The Old man, the young girl, and Latin { ALEX }

[Richard Alpert]

"Okay, we're going to try it again, and stop looking at the window, Alexandra. Look at me."

Didn't they say that children learned quicker than adults? Richard had hardly been around children other than Alex, so he could only take other people's words. Alex was bright, but she was also stubborn. She didn't want to be here, she wanted to be out playing in the Island. But Richard had convinced Ben that he needed to start teaching her after the Purge. However, as Richard sat Alex down in the kitchen of Ben's house, he saw soon that it was a near hopeless cause. He brought out the picture of the Alex's white rabbit, holding it up to her. Of course, he hadn't started with silly pictures of rabbits and phrases that rabbits were white when he had taught the rest of them. However, they hadn't been as young. Or as stubborn. "Vestri lepus est niveus. Your rabbit is white. Say it back to me, and then say what it means."

Richard hardly ever got frustrated, but he sighed as he put the card down. He was losing a fight with a little girl. The irony was not lost on him. "I know you don't want to do this, but you've got to. The more you do it, the better you'll get at it."

[Alex Linus]

Blah, blah, blah, blah. That's all Richard's words were to Alex right now as she stared out the kitchen window, rather than listen to whatever language he was talking to her in.

Why did she even have to learn some dead language? There was no point! Sighing, she shifted in her seat as Richard forced her attention back to him. He was holding a picture of her rabbit Henry. Blah blah rabbit. Rolling her eyes, she sighing again and spoke in a blank tone.

"Vestri lepus est niveus. Your rabbit is white." She stated, blinking at him. "If I ask you in Latin why I have to learn this, will you tell me?"

[Richard Alpert]

"If I ask you in Latin why I have to learn this, will you tell me?"

A sigh escaped between Richard's lips as he leaned back in the chair, eyeing Alex. Moving to gather the pictures, he felt a slight laugh escape his lips as he shook his head slightly at her tone. "Yes. Yes, Alex, if you ask me why you have to learn this in Latin, I'll tell you whatever you want to know." Richard told her, setting the pictures to the side of the table in a neat pile. If she wanted to be stubborn, he could be just as stubborn. "I don't suppose if I decide to take this session outside, it'll change your mind any?"

Maybe outside would be better. Perhaps on the Mesa or at the waterfall. Images could match words. Maybe it would be easier.

[Alex Linus]

She smirked lightly, her lips curving up into a typical nine-year-old smirk. "Quare operor EGO have disco is effercio?" She stated. "I pay more attention than you think, Mister Alpert."

Well, that had been pretty much the only part she'd paid attention to. The rest it was just like, meh. She had better stuff to do - like escape the sonic fence and go explore more. She'd discovered a cool cave the other day and wanted to go back to explore it deeper. But apparently, Richard wasn't about it let that happen. However, her eyes lit up at the idea of going outside. But she quickly composed her face as if it hadn't effected her, giving a light shrug.

"It might help. No promises."

[Richard Alpert]

Briefly, he saw a change in her eyes, a light when he even mentioned the outdoors, but yet, when she noticed that she had made the slight expression, she quickly shifted her face into one of indifference. Richard found himself smirking lightly at the young girl.

"I know you pay more attention than I think, Alex. And it's Richard. I know your father wanted you too, but it's just annoying and it makes me feel old. Besides, this is hardly a formal setting." Which he really didn't need to feel anymore old than he actually was; he didn't need reminding. However, as she gave him a look of indifference, Richard lifted a shoulder slightly. "But if, you know, you don't want to go out, I'm sure we could find something for you to do in here. I know your dad had left you homework before he left."

[Alex Linus]

"Sorry Mist - Richard." She corrected herself quickly with a small smile. She found it sort of funny that it made him feel old - she hadn't seen him age for as long as she had known him - which was pretty much since she was a baby.

Alex's eyebrows knitted together at the thought of doing homework, and she made a face of horror. "Um - no thanks. I vote outside." She said and pointed in the general direction of the front door. "As much fun as homework sounds, I'd totally rather not." She continued, looking at him.

