Super Supportive

THIRTY-SEVEN: Days

Day Six

This is a scam, isnt it? Alden said, rubbing the spot on his forehead where a rubber ball had just bounced off. You just want to throw stuff at me.

Joe smiled at him. Yes. This is an ideal use of my time. I cant imagine anything better to do with the evening.

They were standing in Joes office with the furniture all shoved aside so that they could play catch. The professor had brought an entire box full of balls so that they wouldnt waste time chasing after strays, but even though Joe wasnt much of a pitcher, Alden had only let a couple escape him so far. Dexterity, agility, and speed were great stats for this game.

Unfortunately, he wasnt being tested on his ability to grab wildly thrown balls.

The professor threw another. Alden caught it, and his skill activated. He held it flat in his palm, and waited for the skill to deactivate. The ball rested there.

Joe sighed. Again. Youre catching and then activating the skill. That instant makes a difference. You need to be able to control it.

Im sorry, Alden groaned, tossing the ball back into the box with the others. I get that. Everything you said made sense. And Im not doing it on purpose.

His skill activated instantly when he picked up stationary objects. He had picked up a couple of burning things in the lab without injury. But with thrown items, he caught them, and then Let Me Take Your Luggage activated. Fast, but not fast enough.

Lesson Twenty-Four

Wait, theyre still numbered?

Dont let yourself develop bad habits. Theyre much harder to break than they are to avoid from the outset.

That sounded more like a life lesson than a skill use lesson, but Alden didnt complain. Joe was still in a good mood after yesterdays mishnen incident, and he had already spent more time on their private tutoring session this evening than he was required to.

Well, I suppose Im being a little unfair, the professor added. Its not a bad habit. Its just a habit. You can hardly avoid having them. If you defaulted to truly instant skill activation in all circumstances, that would have its own drawbacks.

Yep. A very good mood, Alden thought.

But that additional moment youre taking to bring the ball firmly under your physical controlor whatever notion of the process it is you haveis robbing you of flexibility. Your skill should be able to do this in more than one way if you frame the thought right.

The goal was to preserve the thrown balls momentum.

Joe said it should be possible. Alden thought it should, too.

But for some reason he always stopped the items motion, and then the skill activated. He hadnt even realized he was doing it.

Is it because I cant really conceive of myself carrying something while its moving?

Dont over-intellectualize things, or youll lose the flexibility youre going for in the first place. You want to be able to preserve momentum or not as the situation demands it, not just switch over to being able to do one instead of the other. Far be it from me to tell you to think less, but in this casethink less. Train more. It needs to be automatic.

Maybe I should use one hand for the first and the other for the second? Alden couldnt think of another way to instill too completely different mental habits related to the same action into himself. Right hand could be catch-then-preserve. Left hand could be instant preserve.

Its more limiting than what I would try for, but if you like

What would you try for then?

Joe had fallen silent, and his mouth was twisted in an expression Alden had come to recognize.

It was his the human is too stupid to handle this concept face.

Oh no. Come on. Please just tell me.

Sharing some ideas is detrimental. To you. We don't have the same brains or the same abilities. If I tell you exactly what I would work on, and you focus on it to the exclusion of finding your own way through a problem, you may miss something that suits you much better. Perhaps my solution is uniquely Artonan in this case. Maybe it relies too much on my capacity for multitasking, which is something that humans tend to do poorly.

I can multitask.

Can you, though? Joe asked. His left eye pointed up at the ceiling suddenly, and his right eye pointed down at the floor. Can you do this? And process two separate images simultaneously?

Im sure some humans can Maybe.

That was just an example. Dont start playing around with your vision. My point was that its more helpful to you in the long run if I suggest places for improvement rather than methods. He paused. I must, after all, do my sincere best.

Alden sighed.

And you must do your sincere best, too! Its time for us to head over to the summonarium.

#

Alden had begun trying to think of his teleportation to and from Moon Thegund as a lesson in and of itself. It was the only time he ever managed to see that nebulous something that seemed to be his own power stabilizing him and his passengers in transit. Now that he knew to look for it, he could reliably detect it on the return journey, when he had someone with him.

And sometimes he could catch glimpses of it on the way over as well. So his magic was somehow mitigating the pressures of the trip in both cases. When hed asked Joe about it the professor had only shrugged and said of course it was.

