Always Running

Have you seen Woolsey? She's a long-ear... Took me ages to get her inside a cage. Ugh. How did she escape again...?

Wha...? That long-ear is yours?!

Y-yeah! I'm Ah Tu, a Tianshi disciple of Wuling... Woolsey is my graduation research project! If she goes missing, I'll have to put off my graduation — for the fourth year!

Of course I am. With its natural setting and barely any human interference, I figured it'd be the ideal spot to raise Woolsey. My project is definitely going to work this year!

Why do you look so nervous...? Oh by Talos ... did the Stockade dwellers steal my Woolsey?!

No! We ... uh ... we saw her running that way! Let's chase her down for you!

What? What did you do to my Woolsey?!

No! We ... uh ... we saw her running that way! Let's chase her down for you!

Awk-ward, heheh...

Oh. Hold up. A Wuling girl? Here? Now that's interesting.

I thought Wuling has everything, but someone's here demanding a share of this fine long-ear we caught.

What? Does the wildlife belong to people now? Since when did anyone "own" the earth, the skies, or the rivers?

Woolsey is different! You just want her for yourself...

Da Jiang, this one right here looks like the Endfield chief.

Oh! You're right! The heroes who had our backs — and were approved by the Supreme Chief herself! So, is this Wuling girl part of your crew?

Uh-huh. Ah Tu is under our protection.

Great. Talking's easier when it's fam to fam.

So, how much are you asking for her? I'll pay.

Money? Nah. We don't need stupid pieces of paper. Lunch! That's what the Fam wants right now. But you came without invitation and got in the way...

Hurhurhur, furball. Tried kicking me back then. Guess you can't do anything behind the cage, eh?

Woolsey!! Hey you, gimme back my Woolsey!

We caught this furball with our own hands. Tell you what — bring us something else to chew on, and we'll trade.

City gal, that really a long-ear? Helluva kick. How do you keep her under control?

Wow! I didn't know you could fight, Ah Tu!

Just a bit. Unfortunately, I overslept and missed the third round of trials.

Took you quite a while! Thought you ran away.

I once applied to a watchguard internship. Don't underestimate me!

Here. Things you can eat. Give my Woolsey back to me.

Gal, you call this edible? Do you think we are fools?

Of course they're edible. You just need to cook them. I'll show you.

Wow! You're pretty good at cooking, Ah Tu. Ever thought about being a chef?

I thought about a culinary career and looked into it for a bit — even collected all sorts of ingredients and tried them out.

...But there are just too many chefs around. I'll end up being really mid, and that's something I want to avoid.

Hahaha! City gal, say what you want, but you're actually pretty good at being funny!

Guess we'll honor our promise, and give your Woolsey back to you.

Ah! Woolsey! Gotta cut the chit-chat or she'll be too far away.

I'm totally finished. My instructor is gonna get really mad at this...

Yongning? Are you in trouble too?

Ah Tu? Why are you here? I thought you switched majors — and your project too. Wasn't that like two months ago?

Let's talk about something urgent right now. I was eating lunch. Then, on the camera feeds, I saw a long-ear running into the testing area.

Woolsey! Oh, I'm so sorry, people. I gotta look for my Woolsey!

Woolsey...? Did Ah Tu name her long-ear?

She did. Are you Ah Tu's classmate?

Ah Tu the Major Changer? Hah. She's got classmates all over Wuling City.

Studying at Wuling is tuition-free, but no one does it like Ah Tu. She's literally dabbled in every major. I think even Viceroy Zhuang's wallet is feeling the pain from that nonsense.

Yeah. Whenever she starts a new major, hopelessness will soon catch up and she'll switch to another. And that's why she's never graduating.

I actually get along with Ah Tu. She's pretty nice. Quite an idealist, and super smart too!

I don't think anyone else could do it. If you ask me, she's a genius. Of sorts.

Oh yeah! We hardly spent any time with Ah Tu, but that girl managed to show us three different professional skill sets.

Well, I don't think she realizes just how smart she is. She dabbles in this, and then that, but never manages to get anything done. What a shame.

We better find Woolsey to make sure that Ah Tu graduates this year.

That critter's stomping all over the place! And she won't stop munching! She's ruining everything!

Gotta tell you something. Ah Tu keeps saying that she's not good at anything. But her GPA? It's way above passing for every major she's taken.

And there she goes again...

*Sigh* I'm not here to tell her off. But every time she runs into a problem, she just bottles it all up until it's too late to fix. And that's when she comes to me, asking to change her major...

