Tae Tea Team

    The breeze blowing in from the sea carries a mild aroma of distant dreams with an aftertaste of salt. If one stands perfectly still, with one's eyes closed, one can almost hear it whisper the timeless stories it has witnessed. It tells of crafty Greek kings tied to masts to bask in the Songs of Sirens, of Ancient Mariners doomed to roam from place to place to warn the unfortunate of the dangers of slaughtering albatrosses, and the greatest, most epic, most jaw-dropping, awe-inspiring sea story ever told, which has been around since the dawn of time and will be around as long as Poseidon will reign upon His domain:

    "You should have seen the one that got away..."

    Uta opens her eyes, letting go of her daydreams. "...I'm sorry, I spaced out a moment... what were we doing again?" she asks, sitting at the table of a cafe with a certain European flair and a nice view on the canal.

    Tae and Wake are relaxing with Uta at the table. Tae was in the midst of talking about a trip the two had taken in the past, but trailed off when it became quite clear that Uta was missing in lala land. Upon Uta's return to normal space, Tae laughs and teases playfully, "Oh, we were just saying how wonderful it was that you were going to stay and help with all our spring cleaning!"
    Baroness Wake covers her smile with a timely sip of tea. It is good tea, really. Black tea is a favorite of hers. Add in a small slice of cake and it's a perfect mix of sweet and bitter.
    "Do you get much time to relax, Uta?" asks Wake curiously. "Or maybe you were just doing some private messaging." Wake herself has to make a point to not lose herself in the messsaging system. There's always someone reaching out.
    Both women are dressed for spring, with long, flowing dresses. Tae wears a vibrant yellow and Wake wears sky blue.

        As for Uta, she's still in her newbie uniform. Seems like that after she learnt that one does not have to show up in formal wear to meet a noble, she hasn't been wearing anything else.

    "...I don't get much time to relax, no...", Uta trails off, not sounding angered, annoyed, or even displeases. More... distractedly stating a mere fact. "I somehow tend to agree to help with all sorts of tasks while distracted, and that leaves me little to no- oh." She flicks her finger in the air and makes the motions to pull up her inventory. A tiny booklet shimmers into existence in her other hand, along with a small pencil. She flicks through the pages, jabs her fingers at a particular one, licks her pencil, and asks, "...so, when is the spring cleaning booked for again?" She also has a cup of tea and a slice of cake in front of her, complete with small forks for that exotic Western flair. She shakes her head. "No private messaging, just wandering the hyperuranion."

    Tae laughs softly, "You don't have to help with spring cleaning, dear. I was just having some fun. Unless of course you want to! Just be warned, in our house we sing when we work." She has a rather powerful green tea that she's drinking. The standards are available everywhere, it seems. She has a somewhat larger piece of cake than Wake does. For some reason, each time she takes a bite she gives Wake an amused, impish look, complete with a wrinkling of her nose and cheeky grin.
    "You should really set aside some time to just relax, honestly," suggests Baroness Wake. "Even with all the work going on, it's important to make some time to be in the moment or daydream. That's where the best ideas come from, after all."

    "I can assure you there is no shortage of daydreaming in my life," chuckles Uta as she introduces another bit of cake into her mouth and lets the flavor take her to a gustatory journey into the long history of Austrian baked goods.

    "I don't know about that," says Uta. "Last time I've been relaxing or daydreaming, I came up with the idea of tasting a coat to determine if it was hand-crafted or menu-made..."

    "...HA! Seriously. You've seen me during duties, right? My whole spellcasting system is based on singing. Even if I weren't doing spring cleaning, I'd have to exercise anyway. Some people train for battle by slashing away at dummies, I do solfege, scales, and intervals of thirds. It-"

    She freezes.

    Her pupils grow a couple of sizes."...I have song /and/ Air Magic...."

    Mixed with spring cleaning.

    Clearly, nothing can possibly go wrong with this.

    Wake would normally urge caution, but her fiance has no such impulse. Tae laughs at the visual she conjures up of Uta gnawing on a coat. "That's so interesting, though, when you think of it! I never really thought to taste other things to see if the flavor matches up. I mean, the scent system seems to work really well. Perhaps we should explore this more carefully.."
    Baroness Wake makes a mental note that leaving Tae and Uta together alone is likely to result in some pretty silly things. But if it makes Tae, happy, well, then its worth it.
    "So other than the Slimarium, what are you working on, Uta? And since it seems progress is being made, do you have any thoughts on what you would do after?" Wake drifts subject to subject sometimes, but she will always bring it back to work eventually.

