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]

"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."

[sagramore]

"Oh, really? Is there a remedy for it?"

[sporesprouter]

"Just spectacles, as far as I know." She shrugs. "Maybe there's a magical way to do it, though, but I couldn't say much of anything about what magic can do."

[sagramore]

"Actually, I have no idea what spectacles are. Do you mind explaining that?"

[sporesprouter]

She holds up her hands in circles. "It's like a pair of lenses in a frame that you wear over your eyes. I think the lenses are shaped different ways depending on how the vision is off? I'm not exactly an expert, but one of my crew members got a pair of them for a different vision problem."

[sagramore]

"Hmm." He sighs. "Well, I suppose I should say I'm thinking of myself, which may not come as a surprise to you, and if something like that is fairly commonplace to you, perhaps it wouldn't be so difficult to get. It sounds about as advanced as that thing," indicating the toaster.

[sporesprouter]

"Maybe the house can give you some like it does with food and clothes? It's magical enough that it might work."

[sagramore]

"It's worth a try. --It's really ordinary? I hadn't thought to ask anyone before, so--"

[sporesprouter]

"It's perfectly ordinary. Even my parents¹ are starting to hold things a little further away when they read."

¹ And her typist. Sigh