Chapter II

Ipsum, The Student

July 6, 23XX

The Rabbit Troi poked his head inside Weir's open office door. The Otter was alone, working on his tablet in his maddeningly white room.

"Hey, you've got one more coming in for processing, and we have a staff meeting at 16:00," said Troi, straightening the collar on his lab coat.

"Alright, thanks," replied Weir. "Lunch in an hour?"

"Sounds good to me. So... is Pyra gonna be there?" Weir flinched.

"I don't know, that's his business."

"Oh, testy. I'll see you later then." He waved and walked back towards the lobby. Weir looked back down at his tablet, Pyra's file displayed on the screen. He caught himself smiling at the Horse's picture when his door chime sounded.

"Enter," he said, closing Pyra's file.

A short ways away, Pyra was sitting outside the door into the Debello. After giving it a lot of thought, he had finally decided to ask Commander Nero about joining the Combatant branch. Maybe he wanted to strengthen himself, maybe he just wanted to impress Weir, but either way he knew this was what he wanted to do. The doors slid open and a group of Cadets filed out, talking amongst themselves. Pyra got to his hooves and went inside, seeing Commander Nero standing adamantly in the center of the room, back to the door.

"You're Mr. Valentin, correct?" he said in his gruff voice.

"Y-yes sir," replied the Horse, taken a little off-guard.

"What can I do for you?" asked the Lion, not moving. Commander Nero was about two heads shorter than Pyra, his fur a soft tan with flecks of crème. He had soil-coloured hair, pulled back into a short ponytail, flanked by two large round ears. His eyes were wide and steely. His uniform was immaculately maintained.

"I-I wanted to ask you... a-about joining the Combatant branch," said Pyra, slowly walking towards the Lion. Why wouldn't he look at him?

"Oh do you now? Do you think you have what it takes? I push my Cadets hard. I expect a lot from them."

"I think I do." Without warning the Lion turned and pounced on the Horse, knocking him to the floor. He placed on of his great paw-like feet on the Horse's chest, keeping him down.

"It doesn't seem like it to me." Pyra struggled against the dominant Animal but couldn't get loose. In a last-ditch attempt, he swept out with one of his legs, catching Commander Nero's other foot and toppling the Lion. Pyra clambered to his hooves as the Lion sprang to his feet. Nero lunged at the Horse again, but this time he was ready. Pyra dropped down to his hands and knees, the Lion sailing over him. The Horse kicked upwards with one of his hooves, catching Nero in the chest. The Lion fell to the floor, laughing.

"Very good! I haven't been tossed around like that in a long time." The two Animals stood, facing each other, Pyra still wary of another attack. "You're a natural. You're more than welcome to take my hand-to-hand combat class." The Lion's demeanor had changed almost completely. He laughed again, dusting off his uniform.

"T-thank you sir." The Horse was still winded, but he was beginning to relax.

"No, thank you. You're going to make an excellent addition to the Combatants. Don't think, though, that I'm going to go easy on you. I want you to be the best you can."

"I'll try sir."

"Excellent! Now, come with me. I'll introduce you to your new classmates." Pyra followed Commander Nero out of the Debello and to the canteen, spotting a group of Animals all seated around one of the glowing tables, eating lunch and talking animatedly.

"Commander, sir!" said a young Goat, springing up and saluting his superior officer. The rest of the table followed suit.

"As you were gentlemen," said Nero, back to his gruff self. "This is Pyra Valentin. He will be joining your group starting tomorrow. You will treat him with respect, do I make myself clear?"

"Yes sir," said the other Animals in unison.

"Very good. Well, Pyra, I'll see you tomorrow at 10:00 in the Debello, and make sure you're wearing your uniform in perfect order. I'll requisition it immediately. Part of being disciplined is looking professional. Just ask these men how I punish you if you do something wrong." The Lion saluted and walked away, leaving the canteen.

"Well I guess introductions are in order," said the Goat. "I'm Samael Isaacs, but you can just call me Sam. The Mandrill is Helios Aileron, the Leopard Seal is Serge Bowspirit, and the Ermine is Crescent Hinodé." Pyra recognized the Ermine and Seal from the day of his arrival.

"'Sup mate?" asked the Seal.

"Nice to meet you," said the Ermine. The Mandrill just nodded curtly.

