super speed and other exceptional abilities

[self_composed]

Wisconsin fast plants (so called because they are from Wisconsin, fast-growing, and plants) are the subject of Bella and Bridget's chosen bio experiment. It involves taking at least some measurements after sunset - Bella managed to find an exact specific experiment design that hasn't been done before, when she heard they were allowed to choose their own, and even though all it will determine is whether indoor plants without windows can "tell if it's night" even if you leave the light on all the time, she is slightly excited about this.

She meets Bridget there. They measure their plants in the lit room and the dark room, take pictures, and write down subjective evaluations of leaf droopiness. They leave.

They're about a third of the way to Bella's building when a man's voice behind them says, "Hello, girls."

Comments

[regularsized]

"No, I don't think so."

[self_composed]

"There's something you could try if curious, then. Hmm."

[regularsized]

"If curious and suddenly oversupplied with free time," she says dryly.

[self_composed]

"Hm? Aren't you in three classes that are well below your academic competence, and you do - origami? Was it origami?" Bella tries to fake forgetting nonessential things, when she remembers. "What else is taking up your time?"

[regularsized]

"I allocate at least one day a week to enjoying the fact that my busy-ness level is not at the saturation point."

[self_composed]

"Fair enough, but what about what remains of the other six?"

[regularsized]

"Insufficient time to take up bodybuilding as a new hobby."

[self_composed]

"I don't think bodybuilding and weight training are the same thing, but the point stands, I guess." Bella shrugs. "Can you think of anything I should've asked and unaccountably haven't?"

[regularsized]

"Well, if I were you I'd be wondering why I was so cooperative, but I don't actually have a good answer for that one."

[self_composed]

"That occurred to me but I didn't want to jinx it. Do you have bad answers?"

[regularsized]

"I have no good reason not to indulge your curiosity. I think that's pretty much it."

[self_composed]

"So you don't think I'm asking questions in order to figure out how best to destroy you, mwa-ha-ha? That's good," Bella says, laughing.

[regularsized]

"No," she says, also laughing. "Definitely not. I haven't been getting the impression that I am that bad a friend."

[self_composed]

"Indeed not," Bella says. "Although I wouldn't be feeling that kindly disposed if you were being cagey. I hate not knowing things."

[regularsized]

"I know the feeling," says Bridget.

[self_composed]

"Do you have any battery of intrusive questions for me?" Bella asks.

[regularsized]

"Not currently. Maybe if you exhibited some obvious magical powers," says Bridget. "Although that's less of a novelty for me, naturally."

[self_composed]

"Sorry to disappoint," giggles Bella, all innocence.

[regularsized]

"Don't worry about it," Bridget says dryly. "Lots of people don't have magic powers. I'd venture to say most people don't have magic powers, even."

[self_composed]

"Care to hazard a guess at a percentage? I think you know more people with magic powers than I do."

Actually, as far as Bella knows they're tied, and will be until Bridget meets Alice or Bella meets the mystery other person. But it would not do to share so.

[regularsized]

"I don't have a big enough sample size to even begin to make predictions," she says, "especially because most people I meet could have magic powers and I wouldn't know unless they decided to tell me."

[self_composed]

"True enough, I suppose. But how many people do you know who you think would tell you, if they did?"

[regularsized]

"I couldn't begin to say. How would I know?"

[self_composed]

"Other direction then - would you have ever told me, if you hadn't gotten shot right in front of me? Have you told anyone else besides Mystery Power Person? Did they have to see you get mysteriously not-injured first?"

[regularsized]

"I might have gotten around to it eventually. The main thing stopping me is the fact that it's hard to demonstrate without unnerving people."