Grandmama Rylla was so satisfied with Aida’s massage afterwards that she pulled out a bottle of soup from her clanking bag when she turned her key in.
“This is my special soup I made for my grandchildren,” she said, pressing the bottle into Aida’s hands despite her protests. “I had made one bottle for each of them, but they can share the remaining bottle this time - there are two servings in one bottle.”
“Thank you,” Aida stammered, folding the glass bottle carefully in her hands. The bottle was still warm, and held a golden broth with specks of green garnishing floating within.
“Drink it on the way back to school,” Grandmama admonished Aida. “Share it with young Caleb, if you’d like. My children and grandchildren always swear they feel energized after drinking my soup.”
Grandmama gestured at Aida with both hands, and she leaned down, accepting a kiss on each cheek. Grandmama waved cheerfully at Aida as she left, her body less stiff and steps more buoyant.
“Congratulations, Aida,” John said. “That’s high praise, receiving Grandmama’s soup.”
“Grandmama is right, though,” Connie said affectionately. “Aida is a natural at clearing blockages.”
With Aida back at the reception, John was able to go relieve Caleb’s post, while Connie kept the changing rooms stocked with clean towels and robes. Soon enough, the time came for Aida and Caleb to head back to school.
Connie gave Caleb and Aida a hug and a kiss each, while John clapped Caleb on the shoulder and shook Aida’s hand. Connie tried to press some coins upon Aida, but she refused to accept them. “You’ve taught me an invaluable skill today, and didn’t even charge Grandmama Rylla for the service. I’ll accept payment the next time I come and work.” Connie teared up, giving her another tight hug.
“You two take care of yourselves and each other, you hear?” she said fiercely to the two of them, grabbing them both in one-armed hugs around the neck so that Caleb’s broad shoulder jostled Aida’s own.
“We will,” Caleb murmured, patting Connie on the back gently.
“You and John take care of yourselves too, okay?” Aida responded, hugging Connie back.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~
The public transport golem was just like the same vessel Aida had taken back to school when Ezra first left her alone at Shale Port, albeit in significantly better condition with actual spoked wheels and a gleaming crystal. Caleb had negotiated with the driver that he would help smooth out the path for the golem in exchange for an extreme discount.
Only a few other passengers were aboard the wagon, and they kept to themselves, wary of making too much noise and accidentally drawing the attention of some monster. Fortunately, Caleb’s control was excellent, and the golem sped along the road with minimal rattling.
After seeing that Caleb didn’t need to focus too hard on keeping the dirt path smooth, Aida pulled out the bottle of soup. She unscrewed the cap, sniffing it. Even though the soup had mostly cooled, it still smelled divine. She offered it to Caleb, who took it from her enthusiastically. Clearly he had partaken of Grandmama’s soup before.
Gulping down his half of the soup, Caleb released a sigh of contentment as he handed the bottle back to Aida. “I’ll be honest, I’ve been trying to make time to go back home just so I can get some of Grandmama’s soup.”
Aida took her own sip of soup, feeling the creaminess slide over her tongue. Her eyes widened. “Do you think Maglica can make something like this?”
Caleb shook his head sorrowfully. “They might be able to, but…I don’t want to share the secret of home,” he whispered. He stretched, trying to pop a crick in his neck, though his movement was limited due to lack of space. He exhaled. “I knew I should have stretched before getting on this golem.”
Jumping at the opportunity to practice her new Regen skill (the description she read from the few minutes she snatched before diving back into work said it promoted improved circulation, allowing an individual to Heal over time), Aida activated her improved overlay. Caleb had some swollen nodes in his body as well, though mostly in his shoulders and arms. “Ah, I see where you’re getting blocked. Do you mind?” she asked, prodding at some nodes with her fingers. He nodded, turning in his seat slightly so that more of his back faced her.
She dug into the biggest node on his traps with a knuckle. His musculature was much more firm than Grandmama Rylla’s, yet it yielded to her touch much more readily. Remembering the uproar that had occurred during her first couple weeks in this world due to accidental mana…application, she sent the smallest spear of mana to the node, making sure to keep it contained.
Fortunately, Caleb was young and healthy, and didn’t need as much assistance to begin flowing again. He sagged underneath her fingers with a deep exhale. “That’s good,” he said, smiling as he turned back around. “I feel much better now.” He began massaging his arms, popping each node himself. “I guess that explains why you got the soup. I don't think even my mother is that effective.”
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“Well, I couldn’t have done it without her tutelage,” Aida said, embarrassed. She redirected the conversation. “What were you doing that you created all those blockages?” Aida asked curiously, sipping from the bottle. Each gulp of the soup was restorative, bringing up and leveling out her mana pools. She was tempted to ask Nolem to try to recreate the broth, but she understood Caleb’s sentiment about keeping Grandmama’s legacy separate from the school. Some traditions, no matter how good they were, just weren’t meant to be shared at large.
