"First of all, I think it's legitimately harder for our minds to interpret abstract shapes smoothly. An Amentan can see all sorts of symbols and instantly understand them without even thinking about it. We just... Don't. I can memorize everything icons, say, but I have to consciously think 'wait which one was the map again' every time. So reading is a process of looking at one symbol, understanding it, then looking at the next symbol. It's tolerable but boring for purely informational things. Reading a story is a painstaking process of going word by word and then assembling them into complete thoughts. And even beyond that, it instills - a sort of dread, a disconnect. It doesn't feel real. It feels like a steadily increasing sense of wrong and shameful and un-Dwellin, just like losing a horn. Writing is worse. It feels like breaking a taboo. I've heard that most Amentans find it very difficult to deliberately expose themselves to pollution, even knowing that a shower is right around the corner. That hesitation, that instinctive flinch- That's a little bit like what it feels like, with shame and anger instead of disgust."

"Anger at - what?"

Sigh. "Oneself, or whatever has been bothering you lately."

"How frustrating. - with the icons I think a lot of people just memorize where they are on the screen so they don't have to look closely, but clearly this is a more general issue for you."

"Yes, quite. That works if it gets to the point of muscle memory. Abstract work like pure math runs into the same thing. 'why am I doing this stupid and painful thing when I could be fucking or fighting or at least something productive like weaving'. Dictation and text to audio doesn't trigger it nearly as much."

"Well, I'm glad we can help skip over some steps of the tech tree to get there for any Dwellin who want it."

She nods. "I know people who are making their own radios, now. It's going to be turbulent times, but I think the average Dwellin really likes the idea of alien visitors, deep down? It's hard to put into words. If only we had more to offer visitors than novelty and ruins. They're pretty excellent ruins, at least."

"More to offer like what?"

"I don't know. Perhaps I'm just very frustrated with my species after so many lives."

"Have you had more than most people?"

"I don't have exact statistics obviously, but I'd say about a third of people who bother thinking about it have more past lives than they can remember, and I'm among that number."

"Is even keeping some kind of - tally, of how many of something there are, enough to be a problem -"

"Not especially, but it's not a natural thought. Who would bother? Just enjoy your life as it is now. And over enough time there's plenty of opportunity for the tally to get lost and start over, or memory to fail, or someone to deliberately screw up or destroy your tally, unless you put a lot of effort over lifetime after lifetime into making that not happen. That only happens if you consider it extremely important."

"Ah. And just knowing how many lives you've lived isn't likely to be that important, by itself."

"Not by itself, no. Even details of ancient empires and wars and stories aren't particularly important. Change the names and you can always find a more modern version that matches. In terms of building up expertise, you can do that by honing your craft, dying, and then taking it up again. But I identify quite strongly with Firnu- With the currently popular conception of Firnu. I doubt it actually resembles the being who may or may not have actually existed by a name vaguely similar to that. Permanence is right and good to me. That is my strongest conviction."

It's not actually coming out and saying it, but probably they'll get the picture.

"I think so too. It's part of why I went into archaeology - so old civilizations won't be lost."

"Perhaps I should learn more about it, then. There are some fascinating techniques. I was focused on electricity and farming until recently."

"Well, those are important too, you need all kinds of things."

"I think nobody can know it all, there's just not enough room in a mind for it."

"That's why we're so specialized. You yourself wear more nametags than any Amentans I've met."

"-Hmm, what nametags do I wear to you? Warrior, ecologist, theologian..."

"You have meetings with city planners and archaeologists and botanists and who knows who else."

"I suppose. Are there not some greens who learn eleven languages and seven disciplines and hunger for more? Purples who know two score manufacturing industries, yellows renowned as the very best for solving computer issues of any kind?"

"Oh, sure, but they're not common."

"Is there much Amentan interest in the content of the library you found?"