9-Having a smart mouth will make you grow Bald

4/1/5/4353 M.A.C - Niwut - Late Afternoon

Glass eh? Didn't use much of it at the family business since it's so heavy compared to resins and other polymers...Good thing I paid attention in class.

Doro had more experience working with polycarbonates than glass, but he'd picked up some tips and tricks from some of his courses. He picked up a thick rag and wrapped a few old vials inside. Doro wrapped a cloth around the lower half of his face, squinted his eyes, placed the bundle onto the anvil, and smashed it repeatedly with a hammer. Doro kept going until the glass stopped making loud sounds as it shattered. He then emptied the contents of the rag into a mortar and ground it up with a pestle before repeating the process with more of the old glassware.

That should be enough for now. Gotta make sure not to breathe any in. It's so fine that it would do some bad things inside my lungs. [Phase Transition] can probably be used to meld it back together, but since it bypasses temperature altogether, I don't think I'd end up with borosilicate glass if I just mix the glass powder and the boron powder. Guess it's time to try out [Compound Synthesis]. I'll just refresh my memory on the ratios first.

Doro activated [Persistent Memories of the Blessed] and recalled one of the lectures he had attended back on Earth. With the ratios fresh in his mind, he started weighing out the ingredients before mixing them together. He then set two small portions aside to start figuring out the process.

So, I meld the first sample together and keep the second one loose. Then I try [Compound Synthesis] on both and see if there is a difference. As long as I keep it to the size of a kernel of corn, I shouldn't waste too much energy.

Doro tried to do as he had done with his other Abilities before. He concentrated on the melded sample while bringing his Ability to the forefront of his mind. He could feel some energy make its way into the pebble, but it only managed to react in some small portions of the sample. Doro used [Phase transition] to liquefy the sample and [Compound Synthesis] finally managed to work on its entirety.

Ok. So, it doesn't work well with melded solids but does in liquid. The Choice didn't come with any Ability that allowed to liquefy matter so I reckon it should also work with the loose sample. If it works then it would be a lot more efficient energy-wise if I can avoid the expenditure required to turn the glass liquid first.

As Doro had expected, [Compound Synthesis] worked on the powdered sample, albeit slightly less efficiently than in the liquid form. Doro took a few more samples and played around with his procedure while paying attention to the energy he spent. In the end, the most efficient method was to use [Compound Synthesis] right after melding the glass powder together, using [Phase Transition], and quickly letting it solidify again.

Time to stop the tests and do the thing! I'll need to make a flat square tray with raised edges to serve as a sheet mold, but I can already compound and meld the glass now and reshape it later. [Compound Synthesis] seems to be my most energy-hungry Ability so far. I'm not sure I'll be able to do it all in one go anyhow, so let's do it pound by pound.

A few minutes later, Doro sat in front of five large lumps of glass, his energy entirely depleted. There was still about a pound and a half of the glass powder left, but he was happy with the five pounds he had managed to process before running dry.

Considering that I was somewhere between half and three-quarters full before I started, it is currently costing me a bit more than ten percent of my energy for each pound I process with this method. For simplicity's sake, let's just call 10% of my current maximum capacity 1 energy point from now on. Out of juice for now, though. Gotta wait until I regen a bit. If I remember correctly, it takes five hours to fully recover. It's not long before ninth bell right now, so I should have somewhere between seven and eight points of energy to work with after dinner. I should go for a run and practice my kinesis using [somatic support] while I'm tapped out. I'll try to do some moderate jogging for an hour or so and work out my upper body by keeping a few rocks aloft.

Keeping true to the resolution he'd made, Doro headed out of his house and went for a slow jog. He picked up a few stones along the way and shifted the position of his arms now and then to work on different muscles. Some of the postures he was making looked silly enough to elicit a few giggles from bystanders prompting Doro to switch out of them earlier than he would have had otherwise. Aside from that bit of mental damage, his plan worked out well, and after an hour of effort that left his body feeling as spent as his energy had been, Doro made his way back home and got cleaned up.

