ONE HUNDRED FIFTY-SIX: Family Matters, II

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******

“Do you think it’s all right to step on it?” Alden asked, looking down through Esh-erdi’s nonagon to see the top of the Forthright building. Thanks to speed, spell, or contraption, someone had managed to cover almost the entire surface of the roof in a boldly colored chalk mural. Scenes of Avowed engaged in inspiring acts of courage surrounded the words: We ARE Anesidora.

“It’s amazing.” Haoyu was leaning so far over the edge that Alden started lowering them just in case he fell off. “Who’s that running across the water? And there’s Plopstar on The Span! And that Shaper line redirecting the flood down in F—so cool.”

“If the artist can put something like this together so fast, I’m sure they either know how to protect it or they don’t care if it gets walked on,” said Lexi.

The picnic tables for students were all still in place, perched right on top of the drawings, so Alden guessed it was fine.

“Someone should tell them to draw Maricel and the countertop. And Jeffy doing whatever he did,” Haoyu said as he jumped off.

He landed on the image of a red halo. The man stood on the deck of a small yacht with his arms raised to lift the vessel into the air. The water pouring from the sides and bottom of the boat became the raindrops that fell onto a woman who aimed a mounted launcher at an unseen target.

Haoyu checked the bottoms of his shoes for chalk. “Nothing’s coming off.”

After all three of them had dismounted, Alden considered the nonagon.

“It’s so hard to know where to park your fancy car,” Haoyu said sympathetically. “Such terrible things could happen to—”

“Don’t. I’ll make you guard it.”

Alden was operating under the belief that as long as he was close enough to The Nine-edged Son Whose Own Mother Forsakes Him, Drusi-otta could keep an eye on both of them.

He’d been periodically looking around for her, but he was starting to think she wasn’t actually anywhere near him. She might just be monitoring him through a spell or with a magic spy cam the size of grain of sand. Maybe if someone approached to bother him, her plan wasn’t to leap out and assassinate, but to call that person on the phone and tell them to get lost.

While dramatically sharpening some kind of magic votary weapon.

He directed the nonagon to a stop just above the narrow, windowed enclosure that kept the roof-access elevator out of the elements.

Haoyu looked at him. “I understand why you don’t want to make a big deal out of the commendation. And why you don’t want people prying into what you went through. But I’m glad you told us about it. It’s…” He adjusted his Scorpius t-shirt. “I don’t actually know what I want to say except that I’m glad I know.”

Lexi pulled the door open and held it for the two of them to walk through.

“I’m glad, too,” he said as Alden passed. “I think people knowing about this will be a good thing in a lot of ways. You seem worried about it, but—”

Haoyu gasped dramatically. “Lexi Roberts is going to reveal a Social Dynamic! Which one will it be?!”

Alden couldn’t hold back a grin at that.

“But,” Lexi continued more loudly, “your commendation answers the whole, ‘Why a Rabbit?’ question.”

“Thoroughly,” Haoyu agreed.

“Some people already assumed your experience out there—” he gestured vaguely at the ceiling, “—was a big reason you were one of our B-ranks.”

“I thought it was your levels and your skill being neat,” said Haoyu.

“I thought it was you being a masochist during our team fight in combat assessment and yanking on Writher like pain didn’t hurt you.”

“No,” said Alden. “It definitely hurt. You should let us hit you with it in gym sometime. So you can see.”

Lexi ignored that. “What I’m saying is, for the <<jerks>> who will act like those things aren’t enough, the commendation should shut them up. I think.”

“Yeah,” Haoyu said as the elevator arrived. “It’s not like they’re going to have one. And it shows you’ve already proven yourself in tough situations, doesn’t it?”

Alden stepped in after them. “Maybe.”

Lute seemed to think that people would be jealous and behave worse because of it.

“I’ve been worried people would realize I only got into the program because of the commendation. And they’d be bastards about it. That’s why I wanted a few more weeks before the info went wide. So I could kind of…prove myself.”

Lexi frowned.