"We were just having lunch, would you care to join us?" asked the Goat.

"Yes, thank you," said Pyra, getting his meal from the food replicator and taking a seat with the others. The Goat Sam was about a head-and-a-half shorter than Pyra with soft, snow-white fur all over his body. On his chin it was cut longer to make a little beard. He had deep blue eyes and two tiny horns poking out from the top of his head. The Mandrill Helios had dark olive-coloured fur, a lighter almond on his chin. He was a few centimetres taller than the Goat and had a bit of a paunch at his stomach. He had bright brown eyes, accented by the blue coloration on his snout.

The Seal Serge was in between Sam and Helios in height and had a build similar to the Mandrill's. His fur was mottled grey and white with flecks of black throughout. He had a thick, powerful tail that terminated with a fin just above his ankles. His eyes were dark, making him seem a little frightening despite his seemingly relaxed nature. In contrast to his paunchy midsection, he was very muscular. The Ermine Crescent was the tallest of the four, just a head shorter than Pyra. He was very thin with silky fur, almond on his back and white on his front. His long smooth tail stretched down just past his calves, the tip black like it had been dipped in ink. His eyes were also dark, like Serge's, but they seemed more inquisitive than threatening.

"You must've done something to impress the Commander," said Sam. "We're partway through the class; no one's supposed to get in until the next one."

"I-I don't know. He said he hadn't been tossed around like I did when we were fighting just now." The group's collective jaw dropped.

"You fought the Commander... and won?!" said Crescent.

"Y-yeah.... I mean, it wasn't a very long fight, but I got a good kick in. He just started laughing though...."

"The Commander laughed?!" said Serge in equal disbelief to Pyra's victory. "Good on ya mate! I've never seen 'im so much's smile." The Mandrill was the only one who didn't seem to be impressed by Pyra's feats, and remained stoic and stone-faced.

"Well now we know why he let you in," said Sam. "None of us were able to beat him when he tested us, not even Helios and he's the best in our class."

"How many classes are there?" asked Pyra.

"Four. He alternates days between them all, and he also helps with the weapons combat classes."

"There's a lot to learn"

"Yeah, but don't let it get you down. Think of it as constantly improving yourself." Pyra smiled and nodded. Self-improvement, he thought, and maybe Weir will like him more too.

"So what happens if I don't come to class in my uniform...?"

"Ah," said the Ermine. "If you come in your civilian clothes, or if your uniform isn't perfect, you don't get to wear anything but your jock."

"It's not so bad though," said Serge. "Sometimes is just easier to move wivout anyfing on."

"You just say that 'cause you almost never wear yours properly. You're always forgetting to tuck in your shirt, and you jacket's always wrinkled."

"Well maybe I like it that way. Maybe I just like the breeze on my fur."

"That doesn't surprise me."

"Serge and Crescent are roommates, so they're always playing around like this," Sam whispered to Pyra.

"Oh. Who's your roommate?"

"Helios is."

"I see. He doesn't say much...." Sam laughed.

"No, he doesn't. That's just how he is. You'll get used to it."

"Okay." The group finished eating and got up to leave the canteen. "So what do you guys normally do with your free time?"

"Train in the Debello," said Crescent as they walked to the doors.

"Like the Commander always says, 'part of being a good fighter is 'aving the discipline to train on your own,'" said Serge in his best impersonation of the Lion Commander. The group all laughed, except for Helios. Pyra, not watching where he was walking, ran into someone, both of them falling to the floor.

"Oh! I'm so sorry, I wasn't paying atten... tion...," said the Horse, trailing off when he saw that it was Weir he had run into.

"Weir, are you okay?" asked the Rabbit Troi, who had been following the Otter.

"Yeah, I'm fine," said Weir, getting to his feet.

"Why dontcha watch where you're going?!" said Serge. Sam and Crescent both grabbed onto Pyra's arms and hoisted the Horse up.

"Hey! It wasn't his fault! You should put blinders on your Pony!" shouted Troi. Pyra wasn't sure if Troi knew that it was him he was referring to, but the Rabbit's remark still cut him.

"Well maybe you boys outta grow backbones and be fighters instead of 'iding in your offices!" Serge shouted back. The canteen had fallen silent. This was quickly escalating out of control. Several other Combatants and Medics were moving closer. The tension was so thick you could almost walk on it, and it was about to burst.

