It's the result of every writer having seen Star Wars. Do not listen to the dark side, it may suck you in and then you'll do nasty things, like French-kiss your sister.
Characters need interests. They rarely enough get to have actual hobbies or pet projects because all that only distracts from central plots. Seeing Gerald with his huge biology experiments, or Ciani when she's happy to give away a valuable item for news that may or may not be immediately useful is such a nice change. And even Zen, with his manic research. They all like to know, because it might be useful one day.
no subject
Characters need interests. They rarely enough get to have actual hobbies or pet projects because all that only distracts from central plots. Seeing Gerald with his huge biology experiments, or Ciani when she's happy to give away a valuable item for news that may or may not be immediately useful is such a nice change. And even Zen, with his manic research. They all like to know, because it might be useful one day.