Shen smiled and placed the instrument back on the shelf, quite careful to place it's base so that it sat within the perimeter of dust it had collected.
"There are some items of use to me here, but my interest in complex chemistry is limited. I do not wish to understand things beyond my understanding. I merely wish to improve those things I have the means to understand."
His face contorted then and he pressed his glasses back on his nose once more, contemplating whether he had just made any sense at all. He shook his head and again looked over numerous papers laying about the place.
"What I mean to say is that I know what I am good at and what works. If something works, then why seek to change it? I have no interest in much of modern medicine and inoculations, vaccines and the like. Many things have been cured for thousands of years with much kinder methodology.
No, I would rather trade some of this equipment for a proper table."
Shen nodded then, as if in affirmation and resolute determination of his own statement.
Alright. If it works it works. Maybe you can take them to a nearby town. Has to be someone who'll take 'em. The house was small, and a cursory search revealed nothing out of the ordinary. Margrett reluctantly decided that whatever it was, it wasn't here.
Well...looks like there's nothing here. If you find anything you don't like, or need anymore help settling in, come tell me. She tipped her hat and started to leave, giving him a mischievous smile.
Shen regarded her words carefull and managed a polite smile before looking about at the mess. He could use a great deal of help moving in but wouldn't ask for such charity of course.
"Very well, I imagine you are at the council building most days?"
She was on the way out though so he folded her as any proper person would to see her off. When she quipped 'sawbones' again, his polite smile became something of a frown. He thinks about this for a moment and then his smile returns as he speaks.
"A pleasure to meet you, Officer Meathead. Do come and see me about that shoulder soon, it won't take much to correct."
He waved then, still smiling almost too politely with his eyes closed.
She smiled as she left. Meathead. There was something funny about it. At any rate, Shen was now Sawbones in her mind. He himself had seen to that.
After she left, the room seemed to get darker. Nothing very noticeable....maybe it was the sun moving behind a cloud... The house was still full of papers and boxes and books and junk. He should probably get a head start.
Shen dusted off his hands as Margrett left and then turned to look about his home. His smile faded immediately, he knew he was about to get very dirty. He sighed, but only a little as he walked into the first room of his home.
"Cleanliness is next to holiness as they say."
He took a minute or two to roll up his sleeves and then set about cleaning up with grim determination. Whilst his home was clearly a mess, he found it rather intriguing.
Shen swung about at the sound and quickly ascertained that the box had made the noise and that a book now resided on the shelf. They hadn't seen it prior but he wasn't prone to flights of fancy and instead looked about for a culprit. Perhaps a stray cat or some such thing.
Finding nothing, he moved closer to look at the book. He pulled his glasses down his nose in order to read, his finger remaining there as he examined the outside of the mysterious tome.
The book was black, with gold lettering on the front, in a language Shen couldn't read. His fingers tingled as he picked it up. Suddenly, there was a voice.
Shen was shaken. Did the book just speak? Why did he pick it up without thought? He dropped the book where it had laid but a moment before. He took a breath and lifted his glasses from his nose, let them rest against his brow. His fingers rubbed his eyes for a moment as he considered what had just occurred.
His demeanor changed then and he strode from this room and out his front door. He looked down the street for Margrett, hoping to catch her before she was out of sight.
Shen was not at all sure of what to do, but the talking book did pique his curiosity. He turned around slowly, a little cautious about this unusual situation.
"A proposition? Very well, I shall hear you out. But I will not fall for any trickery, least of all from a book."
"No. I have no intention of touching you unless I have a large shovel and a very hot fire."
Shen wasn't having it. A talking book was not something to be taken lightly and whilst it held his curiosity, he had no intention of doing anything so foolish as touch what could indeed be a very dangerous item.
There was a rustling sound, at once sounding like someone clearing their throat and shuffling through papers.
I need you to get me back to my body. It's in the graveyard, outside town. The man who lived here before thought I was sort of demonic tome. Imagine that. A talking book, demonic.