Dad forgot his lunch again.

Normally Tuuli and Myne would deliver it together, but it just so happened that today Tuuli was working at her apprenticeship, while Mom was busy rushing an order for one of her more important clients. Mom's mood had been sour the whole day because of it. So, it was up to Myne to drop off the lunch instead.

If nothing else, it'd be an excuse to avoid her mom's temper.

It only took a little convincing for her mom to let her go. Myne reasoned that if she could keep pace with Ralph all the way to the Gilberta company, then the South Gate would be a breeze. As it turned out, Myne didn't even need a break during the walk over. The guards by the gate recognized her, and brought her to one of the waiting rooms while they found her dad.

He came striding in not long after, his voice booming in the small room. "I almost didn't believe it when the guys said that you came by yourself. Look at how strong you've gotten!"

"It's just a short walk," she insisted, but couldn't hold back a smile.

"I should forget my lunch more often if it means I get to see my little girl act so responsible." Dad was practically beaming. If his smile got any bigger, it might just pop like an overstuffed shirt. Myne didn't remember her parents when she was Urano looking this happy before, just for doing something as simple as delivering lunch. But then again, Gunther and Effa hadn't expected their youngest daughter to even get out of bed by herself.

Myne tried to return the grin, but it didn't come easily. Remembering the other girl's memories was like peering through the wrong end of a telescope, the picture faraway and unfocused, and growing even more distant with time. But she could remember the girl's resentment towards Tuuli, towards her parents—towards everyone—for doing what she couldn't, even if Myne didn't— couldn't —feel the emotion itself anymore. Would that little girl ever have been looked at with this much pride?

"It's about lunch time, isn't it?" Dad said, interrupting her thoughts. "You eaten yet? You can split some of my food before you head out."

"I'd like that," Myne said, and his smile brightened even more. She let herself be lifted up into his arms. He carried her with one hand down the hall and into another room. She hadn't been in this one before. Racks of weapons and leather armor lined the walls. Almost hidden by the equipment was a thin man sitting at a desk in the corner of the room.

When Gunther strode in, the man bolted up from his seat and pounded his fist over his chest. "Sir!"

"At ease, Samin," Dad said. He put the bundle of food down on the desk, dragged over a stool, and then set Myne down. "My daughter brought my lunch over."

"Forgot it again, sir?"

Dad gave the man a look. "And here I was about to offer you some bread and cheese."

"Sorry, sir. But no, thank you; my sister brought over my lunch earlier today."

"So I'm not the only forgetful one, then."

Samin chuckled. "No, sir, it appears not."

Dad patted Samin on the shoulder, before smiling at Myne. "I just have to finish these inspections, okay?"

"No problem!" Myne sat on the stool and began unpacking the food. Mom had used her and Tuuli's sourdough bread to make sandwiches; something Myne hadn't eaten in awhile! The bread's crust was delightfully chewy, and the fresh lettuce—called "luol" here—gave a satisfying crunch when she bit into it.

As she ate, she watched her dad carefully inspect each piece of equipment, announcing whenever he found a sign of wear or tear for Samin to jot down in his notes. It was interesting to see her dad work; while Myne had been at his workplace several times before, she was usually in the waiting room or Otto-san's old office while he finished up in another area. This was the first time she'd seen him actually work . He was far from the highest in command, she knew, but for a commoner who could read only a little more than his own name, he certainly had a few people under his charge. He had an air about him as he worked. It wasn't one of intense focus like Lutz's, or of almost aggressive scrutiny like Benno-san's, but he worked with a comfortable yet authoritative ease.

After a while, Myne's thoughts drifted back to her projects. Lutz was coming over in the morning so they could work together, and she wanted to be ready for him. Her current projects were… the playing cards, the printing press, and her shogi tiles.

She'd approved of Benno-san's playing cards during their last meeting. He should be selling them in his store soon. If Tuuli and Dad's response to the card game was any indication, they'd sell like hot cakes. When their dad saw her and Tuuli playing earlier, he'd insisted on learning the game, too. What had meant to be a quick explanation of the rules had turned into a full-blown math lesson as she tried to explain the value of each symbol. She'd forgotten that while she and Lutz had learned their numbers and letters, her sister hadn't, and her dad barely so. But between the teaching skills she'd been acquiring and her sister's and dad's quick wits (and not a little stubbornness), they were learning quickly. Speaking of, playing cards might be a good learning tool in the future for customers…

Ack! Focus, Myne. You're thinking of current projects.

Right! So.

The playing cards were done. As for the printing press… The woodworker had already delivered the wooden pieces for the printing press awhile ago. But they were still waiting on the screw press from Johann the blacksmith. Lutz and her should check in on him tomorrow. After that, they'd just have to assemble the printing press, and then wait until Ralph's pictures could be sent to the carver. She'd seen drafts of his pictures, and she was already thanking her lucky stars that she'd picked him. He was a diamond in the rough, after all! He'd been experimenting with different styles for the first drafts, and after some discussion, they decided on one. Ever since, his progress has picked up speed.

