Extra's Ascent

They exited the office, their expressions downcast, their confidence shattered.

It was clear from their faces that the encounter had taken a toll on them.

"God, she's horrible," Dante swore, his mental state unravelling after spending even a short time with the woman.

She had effortlessly attacked his self-esteem, her calm demeanour making it all the more painful.

To think she managed to get into the head of the boy wonder, Dante Pendragon...

They started walking, moving away from her door, heading back to the floor below the one they were on.

As they stepped into the elevator, Aldrich's thoughts turned grim.

It had only just dawned on him how terrifying Professor Mariana truly was.

On his first day of resumption, Aldrich had mentally marked off a list of things never to do again.

At the top of that list now was "never put myself in a situation where I have to be counselled by Professor Mariana."

That woman had an uncanny ability to strip away a person's mental defences and strike at their deepest insecurities.

She could break someone down without even raising her voice.

"What do you say we grab something to eat?" Aldrich proposed, desperate to change the subject.

Anything to get his mind off the disheartening experience.

"Isn't lunch supposed to be from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m.?" Dante mused, raising an eyebrow.

"It's already 11," Aldrich replied, glancing at the time. "The lecture started at 7, and Professor Mariana's session lasted over three hours. I'm starving."

"So you're telling me we were in there for over an hour, listening to her list of all the ways she could ruin our lives, and there's not a damn thing we can do about it?" Dante interrupted, his frustration evident in his voice.

"Alright, I won't tell you," Aldrich teased, grinning to lighten the mood. "But seriously, I'd rather spend my lunch eating than brooding over what a nightmare Professor Mariana is."

As he spoke, Aldrich mentally flipped through his memories to see if anything more significant had happened during the session.

Let's see... he thought, We have the welcome party for new students, and then there's the actual welcome trial, set up by the second-year students.

But before all that... He paused, trying to recall something between Fiona and Selina, but the memory remained elusive.

Aldrich envied Dante for his photographic memory. It would've been helpful right about now.

The elevator bell dinged, snapping him out of his thoughts, and they arrived at their destination.

As Aldrich stepped forward to leave first, he saw someone waiting for him.

"Sal..." he began, stopping short in his tracks.

"What are you doing here?" Aldrich asked, a bit taken aback as he stepped out of the elevator.

"What am I doing here?" Saldrich retorted, raising an eyebrow as she crossed her arms.

"I'm here to check on you, Al. It's your first day back, and you went and pissed off the one professor everyone tries to stay clear of. Congratulations, you've made yourself a walking target."

"That doesn't feel like a genuine congratulatory note," Aldrich shot back, smirking despite himself.

"Damn it, Al! This is not the time for jokes!" Saldrich snapped, clearly not amused.

"I sent you the timetable, told you a hundred times not to do anything stupid, and now you go ahead and do this. Why?"

Aldrich sighed, rubbing his temples. "Come on, Sal, can we not do this here, in front of someone else?"

"Someone else?" she repeated, noticing Dante for the first time.

"Hi!" Dante waved casually.

"Ah, yes. Hi. Can you please excuse me and my brother? There's something we need to discuss in private."

"Sure thing. I'll be in the cafeteria if you're done here, Aldaman," Dante called over his shoulder as he walked off, giving the siblings some privacy.

Saldrich waited for Dante to disappear down the hall before she turned back to Aldrich, her frustration palpable.

"And Al! What do you think you're doing with Dante Pendragon? First, it's Fiona Helmswoth, and now Dante Pendragon? What is it with you and getting involved with people like that?"

Aldrich held up a hand, cutting her off before she could say more. "What can I say, Sal? People love me. Especially the ones from rich families," he teased, trying to deflect.

"I told you, Al, this is not a joke. You need to take this seriously. Dante Pendragon is not someone you should be hanging out with. Neither is Fiona Helmsworth. Associating with them will only—"

"No, Sal. I need you to listen to me."

Aldrich's voice was calm but firm as he interrupted her.

He could see the genuine worry in her eyes, and while he appreciated it, he knew this was something that needed to be said.

"I appreciate you looking out for me. I really do. But I can't let this continue any longer."

He stood tall, meeting her gaze with a newfound determination. "I'm the older brother, not you. And as weird as this may sound, it's my job to take care of you, not the other way around."

Saldrich opened her mouth to protest, but Aldrich raised a hand to silence her.

"You don't get to tell me who I can and can't hang out with, or who's good for me and who isn't. That's my decision to make, not yours."

He let out a breath, trying to soften his tone. "I know you do it out of worry, and I get it. But that's not an excuse for telling me what to do. You can advise me, sure, but you can't make decisions for me."

Saldrich stared at him, her expression unreadable.

For a long moment, she said nothing. Aldrich felt the silence's meaning but he didn't budge.

Finally, Saldrich sighed, dropping her shoulders. "Fine. I'll back off, but you better be careful. I don't want to see you get hurt."

Aldrich relaxed, a small smile tugging at his lips. "I know, Sal. And I appreciate it. Now, do you want to grab a bite to eat with me, or do you want to stand here arguing while I counter with your choice of friends?"

Saldrich gave him an exasperated look but relented. "The former," she replied, laying down her arms.

"Great," Aldrich said, slinging an arm around her shoulders as they began walking down the hall. "I knew you'd come around."

"Are you sure about treating me, Al?" she asked, her eyes gleaming with mischief. "I'm a pretty heavy eater, you know."

"I already know," Aldrich replied with a grin, his mood lightening.

"You know, and you still want to treat me? You must've gotten yourself a high credit rating from that entrance assessment," Saldrich teased.

"You have no idea," Aldrich muttered, his smile widening.

"How much are we talking? Five hundred credits? A thousand? Two thousand?" Saldrich pressed eagerly.

"I'm not telling," Aldrich said, his tone playful but evasive.

"No, come on, Al. I want to know!" she prodded, nudging him with her elbow.

The banter continued as they walked toward the cafeteria, neither willing to give in to the other.

At that moment, it felt like everything was back to normal, and the tension that had hung over them seemed to dissolve.