“it must be rewarding, to see all the displays full,” elliott says to gunther in his low, dulcet voice. you stand besides him, absentmindedly gazing into the rose pink shards of a gemstone. your eyes flitter across the plaque as the other two talk, informing you that the microscopic structure of the stone “displays unnatural regularity.”

“of course,” gunther says, snapping you out of your concentration, “it wouldn’t have been possible without your contributions.”