//------------------------------// // The Worth // Story: Silent Song // by SonicFan117DASH //------------------------------// The trek back home was mercifully uneventful and Orcinus couldn’t thank Nayru enough for that. After the absolute mind-blowing experience he just went through any length of down time was better than none in order to recover his steadily declining sanity. That wasn’t to say Orcinus’ day wasn’t bad overall, just overwhelming. A fact that Orcinus, yet again, came to acknowledge. Anyway, he had come to learn a good amount about humans and how they operated. Suffice to say, they both intrigued and intimidated him. They had sophisticated technology, advanced education practices, even remarkable architecture. Their modes of transportation were noisy eyesores, yet very effective machines. A noticeable upgrade from their horse drawn carriage. For some reason it made Orcinus wonder what it would have been like if he was born a human but he quickly dismissed that thought. There was no one he’d rather be than himself… right? “So how was your day, Sweetie? Other than that little incident at the end, of course.” Orcinus jumped slightly when his mom’s voice cut through his thoughts. How did he forget that she was there? Never mind. He responded by writing down a single word on his dry erase board: ‘Taxing.’ “Oh. Well, I suppose I deserve that answer. I would be lying if I didn’t say the same for myself.” All five Zoras were currently in their carriage with Leucas steering the horse. While they wouldn’t say it out loud the Zora guards wordlessly agreed that they would like nothing less than make it back to the house. Orcinus honestly felt a little jealous; he and his mom had to endure the bulk of human interaction while the worst they got was an over abundance of boredom while they waited for them by the carriage all day. In other words, between Orcinus and his mom, and the guards, the former fared the worst. It made Orcinus realize that he didn’t have much right to complain, if he ever complained about anything at all, when it came to who’s day was worse than the other. Then again, it’s only been the first day and all that happened in that one day left the remaining one thousand one hundred fifty nine plus days much to be desired. Orcinus sighed quietly and shook his head. He was overthinking things yet again. He reminded himself that despite all that has happened so far the day had ended on a hopeful note. A surprising amount of people had been so ready to look past species barriers and his muteness to make him feel welcomed. A conclusion he remembered coming to right before lunchtime. Come to think of it, Orcinus realized that he had repeatedly come to the same conclusion multiple times throughout the day. He almost chuckled to himself at his forgetting about his tendency of repetition. ‘Twas the price to pay when you’re focused on one thing at a given time, get distracted by something else, and the cycle shall begin anew in some way. Orcinus really needed to find something else to think about to pass the time. Perhaps he should ruminate about the inevitable party the Pinkie Pie would be throwing him? Speaking of which, when said girl dashed away following her declaration of throwing Orcinus the party of a lifetime, the remainder of the group found themselves in a rather awkward silence while they tried to process what had transpired. Thankfully the silence was short-lived as Leucas walked up and informed Orcinus that they were ready to leave for home while ignoring the expressions of the girls, who were shocked at the appearance of a tall and armed Zora guard. Orcinus then proceeded to give a departing nod to each of the girls, the last of which being the silent girl. He suddenly remembered that he wanted to ask her something before he was rudely interrupted by Lyra and her surprise hug. Anyway, Orcinus quickly wrote the question, ‘What is your name?’ on his dry erase board, which he quickly wiped clean in order for her to use it. She caught on to what he intended and promptly wrote her name on the board: ‘Vinyl Scratch.’ With that out of the way Orcinus gave the group a final wave goodbye before jogging off to catch up with Leucas. They walked from the school for a time in a tense quiet. Though they couldn’t read each other’s thoughts they were both aware that they wouldn’t have anything to say to each other regardless. Orcinus began to wonder if Leucas was making them get home on foot until he finally spotted the carriage at the end of the block behind the school. He quickly found out why: his mother and the other guards were staying out of sight so no one would see them traveling together. Wether that was intentional in order to keep his relationship with his mom a secret or otherwise, Orcinus was just glad that nobody else was around to see them. The rest was history. “We need to improve the arrangements on you two getting to and from the school,” Sphyrna spoke up. “Yeah,” added Isurus. “I’d rather not have