"What?" Lynn asked, pausing her work.

Kaze looked back down at the machine he'd been setting up. "Nothing."

He couldn't help staring; Lynn had been tirelessly labeling and organizing vials for hours. It was exactly what he'd requested of her, of course, and she was doing a great job -- but that was precisely what had him so curious. He'd expected her to get bored, or maybe even complain, but she'd barely said a word since she started.

Objectively, Lynn was a dream of an assistant. She was skilled, a quick learner, and not rambunctious in the slightest. But something about her made Kaze anxious, and he couldn't put his finger on why.

"I'm just a little curious," Kaze said, making Lynn perk up again. "Why were you so eager to work with me here? I know I can't pay well yet, and you don't have any history in this field."

"Oh, it's simple," Lynn said. "I want to talk with as many mutated people as I can."

"But why?"

"I want to learn more about every different Craft and how it affects the body. Same as you, I assume."

"Well, sure, but..." Kaze hesitated. "I've studied Sensecraft mutations ever since high school. Your background is in... applied mathematics, if I remember right?"

"I've been interested for years. Just never found a job like this until now."

"What brought you to the field?"

A small smile rose on Lynn's face, bringing a sparkle to her eyes. "I'd like to become a Craftborn someday. I want to learn as much as possible before I choose one of them."

Kaze blinked. He wasn't sure if he'd heard right.

"You don't agree," Lynn said after his hesitation stretched a little too long. "It's okay, I get that reaction a lot. You said you're a sightcrafter, right?"

"Er, yes."

"Did you know that Visimancy can be used to detect lies with more than seventy percent accuracy? It's difficult, but if you can attune your eyes to infrared light, you can see changes in someone's body temperature that might tell if they're lying."

"I... didn't know that, no."

"That's the sort of thing I'm after. Things that give Crafters a serious edge over quote-unquote 'normal' people. At the rate things are going, Craftborn are going to outnumber humans in a handful of generations, and I for one can handle a few physical changes if it means being on the winning team. I'd just like to be armed with as much knowledge as I can first."

"That's... that's fair, I suppose." Kaze didn't agree, but it was hard to argue with Lynn's logic. To him, the importance of preserving humanity -- both in himself, and in general -- was self-evident, but that didn't feel satisfying enough. He decided to let the matter drop for now. At least he had a better idea of what made Lynn tick, and that was enough to assuage his anxiety.

Maybe he could even stand to learn a few things from her.