Ak-tu sat alone in the Admin Office shortly after showing Sarala to her new room. He tapped her filled-out form on the mirror, moving it to a folder labeled for new students. The only other form in that folder so far was Ren’s, though Zyn’s had mostly been filled out. All Ak-tu needed was her magic type and signature, then he could print her ID card—if the printer decided to work.

He sighed and leaned back in the hard chair, then got to his feet and paced the room a few times. As he walked, his arms lifted up, then pushed to the side, as if he was deflecting strikes towards his head. He circled them continuously, moving his torso up and down as he connected his arms to his body. But all of this was instinctive and unfocused; he was instead concentrated on his thoughts.

She was looking for this school…but why? Why this one? Did she know I’d take her in? Was she expecting that? And she gave me a fake last name… What is her true identity? What is she hiding? Is she a danger? No…I don’t think so…not after I felt that… But I’ll have to keep an eye on her…

Shaking Sarala from his mind, he stopped his pacing and lowered his arms. He walked to the window behind the desk and printer, peering at the forest. Trees stretched tall to the sky, their foliage a variety of colors: green was the most common, but red and blue could also be seen. Orange and purple flowers lay nestled among the bushes, some shaped like hanging bells and others like mini serpents wrapped around branches. Ak-tu watched a wad of yellow squishy moss drag itself across the grass and dirt, squelching quietly the whole way. He snorted in amusement and turned back to the desk, picking up the mirror once more as a new face came to his mind. 

He tapped one of the buttons, which opened up to a list of contacts. As this was the school mirror and not his personal one, it had a long list of teachers, cooks, parents, students, and a few government contacts from the state of Pann. After a bit of scrolling, he finally reached his friend’s name and selected it.

A dark-skinned person appeared on the glass, grinning widely up at Ak-tu from beneath his bushy blue beard. He had curly hair that fell to his shoulders, almost at the same length as Ak-tu’s own hair. His eyes sparkled like sapphires—his right eye lighter than his left. The mirror buzzed lightly as it attempted to reach his friend’s mirror. Ak-tu was just wondering if the connection would be lost when the still image of the man suddenly changed.

“YO!” the man called cheerfully, waving a large hand as he appeared in real time, dressed in a sky blue shirt that matched his right eye. “Ak-tu! How’s it goin’?”

“Jabali!” Ak-tu grinned, plopping on the top of the desk with a light thud. “It’s fine enough here. How about you? How’s the shop?”

“Busy, busy, as usual this time o’ the day,” Jabali chuckled, setting his mirror against something so he could use both of his hands to shuffle through paperwork on the desk in front of him. “Gotta look through some job applications. Are ’em kids of yours ready t’work for me yet?”

Ak-tu snorted, raking a hand through his hair. “Nope, not yet. Remember, they still don’t know about you.”

“Mmhmm, thought as much,” Jabali said, glancing around his cluttered desk. After picking up a green mug and a book, he found a pen and used it to scrawl something on the paper in front of him. “When d’ya plan on tellin’ them, eh? Or are they never gonna know I exist?”

Ak-tu frowned. “I’ll probably tell them soon,” he said slowly. “I don’t like keeping things from them… But I’m also waiting for them to learn about magic and spirits before I bring up some of this stuff…”

“Fair enough,” Jabali said with a shrug, crunching up another paper and tossing it into the mess on his desk.

Ak-tu raised one side of his unibrow. “You need help cleaning all that up?”

“Eh, I’ll get it later,” Jabali said with a wave of his hand.

“If you say so,” Ak-tu said doubtfully. 

“I’m sure ya didn’t just call me up to comment on my messy workspace,” Jabali grunted, glancing back up at Ak-tu. “What’s on your mind?”

“I just saw some crawling moss and thought of you,” Ak-tu replied.

It was Jabali’s turn to raise a thick eyebrow at that. “You saw some moss ’n thought of me? Rude.”

Ak-tu chuckled and leaned back on the desk. “I dunno, it just reminded me of that time when—”

“Jabali!” a faint shout sounded.

Jabali sighed and got to his feet, uttering, “Hold tha’ thought.” 

He ran out of the mirror’s sight, likely to help his employees. Ak-tu lay back entirely on the desk, holding the mirror above his head. He scanned Jabali’s workspace again: stacks of paper, three or four books, a mug containing steaming coffee, another mug (which said, “World’s Okayest Boss”) containing pens and pencils, a few candy wrappers (most unwrapped), a half-eaten muffin on a napkin, a set of reading glasses sitting on top of their case, several potted plants (one looked like it had spilled recently, judging by the soil on the table)… Beyond the desk were boxes of all sizes, some stacked all the way to the ceiling. The walls could hardly be seen beneath the clutter. 