How else would you remain you during a magical teleportation cycle?

Remain me?

What about before I was Avowed? Alden had asked. I didnt become un-me every time I traveled.

Local teleports on stable worlds using high quality equipment are safe even for infants. Moon Thegund is different. Hed looked Alden up and down. You know, I worried when we started that you would only last for a few trips before I had to call off our agreement. Wear and tear from this should accumulate quite a bit more on a B-rank Avowed. Youre becoming intriguing.

Alden wanted answers himself, but he had no way of getting them.

For now, he was just glad that when he popped into existence at Elepta farm, he was perfectly safe and sound.

The fruit-packing warehouse looked the same as it had the last time hed been here. The assistants had moved some supplies in after the first tripa table and chairs, some heavy looking bags, and a quartet of devices that they said would make a magical barrier in an emergency.

The devices were taller than Alden, and they looked like bubble wands.

Hed never seen them in action, but they were set up in a half circle around the teleportation alcove.

Today, there was far more tension than usual from the waiting Artonans. And there was an unexpected guest. The woman with pink eyes who served as their leader had come along for the first time. Alden had learned on a past trip that she would be the last to depart, so she must have come today just to see the others off and reassure everyone left back at the lab that all was well after the skipped arrival.

Joe had managed to get a message through, he said, but no doubt they were nervous.

I apologize for my absence, Alden said in Artonan. I was assisting a wizard who had a medical emergency. Everything is well now, and our schedule shouldnt be interrupted again.

Hed expended considerable effort this morning to translate these few sentences, and Joe had confirmed they were fine with an amused look. The professor kept saying hed get Alden a translation device so that he didnt have to spend so much time pointing and gesturing to make himself understood, but either good non-System English translators were hard to come by or Joe though Aldens broken Artonan was funny.

Well, it doesnt really seem to matter. The scientists were all smart enough to figure out what he was getting at and patient enough to make the effort.

> the woman said, in a tone that was a little too insistent to be a request.

It would have been easier to carry one of them and her, since she was very petite even for an Artonan, but he would manage.

Yes. I can carry two. More like one of them would piggy back on the other, who would cling to Alden awkwardly before he activated his skill so that they both became locked around him for the trip. If they timed it right, he would only have to take a couple of arduous steps.

It was the most uncomfortable backpack ever, but it had worked last time.

Interestingly, this set-up only worked if Alden targeted the standing man, not the rider.

He gave the men in coveralls his most confident smile as he ran through the remaining passengers in his head. After these two were gone, there would still be eight people left. The woman who always drove, pink eyes, the father, the children, and three more assistants. Ideally hed double up every night from now on, and if they had one more mishap that caused a delay, theyd still be okay.

His passengers had their pockets stuffed with whatever lab supplies theyd decided Joe needed today, and theyd already collected the marleck berries for Alden. It was a bag full despite the fact that hed tried to tell the driver on previous trips that he only needed a few.

Pink eyes talked everyone through the drill, even though theyd probably gone over it a hundred times before he arrived, and Alden took the berries. The official quest triggered as complete, and Alden requested teleportation back to Artona III.

[Request yessed. Please enter the alcove.]

[91 s]

Yessed? thought Alden, startled. Whats this about?

Always before, the Moon Thegund System had said Request approved.

Is yessed even a word? Maybe its trying to be cute?

Could Systems even do that?

He was nervous about the anomaly. But less than two minutes later, he was in the summonarium again, with his back aching and his head spinning just a little. He hoped this was the heaviest load hed have.

He let the preservation drop on both of the assistants. One of them dropped off immediately, staggered a step, and then recovered The other clung to Aldens back like a koala, his grip inexplicably tightening as he took in their surroundings.

Maybe all the glowing symbols were scary?

Dude, were here, Alden muttered, trying to pry the mans arms away from his lab coat.

> Joe cried. >

He said something similar every time. And every time, the assistants bowed.

At least the koala man let go of Alden at the sound of Joes voice.

When Alden left, the two assistants were emptying their pockets proudly to show Joe matching sets of particularly evil-looking tongs.

Day Seven

Its not true mind control, said Thwart Hog, leaning against the lockers with her muscular arms crossed over chest after listening to Aldens explanation that morning. Shes not a Sway.