"What is the meaning of this?" came Commander Redgard's eerily calm voice from somewhere behind Weir and Troi.

"Commander, sir!" said the Goat Samael, snapping to attention. The rest of the room followed suit, including Pyra. Somehow he managed to do it correctly.

"Is someone going to explain to me what is going on here?"

"Commander Redgard, sir," said Pyra tentatively. "I-it's my fault. I wasn't watching where I was walking a-and I ran into Weir and... I-I'm sorry." The Horse's heart was pounding in his ears.

"I see. Cadet Bowspirit, do you have anything to add?"

"Yes sir! I-I'm sorry too. You know my temper... I just lost control...."

"This is not the first time your short fuse had led to trouble. See that it is the last, or I will have to discipline you."

"Yessir! It won't 'appen again!" The Wisent smiled.

"Save your anger for the battlefield." He turned and left, the tension in the canteen dropping back to an acceptable level. The Animals that had stood in preparation of a fight all returned to their seats.

"C'mon mate, let's get outta 'ere," said Serge, escorting the group through the doors. Pyra looked back, hoping to lock eyes with Weir and somehow let him know that he was sorry, but Troi was standing in his line of sight. Both the Horse and Otter felt badly about what had happened. Weir knew that no one was really to blame, it was an accident. He did still feel a little hurt, but more so he was annoyed with Troi.

"Why'd you call him a Pony? You know that was Pyra."

"Maybe, but he's one of Nero's grunts now. Why do you care?"

"I-I don't. I just... don't think it was very fair is all."

"Yeah, well that stupid Seal started it. Just forget them and let's get lunch, I'm starving." The Rabbit walked off towards the food replicators. Weir stuck his head back out the doors to the canteen, but Pyra and those other Animals were already gone. He bit his lower lip then went to join Troi. He hoped Pyra knew that he didn't blame him.

"C'mon Pyra, chin up! Don't let those wankers get to ya!" said Serge as they left the Conscientia. "Let's get you to the Debello and see what you can do." A murmur of agreement washed over the group. Pyra, though, wasn't so sure. He didn't think his heart would be in it with what had just happened. No one else seemed to notice that he was preoccupied, however, and practically carried him to the melee training hall. The front room was already being used when they got there, so the group skirted around to the stairs and went up to the second floor. Pyra's jaw dropped when they stepped out of the stairwell. The room they had just entered was massive, easily half the size of the entire floor. On the opposite side, the floor curved upwards, and near them it curved down. The Horse ran forward to the chest-high concrete barrier, looking into a hollow shaft than ran straight up the building. He could see where the floor that curved upward leveled off to create a replica of the floor they were on, and continue upward to do it again. Below he could see the ground floor, the many Animals training there.

"It take it you haven't been up here," said Sam, walking to stand next to the Horse. Pyra shook his head.

"I had no idea... I mean I knew it was more than the one room, but I didn't know it was so big."

"Yes," said the Goat. "The Sear and Postern are also like this. They were used for storing vehicles, but not anymore."

"Hey! We doing this or what?" shouted Serge. Sam and Pyra rejoined the others at a large blue section of floor.

"This part's padded so it won't hurt when you fall," explained Sam.

"I see," said Pyra. "So what're we doing?"

"Well... why don't we see what you can do?"

"Okay."

"Me first!" said Crescent, jumping up onto the pad. Pyra stepped up, taking a moment to acclimate to the strange floor.

"Ready?" asked Sam.

"Yeah," said the Ermine. Pyra nodded.

"Begin!" Crescent immediately ran towards the Horse, catching him off guard with his speed. Pyra dropped slightly, bending his knees and spreading his hooves to try and brace for impact. The Ermine darted between Pyra's legs, twisting as he rose up, and pushed the Horse forward. Pyra hit the floor, impact knocking the wind out of him.

"And you beat the Commander?" said the Ermine. "Must've been a fluke." Pyra pushed himself up with his left arm. Flipping over, and kicked at Crescent with his right leg, catching the Ermine's ankle and knocking him over. The horse jumped up to his hooves and pinned Crescent down, grabbing his wrists and holding his legs down with his knees. Crescent struggled, but couldn't free himself.

"Alright, you got me," he said, breathing heavily. Pyra's heart was racing, his stomach turning flips. In his mind he saw Weir in place of Crescent, but why?

