Damian sighed, leaned against the back of the bench, and watched his breath billow into the air. His fingers ached from pulling out the chilled pyramid of benches just in time, and he rested by watching the field slowly fill up with students, competitors, teachers, parents, and even casual observers.

He zipped up his jacket even further as he watched them set up the obstacles for the tournament. Damian loathed the winter tournament purely because it was cold, but he couldn 't deny the competitive effect it had on students and parents alike. Even he felt swept up with it all - although, being an Imperial Scholar, Damian was expected to help set up tournaments, clean up after them, and compete in them, and he looked forward to the end of the day when he could rest, but for the time being, he took advantage of every rest opportunity that he could. At least he didn 't have to compete in the Obstacle Course, since Anya had already agreed to represent Cecile House.