"It's made of plastic."

"What's plastic?"

"So plastic is...so the word 'plastic' originally just meant something like, 'supple' or 'flexible' or 'shapeable'. But it was then used as a term to refer to polymers...how to explain polymers...

Are you familiar with atomic theory? Atoms and molecules?"

"No."

"So, at least in this world, matter is composed of atoms, and they link to form molecules and them put together is what makes stuff the way it is. Polymers are made up of repeating units of molecules called monomers...okay this probably isn't very helpful. Basically, they can have lots of useful properties aside from the shapeability which can depend on what is used to make them, like strength, translucency, chemical resistance, among other things.

Right so, this one is..." and he takes the bottle from him and looks at it, "polypropylene. So it's a polymer made of many molecules of propylene put together. That's a hydrocarbon — I forget whether it's derived from natural gas or petroleum. Most plastics are made from molecules derived from those two."

"I'm unfamiliar with natural gas and petroleum either. Or, is 'natural gas' air?"

"No, it's...it's another really bad name, I'm sorry. It's a really bad name, I agree. So, when organic matter is buried in an anoxic environment...that means an environment where there's no oxygen. Oxygen is...what we need to breathe to stay alive, and what lets fires burn. Anyway, if organic matter is so buried, for a long time, then it can turn to petroleum, or other similar substances like coal, which we then process to make plastics. Over the long history of the world, buried dead organisms turned to these, and we extract them by digging them up from the ground."

"I see. So this material is derived from necromancy?"

"That...that really wouldn't be the word I would use to describe it...I suppose if you consider working with any previously living but now dead matter 'necromancy' then it would be, but that would be a really broad description. There's no...there's no metaphysical energy that we're deriving from the fact that it's long dead. There are plastics that are made from non-petroleum or natural gas sources like polylactic acid. We get that from sugarcane, I think."

"Is there anything else petroleum or natural gas is used for?"

"Yes, we use it for heating and energy. My stove uses natural gas."

"Oh, is that why the fire is blue? Because the stove uses necromantic material?"

"No! It's blue because the fuel completely combusts. Wood fires have incomplete combustion, so they burn yellow and orange. Complete combustion is...okay do you want me to explain more chemistry to you?"

"I think I'm good for now. I understand, at least partially, how it's used for heating. I don't know what you mean by energy. I thought you didn't obtain energy from the petroleum?"

"Not...there's no...we derive energy from petroleum by burning it, which heats water and turns it into steam, and we use the steam to spin turbines that generate electricity. Petroleum is flammable. Um, controlled lightning. That allows us to have things like indoor lighting and air conditioning and whatnot. Very useful. I say that...I say that it's not based on necromancy because the important part is the spinning turbine. You can use various things to rotate it. Hydropower plants use the flow of river water to spin them, for example. It's just that petroleum is the main way we power them. This is all really simplified and I'm not like, an expert."

"Have you checked?"

"Checked what?"

"That the places that burn petroleum just use it for its ability to burn rather than obtaining necromantic energy from it. Is that the reason why it's the main fuel used to spin the turbines?"

"...no, how would I check for that? And the main reason is because the other ways are really inconvenient or have other side effects, like hydropower requires damming and that changes the course and flow of rivers."

"Hm. Can we visit one to check? I can do it."

"I...I don't think they'll let us in, if we use that reason. Power plants are like, vital infrastructure, and also dangerous to people."

"Why not? Oh, I see. It's dangerous because of all the necromantic energy. It's not good for the living."

"I...ugh. There is no necromancy involved!"

"But you said you haven't checked. You haven't been inside one, and they won't let you in. So you don't actually know."

"Fine. I'll try to see what I can do for us to be able to visit one."