Today was graduation day at the Academy. Or, rather, the last day of classes. Dan had only taken the one class, so maybe graduation wasn't exactly the applicable term. Either way, he was done. He'd finally passed his final exam (after turning in a doctor's note giving him a clean bill of health), and would be receiving his disaster relief certification, alongside the rest of his classmates. It was a minor thing overall, just a little piece of paper that said he could participate as a volunteer in certain emergencies, and in specific capacities. But it was an accomplishment. It was something that Other Dan, Old Dan, could not have done. Something to be proud of. So, he arrived to the station with a spring in his step.

There was nothing elaborate about the process. He'd been informed ahead of time that there would be no fancy ceremony, nor a speech, nor anything other than a firm handshake and a pat on the back. Nevertheless, Abby had insisted on accompanying him. She was waiting for him in the lobby of the Academy, wearing a bright smile and toting an embarrassingly large amount of colorful balloons. Dan couldn't keep down his own goofy grin.

"Congratulations Danny!" Abby exclaimed, waving exuberantly. Her voice carried across the mercifully empty lobby, and Dan waved back with an embarrassed laugh.

"It's really not a big deal, Abs," he replied, awkwardly scratching the back of his head. "I just finished a class is all. People do it every day."

She shook her head, even as she grabbed him by the hand. She dragged him forward, babbling happily. "It's a big accomplishment, okay? And it's important, too! You're doing good work! We don't have nearly enough volunteers, even in a major city like this. That bastard proved how undermanned we really are. If the fire department had been a few minutes slower, we might've lost the city." Her arm tightened around his as she spoke.

Abby had been much clingier since she'd returned from her trip home. Dan had expected a more thorough haranguing once they'd reconvened, but she'd simply forced him onto the couch and held him close while they watched a movie. He felt like it was a much sweeter reunion than he'd had any right to expect after throwing himself into danger so carelessly.

The pair made their way down the long hallways of the Academy, leaning against each other as young couples do. Her colorful balloons bounced against the ceiling and scattered in a wide trail behind her, forcing passerby to duck beneath them. They found the door to Dan's classroom and opened it wide.

Half a dozen heads swung his way, most of them familiar. Professor Tawny—officer now, Dan supposed—nodded from his place at the front of the room. The dog-eared policeman was leaning against his desk as he chatted with an officer that Dan didn't recognize. Fred was present too, surrounded by a group of people who Dan assumed were his family. He gave Dan a momentary glance, a brief grin, then returned to conversing with an older man.

And then there was...

"DANIEL!" Gregoir bellowed exuberantly, eliciting flinches from every non-uniformed person in the room. The man beside him stuck a finger in his own ear and twisted it around, letting out a heavy sigh. He turned to the door, giving Dan a clear view of his face.

"Long time no see, Mr. Newman," Sergeant Ito greeted, his scarred face twisting into a pained smile. "I'm glad you took my advice."

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"That makes two of us!" Gregoir agreed heartily, slapping his superior on the back. The grizzled officer took the heavy blow with a grunt.

Gregoir continued, his voice drowning out every other conversation in the room. "Young Daniel has continuously proved his heroic nature! As usual, my discerning eye has proven its merit!"

"Yes, yes, one for sixty. Well done, Gregoir," Ito replied dryly, patting the giant on his elbow.

Dan stood at the precipice of the room, trying not to blanch at the attention now drawn to him. Abby poked her head in from behind him, frowned, then pushed him further into the room. She followed behind him, her balloons screeching against each other as she pulled them through the narrow doorway. Gregoir fired off an enthusiastic greeting in her general direction which she happily returned, and Dan returned to cataloging the room.

Freya, He was saddened to note, was absent. She'd elected to have her certificate mailed, and hadn't bothered to appear in person. He hadn't spoken to her for more than a few minutes since Connor's... incident. She'd been rather tight-lipped about what her fiance was going through. The young woman took secrecy very seriously. Fortunately, Dan had another 'in' regarding Connor's situation.

Cornelius Graham had turned out to be a much more loose-lipped sort of man than Dan had expected. After their previous encounter, the man had Dan's cell phone number, and hadn't been shy in contacting him. Maybe it was Cornelius's high position, or a lack of friends who treated him normally, but he seemed perfectly happy to inundate Dan with news about his life and that of his family. The man was both a playboy and a troll, flooding Dan's phone with pictures of his latest conquests and internet memes. He seemed to genuinely be under the impression that this was normal friend behavior.

It was worth the irritation, though, for the small tidbits of information that sometimes slipped through the thick net of cat pictures and buxom supermodels. Information such as that Connor was progressing well in his training, and that his power was a frighteningly effective one. Details had been sparse regarding the specifics, but Dan had pieced together enough from Cornelius's bragging comments, and Dan's own experience fighting Connor. The young man could manipulate kinetic energy, or momentum of some kind. The limits were unclear, but he had briefly overcome gravity during their spar. Dan fully expected his younger friend to show off some sort of limited flight the next time they met.

Officer Tawny cleared his throat, bringing Dan back to the present. The former detective stood at the front of the room, addressing the three members of his class present and their gathered families. He waited for a few moments, until all attention had fallen upon him, then smiled genially.

"I know I told you all that I wouldn't be giving a speech," he said, "so I'll keep this brief. I am incredibly proud of how all of you handled yourselves during this city's most recent time of crisis. No matter what else you do with your life, remember this: your actions saved lives that day. You did an incalculable amount of good, and that can never be taken away."

"Hear hear," echoed Ito, pounding the desk closest to him.

"I have here your certificates," Tawny continued, waving his hand towards a bundle of papers on his desk. "Once you leave this building, you will be fully endowed with the power to legally involve yourself in many different emergency situations. It is a great privilege, and an enormous responsibility. Treat it as such."

And that was that. The forms were passed out, and applause was had by all. Abby produced a bundle of kazoos that she'd stowed away somewhere on her person, and the group of mostly strangers celebrated together for the first and last time. It was a nice feeling, Dan thought, to have his efforts acknowledged. Even by strangers. Even in such an odd manner. It gave him a sense of what he was doing, it grounded the responsibility that he'd taken on. A weight that draped around him, a cloak made of authority and obligation and trust.

It was a good weight, in the end. One he was happier to bear than not.