Strawberry makes her way into the cafe. The diminutive mouse, looking around, and deeply inhaling the smell of fresh food, her thin tail bobbing up and down as she walks inside. She would give a shy little wave to the people gathered before finding a table to sit at, the tiny cait sith's legs not even reaching the ground. Her radar dish like ears gently flicking as she takes in the surroundings before ordering a cup of tea and some bread.

    "I'm still researching Fey Moods and Yuugen. You've probably read my post on the Alliance boards." She sighs. "Progress is painfully slow, inexistent even." She clasps her hands together and leans forward. "I'm also planning to research the Songs. The lore weaves them into religion, tIve heard of a song that can be heard in the Tower, and... you know, there's the whole thing about being in a 'Fey Mood' showing up as 'Resonating with this world's Primordial Song' in the status effect readout when one does a medical grade inspection.

    Uta fidgets with her fingers. She looks away, rolls her tongue inside her mouth, shifts in her seat, and finally looks at Wake again. "I'm into storytelling," Uta begins. "Maybe I'm seeing patterns where there are none, but..." She rolls her tongue in her mouth again. "...the game, or whatever Force made us what we are now, seems to have a sense of storytelling and symbolism. One which creeps me more and more every passing day."

    She leans over. "My name is Uta." Which, Wake will know, is Japanese for song, or poem. "My magic system is based on singing. And Song seems to be inextricably interwined with the fabric of this universe. It's too weird, /too weird/ to be a coincidence." Again, she leans forward, and gets that intense stare with an undercurrent of dread. "I need to know what this is all about. I need to know all about music in this world. Research its true power." And with her voice slightly cracked, mildly scared, "...and what this all has to do with me specifically."

    She blinks. Again, she realizes what she's done and quietly leans back. "...oh, and I was also considering to either acquire a mobile home in the form of a furnished Grunty-pulled cart, or finding a small apartment and opening a musical clinic-doujo in Tolbana. But now that Rylen gifted me a slime lab, I might as well make that my home..." A moment of spacing out, then she shakes her head again. "Oh, yeah. My first research will be about the basic properties of slimes, possible novel pharmacological applications, maybe alchemical as well. If I can find an alchemist to assist me. I'm also planning to research the basics of how slimes go from unprimed to a specific variant, what kind of and how much material is needed to trigger their change, their properties in specific changed states, and how to reverse the process, if possible."

BGM: https://youtu.be/Syw4Q2EIeOA
Sakuzyo - Trattoria

"Slimes. Never a dull moment with you, I see." The voice comes from a familiar cloaked figure, sweeping in off of the canal-strewn streets. "Well, one must follow their dreams, no matter the pain. I can respect that, at least." Thin lips curl in a smile as she looks over the group at the table. "Uta. Baroness... And I believe you have the advantage of me." She says to the third. She bows her hooded head. "I am Proteus, Archaeologist. A pleasure."

Glancing to one side, she tilts her head and gives Strawberry a short wave in return as she sees the mousy girl, and reflexively Inspects as well to check her. "Mmm." She hums for a moment, and gestures to the server. "Tea, black, with honey. Shortbread."

She gets back to business when she looks back to Uta and the others. "I have wondered about the Fey Moods myself. The Songs are... important, historically. Landers do not make new music, you realize. Music is important in this world... And religion is important as well. The venerated beings appear to have more influence than I expected."

    She smiles for a moment. "Be careful, Uta, not to lose control of your story. I would hate to see you become a puppet of fate."

She goes quiet, then, before suddenly speaking up. "If you are seeking an alchemist who would probably help you, you should consult with Whiskey Sour at the Plant Hwydaen HQ. She does a lot of experimentation and you might find her style... compatible with yours."

    Tae is the one most drawn to music, and so Wake's fiance listens raptly to Uta's words concerning that subject. It makes sense, really. "Music is often seen as a kind of magic, even in the real world. I found it could convey feelings and meaning even to those who couldn't understand a word of my language. That songs would have such great power here is to be expected. I'm certain you'll find many truths as you explore this."
    At the appearance of Proteus, the Baroness rises and slips into her usual, graceful curtsey. To her side, Tae rises as well, bowing as Wake offers an introduction, "This is my fiance, Tae. It's a pleasure to meet you here, Proteus!"
    The Baroness draws out an open seat, "Please, join us, if you would. We would delight in your company."
    Tae settles back into her chair and leans forward, listening with interest. "That's an interesting warning, Proteus. I wish someone had warned me when I was young to do the same. But perhaps I would have just continued on. It did, of course, work out in the end."

