Rahool stifled a yawn behind his hand and glanced around to make sure nobody had seen. One candidate remained in the lecture hall, still bent over his examination booklet, scribbling away. Blessed Light, when he had told the students that they could take their time, he hadn't really meant they should take all day! Perhaps he ought to start making a stricter time limit for these tests. After all, speed was as important as accuracy. A Novice learned that soon enough when an impatient Warlock loomed over them!

He glanced back down at his data pad, though his reading had not been holding his attention for some time. His thoughts kept straying to Cayde, and whether he was serious about having to stay in the City tonight. Cayde probably expected him to cover the costs of a room. He'd make some excuse about how an Exo didn't need to sleep, therefore he didn't need to bother with accommodations! Or would he just propose sleeping on the jumpship?

He scrolled irritably through the pages on his datapad. It didn't help his focus that the reading was largely algebraic theory to do with hypothetical encryption methods. The encryption he could stand. The mathematics at this level tied his brain up in knots. It had never been his strong suit, and alas, it didn't look like it would become his strong suit any time soon. When he returned to the Tower, he really ought to find Tess Everis and have her look over the manuscript. It was just the sort of work she would find terribly interesting — if she hadn't read it already. Tess always seemed one step ahead on mathematical scholarship, even though she spent all her time devoted to Special Requisitions and working on her "secret" side project with Fenchurch. Somehow she always found time to study. The Traveler keep her, if only some members of his Order could find that kind of devotion! It was really a pity that she refused to join the Cryptarchy. How nice it would be to be able to bounce ideas back and forth without having to hunt her down, waiting for her to return to the Tower from wherever her mysterious business took her! Ah, well. At least she was always amenable to taking a moment of her time and helping him out whenever he could catch her. Such a pleasant young woman. He would have to actually schedule a time to get together if he wanted her full attention, however. This was a rather complex bit of theory in his hands. It didn't have to be anything too formal — there was no reason to make the meeting like a Consensus gathering! Just a casual, relaxed discussion where she could help him understand the trickier bits. Perhaps she would like to get coffee…?

The sensation of eyes on him made Rahool look up again. The remaining student quickly looked back to his exam. That wasn't the first time he'd felt he was being watched. Perhaps the boy was worried about how long he was taking. Rahool glanced at the wall clock. Well, if the he wasn't worried yet, he should start. Time was just about up.

"You have two minutes remaining," Rahool spoke up. His voice sounded too loud in the empty room.

The student looked up again and nodded once before returning to his work. His narrow, freckled face looked a little piqued. Rahool turned to the candidate list on the table beside him, looking for the boy's name. Jorin, wasn't it? Yes. Jorin Bjornsen. The family name seemed to ring a bell, but he couldn't put his finger on it. He definitely remembered the boy being introduced to him by his mentor. Doctor Raez could hardly have looked more proud to present his student to him. An engineering candidate was hardly newsworthy. Most of the Cryptarchy's candidates came from that school. But rarely had Doctor Raez made such glowing recommendations.

And rarely was a candidate so young. Jorin was only thirteen, not even out of his secondary schooling yet. A prodigious young man, Doctor Raez had called him. That remained to be seen. In correspondence with the Doctor, Rahool had seen Jorin's scores in his college credit classes. They were promising indeed, but not what he would call prodigious. He had seen young men and women pushed to study as hard as they could, forgoing time spent with friends, their youth passing them by. They often became ferocious scholars, but they could not keep up with the Cryptarchy. A lifetime of study didn't necessarily equate to being able to apply that knowledge.

Rahool watched the second hand glide toward twelve o'clock.

"Time!" he announced.

Jorin furrowed his brow and hastily scribbled the last word. He set his pencil down with a click and sat for a moment looking rather despondently at his booklet. Then he took a deep breath, ran a hand through his messy red hair, gathered up his materials, and approached the dais. Rahool stood and accepted the booklet and datapad.

"Thank you, sir," Jorin mumbled. He shoved his hands in his pants pockets and watched nervously as Rahool placed his test with the others. The boy was very tall for his age and gawky, his school uniform a little too baggy in the shirt and a little too short in the trousers.

