He was raised to believe that which you couldn’t explain was best left in the hands of whatever creator took claim to it. While he wasn’t a particularly religious person his Mama had tried to get him right with the man upstairs. But with too much experience with seeing and believing stuff just like this he found that the Professor’s answer was much more in line with what he truly believed. Everything had a good reason, you just had to find the answer. Riley nodded to confirm that he understood. He would try to see the world as less complex and also try his best to rise to the challenge that life presented. The conundrum of the geese and the cheese, perhaps.
When the offer came, Riley’s attention waned from the tiny elephant and his gaze lifted to find James’ own. Bright eyes would search those others for jest though he knew in his heart that this was no joke, and that this offer was probably not extended to just anyone. A bit of surprise overtook him. His eyebrows lifted, eyes widened. “I’d be honored to learn from you,” he expressed, nearly floored by the offer. “If you’d have me, of course. I don’t half-do any thin’ worth doin’ and I ain’t a quitter. I’ll try my best.”
That was his downfall, that determination and passion. It was why he took the riskier maintenance jobs that nobody else had the guts to volunteer for. Stuff wasn’t fixing itself yet and because he had pride in what he did, pride for the Carnival, he did his best to ensure everything ran properly. And he wasn’t raised to quit in spite of the role model of a sperm donor he had back yonder.