6/6 Instance: Semi-Professional Counselling

[Starfish]

Timeline: Current.


Cessily: Cessily didn't like keeping a schedule. It seemed so conformist, confining, and usually kept her from doing the things she really enjoyed - like giving her courses. They came with the job, however, and with the recent outbreak of tentacled creepies, it was to be expected that especially the younger students had an increased need to talk.

Cessily: Given their current situation, there was little time for any other classes with the exception of additional training sessions, so she cancelled her upcoming courses before closing the notebook with a sigh. There, that should free up some time.

Tigra: Tigra sneaked back inside after her night out in her den and made her way to Cess's office... room... place... thing. She sniffed at the door to see if there was anyone else in there because she didn't want to interrupt then lifted her hand to knock. She, of course, couldn't be a hundred percent sure even Cess was in there because of her lack of a scent but she hoped...

Cessily: Arching an eyebrow, Cessily smiled to herself and wondered if the others at school could sense when she had some free time on her hands. "Please, come in," she called.

Tigra: Oh phew. She was there. Tigra opened the door and stepped inside, curling her tail safely out of the way before closing the door behind her. "Hi..."

Cessily: "Oh hey there, sweetie," Cessily greeted the other girl, in a way that would have made any normal employer give her a lecture about professionalism. "What can I do for you? Here to talk, or do you just want to distract me from work. Not that I would mind in the least, that is..."

Tigra: "Well intially for the first one... but the second part sounds mighty tempting..." she crossed the room to perch on a chair.

Cessily: Smiling at Tigra, Cessily sat up in her chair. "Then how about we first talk about what's on your mind, and then we can see whether I can offer other forms of therapy?"

Tigra: She sighed, "I'm having... problems... I feel like I don't have anything to look forward to... I miss my brother and I'm worried about him - he lives in DC.... and all the stress around here has the feral on edge all the time... I'm driving myself crazy..."

Cessily: Cessily nodded. "First of all, it's perfectly normal to worry about our loved ones. I'm sure it won't be a problem to extract him to a secure place when we help the city." She leaned forward. "Do you have this feeling of hopelessness because of all that is going on at the moment, or do you think there are other reasons, too?"

Tigra: "I don't think this stuff is helping... but it's been around for a while... I don't really feel like I belong anywhere..."

Cessily: A slight frown on her face, Cessily gave Tigra a curious look. "I believe that's not a rare problem among mutants, especially not for us obvious ones; but I thought this place might make it easier to fit in." She smiled. "I'm pretty sure you belong here, if you ask me."

Tigra: She shook her head, "I can't fit in here... there's no one like me... no one gets it... Only another feral would understand what it's like in my head... and I can't talk to Curt anymore..." she watched the tip of her tail flick from side to side across her feet.

Cessily: "It's always nice to have someone around you can relate to and confide in," Cessily replied, nodding again. "On the other hand, I believe all of us are unique in certain ways. I've yet to meet another mutant made of liquid metal, for example. And I'm quite sure the only way to understand what's going on in the head of someone like Wade is to drink bleach."

Tigra: She managed a small smile at that, "Trying to understand Wade would require some kind of lobotomy most likely... but that's not what I mean... everyone here... they only have the one voice in their head. It's just them... but I have this... this thing pacing in the back of my mind all day every day, just waiting for an opportunity to take control... And I can't control it. When the feral takes over all I can do is watch...."

Cessily: "Oh, I believe Wade has a whole orchestra of voices inside his head, but I also doubt he'd be able to help you with your problem." Cessily tried to cheer up the girl with a kind smile. "It must be hard to struggle with a stranger in your mind all the time, isn't it?"

Tigra: "It's not really a stranger after this long.... but sometimes it's hard to tell if it really wants to help me or not... It causes so many problems... but I can't just turn it off. Whether I wanted to or not, it's not a good idea..."

Cessily: Cessily gave the other girl a long, thoughtful look. "I've come to believe that everyone has such a voice in their head - it's just very well hidden and quiet for most people. However, we all do things that we seemingly have no control over, leaving us to wonder afterwards what possessed us."

Cessily: "What I'm trying to say is... perhaps it doesn't have to be a disadvantage that your instinctual side doesn't like to hide away in your subconsciousness. When you know it's trying to take control, you might be able to reign it in."

Tigra: She shook her head, "I've tried... I've tried so hard... but I always slip up. I hurt people to protect myself and I don't want to... I don't like thinking I could kill someone... but I can't just... I need it..."

Cessily: "I wouldn't give up so fast, sweetie," Cessily replied, another smile appearing on her lips. "I'm certain there are a few things we can try to make you get along better with that other you inside your head. Meditation techniques, for example."

Tigra: "I don't know... I've been struggling with this for years now... The only time I reached any kind of balance was back before I came here and I was living out in the woods... Didn't have other people there confusing me..."