"You're welcome," Rahool replied. "The second half begins promptly tomorrow morning at ten."

Jorin nodded eagerly.

"Yes, sir. I'll be here, sir."

"Good."

Rahool began to clear the table, packing his things into the leather satchel. Jorin remained at the dais, hovering uncertainly.

"Um, excuse me, sir," he said. "You're Master Rahool, right?"

"I am."

Jorin's ears went pink.

"Uh, of course. Um, you…are you by any chance the same Rahool who worked with my father? Uh, Harald? Harald Bjornsen? He lived in the Foundry district…"

Rahool's eyes widened. Harald Bjornsen. Of course! No wonder the boy's name had seemed so familiar!

"Why, yes! I remember Harald. My, that was an Age ago! I had no idea you were his son."

Blessed Light, he'd had no idea Harald had even had a son! He must have remarried after his wife had died during the siege of the Gap. Jorin's ears went even more pink. He shuffled back and forth, looking quite embarrassed.

"He used to talk about you a lot. Uh, before he died. He said that, um, you helped us keep our house."

Rahool's heart sank.

"Oh. I'm sorry, lad. I didn't realize he had passed away." It was hard to imagine that giant of a man gone. Harald had been about Rahool's age when they met some twenty-five years ago. He too would have been an old man by now, but certainly not on his death bed! Mr. Bjornsen had been a formidable presence, yet incredibly soft-spoken. Jorin looked like he was going to be at least as tall as his father had been, if not more so.

"It's all right," Jorin said. "I didn't expect you to know. It was kind of sudden. Um, an accident at his factory a few years ago. But, uh, he told me that you were the one who rallied the District together to keep our neighborhood from being torn down. Um, I thought you'd want to know that our house is still there. Mother lives there. Everyone's house is still there, even though the Foundry Reps come around sometimes to try and negotiate."

"That's good to hear." Rahool smiled. It was good news. No doubt those representatives were still offering pitiful recompense in exchange for those plots of land, right in the heart of the Foundry district. Land they could use to build more factories upon.

"Anyways, mother told me to thank you for him if I saw you. So, um, thanks." Jorin continued to shuffle from foot to foot.

"Ah, well, I'm afraid my part in the whole ordeal has been much exaggerated," Rahool demurred. Blast it all, what kind of stories had this boy been told? Rallied the neighborhood? All he'd done was interpret a contract! A contract so convoluted it looked handed down from the Darkness itself…but still!

"Please send my regards to Mrs. Bjornsen," he said, trying to hurry the subject along.

"Yes, sir," Jorin nodded.

The boy seemed to catch his eageress to leave at last.

"Thank you, sir. Er, see you tomorrow, sir." He gave an awkward wave, put his head down, and strode out of the room.

Rahool watched him go and shook his head. The Traveler save him, how time flew! It seemed like yesterday Harald had been waving the Foundry contract in front of him, asking for help, a determined and angry look in his steel blue eyes. Now he was dead, and his teenaged son left behind. Rahool had not known at all. How much else had changed since he'd been at the Tower? The thought saddened him. Time waited for no one. But he should have known!

He sighed and finished packing up his belongings. He was suddenly quite tired. He had been administering the test for several hours. It was high time he found Cayde and —

His gaze bolted to the clock. It was half past the hour, and Cayde hadn't checked in. In fact, now that he thought about it, Cayde hadn't checked in more than once. The Darkness take that Guardian! Where in the Light had he run off to?

Rahool shouldered his satchel and stormed out of the room. How much would he bet that the jumpship wasn't even parked on the airpad any longer? Oh, if Cayde had stranded him tonight…!

Rahool's searching took him across the campus. His first stop was to peer down the slope to see whether the jumpship was still on the airpad. It was. That didn't mean much, though. Suppose Cayde had gotten hold of his Sparrow? Or had simply walked off? Nobody would think to stop a Guardian on the move.

