The Nova Academy Forum was no stranger to crowds during normal use, but the senior party filled it beyond capacity. The steady beat of electronic music, likely composed by a fellow student, kept the mass in constant motion. Working his way through the jumble of tangled limbs and writhing bodies was Hitori.

He would prefer to be training right now, especially since his session with Protius ended on a flat note, but the meeting with Ms. Athens ran longer than expected. She spent two hours expounding the virtues of academia, then, when he was battered into submission, dropped a chore on him. One that would have been much easier two hours ago. Now he was going to have to spend half the night hunting down his squad.

The team got along well enough, but after hours they tended to scatter. Protius wouldn’t be far from Chandra, but Gordon could be virtually anywhere. The Forum was his best bet for locating Chandra, so he starting looking for her pretty white hair.

I’m sure there aren’t many Paladins here… compared to the White Temple. Idiot.

It usually bothered him when other students literally kept their distance, but his mother’s reputation worked in his favor for once. He didn’t have to stop to talk with anyone, and the spacing made it easier to look through the crowd. The flash of multicolored lights timed with the steady thump of music had an equal but opposite effect. It took Hitori an hour to locate Chandra.

He found her lingering near the makeshift bar, a glass of clear liquid in hand. The ice rattled as she swayed on her feet. She was watching two students in an animated discussion. One was a tall, well built man who shared Chandra’s Northerner complexion and facial features, as well as the pure white hair that marked him as a Paladin. Hitori recognized him as Seht, a member of Bridget’s Team.

The other was a Seitojin woman, with lighter brown skin and more distinct facial features, but she still had the distinct white hair of a Paladin. Hitori wasn’t sure which team she was with, but she was the same year as him.

“Damnit Yuffie, not this old story again,” Seht said.

“Come on, you’ve seen the door they have down there,” the other Paladin said, apparently Yuffie. “There’s got to be something on the other side!”

“And you think it’s a secret metafauna research lab? Why would we need another one, but in secret?”

“Well, I dunno,” Yuffie’s voice dropped in volume. “Then what do you think it is?”

“It’s got to be a stockpile of weaponry from the Temple Wars,” Seht said.

“What, like a big pile of swords collecting dust for four hundred years?” Yuffie laughed. “And you think that makes more sense than a lab! We actually research metafauna, what would we do with a bunch of rusty guns?”

“Chandra!” Seht called out after spotting her nearby. “Come on, back me up on this. I know you were close with the High Chaplain.”

“I don’t know if I’d say that,” Chandra said too quiet for him to hear. She started turning away but was interrupted by Yuffie.

“Oh Chandra! I didn’t see you there,” she called out. “What are you doing huddled away in a corner.” She walked towards her. “Let’s forget this stuffy temple business and you come dance with me.”

Chandra backed away, but Hitori stopped her by lightly grabbing her arm. She shifted towards Hitori faster than expected and he reflexively slid back.

“Oh, Hitori—” Chandra started.

“I need a second before you join your friend,” Hitori said, quickly reclosing the distance.

Yuffie arrived as Hitori finished talking to Chandra. His teammate made as if to walk off, but her captain was still in the way.

“Don’t forget,” Hitori said as he left.

“Doesn’t he look imperial,” Yuffie said as she grabbed Chandra by the hands, rotating her inwards. “Is he your boyfriend?”

“Just my team captain,” Chandra said. Yuffie smiled, before suddenly drawing one of Chandra’s hands up. She started fussing over her sleeve, but the high tone of her voice was drowned out by music as Hitori walked towards Protius.

As expected, he was nearby, watching Chandra from amidst the small crowd that surrounded him. They were from another squad in Shadow Battalion, who kept trying to poach Protius. Hitori wasn’t sure what their team name was, because it kept changing, but he did rather wish they’d stop trying to steal his friend.

What would they even do with two Arteficers?

“Get out of here ya damn vultures,” Hitori said, physically shooing one of them away.

“The offer’s always open,” one of them said as they walked away.

“They never quit,” Protius said with a laugh. “Now, where was I?”

“I think you were awkwardly stalking your teammate,” Hitori said.

“S-shut up! I-I was—“

“Yeah, yeah,” Hitori said. “Save it for after you’ve actually asked her to dance. Although you’ll have to wait your turn.” Hitori motioned toward the floor where Chandra and Yuffie were dancing. Or more accurately, where Yuffie was dancing and Chandra was awkwardly swaying.

“She… she’s pretty close, to her.” He trailed off as Hitori moved into his line of sight.

“Yeah, Yuffie seems like that kind of girl,” Hitori said. “But you can worry about that after I tell you we’re meeting tomorrow for some last minute training.”

“Hmm, that sounds—“ Protius had been leaning over to see past Hitori when he bolted upright. “Wait, what?”

“Tomorrow, training, meet by the North Gate at zero seven hundred.”

“You’re crazy man, we don’t need more training. You promised we could relax before the field exam!”

“Take it up with Ms. Athens, because she wants us to do it.”

“Damnit Hitori,” Protius laughed. “Will you two make out already, I’ve had enough of this tsundere bullshit.”

“I think in order for her to be tsundere she has to actually like me.”

“I’m talking about you.” Protius elbowed him in the side then dodged a lazy punch.

“I think you’ve mistaken well justified terror for affection there, bro,” Hitori said. Wouldn’t it be hilarious if that Shade just shifted in? He glanced behind him. “Anyway, you’ve stalled enough, go ask Chandra to dance with you.”

“I don’t think… .” Protius looked down and fidgeted with his hands.

“Then someone,” Hitori slapped Protius on the back, knocking him toward the mass of moving bodies. “I have to find Gordon.”

“I think I saw him leave earlier,” Protius said as he was dragged away by a girl his age. Apparently she snuck into the party. Hitori wondered how long she’d been waiting to pounce as he walked out of the Forum.

He started running down a mental checklist of all the places Gordon might have ended up, enjoying the cool night air as he thought. His rumination was broken by the sound of an explosion near the southern wall.