They arrived to Aradon just past noon. The three of them collected their belongings and set off for Tenet.
Walking through the busy streets of Aradon was a spectacle. She had never seen anything like the tall, vibrant architecture that packed Valhaur's capital city. What surprised her most was the sheer density of everything. The buildings weren't the only thing cram-packed; the people, too, swarmed the streets, milling about their daily lives.
Natalie felt out of place. Even Illesa had seemed like a big city compared to Tinford, but here was a real city. More people streamed through this one street than all of Tinford might hold. It was chaotic. As expected of the most populous city in the country. It was, after all, a civilization built atop a dungeon entrance … one of only thirteen in the world. Of course half the world—or what felt like it—had settled down here.
Fortunately, the throng cleared out as they approached Tenet's gated entrance. The three of them provided their names, and the guards checked a list then let them through. It wasn't a high-security set up, just enough to keep Aradon's general populace out. The Delving Academy was located deep in the city, not more than a ten minute walk from the dungeon entrance.
The guards provided directions, though they were redundant considering the signage everywhere. Today was intake day, and Natalie, Sofia, and Jordan weren't the only ones lugging around backpacks and suitcases, seeking out their varying destinations. The non-newbies were obvious, compared to the regulars, the delvers who'd completed one or more semesters already. Natalie noted a mixture of expressions sent their way: amusement, annoyance, sometimes disdain. Natalie gave dirty looks right back to those who provided the last. She'd never been a person to ignore that sort of thing.
Which might cause problems for her, making the wrong enemies. While she, Sofia, and Jordan were nobodies, that wasn't usually the case for a place like Tenet. The Delving Academy was as old as the dirt it was built atop. It'd existed for thousands of years … because there'd always been need to train delvers. The dungeon had provided for the citizens of Valhaur—the world—since forever. Its student body, therefore, was similarly prestigious.
And sure, the Academy might not always have been these tall, gleaming stonebrick buildings, with well-maintained greenery and elegant magitech lamps scattering the pathways across the campus, but it'd existed in lesser forms. Like Aradon itself, it'd grown and grown, until it was one of the premier fixtures on the continent.
It was intimidating. Natalie still couldn't fully believe she'd qualified … that all three of them had. It was the opportunity of a lifetime. Natalie had grown up hearing about how talented she was, but still. Tenet was for … prodigies might be too strong of a word. But only the best. That all three of them—from the middle of nowhere—had been accepted really was an unusual thing.
The signs, and the guards' directions, led them to an in-processing building. There, Natalie was separated from Jordan and Sofia as the three of them went about their administrative duties. Eventually, Nataliem, having properly registered with Tenet and documented her arrival—and received an I.D. that verified she was permitted on campus—set off to the dormitories.
Dormitories was the wrong word. First-semester students started out in barracks—communal living areas that housed twenty to forty Tenet students each. That was obviously a lot of bodies to pack into a space, no matter how big … and the barracks weren't big. Students' introductions to Tenet were intentionally uncomfortable. All the more to encourage them to escape, using the token system. Incentives. Tenet was all about incentives, urging aspirational delvers to work harder, out-pace their peers … earn more, compete.
A whetstone, Jordan had called the school.
Communal living, though. A few days ago—before her unlocking—Natalie hadn't been stressed by the idea at all. She wouldn't call herself shy, or uneasy around large groups of people. She'd figured it would be annoying, definitely, but not anxiety-inducing—not something she was worried about. A temporary problem. She'd be able to move out soon enough, and really, what would she care if other people saw her half-dressed or naked as she went about her morning routine?
Obviously, a new problem had presented itself, there. The changes to her biology that had come with her class. With that development taken into account, the idea of living with dozens of other girls in a cramped, communal space was far more daunting. Because even if she was careful to not reveal her secret, she might be found out, anyway.
By accident. Say, in the morning. When she pitched a tent, completely unwillingly … which Natalie had discovered she did, without fail. The new equipment between her legs wasn't considerate in the slightest.
With a blanket covering her, it shouldn't be too much of a problem, but if she threw the covers off at night? Natalie might give herself away. Which wouldn't be the end of the world, but would introduce some questions—from a variety of sources—that Natalie would simply rather not answer. The odd, lewd details to her class, she'd prefer if nobody discovered besides Jordan.
Not to mention the embarrassment. Getting caught with morning wood would have plenty of that, just by its own.
Maybe it was happening each morning because she wasn't taking care of it. For the past several days leading up to ship-off day, she'd been pretending it didn't exist. Jordan, too, hadn't brought it up much … though they'd been kissing once a day, harvesting energy. That was its own mess. Natalie didn't let her thoughts linger on how much she liked those kisses.
What a situation to be in, right? Natalie hadn't come to terms with it. In the frenzy of the past two days, preparing to ship off for Tenet, and in the wake of her unexpected, intimate interactions with Jordan, Natalie had pushed the rather important thing between her legs to the back of her mind.
She'd have to come to terms with it, eventually. Both mentally, and practically speaking. Just, she wasn't sure where to begin … and pretending nothing had happened was so much easier.
Its introduction, too, had made her eyes start snagging to the curves of women with even more frequency than they had before—and Natalie had never been the most reserved girl in the first place. Though, it wasn't something impossible to put out of mind. She could ignore the inappropriate thoughts. And thankfully, it wasn't so big it couldn't be physically hidden, either. Loose pants had done wonders for her. Thankfully, a relaxed style had already been her standard when it came to fashion.
Taking a deep breath, ready to meet her twenty-to-forty temporary roommates, Natalie walked into squat, rectangular building that served as the first-year's barracks.