There was an extra element of stress to traveling with Cayde, besides the Hunter Vanguard's foolish behavior. Traveling with a Guardian meant attracting all kinds of attention. Of course Cayde was wearing the accoutrement of a Hunter even outside of the Tower. He had a role to upkeep as a Vanguard leader — though, Rahool thought disdainfully, he could have at least chosen a shirt that wasn't so obviously patched up a dozen times. Even if Cayde had somehow been convinced to leave his well-worn cloak at home, there would be no mistaking him for what he was.

Rahool had learned long ago how to pick a Guardian out of a crowd. They practically screamed their presence, no matter how inconspicuous they were trying to be. He had to admit that Hunters were the best at blending in, at least until their fluid grace gave them away. Even an Exo like Cayde was no exception. Just the tiny servos and delicate plate seams in his fingers moved with far more ease than Rahool's own tired joints ever had.

Any hopes of just getting through the afternoon with as little to-do as possible were quickly dashed as they crossed the campus. Whispers and stares followed them from startled students. Many even outright pointed as they passed by. The Commons was filled with people milling about due to the fine weather, and their numbers began to increase as word quickly spread there was a Guardian in their midst. Cayde appeared to take it all in stride. If he was embarrassed at all, he gave no sign. Rahool rather thought he wouldn't be. That show-off was probably eating the attention up. This was probably one of his fantasies upon leaving the Tower, that he'd be recognized wherever he went and adored.

And adored he was. Even if they didn't know him as a leader of the Vanguard, the overwhelming excitement of a Guardian caused smiles all around. Students flocked around them, tentatively keeping their distance, most looking like they longed to reach out and touch Cayde's cloak or get a word in. That little bubble of space left in the crowd was another telltale sign that a Guardian was about. For all they were loved by the City, there was always that little bit of awe and fear that kept people hanging back. Only fools and the smallest, most curious children approached a Guardian outright. For a moment even Rahool could see Cayde through their eyes. The daggers at his hip suddenly leapt to notice — and those were just the ones meant to be seen. Any Hunter worth their salt had at least three or four secreted on their person. It wasn't easy to forget what Cayde was made for. What all Guardians were made for. The City loved their protection even while they feared it. He wondered if Cayde was reading that in their eyes.

Cayde nodded and waved at his fans as they made their way to the history wing of the Old Hall. Despite his earlier proclamations of boredom, Cayde seemed as interested in the goings-on of the College as it was in him. Perhaps a little too interested in some aspects, Rahool noted with annoyance. If he stared at those sorority co-eds in their summer shorts any longer he was going to crack a neck servo. Couldn't he show at least a little tact?

Cayde followed him inside the Old Hall reluctantly. It was quite dark inside the narrow corridors and the air-cooling seemed to be absent as always this time of year. A few creaky, scratched windows were lodged open in a futile attempt to get a breeze circulating. When he'd chosen this Hall decades ago as the base of operations for testing, it had been a good deal newer. He supposed he could change location…yet there was just something so fitting about the first meetings with the Cryptarchy being in the established archeology and history wings. Katilyn and Riva may argue that attracting new Novices meant getting in touch with the times and all the infernal new technology that came with it, but he knew that a solid understanding of their shared past was the foundation for the Order. How could one know where they were going if they didn't remember where they had been? His insistence certainly had nothing to do with Katilyn's ridiculous assertions of his supposed "tech phobia." Bah! Even thirty years ago he'd been using Archiving tools that would make an experimental engineer salivate! It wasn't his fault City tech designs were so ridiculously unintuitive these days! Besides, some work was best done on good old data-pad. Or even pen and paper. Pen and paper couldn't run out of power.

Rahool glanced over his shoulder to make sure Cayde was still behind him. Blasted Hunters could be so silent sometimes! How they managed to sneak around with their garish cloaks was beyond him. Already Cayde was blending into the shadows between sunlit windows, without even trying. The bright blue lights of his eyes glanced with utter boredom over the glass cases of artifacts lining the corridors. Somehow each step of his was muffled on the tile floor. Rahool's own bootsteps sounded like wild horses running through the wing. With every step, he could hear his old dancing master's admonishments. Lightness of step! Do not plod insolently through the room! Chin up, feet nimble, eyes bright! You soar above gravity! Well, the old man wasn't here, and he and his nimble feet could kiss the rusty side of a hull for all he cared at the moment!

