7.04 – Mentorship II

7.04 – Mentorship II

In long, confident strides, Instructor Robin led them out of the administrative building. After a short walk, it became clear they were headed for the entrance of Tenet and thus onto the streets of Aradon. Natalie had assumed they'd at least be staying on campus.

"Can I, uh, ask where we're going?"

"My home," Instructor Robin replied easily.

She stumbled a step. Her home? Why in the world would Instructor Robin be taking her to the place she lived? What sort of 'mentorship' did she have planned that couldn't be handled inside her office, or some other space on the Tenet campus?

Naturally, Natalie's thoughts went toward less appropriate places, but she squashed those down—an inability to control her fantasies was how she'd ended up in this mess in the first place. Though really, taking a student back to her private residence had to be inappropriate, right? Was Tenet aware Robin was doing this? Maybe they didn't need to be; it was her prerogative to handle Natalie's mentorship as she deemed fit.

Putting aside the surprise, Natalie found herself eager to see what Instructor Robin's home looked like. She was a decorated academy instructor, someone accomplished even more so than the average high-ranker, who, as a whole, were already among the upper echelons of society.

Leaving Tenet's gates behind, Instructor Robin guided her to a carriage and opened the door for her. Natalie hesitated, but stepped up and inside. Instructor Robin followed.

Thus, it was just the two of them. Instructor Robin didn't need to give directions to the coachman; without a word, the carriage stuttered forward and began plodding along Tenet's streets. Probably, he was under her employ, the same man who drove her back to her house every day.

Instructor Robin sat across from her, facing her with that usual cool demeanor. Blue eyes searched Natalie's face with a quiet, intense contemplation.

Ah. The full story, then. Her life in brief.

The ride lasted fifteen minutes, and Natalie and Instructor Robin spent that time getting to know each other. Or, well, it was mostly Natalie responding and Robin asking, but there were a few times Robin interjected some insight into her own life, like how she had also attended Tenet however many years ago.

She was a polite and attentive listener, and Natalie nearly forgot her circumstances, relaxing into the easy flow of conversation. When the carriage shuddered to a stop, though, she was reminded.

The carriage had taken them to Instructor Robin's house. Though 'house' was an inadequate word. The place Robin lived was closer to Baron Crestwood's manor than it was a place Natalie would call a home as she knew them. Not quite as spacious and gaudily constructed, but not far off, either.

It was another reminder of Instructor Robin's status within the city of Aradon, or society as a whole. Delving was a lucrative career even for low-rankers, hence why so many people, both prepared and unprepared, were willing to risk their lives down in the dungeon. Natalie and her team could pull in more money in a single weekend delve than her parents would earn in months. And they were only level twos and threes. Instructor Robin, who was somewhere between ten and fifteen? Not to mention the significant paycheck she must be earning from Tenet? This woman was rich in the way even many noble families weren't. The three-story manor in front of her was probably well beneath her means, even.

Or...maybe. Property in the middle of Aradon, with an expansive grounds to go along with it, probably quadrupled the value of the manor, if not more. Natalie wasn't sure what real estate was worth, especially in the capital city.

"It's somewhat ostentatious, I admit," the Instructor said, catching the way Natalie had paused to look around at the manor and grounds. "I do believe I would have been fine with something simpler. But Isla came from a less affluent background than I, and it was obvious she admired the spectacle." Her eyes roamed across the lush green grass and the elegant structure. "I find myself unable to resist spoiling her."

Natalie blinked at the genuine affection in Instructor Robin's voice, then smiled. Whenever Robin spoke about her wife, her calm and reserved tone didn't survive—fondness always leaked through. It was more than a little cute. The woman was obviously still in love, even twenty-seven years of marriage later.

"Please, follow me," Instructor Robin said. "We should begin this session in earnest. I don't wish to waste your time."