"Yeah.  Some stuff that'll be - hopefully of practical use, no matter where you're going.  I was kind of torn on whether to focus on, like, the biggest differences you should expect to find if you're out adventuring in universe sheaves remotely like mine or inspired by mine or inspired by fiction written on mine, or just packing the damn thing full of every encyclopedia ever and trusting your collective abilities to use it effectively, or giving you the tools you'd find most useful to ruin Vitiate's entire existence, so I kind of did all of those at once and maybe recommend that you don't look at how all that closely because the universe might notice I'm cheating some of the numbers it runs and get a bit stroppy - not that I think that's likely, like, I look at my stuff all the time and it doesn't actually implode when I observe it, even the impossible things - but I'd rather be careful with the sort of knowledge that can upend worlds, so if somebody's poking it wrong, it might get more dangerous.  'Wrong' in this case meaning 'with intent to access something without authorization from the limited emulation of my decision procedure around catastrophic infosec', mostly.

"And then, uh, could you take a look at this crystal?  Because I'm looking at it and getting a whole lotta nothing-useful from my own investigations, even the ones that're jury-rigged to understand Earthling physics, but it's clearly something that is a thing somebody might need or want, or I wouldn't have it.  I'm confident enough in my spellwork to say that much is true.  I just don't know why it's shown up, or who it's actually for, because all I get from actually asking it is me slipping it into my hand with an absurdly cheeky wink!"

"If the universe were going to take offense at us doing impossible things we'd already have some problems, but I hear you, we'll make sure someone with danger sense is around if we want to do anything too strange." She teekays the crystal delicately out of Alicia's hand to have a look at it.

On initial examination, its most obvious physical quality is that it is purple - not blue, nor green, nor red, but a vivid, vibrant sort of purple, that almost shines with a light of its own.  The second most obvious thing is that it would fit in Pradnakt's lightsaber - like it was crafted with that in mind.

"That's a kyber, and - I suspect I'm meant to be taking it."

"Ma'am?"

Related to my prodigy-ness, she signs.

"Ah. Well. If that's all right with you?" she asks Alicia.

...She takes a moment to put her face back on.  It seems to have gotten stuck on 'mild surprise'.

"...Well, yeah, or I wouldn't have offered it over to you to begin with.  I kind of figured the odds were in Lord Pradnakt's favor when the divinations came up screwy - I wouldn't, don't need a kyber crystal qua kyber crystal to make the closest thing I can get to a lightsaber, under the physics I'm working with these days - I'm just nonetheless vaguely surprised there was anything approaching a clear answer when she looked, or - whatever led to this conclusion."  She turns her attention back to Lord Pradnakt.  "But yes, of course you can have it.  Clearly someone wanted you to rather a lot, if they managed to arrange this happening while possibly not actually existing in any real sense."  She shakes her head.  "Void bullshit.  I'd say 'not even once', but to be honest if I did I'd probably spontaneously combust from the sheer hypocrisy of trying.  I picked out the damn thing, revamped the entire field - and then gave myself an affinity for it.  That's at least three strikes, I'd say, so I'm definitely out.

"...Where were we?"

While Alicia was speaking, Daisy held out her hand for the crystal; Pradnakt looked only a little conflicted about turning it over. She has it tucked away in a storage compartment in her chassis, now.

"You might've had some questions about lightsaber design for Lord Pradnakt?"

...She hasn't really had a chance to look at the books yet, and with the way Ciara's looking at her she is not going to ask anything more about the specific crystal she just handed over, but - maybe if she talks about the Darksaber; that's cool and not going to change the face of the galaxy.  ...Well.  She's pretty sure it won't do that.

Oh thank the gods.  A nice, boring technical subject for Alicia to be Alicia at.  She mouths 'thank you' at Daisy; she might be able to do this all day, but she doesn't actually find herding cats enjoyable in and of itself.

They can talk about lightsabers, then; the Darksaber has a number of interesting properties that Pradnakt will want to hear all about, and Alicia if Alicia wants some tutoring on the basic principles of them, she can certainly provide.

"That should keep both of them occupied for a while, I think. Are you all right? It seems like you could use a break."

"A little bit."  By which she means 'more than she's willing to admit'.  "Getting Alicia through social situations without anything exploding always reminds me of why I don't like casting fire spells."

"Oh?"

"Mmhmm.  Because no matter how you cast them, if you get it wrong something explodes in your face.  Sometimes even if you get it right.  And Alicia is most definitely like elemental fire, in that way."

"That sounds familiar," she says, fondly. "It's been some time since I had to deal with it, though."

"Mmm?"

"My Pradnakt is pretty sensible, usually, but she got into a bad situation around the time she met me, and had to do some inadvisable Force things to get out of it, and it wasn't good for her mental stability. She's much better now."

"Mmmm.  I worry that Alicia has not had the luxury of time to recover from her own troubles, and given everything she's told me since - and everything she hasn't -

"I'm pretty sure that no matter how she tries to hide it, this environment isn't really helping with her problems either - but I couldn't budge her if I tried; she's - holding on to inherited responsibilities."

"The environment here, you mean? Or in the world you came from?"

"The world we came from, which - she is not going to let herself leave this easily.  Because she believes herself responsible for its woes."

"It's paused there, I assume?"

"As far as we know.  But if she leaves for real, it won't be, is our understanding; I might be the one that found the door, but - we're sticking together."