"Then you're practicing improvisation and reaction."

"But what for? If everything's practice for the future, what's gonna be the final act?"

"If there is one, I have not yet encountered it. It's more about... continuous improvement. Always being better than you were. Quicker, wiser, stronger. For me, that is enough."

"Huh. That does sound nice... But I like having stuff that's fun 'cause it's fun, too."

"I can give you advice, but your path is ultimately your own."

"Definitely! Though I don't think learning about other paths hurts."

"In most cases, certainly."

"When would it hurt?"

"Not all knowledge is benign. There are some ideas that can eat away at a person like a cancer, twisting and distorting their thoughts beyond recognition."

"Oh. That sounds unpleasant. How do you keep those out of your head?"

"You can learn to spot the way such things begin, or listen to those who have already done so."

"Can you get it out of your head once it's there?"

"Possibly. But it would be difficult."

"Is it different for everyone, though? Seems like it would be."

"There are variations, yes."

"What if what bothers you is really weird, then?"

"Weird in what way?"

"I don't think there's anything I could find out about myself that'd be horrifying, and I've already seen a lot of people being horrid to each other. And that's the sort of thing that bothers most people, I think."

"Perhaps. But the galaxy is vast, and there are some things that you do not yet have conceptual vocabulary to visualize."

"I guess I'll have to learn a lot, then."

"You were already planning to do so, yes?"

"Yup! Got a lot on my list."

She smiles. "That is good. We can make a start tomorrow, how about?"

"Yeah. Learned a lot already. I like reading, though. It isn't hard or anything."

"Noted. We'll have to keep our stock of books up."