Ryn was already seated beside Gabriel when Caden entered. Her shroud settled thinly around her like a familiar blanket. She still wasn't comfortable enough around the rookie to drop it completely.

  "Take a seat," Gabriel began. "5 steps ahead and two steps to your left. Overhead lights are dimmable."

  Ah, she thought. That confirmed a theory.

  "They're good, thanks," Caden replied as his hand brushed across the back of the chair.

  Gabriel nodded. "Alright. Tell me what happened last night."

  "I, um, fainted."

  Gabriel waited, not replying. Her husband's favorite trick.

  Caden took a deep breath and began to explain how he had tapped into himself and paid the price. Interesting. Her plans needed updating.

  Caden fidgeted with his staff, his thumb brushing against the smooth metal. He was bracing for impact.

  "What did that teach you?" Gabriel asked instead.

  "Um, not to pull from my own body heat?"

  "External pyromancy," she interjected quietly, unsure if her husband had noticed what she had. "Not internal.”

  “...huh?” Caden asked.

  Gabriel glanced at her, but she didn't speak. She went still, content to let the attention shift away from her again. She trusted him to explain now that she had pointed him in the right direction.

  "Internal pyromancers convert their own energy into heat,” Gabriel explained. “External pyromancers draw from what's already there. Is avoiding your body heat all you learned, Reed?"

  Caden hesitated. "I... think so?"

  Gabriel shook his head. "You learned what it feels like to shape heat. Even if you used a dangerous source that I forbid you from ever using again, you know what to look for now. That said… I owe you an apology."

  Ryn almost smiled in relief. She was prepared to nudge him there herself.

  “You- what?”

  “The documentation I reviewed focused heavily on internal pyromancy. It's by far the most common type. As Shroud said, you appear to be an external pyromancer. You overstrained because I didn't provide you with a heat source. It won't happen again.”

  Something sharp flickered across Caden's face. Worried, not resentful. “It's okay,” he nodded nervously. "Are we- are we done now?"

  "No. We have a few more matters to discuss."

  Caden finger gunned. "Fire away."

  Gabriel flicked through his tablet before continuing. "This morning, you left the building at 4:19 am and returned at 4:51 am. Why? You should have been resting. You were recovering from hypothermia.”

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  Caden froze, unsure what to say. "I, um... I needed to clear my head."

  "There are safer ways to do that."

  "It's June," he said defensively. "It's- it's not like it was cold out there."

  "That's not the point," Gabriel countered. "You're displaying a pattern of risky behavior."

  Caden's face fell immediately. Time to step in. Her hand came to rest on top of her husband's.

  "Relax, love."

  Gabriel closed his eyes, taking a deep breath and exhaling before continuing. "You're not off the team, Reed. That said, I want you to think harder before acting."

  Caden nodded. "Yes, sir."

  "Final order of business: your staff. I presume you wanted to use it in the field?"

  "Yes, sir."

  "Any tool you carry needs to be approved by the League," Gabriel informed him. "Standard procedure- destructive testing and liability checks."

  Caden smiled proudly. "I'm sure it'll pass with flying colors. My sister made it. She's brilliant."

  Something clicked in her mind. “Are you related to Teskia Reed?" she chimed in.

  Caden was cautious as he answered. "Yes?"

  “That's one of the designers on the League's standard HUDs for suits,” she explained.

  Realization dawned on her husband's face. "Met her once or twice at conferences. Smart woman."

  Caden's eyes widened in shock. "Wait, what? You've met Tess?! My sister works with- Oh my goodness. I need to call her."

  "Give us a second," Ryn said. "Then you can call her.”

  "Right," Caden rubbed the back of his neck. "So, uh, staff needs to be tested, no problem. Can I watch them do it? How long does it take?"

  "Timeline depends on backlog, but I'd estimate a week," Gabriel answered neutrally.

  Gabriel had answered the question, but he hadn't addressed the worry underneath it. Sometimes he struggled with subtext like that. She was about to step in when Caden groaned theatrically.

  "You- You blocks, you stones, you worse than senseless things!"

  Ryn couldn't help but let out a soft laugh. Of course even his curses were Shakespearean.

  "How do you expect me to get around without making a fool of myself?" Caden continued.

  "I would recommend familiarizing yourself with the base," Gabriel replied. "We don't have to send it off right away, but I would strongly advise getting it tested before your first field mission. That's a month from now. Longer if Sadie doesn't clear your wrist.”

  "Okay, I... I can work with that. I just- Yeah. And my wrist is fine, boss, don't worry."

  Gabriel raised a skeptical eyebrow but said nothing about it. “Shroud?” he said instead, turning towards her.

  Ryn took a small breath as she mentally arranged her thoughts into the proper order.

  “You've told us you fainted because you pulled from your own core temperature,” she began. “I want to know why you made that choice and if there were any warning signs that you pushed through before the collapse.”

  Caden paused.

  “Take your time,” she reassured him. “I'm not asking this to discipline you. I'm asking because I need to know how to plan for you.”

  Caden closed his eyes. “I just… wanted to impress Deflector.”

  Ryn nodded to herself. That aligned with what she already knew about him. Gabriel opened his mouth to say something, but she beat him to it. "You don't need to hurt yourself to be seen here."

  Caden nodded. “Yes, ma'am.”

  “Just Ryn, thank you.”

  "Do you have questions for us?" Gabriel asked.

  "No, sir. And thank you. For not firing me.”

  Gabriel nodded. “Training resumes tomorrow. Meet me in the gym at 7 AM. Dismissed.”

  Caden stood, planting his staff on the ground and pausing for a second before walking to the door. His hand fumbled for the doorknob.

  Ryn waited for the door latch to click. Then another moment before she let the shroud fade away. "He's growing on you, love," she teased.

  Gabriel rolled his eyes but didn't disagree.