Doro could hear the tenth bell ringing outside by the time he was done getting clean. He went back to his father's bedside to check up on him and found him sleeping peacefully with a better expression on his face. Doro made his way to the workshop and sat down. He rested for the next hour while leisurely writing up a lesson plan for his father and Sarima. Feeling slightly refreshed, Doro then headed to his mother's workshop to get some help with the wooden elements needed for his project.

Mom should have some wooden boards. If I go help out for a bit, maybe she'll have the time to help me with my stuff.

Suyum was in the midst of shaping a lump of greyish-white clay on top of her kick wheel as Doro entered the room.

"Can't stop now. Give me a couple minutes."

Doro watched the clay spin and change shape as his mother applied pressure to the exterior of the lump. Suyum dipped her hand in water, before shaking off the excess, and gave her wheel another few kicks to get it spinning faster. The clay lump inched slowly higher and she started using her thumbs to create a depression in the center. Doro thought there would be no magic involved, but the clay responded to his mother's every touch as she drew the vessel's sides upwards by gently pinching the edges.

Maybe she's got some sort of Ability that lets her get greater control over friction, or something, because that wheel seems to keep spinning for quite a long time and her shaping of the clay doesn't appear to be slowing it down much.

Doro kept watching as the clay spun. The wheel produced a constant low-pitched droning sound as his mother turned what had just been a misshapen clump into what Doro guessed would be the base for a vase or pitcher. He relaxed for a few minutes as his mother applied her finishing touches. Suyum picked up a thin metal wire and wrapped both its ends around her index fingers, securing them with her thumbs, and carefully pulled it along the surface of the wheel to detach clay.

"How is your father doin'?"

Suyum looked guilty as she asked Doro for news of her husband.

"Don't worry Mom, his fever broke but he is still asleep. It wasn't all your fault though. I think I was a bit too much of a handful this morning."

Suyum smiled at Doro's attempt to reassure her and she couldn't help herself from making a small joke.

"Alright, alright. If anyone asks I won't forget to give you half the credit for knockin' your dad out. Maybe Aonghus'll be so impressed by your prowess that he'll hire you as a guard when I tell him."

Doro dodged to the side as she attempted to pinch his cheek in the most condescending way possible.

That's what I get for worrying about her...

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

"Stop that Mom, I'm not a toddler anymore. Remember, I had my first Choice yester-"

Halfway through his complaint, Suyum made a second attempt but this time she went for the kill and quickly grabbed Doro by the shoulder before he could escape her reach. instead of pinching his cheek though, she proceeded to wrap one arm around his head and rubbed her knuckles quickly against the top of his head.

"What are you sayin'? You're still my itsy bittsy little boy, and considerin' your dad's height, you might always be! Also didn't I tell you that sons who talk back to their mothers end up going bald?"

Doro managed to slip away and instantly retreated whilst giving his mother a cold glare.

"Of course, I'll go bald prematurely if you keep using your knuckles to start a fire on top of my head. I guess you are right though, as an itsy bitsy little boy there is no way I could be of any real help to you here. I was wrong to think I could come and help you finish early. I'll just be on my way and play with other young kids outside then..."

Suyum clapped both hands in front of her face and tilted her head downwards.

"My bad. You are nine now, nearly a full-grown man. It seems that it may be time to explain some things to you. So, you and Sarima seem to be gettin' along well, but before you two start-"

Suyum was back on the offensive and her new strategy was super effective on socially awkward types. Thanks to the memories of his previous life, Doro could tell where this was going and decided to surrender preemptively, to avoid the embarrassment of it all.

"You win Mom. I'll stay and help without talking back anymore but please just ... don't."

Suyum chuckled a bit and let the subject go.

"So, any of your Abilities useful for this?"

"I tapped out my energy reserves earlier and am still recovering. I need to keep most of it for something I want to do after dinner, but I have an Ability that doesn't cost energy and could come in handy."