     Ever since her planned dinner date with the Baroness and her fiance... Pela had actually been hanging around the Fourland Dukedom. While she waited for a good time for the stars to align to finally /have/ that dinner date, she'd been wandering the fourland dukedom, starting the cataloguing of its herbs, spices, vegetables, and fruits. However, she did occasionally have to return to town for some things!

     That being, that she had gone to some baker shop to make herself some bread. As such, when Pela approaches the teahouse... the smell of freshly breaked whole grain bread can be smelled wafting around the area. Dark and seeded and gorgeously full-bodied it was a great bread for when Pela was doing her explorations, with small hints of something sweet and a nuttiness to it. Travel bread.

     Familiar voices can be heard nearby, and Pela's ear twitches. Her gaze flicks around curiously. The voice of Uta, Baroness Wake... and Proteus!

     Suddenly, that smell of fresh bread is approaching the table that Uta, the Baroness, and Tae are currently at. Even with that fact, Pela is doing what she can to mask her presence. So she can just appear as if she belonged there and/or was working there while she gets a quick handle on what was going on.

Strawberry is still seated at her own table, thanking the server for her tea and scones, in a squeaky little voice. She gently kicks her feet as she pulls out a jar of Strawberry jam from her bag and begins to apply it to the bread. She does return the wave to Proteus, her wide sauacer like red eyes gently taking in the now expanding group of people before returning to focus on her snack.

    Merek would be coming by the cafe, while he looks around to seek food. He wears the usual dark attire with the sword upon his back, scarf adjusted about features. The man walks along to find an order, a hand moving to point towards what looks like a simple tea. He then nods to a few snack breads, then he will offer coins to pick those up. He then finds a few people which he knows. "Ah."

Tae is introduced as the fiance! Proteus arches a brow and smiles. "Well well. My compliments on your mutual tastes. You seem to suit each other well at a glance."

"There's a great deal to learn and I feel like I've had to start again from the beginning." Proteus sighs, but she does sit down when invited to do so. She also pulls back her hood, revealing her Impish face and hair as she relaxes back in the seat. "Since the Black Wave, much of the world has changed and shifted into new permutations, as if a key was turned in a lock. The world is alive now, and it's trying to move in ways unknown to even people who originally thought they knew it all."

Proteus taps her fingers together as she listens to Tae, and she arches a brow once more, half-smiling. "Are you happy where you are now?" She asks. "Though perhaps that is a dangerous question in present company..."

Her nose twitches lightly as the approaching scent of fresh baked bread. "Odd, I thought the shortbread would be sweeter smelling..." She pauses, looking around for a moment, but her gaze seems to glaze right over Pela, missing her in her attempts to keep herself hidden. "Mmmm. Must be my imagination." She hums, her gaze pausing on Strawberry again as she decorates her meal with some namesake spread. Her brow raises for a moment, an unspoken question as she looks on the mousegirl. Her hand moves up to her chin, rubbing under her lip as she takes on a ponderous pose. Merek's arrival gets a nod from the Imp. Far be it for her to ignore the one who keeps taking killshots for her in the absence of her usual bodyguard.

    Uta hangs her head, bowed under the arc formed by her hands and forearms, elbows resting on the table. "...I know... that's exactly the issue. We're clearly being guided towards... /something/, but is this guide benevolent or malignant?" She looks up at the cloaked figure, with a tired look. "...at this point I think it is obvious that we are but pawns in a game. Pawns which might still have options to take initiative, but an initiative that might result in making things worse." She sighs and lets her face fall down on the table, forehead landing on her fork. The movement, like jumping on a seesaw, sends the morsel of cake that was balanced on the tines to fly across the cafe. Uta doesn't seem to notice it, busy as she is pondering how she's basically just headbutted the table.

    "My main consolation is that a protagonist is supposed to lack control over events until at least the midpoint, with the end of act 2 or even the climax revealing further way his or her choices were wrong. So it's not too bad if I' if I mess things up at this point, I guess. Hi Proteus."

