December 29

 Journal Entry: 2025/12/29 Location: Ar's Station / Besnit / Lara Mood/Title: A Day of Lessons and Travel

It has been a full day devoted almost entirely to family and education. I spent the morning with Caroline and Catherine, and I find myself slipping more comfortably into the role of "Mother" to them both. We had a rather intense, private conversation regarding Catherine's fears about companionship. I had to be quite firm on the subject of collars—no Free Woman should ever accept one, not even for punishment, lest she become a slave in truth. I also impressed upon them the importance of filing companionship contracts in the city where they actually reside, not just where they sign them. I hope Catherine takes this to heart; she has such a vibrant spirit, and I would hate to see it crushed by a man taking advantage of her lack of knowledge.

We traveled quite a bit today. We donned our winter furs—we looked like Queens—and Catherine showed us around Besnit. It is a maze of a city! We met a polite merchant named Jonas, though he had no stock for Catherine's slave. Afterward, we went to Lara so I could show the girls the school campus. It was good to see Abraham and finally get the class schedules sorted. The classrooms are impressive, particularly the theater stage.

The day ended quietly back at the Station with Asher and Caroline. Asher seems exhausted; he mentioned venturing into the restricted areas of the city and has two meetings tomorrow. He works too hard, but he is stubborn. Catherine is staying at the Station tonight, which pleases me. It feels good to have my chicks close to the nest.

To Do:

• Finalize lesson plans for "Intro to Gorean Civilizations" (Starts Jan 5th).

• Design and print certificates for course completion.

• Send the finalized class schedule to Caroline and Catherine.

• Arrange a meeting with the Governor regarding my advisory role.

• Keep a watchful eye on Sphere Proto (the new Scribe Head of Caste); rumors suggest he may not be as diligent as one would hope.

• Continue reading through the books to ensure my legal knowledge on collars and contracts is absolute.