X didn't pay much attention to his surroundings on his way home. His mind was full of maps, charts, history texts, and cross-references. A part of him worried that if he didn't keep focusing on them for as long as he could, he wouldn't remember any of it when he went back to the library the next day.

Then there was a minor commotion in the market, and it would have broken his concentration no matter how badly X wanted to keep it. It didn't sound like anyone was in trouble, but it definitely sounded like someone was angry.

There really wasn't any reason to get involved, he tried to persuade himself.

Oh, look, he was at the head of the crowd.

"What's going on?" X asked, stepping up and gently intervening, as no one else had done yet. "Is everything alright?"