Book Lost, found

[mneme]

So, I was just set to head out to work (late), finished The Ladies of Grace Adeau, and figured I'd check on the pair of Liaden books I've been carrying around for "next to read".

I got out the mushroom+pepper soup that's been slowly being eaten (which Lisa had suggested I bring to work), looked in my backpack, and there, sitting happily in the padded laptop sleeve I use to carry books (to somewhat mitigate my tendency to be rather hard on books I carry around) was Crystal Dragon -- the second of the two books. But no Crystal Soldier was present, to my annoyance.

I looked fruitlessly in the rest of the house, but again -- no book. Which made sense, since I'd made sure I was carrying Crystal Soldier, and, in fact, had at one point taken Crystal Dragon out to make room and later put it back. So, I eventually headed out, carrying Blood and Ivory as a foreup book, and annoyed.

However, after sitting down on the train, I had a sudden moment of clarity, and looked into my backpack, -behind- the laptop sleeve. And there, patiently, was Crystal Soldier.

Annoyingly, the soup was left on the kitchen counter. But then, what can happen to a soup consisting of cooked mushrooms, peppers, and water, even during a day at room temperature?