“A commendation like that is the proof!” Haoyu said confidently. “It should carry you even if you do something really dumb. Like turning your uniform into a cheerleader outfit, then hitting yourself in the face with a car.”

“Why would you think you only got in because of the commendation anyway?” Lexi asked. “We just named a few reasons why you should have.”

“My interview was weird,” Alden admitted. “Really half-assed. They gave me the blandest topics to discuss. Like ‘Why do you like superheroes? Tell us about your goals. Who do you admire?’ The sorts of things I couldn’t screw up because I’d already answered them in the previous interviews.”

“Oh.” The frown on Lexi’s face deepened.

“Klein was more honest about it in the end,” said Alden. “He doesn’t like the idea of someone with my class being here because he doesn’t see how the program is going to build me into a danger-ready Avowed with nothing but the Rabbit skills and spells to choose from. With him saying that and the way everything went…it’s pretty obvious the commendation was my acceptance ticket. And they didn’t even care what it was for.”

Haoyu looked miffed. “If he said that, it’s just him being overly traditional. There’s no reason you can’t take some Rabbit skill that’s meant for hairdressing or gardening and turn it into something terrifying. Or at least complementary to the excellent skill you already have.”

“Thanks. It’s okay. I do understand what he meant by—”

“It’s really not, though!” Haoyu protested. “And the commendation should have been an acceptance ticket because they cared what it was for. Do they think those things grow on trees? Do they think the Artonans give them out like Brute Scout badges?!”

He was bristling even more.

Alden glanced at Lexi, expecting him to say something to calm Haoyu down.

“I agree with him,” said Lexi. “Not about the hairdressing. But even if the class and rank combo was triggering some high rank handwringing about how vulnerable you’ll be if everything goes wrong for you, so what? They accept some other people on the assumption that everything will go right.

“Kon’s an Adjuster with a single spell. He took a complete unknown, and the school accepted him assuming it would become something great. I’m happy it worked out like that for him. But if Kon being an S makes more of a difference than you having a commendation for bravery…that irritates me.”

“What about all the organizational skills Rabbits have?” said Haoyu. “You think magical sorting can’t be dangerous? Or CLOTHES FOLDING!”

The passion in his voice made Alden chuckle.

“What if you can use a really strong clothes folding skill on clothes with the enemy inside them?” Haoyu demanded. “Did Klein think of that? Obviously not!”

“You don’t have to find me a new skill,” said Alden. “The one I’ve got is enough for me to work with right now.”

“I’m just getting started!”

******

 

Only half an hour later, Alden was leaving Instructor Marion’s classroom in the Wong building with a sigh.

His morning science class had already met and been dismissed. They would be officially starting back on Wednesday, as predicted, but without in-person attendance. Two of the three instructors who were lined up for the rest of the quarter were planning to be too busy to commute to campus, so they’d be pre-recording lectures and sending them to everyone. Homework was just going to be reading assignments.

Do your studying, and good luck!

The final exam next month would be the only in-person meeting.

In Engaging with the Unexpected, Marion had just announced he was changing the class syllabus to make time for everyone to talk about what they’d experienced on Friday night. They had the rest of the week off; he expected them to use the extra days to process everything that had happened and prepare thoughtful conversation topics. He was envisioning a sort of student-led Engaging with the Disaster course for the rest of term.

It would be a good idea, but only if everyone took it seriously, Alden thought as he slipped past the Adjuster girl with the summoning abilities and into the busy hallway. She was talking to Andrzej about a press conference that was coming up this evening. There were rumors that the names of the people involved in the attack were going to be released.

How many of these guys actually want to do serious reflection on their personal disaster experience? Aren’t most of them going to slack off and then come to class with some low-hanging drama topics, like usual, so that we can all argue?

A couple of them had had very serious looks on their faces, though. Most had been on campus, safely tucked in the gym during the danger, but Anesidora was a small world. Everyone who hadn’t lost something themselves at least knew somebody who had.

Marion’s hopes that they’d all be mature conversationalists might come true.

