"I haven't met Sinnah but her reputation rather precedes her. Having a spell in common circulation named after her and all."

Hmm so this part sets up... And then it goes like this... But where- Oh, that's where-

"...So I've been thinking that the actual - energy shapes in the center, the resulting spellform- How do those get discovered? How the hell does one figure out Apprentice's Fry? Did someone literally try every possible permutation of eight runes, at some point, to see if any of them were interesting? What I'm getting at is, there are spells that rearrange molecules already. What if we don't need heat and pressure, and can just. Make a diamond out of carbon dust. Somehow. With an unknown geometric form. I don't really remember much organic chemistry... Something something covalent..."

"Carbons bond with carbons very readily, but diamonds are a metastable form - they have a particular crystal structure, I think it goes like -" she sketches - "this - or if you know what 'face-centered cubic' is, that -"

"But the thing is, they don't know how the rearranging works, I think?

"I don't know if it's possible to prove atoms exist with the state of the art as it is.  Which is why, while it would be fucking great to just rearrange some carbon like I'm playing Opus Magnum or Spacechem or something, I'm attempting to recreate the natural conditions diamonds form in instead."

"I...  Do wonder, but it's easier to work with heat and force than molecular bonds, for me, for now.  Because I can figure out the structure better.  Though if you do have an idea, by all means please do tell."

"...But, see, now I'm curious. Now I want to enroll in that school. Except I'll get fed up as hell inside of a month and walk right out again." Sigh. "Separating them out to two spells might be easier. One for a crushing ball of force, one for heat... I'm going to sketch out what absolutely maximized crushing force might look like on its own..."

"I can share my notes."

"...Hm.  I feel like we should make an anoxic environment first, speaking of force spells, but then that does raise the question of how - and whether it's worthwhile - to filter impurities..."

"Where are you getting the graphite? Well, I suppose it doesn't matter where it was mined if you can buy some in downtown market..."

"...I'd take graphite, but unless you know something I don't about what arrangements of carbon you can make diamonds out of, I hadn't been thinking of specifically graphite so much as anthracite.  Coal, that is.  Or charcoal.  Or...  Was coke more carbon...  And I know there was something about coal being vaguely sulfurous, there was a knifemaking show...

"...Anyway.  It just needs to be carbon.  So, hell, maybe even wood ash, depending on...  No, no, that's anything but carbon, I think.  But yes, the logistical question is real, I guess.  Still...  That can wait until we have the heat and pressure-chamber."