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[ Soul is worn out. He's still sick and he's more than a little bummed, but he's trying to look cheerful for the network. His smile is tired when he appears but he still manages it somehow.

So, I shoulda announced this before, but I was kinda busy. [ More like coughing his lungs out, but okay. ] I've been organizing a party for Halloween, a masquerade to be exact. I could use some help with setup - anyone able to help me out? It's gonna be in the gym starting at early evening and go until we're all partied out.

[ He actually gives a real grin this time, however momentary it is. ] It'll be great.

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Probably because I am a paranoid scrounger who could make a spaceworthy craft out of stuff I find lying around the house.

On the other hand, that usually means I've got stuff to spare for just about any situation.

I really want to learn from you. I want to be able to be a regular jack of all trades, too.

Never any harm in learning. Just remember to start small. I didn't learn to do everything by learning everything at once.

For now, though, you need to focus on your party. And on recovering.

I've been feeling like if I don't work as hard as possible, I'll let everyone down.

[ Why is he admitting that so easily? Something about Colin gets him to talk about shit he wouldn't otherwise. ]

Work smart. Hard work is admirable, but if you work smart you can save yourself a lot of trouble in the long run.

Everyone has a part to play in the grand scheme of things. Just do your work well, and that's all anyone can ask of you.

But how do you know if you're working smart?

Generally? If you know you did something that will pay off in the future, you did something smart.

Not always. Even super geniuses can get blinded by hubris or lack of foresight.

But if you know you've accomplished a goal, if you know you'll be able to say "Ha, beat that before it even became a problem," you did the job right.

I don't know if I'll ever work smart, then.

Remember my friend who I said had trouble? Tried to work smart there. Now he's gone.

It doesn't happen easily.

Failure isn't an option, Soul. Failure is mandatory. You will fail. You will fail OFTEN.

The trick is whether you let failure be the last thing you do.

You don't learn anything from success other than the fact that what you did worked. When you fail, you learn a lot more. You THINK about it a lot more. You learn not to make the mistakes you made. And sometimes, you learn that the mistakes you made weren't exactly mistakes.

Don't be afraid to try new things. The only thing you should be afraid of is stopping trying.

[ Soul is silent for a long minute. When he finally speaks, his voice is quiet. ]

How are you so smart?

I've had good teachers, and I've had a lot of opportunities to experiment.

And I've failed. A lot.

Learn from everything you do. The universe has a lot to teach people who are willing to learn.

And I really, really want to learn.

I don't know why. I never did before.

Sometimes, the urge hits us. That's all there is to it.

Stick around. Ask questions. Make sure you observe the situations you're in. Keep a diary if you have to, anything that lets you look at things with an objective eye.

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