to wait for nearly ten hours to pick you guys up every single day for the next four years.” Cirratum’s eyes widened. “Oh, I thought you three would have headed home after dropping us off.” “We thought of that but we’d be neglecting our duties of staying close enough to intervene should anything happen.” “I understand that but you do realize that constant surveillance isn’t entirely necessary.” “Be that as it may, ma’am,” interjected Leucas, “We were still assigned by His Majesty to watch over you and your son and insure your safety by any means.” “Even so, the presence of three armed Zora guards lurking around outside a school campus probably isn’t the best idea. What if someone were to get the wrong idea and cause a turmoil? Would it not be easier to simply return to the house after dropping us off and then come retrieve us in the early afternoon?” “Not a bad idea,” acknowledged Sphyrna, “But proximity to you two is vital. If the humans have an issue with that they can bring it up with Taurus or that Smooth Progress guy.” Orcinus breathed out quietly as his mother and the guards continued their debate about possible changes in arrangements, their voices mere mumbles in his ears. He almost immediately fell bored and found himself lost in thought once more. While he agreed that the guards’ means of, well, guarding them could use improvement he couldn’t bring himself to care, given their… shared history with each other. Orcinus found his thoughts wandering, of all places, back to Little Miss Spoiled Brat, her equally spoiled mindless drone of a minion, and her oblivious, sorry excuse of a father. More specifically, her readiness to accept his diamond without a second thought. He could tell she, her minion, and her dad were wealthy to an extent, but the way they reacted to him giving them the precious gem made him think there was more to human economics than he knew about. A small diamond rendering some well off humans speechless was what he expected, but the speed in which the trade-off worked had honestly caught him off guard. It brought up a question he probably should have considered bringing up to his mom or the guards before they left Zora’s Domain. How much was Zora rupees worth in human currency? If Little Miss Spoiled Brat’s reaction was any indication Orcinus concluded that it must be worth quite a lot. Why else, he asked himself, would the Brat and her dad accept the diamond without questioning him further? He wondered if that was either a good thing or a bad thing. Good because it got him out of trouble, or bad because he unknowingly got himself into something much worse. He saw such scenarios happen in books and in real life so he had no reason to think the same thing couldn’t happen with humans. At the very least he was not in any immediate trouble that would impede his progress at the school so he didn’t have any reason to worry, did he? “So how did you get yourself sent to the office?” Orcinus furrowed his eye ridges in annoyance. The numbskull Isurus just had to bring that up. He briefly wondered about when exactly they stopped talking about rearranging routines at one point, or had just put it on hold. Cirratum grimaced. “T-that really isn’t important right now…” “Is it? From what I hear you were supposed to make a good first impression on the humans to insure their relationship with us remains as stable as possible. Getting into trouble on the first day of school is not what I had in mind.” “It-it was just one little slip! Besides, Orcinus isn’t in any trouble; the ones who told on him were surprisingly forgiving, all things considered, so nothing is going to be put on his record.” “Oh yeah?” “Yes!” “How so?” “W-well…” “‘Well’ what?” Sphyrna asked somewhat mockingly. “Did he say ‘sorry’ like a good boy?” Orcinus subconsciously started grinding his teeth. “Nah,” Isurus answered with a toothy grin. “I’ll bet he made up some poor excuse about how he shouldn’t have to put up with some of the behaviors that he was subjected to!” “Or maybe he got on the superiors’ good side and was acquitted. And for what? The crime of ogling a female?” “Ha! Like that will ever happen. Especially considering how things went last time!” Orcinus slumped his head and groaned internally. The two privates cracked up like hyenas while Leucas maintained his neutral stance, his eyes fixated on the road ahead and not reacting to the complete disregard of discipline his guards were displaying in broad daylight. *WACK!