Ak-tu sighed and shifted his position on the desk, the hard wood becoming uncomfortable for his spine. He hopped off and returned to the window, looking for the crawling moss again. But it was nowhere to be seen. His eyes glazed over as he remembered the time that he and Jabali had camped in an area full of crawling moss. Jabali had squealed in delight and quickly patted the squishy plant, declaring that he’d take one home. But the moss had scurried away before he could catch any. Ak-tu had then charged after one, using his air magic to pull a wad of moss back and give it to his friend. As far as he knew, Jabali still had the moss just outside his house, along with the many other plants on his property.

“Ren’s going to love meeting you,” Ak-tu uttered under his breath, smiling lightly as he thought of his daughter. 

“Wha’?”

Ak-tu blinked in surprise, glancing down at the mirror he still held to see that Jabali had returned. “Oh—I just said that Ren would love to meet you, one day. She loves plants just as much as you do!”

“Good on her,” Jabali said, returning to his paperwork. “I’m sorry, Ak-tu, but I’m a lil’ busy at the moment. We just got a catering order, ’n these new employees ain’t the best at keeping their heads in stress. D’ya need to talk to me about anything important?”

Ak-tu was about to say no, when he stopped himself. “Actually…something strange did happen today…”

He quickly recounted Sarala’s appearance, being sure not to skip over the fact that she had lied about her name. Jabali listened carefully, eyeing Ak-tu the whole time and ignoring the papers waiting for him. 

“Well, why’d ya let her in the school?”

“Because she’s an orphan with nowhere to go, and likely running from a dark past,” Ak-tu said instantly. 

“And not runnin’ from a criminal? Or the gov?” Jabali pressed.

Ak-tu shrugged indifferently. “Only time will tell… But there’s…something else…”

“What?” 

“I…felt…a connection to her,” Ak-tu murmured, his eyes glazing over. “Like what I felt with both of my kids…that…special bond…that they are meant to be here…that we’re meant to be in each other’s lives.”

Jabali gazed at Ak-tu for a long moment, then grunted, “You’re gonna adopt her, aren’t ya?”

Ak-tu blinked. “No! Well…not yet. I mean…I guess I sorta did when I set her up here? I mean, I’m sorta her guardian now, in a way, but… No, I don’t intend to actually adopt her, though I’d be open to the idea in the future if there is something here and she wants to be adopted. I just…haven’t felt that strange calling sensation in a long time… Not since I got Zyn at that orphanage.”

Jabali shrugged. “You do wha’ ya wanna do, Ak-tu. But be sure you’re not takin’ on too much.”

Ak-tu snorted. “Too much? I can handle too much. I raised twin babies on my own, after all! Now that was too much, but I managed it!”

As he said the words, his thoughts went back in time. He was sitting in a rowboat, two babies on the wooden floor, bundled in blankets between supplies. Ak-tu looked up to the other side of the boat, smiling as he imagined Jabali sitting on the bench across from him. But Jabali faded from sight, and Ak-tu was pulled from the memory.

“Sater to Ak-tu! Ya listening?” Jabali was grumbling in annoyance.

“Hmm?”

“Why d’ya zone out so much?” his friend huffed. “I was sayin’ you’ve got no idea wha’ her past is, and ya don’t know how much trouble she might bring ya. Whatever bond ya feel, let it come naturally, and keep your guard up.”

“I will,” promised Ak-tu. 

“Well, if ya don’t have any other news for me, I’ma get back to my shop,” Jabali said, already pulling a new piece of paper out and jotting down notes. 

“That’s all on my end,” Ak-tu replied, glancing out the window again to watch a butterfly flutter by. “Anything you want to say?”

“It’s Zyn’s birthday today, ain’t it? I’ll send ya some money for her.”

Ak-tu sighed and said in exasperation, “Jabali, there’s no need, my kids don’t know you and—”

“Nonsense! I know of ’em, and that’s good enough for me to get them birthday presents. Get Zyn something good, or save it up for a special occasion. See ya later!”

“Jabali, please don’t—”

But Jabali had hung up the call, the mirror reflecting Ak-tu’s dismayed face back at him. Ak-tu rolled his eyes and lowered his mirror, returning his gaze to the forest as movement caught his attention. He ignored the dinging noise the mirror made as he received a notification (likely Jabali’s sent money). 

Ak-tu pressed himself closer to the window until his nose was almost touching the glass and his breath fogged it. Something small had scuttled through the bushes, moving more like an animal than a plant. 

Could it be—

The figure shifted and left the shadowy undergrowth, allowing Ak-tu to see it better. It was just a tiny bluish gray elephog—an animal the size of a hog with the head of an elephant. 

Ak-tu shook his head and turned away. “Why did I think it was them? It’s been years… I better get some breakfast in me before I forget to eat again…”

He placed the mirror on the desk and headed for the office door. He was just about to exit when he had the feeling that something was watching him. Swiveling on the balls of his feet, he gazed out the window again. The elephog was gone, and nothing else stood outside. 

“You’re just being silly now,” he scolded himself. “This is what happens when you don’t eat!”

Ak-tu exited the Admin Office, shutting the door behind him.