Let's see how this looks. Gaue sfdsue vjxf sfsdjloe geosu soue voenn ebvue snvs e souyrn gsig guerht ajshf iehs piueur v. Freaj giwwern fsoau t e. Iguana joe, kor e nciuews. Five hundred miles to the south, amber light, filtered through gnarled glass and the water within it, thick beads of condensation without, seeped onto Astrid's drawing papers. Covered in intricate lines and words and numbers, the papers had a distinct smell, an odor from ages ago. They had been reused many times, for many designs, faithfully storing them all in their memory, transporting the designs to greater machines, faithfully still being the same texture, weight, and feel, of the paper she used in her childhood to scrawl pictures of her parents and siblings, all of whom would be happy for her today, were they still alive.

Astrid stopped drawing for a moment, reached out for the glass and sipped the remaining lukewarm water. "How much we fool ourselves with memories of the past, hanging onto dreams from long ago, frightened of the long dark future ahead." Magellan was speaking. Astrid smiled, and returned the glass to its water ring on the table.