"It must get so crowded up there!"

"Usually they're pretty small relative to the planet."

"Wouldn't they still clutter up the sky?"

"When they're up and lit I think moons are pretty."

"Well. Me too."

"Rings are gorgeous, although I've never actually stood on a planet that has them. Artist's renderings."

"Hmm."

"Do you have much astronomy here, are there ringed planets I could maybe see with a good enough telescope?"

"Looking very closely at the sky doesn't happen to be one of my hobbies, there might be some and I wouldn't know."

"I'll look into it."

"What does it even mean for a planet to have rings...?"

"They're little bits of pulverized rock and dust that form that shape because they're too small and numerous to be moons and behave in a moonlike fashion." She sketches a ringed planet.

"Oh, that is pretty."

"Mm-hm! And they can have shadows and light cast on them just as moons can."

"Huh!"

"I'm not an astronomer but I pick things up."

"Yeah. And it seems like you've had - a lot of things around to pick up. Interesting uses of steel, and all that."

"Oh yes. I'm actually a little surprised things haven't advanced as much in your lifetime. I'm not that much older than you but I'm old enough to have invented writing."

"Maybe it's harder to invent things when people don't live as long, I don't know."

"Could be."

Shrug.

"The Dwarves will be disappointed if I don't ask whether there's a way for people to consistently expect to see remuneration from any inventions they may come up with. As incentive."

"Not sure what you mean."

"If someone comes up with a cunning use of steel, will they get rich? Richer than the next best plan for the sort of person who could come up with a cunning use of steel."

"Oh. No idea."