"Ya seem upset about somthin' Lexi?"
"Shut up. It's nothing." Mo stared at his clearly agitated friend in concern. The school day had concluded so Alix was sitting within Inengway's office. Mo had been sitting in this room all day so obviously didn't know about any of the events from earlier in the day and all in all had a pretty relaxing time.
Alix on the other hand...
"You're soooo strong, Alix! Can you teach me how to do that sometime!"
"You put that stuck up noble in his place! A symbol of hope for all us commoner's is what you are!"
"Alix, we should get together and take a stand against all of those nobles. Show them what we're really made of!"
"All day. These annoying pests have been berating me with noise." Alix clenched her fist as she remembered just struggling to walk from class to class. But somehow that wasn't even the worst of it.
One person. That was all it took. He barely breathed between sentences as the words rained down on her like a violent storm.
"Hi, I'm Eric Holland. I just moved here recently. It seems that you've become the talk of the school because you beat on some big shot, I guess? I just want to know just how many nobles have you beaten because everyone is talking about you like some sort of revolutionary. Is that what you are? A revolutionary? Or maybe you had some sort of vendetta against him? I heard this was already your second time beating him so maybe his family did something to yours? Oh, I've also heard that you saved some poor kid which made you some sort of guardian of the weak. If I got beat up would you help me? Oh, I'm Eric by the way. Wait, did I already say that? I can't remember. Anyway I heard..."
It just dragged on and on. Every passing moment. The only saving grace that she got was that the boy said that he had to go meet up with his uncle after school. How does one manage to speak so continuously? It was like he didn't even need to breathe.
"A cryptid, I'm telling you."
"What did ya say, Lexi?"
"Nothing." Mo grew more confused and concerned by the second. "Soo, did anything special happen today." Alix rested her arms on the table and then her head on her arms staring at Mo closely. "Not much. I beat Harrison again, but that was more like stress relief than any sort of combat." Mo floated sideways to match Alix's view.
"Really? Wish I coulda been there to see it. I've just been counting the number of different animal bones I could count in the room."
"How many are there?"
"Around 12 to 15. some of them look like they were from the same animal so I didn't know whether I should count it or not." Alix and Mo continued their small talk for around another hour before a lull was reached in the conversation.
"Is he coming back or not? If I knew I'd be wasting my time then I would have just done the research myself." Alix sat up and stretched.
"I thought ya knew he was strange? Ain't this kinda yer fault?" Alix side eyed Mo. Though she had to admit it would likely have been more efficient if she had done this alone.
"Alright, Mo. Let's go home. We've got a few more things to do today anyway." Alix picked up Mo's fish bowl and prepared to leave when the door to the office opened.
"Oh, were you leaving? I'm sorry if I took too long, I just needed to grab someone and it took longer than I expected." Winston apologized to the girl.
"As long as you keep up your end of the deal it matters not how long this takes." Winston smiled and entered the room with a person trailing behind him. "Ah, this is my nephew Eric by the way. He's going to be staying with me so he'll need to wait here while we work. Hope you don't mind the company."
Alix's eyes widened as she turned to face the person following her teacher. "Oh, Alix. I didn't think you were the one that my uncle had to meet up with. If I had known that then I would have just come here with you." Eric smiled excitedly at Alix but to the girl it was akin to a devilish grin.
"So you two have already met. Great! Then if it isn't a bother on you we can start the research now. I've already finished my paperwork for the day."
Alix composed herself and placed Mo down on the table. "That would be for the best." She sat down and opened a book on different types of aquatic monsters. She felt an urge to stop, however, when she felt the presence of Eric sitting in front of her.
"Is there something you want?" The girl asked without looking away from the book. "Do you happen to talk to that fish? Earlier I saw a-" Eric stopped as Alix lifted her finger and slowly flipped to the next page. "Yes." she responded simply. "You do?" silence permeated for a few seconds before the girl answered again. "Yes."
"Oh cool. I just wanted to know because I thought I saw you earlier before school and wanted to confirm that it was you talking to the fish." Alix sat for a few seconds again before responding, "It was me, yes." Winston sat at his desk in awe.
