Chapter 4: Cutting Algae Part One

[mp_strikinglyblessed]

Texting was a pretty neat function. It was widely adopted by every teenager except the one he, Reigen, had so generously gifted a phone to do it with. Mob was diligent to a fault about picking up his calls, but texting? Still a work in progress. Mob was getting better, though. After all, how else was Reigen supposed to give him a heads up about big jobs before the end of the school day? Excepting the occasional friendly lunch break chat.

That was of course assuming the phone was still intact. After their chat last night, Reigen wasn't so sure. It wasn't like Mob made a habit of texting him first.

Reigen squinted at the clock on his second-hand laptop he'd just replaced the shattered one with. 12:05PM. He had found a decent deal on one in a flea market but there was something off about the graphics. Parts of the screen were always slightly out of frame and most of his day had been spent trying to uselessly dink with the display options until it was righted, but instead he just ended up with a resolution that was too small.

'Ugh. New laptop, and if we're really unlucky, a new phone? I'll just garnish it...' Reigen pulled out his phone and fired off a text to his pupil. You didn't get washed away, did you? Your phone's still working, right?

Comments

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

Reigen was behaving so naturally that Mob could only ponder whether or not he imagined everything from earlier. But... he was sure he hadn't.

And that reminded him of his conversation with Teru earlier.

"Earlier, you were acting a little strangely," Mob started, pressing a hand against the towel on his head to keep it steady; it'd become slightly dislodged after Reigen's tousling. "You haven't been cursed or possessed by a spirit, have you?"

[mp_strikinglyblessed]

“Possessed?” Reigen repeated with an amused lilt. “No, of course not.”

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

"Are you sure?" Mob thought it was worth confirming.

[mp_strikinglyblessed]

“Do you really think I’d let myself get possessed so easily?”

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

"I don't think you'd let yourself get possessed," Mob clarified. "It may have happened without you noticing."

[mp_strikinglyblessed]

“It wouldn’t happen.” Reigen yawned and sunk deeper into the blissful water. “If you’re really that worried, ask me a question only I would know or something.”

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

Mob considered this.

"Do you remember what you said to me the first time we met?"

[mp_strikinglyblessed]

“Of course I do. It’s advice I give you all the time—simply be a good person.”

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

"The other thing." Mob was giving nothing.

[mp_strikinglyblessed]

‘Ugh, that was kind of the highlight…’

“‘…Move, you’ll burn yourself?’”

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

"Not that, either."

[mp_strikinglyblessed]

God, why was Mob so hard to read at a time like this? It really felt like he was looking for something from him, though. And, for better or worse, he didn’t want to let him down.

“Well of course it wasn’t that. …You were troubled at the time. I told you I could relate.”

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

"Yeah." Mob nodded. That was exactly what he was talking about. "Master," he said, thinking back to what Teru had said to him before, about adults hiding things from children. "What were you troubled about back then?"

[mp_strikinglyblessed]

Reigen laid his head back over the rock. The way his neck bent back made him realize how stiff he was.

“If you’re asking that then I take it you trust I’m me and not some wayward ghost…”

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

Mob's gaze never deviated from Reigen's face.

"Well, even if you were a ghost, you could probably still tap into Master Reigen's memories and give me an honest answer."

[mp_strikinglyblessed]

Reigen spluttered. “As if some measly ghost could break past the fortress of my mind!”

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

"A strong enough spirit could possess anyone," Mob said. "For all you know, I could be possessed right now."

[mp_strikinglyblessed]

“Now you’re just being silly, Mob. There’s no way you’re possessed.” Reigen said it with the most certainty he’d expressed all evening. “I’d never let something like that happen to you. …Besides, if you were, I’d notice immediately.”

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

That interested Mob. "How would you be able to tell?"

[mp_strikinglyblessed]

“Aura.” Reigen reached out to gently prod Mob’s cheek. “You’ve got an aura like no one else. I can feel it even when you’re not in the room. You think I can’t sense my own student’s aura?”

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

"An aura?" That was a surprise to Mob. "What does my aura feel like?"

[mp_strikinglyblessed]

‘Ah…’

“Close your eyes.”

Reigen sat up. As always, when he didn’t know what to do, he let his fingers and mouth move until he found the answer. As Mob complied, he removed the towel from Mob’s head and set it to the side. He placed his palm flat against the crown of his head.

“Your aura…yes…it’s very clear to me…it’s a tapestry of blue hues. The, ah, colors speak of a strong sensitivity…but also a quiet and profound strength…flowing through you like a hidden river. Therein lies a voice that doesn’t need to shout to be heard, whose actions speak louder than words, building steadily and unyielding.”

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

Wow. Mob never had a clue his master had that kind of power.

"Is it okay if I open my eyes now?"

[mp_strikinglyblessed]

“You’re permitted.” Reigen replaced his hand with the towel, letting it fall over Mob’s head with a soft plop. “So? Any doubt?”

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

"No, no doubt there." Mob wouldn't have been able to imagine what his aura was like until Reigen described it, and it all felt like it clicked into place, like the last piece of a puzzle.

Mob adjusted the towel on his head. "But... you still didn't answer my question before. You weren't trying to get out of answering it, were you?"