Arin swallowed.
'What do I do?' he asked.
The man raised a graceful brow. 'You... do as he expects, of course.'
Arin huffed, annoyed. 'I think you're forgetting something; I'm not from your world. I don't actually have another identity here, let alone a secret talent. It's not like I'll ever be able to help him find stuff - like Siel, or fight someone off, or - or whatever else it is that he'll expect of me.'
'I have no magic at all! He already knows that my summoning-illusion-thing's fake, so that's a dud. When the time comes, there's nothing I'll be able tell him, or do for him. And once that psycho figures that out, won't it just end up making everything worse?'
He looked up from his rant, and noticed the white-haired tower master silently mouthing the word 'psycho' to himself.
Yeah, that man couldn't have been less bothered by his predicament.
...
So, screw it.
He cleared his throat. 'Listen, man. Master. I know there's no reason for you to be spending so much of your time helping me out - not when you're clearly otherwise -' he glanced around the softly lit, restful room '- uh, busy. And I seriously appreciate everything you've been doing for me.'
The white-haired man glanced up at him, amusement apparent in his red eyes.
...he was being laughed at, wasn't he?
Arin swallowed, but soldiered on nevertheless.
'But, well, you already know that you're the only one I can come to for answers here. And if you don't help me figure things out, I already know there's no way I'll be able to survive long enough for us to get me back home.'
'I get how stupid that makes me sound, and why it'd be annoying for you to have to keep explaining every little thing, and answering all these questions for me. Even so, I'll have to keep troubling you. It's the only way I won't die.'
'Your help is the only thing keeping me alive.'
...
There. Done.
And if that sickening display of sincerity still didn't get the tower master to take his troubles more seriously...
...
Then, he'd just have to take a swan dive out of that illusion-window over there, and hope that the trauma of witnessing it would erase all of the man's memories of him.
He let out the remaining air in his lungs with a soft whoosh, and waited.
The white-haired man finally straightened up, and Arin noticed that the apple held in his hand had vanished.
'It isn't,' the man said in that deep, pleasant voice of his. 'My help isn't all that's been keeping you alive. You've managed to do quite well on your own, both in Lullwater and Silvershade.'
He held up a hand to stop Arin from interrupting, before continuing, 'Yes, you had help at times. But, in those other instances when you didn't, were you not able to come up with solutions on your own?'
Arin looked searchingly at the man's ethereal face.
It... didn't look like he was being disingenuous...
'You've managed to navigate through uncertainty and doubt, and gather the support of Rin's familiar, as well as the respect of his junior disciple, all on your own. You survived a distortion. You evaded the scrutiny of officials. You saved countless lives, that would've otherwise been counted for dead.'
The tower master's white form seemed to be glowing in the soft, golden light of the illusion-sunset.
In that moment, he looked almost like a deity of some kind, sent down into the world to reassure and guide him.
'And, of course,' the man added gently, 'I shall be here to offer my aid, should you ever need it.'
Arin nodded.
'Thank you,' he said, relieved. 'Then, please. Tell me; what should I do about this matter with the healer?'
The tower master tilted his head to one side, a small smile upon his lips.
'You'll manage.'
...
Huh?
'I don't believe this is something you'll require my help with. As with those other things, you will find the way when you have to,' the man waved a carefree hand.
...
...
He knew there was a reason even that damned official lady had dissed this man! He really was useless, wasn't he!?