Seth gave her a scrutinizing, yet not hostile, look. "I believe you. Next question, do you perhaps have a secondary personality? Or more than one?"
Alesha's jaw dropped slightly, and a puzzled expression crossed her face. "What the - why do you ask that?"
Seth's unwavering gaze made Alesha squirm. This 16-year-old boy felt unfathomable at moments like this. "Before you evolved, and several times prior to today, I've noticed you speaking to yourself as if having a conversation with another consciousness. The professor who was killed was investigating whether you had a second personality. Alesha, this is incredibly important. Do you or do you not possess another consciousness?"
As Alesha was mentally scrambling for a way to respond, a quest window appeared.
[Ding! New Quest Available!]
[Quest: Tell the Truth -- But Not the Whole Truth!
Goal: Give the Academy a satisfactory explanation for your behavior without exposing the truth about the System!
Quest Conditions: convince Seth and the investigators that you have a second personality, do not expose the System's origins or true nature
Reward: 1 future quest refusal opportunity, 100 XP, 2 Chaos Energy
Penalty: Rogork gets full control of your body for 10 minutes, ???
Failure Condition(s): System existence is exposed and/or Academy investigators aren't convinced you have a 2nd personality]
Alesha cursed under her breath, face contorting into a snarl. Screw this crappy System, now she had to lie and say she had a second personality? For what purpose?? Just to torture her? Whatever the case, this quest's reward -- specifically the refusal opportunity -- was just too good to ignore. It was the first time such a clearly "good" reward had appeared. That, paired with the unknown penalty (which was a far scarier threat than she wanted to admit), made Alesha swallow her pride and jump into the quest wholeheartedly.
"Dammit, yeah, I do. It can't take over, or at least it hasn't been able to yet, but it does have more influence over my choices than I'd like to admit."
Seth sighed and put his face into his hands.
"Is that bad?" Alesha asked.
He dropped his hands and shifted from a crouch into a criss-cross seated position. "Yes, it is quite a complicated matter now. Normally, a demon with split personalities -- particularly seemingly gentle ones such as yourself -- will be immediately released and returned to their own world, since they pose far too great a risk. However, since you were able to hide your secondary personality more-or-less perfectly until earlier today, I do not have the time to summon a new demon in your place. The professors will likely continue to question you until they can decide whether you are safe enough to keep around for the final stages of the examination."
"That is correct," a mature female voice said from above.
Looking up, Alesha spotted a matronly professor with dark green hair and half-moon glasses, her black velvet robes reflecting the orange torchlight that came from below.
"Seth, it appears your demon is composed enough to interrogate now. You've done well calming her. Get her ready and bring her to the Headmaster's office in half an hour; do not do anything stupid in the meantime."
"Yes, Professor," Seth responded immediately. "Come, Alesha, let's get you prepared."
Feeling nervous under the intimidating gaze of the professor, Alesha stood, holding the robes to her front. "Uhh… how am I supposed to climb the ladder like this?"
Seth got behind her and held the robe as she threaded her arms through the sleeves. Then, he tied the robe shut below her wings. With permission, he also fastened the robe together beneath her tail, since the tail's growth had torn her pants.
Alesha was impressed with Seth's respectful manner. Despite what she knew of the impulsive and lusty breed known as "Male Teenagers," throughout the process he had been very careful to look away from anything private. "Thanks for being respectful," she ended up saying.
"It is nothing," he said. "Those who think with their reproductive systems are quite repulsive to me. If I want respect from someone, I should be the first to give it. That is all."
"Well, that's a great attitude to have. Keep up the good work, kid."
On the way back to Seth's dorm, as he explained the basics about what would be happening next, she could tell he was irked about something, but she couldn't tell what.
----
30 minutes later
Alesha knocked on the plain black door, only certain that she was at the right place because of the fancy plaque next to it. In cursive golden letters, it read: "Headmaster Icnirin Za Phralnic."
"You may enter," a smooth tenor voice said from inside.
Walking into the room, Alesha stopped in her tracks at a sight that was completely outside of her expectations. A handsome dark elf with ebony skin, black and gold horns, white hair and golden eyes was lounging in a hot tub in the center of the room. The rectangular tub was raised off the ground, mounted on four legs like a giant bathtub, and carved intricately with gothic depictions of dragons, skeletons, zombies and other monstrous beasts. It reminded her of something she would see on halloween.
"Wh- what the heck?" Alesha found herself saying without thought. "Are you actually the Headmaster? What the heck is happening??"
The dark elf laughed heartily, then with a wave of his hand the scene disappeared. Instead, Alesha found herself looking at him, clothed in a fancy twin-tailed suit, proffering her a dish covered with a silver lid. The room was now a rich hotel lobby, reminiscent of those from old Earth. Though the room was devoid of guests, circular tables were laid with tablecloths, several-piece dinnerware sets, and beautiful centerpieces. Diamond chandeliers hung from the now-distant ceiling and off to the side, long tables were burdened with heaps of delicious-looking food.
"Care for a bite, young miss?" the dark elf inquired, taking the silver lid off and revealing a plate of richly sauced appetizers, each a miniature hot dog wrapped in carmelized bacon and stuck with a toothpick. Alesha's mouth watered and (though still confused) she accepted, taking one of them and eating it in one bite.
Despite her recently changed palate, Alesha found the appetizer quite good. "It's delicious," she remarked after finishing the bite.
The headmaster's eyes glinted with predatory satisfaction. "I'm glad," he said.
Before she could start to think about why his gaze had been so fierce, he covered the dish again, whirled around, and briskly walked to the table laden with food. He deposited the dish there and returned.
"Alright, Alesha, let the interrogation begin."