"Please?"

[Richard Alpert]

For a moment, the thought of watching Alex squirm under the threat of homework was amusing. However, he knew Alex would shift and pout, mad at the fact that she had to do homework, however, those moments would be few, and she'd be content with simply staring at him from across the table. Which didn't bother Richard in the slightest; it wasn't like he was wasting moments sitting across from her.

He nodded his head towards the front door. "Out you go." When she was outside, Richard follow, shutting the door behind him. The sun was a harsh contrast to the dimmed house, and he brought a hand to shield his eyes from the clear, midday sun. "You are going to do your homework later, Alex. Your father put you in my watch, and I'm not about to see you move your schoolwork to the back burner." However, actual schooling didn't really mean much here on the Island, Richard thought silently. Practical knowledge. Street-smarts, they called them back on the mainland. However, if Alex were to ever get off the Island, she'd need to know things to interact with the people back on the mainland.

[Alex Linus]

She jumped up instantly and barrelled for the front door, taking two seconds to slip on her tennis shoes before heading outside, blinking rapidly against the bright sun. It only took her eyes a few seconds to adjust, and by then she was already down the front porch steps, doing a little twirl with her face toward the sky. Being outside was what she loved, and she doubted that would ever change.

"Yeah, yeah, homework." She muttered back to him - she'd do it, eventually. She hated schoolwork - Alex really didn't even see the point - but she did it to please her father, and Richard, because she knew they wouldn't shut up either until she did her work. She wasn't ever going to use it either - I mean, yeah. She knew how to read and write and all that jazz, but why should she care about history and math? She was never going to use those here, on the Island. But Alex knew she had little chance of persuading her guardians that.

[Richard Alpert]

"You should consider yourself quite lucky." Richard commented as he followed in step beside her. "Children in the past didn't have such luxuries as you. We could be making you work hard manual labour. You wouldn't be able to read the label on a can of Dharma beans." he pointed out. "And besides, history's something that no one should forget for fear of making the same mistakes. Learn from the people that failed before you and rise up from it. Besides, history's interesting. The Island's full of history; don't you want to know about what you're looking at? Where it came from?"

The gun was firmly placed in the waistband of his pants, though with the Dharma people gone, he didn't need it much, unless the polar bears were around. He reached back, adjusting it slightly to stop it from digging into his lower back.

[Alex Linus]

She wrinkled her nose. "I wouldn't do it. I'd escape and explore the Island more." Alex stated, continuing to twirl beside him. She was attempting to see how dizzy she could make herself, then attempt to walk. "And I already know about the Island's history - A volcano - possibly the same one in that general direction," She paused, waving int he general direction of the dormant volcano on the island. "Created this island from beneath the water."

She knew Richard was probably talking about things that had actually happened on the Island, but those she really didn't care about. She could always ask around and find all that out later instead of sitting inside and having to listen to ramblings and try to focus. She'd never remember it all anyway.

[Richard Alpert]

She was twirling, that much Richard saw out of the corner of his eye, until he turned his head fully to her. "What are you doing?" he asked, looking at her almost confused before she stopped spinning and started walking. Of course, she was too young to care. It didn't matter much if she cared or not, sooner or later, she would come to appricate and care. Of course, she was only eight years old.

Time changed a person's perspective. It always did.

"Okay, fine. All you want to do is explore the Island. What happens when you've run out of places to explore? What then?"

[Alex Linus]

Alex giggled. "I'm twirling. Making myself dizzy." She said, attempting to walk straight now but she was dizzier than could be, making it rather hard. She brushed hair out her face as she wobbled along beside Richard for a moment, finally regaining her balance when the world stopped spinning.

She frowned slightly at Richard's question. What would she do? "Uhh." She mumbled, making a face. But it changed quickly as she thought of something. "I'll explore even more. There's a whole other little island! And I can go back over my old places - they're bound to change a bit, if not alot while I've off exploring other places." She said, looking at him with a triumphant grin.