the essential Saltes of humane Dust | Glowfic Constellation

(One of his hands comes off the steering wheel and laces its fingers with hers.)

across-time

"There's enough of us, now, and we've written thorough instructions for the procedure. The knowledge won't be lost so easy - which means we'll have the chance, over and over, as many times as we need it."

It's a comfort.

Amity Curwen knows nothing if not how dangerous life is.

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"Yes. Logically, I'm safer than I've ever been in my life. That's not nothing. I was expecting to be a doctor's wife, and now there's--forever. And that's a little frightening in its own right, I think. But in a good way, like stepping out of prison after having been given a life sentence."

across-time

She smiles again. "And like being given the hammer with which to break the walls."

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Giggle. "They can't stop us, they can't stop us--"

across-time

Amity has always been the quiet one, the teacher who can only hope to guide her students onto their best path -

"I don't know that I'm the one to change the world. But change it must."

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"And even if you don't change it, you'll still be here when it's changed."

across-time

"Yes. I - always had a hope, that one of my students one day would shake the world to its roots. Certainly, many of them became influential women, but..."

"I can't help but dream."

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"And now we're here."

across-time

"Yes. We are."

And, to Joseph: "Speaking of arrivals, how long to Boston?"

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"About three hours."

across-time

"A far more pleasant trip than it used to be."

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"What did it used to be like?"

across-time

"Longer, and highly subject to the weather, mostly. It was more comfortable if you were wealthy enough for a buggy. Some places you could get to by boat, which was usually faster, but a separate sort of unpleasant."

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"Being seasick sounds no fun. I've no idea if I do or not."

across-time

"I always got my sea legs fairly fast, but very few people spend no time sea sick."

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Nod. "What's traveling like? Besides the physical inconveniences."

across-time

She launches into a narrative of her assorted - and multitudinous - adventures, which will pass quite some time.

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She listens raptly. It's pretty clear that she's been cooped up her whole life and up till now has only been able to dream of things like this.

across-time

Amity's a good story-teller, at least.

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Good.

When Amity's done, Helen asks, "How many books about the modern world have you read?"

across-time

"It'd be hard to list them all, and they don't explain things in quite the manner I'd like. I've gotten as much information from talking to Emma, in fact... But I haven't learned as much as I should perhaps know."

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"If you have any questions I'd be happy to answer."

across-time

She has a few, mostly about things a bit more relevant to their generation, that Emma might not have known. Popular and recent media, fashions, persons of note...

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