand," Tanya said, a tinge of frustration creeping into her voice. She crossed her arms, tapping her foot impatiently as she waited for a response.

The hand flailed slightly in the air, its fingers wriggling for emphasis before stamping once again for no.

"Okay, so not here as in the kitchen," Tanya muttered, throwing a glance at the door. "The shop?"

That seemed like a maybe.

She stopped, biting her lip as she tried to figure it out. "Something else?"

The hand stamped for no again, then rotated slowly in the air as though considering how best to answer.

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Tanya huffed, trying to keep calm. "What exactly do you want? It's not like I have all day—"

Assistant spun back around, seemingly exasperated. It swung its finger around again, pointing at the closed door, over and over.

"The corner of my room? The designs?"

No. Maybe.

Tanya threw her hands up in exasperation. "We don't have time for this!"

The hand responded by folding in on itself, the fingers clenching tightly in what was almost a fist again, but with its body remaining unnaturally bent and twisted. It raised its middle finger briefly, swearing at her.

"You're mad at me specifically," Tanya said, a scowl pulling at her lips.

Yes.

It clicked.

"You feel like you missed out."

It stamped once for yes.

Tanya didn't even know what to say to that. It was acting like a petulant child.

A dozen angry comebacks rushed through Tanya's head, each more scathing than the last—but she scrapped the lot. Yelling at Assistant wasn't gonna fix anything; it just wasted more time they didn't have.

She forced her voice steady, though a bit of grit still bled through. "Right, I ain't got time to stand here arguin'. I'm startin' the design. If you can't get your head outta your arse, do your own bloody thing." The snap at the end slipped out before she could help it, but at least she hadn't shouted.

Assistant hesitated, then stamped once—yes.

Tanya bit back the urge to roll her eyes. She dragged in a breath, then cracked on, talking through the designs, what she'd figured out. The more she yapped, the easier it was to push the irritation to the back of her mind.

Finally, she laid out the choice in front of them. "So that's the big question—do we chase another Attribute Ishita'd fancy or focus on makin' it all mesh better?"

Assistant hovered there, thumb rubbing over its knuckle, the gesture weirdly human, like someone scratching their head when they didn't know the answer.

Tanya cocked a brow. "Got an opinion, then?"

One stamp. Yes.

"New Attribute?" she pressed.

Two stomps. No.

She puffed out her cheeks, thinking. "Right. So you reckon the risk ain't worth the reward," she muttered, mostly to herself. She leaned over the table, bracing her palms against it, shifting her weight from foot to foot.

Assistant tapped twice—no.

Tanya's head jerked up. "Oi, what?"

Assistant jabbed one finger up, gave a thumbs-down, then flashed two fingers and did the same.

Tanya squinted at them. "Hang about—you don't like either option?"

Yes.

For a split second, hope sparked in her chest. She shoved the stool back with her leg and dropped onto it so fast she nearly slipped off. "You got a better idea, then?"

No.

Tanya opened her mouth, ready to jump in with another question—then clamped it shut, staring at the palm like it'd grown another thumb. "So you think both choices are shite but you ain't got nothin' better?" Her voice cracked sharp with frustration. "Cheers for that, Assistant. Real bloody helpful, you are."

Assistant gave a slow, mocking bow, then floated back to the table and flopped down, limp as a dead fish.

"So I need a third option, pretty much," Tanya sighed, tapping the end of her pencil against the paper, twiddling it between her fingers. "Somethin' that don't suck more Vitality outta her but still fits with what she's already got."

She spun the pencil in a quick little flourish, then bent over the table again.

"Suppose bit of both's the first thing that comes to mind." Tanya started sketching, rough lines pulling together a hand that mashed the best bits of the two designs. She kept the ombre fingertips from one but used the chubbier, cherub-like shape from the other.

Assistant lifted itself up on its fingertips to get a better look, swaying ever so slightly like it might tip over.

"So... simplify the whole thing to somethin' like—synergises with class is the first Intention, and don't get triggered by pain or Vitality loss is the second Intention," Tanya muttered the words half to herself, pencil dancing in her hand. "Makin' that the most important means it won't end up prioritisin' synergy above all else."

Assistant tilted side to side, a noncommittal wobble.

Tanya let out a long breath through her nose. The design didn't sit right—the soft, childlike hand shape clashed against the wicked points of the claws. It made her skin itch just looking at it—a weird mix of elements that just felt uncanny. "Yeah, nah, you're right. It's like... worst of both worlds. Gives her the chance to choose whether to lean into it still, but then doesn't proper help either option."

Assistant straightened up a little, posture sharpening.