Doro went on to explain how his [Inorganic Kinesis] and [Somatic Support] worked, and how he could probably handle unfired pieces without warping them or leaving fingerprints behind.

"Once I become more skilled, I reckon I will be able to use it to throw pots, or other pieces, more effectively than with my bare hands. I need to practice my control first, luckily with somatic support I can keep working on it even when I have no energy left."

Suyum nodded along, as if to show that she was keeping up with his explanation. Once Doro was done, she stood there with a pensive expression for a few moments.

"Bit late for it now, but you could help me by preppin' batches of clay. You can use your Abilities to moisten and beat the air out of it without makin' as big a mess as the manual way. For now, though, I'm done with the wheel for the day. Help me roll up a few handles for today's pieces and then I've got an idea as to how I can put your Abilities to use."

The two of them spent the next fifteen minutes hand-shaping some handles as Suyum hummed some songs from her homeland. Suyum had left her homeland of Umayer and made her way north to Manzat in her late teens to find a new home in which to pursue her profession. Umayer was the birthplace of the Yerkan race, and thus it was home to many people with a natural inclination toward clay. It wasn't the easiest place for someone to start a career as a potter. At least that was the official story, but even before Doro's perspective had been affected by the memories of his previous life, he had found the lack of details fishy.

Doro had never really questioned other races being a thing before recovering his memories. His mother being a Yerkan, and having been acquainted with Aonghus since as far back as he could remember, Doro had always accepted other Races as something normal. Now though, the memories of his previous life made him see his mother in a new light. Doro glanced at his mother's arms, and upon close inspection, he could see the slight graininess of clay rather than the normal pores of human skin and noticed there was no sign of hair follicles. Looking up towards her shoulder, he could see where the flesh-like clay gave way to more regular skin.

"Mom? I was wondering but are the Yerkans born without arms and legs?"

Suyum stopped humming and blinked a few times before answering.

"Well, yeah. But we only spend a couple of hours in that state. When a new baby is born, he is first cleaned up and any blood and fluids are collected. Then what was collected durin' the birth is mixed into a batch of clean clay and the baby is laid to rest on it. The baby then starts gatherin' some of the surroundin' clay instinctually and forms simple arms and legs over the course of a few hours. It can take anywhere between a few decans and a few months for the baby to form his hands and feet fully though. Why are you askin'? Even though I am a Yerkan, you were born a human. Any babies you make with Sarima, or any other human, should end up human as well. Or are you aimin' to change races with one of your future Choices? If you do, Yerkan ain't a bad one, just don't go Thermal, or any of the aquatic races, if you plan on stayin' in Manzat in the long term. Nothin' wrong with stayin' Human either though."

"I was just curious, but please stop it with the Sarima thing. We are becoming friends, but I'm not looking for anything more with her, or anyone else at the moment. Romance can wait until I've gotten a couple of thresholds behind me. It would suck if I spent all my time finding someone to love now only to get stuck at a threshold because I didn't do enough, and not get to enjoy a long life with my loved one. Once I've put in the work and have the skills I need to make enough of a living to survive, and have increased my lifespan at least two-fold, then I'll think about romance, maybe. I'm saying this now to make sure you understand, but do not expect any grandkids from me until I am at least past level 30. If that is a problem for you, then you might want to get started on getting me a younger sibling."

"I think I'll need to wait for your dad to recover a few more hours first, I don't think he is quite up to the task right now."

Suyum gave Doro an exaggerated wink causing a look of exasperation to appear on his face.

"Come on Mom, can't you imagine how you'd feel if your own mother told you something like that?"

"Yeah. Why do you think I went ahead and moved to the opposite side of the largest mountain range in the known world? Well, that wasn't the only reason, but at least when I speak to her by letter, I can skip the sentences I don't wanna read. Too bad for you but it'll be at least another few years before you can use that option."

Suyum grinned widely, like a large feline having cornered its prey without leaving it any exit strategy. Doro understood that he had lost the battle and gave up with a sigh.