I know. But its something. Since its about arranging, maybe she pulls a thought you already have forward at just the right moment? I dont really get it, but I thought you might want to be careful.

It only seemed right to warn her since she was living with Manon, too. But Thwart Hog didnt seem particularly concerned.

You a low rank? she asked.

B.

Hey! Me too. So we dont need to worry for ourselves. Now that youve told me to look out, its fine. A-rank Swaywe wouldnt even be having this conversation because youd never have caught her at it. C-rank Rabbit manipulating the same dozen people for years like shes playing with dolls? Not nice. But no reason to sweat.

Alden must have looked skeptical.

Look. I wont deny that she could probably have her minions set you up for some kind of major screw-up. Especially since youre working lab and medical. But she seems savvy and emotionally stable, so shes not likely to throw something serious at you here. Just dont poke the situation. Leave it alone. Do nothing.

Thwart Hog turned and grabbed her boots from her locker.

Thats what I was planning to do for now, said Alden. But I think its wrong what shes doing to them. Shes managing their whole lives.

You got a hero complex?

I dont

Yeah. You do. Thwart Hog yanked the laces on her boots tight. Tons of new Avowed are that way. My advice is that you grow out of it fast. You found a problem. Doesnt mean you need to fix it right this very second at any cost.

I just said I was going to do nothing for now. Alden was annoyed.

You wouldnt still be going on about it if you didnt have doubts about that course. Stop doubting. Jabbing at the problem here and now is the worst thing you could do.

The locker closed with a bang.

#

> said Sophie, kicking a lab cabinet shut gently with one of her back feet. >

Somehow I knew you were going to say that.

#

Ive designed an experiment! Joe announced the second theyd finished renewing their daily contract.

What is it? Alden asked, pulling his hand away from the tattoo on his chest and dropping his shirt. The mark always felt strangely warm for a few seconds after hed placed his fingers on it and verbally agreed to the terms again.

Put your exceptionally gorgeous coat back on.

Alden did.

The professor bent, almost disappearing behind his desk. Am I targeted?

Of course.

Then catch! Joe sprang back up and flung one of the rubber balls at him.

Only this time it was on fire.

What the hell!? shouted Alden. But they were standing close together, and he was so used to catching things Joe threw at him. The ball was already in his hand.

The fact that your skill was designed to allow for visual effects is amusing. Joe made an adjustment to his smart lens and peered at the tail of motionless flames trailing off the ball. But I suppose it must serve the same function as your tactile sense of the preserved item. It helps you to manage the thing. Better move if you don't want burned hands.

Alden hastily took a few steps.

You threw a fireball at me! He wondered if Joe knew how supremely wizardy hed looked in that moment.

I thought if you had to catch something visibly dangerous, and if you didnt have time to overthink it, youd naturally perform the trick we were attempting last night. And see? I was right!

So I do a true insta-freeze on flying things if I know theyre hazardous, Alden said, staring down at the ball. Thats better than nothing.

He didnt ask what Joe would have done if it hadnt worked.

And were thinking I should be able to re-direct the momentum, right? he added, excitement building as he paced. Since he could reposition his grip on things it should work. Where can I put this safely?

This is a weapons lab. Youre the least fireproof thing in here other than the ball itself.

Alden rotated the ball so that it should, in theory, be moving away from him when his skill stopped. Then he dropped it and took a quick step back in the same motion.

The ball shot away from him, trailing smoke and flames, and smashed into the window that looked down on the inner laboratory.

It worked! he shouted. It actually worked!

Thinking it would work and seeing it in action were two different things.

Yes, but you still cant do it intentionally. Now go put that out. The building may not catch on fire, but theres no need to let it fill with smoke.

Day Eight

One of the girls on the track team is actually sick with mono, Jeremy reported. So rumor has it youre dating now.

Alden sat in his capsule bed, tossing his ball of modeling putty from hand to hand. That sounds like the kind of rumor you two could easily correct, he said in an annoyed tone.

It does, doesnt it? Boe chimed in.

Alden sighed and slapped the putty down on the shelf.

Why are you groaning and moaning like my grandpa this morning? Jeremy asked.

Twelve Artona III days is an eternity, said Alden. I feel like Im never going to make it back home.