"Pyra... are you okay?" asked Sam. The Horse shook his head.

"Yes, sorry," he said, releasing the Ermine. He took a few deep breaths, his heartbeat slowing to normal.

"Alright then... I'll try next," said Sam, stepping up onto the mat as Crescent stepped down. Pyra got to his hooves and took a ready stance.

"Begin!" called out the Ermine. This time Pyra took a more aggressive approach, running forward to tackle the Goat. Sam shifted back slightly and delivered a right uppercut, catching the Horse in the chest. Pyra reeled a bit, Sam taking the opportunity to move forward and unleash a series of quick punches to Pyra's abdomen followed by a roundhouse kick. The Horse fell back, winded, panting for air. Sam fell on top of him, using all his body weight to try and pin Pyra down. Pyra took a deep breath and kicked the floor with all the strength he could muster, launching the pair a few centimetres into the air. It was just enough that Pyra could reach down with his hands, propelling Sam and himself in an impressive backflip, switching their positions. Like Crescent, the Goat struggled a bit, but then resigned.

"You-you're good, I'll give you that," he said, breathing heavily. Pyra sprung up quickly before Weir invaded his thoughts again. The Horse helped the Goat to his hooves. "Serge?"

"Eh, we'll see," said the Seal, switching places with Samael. Pyra had been silently dreading this fight with Serge. The seal seemed so much like Weir, he wasn't sure what was about to happen. To make matters worse, Serge was peeling off his shirt, showing off his pudgy yet chiseled torso. The Horse suddenly felt like he was burning up. He tugged on the collar of his shirt as he resumed his place on the mat.

"Don't 'old anyfing back now!" The Seal crouched down, placing one palm on the floor in front of him and the other behind his back. He tail seemed to twitch a bit.

"Ready? Begin!" shouted Sam. Neither Animal moved at first, but then Serge began to bob his head and sway slightly. Pyra tried to keep his expression as stoic as possible, but he was confused as to what the Seal was doing. Serge then began to move his arm and legs, stepping back and forth to some unheard beat. He smiled at Pyra then leapt upward with an impressive twist, his thick tail slamming into the floor when he landed. The Horse wasn't sure what to make of the Seal's fighting style. He dropped his arms slightly, not even enough to be aware of having moved at all, but it was just the opening Serge had been waiting for. He sprung forward, sweeping his arm wide and catching the Horse's midsection, pulling him forward.

Pyra swung out with a punch but Serge just ducked underneath it; he had been anticipating that reaction. The Seal crossed his left foot over behind the Horse's left side and did a slight twist as he moved forward, knocking Pyra's legs out from under him with his tail. Without even looking, he reached back with his left foot again; connecting with the small of Pyra's back, knocking the Horse down completely. Pyra rolled out of the way as quickly as he could; the correct move it turned out, as a quarter-second later Serge's palm slammed down between where the Horse's shoulders had been. The Seal corrected quickly, much more quickly than the Horse had been expecting, performing a side flip to land straddling his opponent. Serge grabbed Pyra's wrists and forced his hands to the mat. The Horse's heart began to race. A combination of panic and something else he wasn't sure of coursed through his veins. Serge's eyes were gleaming as he looked into the Horse's soul. He leaned down, his mouth right next to the Horse's ear. The weight of his body pressed against the Horse, sweat dampening their fur.

"You're mine." Pyra felt a tightening in his trousers, his heart beating faster, breathing heavily. The Ermine stepped back up onto the mat, putting a firm hand on the Seal's shoulder.

"Down boy!" he said, power in his voice belied by his small stature. "Save that for our room." Serge seemed to snap out of his trance when Crescent spoke. He looked up at the Ermine, his eyes still sparkling with lust. He got to his feet and virtually ran from the Debello, Crescent in tow. Pyra didn't know why but he felt a little disappointed with what had just happened.

"Pyra? Are you alright?" asked Samael. The Horse sat up, his wrists were a little sore from Serge's grasp and his trousers still felt unusually tight.

"What was that all about?" he asked, getting to his hooves.

"Sorry about that. Serge gets a little... over-eager when he fights sometimes. Although... it looks like you didn't really mind." Pyra was a little confused by what the Goat had said, but more than that, he was confused with his own thoughts, his reaction during the fight. What was it that he was feeling? It was similar to what he felt when he thought about Weir, but a little different. It was more... carnal.

