Back inside the forging room, alone with Anastasia, Christian explained the situation slowly. His words were careful, his tone carrying both caution and concern as he laid out what had been weighing on him.
Anastasia listened without interrupting, letting him circle his point until she finally raised a hand, stopping him with a small, dismissive wave.
"So, basically," she said, "you want some kind of safeguard for your people… in case your android blows up. Right?"
"…Yes," Christian replied.
Anastasia fell quiet, her mismatched eyes studying him for a long moment before she gave a small shake of her head.
"Hmmm… unfortunately, giving an item to each of your people is out of the question."
Disappointment flickered across Christian's face. He hesitated, caught between pressing the matter further and abandoning it to find a solution on his own.
