11/9 Instance: That Dreaded Age

[Starfish]

Timeline: current


Sue: Sue hugged her diary to her chest as she wandered down to Cessily's office. She chewed her lip and made herself invisible then hurried to knock on the door.

Cessily: "Come on in," Cessily called through the closed door, sounding as cheerful as ever. She turned the music of her small stereo down and closed the current file she had been working on.

Sue: Sue opened the door and stepped inside, closing it behind her before she returned to visibility again, "Um... hi..."

Cessily: "Oh, hello, Sue! Nice to see you." Cess put on a smile and folded her hands. "Why the secrecy? Scared to be seen with me?" She chuckled.

Sue: "N-no...." she blushed transparent, "I just... Johnny... he's nosey..."

Cessily: "Ah, I see." Cess gestured at the free chair. "You'll be save from him in here, so much I can promise."

Sue: Sue nodded and moved to sit down, "Oh I know... I just don't want him to know I'm coming here...."

Cessily: "No worries; as I've said, nothing we talk about will leave this room." She gave the student an encouraging smile. "So, how have you been?"

Sue: "Everything's gone a bit weird..." she frowned a little, putting the diary on the edge of the desk to prevent her from fiddling with it.

Cessily: "Weird?" Cessily gave the girl a curious look and leaned forward. "How so? Well, aside from the obvious weirdness going on at this place all the time."

Sue: She sighe, running her hands through her hair, "Yeah... um... something happened with my roommate..."

Cessily: Cessily thought about that for a moment. "Oh right, that's the new girl, right? Maria? Mariner?"

Sue: "Marrina." Sue supplied, "We, uh, rescued her from a cave..."

Cessily: "Ah, yes! Marrina." Cessily nodded. "Yes, I heard about that. So, may I ask what happened?"

Sue: "She's been... pretty attached to me... like... overly grateful.... I mean I found her and everything but I wasn't the only one there..." and she was babbling, "She kissed me the other day..."

Cessily: Cessily arched an eyebrow at that. "Well, I wouldn't say an exaggerated amount of gratitude is unusual for someone who went through a traumatic event. I guess it makes sense she focuses on you're the first person there to help her." She paused. "But you said she kissed you, I assume you don't mean in the typical way between friends?"

Sue: Sue shook her head, "Nope. On the mouth. And she knows I'm seeing Danny.... and I freaked out... and I feel really bad but I don't know how to fix it."

Cessily: "Do you have any idea how Marrina feels about it," Cessily asked, running a hand through her hair. "After all, it's possible she didn't mean it as any kind of sincere gesture and wasn't really thinking about it."

Sue: "She's really upset about it... or well maybe my reaction... and she's been depressed and weird ever since... and even before that she was a bit....well... she was like... nuzzling my neck when I gave her a hug...."

Cessily: Cessily nodded slowly. "I see," she said and bit her lip. "Of course it's hard to tell alone from hearing about it, but I think it could be your roommate has feelings for you going beyond friendship."

Sue: "Yeah... I thought as much... except now I don't know what to do... I told her it was alright but I don't think it is...." she put her face in her hands, "Ugh."

Cessily: "You have to understand what incredible courage it must have taken a girl her age to reveal these sentiments to you, especially considering society still sees such desires to be out of the norm." Cess gave Sue a sympathetic look. "The pressure must have been immense, and anything even resembling a rejection must have been devastating for her."

Sue: "I know... and I really tried to be understanding but I couldn't make it better and I couldn't really encourage her...."

Cessily: "I see," Cess commented. "In that case, I think it might be for the best to give her a little time. I believe that anything you say to her at this point would only increase the pressure for her."

Sue: "But how can I? We're roommates... avoiding each other is pretty impossible..." she chewed her lip.

Cessily: Cess put on a thoughtful expression for a moment. "I know it's not easy. Maybe just giving her some room will be enough." She shrugged awkwardly. "Generally, we'd like to reserve switching roommates as a last resort option."

Sue: "Yeah... I'm not asking to switch... it's just... I don't want to avoid her because then she'll think I'm avoiding her and it'll upset her more..." she frowned, "I don't really know what to say to her... this has never happened before..."