Her mother is a respected scientist and a very demanding parent. I imagine her childhood was stressful. Maybe that's why she's always trying to be the best in her pursuits.

She's not making things easy for me. We want our students to graduate. Viceroy Zhuang's been encouraging everyone to try out different majors — it helps build a more diverse talent pool.

I want to — but she refused. I'm starting to see the signs again with her progress report. The project was pretty much complete during presentation. But just today, she told me she wanted to switch to something else...

Huh? We talked to Ah Tu, but she sounded pretty desperate about her project.

*Sigh* I don't really know what that girl wants. Instead of blindly running all over the place, I'd rather her stay under my tutelage and find her way around. At least I can help her draw the bottom line.

Young people nowadays have it difficult as well.

But every time she realizes she can't be the best, she quits. That's just ridiculous, don't you agree?

And every time Ah Tu delays her graduation, I get another "special visit" from the Viceroy. This has gone on for years.

This isn't Ah Tu's first time doing something like this. Do you think she's doing this on purpose?

This one isn't Woolsey. I ... I was starving. While I was heading back, Uncle Jiang told me he's hungry for more, so I came here and cooked extra.

You almost gave me a heart attack. Well, are you gonna keep looking for Woolsey?

I ... I got a little...

Don't give up, Ah Tu! You're just one step away from graduation!

I just don't think Woolsey is the best long-ear specimen.

Now that's not right, Ah Tu. You won't get anything done if you only want the "best". Gotta give yourself room for growth, you know.

Room for growth... Wow. That's really a nice way to put it. You got me interested in a literature major.

Wait! Hold on... Did you just compliment me for talking nice? Heheh. Endmin, hear that? Ah Tu called me a smooth talker! I can totally present the next report for you!

Feeling a little desperate right now... not even sure why I'm worried. Words aren't really my strong suit, so maybe I didn't come across clearly. Hope you understand.

Like a cloudy day in high summer. Humidity is ninety-five percent. The clouds are like a piece of rag rubbed all over my face, making my skin itch with the heavy wetness of it all. Of course I understand how that feels!

Once we find Woolsey today, I have a feeling that you'll find your answers!

Alright, let's focus on Ah Tu's issue right now... Tu, you sure you got it figured out?

Look there... Did Woolsey become friends with the pantails?

I guess that explains why Woolsey kept running around. She was looking for her true home.

Looking at this got me thinking about home. Our Wuling trip is bringing back memories...

Hey...?! Woolsey ... ran off again. Hmm... Wasn't making friends with pantailbeasts what she was after?

Ah! I got it! I know what Woolsey wants!

Woolsey just wants to run!

Ah Tu, aren't you chasing after Woolsey?

I'm going to talk to my instructor.

I want to ... offer you this gift.

I was packing my bag when I saw this photo. Wanted to take it along, but I realized ... it's kinda useless to me. Here. Please take it.

Hey! It's a photo of Woolsey and the pantails! Oh, it's so pretty! You're an amazing photographer, Ah Tu!

I ... I want to, but people who want to keep moving forward should never look back.

One more thing. Thank you for sticking with me all day and running around like this.

Awesome. I guess we all like running! So, this is it! I'm heading to my next project.

Next, I'm applying to *the* most desolate and uninhabited realms of Talos-II. There, I shall find the most wondrous mineral of them all!

Seems like our unexpected mistake became a life-changing event for Ah Tu...

Mistake? What mistake?

Ah! Nothing! I didn't say anything!

Okay then! I'm off, people! I hope to see you again!

Ah Tu, you... Girl, please!

I've already made up my mind, Mr. Lu. Woolsey taught me that!

I've decided ... to change my major.

I'm going to get started on mineralogy!

WHA?! AGAIN?!

Ah Tu, your progress report last week has already met our basic graduation requirements. Just listen to me for once and get your diploma...

But I'm good, right? I can graduate from every major, Mr. Lu.

Turns out that I just wanna ... keep running. And it's only because I LOVE running!

The world needs people like you and Mom, those who run to reach the finishing line. But it also needs people like me, long-ears who would never stop running.

That doesn't make any sense to me, girl...

If you wish to become a polymath and pursue other fields of studies, you can stay at Wuling. We'll find a new direction and figure something out. What do you say?

I can totally back her up! Ah Tu is just awesome! Even her senior said so!

Mr. Lu, I used to think that I couldn't focus on a single major because I wasn't good enough. But Woolsey... I guess I'm more like Woolsey...

Little furry long-ear, roasted over a slow fire, crispy skin and tender...

Oh? Why are you still loitering here? The Fam is famished.