* “Oof! What did I do?” Orcinus, Leucas and Sphyrna looked in shock as Cirratum stood in the middle of the carriage, just after whacking Isurus over the head with her purse. Wait, since when was she carrying around a purse? “I can take you three humiliating and kicking him while he’s down in the middle of the king’s throne room because I knew you were just doing your jobs to appease the crowd, but your continued verbal abuse towards my son is really testing my patience.” She rounded on Leucas. “And you, Lieutenant, are supposed to be the level head of our group other than me. Instead, you allow, and sometimes encourage, such abysmal behavior. I don’t wish to sound like I am telling you how to perform your duties, but I think my son would benefit greatly from you boys, and girl, leaving me and him to handle any mishaps at school unless either of us asks you for help. Do that, and I won’t feel justified resorting to… brute force as I did just now.” Orcinus was beside himself with awe. This was what he admired most about his mom: calm, caring, and understanding yet not afraid to put her foot down when it was necessary. She may present herself as a benign being of boundless love and tolerance but when push came to shove… well, the best way Orcinus could word it is she becomes a force of nature not to be trifled with. “If you must know,” Cirratum continued, “One easily offended student attempted to humiliate my son and take his harp as compensation. However, he was able to abate any hostilities by offering them his lucky diamond.” The guards looked astonished at that statement. Silence prevailed upon the carriage until Leucas sighed and said, “Point taken, Mrs Cirratum. I’ll see to it that these two,” he gestured to Isurus and Sphyrna, the former of whom rubbing a noticeable bump on his head, “Comply with your request while maintaining a professional and disciplined demeanor.” Cirratum’s frown morphed into a joyful smile at a speed faster than a mako shark. “Great! Glad we came to an understanding.” She sat back down next to her son and wrapped her tail fin gently around his shoulders. “Now then, back to what we were talking about before… uh, what is it, Sweetie?” Orcinus was staring at his mother with a mildly surprised look. She eventually caught on to what he must have been thinking about and chuckled. “Oh come now, you honestly didn’t expect to get all your fighting prowess from your father, did you?” Orcinus thought hard for a time and finally shrugged his shoulders. Fair enough. The carriage pulled up in front of the circular building on the outskirts of the city just as the sun was beginning its descent over the horizon. Sphyrna was the first to exit, jumping out in order to open the gate and place the stepping stool down. “Home at last,” Cirratum declared with an exhausted tone. “I cannot wait to take off this uniform.” Orcinus could only agree while letting out a yawn; this stupid jacket and sweatpants were starting to itch. “Y’know, you could just go out without clothes,” Isurus suggested in a grouchy tone. He must still be sore from him getting smacked in the head. “It’s not like humans aren’t aware we don’t normally wear clothes.” “Maybe so,” Cirratum replied. “But it is a sign of compliance with the humans’ laws; going out in public nude apparently gets you into trouble.” “Well that’s stupid,” Sphyrna said. “We’ve worn nothing but our armor since we came here and no one’s complained so far.” “Can it, you two,” Leucas shouted! “Worry not what the human laws say unless you need to. Now, Isurus, tend to the horse. Sphyrna, start your patrol.” ”YES, SIR!” As the guards dispersed to perform their duties, Cirratum and Orcinus walked into the house. Once inside Cirratum said, “Take a few minutes to rest, Sweetie, and I will call you when dinner’s ready.” Orcinus nodded and went to his room. He immediately threw off his clothes and dove into his bed pool. The cool water enveloping his body was euphoric beyond words after spending all day on land. There wasn’t much room to swim but Orcinus didn’t mind. As long as he could just float in the water in complete silence, he was content. The stresses of the day soon caught up with him once again and it didn’t take long for Orcinus to feel his eyelids grow exponentially heavy. He didn’t even try to fight it and soon sank to the bottom of the pool in a dreamless slumber. Cirratum’s humming echoed throughout the kitchen, her work clothes discarded and replaced by her green apron as she tended to a new recipe she had wanted to try. Some form of soup the humans called, “ramen.” Strange name, but Cirratum learned a long time ago that it doesn’t matter what it was called; food was food. And, if the image she saw in that recipe book was anything to go by, very tasty. The instant lunch variant she packed in her son’s lunch this morning wouldn't come close to the real deal. “Now then, I’ll just leave these to boil while I sauté the garlic and ginger. After that comes the chicken stock, the soy sauce, the green onions, the mushrooms, the-.” She didn’t get to finish her sentence when the doorbell suddenly rang. “Oh? Who could that be?” “I’ll get it,” a familiar voice called. “Lieutenant Leucas? When did you walk in?” “Five minutes ago. Something smelled good so I thought it was dinner time. Wanted to get my serving before your son ate it all.” Cirratum resisted the urge to laugh out loud. “You smelled correctly. Now could you please get the door like you said you would? I promise I’ll make enough for all of