'So, you want to attend my school?' said Principal Maxim
'Yes sir! I was told that you had been known to let people like myself in to learn the arcane arts. Despite the tension my presence must cause, I promise to try and stay out of the way!' Said Alexander, his body slumped and almost bent, as if he was trying to meld right into the manticore leather couch, and slip away like a slime in some dank sewer.
'Well kid, I can't say you don't have balls. Hmmm…' The older man paused, as if searching for some easy resolution in the beige walls of his office. He tapped is pen against the hard oak desk, and the tapping noise carried throughout the room. Maxim stroked his beard, and in an instant, the pen in his offhand shattered. The older man quickly ascended from his seat and turned about face to gaze out the window of his second story office, a smirk growing on his face.
'Alexander' he said, still peering out the window. 'Do you know the history of this prestigious school?' The taller old man turned his head slightly to glance into Alexander's purple eyes. 'No sir. I came to this school at the recommendation of my mother…' At the mention of the boy's mother, Maxims smirk turned to a chortle.
'Yes, your mother. The kindest woman I or anybody else in this town has ever met. But she's not your real mother, is she Alex? Your real mother is long dead, just like all the parents of your people. That was the true purpose of the Maxim Academy for Applied Arcana. To protect the people from the evils of this world…..' at the mention of the schools original purpose, Alexander begins to shiver, almost quaking at the thought of the old times, when he was but a tadpole. When his people had declared all out conflict against the living races bound to this mortal coil. A decision Alexander had been judged by his entire life, despite the fact that he never even had a voice to debate such terribly decisive action.
The older man continued. 'A world your scum of a race tried to have eradicated. The Maxim clan has stood for generations at the forefront vanguard of this realm, and you measly, brain sucking leeches tried to take that glorious title away from my clan by attempting a crusade against all that is good on this earth.' The older man took a quick breather and slammed his hand, palm down in front of the now cowering, purple skinned Illithid. 'Now, remind me quickly why in the name of all that is just and glorious, I should take you into the most prestigious school for Arcana this side Felbridge? The last time a member of your kind wanted to get in here, they weren't looking to go to the study hall and have a nice chat with the teachers. They wanted to EAT THE FUCKING BRAINS OF EVERYONE IN THE BUILDING!' The old Goliaths voice now resonated with the air in the room, and the great mans tattoos seemed to almost glow with rage. He seethed, allowing air to blow from his nose, like a bull rearing to strike. He slowly began to sit back into his chair, and the thin plastic and wood construction creaked under the large mans weight. At this point, Alexander had gone from trying to meld into the couch, to using it as a shield against the goliath's verbal onslaught. He quivered behind it, muttering about it 'not being his fault' and how his people were 'conceited and evil'. He cowered until the goliath had adopted what looked to be a calmer mood. The large mans fingers formed a triangle as he breathed heavily.
'Your accepted' he exhaled.
'Wait... What?' the purple figure responded, as though a mouse looking at the cheese in an obvious trap.
'I said, YOUR ACCEPTED. Now get out. GET OUT!' the Goliaths scream smashed any pretense of resistance in the Illithids form. He ran out the door as fast as possible, nearly forgetting his pack and supplies in the process. The young Mind Flayer addressed the nice Dragonborn secretary, who gave him a welcoming smile. 'I shall see you at home later. Make sure to take out the garbage when you get there!' Alexander returned a smile and ran for the door into the nice, crisp morning of fall. He breathed deeply, and reached his hand to the sky. 'Mom, I finally did it. I actually got into a good school!'
'Well Maggie, I hope you are right about that kid…' the Goliath says softly as he peers out his office door into the hallway. 'Gerald, when have you ever known me to be wrong about something like this?' The dragonborn says, as she continues to type on her computer. 'I'm just saying. I know you remember what happened during the war. We fought side-by-side, remember?' The dragonborn sighs and closes the open tabs on her computer before turning to face the large man now leaning on her cubicle wall. 'The illithid Aggressions. I remember them, as I remember my first moments in this world. A haze, bloody and uncomfortably warm. The sand washing against my plate greaves as we pushed ever closer to the Fissure. Tossing the Godhand down into that pit, Hearing the screams of the Mind Flayers as their flesh melted and bones decayed, all in one big flash of light.' The goliath remained stoic, if not somber. 'And then these fuckers start crawling out' He says, pointing after the young mind flayer who had disrupted his morning with his presence.
Maggie glares at Gerald. 'What? Just because you took one in doesn't mean you don't despise his fucking guts.' She sighs once more. 'I am all too aware of that Gerald. Sometimes, when I look into his eyes, I see those of his Forebears. That purple cuts deep into my heart, but that isn't his fault. Its mine. He is my curse to bear and my reason for remaining here. I can never wash away the things I did in those sands, but, through him I can attempt to make amends with those who remain. They had nothing to do with the actions their parents committed. Remember the old saying…..' the goliath interjected 'Don't even say it. Don't even fockin say it.' Maggie giggles as childish as a war veteran could 'you let your accent slip, Gerry!' The Goliath lumbered into his office, mumbling curses and sayings only war buddies would stand to hear from a friend