"How do you feel about trying out some QA stuff today?  I don't have anything that's finished right now but I've got a couple projects I could get to 'testable' in an hour or two."

"-Okay?" Blaze agrees.

"Cool, I'll get something together.  Does mean you'd be watching Bill on your own for a bit, or something else if you'd rather... I don't think I'm gonna get too deep, but if it gets to be lunchtime and I'm still working go ahead and fix yourself whatever you'd like, okay?

She nods. "I- yes, okay."

"Okay!  Holler if you need anything."  Cassie trots off toward her workspace and starts clearing space on one of the card tables.

Blaze is still somewhat uncertain, but she's somewhat more comfortable in her surroundings now, and she can work the laptop well enough to get back to Bill Nye.

Then Bill can explain batteries and continental drift while Cassie putters around.  At one point she clicks back over to the living space to pull some cardboard out from under the bed.

Blaze watches her, ready to offer assistance if required.

Doesn't look like it; it's fairly thin cardboard, the sort cereal boxes are made from (and in fact something brightly colored is printed on one side) in small enough pieces one person can easily wrangle them.  Cassie remembers Blaze is there as she's turning back to the workshop and flashes her a quick smile. 

Shortly thereafter, she returns with a toaster-sized contraption, partly covered in cardboard so that it's clear which bits are meant to be manipulated and which bits one should not stick one's fingers into.  There's a tube and a power cord on the back, a spout on the front, and a little door and a series of buttons on the top.  Cassie has helpfully labeled the buttons in pencil.  She's also got a pencil and a little notebook, opened to a page in the middle.

"So, I want to start off by saying there's no wrong answers here?  If you don't know something that's not your problem, that's on me for not making it clear, and that's exactly what I want to find out from this so don't hesitate to say when you're confused."

Blaze nods slowly, staring at the contraption a little warily.

Cassie boosts the device up onto the counter and proffers the notebook.  "So like, imagine that you found this in the kitchen bit of a hotel room, or in somebody's apartment that they're out of the house or not awake yet.  And, uh, imagine it had a real casing instead of cardboard.  First impressions?"

"Ah- complicated?"

"Hm, okay.  What would you guess it's for- am I leading you too much?  I feel like there's something about letting people work alone so you don't accidentally give them hints...?"

Blaze stares at it for a moment, at the writing. Realises that she really should tell Cassie now, before-

Before this gets any further.

"Ah- that is-" Pauses, takes a careful breath, whispers: "I can't read."

"You can't- oh.  Oh."  Cassie bites her lip.  "Is it, like, a visual thing, I can figure out, uh, accommodations- um, but definitely don't answer that if you don't feel comfortable, I think I'm not actually supposed to ask and you have a right to accommodations whether it is or not, I'm pretty sure."

Blaze shakes her head slowly. "I- no. I just- don't know how."

Cassie's holding very still.  Or her body is, anyway, something is making the chair shift slightly, tiny steps to one side and then the other with a quiet creaking noise instead of the usual clatter. 

"You... never learned?  Or- grew up speaking a different language and..."

"Ah- that is- they- there--wasn't any point. In teaching me."

"That's not their job."  The creaking intensifies; her knuckles have gone white on the chair arms.  "You don't- you can't just give up on taking care of someone-"

"I- but they- they didn't have to- and they-"

"Okay but if they were gonna they should do it right-"  She cuts herself off and presses both hands to her mouth.  The chair slowly settles into a crouch.  Cassie takes a breath and continues, "I'm sorry for yelling.  It's not you I'm mad at, that wasn't fair of me."

Blaze half-shakes her head. "I- it's-fine? I-I don't-"

"...would a hug make you feel better, or be too much right now, or is that a hard question?"

"I don't- I don't know-"

"O-okay.  If you'd like to try a hug and see, I'm here."  She twists a hand into her hair, breathing carefully even.