us.” “Right. Thanks.” “It is my pleasure.” Leucas reached the door and opened it to reveal none other than- “Mr. Progress?” “Hello, my dear friends! I’m so glad to see you guys have finally settled in. What a lovely little abode you are all living in. A bit secluded but I suppose it is necessary for the time being. Just wait until you begin to have neighbors coming over for a spell. I can tell these next few years are going to be marvelous!” ‘Hello migraine, my old friend,’ Leucas groaned to himself as he quietly but politely let the man through the door. “Now where is the lady of the house? Ooh, something smells good. That could only mean one thing: she must be in the kitchen preparing dinner! I do hope my sudden appearance will not prove to be an inconvenience at this time but I have to see how things are going, what with this being Mr. Orcinus’ first day of school after all.” “You don’t say.” “Indeed! Random as my showing up here is, it is mandatory for the trials ahead of you.” Leucas found himself confused at his words. “Wait, ‘us?’ What do mean by ‘ahead of us?’” Smooth Progress turned to Leucas with a raised eyebrow. “What? You honestly didn’t think the final outcome of your trip inland was solely dependent upon young Orcinus alone, did you?” “Yes.” Smooth Progress stood silent for a moment while he processed what Leucas said. “Oh. Well I suppose you would see it that way. You and your Privates only being here to monitor and safeguard your charges and what not. Well, I suppose I can elaborate once everybody has had some food in their bellies and a clear head to go with it. We have much to talk about.” ‘Oh joy.’ Cirratum was more or less surprised to see Smooth Progress but was no less welcoming and happily made a spot for him at the table. Isurus and Sphyrna came inside shortly thereafter and soon everyone was seated and digging in to a warm hearty meal. Well, almost everyone. “Sweetie! Dinner’s ready!” A minute or two passed before Cirratum concluded that her son must have fallen asleep. Understandable given the day he must have had. She mentally admitted to herself that she should have seen this coming. No matter. She quietly excused herself from the table and made her way to her son’s room. Cirratum knocked the door gently at first but then entered the room when she still didn’t receive an answer. She was greeted to an empty room and would have tripped over Orcinus’ discarded clothes and school bag had she, or Zoras in general, did not have the ability to see in the dark. She lowered herself to her knees in front of the bed pool and gently splashed the water. “Come on, sleepyhead. You don’t want your food to get cold. Besides, we have a guest tonight and it would be rude if you were to keep him waiting.” Initially, Orcinus found himself in the same starry void he was in when he played his harp the night before the Freshman Fair. He couldn’t recall exactly why he was here or for how long, not even when he first came to be here but that didn’t really matter all that much to him. All he knew was that he felt at ease here, content and peaceful compared to the daily struggles he and him mother put up with. It was also the one place where he often saw… him. Either by good imagination or he actually did so, Orcinus slowly drew in a long breath of cool air and held it in for a few seconds before letting it out gradually. There was good reason as to why he never liked to think about his past prior to his trial. Not only was it a long and complicated story, but it still felt like a freshly made wound that was still bleeding. Exaggerating as it sounds Orcinus couldn’t think about years long gone by without feeling his tear ducts begin to fill. He wanted to present himself as strong as he can be in order to both move on from the scars of the past, and ensure his mom followed suit. Speaking of whom, Orcinus could swear he could hear her voice echoing to him. He scanned his surroundings but couldn’t pinpoint the source of he calls. That was when he realized his mom’s voice was sounding both in his head and all around him at once, if that made any sense. Suddenly the entirety of the plane he was in began to ripple like disturbed water, followed by his mother’s voice sounding louder. Orcinus covered his ears in an attempt to block out the sound but— With a jolt and a brief period of thrashing limbs Orcinus woke with a start. He calmed down a moment later before blinking his eyes in an attempt to prevent falling back asleep. “Sweetie, don’t make me have to come down there to drag you out.” That made any lagging feeling of sleepiness in Orcinus’ system disappear as he remembered where he was and what must have been waiting for him. His stomach grumbled impatiently and he propelled himself gently from the bottom of the pool. His head emerged from the water and he found himself staring at the apron-covered legs of his mom. “There you are, you sleepyhead. There will be plenty of time for you to sleep after you finished the dinner I prepared