It had taken Rashie a few minutes to run off some of her excess excitement, and she came back with the feet of her shark onesie absolutely covered in mud. “I got dirty,” she said the moment she entered, lifting her leg as proof.

  “That’s fine, Rashie. It was only a matter of time,” Trevor replied as he stood up and sent everyone’s dishes into his inventory.

  He walked over to the sink and added Rashie’s plate and fork to his collection before taking all four of them back out, stacking them on the sink. Each one was completely clean without any signs of having just been used. With a smug smile, he walked over to the stone trash can and stuck his hand in. The leftover food, bones, and everything else fell from his palm to be incinerated by the magical tool.

  As always, he checked his hand to make sure that nothing was stuck to him before washing up anyway. Both his hands and the dishes because he wasn't sure how his Power interacted with germs and bacteria. Just because they didn't look dirty didn't mean they were clean. It was better to be safe than sorry.

  “You know, when I received this Power I didn’t think I’d be using it for something as mundane as doing the dishes or laundry. But, now that I’ve gotten used to it, I have to say it’s pretty versatile.”

  “Get a load of this guy,” Wayne chuckled. “Thinking of starting some kind of cleaning service to go along with being a messenger?”

  “Oh, man, can you imagine it?” Trevor asked, turning to lean against the counter. He put a hand in the air and moved it as if he were reading off of a sign. “Trevor Anderson, the Cleaning Courier. Every package arrives without a speck of dust.”

  “I don’t think there’s a lot of quests in cleaning,” Rashie said as she sat back down at the table.

  “Not generally, no,” Adabelle confirmed. “But if anyone could figure out a way to do it, then I’m sure it would be Trevor.”

  “Thanks, lady,” he said, beaming. “But, yeah, no. I’m perfectly happy being a courier. I just think it’s neat, that's all.”

  “It is!” Rashie gave Trevor two thumbs up before beckoning him back to his seat. “But we’re not here to talk about that right now. We’re here to talk about my super secret request.”

  The man sat back down across from Adabelle with an amused smile. “If it’s so secret, should Wayne and I be here for it?” he asked.

  The shark girl thought about it for a moment, before nodding. “Wayne already knows and it’s not really a super secret, it’s just that way because he hasn’t told anyone yet and neither have I.”

  Adabelle turned in her chair so she was facing Rashie. “Why don’t you tell me what it is?” she requested. “And if it’s in my power, I’ll do it.”

  Rashie opened her mouth to speak before suddenly becoming bashful. She lowered her head, but gave Wayne a sidelong glance.

  “It’s what you want. No use being shy about it now,” he told her.

  Taking a deep breath, she nodded and looked back up at Adabelle. Her eyes were wide, and Trevor couldn’t help but be reminded of a begging puppy.

  “Addy, this is really, really important,” the shark girl said solemnly.

  Something in her tone made the woman sit up straighter. “Is it, now,” she replied, giving Wayne a quick glance. The dwarf was stoic, however, and gave nothing away.

  “Yes. Very,” Rashie confirmed. “So you have to take it seriously.”

  Adabelle nodded. “Of course. I’m ready.”

  The shark girl inhaled, preparing herself, and then got out of her chair to hug the demonkin. “I wanna go to school!” she announced. Both Adabelle and Trevor looked at each other, but before they could say anything the shark girl continued speaking. “I’m the youngest one here and I know the Quest Master put a lot of information in my head when I got here but I want to have the same experiences as everyone else.”

  “Rashie, I had no idea you were even interested in school,” Adabelle replied. She wrapped her arms around the shark girl and pulled her up so that she was sitting in the demonkin's lap. “Of course the answer is yes. There’s some paperwork involved, but it's something we can work through.”

  “That easy?” she asked before burying her face in Adabelle’s chest. Her tail swished, smacking into her now empty chair a couple of times until it was out of the way.

  The demonkin started stroking Rashie’s head. “It won’t be until the next school year since we’re only a few months away from finishing, but if you’re okay with that then I don’t see why we can’t get you enrolled.”

  “That’s a really big decision, Rashie,” Trevor said. “Was there any particular experience you were most looking forward to? I’ve seen you play around with kids in the neighborhood before. Are you trying to spend more time with your friends?”

