The air in the Main Hall had shifted. The frantic, mid-afternoon peak had bled into a steady, low hum as the sun began to dip lower behind the arched windows.
Alex moved through the aisles with a measured, effortless stride, his skin cooled by a quick wash and his clothes straightened into a mask of casual academic focus.
He spotted them in the same place where he had first seen them upon entering the hall.
Mike and Sarah were hunched over their thick books, buried deep in their studies.
Danny, however, was slumped in his chair, his bored gaze wandering the room until it snagged on Alex.
The change was instantaneous... he practically jolted upright.
"Hey, you finally here," Danny whispered, his voice thick with a genuine, desperate sort of relief. "I seriously thought you were never going to make it."
Alex offered a slow, easy smirk as he pulled out the chair beside him and sat down.
"I got caught up in something in the back. Lost track of the hour."