for all of us. I have a feeling you are going to love it.” She stood back up and wiped down her apron. “Also, Mr. Progress is here. He has come to see how our first day has transpired. I’m sorry to say, but we will have to inform him of what happened between you and those two girls. I’m sure he’ll understand and not put that down on any perceived record or something like that.” She cleared her throat. “Anyway, dry yourself off quickly and meet us in the dining room, okay?” Orcinus was still trying to wake up but he paid attention to his mother’s words and nodded his head. She nodded back and left the room. Orcinus yawned and crawled out of the water, stretched his limbs and grabbed a nearby towel hanging on a hook on the wall. As he was drying himself off he couldn’t help but take a look around. While he previously concluded that this house was nothing like his old one back at Zora’s domain, Orcinus couldn’t deny that the decorative recreation of his ancestral home was stunningly appealing. It made him feel welcome for once in this house, despite only being here for a short time. It made him feel like he could trust this place to provide him the sense of security and comfort that only home could give. Something that made Orcinus wonder was the question of how this house was even made possible in two short months. Surely it wasn’t constructed from the ground up only recently, right? Perhaps it was by some strange convenience that their living conditions were thought of beforehand and was made ready at a moment’s notice in order to accommodate them as soon as they arrived in the city, almost as if it had all been planned in advance? Orcinus shook his head. He was beginning to think like how Pinkie Pie talks. He shuddered and quickly finished drying himself and place the towel back on the hook before exiting the room. 1 Hour Later… True to Cirratum’s word, Orcinus was overly approving of the meal she crafted. Had he been more awake he most likely would have displayed a less than controlled composure while eating similar to how he portrayed himself during lunchtime earlier in the day. Alas, Orcinus was tuckered out and didn’t have the energy to snarf down the food with his usual gusto. On the bright side, he had more time to actually taste and enjoy his mother’s cooking and was over the moon every time he greedily slurped up the broth and noodles. Everyone else at the table, on the other hand, were the near perfect representation of mannerisms at dinner. Calmly, and quietly, slurping their own noodles while using spoons for the broth. The guards ignored Orcinus’ antics for the most part but still threw annoyed glances at him whenever a drop of broth or chunk of noodles pelted them. Cirratum, for her part, just took it in stride; the memories of her trying, and failing, to get her son to mind his manners at the table filling her with a sense of nostalgia she had not felt in a while. It brought a smile to her face to know that her son was just enjoying his food, and expressing his approval in a way only he knew how to. ”Some things never change,” she thought to herself. Orcinus eventually cleared his bowl of the heavenly soup and leaned back in his chair with a contented sigh. He then wiped his face with a napkin while his opposite hand rubbed his stomach. Orcinus held that position for a moment before opening his eyes and seeing that everyone was still halfway through their own ramen. He tried to conceal a glance towards the kitchen… “You can have only one second serving but that is it, young Zora.” Orcinus restrained himself from shaking his head in amusement. He should have known better than to think he could slip anything past his mom. Later… Bellies full, the group congregated in the living room. Cirratum was presently absent due to her wanting to cleaning up the kitchen before doing anything else. Orcinus wanted to help but for some reason Cirratum insisted he wait with the others. Orcinus wasn’t very pleased about it but he didn’t feel like defying his mother’s wishes. So in the center of a three cushion couch he sat, trying his best to hide his nervousness from being in the same room as the guards. Mr. Smooth Progress, for his part, was scribbling away on some notebook he brought with him. Its purpose unknown to Orcinus or the others. Eventually Cirratum finished her task and joined her son on the couch, placing a hand over his with a smile. The sight put a smile on Mr. Progress’ face and he put his notebook aside saying, “I can’t help but notice you two look happiest when in each other’s company.” Cirratum giggled in response. “It certainly seems that way. We have a shoulder to lean on in each other, haven’t we sweetie?” Orcinus smiled lightly and nodded, genuinely amused at that statement. Smooth Progress’ expression turned slightly remorseful. “As heartwarming as you two comforting each other is, I am afraid that it is time we get down to business.” The Zoras gave him their full attention. “First and foremost there is