The meal at Kaivan's house was unpretentious, yet it overflowed with warmth. Laughter and soft conversation threaded between bites, weaving an intimacy that felt rare and precious. Every mouthful seemed to draw their hearts a little closer, bridging the gaps between their very different paths, tied together by an unexpected twist of fate.
After breakfast, the mood shifted toward a quiet readiness for the day. Kaivan glanced at Felicia, sensing she had no clear destination. "Why don't you come with us to the workshop?" he offered lightly. "You can just look around."
Felicia hesitated for a moment, but curiosity outshone her unease. She nodded, and soon they set off together.
The workshop was no ordinary place. Behind its weathered walls, the inside buzzed with focused energy: small machines hummed, tables overflowed with circuit boards and piles of used phones. There was an organized kind of chaos to it all.
Radit slipped easily into his work, deftly prying open phone casings with a small screwdriver. Kaivan, meanwhile, introduced Felicia to the others. "That tall guy is Radit , he handles disassembly and recycling. The one in the shirt is Frans; he's our logistics guy. Zinnia keeps track of records and collections. Me? I just do whatever needs doing."
Kaivan's gaze shifted toward Thivi, who stood nearby , poised, sharp-eyed. "And this is Thivi…"
"I'm the secretary and the supplier for our stock of used phones," Thivi cut in smoothly, her voice elegant but edged with quiet authority. A faint, knowing smile curved her lips. "I make sure everything runs properly here."
From her quiet corner, Zinnia finally spoke, eyes steady as she gestured toward Felicia. "And who's she?"
Kaivan answered calmly, "Felicia. She stayed at my place last night. There was a problem, and Thivi and I helped out. Today, she's just here to look around."
Felicia offered a small smile, but her eyes swept across the room with quiet curiosity. At first, she only wanted to observe. Yet the longer she stood there, the more her gaze lingered on the details: the way Radit separated the chips, how Zinnia carefully recorded every piece, and the serious yet warm atmosphere surrounding that little team.
"What parts are you taking apart?" she asked.
Her question stilled every hand in the room. Her voice was soft, but there was a magnetism in its tone. She stood tall, her crimson eyes gleaming. Even in her simple clothes, she radiated a quiet charisma. She wasn't just asking, she was diving into their work, eager to understand.
Radit, focused a moment ago, leaned back in his chair. He wiped his brow and replied, "Pin connectors, chips, and the gold layer on the buttons."
He pointed to a neat pile of components, his hand moving with a craftsman's pride, as though displaying a piece of art. But Felicia didn't stop there. She stepped closer, graceful yet grounded. All eyes turned toward her. She wasn't just an onlooker anymore, she belonged to the rhythm of that room.
"What about the motherboard and the RAM fingers?" she asked, bending slightly, her eyes fixed on the heap of electronic parts on the table. A faint smile touched her lips, but her gaze was sharp, challenging assumptions no one had thought to question. "If you melt them, there's still about thirty to forty percent gold inside."
For a heartbeat, time froze. Radit glanced over. Frans paused mid-motion. Even Kaivan, quietly dismantling a device, raised his head, his expression a mix of surprise and skepticism. "Seriously? That much?" he asked, half in disbelief.
Felicia nodded calmly. "Yes. As long as you know the technique. Take them apart, separate each layer, then dissolve them in Aqua Regia, a mix of nitric acid and hydrochloric acid, one to three. If the solution is right and the refining process is careful, you can recover almost all the gold."
Silence settled over the workshop, not awkward, but filled with awe. It was as if a new door of knowledge had just been opened by a guest who'd only meant to look around.
Frans stood quickly, his eyes alight. He reached for a pile of untouched devices. "Then we can't waste time," he said, pulling one closer. His hands moved deftly, prying open the casing and exploring its insides.
Kaivan, now more focused than ever, rose from his seat. "I'll get the hydrochloric acid," he said, striding toward the door.
At another table, Radit grabbed a soldering iron, looping a wire with quick, precise motions. "Alright, I'm not letting you two get ahead of me," he muttered.
Felicia stood behind them, like a mentor who'd just uncovered her students' hidden potential. From time to time, she offered guidance, her voice gentle, but impossible to ignore. "Don't press too hard on the RAM's corners. It could crack, and you'll lose some of the gold flakes."
The atmosphere shifted. The clink of tools, the hiss of the soldering iron, the scrape of screwdrivers, all blended into a symphony of work. Intense, yet warm. Frans, usually relaxed, looked over at Felicia and smiled. "You're making us feel like scientists, you know?"
Felicia laughed softly, elegant but sharp. "If it means you're getting smarter, I don't mind."
Meanwhile, Kaivan returned, holding a clear bottle filled with liquid. He headed straight for the table, turning the device in his hands, searching for the best angle. "Here we go," he murmured. With steady care, he lifted a chip from its casing and set it on a small tray.
Radit, usually cheerful and full of jokes, looked unusually serious. Tilting his head, he studied a half-dismantled motherboard. "Felicia," he called without looking up, "the gold's still in the layers, right? We'll need acid to pull it out?"
Felicia approached, pointing carefully at the part he indicated. "That's right. You'll need Aqua Regia. Don't forget masks and gloves," she added, glancing at Kaivan. "The solution is dangerous. Be careful."