"All the ideas about that bouncing around right now are pretty much un-testable. For that matter, where do genies, or nature spirits come from?"

"Exactly. None of monsters, genies, and nature spirits are the same kind of thing as regular organisms, but are they the same kind of thing as each other? There are so many things to find out!"

"There are some monster autopsies in there if you're not particularly squeamish. There's also some speculating that genies and spirits are kind of similar in some ways, but I'm not sure I believe all of it."

"Eh, it's just a PDF, it's not like doing the autopsy. I'll read those with the rest of it. Anything else I should know going in?"

"Maybe stuff about 'bearer costumes. Nothing else springs to mind."

"Bearer costumes are so cool."

"They thought it was subconscious for a while, but there's a strong argument that raiment is somehow innate too! Cultural comparisons. Everyone starts with a similar sort of thing."

"Nifty! Are there are properties of the bearer it does reliably track, if it's similar across cultures?"

"More elaborate costumes mean more power everywhere. None of them ever get - like - elegant simplicity as they grow stronger. Color schemes usually track primary element, especially at first. The distribution of dresses versus skirts versus pants versus tunics, et cetera, is about the same worldwide."

"Are female-identified bearers more likely to get dresses or skirts?"

"Yes, much."

"I wonder if, if I get magic, I'd get a dress because I'm a girl or pants because I'm a total pants person." She pats her cargo pants affectionately.

"Perhaps the data will allow you to make a prediction. From the testimonials, being a pants person doesn't seem to consistently help, at minimum. Raiment is supposed to be really convenient, though. Never tearing or getting dirty or tangled. Possibly worth it to cose some pockets."

"I definitely want to do an analysis and see what it predicts, later. I suppose I can always get a purse for when I don't just want to have everything in my backpack."

"Yeah, I'm not sure how new 'Bearers deal with that. It said somewhere that you can adjust it a little bit once you're powerful, change the length of things, add a particular accessory, with sustained wanting as far as I can tell. I'd bet most people who want them get pockets of some kind or another through force of will."

"Honestly I would give up pockets forever just for the agelessness."

"Yeah that's... Very much a thing. I - I'm jealous of you right now. I wonder if I should try and prove myself to a spirit when I graduate. Fifteen to twenty five is when spirits recruit the most, but... They're big contributors to the gender imbalance."

"Yeah. Better to try than not, I think. If I get it, and there's some way having another spirit-bearer around will help you get it, I will."

"Better to try, right. If you meet any spirits, put in a good word, yeah?"

"Of course."

"I guess I should go home and work on that robot some more. Thanks so much for the literature search."

"Glad to help. I'm gonna read the genie stuff next. I have some ideas about wish analysis."

"Awesome." And she'll head home. Does the genie join her on the way again?

Yes. At exactly the same sidewalk panel, too.

The same sidewalk panel, awww. She heads to the basement and starts testing the leg assembly she finished yesterday.

Robotics is very interesting.