Tell me again how much money youve made so far?

So much that I dont even want it anymore. I want Earth.

Poor dear.

I knowI think the sleep cycle is catching up to me. Im ready for an organic circadian rhythm instead of an alien drug-induced one. Ill make an effort to be less irritable tomorrow.

Nah, dont bother, said Jeremy. Boe doesnt hold back his nasty moods, so why should you? Ow! You hit like a little old lady.

Yeah? Then whyd you say ow?

Alden laughed. Bye, guys. Ive gotta go.

#

Lab exams. Lunch. More lab exams. Lessons with Joe. Moon Thegund. Take pills. Sleep, Alden thought to himself, chewing on the last bites of one of the fibrous cookies they served with the daily breakfast spread as he wove through the crowd of students and assistants waiting to be allowed in for the first exam. Its a weird schedule, but I guess its mine.

The peace of mind word chain was working on him. It had only taken him two tries this morning, and the gremlin was waiting an hour and a half now before its complaints kicked in. Slow progress, but steady.

Ryeh-bt! someone shouted.

Alden turned toward the speaker not because he was already used to being addressed that way but because the Artonans coming for their exams didnt do much shouting. They usually just hovered around the lab doors, nervous and silent.

A quintet of abnormally brutal-looking Artonans in matching green uniforms moved aside, and he saw a very familiar face.

Hi, Stuart, Alden said.

Someone whispered behind him, and they were quickly shushed by one of the others.

Alden took in the boys appearance with surprise. Hed assumed Stuart would be out of commission for a lot longer than a couple of days. But here he was, gold-ringed eyes sharp and his skin a shade of pale puce that was probably healthier for an Artonan than the gray complexion hed had the last time Alden had seen him.

One side of his head had been shaved, and the rest of his brownish hair had been pulled back in a very short French braid. It made for a strange look. As for Stuarts footit was presumably reattached. He was standing upright, at least, and on the side where his foot had been missing he wore a knee-high boot made of opaque white gel.

Alden waited for the guy to say something. Hed shouted after all, and hed been pretty talkative for a terribly wounded person the other day. But he only focused on Aldens face with an unblinking gaze.

I hope youre feeling better? Alden suggested after a moment.

He wasnt sure what else was safe to say. He knew he wasnt supposed to mention what had really happened, but was the cover story about the guy losing his limb in a duel with Jel-nor something he should bring up? Maybe it was wasnt widely known. Or maybe it was an insult to talk about someone losing a duel.

And the university has a rule about not hanging out with examinees outside of work, Alden remembered. So its not like I should encourage conversation.

Good luck on your exams, he said. Then, just to be absolutely fair, he added, Good luck to everyone here.

Before he could push open the doors, Stuart finally figured out what it was he wanted to say. Im sorry my actions have led us both to tarnish our honor. This is a sad hour in my life.

Alden felt his face freeze in a polite smile while he tried to decide what the guy meant. Was it because they were lying about what had really happened? Or maybe because they hadnt fought the mishnen to the death personally?

I have no idea.

Then he realized with shock that Stuart had spoken really solid English. He hadnt been doing that the other day, and it wasnt like he could have learned it all of the sudden. Probably.

He must have worked out how to say that specific line. Our honor must be seriously tarnished if he wanted to apologize in my native language.

Alden didnt get it at all. But he didnt want to disrespect it, so he tried to come up with an appropriate response.

My honor is my own, he said finally. Boe would die if he heard me. So, dont worry. About me. Im okay. Umheal well, and lets both do our best moving forward.

Stuart looked relieved. He took a limping step forward on his gel boot and nodded at Alden. >

There was more than one whisper at that announcement. Who was this guys dad, anyway?

Well, Im a Rabbit, said Alden. So Im sure it will be easy for him to find me. Forty-eight seconds notice, and Im there.

Before Stuart could add anything, he hurriedly pushed open one of the doors and went into the lab. Joe was leaning against the wall nearby, one fist pressed against his mouth in an uncharacteristically tense gesture.

Did I handle that all right? Alden murmured.

There was no good way to handle that, Joe hissed, dropping his fist and letting it smack into the wall behind him. Ive almost had my guts ripped out by entities that were subtler than thatboy. His parents should have used his recovery as an excuse to keep him out of the exams. It doesnt matter how it looks. Passing automatically is practically his birthright.

