River is one of the most talented people I know. He has many gifts that make him special—not only to me, but to so many others who meet him. Often misunderstood by humans while growing up because of being abitextra, as he likes to say, he has found his people among the extraterrestrials of the universe and has an uncanny ability to make friends with nearly every one of them he meets. Quite a few have become his staunchest allies, even.
Perhaps that’s a superpower tied to his Quintharian heritage, but I suspect it’s just River’s unique charisma and charm. There’s a vibrant energy about him that’s downright magnetic. He inspires and motivates everyone, including me. In no time flat, he earned the love and loyalty of every core member of our team back at the Alliance.
Okay, Zamir is a bit of a dark horse. Many find it difficult to read his stone-faced expressions, including River. But I understand him better than most, and although it took him longer, I know Zamir finally accepted River as a full member of our team during our showdown with Shilgar the Deadly. The man wore an Elvis costume for River. That tells me everything I need to know.
With time, I’m sure they’ll grow closer, but right now Zamir’s in a pretty dark and confusing place. His ex-boyfriend and our former team member, Wilder Vadera, was seriously injured during Layne Madison’s attempted invasion. We won the day,but Wilder paid a heavy price. For now, he’s in a medically induced coma back on Earth and needs more advanced medical care at an Intergalactic Alliance space station. However, our medical team on Earth fears he’s still too fragile for travel and shouldn’t be moved. Zamir’s been by his side every day, and I can’t even imagine how difficult all of this is for him. I’ve just been offering him my quiet support and letting him know he can come to me if he needs to talk or simply a shoulder to cry on.
I’m pulled out of my somber thoughts when I notice that River is starting to sound a bit hoarse from talking with his fans. During a brief moment of freedom while Nirblob goes to let in the next round of fans, I grab a bottle of water on a side table and hand it to him. A grateful look fills his eyes as he chugs most of it in a couple of seconds.
“That hits the spot,” he says, smacking his lips. “All this talking and signing for fans is hard work.” He shakes out his hand. “I’m starting to feel it in my grip.”
“You’re doing a great job. Fans are leaving with smiles on their faces and a pep in their steps.” I frown with worry. “Are you sure you don’t want to take a real break?”
River flushes happily, then looks toward the door. “No, I’m good. Let’s keep going. How many more folks to go?” he asks as Nirblob brings in the next round of twelve.
“I’ll check,” I assure him, and gesture for Nirblob to come over as I step away from the signing table.
He glides to my side on his skates.
“How many more people are waiting to meet River?” I ask quietly. “He’s getting tired.”
“We’re making good progress. I’d say there are only a couple dozen more ticket holders.” Nirblob glances at River. “Do you think he can manage that?”
I glance at my husband, all bright-eyed and talking a mile a minute with one of his fans. “He’s got surprising stamina when it comes to things like this.”
Nirblob nods contemplatively. “Indeed. It is most likely a benefit of his Quintharian heritage.”
“Could be. Whatever the case, I know he’ll want to meet every single person who’s waiting. There’s no way he’d deliberately disappoint a fan who took time out of their day to queue for hours just to see him.”
Nirblob nods. “That sounds like River. Although I don’t think he fully realizes how much of a major celebrity figure he is among everyone here. Or if he does, he certainly hasn’t let it go to his head. He remains genuinely kind and welcoming to everyone he meets. He’s quite a rarity, I must say.”
I turn my attention back to the man of the hour, my chest swelling with pride. “River’s one of a kind, and I already know he’s going to leave behind a legacy with his life and his stories that will take a long time to fade from memory.”
“Indubitably,” Nirblob says, then skates back to monitor the doorway.
I move back into my position beside River, ready to intervene if necessary.
Fortunately, we at last send off the last ticketed VIP and survive the hours-long signing relatively unscathed. I heave a quiet sigh of relief that everyone heeded Nirblob’s warning and behaved themselves, although I’m sure it helped that we had a security presence on site, including myself.
Grinning from ear to ear, River stands up, stretches, and then whimpers when we hear a cracking noise.
I immediately start massaging his neck and shoulders. “You okay, love?”
“My back’s a bit unhappy,” he admits.
“You’ve been sitting in the same spot for too long. Don’t worry, I’ll give you a more thorough full-body massage when we’re alone,” I promise.
He grins. “You’re on, babe. Also, guys, the signing was totally epic.” His cheeks are flushed and his eyes sparkle. “I’m so pumped right now that I think I could run a mile faster than I ever have before. Take that, Zamir!”
I chuckle. My love’s never quite forgiven Zamir for the fitness regimen he created to get River in shape and on par with the rest of the team. Zamir’s goal was to get River better prepared to handle our work in the field and during any dangerous situations that might arise.
However, the word that describes Zamir best ishard-ass.
He definitely didn’t take it easy on River during his training. He pushed my husband to his limits in order to better protect him as a new member of the Alliance. I’m incredibly grateful to him and I don’t think anyone but him could have accomplished it. But River’s still a wee bit bitter.
We leave the room, River still talking animatedly about how much fun he had meeting his fans.
When we reach an intersection in the hall, Nirblob gives me the hand signal we agreed on earlier, and I give him a sharp nod.