    "...what's Whiskey Sour's style like?"

    "Oh, look! Merek the Alchemist!", she exclaims with a smile as soon as Merek speaks. "Just what the nurse ordered! We were saying that we could use some... *sniff sniff* ...bread?"

    It is at this moment that the morsel of cake completes its descending parabola at Strawberry's table, possibly splashing into her tea...

"I am wondering much the same, Uta." Proteus nods in response to Uta's pondering. "I want to know more about these beings before I can simply accept what gifts they offer." Or not. Time will tell. "Knowledge is power, after all." Proteus frowns, then. "Pawns... Maybe, but even a pawn who crosses the board can become a queen. Follow your heart, even if that heart is telling you to poke slimes." The thump and launched chunk of cake causes Proteus to blink. "Are you... okay?" She asks Uta.

Yes, she seems to be okay. Proteus sighs and slumps a little at that. "I don't think this is going to be a three-act structure." She quips back to Uta. "Also, Whiskey tends to be very experimental with her efforts. She is very much a waste-not-want-not type, if you ask me. She can be very inventive. I think you will have some success working with her."

Little does Proteus know the terrible fate of the ballistic cake.

    Tae is rather basking in having so many friends around. This is the kind of thing that has her daydreaming, honestly. "We should really have a party," she decides abruptly. "I'd love to prepare a big meal for everyone, and hunt for creative places for everyone to crash at our place overnight." She does snap out of it when Uta sounds so very serious.
    "Well, life is always about making your own choices, doing the best you can with what you know, and living with the results - or acting to change them," says Baroness Wake. "In that way, no matter where you live, or what you do, you have a hand in matter. And responsibility for your actions." She sighs softly as messages just flood their way in at her. "My apologies, business is coming up. I will need a moment." With a bow of her head, she rises and slips away.
    Tae, however, has no concerns, "I'm muted on all that stuff." She smiles at Proteus, "And thank you! I'm very happy with my choice, indeed. She's a workaholic, but I love her anyway. Being stranded together is kind of a guilty pleasure, honestly."

    Merek looks then to Uta, "Alchemy?" he asks. Focus upon one thing at a time, he notes to himself. There's a look to the whole of the place, while he tries the best he can to listen and watch the people.

     Okay so they're talking about... the world and how things are going. That's not too worrying or anything that would be bad to butt into. Pela rather unceremoniously deactivates her Sneaking skill, speaking up, "Yes, bread." Pela comments, in that 'not-trying-to-but-possibly-giving-some-poor-soul-a-heart-attack' kind of way. She's not... trying to sneak right now! But. Well, you know. "...I can empathise with the waste-not-want-not approach. I try to do that too." She says absently, inviting herself to a chair next to Uta to sit down next to her.

     And reach out absently to pat the top of her head. Meanwhile, the way Tae is talking, it's... That Person! However Pela is feeling mostly quiet right now. Likely due to the very public venue and amount of people. She does, however, pull out one of the still-slightly-steaming loaves of bread to share, if people wanted to try it.

Strawberry verbosely pays for her tea and scone, and seeming very overwhelmed by the number of people and the chaos that is going on, quickly scurries off out of the cafe.

    "Whether these events are or are not going to be organized into a three-act structure, Proteus, /we/ are going to do slot them that way. Admit it, under these guises of fantasy races,we're still humans deep inside. We're fitting the narrative into our preconceived schemes, and the three act structure is based on a pattern hardwired into our brains. Hard. Might as well do it upfront and-"

    Uta straightens her back. She turn, slowly, and takes a long, loooong look at Wake. "...you know, I think you've just given purpose to my obsessions, and done away with the crippling part of my crippling doubts. In two sentences, to boot."

    "...I'd say you'd make a great psychologist, were it not that you'd be a terrible one. I mean, from a business standpoint, that is. You'd cure everyone in a ten minute session, and you'd quickly run out of customers, and then you'd be forced to find a new job. Probably in HR. And I'm not sure I'd see you working in HR. Sounds like too constricting for you.

    Uta continues, "Yes, Merek. I am looking for someone to perform studies on the slimes, and figure out their alchemical properties. You guys are concerned with transmutations, aren't you? Well, if slimes aren't the ultimate source of transmutation in this game, I don't know what is..."

