Robin composed herself and rolled her eyes. The man was polite—uncommon for someone like him, but it had the risk of becoming infuriating fast. Though this time, it was her own fault that he assumed he made her uncomfortable.

So to regain some semblance of control, she decided to use her favourite card in response. 

There was no way out of this one. Any man would either stumble and show his nerves, or reveal himself as a hopelessly desperate fool.

“Did I just hear an offer to take me out on a date?”

She smiled smugly up at him—he met her eyes directly. 

“I would be honoured, of course,” again, same tone, perhaps with a sprinkle of charm this time.

Robin was about to lose it with this man. 

No, she was losing already and she hated every second of it. 

Who was this composed gentleman and why did he replace that shivering mess from the office?

And most importantly, why was she enjoying herself? 

Oh, Trizstan would be hearing about this. Knowing him, she anticipated exactly how her ‘boss’ would expect her to exploit this situation…

“Well—if you insist. I’ll consider it through my busy schedule.” A thinly veiled acceptance—not so clear that she couldn’t back out, but enough to make him feel he was the one in pursuit.

Mr. Aldrick nodded, every bit the picture of propriety, hands clasped behind his back. “I will, of course, abide by your strict schedule to the best of my ability.”

Robin shook her head at this situation, finding it hard to come up with a response. 

What was wrong with her today?

She felt oddly warm all of a sudden. Did her girls not leave the windows ajar to ventilate?

Just then, Tamara came barreling down the hallway, a blur of energy that offered Robin an immediate escape from her discomfort. Robin reached out her arms to stop the young girl in her sprint. She examined her with a scrutinizing eye; she was pleased to see Tamara came in her school uniform. 

Good representation—just like Robin had instructed her. 

But the young girl’s eyes gawked at Mr. Aldrick. Disappointed. 

“Wah! Where’s the ghost lady?” she pouted, her complaint prickling even at Robin. Not because of the child, but because it forced her to think of Ms. Solbakken again. 

Oh, imagine how terrible this day would have been if she were dealing with Ms. Solbakken instead of Mr. Aldrick this whole time…

Before Robin could correct Tamara’s attitude, the man beside her opened up with a brief chuckle. 

“Hello, Tamara. I apologize but the ghost lady is busy with her charms and spells today. My name is Gerald Aldrick; I am but her humble assistant, here to stand in for her absence.”

Robin had to hold in her laughter, not to break the illusion for the child. It wasn’t particularly easy either.

But of course, Tamara loved it. She was grinning—eyes rooted on Mr. Aldrick like he was some fairy tale wizard.

“Wow, can you also do spells?”

And he didn’t miss a beat, playing into it with the same seriousness he had in his conversation with Robin.

“I can do a great many spells. Though they aren’t quite as creative as my master’s. Would you like me to teach you some?”

The girl was now skipping from foot to foot, her eyes shining with wonder.. “Yes! Oh my god, yes! Really? Can you teach me how to fly?”

Mr. Aldrick cocked his head—not a confirmation, but a nod to her excitement. He motioned for the girl to enter the room and closed the door behind them, not before sending one last smile at Robin. 

Once they were in the room, Robin released her amusement. She laughed wholeheartedly in the now silent hallway. A veteran. Casting spells. She had absolutely no words for this absurdity.

She turned on her heels, shaking her head. Even down the hallway, she was still replaying that whole exchange. About Mr. Aldrick. About his blue eyes. About that smile.

She stopped her stride to correct herself. Snap out of it, Robin! Since when did she let a simple man bury her thoughts like this?

Robin Taylor was the custodian of the Spiriter Home, the only person keeping this orphanage from collapsing, not some flustered teen with a crush. And even though Mr. Aldrick was still lingering in her mind, reality called. Her girls were jabbering about a complaining neighbor—it was time to deal with that.

With that, she stormed off towards the courtyard, prepared to make a grown man cry.