'Is she actively teaching my nephew patience in a conversation? Like a master taming an overactive dog.' Winston smirked. 'Maybe this whole arrangement was more advantageous than I originally assumed.'
Winston dug his nose into his own book. The afternoon continued to pass as this group of three plus fish continued with their activities. This occurred all the while others, students and professors alike, made their way home. One such student having been disallowed from staying in the infirmary a second day in a row by request of his family.
Harrison dragged himself back to his family home. His injuries from yesterday that had not yet healed still aching though nowhere near as much as his freshly cracked ribcage. And yet, this pain was still far more comforting than the feeling of walking through the gate of his home and meeting eyes with his sister.
He quickly casted his gaze to the ground, only hearing the approaching footsteps of his sister. "I warned you, Harry. You've upset mom. Now she wants to see you." Harrison flinched when her hand rested on his shoulder. "She's in her office. Good luck~" He tripped as his sister shoved him forward.
Harrison did not even attempt to turn around and just entered the building. It was hot, dark, and vacant. Just as it always was. He walked up the wooden stairs that lead to his mother's office. When he stood just before the door he swallowed hard and knocked.
"M-mother? I h-heard that you wished to see me."
Silence. No response came from the other side of the door. It simply began to open. Though the door opened fully Harrison didn't move from his spot. He continued to stare at the ground as his body began to sweat profusely.
"Boy. Tell me, why do you believe I called you here?" That emotionless, stern voice. The one that haunted him since his childhood. "I-I don't know, mother."
"Exactly. You do not know. You do not possess my mind. You never have." Harrison winced still unable to look up.
"As I sheltered you, I always hoped that one day you would come around to be better. To have a stronger mind than that wicked sister of yours. You even had the determination to push yourself which was very impressive. And yet..." Harrison heard the creaking wood as his mother stood up. Each step she took caused the boy to flinch.
"And yet, you never reached the goals that I believed you able to reach. You would always be several steps too short. Miles away from the very goalposts that you set for yourself. Not deserving of the Floie family name." The steps stopped directly in front of him. The boy now staring at his mother's shoes.
"Look at me, boy."
"I-I c-c-can-"
"You are unable to look your mother in her eyes? Why is that boy?" The woman's hand gently rested on Harrison's chin and started to force his gaze up. Her hands were surprisingly cold for fire mage. "W-wait, mother! P-please I-"
"You are a disappointment." Harrison's eyes widened. His gaze slowly rose to meet his mother's. Her eyes that looked of pure flames and yet were as cold as nights in the arctic. "A disappointment to me. A disappointment to our ancestors. You are clearly not my child." Harrison's eyes would open wider if they could but his fear suddenly increased drastically.
"Wait, Mom I only-"
"I have no son. So do not call me mother. You were never acceptable to me boy. You are nothing but a stray horse that we picked up in hopes that you could pull the carriage and yet you even failed at that." The woman pushed the boy to the ground and turned in one swift motion.
"Go to the stables, Harrison. That's where a stray horse like you should be sleeping anyway."
"N-no wait I can fix it! I can do better, Moth-"
"I said you are not my son!" Harrison looked at his mother with tears in his eyes. The contempt and disgust that he saw on her face. He could say nothing at the sight of it because he could not believe that this woman was truly his mother.
"Out of my sight. You're lucky that I am even still allowing you to stay within the gates." Harrison had no more words and simply left the woman's office. He was looking forward with glazed over eyes. He was in utter despair. He always knew his mother was hard on him to the point of being borderline abusive but he thought that it was just tough love. How did this happen?
No, he knew how this happened. That girl. That insolent, overbearing, rude, violent girl! She was the reason his mother was enraged at him. She was the reason that his mother was upset. If he could get to her than he could re-earn his mother's love and respect. His mother would take it all back, right?
Harrison's eyes were wild and unfocused as a fanatical grin etched itself onto his face.
"I will destroy you, Alix Deminal. Your reputation. Your family. You yourself. I'll drag all of it through the mud and break that brittle pride that you carry around with you."
"I will become the boulder that drags you to the bottom of this vast sea that we all call life."