Morning came wet and gray. I liked it that way. Quiet days let you do clean work.
I started with the list. Bursar first. The last line on the repayment slip took six coins and a signature. The clerk counted. I left with the receipt pinned to Ariadne's folder. Ethics office next. I signed for the first ten hours, took two assignments—filing field notes and restocking bandage drawers—and picked a time block that didn't touch drills. No grand promises. Just hours, done when they said.
Ariadne met me outside the ledger room. She didn't ask if I had paid. She looked at the receipt, looked at me, and nodded. "Mentorship candidates," she said, and handed me two names with dorm numbers. "They asked for structure. They didn't ask for a speech."
"I'll give them the first," I said.
"Good," she said, and moved on to a warden already waiting with a question about permits.
Liora's audit came before noon. Small room. Window high. Table clear. "Summons out," she said.
