Flashback ( PDFDrive )

Tinker tapped the base of each nail twice, and a puff of air loosened
the gadgets, allowing Sophie to slide them up or down as needed. All
she’d have to do is trim her nails to keep them hidden.
“Is this a better solution than what you were planning?” Tinker
asked Dex, with no bravado in her tone. Only curiosity.
But Dex still wouldn’t look at her as he nodded. And his sigh was
somewhere between a grumble and a harrumph.
“You have a competitive streak, don’t you?” Tinker noted.
Sophie and Mr. Forkle both said “yes” while Dex said “no.”
“I’m not being competitive,” he argued. “I’m allowed to be annoyed
that I got replaced.”
“You weren’t replaced,” Mr. Forkle corrected. “This project, for
whatever reason, seemed to be stumping you. So I thought it’d be wise
to have someone with a new perspective take a look. Plus, I know
you’ve been busy adjusting the panic switch rings—”
“You have?” Sophie asked.
Dex shrugged. “I’m trying to build a code into them, like ‘slide the
stone up for one kind of attack, right, left, and down for others.’ But
I’m not sure how to group it all, since there are so many different
threats, and the code has to be simple enough to remember.”
“I have some thoughts,” Tinker told him, and Dex’s jaw tightened,
like he was stopping himself from snapping at her.
“Perhaps you could discuss that later,” Mr. Forkle suggested, “once
Mr. Dizznee has had a bit more time to adjust to collaboration. In the
meantime, were you able to come up with anything for those other
projects I described?”
Tinker nodded, reaching into the jewelry box and setting two other
items on the table in front of Sophie: a plain silver bangle, and a cloak