Well, it was the second or third day of class, and Alexander had already settled into a pattern of which students received honorifics, which received their last names alone, and which were lucky if he spoke to them other than to deliver a scolding.

He never had bothered with the idea of using one day to orient the students in his class, and simply had said that he expected his students to read the syllabus, which outlined his expectations further than that. Today, he was already deep into a dissection of the first literary work on the syllabus, and heaven help anyone who couldn't keep up.

Most of the students fell into the middle set, because they hadn't been around long enough for him to develop an opinion of them more than 'ordinary and boring.' A few had magical potential, but nothing major, and one...

He finished his lecture.

"Hernandez. See me after class, please." The please is just there for politeness's sake. It's an order.

"The rest of you may go."

Mortimer looked up and nodded for a moment, then finished scribbling to the end of his page. He was one of those who worked until the last minute of class...but he avoided being called on when he could. After a moment or so, he packed up his things and shuffled towards Alexander, anxiety plain on his face.
"Sir?"

Alexander smiled a smile that was probably reassuring, but was also about as insincere as it could possibly be.

"You're a little younger than the students I usually teach, Hernandez. We'll say I'm curious."

More about the magic the lad feels of than his age, though. Sorry, Mort.

Mort looked a little less frightened, but only a little.
"I'm seventeen, sir. Was there something you wanted to know?"
Well, he said he was curious.

"Seventeen. Rather impressive. Do you still live at home?"

In other words, does he live with his parents?

"Um, yes, I live at home in an apartment with my sister."
Mort is confused. The whole 'parents' thing usually throws him for a loop.

"Is your sister older?"

Because naturally he assumes that if Mort's a minor and living with his sister, that sister must not be a minor. Simple logic.

He himself didn't live on his own until he was a legal adult, after all...

"My age."
He adjusted his glasses and stared up at Alexander. Really, he looks more like a fourteen year old than a seventeen year old. He is wondering if there's a point to this.

"I see."

No particular point, except for Alexander's curiosity about a faery in his classroom. He's not quite figured out how to drain and use fae magic, which means Mort's probably rather lucky.

"So, she's your twin, then?"

Sooner or later, he's going to mention the antennae.

The ones he's so carefully combed his hair up to hide?
"Yeah--uh, yes, sir. She doesn't go here."
He fidgeted (and Alexander might recognize that particular careful sort of shuffling; Keye does it often when he's in pain and doesn't want to admit it), biting his lip. He'd been getting through classes by taking more painkillers more often than was entirely safe, but they were starting to wear off, and those deep cuts in his belly were starting to twinge again.
Come to think of it, the fact that he doesn't get much sleep because of pain might be contributing to that habit of falling asleep in class.

Those're the ones...

Alexander did recognize the shuffling and frowned.

"Is something the matter with you, Hernandez?"

I wonder if those antennae can pick up the fact that Alexander is a very powerful mage. Or are they limited to physical sense?

They can pick up on it, but Mort thinks it's just an odd smell. He can't differentiate between magic and odors yet.
"No, sir..."
And that was creepy, sir.

"Mm."

He doesn't believe him, but he'll let it pass. Hernandez is nothing to him; just a student, just a curiosity...

Complete subject change.

"I've always been curious just what those pick up," he comments, gesturing casually at Mort's head.

Mort stared at Alexander, paling,
"I have to go now, sir." he said at last.

And then he turned on his heel and took off running.

Well, that was interesting.

Alexander smiled to himself and prepared for his next class.

Unless Mort decided to skip classes, Alexander had all semester to ask him questions...