The hour stretched thin with silence. The three of them absorbed in the grind of reviewing candidates. Pages turned, pens scratched over notes, and now and then, a low grunt broke the stillness.
Then, almost in perfect sync, three heavy sighs filled the room. They all leaned back slightly. The weight of decision-making dragging at their shoulders. They were not used to this kind of stuff at all.
Billy rubbed his temples and groaned, "Man, some of these kids are better than me in every way. Combat scores, academic crap... I'm starting to feel like I'm the rookie."
Erend snorted. "Then I must be ancient," he said, not looking up. "These kids will probably underestimate me too."
They shared a quiet laugh. The kind of laugh that born out of fatigue and the absurd truth of it. Because in reality, even if these new recruits thought them outdated, none of them could match what the three had been through. What they carried and what still pulsed in their blood.