"Once it accepts you, yes. Before that, the symbols just shift without meaning." Marron took the ladle back gently.
Okay. What's the best way of saying this to someone so guarded?
She took a deep breath and then said, gently as she could,"Edmund, I understand your fear of loss. I really do. But hoarding tools doesn't honor them. Using and learning from them...is better, I think."
"What if they break?" Edmund's voice was rough, and his fist tightened around his spoon. "What if they're irreperably destroyed due to misuse? Are we to just accept the loss?" There was a choked pain in his voice, like he was reliving a terrible memory.
"Unfortunately, yes. We'll have learned from the tools while they were available for use," Marron said softly. "We'll have the previous owners' stories, their knowledge and experience. That's a kind of preservation too."
