Alix enters Inengway's office after yet another boring day going through classes. This school really has almost nothing for her. Spell Theory and Magic Combat are the only even slightly useful classes, to her at least.
"Welcome back, Lexi." Mo greeted the girl as soon as she entered. "Hello, Mo." Alix makes her way through the professor's office, which quite frankly always seemed to be disorganized and messy. Books of varying covers and titles sprawled all around the room.
The walls themselves were not visible as they were blocked off by giant shelves with various monster bone and parts covering them. It almost looked like her dream from a few nights ago, though this isn't in a dark and damp dungeon so it should be fine.
The main source of like were Lumi Crystals that were propped up onto the walls. Lumi Crystals are a common type of crystal made by Alchemists. The crystals collect and contain light mana then use it to illuminate their surroundings. They are quite convenient. Alix sits at the big table in the center of the office.
It has, surprise surprise, more books and monster parts on it. She picks up a book on oceanic monsters and begins to scan the pages for any information on Mo's species. "Did you end up remembering anything else? Like what part of the ocean you were from or maybe if you had any others that you grew up with?" Mo shook his head.
"Nah. Nothin' other than the whole pirate capture situation. I don't even know when that was, I just know that it happened." Alix sighed. "Well at least we don't need to look through different types of freshwater fish anymore. Hell you might not even be a fish. Which is why I have this oceanic monster boo-"
"Excuse me, Alix." Alix looked at Professor Inengway who had been in the room the entire time. Completely ignored by the girl that was using his office. "What?" Alix said curtly. Winston looked at the girl in disbelief. "What? You entered my office and the only one you offered greetings to was the fish. Did you not notice me or something?"
"No, I knew you were here." Alix flipped the page in her book as she answered. 'This rude little...' The professor had known several students over the years and yet not even the most arrogant children of noble families treated him with such indifference.
"Alright. I won't bother you anymore." Alix didn't even acknowledge the man's statement as she just flipped the page yet again. He sighed, 'At least it's quiet. Unlike when Eric is-'
"Hello, uncle and Alix! I am here!" Inengway looked at his nephew and sighed. 'I never should've mentioned the quiet.' Eric stood in the doorway frowning at the lack of response to his greeting.
"Yo, what kind of rude behavior is this. Isn't it common courtesy to reply when someone greets you." Inengway absent-mindedly waved at the boy while Alix continue to mutter to herself with her face in her book. Eric walked over to Alix.
"Helloooo. Is anyone in there?" Alix continued to ignore the boy. This made Eric feel uncomfortable as he always ensured he made his presence known when he entered a room to avoid getting ignored. And yet Alix managed to do it all the same. Eric grabbed a chair, dragged it over and sat next to Alix his gaze fixed on the girl. "Do you not like me or something Alix?"
"That is correct." Alix gave one of her usual harsh, deadpan responses. "Why?" Eric queestioned. "I find you incredibly annoying." Eric leaned closer to the girl. "That's a rude thing to say to my face."
"And?" Eric was honestly amazed at how rude Alix was being. "You always seem so nice when youe'r talking to the fish. Why are you so mean to me?"
...page flip.
"Mo is my friend while you are not." She said coldly. "Well, you're not giving me a chance to become your friend."
"Do I need to?" Eric sat with his mouth open trying to think of a response. "Well, no. But that doesn't mean we can't be friends! I mean you don't have to walk up to somebody with friendship as your end goal to become friends with them." Eric was now standing in front of the girl with one leg on his chair.
...page flip.
"Do you like magic?"
"Huh?"
"We attend a school for mages. Do you have any sort of interest in magic?" Eric was thrown off by the question. He slowly sat back down in his chair as he answered, "W-well, not really." His answer seemed to have gotten a response out of the girl as she finally looked up from the book.
"Then why are you here?" The girl's gaze was locked onto the boy's eyes. He suddenly felt incredibly nervous. Like he was getting interrogated.
