89 Too cumbersome!

"I am happy to stay back, Guruji. But I am sure that whatever you have planned, will be perfect, anyways," Shaurya said, bowing his head after a minute.

Prithvi peered at him through narrowed eyes. Shaurya was rarely so accommodating and hardly ever displayed such subservience. Was he mocking him, per chance?

All through the exchange, Mriga was quiet, unlike her exuberant self. More than the words, her head was stuck at that girl's expressions. There was something which she had tried to tell Mriga with that cocky statement.

"What do you think, Mrignayani? Is your mentor being sincere in his praise of me?" Prithvi asked her, tongue in cheek.

Prithvi seemed to be in an unusually happy mood today. Unknown to most, his soulmate had just returned to the country after an extensive tour of the neighboring countries with his troop of dancers and performers. Due to the nature of his job, Prithvi liked to keep his private life under wraps and far away from everyone. His partner had no idea of the real nature of his work either, thinking of him as a quirky professor at the Gurukul. Prithvi liked that because it helped him disconnect, if only for a while, from the demands of his job.

Mriga gave an uncertain smile. She didn't know whether her teacher was jesting or being serious. Looking at her confuse countenance, Prithvi took mercy on her and gestured to Shaurya to take his seat.

"First things first. Were you there for the orientation at the auditorium today?" Prithvi asked Mriga.

"Of course, I was. How could I have missed the amazing spiel which you gave on the competition. You made it sound so exciting that even I was tempted to participate in it, for a moment," she replied, trying to make an effort at being her usual cheerful self.

"Spiel? Do you mean to imply that I was luring the participants in?" the combination of his silken voice and raised eyebrow got Mriga's hackles up.

She back-pedalled fast to avoid a scold from him.

"Noooo, I only meant that you put the points across so succinctly that it was extremely enticing even for someone who had never thought of walking down that path," she clarified earnestly.

"So, you mean to say that you aren't interested in taking part in the competition at all?" Prithvi asked on a quieter note.

Mriga shook her head negatively and said, "before starting this term, I hadn't thought of what I wanted to do with my life. But training under you, I have started to discover myself and the abilities which I didn't even know I possessed. So, I want to try and become a good spy and serve my country the way my mother does. Becoming a Queen sounds too cumbersome."

She wrinkled her nose when she said the last line, making Prithvi smile ruefully. He thought for a moment before changing tracks.

"You have two months of vacation before the session resumes. I will be sending a note to your parents asking their permission to let you go to the Eastern zilla for one month of apprenticeship. During this time, you will work under a mentor who is stationed in the Suraksha Chakra office there. Her name is Amrapali and she is a couple of batches senior to Shaurya. She will help you get a peek into the life of an agent and the workings of our organisation. You will also be shadowing her on whatever mission that the office will be working on, at that moment. There will be a few seniors who would also be interning with you. But their goals will be different from yours. You are going there only to observe and learn. Any questions?" Prithvi had gone back to his usual serious demeanour.

"When do I have to report to the senior?" she asked.

Prithvi gave an approving nod at her practical question.

"Ramanujam will be giving you the precise instructions and the method of communication before you leave for home," he replied.

"What do you think, Shaurya? Is Amrapali a good choice?" Prithvi quizzed his subordinate who had been staring at the floor all this while.

He raised his head and said, "She is the perfect choice. I think they would be a good match, temperament wise as well. Mrignayani is a good foot soldier but sometimes acts willfully. I think Venugopal would have been a misfit. He is easily swayed by people."

Mriga glared at Shaurya. She knew that he was miffed with her for the previous 'incident' at the fair but he didn't have to bring it up here and now. That was mighty mean of him.

Wisely, she didn't say anything though and kept her expressions neutral.

"Are you scolding her via me?" Prithvi asked Shaurya in a deceptively soft voice.

"Guruji is definitely in a trickster mood today" Mriga thought moodily.

She wondered how could she escape the place quickly and unscathed. But before her mind could form a strategy, Prithvi threw another curve ball.

"Nevermind. I guess you are allowed to scold her as per your wish. She is your mentee after all. Now, I want you to find time in the coming few days and briefly explain the basic etiquettes of how to conduct themselves during the summer internship, to this batch of trainees. Since Mriga is here already, why don't you spend few minutes and brief her. As for the others, fix a time with Saraswati and schedule an informal session," he gave the directive.

Shaurya gave a nod showing his acquiesce and told Mriga, "Meet me at the Gurukul's main entrance gate in fifteen minutes."

Mriga was glad to escape the room but braced herself for the tirade which was coming her way. Jogging, she headed towards the gate. It was better to reach there early and wait rather than risk his wrath. Even though she was focused on the task at hand, but a part of her was stuck at the sentence uttered by Yash's friend.

"I have to clarify this with him tonight!" she decided.