Sheng Li
Legacy Name: Sheng Li

It was the smell of freshly baked cookies that snapped him back into reality. He had been working on an artificial heart, a prototype for Sachiko, in case she needed a backup. He must have been hunched over it for hours, because his spine screamed at him when he finally sat up straight. He removed his brass-rimmed goggles and glanced at the doorway, where his adopted brother Ruz stood. In the young boy's hands was a tray with a glass of milk and the source of the sweet scent.

Just breathing in the fragrance, he was reminded of the first time Ruz had baked him something. It was a few days after he had moved into his new home - it had taken every second of those days to clean the neglected kitchen and get it back into working shape. It had been an arduous task, and Sheng Li had been forced to lend a hand despite the myriad of projects awaiting him in his workshop. Still, it wasn't something he hadn't enjoyed doing - he was always happy to spend time with the first person to accept him for all of his quirks. Not that he would admit feeling this way to anyone. That first batch of cookies had been some of the tastiest he ever had, even though they were a little too brown along the edges.

He shook the memory from his mind as Ruz said his name. It probably wasn't the first time he had called out to him, but Ruz was used to him getting lost in reverie. It was a side effect of what Beltrano referred to as Li's "eidetic memory," or the ability to remember every single detail about every single thing he has ever encountered. This ability was just as helpful as it was a hindrance, and it was something Li had always struggled with. In the orphanage, he was often teased for having his head in the clouds, which some of the children interpreted as lack of intelligence. Ruz had seen it differently, however. The blue-haired dragon had always been reserved, and Sheng Li had only focused on him when the boy had gotten into a fight whilst defending Li. After that, Li slowly but surely forced himself into Ruz's life, through the walls the dragon had built around himself.

"They're going to get cold if you keep this up," Ruz said, clearing a space on the workbench and setting the tray down. "What are you remembering?"

"The first time you made cookies," Li answered, picking one up. He couldn't help but smile at the sight of it - by now, Ruz had gotten used to the quirks of the old-fashioned oven and the cookies were baked perfectly.

"I remember that," The younger boy said with a smile - it had taken months after they met before Li had been able to see him smile. Even now, it was a sight reserved almost exclusively for Li. "Using that oven was a battle. Now it's become second nature. How's the heart coming along?"

Li picked up another cookie and shoved the entire thing in his mouth, turning to the project. He picked it up and chewed and swallowed before answering, turning it over in his hands. "It's almost finished. I'm pretty proud of it, though Sachi will probably whine that it isn't pink."

"Does that really matter? I mean, it isn't something she'd even see. It's internal," Ruz said, glancing over his shoulder at the apparatus.

Li shrugged. "Tell that to her."

Ruz shook his head and stood straight up. "How long do you think until it's finished?"

"Hmmmm," the little inventor said in thought. "Maybe two hours?"

"All right, good," Ruz said. "The second it's done, you need to come upstairs for dinner. I'm making dumplings tonight, and I don't want them to get cold before you get to them."

Instantly, the memory of the scent of dumplings flooded his senses. Ruz might not have an eidetic memory like Li, but he always remembered his family's favorite foods. "Promise."

"Good," the dragon said. "I'll remember you said that." He turned then, and stepped back through the doorway to make his way back upstairs.

Li watched him go and couldn't help but smile after him. He wondered how many more memories he was going to make with his new family, with Beltrano and Roxella and Ruz. If he was going to remember every single thing in his life, those memories might as well be good ones.