    "Pela! I'm so happy to see you! When was the last time we've been together? Wasn't it that time in the desert with Jazz and Atif and the glass golems? Ah, that takes me back... How has life been treating you? I was thinking that what we need is- oooh, bread!" She does accept the offer, and begins nibbling on it.

    Tae asides to Uta, "It's funny you should say that. She's got a Ph.D in psychology in the real world." She makes a point of sharing this only when Wake is off, addressing her exploding chimlink. "Oh, and don't worry, she's not going to be upset if you know that. She definitely doesn't work in the business, though, nor in HR. That would be totally hilarious if she did, though."
    When Baroness Wake returns, she lets out a sigh. "Tae, my beloved," she begins. She doesn't get to finish. Tae is already on her feet, "And that means, of course, that work is calling, and we must depart to see to it."
    The Baroness slides into a deeper curtsey, "My apologies, everyone. We need to prepare a few things before I go on my way. A friend has called for Olympus help, and my leader has employed her usual martial prowess by delegating this work to me." She looks to Merek then and says, "Don't worry, we will still have time before I go. Perhaps we will be going the same way, come to think of it. I'll message you once we can speak more, my friend. I suspect I will need about three hours."

    Merek seems to think about it a little bit, then nods along while he watches Uta, "Of course, I will see about what I am able to find when it comes to slimes," the man notes, then he crosses both of his arms thoughtfully while he nods. The man nods a little bit to Wake.

"A party..." Proteus murmurs, her tone seeming to hold some faint resonance of existential dread behind the whisper. "I am sure you could have a great deal of entertainment at a party." She says, noncommitally.

She does, however, shrug at the analysis from Wake. "This is correct." She says simply. "Doing what you can to control your environment or the events that befall you is how you reshape things. There are normally... limits to that. But perhaps this place can be more permissive... Or less. I wonder." She lets Wake handle business, before Proteus taps at her ear and murmurs a few short things on her own Chimlink.

Proteus shrugs again to Tae, smiling shamelessly. "I have a lot of irons in the fire." She says simply in response. "But I am glad you both are happy together. All too often I have heard nothing but misery. Perhaps it's that response that has driven people to the various Alliances more than anything else."

And suddenly Pela! Proteus blinks and starts, her vestigal wings flaring behind her as she draws back in surprise. "Ah! You...!" She breathes... And then relaxies when she sees it's just Pela and not, say, Yuuki thirsting for a duel or something. The nigh wordless offering of the bread gets a quick response from Proteus, who promptly pulls off a sizable chunk and pops it into her mouth, chewing. She closes her eyes, humming around it before she swallows. "Delightful." She says, winking to Pela. "So what brings you out this way?"

Uta's response gets a rub on the chin. "Maybe. We have a habit of creating archetypes and fitting things into the monomythic structure but just because we have that habit doesn't mean we're doomed to repeat it, especially if we are /aware/ of the tendency. Besides, it is more than simply one story, isn't it? There is your story, mine, Tae's, the Baroness', et cetera."

Uta's revelatory reveal however, gets a blink, and then a little laugh. "If it was always that simple..." She simply says... And waves to Tae and Wake as they take their leave. "Good luck. Maybe another day we'll have something to talk about of import." What, this is light conversation for Proteus?

     It's... a nice, dark bread. It's a little bit chewier than one might expect after 'real' bread due to it being a very seed, nut, and dried fruit-heavy bread. Even just a few little nibbles would give the sense that it's a pretty nutricious bread. "...I'm okay. The golems, yes! ... That was... uhm. A very hot time. I've been exploring and wandering as usual. Working on cataloguing the common herbs and edibles here in the Fourland Dukedom. ...I had to come back to town to bake some food." The mention of examining the slimes gets a slight tilt of her head. Hmm. "...Slimes, hm? Interesting..."

     She hadn't... experimented /too/ much with her alchemy. Yet. But it /does/ sound interesting.

     Proteus' surprise and then mention of it being delightful gets a small smile from Pela, her ears perked. "Good! ... I mostly make it for myself so I don't care as much about making it really tasty..." She comments, thinking on that for a few moments. She continues on, adding, "...Finishing my exploration of the major lands of Yamato. ... Going to do smaller or more obscure places next..."