Cessily: Cessily tapped her fingertips together. "I suspect that might be the core of your problem, no? Humans are social animals at heart, while the tiger is a solitary hunter - those two are at home in wildly different words. What we need to do is find common middle-ground where both can coexist."

Tigra: "Yeah... but I don't think that's entirely possible... not as long as I'm here... there's just too many people... too many expectations..." she ran a hand through her hair. "And I can't go looking for any more feral mutants out there... I tried that before... didn't go well...."

Cessily: Cessily sat back and thought about that for a moment, a finger twirling a strand of red hair. "If you look at it from this perspective, isn't it actually a good thing that not more feral mutants are around? While I'm sure it would be nice to have someone else to relate to, several highly territorial predatory mutants would make matters worse for you, too."

Tigra: "Not if they were male...." she frowned, "And I don't mean here anyway... I found a few groups living together when I was travelling... got invited... tried it out... then it got weird... and scary...." her tail mimicked her emotions and as her anxiety levels rose with the memories its movements became more pronounced.

Cessily: "Well, in any case, I believe aside from the recent incident with Curt, the school still provides the safest environment for you to get used to the presence of other people." Cessily folded her hands. "I don't it will work without some patience, however."

Tigra: Tigra pulled at her hair a little, "I don't have a lot of patience.... I don't understand people, Cess... no one says what they mean... I managed to get some people to do it because they're kind of my friends and I asked them to... but everyone else is so confusing and I can't tell the difference...."

Cessily: Cessily chuckled, a small smile playing on her lips. "Yeah, I didn't say people are easy," she replied. "In fact, they can be quite frustrating at times. I guess maintaining a facade is something that comes natural to all of us. The most useful advice I can possibly give you here is not to take anything anyone says too seriously."

Tigra: "But what if they are serious? I mean... I'm fairly adept at reading body language and the scents are a good clue but when I'm not all furry I cut that ability right off and I don't want to be furry all the time right now because, even though I love it, I can't trust the feral to just sit in the background..."

Cessily: Biting her lip, Cessily drew in the air. "I'm afraid there's no shortcut to learn these things, dear. Social skills come with experience, so you'll have little choice but to practice and practice more. Talk with people. Go ahead and join in when they're having a chat. Be more open and allow them to approach you. Most importantly, don't be afraid to make mistakes."

Tigra: "I used to be so good at it... I understood all the subtle inflections and everything... but then I just... forgot. When I left... I didn't just forget how to look human or how to talk... I forgot how to be human. I forgot what was acceptable and what wasn't and now... I don't know... it doesn't seem to matter enough for me to learn it all over again. I've been trying, I've been here a year and a half and tried and tried but...

Cessily: "Now, I always like to believe you get along pretty well with me, for one," Cessily replied, giving Tigra a reassuring smile. "Don't let that drag you down. It took me years as well to grow accustomed to my new self." She paused, thinking. "Perhaps you just need some intensive training."

Tigra: "What I need is to retrain the feral to think outside of her programing... It's all instinct and lust and no thought... all the extremes of emotion that most people control without thinking about it. But I can't train the feral without putting everyone in danger... I don't want to hurt someone, Cess..."

Cessily: Cessily nodded. "That's understandable... and I think I might have an idea how to solve that dilemma. From what I understand, Danger is greatly improving many non-combat scenarios for the Room - most likely to study the social behaviour of us puny humans, but also to prepare the teams for delicate situations that require leadership skills and a dose of empathy instead of brute force."

Cessily: She smiled at the other girl. "I'm sure she'd love to help you out and work with you to create some scenarios specifically suited to your needs. That way, not only could you practise your smalltalk, but no one could be possible harmed either."

Tigra: "Ugh... I had this conversation with Monet yesterday.... I can't use the Danger Room - the feral can tell the difference between it and reality. It'll just piss her off..." she hugged her knees to her, "I'm kind of at a loss for what to do. Really it causes more harm than good to have that voice there... but I won't lie and say it's not reassuring to have something to fall back on in an emergency..."

Cessily: Taking a deep breath, Cessily slowly exhaled, a thoughtful look on her face. "Hm, I see," she replied, tapping her chin. "That complicates things, I guess. Still, I believe there are different ways. For one, I could ask Danger if she can improve the simulations to lifelike simulations."

Tigra: "It's not how they look or act, Cess... it's the smell... they don't smell right... Scent is more important to a feral than pretty much anything else... It's how I remember names, how I find my way home, how I judge whether or not I'm in danger... You can tell so much about someone from how they smell... but mutants like you... and Darren... with no scent at all..." she frowned, "Complicated..."

Cessily: She paused for a moment, nodding. "Or, one of your psychics could be asked to use telepathy, in order to create something like an illusory scenario. Done well, it's impossible to tell from reality."

