"Not in so many words," Darlington says, quietly amazed at the speed at which Palamedes scribbles on the paper. The complex equations mean nothing to him, another puzzle he doesn't have the key to, but just seeing them take shape is fascinating. "But I got a sense of it on our walk to the train station, after you saw that woman throw a newspaper away in front of you?" He grins, though the idea of a future where paper was a precious commodity--not just manuscripts or old books, but literally anything paper-based--still seems unbelievable, even shocking.

When Pal stops writing and looks up, apologizing, Darlington smiles, shaking his head. "No need to be sorry," he says. "Even if it didn't go as planned, it was still...I told you what little experience I had with psychometry, so even those few impressions you were able to glean were fascinating. And once you find a way to work with whatever Darrow's doing to limit your abilities, you're more than welcome back to try again."