Alden would figure out what he was going to talk about. But for now, he was mentally shifting to plan for a class schedule that wouldn’t start until eleven o’clock in the morning for the rest of the week. And that was assuming Instructor Rao kept the Artonan Conversation class the same.

That will give me plenty of time to make the commute from Matadero at least.

“Yes. I’ve heard the same rumors, but only here at school.” Andrzej’s accent caught Alden’s attention and he turned. The Polish boy was still talking to the Adjuster. He had his cudgel sticking out of the top of his backpack. It looked like it was peeking over his shoulder.

“They haven’t told you anything at home?” the girl asked. “Your relatives don’t talk about it, or—”

“They don’t share Council news with me. Excuse me. I have to go to my next class.”

He slid past her and started toward Alden.

We’ve made eye contact now. Might as well wait on him.

Alden was curious about what had happened with the B’s who’d run off during the emergency anyway, and Andrzej would probably know. He was heavily involved with the rank club. He’d invited Alden to the study groups and dinners more than once. Alden hadn’t taken him up on those offers yet because he always seemed to have plenty of other things to fill his time.

The other B’s in the hero program seemed to be a little more rank-insular than he and Max were. It was still early days, so Alden hadn’t had time to figure out exactly what kind of relationships the students in more advanced groups had with each other. But there was obviously enough bad blood going around that Andrzej, who seemed like an easy person to get along with, preferred The B-list crew to most of his own combat classmates.

“Hi,” said Alden as the other boy joined him and they started down the hall for the exit.

“You’re hurt.” Andrzej glanced down at his boot. “You weren’t…do not tell me if you were. <<Don’t incriminate yourself.>>”

The last was said in a whisper.

Alden shook his head. “I didn’t go out with Francis, BeeBee, and whoever else was being stupid. I was on the other side of Apex. And I was trying like hell to get to safety, not run away from it.”

“Oh!” Andrzej looked relieved. “That is so good. I am beginning to be worried that there are not enough B’s who aren’t crazy at this school.”

When they stepped outside, Alden’s eyes went immediately to a bushy tree that stood on the other side of the path. A group of people were standing beneath it, pointing up.

“You had trouble getting to a shelter?” Andrzej’s tone turned sympathetic. “You were left because you’re a Rabbit.”

“Something slightly different than that,” said Alden. “Anyway, did you seriously think I might have been with that group? And that I somehow escaped from whoever went to fetch them? I don’t know how I’d get away from trained members of SkySea. I’m sure they caught everyone involved.”

“No, they missed Sammy,” Andrzej replied. “But she felt guilty when everyone else got in trouble, and she decided to confess. Probably a very good thing for the rest of them…”

“Sammy?” There was nobody he’d met in The B-list with that name.

“She’s an S. She went along for some reason.” Andrzej lowered his voice. “She’s probably too talented to expel. So maybe the others will be okay? It wouldn’t be fair to expel just the B’s.”

Alden agreed that it wouldn’t be fair to expel all the B’s. But his sympathy level for danger chasers had recently hit a new low.

“What were they thinking?” he asked. “Do you know?”

Andrzej turned his eyes skyward. “Ella-Clara was thinking she has only earned four levels this year, and even that is not fast enough for her. The others were probably thinking, ‘Let’s follow Ella-Clara and see what she does.’”

Four levels was impressive. But none of the rest of it was. “I just don’t want B-list gym time to be cancelled.”

“I think it will be,” said Andrzej. “At least for a couple of weeks.”

An angry sound escaped Alden’s throat before he could stop it.

Andrzej lifted his pale eyebrows. “Instructor Plim is a powerful Shaper of Water.”

Alden had been about to say something scathing about people who ruined the educational opportunities of others, but his mouth snapped shut at that. “That’s right. She’s probably busy.”

“The wizards are still using Shapers of Water to overwhelm the Submerger’s—”

“I heard on the news.”

“It is more important than our club.”

“I know that!” Alden said. “I just…forgot she was a Water Shaper temporarily.”