Tanya narrowed her eyes. "You got an idea?"

A quick, eager stamp.

"Uh... how d'you wanna do this?" Tanya asked, holding the pencil out.

Assistant snatched the pencil right outta her hand, spinning on its side to grip it. The hold wasn't perfect, so it floated down, tapped the pencil's butt-end against the table, adjusting its grip with patient little thuds.

Then, it started drawing.

Slow, sweeping lines built the shape of a hand. Assistant drifted now and again, dragging a line off the page, but it just huffed—if it could huff—and re-centred itself, carrying on. Its floating made the strokes weirdly fluid, almost like a wrist moving naturally. The float Ability had made a huge improvement already, and Assistant hadn't even had much time to practise yet.

Tanya leaned closer. The design was simple, similar to the original claw design. But Assistant wasn't done yet.

"So it's inspired by the original," Tanya muttered. She squinted. "Huh... what's that, then?"

Assistant kept going, ' sketching a tiny figure—a person, just a shadowy silhouette.

"A person?" Tanya asked, tilting her head.

Assistant gave the figure two sad, saggy eyebrows and drew a squiggly line coming out the mouth.

Tanya snorted under her breath. "A sick person, is it?"

Assistant tapped the pencil between the hand and the figure, connecting them with little drawn lines.

Tanya frowned. "They're connected? Is that Ishita?"

Assistant lifted the pencil and tapped twice, hard—no.

Tanya sat back, pencil still twiddling between her fingers, brain whirring. "I don't think I'm gettin' it yet."

It drew more lines between the hand and the person, scribbling them into a messy circle.

"So, it's healin' 'em?" Tanya asked, tilting her head, trying to follow the connection.

Assistant clicked its fingers around the pencil excitedly, almost losing it. It jerked to catch it, then tapped it more carefully against the table, pretending nothing had happened.

The corner of the page was starting to look battered, with little clusters of dots and smudges from all the back-and-forth.

"Alright... healin', but somethin' new..." Tanya leaned closer, tapping her chin with the end of the pencil.

Assistant switched approach. It drew an arcing arrow from the person to the hand, then another arrow back from the hand to the person.

"Somethin's coming from them first, innit?" she wondered aloud.

Assistant stamped once for yes, quick and decisive.

Tanya's brow furrowed. "We're trying to fix the Vitality issue, so... is that it? The hand uses their Vitality to heal them?"

Assistant clicked its fingers in a tiny finger-gun motion, triumphant. This time it wasn't fast enough—the pencil slipped through its fingers and clattered to the table.

Tanya scratched at her chin, thinking. "Interesting. That'd help people who can't convert their own Vitality into healin'... which is, honestly, probably most people." She hesitated. "But what if they don't have enough left? What happens if the prosthetic tries to draw power and there's nothin' to give?"

Assistant hesitated, floating a little lower, then flopped onto the table, smacking its palm flat against the surface. It thwacked its thumb down next to it for emphasis, looking frustrated with itself.

"No, don't go gettin' all sulky—it was a good idea," Tanya said quickly, waggling the end of her pencil at it.

A spark went off in her mind, so sudden she almost jolted upright.

Her grin widened. "Oh, mate, how didn't I clock this sooner!"

She yanked a new stencil sheet from the pile so quickly it nearly tore. Assistant nudged at her arm, but she barely noticed, already sketching fast. It nudged her again, harder this time.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm with ya," Tanya muttered distractedly. "We've been lookin' at it all wrong. We kept thinkin' it'd be like an extension of her—like it needed to act like a part of her. But it ain't, is it? It's a bloody tool. Same way me Phantom Brand is."

The pencil raced across the page, lines pulling together fast and sure. The hand shape took form—more angled and aggressive this time, closer to the original claw design, like a nod to the focus on Class synergy.

Halfway through, she shifted gears and began weaving henna patterns into the shape. Not the soft, rounded mandala this time—this was sharper, angular, something that would suit the design's new purpose.

"So what's she low on?" Tanya asked aloud.

Assistant drummed its fingers against the table, one tap at a time.

"Right. So what if, instead of just sidesteppin' that problem, we built her somethin' that could help her recharge it faster?"

Assistant broke into happy tapping, scurrying around the tabletop like a crab on fast forward. Every few beats it stopped, fingers lifted mid-air like it were rethinking—then it scampered off again, happy the idea still worked with whatever it had considered.

A few minutes later, Tanya leaned back, the new prosthetic stencil in her hands.

She grinned so wide it almost hurt.

"Wicked," she breathed, grabbing it to show Ishita.

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