Open Post: Curiosity

[sporesprouter]

Tress is, as she often is, in her workshop. However, what she is doing in her workshop is not even close to her usual activities.

Instead of her usual array of spores and sprouter's gear, she has found some more standard tools which are sitting on the table next to a rubber mat that is holding... a toaster. She secreted one from a kitchen that isn't particularly used. To the side are a couple books from the library as well as her open notebook.

She turns the toaster upside down and starts undoing some screws on the bottom of the case.

After all, the best way to figure something out is often to gain practical knowledge.

Comments

[sporesprouter]

"Pretty much." She looks thoughtful. "Since uneven heating is the trickiest part of cooking with sunlight spores, it's diffusing the heat, which the metal wires might possibly help with. I'd have to experiment. Keeping it compact is probably the best part of the thing, honestly."

[sagramore]

"Besides the wires, is there anything else that would help?" He's almost done with his coffee. The back and forth is easy; he doesn't really need to understand how she would do any of these things or how the spores work, just keep prompting her to organize what she already knows.

[sporesprouter]

She starts making some notes. "Maybe some sort of reservoir for the spores to drop them slowly enough into water to keep a steady enough heat supply to spread down the wires evenly. It wouldn't be as fast as this, but if I could get it reliable enough, that's more important anyway, as long as I didn't accidentally turn it into a flare."

[sagramore]

"Jesu, thou'rt so clever," not trying to keep the admiration out of his voice. "Thou hast a thousand thoughts in thy head."

[sporesprouter]

She smiles, even if it shades a little bit rueful. "I do. Sometimes they trip over each other."

[sagramore]

"Aye, I don't wonder."

[sporesprouter]

"Lan Wangji's taught me something that helps with that a bit. I'm working on being more diligent with it than I had been when he first showed me."

[sagramore]

"Really? What did he teach you?"

[sporesprouter]

"Meditating. It's basically controlling your breathing and just clearing your mind for a while. It's almost like cleaning cobwebs out of the corners of your head."

[sagramore]

"Oh, I think I've seen him doing that." This is absolutely wrong, but both of the things Sagramore has seen Lan Wangji doing seem very mind-clearing. "And that's helpful?"

[sporesprouter]

"It is, especially when I'm actually meditating. Apparently it will help more and more outside of that the more I do it, though."

[sagramore]

"Thou hast won the heart of everyone here, and we all want to see thee well," with a laugh.

[sporesprouter]

"You might be overstating it a little. But I'm very glad for the ones that do."

[sagramore]

"Oh, I almost forgot. Didst find the baklava?"

[sporesprouter]

She brightens even further. "That was you?"

[sagramore]

"And Laertes. Mainly Laertes, since it was his idea to begin with."

[sporesprouter]

"Well, thank you both. I'll have to make you something in return."

[sagramore]

"Or teach Laertes something. I think he will never learn enough to be satisfied," fondly.

[sporesprouter]

"I've noticed that. It's a good quality to have."

[sagramore]

"He's a good man." He is generally aware that he's gazing into his empty coffee cup in an altogether embarrassingly sentimental fashion, and yet.

[sporesprouter]

She glances over at him from her notes and smiles. "I'm glad you found him, then."

[sagramore]

"Aye, so am I." He gives himself a little shake. "All right, I have one other question for thee, since thou'rt learned."

[sporesprouter]

"I'll answer it if I know the answer."

[sagramore]

"Have you ever heard of a person being able to see things clearly from a distance, but not close up?"

[sporesprouter]

She nods. "It happens to a lot of people as they get older, I think. I know my great-grandmother Glorf was one."