Ontogeny

Chapter 11b

"You okay, Malone?" asked Quill, moving to sit beside the batman.

"Fine. Not crazy about going to a Radiant city. Not crazy about leaving the rest of you, but okay. You really think they might adopt the Brigadier?"

"No, not really. I've never heard of them adopting someone against their will, and it would definitely be against his will. It would be several days before the parent bond forms and he'd spend every second of that time trying to get away. It's not just his duty to the King that would motivate him. He wouldn't want to leave you. He wants to see you become fully human. He wants to see you married and adopting animals of your own."

"Is that ever going to happen, though? It takes two people to raise a human. Unless he gets married... He's never going to get married! Can you imagine any woman getting him to settle down?"

"It doesn't always take two parents," said the wizard, though. "There are documented cases of a single human adopting and raising a child. It takes longer, a lot longer... I mean, look at you. I've known you less than a year, but your face is noticeably less hairy than it was when I first saw you."

"You think?"

"Definitely! And look at your hands. I remember you struggling to do up the buckles of your uniform. Now, you do them easily."

"I've had more practice, that's all."

"No, your fingers are longer and more nimble. Here, hold your hand out." Malone did so, and the wizard put his own hand against it, palm to palm. "Look, almost identical. The fingers almost the same length, your nails are fully human. You've got fingerprints!"

"Yeah, I have!" The batman studied the pads of his fingertips, rubbed his thumb and forefinger together. "Thanks, Quill."

"How's your sense of smell?"

"The same, I think. I haven't noticed any change."

"Let's see. Close your eyes." Malone did so, and Quill ran the tip of his finger around the still damp inner surface of his bowl, wetting it with stew. Then he closed both hands into fists and held them out to the batman. "Okay, open your eyes. Now, which hand smells of stew?"

Malone moved his face closer to the wizard's hands, sniffed with his wet, dogs nose. "I can't smell any difference," he said.

Quill opened his hands, showed him the smear of stew on the tip of his finger. "Even before we left Marboll, you'd have been able to smell it," he said. "I think I can see pink skin starting to grow over your nose. That's definitely happened since we left Helberion."

Malone grinned with delight. "Can you help it along?" he asked. "A small blessing?"

"Reputable wizards only use blessings in an emergency. Best to let it happen in its own good time. Don't worry, you'll get there."

The Batman's grin grew wider. "How long, do you think? How long before I can be declared?"

"Still years, I'm afraid..." The grin faded a little. "But anything worth having is worth waiting for."

The grin returned. "You're right. Thanks, Quill."

"Hey, Malone!" called across Harper. "Malone James! Sounds pretty good, eh?"

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves," warned Spencer, though. "If anything happens to the Brigadier..."

"Nothing's going to happen to the Brigadier!" Malone suddenly looked alarmed and Harper glared at Spencer. "Nothing's going to happen to him," he told the batman.