“I’m not sure your approach is the best way either,” Vincent said. “In fact, I’m confident it isn’t.”

“Is that so?” Jason asked. “Less than two months ago, I walked into Greenstone with no name and no background. Two weeks ago, I watched the symphony from the private viewing box of one of the city’s most prominent families. Two days ago, aristocrats were giving me death stares for my friendship with the son of the city’s most powerful adventurer. Two minutes ago, you and I started discussing my conflict with the nephew of the city’s ruler.”

“I’m not really sure what to say to that,” Vincent said. “You realise there will be consequences for the way you’re going about things.”

“Of course,” Jason said, “but nothing is more impressive than handling the consequences of one’s actions with grace and aplomb.”

“And you can do that, can you?”

“I have absolutely no idea,” Jason said with a laugh.

“Rufus warned me about you,” Vincent said. “He said you were a man of malevolent intellect.”

“That may be the nicest thing anyone has ever said about me.”

“That’s the nicest thing?”

“What we find complimentary is often subjective.”

“You are a very strange man.”

“That’s just cultural differences,” Jason said. “Where I come from, I’m perfectly ordinary.”

“And where is that, exactly?”

“Maybe it is possible that I'm slightly unusual,” Jason conceded, instead of answering the question.

“Thank you, in any case, for not interfering when I told you to go after the trap weavers,” Vincent said. “Pointing out what I was doing would have been easy points for you, socially speaking.”

“No worries,” Jason said. “It’s not the easy points that win the game.”

“You know why I haven’t passed you, yet, don’t you?”

“I don’t care what you tell us. You won’t pass or fail anyone until the assessment is over.”

“True enough,” Vincent said, “although I don’t see Humphrey dropping down this time. He did well, taking leadership today. He had a similar chance last month and second-guessed himself into silence.”

“Did Rufus ask you to fail me? Or did he just ask you to set the bar high?”

“If I was going to fail you arbitrarily, I wouldn’t have brought you along.”

“Professionalism,” Jason said. “I can’t ask for more than that. Wait, yes I can. What is it going to take to get a pass?”

“You’re an affliction specialist,” Vincent said. “Something like the bark lurker would be trouble for most adventurers, but you handled it easily.”

“So why put me up against it?”

“You tell me.”

Jason thought it over.

“To make sure I can actually use my own specialty?” he ventured.

“There you are,” Vincent said. “So what will it take before I pass you?”

Jason rubbed his chin thoughtfully.