  “Something like that,” the shark girl said, peeking at him before looking away. Wayne snorted, and her head snapped back. “Don’t you tell them!”

  The dwarf raised his hands to placate the girl. “Ain’t my place to say,” he replied, though he was clearly trying hard not to laugh at how embarrassed she was acting.

  They stared at each other for a moment, one with a barely veiled smile and the other with narrowed eyes. “Okay, good,” Rashie finally said.

  “Are you as lost as I am?” Trevor asked quietly.

  Adabelle nodded before turning Rashie on her lap so she could look into the girl’s eyes. “Whatever the reason, I'm happy to hear that you're interested in learning more,” she said warmly. “And if you want to keep that reason to yourself, or in Wayne’s confidence, then that’s fine by me. I just want to make sure you really want to do this, and that it’s your decision.”

  “I wouldn’t push her to go to school, Addy,” Wayne commented seriously. “We had a long talk about what it would mean for her to attend.”

  Rashie nodded so hard that she nearly threw herself off of Adabelle’s lap, though she caught herself with her tail. “Wayne told me all about having to do lessons, and learn things like math and history and social studies, and that I won’t find everything interesting but that if I start I’ll have to see it through to the end,” she said. “I know what I’m getting myself into.”

  A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  “Not just learning, but also tests,” Adabelle told her. “In fact, we’re going to have to give you one to see what grade you’ll need to be placed into.”

  “I can’t just choose?” Rashie asked, frowning.

  The demonkin shook her head. “Your knowledge should be rather hodgepodge what with the upbringing you’ve had here. If we place you in a grade too low, then you’re going to be bored out of your mind and won’t be challenged. Too high, and you might struggle too much.”

  Trevor watched as Rashie looked away even as she nodded. “It’ll be fine, though,” he said to encourage her. “Because even if you don’t have classes with your friends, you’ll still get to see them throughout the day. I’ve also heard the school hosts special events like field trips and little festivals on occasion. That way, you can still hang out.”

  When the shark girl perked up, Adabelle nodded to confirm it. “Trevor is right. It’s not all responsibilities, I just wanted to stress what a big decision this was. That’s all. Since Wayne’s discussed it with you at length, I’ll make sure everything’s set up.”

  “Thank you, Addymanatine!” Rashie exclaimed, renewing her hug.

  “It’s no trouble at all, shark,” Adabelle giggled, glad that her small friend was feeling better. “I’d still like to know why you’d like to go to school all of a sudden, but you can take your time.”

  “I’ll tell you when I’m ready, promise.”

  “Thank you, Rashie.”

  “You’re welcome,” the shark girl replied before sliding off of Adabelle’s lap. “I’m going to go play some more! Unless there’s more presents I don’t know about?”

  Trevor chuckled at Rashie’s hopeful glance, but he had to shake his head. “You already got all our presents, sorry.”

  “That’s okay,” she said, running around the table to give Trevor a hug. “I really like this shark outfit! You did a good job.”

  “You enjoy it,” he said, returning the hug. “And don’t you worry about getting it dirty. Clothes are meant to be worn, right?”

  “Right! Things are for doing stuff with, not just looking at,” she agreed. “And if you don’t play with it, then why bother having it?”

  “Almost, but close enough,” Wayne said. “You said you wanted to go play, so what’s next on the agenda?”

  Rashie paused, looking up at the ceiling in thought. “Swimming?” she asked herself quietly. It didn’t take her long to answer. “Swimming! You don’t have to come, Wayne. I know you don’t like getting your beard wet.”

  “Well thank you kindly, little miss,” he said. “But I’ll come by after I see these two off. They gotta go to that stuffy art gallery opening, remember?”

  “Oh, yeah. Gonna be stuffy. Too bad.”

  “Hey, this is Cindal’s gallery we’re talking about. It’s going to be great,” Trevor insisted.

  In all honesty, the man had thought that it might end up being a little stuffy, but he was excited for it regardless. Drelik, Cindal’s widower, had worked tirelessly for decades in an attempt to capture her likeness with the same passion that she had his, and Trevor had been there to help move the completed product once it was done.

  Drelik, being one of the first people the man got to know in this world, had become something of a grandfatherly figure. Someone to look up to. The inventoryman visited not out of obligation, but simply because he wanted to. He went to spend time with him, learn to sculpt though he was still an amateur, and get advice when needed.