Dean Kamat's private office was located on the lower floor of the Old Hall, not too far from the grand lecture hall. He rather thought the Dean shared his sentiments about the building and therefore kept her study here despite the newer facilities that had eventually become available. Then again, the College was running out of space and didn't always have accommodations to provide. Still, this was her personal study he was taking them to and not the brighter, more open office in which she conducted meetings with students and the board. That she elected to spend time in this wing at all raised his spirits some for the students. With mentors like Kamat around, there was some hopeful outlook yet.

They arrived before the simple, frosted glass door. Rahool was uncomfortably aware of how much he was sweating. Cayde, of course, looked as cool as ice in winter. He stood at his ease and waited for Rahool to get down to business. Rahool knocked on the old wood paneling.

"Just a moment," a brusque voice called from inside the study. There was the muffled sound of shuffled papers and a creaking chair. A few moments later, the door opened.

Dean Kamat was a tall, severe woman with a refreshingly straightforward attitude. Her keen dark eyes took in everything at a glance behind her glasses. Everything about her was precise. Her silvery hair was pulled into a neat bun, her Collegiate robes were pressed and finely tailored, and behind her he could see her desk was well organized. He became even more aware of how hot and miserable he must have looked at the moment.

"Dean Kamat," he greeted her with a small bow.

Kamat took him in and her stern demeanor melted into a welcoming smile. Welcoming for Kamat, anyways. Her gaze still felt much like being pinned by a searchlight.

"Master Rahool! Welcome!"

Her glance flicked over his shoulder to Cayde, whom Rahool hoped was not being brutish. The last thing he needed was the bored Exo starting to fiddle with his knives, giving people the wrong idea. Her thin eyebrows raised in surprise.

"Guardian! I had no idea you would be accompanying the Cryptarch." She pressed a hand to her heart and bowed her head. Rahool glanced nervously at the Vanguard, hoping he could wipe that indolent look off his faceplates.

Cayde straightened up and tugged on the hood of his cloak.

"Ma'am."

Well, it was a start.

"This is Cayde-6," Rahool just remembered to introduce him. It was strange to have to do that. Everyone in the Tower knew Cayde. "He is the Vanguard leader for the Order of Hunters."

We are all honored by your visit," Dean Kamat bowed her head again. "Is it that time already?" she asked with a nervous laugh, still looking back and forth between Rahool and Cayde. The Guardian's presence was unsettling her. "It seems like just yesterday you were here to test last year's candidates."

"Indeed," Rahool smiled, trying to reassure the Dean. Perhaps if he just acted normal she would calm down. Blessed Light, what an inconvenience this all was! He would really give Ikora a piece of his mind when he got back to the Tower!

"Might I prepare in the lecture hall…?" He prompted.

"Of course, of course!" Dean Kamat turned to her office and shut out the lights, then locked the door behind her.

"Please, follow me." The last was directed mostly to Cayde. She seemed unable to relax despite Cayde's unassuming posture and welcomed silence. Some people just didn't take well to a Guardian's presence. It was one thing to hear about them on nightly news broadcasts or read about them in the papers. To have one standing before you…that took some getting used to. Light's truth, but it did.

Rahool walked side by side with the Dean down the hall. Cayde followed a few paces behind.

"I trust everything is all right," Dean Kamat spoke quietly. She looked like she dearly wanted to turn around to keep an eye on Cayde. Rahool knew the feeling, if not for the same reasons.

"We had an uneventful trip," he said, not sure what the Dean was getting at.

"Oh. I thought perhaps Guardian Cayde was here to address the rumors of the Trinary Star on campus."

Rahool blinked in surprise. The Trinary Star? Now there was a name he hadn't heard in a while!

"Not that I'm aware of," Rahool frowned, glancing back at Cayde.

The Vanguard shrugged.

"That's news to me," Cayde said.

Dean Kamat's smile was tight.

"Forgive me," she said hastily. "I thought the presence of a Vanguard meant these rumors had turned into something more substantial. Please, think no more of it."

"Has the Cult been giving you trouble?" Cayde asked.

Dean Kamat shook her head.

