Super Supportive

180

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The man’s name was Tuck, the woman’s was Yinuo, and their coffee was the same color as the leather chair Alden sat in while they all had a casual conversation about recent events. The new Span, real estate, luxury tax rates—it was all over his head and very far outside his day-to-day worries . But the chatter of the three older Rabbits served to break up a long string of questions about him so that talking felt more natural than having one fell swoop of a personal interview would have.

How much time did he expect to spend on the Triplanets? No need to be specific, but was he planning one social trip or several? What were his priorities when it came to his appearance?

And by the way, what did he usually wear in America? On Anesidora? What about at LeafSong? Did he like what the school had given him in his human care package? Why? Why not? Did he think he had a style? Did he want one?

“All right,” said Tuck as he poured the last of the coffee into Alden’s cup. The cufflinks on the shirt he wore under the striped jacket were small gold compasses. “Even though you’re not a cultural novice, you are a beginner when it comes to presenting yourself through your wardrobe. You’re hoping to work on that so that you don’t feel inappropriate and unprepared around Artonans, and you like for your clothes to be functional.”

He waited.

“Yes,” said Alden. “That sounds about right.”

“That’s a good thing,” said Yinuo. They were all in Needle & Wheedle’s seating area, and she was beside Gus on the sofa. The window behind them was still curtained, and no sound at all came in from the street. “When you decide to play around with fashion…and you might want to sometime. Anesidora is probably the best place on Earth for having fun with how you dress. If you ever want to do that, we can help. But today you’re buying clothes for the Triplanets, and those clothes won’t be toys.”