That left her shogi tiles. She'd dropped off the characters for the woodcarving specialist the day after she'd told Lutz that Disney story. Enough time had passed that the carver should have something they could see to check his progress. She and Lutz should do that tomorrow, too.

And...that was all her current projects for now. Well, her main ones, anyways. She was sure Freida's baker would bribe her for more recipes, and she and Tuuli were still experimenting with what they could make with their sourdough starter. But those were her personal pet projects. With the business ventures she already has, she might be able to buy herself a magical item soon… But according to Freida and anyone else who knew anything about the Consuming, the rate of her sickness and the cost of the items would only continue to rise.

She'd need more income…

Her thoughts turned back to the playing cards. This world might have their own games, but she could still introduce some of her own. If they could discreetly help Tuuli learn her numbers, maybe she could help her and other kids to read. What was that card game, the one where you had to match poems? ...Karuta? That would be another project that'd need special carvings. But she was making woodblock books, anyways, so it wouldn't be that much of a stretch.

Playing cards were entertainment, though. Maybe she could make something more...functional. Lutz wanted to travel to different towns one day. Maybe she could make a compass? Or...a magnifying glass? But did this world already have them already?

"All finished." Her dad put back the last sword he'd been inspecting.

"Great, sir." Samin stood up, resting his quill in the inkpot. "If we're all done, then I'll take my lunch in the breakroom." Samin cleaned up the desk and left, leaving the father and daughter by themselves. Dad took the empty chair, and Myne handed him a sandwich.

By, dezdance

"Dad?" she asked, after he'd taken his first bite.

"Hmm?"

"When people travel around, how do they know which direction they're going in?"

"Hmm…" Her dad thought as he leaned back in his chair, taking slow bites. "Usually they rely on their memory and their own common sense. Specific routes are usually passed down from person to person."

That matched up to what Otto-san had told her a while ago, about how traveling merchants had to rely on memory to remember routes instead of expensive maps. "But...what if you're going someplace new?" she asked. "People have to explore sometimes, right?"

"Well…" Gunther put down his sandwich, interlacing his fingers as he thought. "Some high-ranking officials in the military use maps. Them and other people who have to explore a lot, like scouts, use these little...devices. Forgot what you call 'em, but they have a little arrow that tells your direction."

A compass. ...So they do already exist. Well, guess she shouldn't be that surprised. China had invented a basic compass as early as 200 BC.

"Are you thinking about your doodads?" he asked, before taking another large bite of his sandwich.

"Mm-hmm. I'm trying to expand my consumer range by looking into more functional products."

"Er...right. I don't know about all that fancy merchant talk," he admitted, although his eyebrows had furrowed in thought. "But...it can be hard to see while on guard duty sometimes."

"Isn't that why you have the—the—" Myne struggled for the word. "You know, the high walls you can walk on top of?"

"Ramparts," he supplied with a smile, ruffling her hair. "That does help, yes. But it can mean trouble for guards when they get old enough that even height doesn't help them see. You need three things to be a guard: your eyes, combat ability, and common sense. Without clear vision, your out of the job. Same goes for scouts."

Huh. That made sense… but it didn't sound like guards had a long tenure. "How good is your vision, Dad?" she asked curiously.

He winked at her. "Don't worry, sweetie. My eyes are sharp like a hawk's."

Myne giggled. "So, something that could help people see better would be in demand?"

"Yeah, I'd say so. Although...if my clever girl made me an even better sword , I wouldn't turn that down, either."

Myne gave him a wry smile. "No promises, Dad."

As he finished his lunch, Myne mulled the idea over in her mind. Some type of monocular or binocular might do the trick. From the sound of what her dad said, telescopes hadn't been invented yet. Which would make sense. The earliest telescope wasn't made until the 1600s in the Netherlands. She'd have to check with Benno-san to make sure this wasn't another "Nobility Only" item, but it was still worth a shot.

Manufacturing it might take some trial-and-error. She hadn't picked up a book about telescopes and reflectors in a while, but if she remembered correctly, she'd only need to make two lenses. It'd have less detail than an advanced telescope, but it'd be easier to make, cheaper, and lighter. All effective for standard military use.

The hardest part would be finding someone to make the concave-convex combination of lenses. It probably wouldn't be something she and Lutz could do by themselves. But glass making has been around since at least 3600 BC in Mesopotamia; it should be easy enough to acquire, and they could ask Benno-san to recommend another specialist. ...Unless he wanted to "challenge" her again…

Myne sighed. That aside, the idea was prom—

She sucked in a breath. Fire. Scorching through her.

No. No, it wasn't fair. She had been thinking of work—of her projects—

"Myne? Myne! "

Her dad's voice—but Myne could barely hear it over the rapid beating of her heart. She felt her body shift, and looked up into her dad's panicked blue eyes.

The box.

The box. Shove it in the—