"I need to apply pressure from this angle," she explained, positioning the tool delicately, "but if I push too hard?—"
"The crystal will fracture." A tendril of shadow slipped past her shoulder, wrapping gently around the component to brace it. "Try now."
The support was perfect. Firm enough to stabilize the mechanism, gentle enough not to interfere with her work.
She pressed the tool against the obstruction and felt it give.
"More pressure on the left side," she murmured, adjusting her grip.
Another shadow-tendril appeared, providing the counterforce she needed. The obstruction shifted, then came free with a chime of crystal against metal.
"One down." She looked up to find him watching her intently. "That actually worked."
"You sound surprised."
"I am." She selected a broader tool for the next blockage. "I've never worked with anything like this before."
Yet the work came naturally. Lockpicking instincts, probably. Reading mechanisms by touch was the same skill, just on a grander scale.
They moved to the second obstruction, deeper within the mechanism's core. She had to reach into a channel between rotating gears, the tool barely fitting through the gap.
She reached for another tool just as he moved to adjust the shadow support. His hand hovered a breath away from hers.
They froze.
Time stopped. His hand was so close to hers that she could feel the cold from his glove. Could see the way his fingers had gone rigid, like he was forcing himself not to move closer.
Or pull away.
She could feel his attention on her. Could hear the way his breathing had changed. Slower, more restrained. Like he was fighting some battle.
He withdrew first, shadows pulling back with him.
She blew out a breath and turned her attention back to the mechanism, trying to ignore the way her hands had started trembling slightly. "I can't see what I'm doing from this angle."
"Describe what you need."
"Something to hold this gear steady while I work behind it." She paused, then decided to test something. "And can you make the shadows glow? Just a little?"
She felt him go still behind her. "They don't usually?—"
"Please. I just need enough light to see where the blockage is attached."
After a moment's hesitation, the shadow wrapped around the gear began to glow faintly. Not bright, but enough to illuminate the space she was working in.
It was beautiful.
"How did you know they could do that?" he asked quietly.
She paused, realizing she had no idea where that knowledge had come from. "I... I'm not sure."
The third obstruction required both of them to work in coordination. She held three tools simultaneously, while his shadowssupported five pressure points. It was like having extra hands that responded to her thoughts before she could voice them.
"Lift the crystal housing," she said, and shadows were already moving to comply.
"Hold that gear." A shadow-tendril was already in place.
"I need something to catch this piece when it comes free." A curl of darkness formed a small basket beneath her work area.
