Thael was back to the dorms and into the shower in all of 30 seconds, through the shower in 2 minutes, had his uniform on perfectly in 3, and arrived at the administration offices with 2 minutes to spare. His friends were, for the most part, didn’t feel the need to be quite so polished on such short notice, but Thael couldn’t help himself. Eight minutes ago, he’d been covered in sweat and dressed for exercise, but now, not a single hair was out of place, literally. His uniform was immaculate: his shirt was freshly starched, his boots were so shiny you could see your reflection, his tie was perfectly positioned, the seams of his pants were crisp, not so much as a whisker marred his complexion, and his beret was on at precisely the right jaunty angle.

He made sure everything was still in place one last time just before he came around the corner to the headmaster’s office. The first thing he saw was Roy standing by the secretary’s desk with an impish grin on his face, a plate of hotdogs beside him. The sight of the hotdogs prompted a slight growl from his stomach, reminding him he hadn’t eaten yet. “You’re a lifesaver, Puckins” he whispered as he pulled Roy into a close embrace. “I’m so glad we both made it.” He grabbed a hotdog and wolfed it down almost instantly.

“You’re glowing” Roy replied, the same impish grin still glued to his face. He seemed in an exceptionally good mood. Thael looked down and found that he was indeed gently radiating gold light; sometimes his spirits got caught up in his emotions. He clamped down on his enthusiasm, and the glow diminished.

Olivia was next to arrive, a little cranky this morning, and Thael winced internally. Putting up with Britney Farron for that long was bound leave anyone irritated. “Hey Liv,” he greeted her, placing an arm around her shoulder and giving her a quick squeeze. “I’m sorry, I should’ve rescued you from Britney back at the Windsurfer, but then the announcement...anyways, I guess congratulations are in order!”

It wasn’t until Freddy arrived, covered in glitter, that Thael finally understood what had Roy in such a good mood. Their diminutive friend stumbled in muttering curses, and Roy’s grin grew from impish to positively diabolical. Thael shook his head wearily sometimes he just wished Puck would learn just the tiniest bit of self restraint, especially towards Freddy. Thael really appreciated how much work Freddy was putting into keeping an eye on their collective mental health. The standard channels weren’t really meant to deal with a situation quite like this, so Freddy was going farther afield. That being said, the two of them disagreed about the best approach with Roy. Thael kept insisting that direct pressure was the wrong approach, but Freddy prefered to approach the matter in a way that couldn’t be evaded. Thael frowned slightly; this was not the approach they’d agreed on, he’d have to talk to Freddy about that later, but for now...

“Here bud, consider it a peace offering.” Thael said amicably, offering the plate of hotdogs, then wrapping Freddy in a big hug. “Congrats! Guess we’ll be stuck with eachother a while longer eh?” Thael was, of course, completely oblivious to Freddy’s feelings. It would take something fairly substantial to clue him in.

Mag’s arrived in ample time, perfectly dressed of course. Even in all their years together, Thael wasn’t sure he’d ever seen the slim blonde looking anything less than perfect. He considered going in for a hug, despite the risk of feedback, but looking closely he noticed Mag’s spirits were especially active today, draping her in flickering shadows that didn’t seem to care much for the laws of optics. With his own spirits glowing on his skin, Thael decided today was not the day to push it. 

They made an odd pair, facing eachother in the hall, one wreathed in shadows, one bathed in light. The feedback had only become problematic a few years ago, after that day in the lab when Mag had unleashed her full potential. Now, whenever they got too close, their spirits began to crackle and let loose stray bolts of energy. When they did touch, it was thoroughly unpleasant. To Thael, Magdelena was ice cold, so cold it hurt and seemed to suck the life out of him. Apparently for Mag, Thael burned with the heat of the sun. Both had sufficient control of their spirits that it didn’t affect their combat dynamic, but it was generally better if they avoided casual touching. “You have fun last night Mag?” he asked. He felt it was important for her to have fun once in a while.

------------WARG Ceremony--------

As they filed into the office, Thael couldn’t help himself, and he began glowing in earnest as excitement bubbled in his chest. Thirteen years of his life had led to this moment. He saluted sharply to the academy council, rigidly maintaining his place in line. He kept his head high and eyes forward as General Dysley entered. Thael had the utmost respect for Cid Dysley. The man had an incredible record of brilliant field command, and while politics had removed him from the field and brought him to Oakridge, Thael thought there could be no better use of the man’s talents than teaching the next generation of soldiers.

As the WARG badge was pinned to his chest, even Thael’s years of discipline couldn’t suppress his absolute joy. A smile cracked through his formal ‘at attention’ mask, and the light of his spirits became almost blinding for a second, before he sternly brought them back under control. Even so, they continued to illuminate him slightly.

But then General Dysley announced Olivia would be the commanding officer of their unit. Well not so much ‘announced’ it as ‘casually mentioned’ it. The shimmering lights winked out, and Thael’s face returned to it’s disciplined mask. Olivia was the logical choice, really. She was hardworking, smart, innovative, and she’d kept their group together for years, through thick and thin. She deserved this, Thael tried to convince himself. A good soldier accepts the decisions of his superiors, he told himself. He tried paying attention to the rest of the briefing, but a little voice in the back of his head kept saying [i]why not me?[/i] 

----------Afterwards---------

Thael did his best to keep his disappointment hidden. He didn’t want to undermine Olivia’s authority before they even got into the field, but it was hard. He kept thinking back to that one simulation that had gone so poorly. Was that it? Was that the reason he hadn’t even been considered?

He began to think back over every mistake he’d made in the past 10 years, not really paying attention to his friends, digging into every mistake and fault until he convinced himself he’d never been worthy. A sudden application of pressure on his back brought his attention back to the present. Roy. Other might consider their relationship odd, or a bad match. Thael with his endless kindness, boundless optimism and undying faith in people was in stark contrast to Roy’s cynical, casual disregard for others. But Thael tried his best to see the good in everyone, and in Roy he saw a troubled man with a great capacity for love, and a nose for trouble. Thael managed to genuinely smile as he replied. “Sounds good Puckins, I’ll come with you.”