Lace
Age 17 / 366 words
"What're these?" Dennis asked, spreading the rolls of parchment out on the table top.
Emmett peered at them for a moment over Dennis's shoulder, then shrugged and went back to poking at at the contraption in his hand with a small black needle. "LACE. The usual paperwork."
Dennis frowned. "But they're not lace or paper! They're parchment, see?"
"Not lace. LACE, all in capitals. 'Logistics and Cost Evaluation.' For when we do an experiment."
"I get it!" Dennis said. "Like in potions! When you write out what you're trying to do and what ingredients you are going to use and how much of each, and all that stuff."
"That's it," Emmett agreed.
"I don't really like that bit," Dennis admitted. "It's kinda boring to be writing it all down when you could just be doing it, and then you'd know what you used and when because you already used it."
"It's supposed to stop you running out of something you need in the middle," Emmett explained.
"I just use something else!" Dennis said.
"And there's the whole budget thing. They only have so much money to go around all the research projects, so you have to justify everything, you can't just say you want to see what happens." Emmett grinned at him. "It's even more dull than you think it is."
Dennis pulled a face. "I'd much rather just get on with things!"
"I know!" Emmett nodded. He pulled the needle out of the globe and held it out, resting on the flat of his palm. "Go seek!"
It shook a little, lifted off his palm, then flashed across the room and exploded against the wall.
"Cool!" said Dennis. "Was it supposed to do that?"
"Not really," said Emmett. "I think I made it a bit too enthusiastic. It's supposed to go around objects, not through them."
They both stared at the debris.
"We should get on with the paperwork," Emmett said.
"Okay," said Dennis.
They stared some more.
"Couldn't you just make it intangible?" asked Dennis.
"...we'll just try it quick," Emmett said.
Fortunately a time-turner accident gave them an extra three days to do their paperwork in, so they were only two days late.
"What're these?" Dennis asked, spreading the rolls of parchment out on the table top.
Emmett peered at them for a moment over Dennis's shoulder, then shrugged and went back to poking at at the contraption in his hand with a small black needle. "LACE. The usual paperwork."
Dennis frowned. "But they're not lace or paper! They're parchment, see?"
"Not lace. LACE, all in capitals. 'Logistics and Cost Evaluation.' For when we do an experiment."
"I get it!" Dennis said. "Like in potions! When you write out what you're trying to do and what ingredients you are going to use and how much of each, and all that stuff."
"That's it," Emmett agreed.
"I don't really like that bit," Dennis admitted. "It's kinda boring to be writing it all down when you could just be doing it, and then you'd know what you used and when because you already used it."
"It's supposed to stop you running out of something you need in the middle," Emmett explained.
"I just use something else!" Dennis said.
"And there's the whole budget thing. They only have so much money to go around all the research projects, so you have to justify everything, you can't just say you want to see what happens." Emmett grinned at him. "It's even more dull than you think it is."
Dennis pulled a face. "I'd much rather just get on with things!"
"I know!" Emmett nodded. He pulled the needle out of the globe and held it out, resting on the flat of his palm. "Go seek!"
It shook a little, lifted off his palm, then flashed across the room and exploded against the wall.
"Cool!" said Dennis. "Was it supposed to do that?"
"Not really," said Emmett. "I think I made it a bit too enthusiastic. It's supposed to go around objects, not through them."
They both stared at the debris.
"We should get on with the paperwork," Emmett said.
"Okay," said Dennis.
They stared some more.
"Couldn't you just make it intangible?" asked Dennis.
"...we'll just try it quick," Emmett said.
Fortunately a time-turner accident gave them an extra three days to do their paperwork in, so they were only two days late.