    Uta seems pretty busy muttering into her chimlink as well. "It is everyone's story, indeed. But if you think about it... hasn't it been said that the hero's story of triumph will turn into a tragedy if seen from the villain's perspective? The monomyth is not a pattern for events that happen, it's a pattern of how we relate them."

    "It isn't that simple.

    "...if you have a map for herbs, that would be delightful. You've probably heard of the spike in the price of ingredients for potions a while ago, and since I have no Herbology skill myself, I normally need to rely on someone else, and... well, being able to find herbs on my own by using a map would /really/ help a lot. In fact, I think I mekfmpfpfpp pfpffmmpfgmp fmppmpmffmg..." Ok, Uta got distracted once again and stuffed more bread in her face while she was eating. She waves at Wake, then returns to address Merek.

    "Mffmfmfmmffm mfmfffm fmfmffmm fmfmfmmff mfmff. Mffmfmff fmfmfm fmfmff *swallow* distribute it to the appropriate venues. Then it will be vital that we gnum blubml mfffmfmf fmfmffm fmfmffm mfmf" Oh, great. Face stuffed once again.

Uta swallows a second time. "So, basically, yeah. We try to figure out if the mechanisms that allow the slimes to mutate their substance or appearance can be used for... I don't know, perform other kinds of transmutation? Or maybe we should stick to the simpler tasks of using transmuted slimes as ingredients, if at all possible?"

    Merek nods along a little bit to Uta, while he seems to think about it, "I don't know, I will see about what I can do." A smile offered by the man, "I should be about my way as well!"

     "I... don't... really have cartography so I can only give descriptions of where the herbs are, otherwise you'rel ikely to get an inaccurate map that sends you to dangerous areas instead of the relatively safe areas. ...Anyway it won't... help.. that much. The herbs are tapped out as well, unfortunately. You'd be better off finding alternative methods for what you need." Pela responds with a small nod.

     "Or starting a personal garden/farm for it, of course..." Pela muses quietly, absently taking a small piece of the bread to nibble on slowly, her gaze shifting around absently. "...I mean I guess I could just work with a cartographer and make the map..." Pela taps her lip on that. "...I need to stop thinking in 'me' and 'i' when considering projects."

     She pauses at the way Uta is talking with her mouth full. And she has to cover her mouth with both hands, fighting back laughing. Instead, a small giggle escapes her lips at how Uta is talking with her mouth full. "..U...uta... s...swallow first, maybe..."

    Uta replies to Pela, "If you ever need help with anything that is not drawing maps or growing herbs, always feel free to poke my way. I've started one project to set up a slime lab myself, and I'm being overwhelmed with help. It's amazing. So, I feel like I have to pay it forward..." A frown. "Oh, yeah. Swallowing. Sorry, I'm kind of getting lost in the discussion and sometimes, when I get lost in thought, I kind of lose control of what the rest of me is doing with nomf fglflgp mlfgfpg gmfgpmgf gfpmfgpg gpgflgfgm...."

    She swallows. Distractedly.

    "...what were we saying? Oh, right. Swallowing." She swallows again. "See you later, Merek! And thank you, any help is appreciated!" She nibbles on the last bits of cake and sips the last of her tea. "In fact, I should be going myself..."

"Making it for yourself or not, it's pretty good. I like it." Proteus says. "You found a recipe and made it your own, perhaps. That said... You seem to have taken quite the job on yourself. I wanted to do the same and I couldn't even manage it before the Black Wave hit. Now I may as well be starting over." She sighs, chuckling self-depreciatingly.

"If you want to source some of those materials, you can try contacting the Miracle Network, though Kaleido has been pretty busy of late. As for the rest, uh..." She kind of trails off as Uta begins stuffing her face and forgetting that she can't eat and talk at the same time.

"As far as maps are concerned..." Proteus shrugs. "I happen to have some skill in cartography. I might even have a map of the area around Alne if you are interested. But such things don't come for free."

     "Well, writing a book has a purpose... spreading it around." Pela says with a small shrug. "I'm... not sure how possible it is right now though... and I'm just sticking to the commons at the moment. Makes it easier when I'm not even worrying about the uncommons, rares, or seasonal herbs..." She pauses as she thinks on what Proteus said. "...So you were making one before the apocalypse? Interesting..." That would be useful.

     "...We... I... need... a printing press... don't I..." Pela frowns a bit. Oh goodness she's possibly taken on a much bigger project than she thought initially, she can't just type it up or anything like she would normally!