I seem to have skipped ahead a bit in this accounting, as I jumped past the less than enthralling Midwinter Research Conference, in favor of the more exciting stuff of planning my own projects and job interviews. To be fair, it was pretty interesting from my perspective, but as with most academic presentations, I'm fairly certain it would bore most to tears, so here's the highlights: Lunette's team did fine, but she didn't get to do any of the actual presentation of the research. It's not surprising, given as I noted in the last section, she didn't have the "interest" to play at the higher levels. She did get a byline on the publication, but it was smack dab in the middle. Not the first or last where it might stand out, those were saved for the project lead and the assistant research student from the Drachlang family, a wealthy family with major holdings in mines and lumber. Both of those people were decent researchers, but I, in my completely unbiased and not-at-all-preferential position as an outside observer, could tell Lunette had carried them for all the analysis and combinatorics and they were getting the credit. The research idea, I can't speak to, but her signature was everywhere in the math they presented, and the conclusion was obvious, if you knew the person. I know it sounds a bit weird, but just like writing and word choice people have a way of doing the math work that, while not completely unique due to the more structured environment, is fairly close to stamping the work with a unique code and signing it. Anyway, if you've been to a conference, this really was more like a symposium. No line of vendor booths or similar, just a series of presentations on the latest in niche research across a variety of departments. It was something like continuing professional education that some fields have, except the world here wasn't yet using professional certifications.

Anyway, the conference came and went, the interviews were over, and I was having an entertaining time walking Lunette through the planned research paradigm. She was interested in trying out the techniques early, which was fine with me. She believed that had the calming meditation skill down, and was willing to try the micro laceration technique.

It was at this point that I realized that for testing purposes, it would be most useful if we actually had a jig for the micro lacerations. We didn't exactly have spring-loaded automatic lancets here for making specific small lacerations or punctures. I could probably get some lancets from a medical research department for punctures, and then sterilize between uses.

I raised the issue to Lunette, who looked at me briefly, then started explaining a perfectly acceptable solution to the deal.

"Well, Mr. Coddlestah, I think you're overthinking things. Have you never cut yourself shaving? My father complained about it all the time when I was still living at home. So, if we did a small modification to a safety shaver system, we would have a limited depth slicer. Then we just need to mount that to something that will hold it steady, and then have the subject run it across a finger."

"Well, I recommend the elbow myself, it doesn't have the same pain sense as the rest of your body."

"Really?"

"Yes. Pinch the skin on your elbow."

"Why?"

"Here, I'll show you." I grabbed the flap of skin out the outside of my bent elbow. "See how my fingers are turning white? I'm pinching really hard, but all I feel is pressure. We don't need to draw blood, we just need to do a visible cut. I think it would draw blood too, because I've ground my elbow a couple of times when I fell while running. Now, you give it a try." I pointed to my elbow, and she quickly grabbed it and pinched ruthlessly. I, of course, screamed like it had hurt me, and busted out in a huge guffaw when she blanched and danced back. This was objectively totally hilarious, but Lunette disagreed. "You…." Her face scrunched up, and then she smacked me in the shoulder.

"Yes, I know, I'm not a nice fellow."

"Grrrrrr." She smacked me again, but this time with a good wind up.

"Anyway, you can try it out on yourself now if you like."

"That's…. Very odd. I know I'm pinching really hard, but it's just like someone is merely tugging on my elbow. Strange." Her face took on the faraway look common to those lost in thought.

"Well. That should work. Now, about the technique? Just meditation and focus on ignoring the pain?"

"That's one option, another would be to focus on imagining that nothing is wrong at all. No pain, no damage, everything is fine, nothing to see here, please move along. We're all fine here, how are you?" The quote just slipped out from habit.

"I'm doing well, thank you. Although you're talking some kind of nonsense again."

"Yes, I'm afraid that I do that often. Probably read too many books as a child. Hazard of being the only son of a pair of booksellers. Next thing you know I might go getting ideas, thinking, and other crazy things like that."

"If you say so."

"Anyway, the technique is pretty simple, but finding the mental focus that works for you may not be. So, go ahead and try it on your own over the next Tenday. You'll start first, then we will get to recruiting a set of volunteers for subjects. We'll have to pay extra since we are actually intending to inflict minor damage, so the rates should be comparable to the electro-shock research that they cancelled."

"I can get those figures from the main research repository when my team finalizes and deposits the official version of our last research report."

"Thanks, Ms. Vedlimdt, that would be excellent. With that, it's probably best we call it a day. I'll get to work on the appropriate apparatus for the punctures and lacerations while you finish up your current project. I look forward to hearing about your progress with the technique. Perhaps we could meet for lunch… say… next Oneday in the Omni cafeteria, to discuss it?"

"That would be satisfactory, Mr. Coddlestahl. See you then."