  Not only that, but he had been the first to see the elderly dwarf’s masterpiece after he achieved his goal. Two Floatstone statues hovered over the garden fountain. Only a few people had seen them so far, Trevor included, and there was quite a bit of buzz around a new Cindal collaboration. They were going to be the centerpiece of the gallery.

  “You have fun, then,” Rashie said, reaching up to fluff Trevor’s hair. Then, she grinned. “I’m going to go swimming! Bye!”

  Adabelle gave a small wave. “Have fun.” The shark girl stopped and turned around to wave back before exiting the Hero House, giggling madly.

  “Not to pry,” Trevor started, leaning onto the table as he looked at Wayne.

  “And yet, he pries,” the dwarf replied with a smirk.

  “I’m allowed to be curious,” he said to defend himself. “I mean, for all the power she’s got, she really is still just a kid. I can’t imagine there was much education involved back when she was a truck-sized murder squid back in her original universe.”

  Adabelle clearly had something to say as well, but she did a double take at Trevor’s description. “Truck-sized murder squid?”

  “What? I’m not wrong,” he chuckled, shaking his head. Lifting his arms and wiggling them, he made claws with his fingers. “She had talons at the end of her tentacles and described herself as the scourge of the ocean. I think it’s pretty fair to say she was a truck-sized murder squid.”

  “Not only is it true, but it’s also fun to say,” Wayne added. “Truck-sized murder squid.”

  “Truck-sized murder squid,” Trevor agreed. The two men nodded to each other.

  Adabelle sighed at their antics. “Okay. I suppose you are, in a way, correct. But I also agree that it’s about time for her to get an education,” she said. “Power and ignorance don't make a good combination, no matter how well-intentioned she is. I’m sure she’d get by fine either way, but she’ll do even better if she graduates.”

  Wayne nodded, rapping on the table with his knuckles before pointing at her. “That’s basically my thoughts on the whole matter. It’ll be good for her, regardless. And if it doesn’t stick, it doesn’t stick. I know I wasn’t a great student when I was younger.”

  “I was diligent, but that’s the only reason why my grades weren’t just okay,” Trevor admitted. “I mostly got As, but I had to really work for them.”

  “And then there’s little miss noble lady over here,” the dwarf said, looking at Adabelle. “Private tutor, I’m assuming?”

  “So what if I did have a private tutor? What’s so wrong with that?” she asked, haughtily sticking her nose in the air. It wasn’t an act that she kept up for long, and she smiled before turning her gaze back at Wayne. “Seriously, though. She was awfully skittish and that’s very worrying coming from her. I understand that you want to allow Rashie her secrets, but is there something we need to worry about when it comes to her sudden enthusiasm for education?”

  “Nah, it’s all good,” he answered with a dismissive wave. “It’s just kid stuff. If she tells you, she tells you, but it’s nothing traumatic or anything.”

  “Alright, I believe you,” Adabelle said before standing up. She stretched, rolling her shoulders and her neck before offering a hand to Trevor. “I know it only takes you a quick second to change these days, but I need longer than that. Would you accompany me so we can head off together?”

  “My lady, I would be delighted to,” Trevor said, putting on airs as he stood up. He offered the demonkin his arm, and she slid her own into it. Her tail, ever mischievous, wrapped around his belt.

  “Ugh. Get a room, you two,” Wayne said in mock disgust.

  “Now there’s an idea,” Adabelle stated, leaning up against her boyfriend. “My house is full of rooms. Maybe we’ll find a fitting one there?”

  “Adabelle, I’d say that’s a striking idea,” Trevor replied, kissing the top of her head. “Why don’t we go check right now so this grump doesn’t have to bask in our presence any longer?”

  “If you’re going to get, then just get,” Wayne ordered, though not without chortling at the couple’s antics.

  They shared a grin before doing as commanded. “Thanks for cooking the ribs,” Trevor said on the way out. “It was tempting with them just sitting in my inventory, but that just made it all the better.”

  “Yes. Thank you, Wayne,” Adabelle said as she opened the door.

  “Just have fun, you two,” he said from his chair, waving back at them as they left to get ready for the art gallery’s grand reopening.