He pressed his finger to the green ring and pointed it at the ground. There was a rustling sound and a yelp as a one stray teenager fell out of the bottom of the tree and one Nine-edge Son emerged from the top.

Andrzej stared while Alden beckoned his ride.

“Do you want to come with me?” Alden asked.

<<No,>> Andrzej said, turning his head to exam the tree again like he thought another one might pop out. <<I can walk.>>

 

******

 

[Heading to the Convo class meeting, Lute], Alden texted as he hurried up the stairs behind a girl with canary yellow hair. She was scattering loads of Anesidoran Forever stickers on every landing.

That slogan seems to be taking hold fast, he thought, leaping over some of the stickers and landing on his squishboot so hard that his ankle actually complained for the first time since he’d started wearing the thing.

Shit.

It was easy to forget he was injured when walking didn’t hurt. And he’d gotten so used to the boot already that the lack of feedback from the foot trapped inside it no longer called his attention.

Better slow down.

[Are you logging in to the class online or something?] he asked Lute.

[I’m supposed to be,] Lute answered. [Rao hasn’t sent the call-in link though. Guess she’s going to be late like usual.]

A second later, he video called Alden. He was still sitting in the blanket fort, minus one F-rank Rabbit girl.

“Emilija had to head to Franklin,” he said, plopping himself back onto a mound of mismatched pillows and sofa cushions.“They don’t have classes today, but she does have some stuff to take care of this afternoon. It’ll probably take her ages to get there with the way travel’s going right now. How are things?”

“Okay,” Alden said automatically. Then, he paused with one hand on the banister. He did have a little bit of unwanted tension in his chest. It had been there ever since he’d told the guys about Thegund.

Just leftovers. Telling hadn’t been that hard. But deciding it was time to and wondering about what they’d think had been.

“I’m good,” he said. “I told Lexi and Haoyu about it. The thing I told you about on the day we had our big wordchain learning session.”

“What did they say?” Lute was walking a round snack cracker across the backs of his fingers the way some people did coins. At a very high rate of speed. Without it crumbling.

Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

“I wonder if I can do that,” said Alden.

“They said that? About getting an award like yours? They’re even more ambitious than I realized. Has it occurred to you hero brain people that you’re not immort—”

“No! I meant I wanted to do what you’re doing with the cracker. Haoyu and Lexi were great about it.”

“Ohhhh.” Lute popped his toy in his mouth and crunched it. Without bothering to swallow, he said, “I told you. Didn’t I? Haoyu’s a classy guy. And Lexi’s got class, too. He just hides it underneath his personality.”

“It’s nice to have it out in the open with you three,” Alden said, continuing his ascent. “And everything else is fine.”

School exists. Lots of happy alive people here.

A minute later, he reached the classroom, grabbed an ass-abused cushion for the hell of it, and knelt to wait for Instructor Rao. Almost the whole class was present. Most people had been on campus on Friday night, so they hadn’t gotten stuck in F.

The volume of the chatter increased as time passed, and Alden started to wonder if the instructor was going to make an appearance at all.

“She’s ten minutes late to a meeting that only lasts fifteen,” Lute pointed out. “If something had happened to her, the school would have told us, wouldn’t they?”

A painted wooden ball smacked the floor at the edge of Alden’s cushion. The object was someone’s craft project, and a group of students had been tossing it back and forth for a while now, trying out different tricks on it with their magic. This time, when it impacted, it didn’t make the sharp sound he would have expected from wood on wood. And it bounced up and over him like it was made of rubber.

“Hey, is that a property transfer spell!? I didn’t know you had that!” the boy to his left called jovially to the thrower as he stepped forward to catch it and toss it back to the other side of the room.

The class had gotten so loud that Alden was honestly surprised none of the faculty members from the neighboring rooms had come in to tell them all to knock it off.

“Hey, knock it off!” a girl sitting in the back corner said.

I guess she’s thinking the same thing.

About half of the students turned to look at her.

“People died,” she said severely. “We shouldn’t be playing around today.”