He peeled away the excess, revealing a flawless, razor-sharp ring of black.
He didn't tell her about the soul-bond. Or that the cutter's hum now felt less like machinery and more like a purr. As he went to bed, he could have sworn he heard it whisper one last thing, a soft sibilance under the hum of the refrigerator: signmaster install cutter driver
Searching for SignMaster SC-3000 in Vulnus Accepto state... Handshake established. Uploading driver firmware... Do not disconnect power. Initiating soul-bond. He peeled away the excess, revealing a flawless,