When you came up to us and said, "Please, I'll do anything, just teach me the Starsending dance..." I wondered what could possibly make you so desperate. Now I understand; that dance is NOT ready for prime time.
I dunno... It's never good to pick a fight, but I get what they meant. Dancing in this getup IS embarrassing. Which is why I was trying to avoid being seen.
Hopefully the rest of the star collecting will be just as smooth— Oh, that's me. I'll just silence the call… Wait, it's Mom. She doesn't call all that often. Maybe something's wrong. Sorry, I'd better take this. Just a sec.
Hey, Mom. What's up? Is there an emergency? ...What? You saw my email? Yeah, that's right. I got picked to be a rep for the school's Starsending... Aw, mom! Stop bringing up ancient history! I told you, I'm taking this seriously! You can relax. Look, Mom, I gotta go. I'll call you later, okay? ...Yeah, all right. Bye. Sheesh.
Hey, yeah... You're totally right! Wow, Silver. Nobody's ever laid it out like that for me before. I couldn't help but think what a stand-up guy you were when you made your wish, and now you're proving me right!
Nah, it's okay. If I'm going around asking for everyone's wishes, it wouldn't be fair to keep mine to myself. Okay, so... I used to do REALLY stupid stuff when I was younger. I wasn't what you'd call "well-behaved." I got into more than my fair share of fights.
Oof, the truth hurts! But yeah, I know way better now. I never listened to anyone back then. Eventually, people stopped trusting me. Sometimes I'd even get accused of things I had nothing to do with. My teachers and neighbors would say things like, "We just know you did it." Or, "You summoned a cauldron, didn't you?!"
Oh, uh, that's not important. Anyway, of course I got a huge attitude when people wouldn't believe me. Looking back, though, they had every reason not to. But there were two people who always believed me when I said I didn't do it. One was my mom.
The neighborhood police officer. They'd come talk to me regularly to make sure I was doing okay, and always hear me out. And they'd ask around town and prove I had an alibi when people tried to pin something on me!
Exactly. Me and my mom were both super grateful for that. So I figure, if I could be like that, maybe my mom wouldn't worry so much. I guess where I'm going with this is... I want to be a police officer. That's my wish.
A police officer... Hm. I've heard about an elite law enforcement agency that handles magical crimes. They only recruit the most exceptional mages. Are you aiming for a spot on that force?
Yeah. Look, I...I know I'm not likely to get in with my current grades, okay? There's a written exam to test your book smarts, a flight test, and a proficiency test to gauge your magical chops. I've got a long way to go before I can even THINK about makin' it as a special agent! Ahaha... Haha...
...... When I was a child, my father said to me: "Human lives are fleeting! There's no time to bemoan your inexperience!" I think what he meant was that time I spent complaining could've been time spent training.
Mm. I still carry those words in my heart, though I'm pretty sure he's forgotten he ever said that. Complaining won't lessen your worries about the future. But hard work will. If you have a dream, just keep your eyes on the prize. Don't let anything distract you.
Uh, Deuce? What are you doing? Wait, don't tell me you're slacking off on your star quota? And after all the nonsense about me not pulling my weight as a Stargazer?
Well, tomorrow's the big day. I'm still not certain we'll be able to hold the ceremony. Our ancient tree is all set. Same goes for the Wishing Stars. Now all we need are clear skies tomorrow. Oh, I should check the latest forecast!
Octavinelle Student A
Okay, the headmage is gone. Coast is clear. Now's our chance. Let's lift all the stars before anyone notices! Deuce is gonna be GUTTED when he realizes all his precious stars are gone.
Octavinelle Student B
The Starsending's a kiddie holiday. It's just PAINFUL watchin' him be so serious about it. We're gonna mess it up good!
Instincts? Please. I know how you punks think. I used to be you. You spend all your time whining about how things suck. You think it's cool to slack off, right? You wouldn't know cool if it smacked you in the face.
Then you better be hungry... 'Cause if you touch those stars, I'll be servin' up knuckle sandwiches. You wanna stomp all over people's hard work? Then you're gonna get what you deserve! You want some of that? HUH?!
Octavinelle Student B
Whoa, what just happened? He's like a totally different person!
Octavinelle Student A
Didn't you just lecture us about bein' more serious?!
And you were right. Your intuition saved the Wishing Stars. I was ready to step in if things escalated, but look at you. You didn't rise to the bait at all. That took real self-control. You did good, Deuce.
After all the work you've put in, I feel more pressure than ever to make this Starsending a success. That's another thing you were right about— this isn't the time to worry about being embarrassed. Thanks for the reminder.
Silver piqued my curiosity when he mentioned how hard you boys were working. And wouldn't you know it, I find your passion quite inspiring. I have no doubt your wishes will reach the stars. Not that I have any idea what they are!
I don't care how long it takes. I won't give up! I'm gonna do everything I can to make my dream a reality. I'll get that badge one day! Just you watch, Grim. You'll be eatin' those words once I'm a full-fledged police officer.
