Jason navigated the commotion-filled campus, leisurely eating an apple. He watched absently as an Ustei made a run for it, with a couple of Adventure Society officials in pursuit. He reached the administration building, where a crowd of people swarmed around the carriages that would take them out to desert relay stations. The humungous Ustei sand barge was going to be used, along with smaller sand barges supplied by the Magic Society.

It had been a good choice to make his farewells to Gary, Farrah and Rufus at the inn rather than at the assembly point. Looking at the huge mess and hearing the harried shouts, Jason was somewhat happy that he wasn’t a part of it. He was disappointed he wouldn’t get to see the inside of the astral space, though.

“One of these days,” he consoled himself.

He approached the space in front of the admin building where the adventurers were gathering. He paused as he felt the wild storm of auras crashing together in a maelstrom. Not everyone had the control that came from just having an aura power, let alone the kind of training Jason had received from Farrah.

He used that training to suppress other auras in a very small space around his body, allowing him to move closer without being overwhelmed. He noticed a lot of iron-rankers looking woozy because they couldn’t do the same. Farrah’s emphasis on the importance of aura training was once again borne out.

It took him a while to track down anyone he knew in the crowd, as they were all restraining their auras to avoid adding to the mess. He found Danielle Geller busily directing the loading of supplies, pausing only long enough to point Jason in the direction of the main mass of Gellers.

If he had come at the crowd from the other side, he quickly realised, he would have had no trouble. The Gellers were gathered en masse, looking like a modelling agency that had formed an Olympic team. Surprising Jason not at all, they were already packed up and ready to head out. He nodded to those he knew as he made his way over to where Rick and Phoebe were talking, while Humphrey was saying goodbye to Gabrielle. Rick’s team was also there, Jonah laughing at Humphrey.

“You’re going away for a few weeks,” Jonah jeered. “It’s not like you’re going off to war.”

“Leave them be,” Jason said as he approached. “They’re sweet and earnest. The world could use more of that.”

“I’m glad you think so,” Cassandra said, suddenly standing next to him. He smiled as she slipped her hand into his.

“Oh, hey,” he greeted, voice softening with pleasure. “Can you teleport?”

“Maybe,” she said. “A girl has to have some secrets.”

“I have secrets, too,” he said. “My fried chicken spice mix is better than my essence abilities.”