this introduction provided by my superiors that I am required to read to you all. Now, where did I put it?” He rummaged through his bag for a moment before pulling out some papers. He then cleared his throat, adjusted his glasses and said, “On behalf of the government of the nation of Equestria I, Smooth Sailing Progress, formally welcome you, members of the Zora race, to the first ever Cultural Exchange Program. This program has been put together in order to provide an efficient and civil indoctrination system for a newly found sentient people in our world. By following a series of guidelines and minor restrictions, for the foreseeable future you will be liable for representing your race as civilized and maintained as our own to ensure no hostility between us in the name of peace, harmony and cultural equality.” Orcinus listened intently to Mr. Progress’ words. Basically, nothing bad would happen to them or the humans so long as he and the others behaved themselves. He would have considered it easy enough if not for the incident that transpired earlier in the day. “In exchange for a successful period of civility and good graces, you and any future Zora immigrants shall be granted the same rights and protection as the rest of the nation’s citizens. That said, as a sign of assisting you with your first few weeks as citizens, legal identification paperwork shall be written out for each and every one of you. It will grant you access to everyday necessities including, but not limited to, banking, shopping, the option of learning how to drive, etc. “Yadda yadda yadda,” Mr. Progress idly set the stapled papers aside. “Now that all makes it sound like a great big convoluted mess of conditions and expectations, I know. But let me reassure you all this program was made relatively easy for you to work with. Let me put it simple for you: you all put on a civil and tolerable show for your human neighbors and everything will be just fine. Now, you shall receive your IDs in a few weeks or so. Until then you should do your best to present yourselves as civil as possible to avoid any confrontation that may lead to… unsavory legal troubles.” He scratched the back of his head. “Lord knows what would happen if you all were prosecuted for being illegal immigrants.” The Zoras all simultaneously raised an eye ridge. Mr. Progress cleared his throat. “Anyway, the second subject of my arrival is the account of young Orcinus’ first day. So, young man- er, Zora, on a scale of one to ten, how would you rate your day?” Orcinus seemed to ponder for a few seconds before holding up five fingers. “Neutral, huh? Care to explain? Oh, where are my manners? I mean would you be willing to explain, in your own way, how things turned out neither good nor bad for the first day?” Cirratum cleared her throat. “I can explain. You see, some rather unsatisfactory students got under my son’s scales and he threw them an aggressive gesture in retaliation.” Orcinus shifted in his seat, unwilling to look at anyone. “They decided to exasperate to the principals in order to cast him off as the offender as a means to spite him. Thankfully, they backed off when my son… for a lack of better terms, bribed his way out with a diamond he was carrying. They seemed to be interested more in money than anything else and just let it go without second thoughts.” Mr. Progress was very surprised. “I suppose some form of confrontation on the first day is inevitable, but you managed to get off easily just by giving them a diamond? For that matter, why would you even keep a diamond with you in the first place?” Cirratum’s expression turned hesitant. She knew exactly why her son was in possession of a diamond of all things and felt it a great necessity to tell Mr. Progress as such. And yet… she glanced at her son, his green eyes looking into hers in a pleading way. “That’s… a story for another time,” Cirratum finally answered. “Oh?” “Forgive me Mr. Progress but that is a rather sensitive topic for me and my son.” “Oh… I understand. I won’t pry if it makes you two uncomfortable. Even so, I find it surprising that you would just happen to have a random diamond on your person. One might think you were either rich or you stole it. Not that you would ever consider doing such a thing but-“ “Hold up,” Isurus spoke up for the first time. “What do you mean when you said ‘random?’ Diamonds are common where we come from.” “Wha- r-really?” “You seem perplexed by that.” “I am. Begging your pardon but precious gemstones like diamonds isn’t something you see every day unless they’re on jewelry worn by women. You make it sound like you happen to have access to them rather easily.” “We do.” “…” Orcinus didn’t know what got Mr. Progress so surprised. Well, actually, maybe he had a good idea what. The information about his people being in possession of an abundance of a certain mineral must be something that Mr. Progress wasn’t expecting. To be fair, the humans were still relatively new to Zoras so there was bound to be an aspect of their culture that was entirely alien to that of their own. Mr. Progress took a moment to collect his thoughts and cleared his throat. “Well… that is quite an interesting tidbit of information. If I may, what exactly does your people do with the diamonds you find?” “Forgive me for answering a question with a question, but why is that important?” Leucas asked with no small amount of suspicion in his voice. “And what are you talking about; us finding the diamonds?” Sphyrna added. “We excavate them and other gemstones whenever we expand the Domain.” At Mr. Progress’ dumbfounded expression she elaborated, “Our ancestral home, Zora’s Domain, is located within the crater of an extinct volcano surrounded by wetlands. We’re always finding various gems buried beneath the surface.” “We then use those stones for a variety of purposes such as building, smithing, embroidery, you name it. Most often, though, we exchange them for rupees.” Cirratum stated in a lecturing note in her voice. “‘Rupees’?” Asked Mr. Progress. “These things,” Cirratum said as she pulled a tiny red gem out of her apron’s pocket. “Well, technically this is a red rupee; worth twenty green rupees. The worth of a rupee depends on what color it is; the rarer the color, the higher the value. Green, the most common rupee, is worth only one. Blue is worth five, yellow is worth ten, purple is worth fifty, orange is one hundred, silver two hundred and finally gold, the rarest color rupee, is worth three hundred.” While his mother had been listing off the colors of the rupees and their respective worth, Orcinus had his focus on Mr. Progress’ face gradually morphing from dumbfounded to something even more so than that. Perhaps his initial thought of Mr. Progress being surprised about Zoras possessing an abundance of gemstones might be an understatement? Silence persisted the room for a few moments, Mr. Progress’ mouth hanging open and eyes wide with great astonishment. He shook his head and put a hand to his chin, a thoughtful look on his face. He seemed to have been pondering about something that the Zoras didn’t know about. Mr. Progress then started to use the fingers on his other hand to count which made Orcinus think that he must have been running numbers through his head. But what were the numbers about? Finally Cirratum broke the silence. “Is there something wrong?” “No no,” Mr. Progress replied. “I’m just surprised at how much wealth the Zoras possess.” Leucas was taken slightly aback. “Wealth?” “Let me elaborate. You see, precious gemstones like diamonds are considered very valuable in human currency. And if the many different color rupees you mentioned fall under the same category as gems of similar colors, and are in possession of as many you are insinuating, then you all may very well be… uh… Oh how do I put this?” “What? What is it?” Mr. Progress scratched his head and averted his eyes for a moment, displaying somewhat nervous behavior about something. He then reached into his bag and pulled out what looked to be a small electronic device covered with buttons and a small screen. A “calculator” Orcinus believed it was called. “What are you doing?” Asked Sphyrna. “Running some numbers,” Mr. Progress answered. The tone in his voice made it sound like he was going through some serious pondering. It made Orcinus appreciate him as one who devoted significant time to thought, much like himself. Isurus seemed to lose patience. “Ugh! You humans are so cumbersome! You make it sound like there is something we should know, and yet you just leave us to tend to something else! You call yourself a professional? Give me a break. I’ve seen better work ethic from a trout climbing a waterfall and all they’re good for is for eating!” Orcinus noticeably flinched while his mom looked like she was holding back from smacking Isurus a second time. Thankfully Mr. Progress didn’t seem offended and kept his calm demeanor, placing the calculator aside and giving the Zoras a warm smile. “Apologies. I was only trying to estimate the net worth for each of you.” “The what now?” Asked Leucas. “The measure of wealth on an individual. Like I said, if your people have access to as much valuable minerals as you say you do then you might be much more well off than me and my superiors have initially thought.” “‘Well off’?” Mr. Progress had to suppress a sigh. It became clear to him that terms and expressions went over the Zora’s heads. No sense in sugarcoating it any longer if it only served to confuse them. “To make a long explanation short, your having so many jewels on hand could make you the richest residents in the city, quite possibly the country.” The following silence was so intense that it made the sound of a dropped pin akin to that of a clicking sperm whale. The Zoras, for their part, just stood as motionless as statues. And, although he would never know why, for a moment Mr. Progress could swear all of their eyes morphed into pure white circles before changing back. …Oh no.