He trudged down the elegant walkways toward the center of campus, passing through throngs of students, ducking into various halls and fountained alcoves along the way. Anywhere that might have been remotely interesting to a bored Hunter. He could have sent a message through Ghost interlink to try and hail Cayde's Ghost. But then everyone at the Tower would know that he had lost his charge! He wasn't willing to admit that quite yet.

At last he stood before the student union building in the Commons, catching his breath and wiping the sweat from his forehead. The blasted cowl kept the sun off his face, though not without adding considerably to the heat. The late spring afternoon was unseasonably warm. It was a good thing he had already gone through the first round of examinations. He couldn't imagine showing up in the state he was in now!

Rahool frowned and considered the union building. He had thought Cayde would be prowling outside in the fresh air. He'd even gone so far as to glance at the rooftops to see if Cayde had managed to climb the buildings. Perhaps instead he had opted to go where the crowds went...

One look inside and Rahool knew he was on the right track. The student union was a bright, airy edifice spanning several floors. The bottom entrance let into a handful of food stands and the bookstore, sweeping off to a cozy lounge and an arcade dominated by several worn pool tables and a couple of battered holocabinets. The floor was packed with excited students and more than a few curious faculty. People lined the stairways and railings of he second level, staring down toward the arcade where the crowd was elbow to elbow, clustered around the pool tables. Rahool pushed through, already knowing what he would find. People gave way reluctantly, even after setting eyes on the prominent golden symbols embroidered on his coat. So much for the gravitas of the Cryptarchy.

Cayde was leaning over a pool table, a weathered cue poised to strike as he considered his shot. He had his cloak's hood pushed back, and his bright eyes swept the table with cool confidence. Across from him, a young man stood against a tall stool and leaned on his own cue, watching intently. His friends nearly stood on top of him as they all held their breath in anticipation. The noise was terrific, what with the chattering crowd and the bass-charged music blaring from the sound system. None of it fazed Cayde. The Hunter calmly drew back his stick and struck the cue ball, sending it rocketing into the nine ball which rattled into the corner pocket. It was an impressive shot. Cheers erupted all around him. Even the young man and his friends were clapping and laughing. Cayde straightened up and waved nonchalantly to his admirers.

"Cayde!" Rahool called over the racket. He practically had to lean over the table himself to be heard. "Cayde!"

Cayde finally noticed him and did a guilty double-take.

"Hey, Cryptarch!" He said cheerfully. "I was just finishin' up this game here —"

"You didn't check in with me!" Rahool scolded. "I've been looking all over for you!"

"Oh. Ah…hmm. Well, I reckon I did forget. Sorry about that."

Cayde shrugged and walked around the table, readying his next shot.

"We had a deal, Cayde!"

"I've been right here!" Cayde said. "I haven't gone anywhere!"

"Well, it's time we were leaving!" Rahool crossed his arms, staring down the Exo.

"Lemme just finish this game. I'm finally on a roll! Leon here has been givin' me a run for my glimmer." He chuckled and considered his options on the table. The young man standing by looked like he might burst with pride.

"Cayde, it's been a rather long day…"

"Take a load off!" Cayde gestured at a nearby stool. "I got a reputation to uphold and glimmer to keep in my pockets."

Glimmer?

Cayde!" Rahool caught Cayde's elbow. "You aren't gambling in the College, are you? Please tell me you're not!"

Cayde shrugged again.

"It's just a friendly little wager."

"Blessed Light!" Rahool hissed, lowering his voice. "It's a scandal, is what it is! Stop this right now!" He glanced around nervously. All they needed was the President to stumble into this mess. Imagine what the City news broadcasts would say when word got out that a member of the Vanguard had turned the College into a gambling hall! The Tower would have a hard time living that down. He himself would never live it down. The Consensus would see to that!

"Aw, c'mon!" Cayde freed his arm and readied his shot. "You need to relax, Cryptarch!"

Hardly had he finished speaking than he had sunk another ball. The crowd roared. Cayde responded with a neat little bow and cloak flourish. Rahool grit his teeth. That boy and his friends had better back out now if they knew what was good for them. Cayde would clean them out! Unfortunately for them, it looked like they had no intention of stopping. Even losing against a Guardian would give them bragging rights for months on end.