"I don't understand," said the Horse. Sam looked thoughtfully for a moment before shaking his head.

"I don't think I'm the best person to explain that. You should probably ask one of the Medics... or I suppose you could ask Crescent. I... wouldn't recommend asking Serge though... you might get more of an answer than you're looking for...."

"Alright," said Pyra, even more confused now.

"Anyway, you did good. Even though you couldn't beat Serge, you're a really good fighter for someone with no training. You might even be able to beat Helios eventually."

"Not a chance," came a deep, gravelly voice. The Mandrill had spoken at last. Sam looked at Helios, then at Pyra, smiling.

"Well we'll just have to wait and see, now won't we?" said the Goat. The Mandrill grunted and walked away. "Charming isn't he? Don't worry, he wasn't being serious. He was actually impressed, I could tell."

"That's good I guess," said Pyra. Sam nodded and together they left the Debello. As they stepped outside, the late afternoon sun temporarily blinded the Horse. It was unusually warm, and his heart was still beating a little quickly. He peeled off his shirt, sweat matting down his fur.

"Why don't you hit the shower and relax some, then we'll all meet up for dinner, say... around 19:00?"

"That sounds good." Pyra wiped his forehead with his shirt as they started walking towards barracks block C.

"Oh, you're in C too?"

"Yeah. 225."

"Really? Serge and Crescent are in 103 and me and Helios are in 110. There are still a lot of empty rooms on the first floor... I wonder why you were put on the second." Pyra shrugged. He only had a suspicion, but he didn't know for sure. He and Sam waved goodbye as the Goat headed down the hall and the Horse stepped into the lift. A moment later he stepped inside his room, basked in the twilight from outside. The loveseat was eyeing him with its comfortable stare, but there was no time for that now. Pyra took a whiff of his armpits; he was ripe and sorely in need of a shower. He opened the doors of the wardrobe, the small camera of the White Knight within it swiveling to look at the Horse.

"Would you wash these please?" asked Pyra, holding up his sweat-soaked shirt.

"Yes Pyra," replied the computer, his voice seeming to come from everywhere. The shirt in the Horse's hand, as well as his trousers, broke apart, flying upwards and vanishing in light, leaving Pyra clad only in his jock. He slid open one of the drawers in the wardrobe and removed a fluffy white towel. That in hand, he headed back down the hall towards the lift, turning off into the bathroom. The room was an almost sterile white, a large frosted glass partition separating it in two; half with a row of lockers, a few benches, and several toilet stalls, the other half with a dozen shower heads surrounding an open floor. The room was empty, save the Horse. He laid his towel down on one of the benches, stripping off his jock and the length of black fabric that he used to hold his tail up when wearing his civilian clothes. He selected one of the vacant showers, the water turning on as he approached. Before long, the room started to fill with a thin layer of steam.

Pyra stepped into the stream of water, the heat immediately relaxing his muscles. He closed his eyes and let the water run down his face. Visions fluttered through his mind. The three fights replayed before him, his two victories and his defeat. That strange sensation also returned when he relived his pinning by Serge. Pyra's heart started to race as he remembered the Seal holding him down. He pictured Serge's body, pudgy yet muscular, his sleek-looking fur, his wild eyes. He felt a stirring in his groin as his member grew turgid with the thought of Serge.

The Horse tentatively reached down and touched his pulsing shaft. It gave an involuntary twitch, sending a chill of pleasure down his spine. He touched it again, running his hand along its length. The head of his appreciable tool flared open, the pleasure coursing through his veins mounting quickly. He repeated the motion, both hands this time, gasping with surprise and ecstasy as his milky creme issued from his wildly throbbing member, coating the wall, the floor, and himself with the hot, sticky substance. He panted heavily. Never had he felt like that before. Such an intense reaction, he would have to explore it carefully and more in depth. His heart rate slowed as the blood flow returned to normal. He did what he had come to do, shower, then went back to his room, toweling himself as he went.

"Windows, please," he said as he walked in, the glass tinting to near black. He flopped down on his bed, staring up at the ceiling, towel draped across his abdomen. Lights and shadows ran along the walls and ceiling, creating the illusion of traveling in an old lift with walls made of entwining wrought iron. A gentle aria wafted through the air, willing the Horse to relax. He stared, his mind wandering, lulled by the hypnotic display into sleep.

