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Tobias stood before the mirror filled with an odd mixture of anxiety and excitement. Today was the day... he was graduating from the university with high marks, and the blue lining on his black robes marked him as a soon-to-be official water scholar. His formal gown wasn't quite straight, and observing his figure in the mirror, he could almost hear his mother's voice playfully chiding voice.

Look at you Toby! You're a mess! Here, let me clean you up a little, you can't just go traipsing around in public looking like a savage.

She had always laughed as she said it, and the memory gave him a bittersweet smile. She would have been so proud of him, seeing him graduate. College had been her dream for him, and he was happy to have fulfilled it. Carefully, he straightened his gown until it was perfect and placed the tasseled cap between his horns. It felt odd, a small weight atop his head compared to the gravity of what it signified. A glance at the clock showed that he needed to hit the road to make it to the ceremony.

He sat through the boring ceremony, clapping politely as each of his classmates and friends took their turn to walk the stage. Worry and apprehension chased each other through his mind as he thought of absolutely everything that could go wrong. He'd overlooked something, and they wouldn't let him graduate. He would trip on the stage and humiliate himself in public. It was all just a prank, and he would be the punch line as soon as he stepped up. Nothing happened though, and his name was called soon enough. He mounted the stage with careful steps, making sure his stride did not falter. He accepted his degree with his left hand and shook the dean's with his right, gazing out across the applauding audience. He was looking for one face in particular, but he knew she wouldn't be there. Tears welled up in the corners of his eyes as he failed to find his mother or even his father in the crowd. Since his mother's death, his father had become increasingly distant, to the point that he hadn't even bothered to show up to his son's graduation. Tobias knew where he would find him if he cared to look: at the tavern, drowning his sorrows in cheap whiskey. His brother had left home long ago, and Tobias scarcely heard from him; he hadn't even come home for their mother's funeral.

Tobias finished crossing the stage and returned to his seat, mind abuzz with dark thoughts. What was he going to do now? Going out of finishing school, he hadn't really had a plan aside from getting through college, but now that he'd accomplished that, he didn't know what to do. Four years of his life spent studying... for what? A fancy gown and a tightly rolled piece of paper? What was he going to do with his life? Where was he going from here? Nowadays, everything just seemed so... pointless. He'd gone to college to make his parents proud, to show the world his worth and learn enough to do something worthwhile, but now? Ever since his mother's death, a gray cloud hung over his head, draining him of both energy and happiness. What point was there in graduating? What point was there in anything? He used to be so passionate about his work; he was a bright mind with high prospects for a future, but he almost felt like his happiness had died alongside his mother. His face was a blank slate as he returned to his seat, and Marcus leaned over to punch him on the shoulder.

"Hey, come on man, what's with the look! We're graduating, this is a day for celebration! Hey, there's a wicked party going down at Rick's tonight, will you be there?"

It shook him up enough that he could plaster a fake smile on his face and reply to his friend in an almost jovial tone.

"Are you kidding? Tonight, I'm going to go home and sleep. Finals were killer tough."

"Rest is for the dead, my friend. Come on, you've been turning into a recluse over the last two years! Come have some fun."

"I'll think about it."