Rahool stepped aside as Cayde swept by. He was aware of all eyes on the both of them, making him break out into a sweat again. Lectures were easy. Being the center of this kind of attention made him want to slink away to the jumpship. What a ridiculous, unbecoming position for Tower leadership to be in! Reluctantly, he waited off to the side, hoping that the match would end quickly and he could hurry Cayde out before this whole affair became even more of a sensation. Datapads were held up in the air while their users took pictures of the scene. Rahool winced and ducked further into his cowl, trying to turn away the Cryptarchy symbols on his coat with each flash.

At long last, Cayde stood at the opposite corner of the pool table from Rahool, studying the eight ball. It was all that remained. Leon had managed a couple of fine shots, but not enough to keep Cayde from taking over the game.

Cayde pointed down the table with his cue.

"Corner pocket, Cryptarch!" he announced. The crowd murmured their surprised approval. Rahool nearly raised a brow at that. The shot was dubious. Even he could see that, and he hadn't played in an Age!

There was a curious, buzzing hum in the crowd as they whispered their speculation to each other. Cayde took his time. Rahool was certain half of the stalling he did was purely for show. It was working. Students and faculty alike stared at the table like the Traveler itself was awakening — and a good handful stared at Cayde as though he were the Traveler incarnate. A few looked like they might propose to him on the spot! When excitement had reached its peak, Cayde swept down with all his fluid Hunter grace and made his move.

The eight ball flew off the cue ball with a crack and went rolling toward the corner pocket. All eyes followed its progress. A collective gasp rose as the ball started to slow. Cayde shifted uncomfortably. Rahool's eyebrow did raise this time. The eight ball shivered on the edge of the pocket, looking like it might just decide to stay put. Then, with a final wobble, it dropped in.

The crowd went berserk. Cayde lapped up the accolades, bowing and waving to all. He turned to Leon and shook the boy's hand. For his part, Leon looked like he had won, and he looked a little faint to boot. He and his friends were all grinning as he reached into his pocket, presumably for glimmer. It was time to intervene.

"All right, Cayde!" Rahool called, plucking the cue stick from the Exo's hand and grabbing his arm. "It's time we were leaving!"

Leon looked surprised, holding out a fistful of glimmer.

"Keep it, lad!" Rahool waved his hand away. "Cayde was only joking!"

"Huh? Wait! No, I wasn't —!" Cayde began to protest, but Rahool was already dragging him away.

"Thank you, ladies and gentlemen!" Rahool cried out to the crowd as he led Cayde away from the tables. "Please excuse us. Very important Guardian business to attend to!"

He grit his teeth in a tight, fixed smile. If Cayde decided to resist there would be nothing he could do to take him away from the crowd. Mercifully, Cayde followed, only slowing to wave and blow a couple of kisses. The crowd poured after them, clamoring to get a last look at the Guardian.

Cayde chuckled as Rahool pulled him along.

"Oh, yeah! Still got it! Did you see that shot, Cryptarch? Beauty!"

"I don't know who didn't see it!" Rahool grumbled. For the love of the Traveler, he acted like he'd just fought off an army of Fallen, not played a simple game of pool! The Light preserve a Hunter's ego. They'd never know the sting of self-doubt for long.

"Why're you going so fast, Rahool? What's the hurry?"

"I want to get to the ship!" Rahool said, exasperated. He could still hear people behind them. They appeared to be the head of an impromptu parade.

Cayde took his arm away. Rahool prepared for a fight, but the Vanguard kept walking alongside him.

"I already told you that we're stayin' in the City tonight," Cayde said.

"We'll talk about that!" Rahool snapped.

"We're talkin' now…"

"I want to go somewhere without a blasted audience!" Rahool cried. "I can barely hear myself think!" That dreadful music from the arcade was still ringing in his ears. Was that noise what passed for music these days? The Light protect them all!

"Suit yourself," Cayde grunted. He gave no further argument. Perhaps he knew he had already pushed his luck. That didn't keep him from waving and flourishing all the way down the hill.