“I was infusing the water that feeds the hot springs with beneficial minerals. You’d think it’s a mana-only activity, but I find it’s easier to control the mana by pairing it with physical movement,” Caleb sighed. A brief image of Caleb doing some kind of war dance around a barrel of water made her choke on her soup. He thumped her back absentmindedly.
“And your father does it while you’re at school?” Aida asked, when she finally cleared her throat. “He has mana too?”
Caleb nodded. “He started picking up Earth manipulation from his previous jobs, and he took shifts at one of the bigger bathhouses where he learned the basics of infusion. He started teaching me what he learned when my parents noticed I had an Earth affinity.”
“Wait, if you’re using your Earth mana to change the water’s quality - are you able to carry out Professor Lloyd’s synergy exercise?”
Caleb shook his head regretfully. “Unfortunately not. The water is natural, and effectively inert. I’m only adding to it, as well - I’m not actually using the water.”
“Oh,” Aida said, bummed. The driver in front of them turned towards the back, speaking over his shoulder to Caleb.
“Son, we’re almost at the intersection to Maglica Academy and Shale Port. Where would you like to get off?”
Caleb glanced at Aida, an eyebrow raised. She quickly swallowed the last gulp of soup, before giving him a thumbs up. Caleb turned back to the driver.
“Please drop us off at the signpost.”
~ * ~ * ~ * ~
Caleb and Aida stood at the edge of the signpost’s safe zone, looking up the winding path back to the school.
“You ready for the run?”
“I think so,” Aida said, checking her straps and limbering up. Grandmama’s soup made her feel great. “At least it’s short enough that even if I mess up the actual running part, I can just Surge to safety, right?”
“That’s exactly right.”
They looked back along the path, neither one willing to be the first to step out despite their bravado. The sun hadn’t quite set yet, and the woods were still, with the sound of woodland creatures minding their own business encouraging them.
“Well, I don’t sense anything,” Caleb finally said. Aida nodded in agreement.
“Last one to the gate has to be the one to tell Sue what happened to us!” she shouted over her shoulder as she leaped over the invisible line.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~
Caleb and Aida were met at the gate by a cross-armed Professor Gemma.
“I’m glad to see you two are fine,” Gemma said, a glower simmering underneath her calm demeanor. “We’ve received reports that two Maglica students were attacked on the way to Buddington Town.”
“We’ve learned our lesson,” Caleb said earnestly. “We’ll be scheduling a golem transport the next time we leave.”
“Good,” Gemma said grimly. “We’re also going to put some new guidelines in place for the rest of the school year. No more foot travel, unless you’re traveling with one of the Affiliates for a sponsored assignment.”
Aida and Caleb exchanged a look, with Caleb shrugging.
“What if we travel in groups larger than two?” Aida asked, as Gemma and Caleb stepped through the gate. She paused, contemplating, before she casually lay her hand on the stone. Caleb’s eyes bulged at her movement. Gemma raised her brow at Aida’s dallying.
“Perhaps we’ll consider a minimum party size of four students for foot travel,” Gemma finally said. “We are aware that not all students can afford the travel fare, Miss Loreh. But do bear in mind that it is better to be safe than save a few baen.”
“Understood,” Aida said humbly, letting her hand slip off the wall.
Gemma left them at the entrance of the school, splitting off to the teacher’s office while Caleb and Aida made their way to the dining hall.
“I can’t believe you,” Caleb muttered. “I obviously reached the gate first.”
“But I touched it first,” Aida murmured back. “You can ask Professor Gemma.”
“Aida!” Sue cried, flying towards them. Aida had to add a Surge to brace herself so she could catch Sue and not topple over. “The school’s been talking about two Maglica students getting attacked, and your note said you and Caleb were going - are you okay?”
“We’re perfectly fine,” Aida reassured her, patting her back. “It’s such a good story, actually - you should ask Caleb to tell it, since he had a better view of what was happening.”
Sue turned to Caleb, her eyes glimmering with relief at Aida’s lighthearted response. He balked, running his hand through his hair.
“Maybe we can tell it after dinner?” he asked hopefully. “We haven’t put our things down yet either…”
“That’s okay! I’m sure we all want to hear what happened,” Sue said brightly, pulling off Aida’s rucksack and holding her hand out for Caleb’s bag. “You two go get your food, I’ll put your bags at the table for you.”
“Can’t get out of it,” Aida smirked as Sue bounced away. “And hey, we survived! The story has a good ending.”
“If you’re so excited about the story, you should be the one telling it,” Caleb mumbled.
“You did the majority of the heavy lifting,” Aida countered, poking his bicep. “I was useless or knocked out the moment the charred zard showed up.” She waggled her brows at him. “Or did you want me to embellish the story and make you seem even more amazing than you already are?”
Caleb’s face flushed at her threat. “Don’t - don’t make it worse.”