He didnt really say anything too bad, though?

It would have been fine to talk about tarnishing his own honor. Everyone would just think he was being oversensitive about losing his duel. But its hard to imagine a scenario in which a wizards duel would have led to your honor being tarnished.

> Sophie suggested from where she was prowling between tables. >

How do you even know there was gore? Alden asked. You werent there.

>

Day 9

I have to carry the kids today.

Alden was surprised to wake up in his dark capsule with that thought at the forefront of his mind. He always had nerves as the evening trip to Moon Thegund approached, but they had never started first thing in the morning before.

Its no different, he told himself. Itll be easier because theyre little. There wont even be equipment to take.

It was one of the ways the frightened father had been appeased. The woman with the pink eyes had promised him that Alden would have no burdens to protect except for the children.

What time is it anyway? Alden usually woke with the false sunrise lights playing across the ceiling. But that hadnt happened yet.

He asked the System and discovered hed woken nearly an hour earlier than he should have. Mourning the lost sleep, he unlatched the door on his pod and slid it open. The room was dim and quiet. All of the capsules were closed, but someone must have been awake because Alden could smell the instant coffee some of the others drank every morning.

He went to the bathroom, washed his face, chewed his tooth gum and spat it back into its tin. Despite his doubts about how sanitary it was, the stuff worked great. When he caught a glimpse of himself in one of the mirrors, his teeth looked like hed had them professionally whitened.

Acnes totally gone now, too. He hadnt had much of a problem, but what he did have had been visibly fading all week. And now it was like it had never existed. It was probably the point in Appeal finally showing off its full potential.

It is a big deal! a shrill voice said, interrupting his thoughts. I got along so well with the professor at the party last year, and this was a chance to make another impression. I cant miss the

Shhhhyoull wake up everyone. Dont worry.

Alden glanced toward the toilet closet the sound had come from. Hed noticed two people whispering in there when he first entered, but hed ignored them. Living in close quarters demanded a certain amount of willful ignorance, in his opinion.

They sound upset. He couldnt tell who it was since theyd been talking quietly up until now, but the upset one was definitely a woman.

I should have asked Chris to look at it last night! I knew I should. But I suddenly felt so embarrassed. I was about to and then I justI dont know why! I gave up on him ages ago, and hes always so helpful. He could have come up with a brace if he had the night.

Is someone hurt?

Chris was the guy on the medical team who wore suits every day. D-rank Wright who specialized in body enhancement equipment. He was on the medical team because plenty of Artonans had magitechy stuff plugged in to themselves.

Alden strained his hearing to catch the reply.

Lets get him to try something this morning.

What good is that, Manon?! Im on duty soon! Theyll put me on medical leave as soon as they see this!

Nope, nope, nope thought Alden, grabbing his tin of tooth gum and striding out of the bathroom. Not getting involved. Were almost home. I can think about sketchy Rabbits then.

Hed committed himself to it, and he was going to stick to it.He made it back into his bed and had the panel closed in moments.

See, Thwart Hog, he thought. I dont have a hero complex.

#

Alden followed his usual schedule for the rest of the morning, but by lunchtime the boater drama caught up with him. He was sitting in an armchair in the corner, eating a sandwich hed made out of a hunk of bread and the stuffed mushrooms that were offered every other day. He was ignoring the other humans as well as he couldwhich was not verysince they were all talking loudly about Laura, the woman who liked to wear a frilled apron over her skirt

Shed gotten injured by a piece of alien gym equipment yesterday evening when she was working. Apparently shed hurt her knee. It was a bizarre occurrence, since Laura was a Brute. And the injury was serious enough that she hadnt been able to hide her limp. Shed been sent off to spend the day waiting around for a healer, and since her injury wasnt life threatening, she might be gone for ages.

Shed probably be sent straight home when she got back, too, if the others were right in their guesses.

Tonight of all nights, Naya said, frowning down at her plate. Chris could have done something for her, couldnt he? A little mechanical help plus a good pain pillsomething. She was sure she was this close to getting a long-term offer from that professor who thinks a security maid is the coolest thing ever. At the party, with the usual atmosphere making everyone a little looser, it could have happened. You hardly ever hear of a D-rank getting a chance like that.