"Oh, no! Not really. There are supposed sightings now and then. A member tries to get on campus and preach their filth — ahem, they try to catch the ears of the students – every so often. The students themselves are usually the ones who throw them out, often before they can even be confirmed to be a Cultist. A few days ago there was some excitement that one had been caught distributing pamphlets near the library. Nothing yet has come of it." She seemed in a hurry to reassure them both. Or perhaps to reassure herself. The Trinary made most people jumpy, especially people of the College. The infamous rioting and bombing had happened right in front of that same library only ten years ago.

"Glad to hear it," Cayde nodded. "I'll keep my eyes open." Dean Kamat's tremulous smile was a touch relieved.

They made their way to the far end of the building from the Dean's office and turned into a large lecture hall. It was, in fact, the oldest lecture hall on the entire campus. The dais was marked with the College's seal emblazoned in gold leaf on the tiles. Not many knew that the same artists who had worked on this room had also been commissioned to work on the Tower's heraldry. Their touch was everywhere, from the seal on the floor to the scrollwork on the wooden crossbeams of the ceiling. It was perhaps a bit grandiose of an environment for testing a handful of students, but the room suited Rahool. If the students were a little awed…well, it was a momentous occasion, whether they knew it yet or not. An appointment to the Cryptarchy could quite literally change one's life.

"Here you are, Cryptarch," Dean Kamat gestured to the open seats. "As per usual, the students have already been informed where to meet. Their mentors will lead them here in approximately half an hour."

"Thank you, Dean," he bowed again.

"Let me know if there's anything you need," she said. She turned to Cayde. "You too, Guardian."

Cayde nodded and the Dean bustled out, leaving them alone.

"Think she'd get me a hall pass?" Cayde asked.

Rahool sighed.

"You might as well make yourself comfortable."

"I gotta stay here for the whole exam?!" Cayde cried.

"You didn't think I would let you wander around alone, did I?" Rahool stared at the Exo, arms crossed.

Cayde looked aghast.

"But this is gonna take hours!"

Rahool fought back a sneer. Oh, what a delicious turning of tables this was! Pull a fast one on him about spending the night, would he? Well, now Cayde could try this on for size!

"Isn't there a book in your overnight bag?" He asked mildly.

"Aw, come on, Cryptarch!" Cayde whined. "Have a heart! It's a shriveled lump by now, but I know it's gotta be in there somewhere!"

Rahool ignored him, busily unpacking his satchel on the podium.

"I'm just gonna get in the way!" Cayde was practically begging now, following him around as he set out prepared data pads and leather-bound booklets on a long table on the dais. "You know me. I'll be a distraction! The kids won't be able to concentrate!"

Cayde snatched up a roll of holoscrolls as Rahool reached for them. The lights of his eyes stared straight into Rahool's.

"The future of the Cryptarchy hangs in the balance. Do you really want to take that chance?"

Rahool held out his hand impatiently for the scrolls.

"What I want is to take no chances with you!" He growled.

"I won't leave the campus. You have my word!" Cayde continued to hold onto the holoscrolls. Rahool raised an eyebrow.

"I mean it! My word, Rahool. Not my promises — my word."

Rahool studied him for a long moment. Cayde put a lot of stock in his honor. But this was Hunter honor, which was notorious for being…flexible. Especially when it came to Cayde.

Truth be told, Rahool had no idea what he would do with him during the examination. Cayde was right when he said he'd only be a distraction. Any Guardian would cause a stir, and Cayde had a way of making his presence known even when sitting still. Could he risk letting him out of his sight? Blast it all, he didn't have time for this!

"Fine!" he snapped. "You can go."

Cayde sighed in relief.

"But I warn you," Rahool held up a finger. "If you leave this campus, or do anything more than sightseeing on the grounds, I'll report you to Ikora myself!"

Cayde shoved the scrolls into Rahool's waiting hand.

"Relax, Cryptarch! You got nothin' to worry about. So, uh, I'll swing by in a few hours, okay?"

"You'll tap on that lecture hall door on the hour every hour," Rahool said firmly. "So I know you're still around."

"What? That's ridiculous!" Cayde began to protest.

"It's either that or you sit right next to me and wait!"

"All right, all right! I'll tap on the door! Sheesh." He began to move off before Rahool could change his mind.

"I'll be listening, Cayde!"

"Yeah, yeah!" Cayde waved a hand over his shoulder and swept out of the room so fast the end of his cloak snapped the air.

Rahool sighed again to the empty room. This was definitely against his better judgment.