I need to make sure Sarima doesn't spend too much time with Mom, or she'll pick up some bad habits. One person like her in my life is the most I can handle. If her personality spreads to too many others, the empire might be doomed.

"You are just like your dad, with all your plans and logic. Just remember one thing, you can't really plan for emotions. Unless you think your dad believed that marryin' me, a lower-level young foreigner without a coin to her name, was the best move to make. Fairly sure I hooked him by the heart and not the brains. And no, however many times Aonghus might repeat it, I did not use my superior strength and size to bully your dad into marryin' me."

"Well, sure. If it just happens, then it happens I guess. I'm just saying I'm not going to waste my time and efforts trying to make it happen instead of focusing on more productive stuff. Also, I don't think love is as hard to dodge as you imply, considering all the single aunts and uncles around the district who wouldn't mind getting hitched. I'm done with my last handle, how about you tell me about the idea you had earlier?"

Doro made an attempt at changing the subject to a more productive topic and was surprisingly successful.

"Right, right! So I was thinkin'. You said your Abilities worked on liquids as well as solids right? Do you think you could dip pieces into glaze baths and make sure the coating is even, without trappin' air bubbles? If I was just doing some cheap bowls for home use, I could get away with using the dippin' technique myself, but with your Abilities, I think we might be able to use it and get results equal to or better than when I brush it on carefully. Well, maybe once you get a little practice."

"I think it might work, but get me started on the most basic pieces first, in case I need some practice to get it right."

Doro and Suyum spent the next forty minutes glazing some orders that had already been fired over the previous night. Doro had a bit of trouble, at first, but grew more proficient with each piece. Ultimately, he was able to produce a similar result to that of his mother's brushwork, in a fraction of the time.

"Alright, from now on you'll be in charge of applying both the base coat and the final clear coat. I'll still take care of the patterns and colored details but your Ability will save me a lot of time. It should only take you a few minutes twice a day now that you've got a hang of it. Since it doesn't cost you any energy and didn't seem too tirin', I'm sure you won't have a problem with it right?"

"No worries. I can do at least this much. Once I've leveled a bit and increased my energy reserves, you can also put me in charge of attaching the handles or other detailed bits you fire separately. I should be able to fuse them as if they had been fired in one piece for a minimal cost. Sadly, with my current energy reserves, it would still make a significant dent and stop me from practicing efficiently. Taking that into account, you should be able to make some more intricate pieces that would otherwise be too fragile to get away with firing in one piece."

As Doro and his mother started putting things away for the day, twelth bell began ringing outside, signaling the end of the workday for most people. Doro stopped his mother as she was about to leave the workshop, and asked her for some help sourcing the wood he needed. She brought out a lacquered board of a dark, almost black, wood and helped Doro cut it to the size he needed for the binder. In the end, he had two rectangles, slightly larger than a sheet of paper, and a narrower one to serve as the spine. Having practiced with controlling liquids and applying even layers, Doro's confidence in his control had grown and he decided that he wouldn't be needing a sheet mold for his project any longer. Suyum then left for the kitchen to prepare something while Doro headed off to wake his father.

I'll need to make something for her as well, so that she doesn't feel excluded, but I can think about that later. Let's just wake Dad up and have dinner for now.

Doro brought Khetep back with him to the kitchen and the three of them settled down to have dinner. Suyum joked around a bit asking Khetep if he felt well enough to give Doro a new sibling, making both father and son nearly choke on their food. The rest of dinner went by without incident and Doro's parents made their way to their room.

Alright, I should be able to make the test tubes and beakers in under an hour easily. The binder should only take a couple minutes to assemble. The condenser might take a bit longer since I'll need to make a thin spiral tube and make sure the fittings are airtight. The flask for the condenser will be the easiest bit of it. I'll figure out the fractionating column another time as it might not be as necessary. Shouldn't take more than two hours to finish everything.

With his energy levels nearly back to full, Doro entered his father's workshop to finish up his presents.