>>5778197Henzler frowned a little at that.
“I thought you didn’t like that,” she said. “People pointing out that you were half-elf.”
Suddenly, her fixed, unmoving eye-contact was unnerving, and you had to look away. You reflected that you had finally found someone who might beat Pearce in a staring contest, at least if they awarded points for intensity.
“I guess I… Got over it a little,” you admit, starting to walk again.
“But not over disliking me,” she replied, following you.
You glanced her way, just briefly, then continued on looking ahead, not sure what to say.
“Why did you bring me here?” you asked, eventually, because it was really the main question to ask, and you could avoid it no longer—not after a blunt statement like that.
“Because of what you did,” Henzler answered, “a year ago, with my mother and me.”
“What, got a concussion and ended up on the Archmage’s private shit-list?” you asked.
“You know what I mean,” Henzler said, quietly. “I wanted to know… Why you did that, even though you hate me. I don’t understand. Other people only do nice things for me because they think they can copy my notes, or borrow my books, or impress my m—the Archmage. Then they realize I’m a lousy teacher, and my notes don’t make sense to anyone but me because I write them weird, and that Mother doesn’t even LIKE me, and they… They stop.”
…Eesh.
“But you never liked me,” she continued, stopping suddenly and staring at you again, “and you never did anything nice for me except when it was to STAND UP to m—to the Archmage. And you didn’t ask for anything after, or even really talk to me for a whole year, and… I just don’t understand.”
You take a deep breath, considering your answer. Why DID you do that?
>It really is a matter of fairness and justice—plain and simple, you don’t like seeing someone treated like that for no good reason>You know what it’s like to feel weird, like an outsider, like there’s something wrong with you, and you know it doesn’t feel good>When the Archmage was talking to Izirina like that, the Henzler family suddenly reminded you of YOUR family—of your MOTHER—and you just snapped>You secretly had a crush on Izirina—though you’re not about to admit that to her face, so you hastily cobble together a lie>Write-inBut, for the record…
>You DO hate her guts and think she’s a weirdo>You don’t HATE her… And you’re sorry if you gave her that impression>She owes you one—she never even said THANK YOU, for gods’ sakesnon-flirterers, don't read too much into the attached image -- I'm only memeing 