Aurora was curious. She couldn't help it.
She had decided to explore the Bostonius while they were on their way to the next destination. She wandered into the kitchen. The technology there was something she had never seen before. She wandered to the counter, looking at the silvery boxes there. She reached to a lever on one, and pressed it down. It sprang back up immediately. There were little slits in the top of the box, and she looked in. Springs and wires were there.
"What are you doing?" Aurora jolted slightly, glancing behind her. Professor Sycamore stood in the doorway. "You weren't with the others. Is something wrong?"
"Ah, no. I'm fine." Aurora turned back to the object on the counter. "Professor, can you tell me what this is?"
"You mean the toaster?" Desmond stepped towards her. "Did they not have toasters in the Azran era?"
"No?" Aurora thought deeply, searched through her fractured memories. "What does it do?"
"It toasts bread." Desmond smiled. Aurora furrowed her eyebrows.
"How does it work?" Desmond grabbed the package of bread on the counter, and took out a slice. He placed it in the toaster, and pushed the button.
"There are little elements in it that heat up when the button is pushed. It keeps the bread close and heats it up so it toasts." Aurora leaned close to the toaster, looking inside. The wires that she had seen before were starting to glow red.
"Wow…." Aurora looked back at Professor Sycamore, eyes large and sparkling with wonder. He was smiling at her.
"Is it something that interests you?" Aurora nodded. Desmond inhaled, as if to speak again, when the bread popped out of the toaster, startling them both. Aurora reached for the bread after a moment. "It's hot," Desmond said, grabbing her arm gently.
"It is?"
"Yes. It was just heated up." He picked up the toast carefully. "See? It's browned now." He turned and grabbed a new piece of bread. "This one isn't." Aurora looked with furrowed eyebrows from the piece of toast to the bread, then to the toaster. She reached for it again, picking it up and looking it over with wonder. Desmond placed the two pieces of bread on the counter. "We can take it apart and look at the components, if you wanted to."
"Really?"
"Of course. I can put it back together once we're done." Aurora smiled.
When Raymond landed, he found Desmond and Aurora in the kitchen, the professor showing her the different components of their toaster, explaining what they did. Aurora seemed to be paying close attention, pointing at them and asking more questions.
Raymond smiled. Desmond seemed to like Aurora. That was good.
Maybe he wouldn't go through with his plan after all.