"How close to death he could get?" Cassandra raised her brows. But then she thought of what she would have done to scare the shit out of someone. "You took him to a black hole, didn't you?"
The catwoman folded her arms over her chest, her eyes piercing through Alex like daggers.
"Who knows…" Alex decided to keep his mouth shut, completely ignoring those piercing eyes. "Besides, he's a Class B hunter, he will recover quickly."
Alex signalled a waiter to their table as they placed their orders. Cassandra chose to go with the fries, soda and some lean meat while Alex just went with the fries and a bottle of water.
"What was that Terrance fella on about?" Cassandra asked as the waiter went to get their order. "I get that you're pushing for your people to begin exploration missions once more, but to what end?"
Alex didn't immediately reply, his gaze shifting to the window as he looked up the skies. In his eyes were a reflection of the universe, evident of him looking at the cosmos.
"You see, I never imagined myself growing this fast." Alex began, turning to look at Cassandra. "I had plans to grow with my friends, explore the universe, and fight the void creatures." He turned to look at Ross, a reminiscent smile gracing his features.
"But from what I've seen and experienced, we Veilwalkers are different. There was never time for us to take it slow. I've gotten to a level where simple things are a luxury to me.
"No one said it should be the same for the rest of humanity." Alex sighed. "Through the exploration programs the leaders have organised, humans can dream of expanding once more, learn new things about the universe, find places filled with wonders and clues that would guide them on their path to higher realms."
Cassandra listened quietly, thinking of how things could have been with her own universe. 'Would I have done the same thing?' She wasn't sure, and there was no way to ever know.
"So you want your people to do that instead." Cassandra added.
"Exactly." Alex nodded. "I don't want them to worry about what's outside, I'll take care of that. Humans are creatures of discovery and growth. We evolve through finding things on our own, not on being fed the answers."
"So you'll really make them your vassals?" The catwoman wondered. "I don't recall you being that generous with that gift."
"I never said I would grant those choosing the new path of explorers the opportunity to become vassals. I only said there's a chance." Alex replied. "Not everyone is cut out to be a vassal."
"Yeah, clearly." Cassandra chuckled. The woman turned to look out the diner as well, her gaze travelling vast distances as she made some observations. "I see you've put back together most of the destroyed galaxies, made some locations ideal for grasping laws, created special realms with artefacts, and even made the magical creatures reach levels to give a challenge to the hunters….
"You really went all out for this…" She turned to look at Alex with a smile, finding him more and more interesting. "You're something else, you know that?" Her trust in Alexander deepened with this understanding.
"But there's one thing though… Are--"
"Here are your orders…" The catwoman paused to look at the waiter placing their orders on the table. "Enjoy…" The waiter said with a kind smile, pausing to take another look at Alex.
Of course, Alex thought nothing of it. Everyone was free to be curious as all things should be. It was a natural trait Alex wanted to see instead of fear.
"Thank you." They both said to the waiter before focusing on their food.
Taking a bite out of the fries was just as he remembered; a simple pleasure that was to die for.
"Mhm. This is the stuff." Cassandra felt a level of peace and joy from the simplicity of everything. "I can understand what you see in this kind of freedom…"
"Right…?" Alex agreed. "But what were you about to say earlier?" He wondered.
"Well, with all that you've done to set the stage for your people's evolution, aren't you worried they would lose their lives trying to overcome the challenges you've put in their path just so they could evolve?" A perfectly reasonable question.
Alex chewed on his fries, thinking about the question. While the answer was easy to give, he wanted the woman to understand it herself.
He looked out the window again, sieving through the many pedestrians and settling on a playground with mothers and their little kids.
The mothers made small talk as they watched over their kids while the kids did what they did best; play and make a mess. There was no trace of worry or fear in them; they were free.
"What do you see?" Alex said, guiding Cassandra's senses to the playground. "Remember what I said before?"
"That I should compare enlightenments to the little things we take for granted?" She replied, looking at Alex's side profile.
"Yes." Alex nodded. "Now tell me, what do you see…?"
"Kids playing with the other kids while their moms watch over them." The catwoman knew this was one of Alex's teaching moments. "The kids are being very reckless and their moms are trying to get them to stop, but that seems to be a challenge."
"Good." Alex nodded. "What does that tell you?"
"How normal things are…?" She wasn't clear on how it related to her question. Taking another one of her fries and meat combo, she threw them in her mouth as she tried to understand what Alex wanted her to understand.
"Well, yes." Alex smiled and then added. "I'll tell you what I see…" He turned to face the catwoman.
"I see ignorant and helpless children trying to understand each other, sharing the same field and tackling new challenges without fear.
"They came into the world knowing nothing, and as they interact with their environment, they gain an identity, an understanding of who they are and what they want to do with their lives; only by experiencing something will one learn from it.
"I see mothers, their guardians, make sure they don't hurt themselves in their endeavours. They teach them what is right and what is wrong so that as the children grow, they know how to carry themselves. But those lessons don't last forever…"
"How does this relate to what I said?" Cassandra tilted her head. "It sounds like hunters are the children who go out to interact with their environment; a very dangerous environment at that…"