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[precocioustilda.livejournal.com]

Here we find one Matilda, juggling a plate of fried pancakes, a very large physics book, and a smug expression. She sets the first two down on a table, sits, and lets the third continue to do its business while she combines eating with reading.
If anyone manages to glimpse the title, it is Everything There Is To Know About Light.

Comments

[that-valentine.livejournal.com]

"Good day to thee." The scruffy blond - actually, less scruffy than usual - peers in an interested manner at her book.

"That looks interesting."

[precocioustilda.livejournal.com]

"Oh, it is. It's lovely. There's a whole series like this in the Milliways library - not all of them are about physics, either. This one's Everything There Is To Know About Light, but there's also Everything There Is To Know About The Human Brain, which is sort of biology and psychology combined. And a bunch of others I didn't look at very closely."

[that-valentine.livejournal.com]

He nods, and peers over her shoulder. And then frowns, slightly. "Physics has advanced apace since my time, I fear."

[precocioustilda.livejournal.com]

She grins at him. "It probably has. Actually I'm pretty sure this book is advanced more than my time, too. It doesn't have a publishing date, for one."

[that-valentine.livejournal.com]

"Still." He smiles. "You are always the student, I see."

[precocioustilda.livejournal.com]

"Oh, yes. Always." Another grin. "I'm going to learn how to grow crystals that make interesting patterns when you pass light through them. I think from reading this book I've already got a few ideas..."

[that-valentine.livejournal.com]

"I'm sure there are others in Milliways who might be able to advise you, as well."

[precocioustilda.livejournal.com]

"There are. I had the idea of reading this book from talking to someone, after all." The grin seems to be becoming a habit. "How have you been? I haven't seen you in quite a long time."

[that-valentine.livejournal.com]

"I have been well." He nods. "Studying. Conversing." Indenturing his soul.

[armoralchemy.livejournal.com]

Oooh, higher science!

Al walks over, a stack of books in his arms. He sets the books down on the table next to her. At the top is Introduction to Alchemy.

"I found some books for you," he says. "You should read them in this order." He bends over to see the title of her book better. "That looks interesting. Is it?"

[precocioustilda.livejournal.com]

"Thank you!" She peers momentarily at the top of the stack. "Yes, it's delightful. It's a book about light."

[armoralchemy.livejournal.com]

"That sounds great!"

Al is perhaps the only 14 year old boy in the bar who says that and means it.

"Physics is very interesting. I don't get to read many books about it, though."

[precocioustilda.livejournal.com]

Matilda is perhaps the only almost-six-year-old he'd be saying it to, at least about physics.

"Oh, it's wonderful. You can borrow this one after I'm done if you like. It's from the Milliways library, so you'd have to get Hermione Granger to give you a library card, but I'm sure that wouldn't be difficult."

[armoralchemy.livejournal.com]

"A library!" Al sounds excited. "I didn't know there was a library."

[precocioustilda.livejournal.com]

"Oh, of course there is. I could show it to you if you like, but Hermione runs it, so you'd have to get her to give you a library card. It's wonderful. It has a whole series of books like this one, but about different things... one about the human brain, and I think one about waffles for some reason... I didn't look too closely at the rest of them, though. I was looking up light, after all."

[armoralchemy.livejournal.com]

"That sounds fantastic," Al agrees. "I wonder if they have books on alchemy. I should tell my brother that it's there. Maybe if he finds some, he'll stay out of trouble for a while."

[precocioustilda.livejournal.com]

"They probably do. They have books on a lot of things."

"Thanks for these, though." She taps the stack, then gives it a thoughtful look. "Are they to keep or to borrow? If they're to borrow, I can probably have them back to you by..." Quick mental calculation. "next week, give or take. It depends on how long this light book takes."

[shufti]

"That's a big book."

Shufti has The very hungry caterpillar. Not quite the same calibre of book.

[precocioustilda.livejournal.com]

"Yes, it is. It's supposed to say everything there is to know about light."

[shufti]

"Light?"

She leans over.

"The words are little."

[precocioustilda.livejournal.com]

"Yes. And that's because the publishers didn't want the book being even bigger than it already is, so they made the words smaller instead."

[shufti]

"There must be a lot to say about light."

[precocioustilda.livejournal.com]

"Oh, there's loads. More than I'd think could fit in a book, actually. The first chapter is all about colour and how it works. Terrifically interesting."

[shufti]

Shufti looks around.

"I've never thought about that before. How does colour work?"

[precocioustilda.livejournal.com]

"Well, it all has to do with wavelength. Kind of like sounds being higher or lower-pitched, colours have more or less energy. Red is the lowest and purple is the highest. If you look at a rainbow, you can see all the colours in order of wavelength. If you put all the colours together you get white, and if you split up white light you get all the colours again."