There was a party on the schedule for tonight that many of the human Avowed worked. It wasnt on Aldens radar since he wasnt on the guest list, but apparently it was the best opportunity Laura would have to show off for this professor who was interested in hiring a low-ranking Brute for aesthetic reasons. Bet they got the idea from watching Thwart Hog follow her employer around campus.

Having conspicuous protective services you didnt even need was an odd flex, but it was far from the weirdest thing going on around here.

Im not sure, Manon said. I was in the gym when it happened last night, advising on the arrangement of some of the training rooms. Her leg got wedged. It looked terrible. I should have insisted that she ask Chris straight away, but she thought she could power through.

Why would she think that? Naya said, looking flabbergasted. Her leg was purple, Manon!

It really didnt look that bad last night.

Nothing to do with me, Alden told himself, chewing his sandwich with unnecessary force.

A few minutes later, as he was in the elevator on his way down to the lab, he received a message.

[Evening Quest for Superior Professor Worli Ro-den Cancelled]

[New Quest Assignment for LeafSong University]

[You will be waitstaff at the Achievement Society Gala for faculty, student prospects, and families. Arrive two hours before the event for uniform fitting and training.]

As soon as he reached the lab, Alden looked around for Joe. He spotted him in the back of the room by the irradiators. Sophie was nowhere to be seen.

This is ridiculous! Alden protested as he hurried over. Can they just cancel my actually important quest with you to make me serve canaps at a cocktail party?

The important berry-picking quest? Joe said in a neutral tone, adjusting one of the knobs on the giant oven.

Yes! The important berry-picking quest. They can have one of the other Avowed hand people tiny snacks.

Humans are popular at parties. And I believe you were selected additionally for the practicality of your skill. I was a little surprised you werent already on the books for this. I think Bti-qwol only resisted the urge until now because you have no social events record, and shell have to alter her dream budget to outfit you for it. The other human attendants would have had uniforms from previous years.

Cant you get me out of it?

The university is your primary summoner. They have precedence. If I complain, I will only draw attention to the oddity of the number and type of quests Ive been assigning you in what would otherwise be your free hours.

An idea flashed through his mind. What if Im a terrible waiter?

Joes eyebrows shot up. Are you asking me to comfort you about your skills as a food server? Im sure youll be fine.

No, I mean that thing you suggested. What if I just pretend to suck? I could throw a martini in someone's face, or

The professor burst out laughing.

Im being serious!

No, no. Dont do that. Its unnecessary. Well have time for you to pick all the berries without you sacrificing any chance you might have of ever getting a high society job, noble Rabbit.

Alden frowned. As long as nothing else happens.

Yes. As long as nothing else happens. Would you mind pulling the Argax powder from the refrigeration units for this session?

The red stuff, right?

The red stuff, Joe agreed.

Alden worked in silence, dragging pouches of the powder from the back of the fridges and tossing them into one of the lunch baskets that Joe seemed to be collecting as the days wore on.

I was supposed to be picking up the kids today. Its the second time their trip off Moon Thegund has gotten messed up. He wasnt superstitious, but it still felt bad.

He was surprised when a shadow fell across him, and he looked up to see Joe leaning over him, a frown pulling at his tattooed features.

It occurs to me that I should clarify something, just in case particularly absurd notions are flitting through your mind, he said. Even if you do toss food at guests, I still wont be able to assign you a quest tonight. It would seem like I had encouraged you to sabotage the event to spite certain people I dont get along with very well.

Okay, said Alden. I wont.

Take this. Joe held out his hand, and a ring fell onto the lab table with a clatter. Its a loan. Since I doubt theyll let you wear your stunning coat.

Youre giving me a magic ring? Alden said, his eyes widening as he stared at the dark silver band.

Do you know what the word loan means?

What does it do? Alden asked eagerly, reaching for it.

It will do something similar to heightening your dexterity. Significantly. Its very good for not flinging appetizers at people. And party tricks.

Oh wow! Thats really cool! Thank you so much!

Loan, said Joe. Loaner. Am I not saying this right? >

Alden held the ring up to the light to admire it. It was simple, but very heavy. And it was covered in etched geometric patterns.

Ill take good care of it, he said.

And give it back?

Yes. Of course.