"I- umm. W-well it- I-i-it's like I k-kinda have to be here." Eric was visibly uncomfortable. This interested the girl as she was now the one leaning forward. "Why do you have to be here?" Eric tried leaning back to escape the girl but she only leaned in closer.
"What type of spellcaster are yo-" A knock on the door suddenly interrupted Alix's prying. Eric looked up at the door, "O-oh look someone's here! We should probably continue this another time!"
"I'm not finished." The girl said refusing to give up. Eric, on the other hand, took quite the interest in the sudden visitor. It was a boy. He looked like a mess. Unkempt gray hair, dirty pale skin, wrinkled, worn, and baggy gray clothes. He looked, in a word, homeless. Eric leapt out of his chair and immediately began interacting with the boy.
"Hey, man! I'm Eric and this is my uncle's office. I assume that you're here to talk to him but he's kinda busy over there so why don't we talk instead while you wait." The boy looked at Eric in silence. He looked Eric up and down before looking back into the room.
"I apologize if I am inconveniencing you. But I have some questions about our previous encounter, Ms. Alix Deminal." Alix had been glaring at Eric the entire time until the boy addressed her directly. She looked over to the boy and almost instantly recognized him as the boy that had been attacked by Harrison.
"What do you want, mind slave?" Eric and Winston both turned to Alix in shock. "Alix did you just call him a mind slave? To his face!?"
"I understand if you don't like him but that is not something a student should say to a fellow student!"
"Yes, that is me. I had some inquiries that I wished to run by you." Eric and Winston were stunned into silence. They didn't know what was more shocking. Alix calling a stranger who had just came into the room a "mind slave" or the boy that had been called a mind slave and let it roll off of him like water on stone.
"I didn't think mind slaves made inquiries." Alix responded. At this point both Eric and Winston had completely removed themselves from this strange conversation. The uncle and nephew made eye contact with each other as if they were saying, 'Clearly not, our business.' and agreed to back off.
"You know that is actually why I am here. Why do you continue to call me a mind slave?" Alix raised a brow, "Because you are a mind slave." She spoke coldly.
"Yes, I understand that these are your feelings, but I don't understand what you mean. What is a mind slave in this context?" Alix sighed. "Of course I need to explain something as simple as this to a person that clearly doesn't have a modern level of sense." Alix stood from her chair as Eric and Winston continued to completely disassociate from the events happening in the room.
"A mind slave is a person that does not attempt to fight for their goals. In fact, a mind slave is a being that seems to have no goals and just goes along with whatever anyone else tells them to do. Why? Because they have fallen victim to their own mind and have locked their ambitions away." Alix stomped over to the boy as she continued.
"They have figuratively become enslaved by themselves. They feel that there is no use in trying any harder because they simply could never reach a higher level. Put simply..." Alix stopped moving just around a foot away from the boy.
"You have become a slave of your own mind. A mind slave." The boy was shaken. "I see." These two simple words immediately enraged the girl. "That's exactly what I'm talking about!" The boy flinched from the girls sudden shouting.
"I'm standing here calling you cowardly and a slave to your face. Yet you're simply going along with it. Not even attempting to defend yourself. Have you no pride?!" The boy stood in silence. His eyes wide. Alix takes a deep breath to calm herself.
"That! That's why you're a mind slave. You live this way and probably see nothing wrong with it. It's a worthless way of living and I refuse to acknowledge such weak minded people." Alix turned around and began to walk back to her chair.
"...Cas." The boy spoke quietly only barely perceptible to Alix. "What?" She turned and looked at the boy who was now meeting her eye to eye.
"I am Cas Plavoc and I do not wish to be this way any longer!" His eyes looked at the girl with deep respect and a burning fire. This admittedly amused Alix.
"I do not wish continue being a mind slave!" Alix smiled at Cas. His newfound resolve pleased her.
"I see. This is starting to get interesting!"