"Most of them aren't big enough to be paperweights! I actually think we did have some jewelry made once in a while, but I have no idea what happened to the jewelry."

"Oh well. Convenient for me, I suppose. ... I'm curious how similar the synthetic crystals of this galaxy are to my original's. They'll likely be broadly similar, most types of synthetic crystal tend to be rather alike, but I'm still academically interested."

"Well, you'll have the opportunity to find out."

"Yes. Thank you."

He grins.

"Did you hear the part about what I was going to use them for, or did you just volunteer them entirely on the basis of your favorite Sith Lord asking?"

"The latter. Why, what do you need miscellaneous crystals for?"

"Attempting to contact my teacher through the Force."

(Hm. Just willing to volunteer crystals because she wanted them. Interesting.)

"Well, that sounds like it might plausibly be a good idea. I am once more vindicated in my favouritism."

Snort. "Thank you. Though if this doesn't work I'll have to try more esoteric methods, which would be annoying, and might need other, more bizarre materials." That last part was at Gregor. No, she had not forgotten about him.

"Perhaps Miles will have a half-ton of those lying around too. You never know."

"Does he commonly keep strange materials lying around in half-ton quantities?"

"Not habitually, no."

"Pity, I would have found the necessary warehouses amusing."

"It would get a little excessive after a while, yes. You're not hiding dozens of warehouses full of interesting junk from me, are you, Miles?"

"Who, me?"

Callida snorts.

"Where would he hide them? If he were adding to the collection over time the logistics would become rather noticeable."

"I bet I could manage it."

"No bet."

"Hm," is Callida's pronouncement, eyeing Miles critically.

"Changing topics from your potentially hidden hoarding tendencies, how obvious was it when I put you in the healing trance while you were sedated? If it was sufficiently subtle I don't mind sneakily putting people into healing trances, but I'd like to keep some resemblance of a lid on my more uncommon abilities."

"It was, uh, pretty blatant. I mean, maybe most people would write it off as a weird dream, but you'd probably still end up with vague rumours of witchcraft. The... mystical sense of intent... stood out particularly."

"Mystical sense of intent," repeats Callida after a pause, looking at him a little sharply.

"...yes?"

"Describe it in more detail, please?"