:What does wanting to do lots of magic-studying feel like?:

He starts to answer, then stops and thinks about it longer. :It's interesting and it feels important, and it's satisfying when I get better at things?: 

:Do you like - flying on Skan, reading about non-magic things like history or whatever, going for walks, having interesting dreams, eating dessert...:

:...I don't know. I don't think I like going on walks for no reason, sometimes I like other things about it maybe, if we're talking or something. I - guess reading about history feels important and interesting so probably I like it? I...like having enough food to eat but I can't tell if I like dessert more than just food in general: 

:Most people... like things. I guess things being interesting is sort of close:

Shrug. Ma'ar still seems puzzled by the entire thread of conversation. 

:- Oh. Is this a Mindhealer thing about - thinking someone's gears should be a certain way, and liking things is part of that?: 

:...it's not about thinking your gears should be a certain way exactly. Like, sometimes gears don't work right, they jam or something, because somebody has a tic or a phobia or a stutter or an obsession or whatever, and not liking stuff isn't like that. It's just that liking things makes people happy and it's better if people are happy or what's even the point of all your important stuff, right, and you're a person:

:Oh. I guess: Ma'ar seems to have genuinely not thought about it from that angle before. :I'm - not unhappy, I don't think? And a lot of people are and they're starving or - being raped by guards because they can't protect themselves - and I...I don't know, just, it feels more important to fix that than whether I'm having a great time in life: 

:But if you don't even know what would make you happy you won't notice if it's cheap and easy sometimes, will you?:

:I guess?: 

:And it's probably better to figure out now when you have lots of spare time than when you are my royal advisor in twenty years:

Ma'ar blinks, seems surprised, then smiles. :Sure, I guess that's true: 

:I'm being silly, I don't have any plans for being a Queen, I think usually you have to marry someone to get that way if you aren't already a princess and I probably don't want to do that:

:Well, we've got lots of time to come up with a plan that isn't silly. ...Uh, how do I - tell, if something makes me happy? What's it like for you?: 

:...something can be important, right, because it does something big to help people. And things being fun is - the thing helping me, when I didn't start with a problem:

Ma'ar looks very puzzled. 

:It's hard to explain!:

:Mmm. ...Can you tell when someone else is having fun or is happy?:

:Yeah, they smile, or laugh, or make more jokes, or they comment on how fun it is, or they keep wanting to do the same thing again other times:

:- Can you remember any times where it seemed like I was happy or having fun? Then maybe I can try to remember what that felt like:

:It seemed like you liked my joke about being my royal advisor? I wouldn't be so convinced you don't like things if you were frequently giggling about stuff...:

:Hmm: It's surprisingly hard to remember what he was feeling, even though it was just moments ago, mostly he only bothers to remember his thoughts. :I - think I was appreciating how even though it was a joke, you - joke about that thing because you really are the - sort of person who wants to do big important things with your life?: 

:I guess that's, you know, something:

:Can you think of other times? I still don't know what the emotion is that I'm supposed to notice: 

:Sorry, I haven't been specifically trying to catch every time you look momentarily amused... I can start: