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[originallutece]

Rosalind Lutece

Doctor of physics, professor at Recollé University.

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6/19;

[complementing]

Hi Professor!

I went on an expedition to the woods yesterday and just got back

I brought back one of those echo flowers and I thought you might want a chance to look at it or experiment with it, maybe see how it's retaining it's blue color if you can

would you like to take it?

[originallutece]

[AND SHE JUST PAID SOME PUNK TO GET SOME FOR HER, OH NO. But this is a very sweet offer, and Minako in general is a very sweet girl, so far be it for Rosalind to refuse.]

I'd like that very much, thank you. Would you care to join me on some of those experiments?

[complementing]

oh definitely, if I wouldn't be too in the way!

when and where should I meet you?

[originallutece]

Come to the physics department . . . let's say about three, would that work for your schedule? I've a few hours between classes then, we could get a few things done.

[complementing]

that's perfect! See you at three, then, Professor!

[originallutece]

[Rosalind's propped the door open with an old English textbook. She's writing in her notebook, brow furrowed in concentration, but she'll look up with a friendly enough expression when Minako stops by.]

[complementing]

[Minako grins as she strides in, the potted echo flower held in her hands. It wasn't until after she left the forest that she realized it would've been smart to bring more than one...but oh well, she can always get more if Rosalind needs them.]

Here you are, Professor. Just to let you know up front-- it's not poisonous, since I'm still alive with no reactions after touching it, and it comes up from the ground like a normal plant, with no screaming like those weird baby plants in Barry Potter.

Weird baby plants, [The echo flowers repeat cheerfully.]

[originallutece]

[Her mouth twitches just slightly in amusement as she nods towards her desk.]

What other phrases of yours has it echoed so far?

[--echoed so far? What other--]

[complementing]

[Minako sets it down in a spot without papers and then steps back, clasping her hands behind her back and looking up at the ceiling like a schoolgirl reciting a speech.]

A lot of things that came up in conversation during the expedition. Both throwaway comments and important parts of conversations, but never actually a full conversation. And never usually a complete sentence, unless it was a short one.

[originallutece]

[She nods approvingly. That was both precise and clear, just as she expects from Minako.]

All right. Then let's start with short sentences, shall we? We can test to see if it's something to do with time - as in, they can only memorize things that last under three seconds - or if they're more attracted to certain words.

[She glances down at her watch.]

So. Pick a short sentence, something you can state in under three seconds.

[complementing]

Gotcha!

[She waits for Rosalind's word, and then:]

I love cupcakes!

I love cupcakes! [The flower echos.]

[originallutece]

Mm.

[She makes a note of that-- echoed entire sentence 'I love cupcakes', no seeming preference to syllables.]

Repeat that with a different infliction, please. As a question, or with a hard emphasis on one of the words.

[complementing]

[Minako kind of laughs at the thought that the sentence "I love cupcakes" is going into what will probably be a scientific study of these flowers, but she quickly schools her face into solemnity again.]

I love cupcakes!

I love cupcakes!

[originallutece]

[The little flower echoes each emphasis back faithfully, which is both terribly cute and terribly curious.]

All right. We'll have to do several repeat tests to confirm, but we can at least generally say for now that it's more a length problem than a syllable problem - that is to say, it can echo various words, it's just that they can't be too long.

Say something just a few seconds longer, please.

[complementing]

[Minako nods solemnly at Rosalind's analysis before she blinks, suddenly on the spot again. Uhhhhhhhh.]

Koromaru is the sweetest puppy in the world.

...in the world!

[originallutece]

[--puppy in the world. In the world! the plant trills back, and Rosalind takes note of that. Six seconds, then, seems to be the limit.]

Is that your dog?

[She glances over at her for a few seconds, honestly interested, as she heads over to tug on a pair of latex gloves.]

[complementing]

[Minako grins and nods until her ponytail is bouncing.]

Yup! Funnily enough, I got him from Retrospec.

[originallutece]

You got an entire dog from Retrospec?

[complementing]

Yup!

Yup!

He came in a box with holes poked through it on the front step one morning in...March? Yeah, March, because I thought Retrospec was giving me a birthday gift for some reason.