Re: May's Cottage: May L / Gwen R
Gwen didn't understand the lack of belief. It never occurred to her that this bias was based on age or gender. She knew her own IQ (which was well beyond genius), and she knew her data. She could provide it all, or a look at the slides would prove what she said to be true. Gwen believed in science above all else, unbiased and factual when approached properly, and Gwen would never abuse science by making it work to her own devices. But she didn't understand that youth or girlhood might play a role in the woman's disbelief, so Gwen just looked at her with a lot of confusion. It kind of made the woman less trustworthy in Gwen's estimation, but she didn't say anything to counter the woman's opinion. Maybe it was like the totally non-factual belief in the bible, and Gwen knew that was something that couldn't be altered in some people.
Gwen didn't drink the tea. Not because she thought it unsafe, but because she wasn't thirsty, and she wasn't super aware of the social conventions that said something offered should be consumed when visiting. Instead, she listened to the woman's words raptly, waiting for some revelation about incantations or spells or potions that had been used to alter the chemistry of the plants for a temporary time, but none of those explanations were forthcoming. "I already know it wasn't natural. How do you know what theory would assist me, when you don't know what I can do to replicate or disprove said theory?" she asked, even more confused than she'd been a second earlier. Her head cocked to the side quizzically, as if it was a small AI sitting there, trying super hard to understand (and she was trying super hard to understand).