Tigra: "Hmm... I like Selene but I wouldn't want her in my head... after that I think there's just Xavier... and I don't want him to see in my head... the feral thinks he's easy meat.... I think that would look bad for me..."

Cessily: "Well, sooner or later you're going to have to take risks and trust the people trying to help you." The smile returned to Cessily's face. "Granted, Selene wouldn't be my first choice either. However, I'm quite sure Xavier is experienced enough to handle your hungry side. Then there's still Jason and Emma."

Tigra: "I don't know Emma that well... I'd rather it was someone I trusted... Jason would maybe work... but I can't help thinking he might just use it as an excuse to mess with me... He'd think it was funny..." she sighed, "It's all just such a mess and I maybe waited too long to say so... But I don't like displaying weakness... guess that's the feral talking too..."

Cessily: Cessily chuckled. "Oh, don't worry about Jason taking advantage of the situation to play pranks on you," she assured the other girl. "I seriously doubt he'd get to undertake such a project without a staff member looking over his shoulder." She paused. "And asking for help is no sign of weakness. Quite the contrary. I know it takes a lot of courage."

Tigra: "Needing help in the first place is weak... I should just be happy I'm alive and don't have the goo..." she frowned, "Maybe I should just stop trying to be like everyone else..."

Cessily: "That's an idea I won't hesitate to encourage." Cessily replied, cracking a grin. "Conformity is overrated anyway. I've always believed everyone of us is unique, and we should be proud of that."

Tigra: "But if I do that I could piss a lot of people off...." she ran a hand through her hair, "Or worse... wind up pregnant... or killing someone..."

Cessily: "That's the challenge, no? Finding a balance between staying true to yourself, and maintaining a harmonic relationship with those around you." Cessily chuckled again. "Don't feel pushed to find an answer soon. If there were a surefire recipe to solve this problem, the world would already be a better place."

Tigra: "I don't think there's a middle road for me... it's one or the other... but the path of least resistance is the one that'll get me in the most trouble... I don't know... maybe I'm just not cut out for living with other people..."

Cessily: "Don't say that, sweetie," Cessily assured her. "So far, we have found a place for everyone. You'll just have to be open about trying out some new ideas. Allow others to help you." She smiled. "Most importantly, don't give yourself up."

Tigra: "It's definately too late for that..." she hugged herself, "I miss Simon... it doesn't help..."

Cessily: Cessily gave her a sympathetic look and reached out to squeeze the girl's knee. "We're going to find your brother and take him to safety," she said. "It's too easy to dwell on all the bad things in our current situation. I think a more proactive outlook would do us all good."

Tigra: "I'll have a positive outlook when I know he's okay... I don't want to lose the only family member that accepts me..." she climbed off her chair and went to Cess for a hug.

Cessily: Cessily wrapped her arms around Tigra and returned the hug, pressing a kiss to the girl's cheek. "I promise he'll be safe," she said. "I'm sure we can send someone over to pick him up before the real evacuation starts."

Tigra: "I hope so..." she snuggled into Cessily, "I really miss him... I was looking forward to seeing him for Christmas..." she sniffled a little, "How could they do something like this, Cess? How could they?" She curled up, starting to cry properly.

Cessily: Cessily kept her arms wrapped tightly around the girl, holding her close. "I try not to think too much about what drives violent and ruthless people like these." A small smile played on her lips. "I remind myself that for every one of them, there are countless who are good people at their heart."

Tigra: "But what good does that do when they hurt so many at once?" she sniffed and wiped at her eyes, "They're just making people hate mutants even more. If we'd do something like this what's to stop us doing worse... they'll just kill us to get rid of us now..."

Cessily: "Losing our hope is what these people want," Cessily reminded her. "They want us to believe that fighting back is futile, and that we should give in to anything they demand. We can't do that, and neither should we accept that some people might now believe we're all like those terrorists."

Tigra: "They will though... the government will make sure of that..." She curled her tail around them both, "I'm scared, Cess..."

Cessily: "It's okay to be scared," Cessily said calmly, pressing a gentle kiss to the girl's forehead. "I am, too. We just can't let our fear control us."

Tigra: "Easier said than done..." she said with a sigh, "Fear is a powerful motivator..."

Cessily: "That's where friends come in." Cessily smiled. "The worst things are easier to face when you have some friends by your side. And whether you believe it or not, you have plenty at this place."

Tigra: "I guess I'll have to take your word for it... I can't tell if you're lying..." she nuzzled her a little to show she was only kidding.

Cessily: Cessily grinned. "I could always show you how sincere I am," she suggested.

Tigra: Tigra grinned too and purred a little, "I think I might need some convincing."

Cessily: "Well, good for you that I just cleared out my schedule for today," Cessily replied, returning the grin.