He felt the room melt away around him. He was falling down that shaft of light and dark, but he felt at peace. He looked around; he was alone, yet it felt like someone was with him, watching him. The chiaroscuro began to shift towards light, the tunnel around him turning sterile and cold. His descent began to slow as he came to alight on an unseen floor. A great white sphere faded into view, a perfect orb in an impossibly large room. Pyra recognised it as the White Knight's chamber. The surface of the sphere began to change, great arcs of gold drawing themselves across it. Cracks of green light began appearing on the sphere as well. A screech rose in an unearthly crescendo to fill the room. Great chains shot out of the floor, piercing and wrapping the sphere. The screeching was becoming unbearable. Pyra pressed his hands against his ears, watching the sphere struggle to free itself. The green cracks grew brighter, the sphere more violent, before it suddenly stopped moving. The screech grew to a fever pitch, then silence. Pyra slowly moved his hands. Without warning the sphere exploded in a cloud of porcelain debris and dust. The blast sent Pyra flying back several metres, landing on his back. He struggled to sit up, his ears ringing with shellshock.

Where the sphere had been was now a hole of gold and green light. Two silhouettes appeared within it. Pyra couldn't make out who or what they were, but they looked humanoid. One seemed to have great antlers and the other a great, bushy tail. The two figures embraced each other before being swallowed up by the light.

"Hey Pyra! You in there?" The Horse sat bolt upright, gasping for air. The room was dark. He fumbled around, falling off his bed. It was then he remembered where he was. He took a few deep breaths, then stood and walked over to the door.

"Yeah, who is i?" he said, resting his forehead against the door. He laughed a little at himself. He couldn't believe he had forgotten where he was.

"It's Sam. You coming to dinner or not?" The Horse's eyes snapped open and he looked down at his naked body.

"Yeah, just lemme get dressed and I'll meet you downstairs."

"Okay. Hurry up!"

"Windows, please." The windows faded back to clarity, early evening light pouring in as the last rays of the sun sailed across the sky, blended with the bluish halogen lamps scattered across the Institute. As he got dressed he tried to remember the dream but the more he thought about it, the more details seemed to simply vanish from his mind.

"Seymour, sir," said the White Knight. The Hart looked up from his work.

"It's unusual for you to disturb me."

"Yes sir, but you asked me to monitor Pyra and report any unusual activity."

"Oh? And what have you to report?"

"He's seen the Terminus." Seymour dropped the soldering iron he had been holding, destroying the circuit board he had been working on.

"How?"

"Unknown. He was dreaming, but both his brain and body are showing trace Abyssal residue." The Hart sat, pondering for a moment, completely oblivious of the smoking hunk of metal and plastic in front of him.

"You showed no exposure to Europa, correct?"

"Affirmative."

"Then whose part of the Terminus did he see?"

"Yours." The Hart returned to stunned silence for a moment.

"Is he showing any symptoms of Æternal exposure?"

"Negative." Seymour breathed a sigh of relief.

"Continue monitoring him and let me know the instant he goes back into the Terminus."

"Yes sir. Should I contact CMO McGuinness and..."

"No!" Seymour seemed panicked for a moment, very unlike his normal self. "No, that's not necessary. Just... keep monitoring."

"Acknowledged."

"Well you seem much calmer now," Sam said to Serge; Pyra, Helios, and himself joining the Seal and Ermine at their table.

"Yeah, so?" replied the Seal, taking one last draw of his cigarette before extinguishing it on the table. "Sorry, Pyra, if I got a little rough on ya. It 'ad been a few hours since I'd gotten any." Crescent elbowed Serge in the side, the Seal laughing.

"Evening gentlemen," said Commander Nero, approaching the table.

"Commander, sir!" said the group in unison, standing at attention and saluting their superior.

"As you were. Pyra I have something for you." He handed the Horse a small blue box, the same color as the Combatant uniforms. Pyra took the box, puzzled as to what it might be. He opened it, a glint of platinum in the form of a sword within.

"I hereby promote you to Cadet. Congratulations." The table applauded.

"Thank you sir," said Pyra.

"That pin stays on your uniform, which is waiting in your room. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes sir." The Lion smiled.

"Wear it with pride."

"I will sir."