[ it's a good thing, then, that most of charles' conversations over the last thirty-odd years have been with a walking edwardian dictionary... anyway, he gives a little shrug and waves one hand in defense. ] I didn't say it wasn't, honest! Seen some eclipses over the years, and they're proper cool, you're right. [ a pause. ] Not sure I can say the same about knowing the word syzygy, though.

[ then he seems to remember that he's meant to be looking at the notebook, and shifts his gaze; he first laughs over the telescope drawing, but then moves his hand to trace his fingertip over the lines of kanji. ]

Always thought they look neat, you know. Like they're saying a lot more than just regular written words, yeah? [ his smile turns a touch wistful, then. ] We got a bunch of those comics recently, the black and white ones, all in Japanese. Maybe I'll learn how to read them.