Cessily: "Oh, I'm quite sure that probably has never happened to her before, either." Cess chuckled lightly. "So don't be too concerned about not knowing what to say. She'll understand, because it's just as weird for her, I'd bet. Just try to be sympathetic and honest, I'd say."

Sue: "I tried that and I think I made it worse..." she chewed her fingernail, "I don't know what to tell her..."

Cessily: "Oh my, I don't think there's a universal response for such situations that will make things instantly right," Cessily replied. "I'm afraid it's not that easy."

Sue: "But she shouldn't have... I mean... I'm in a relationship... and she knows that..." Sue felt like she was going in circles so she decided to change the subject a bit, "I started that diary thing..."

Cessily: "I doubt she really thought about any consequences when she did that, Sue," Cess said. "People often get carried away in such situations." She leaned forward to look at the book on the edge of her table. "Oh? How did that go?"

Sue: "It's not helping... kind of just more confused now..."

Cessily: Cess bit her lip. "I'm sorry you feel that way." A small smile reappeared on her lips. "But maybe it's not as bad as you think. Any idea what exactly confuses you?"

Sue: "Marrina?"

Cessily: Not exactly having expected that response, Cess raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean," she asked. "Are you saying you feel that what happened between you and Marrina affects your relationship with Danny?"

Sue: "I don't know... I mean... I told him... but..." she frowned, "It was just... I don't know I'm confused...." she pulled her hair a little.

Cessily: Cess gave Sue a long, thoughtful look. "So, to make sure I understand what you mean... where you confused by how Danny reacted to the news, or by what happened between you and your roommate itself?"

Sue: She shook her head, "Danny was fine...."

Cessily: "So..." Cess tapped her fingertips together, then continued in a calm, patient tone. "Is it that you aren't sure how you felt about Marrina kissing you?"

Sue: She nodded, chewing her lip as she turned slowly invisible again.

Cessily: "Ohhh, I see." Cess took a deep breath and allowed Sue a few moments without pestering her with questions. "Did you like it? Maybe just a bit?" She smiled. "Don't worry, you can be honest with me."

Sue: She shrugged helplessly, "I don't know... I was more just... surprised...."

Cessily: "Which is quite understandable." Cessily laughed softly. "However, would you say it didn't feel bad?"

Sue: "I don't... what do you mean?" she frowned a little.

Cessily: "About a possible explanation for your confusion," Cessily told her. "It seems to me as if you were unsure how to feel about Marrina approaching you in such a way."

Sue: "Well... I am... I mean... I feel bad for her... and I don't want to make it harder for her to fit in here..."

Cessily: "Are you sure that's all," Cessily asked, smiling kindly at the girl despite the direct question.

Sue: "Well... yeah... What else would it be?"

Cessily: Instead of giving a reply, Cessily just continued to smile at the barely visible outline of Sue's form, waiting for her to make the connection herself.

Sue: Sue blinked at her and shook her head, "Noooo no. That's silly."

Cessily: "Oh, I didn't insinuate anything yet," Cessily replied. "It's just a thought, though. Maybe one you shouldn't dismiss right away."

Sue: "But I've only ever... I mean... Nooooo...." she shook her head some more.

Cessily: Cessily's gave Sue her most encouraging smile. "Sorry, I didn't mean to distress or confuse you any more," she said. "Would you like to take a break for now?"

Sue: Sue put her head in her hands and nodded, "My head feels like it's going to explode...."

Cessily: "Oh my, I wish I could have made that any easier for you." Cessily still smiled when she let out a sigh. "Think about it when you feel like it, okay? Maybe do something to distract yourself for now. There's no use forcing it."

Sue: Sue nodded, "Yeah... I'll, um... go for a walk or something..." she picked up the diary she'd been keeping and headed to the door with it.

Cessily: "Oh, if it helps any, let me tell you that I went through a similar confusion back when I was in school," Cessily said, looking after Sue. "As did others here. So, never think you're alone, and you can always ask for advice."

Sue: She nodded again, "Okay.... yeah... thanks... um... later..." she waved distractedly then vanished from view entirely before slipping back out into the hall.

Cessily: Cessily sat back in her chair and sighed to herself. "Ah, the age of blooming romance and confusing feelings," she mused, wearing a dreamy expression for a moment. "Yep, not missing it."

[Edited on 11/9/2011 by tears~fall~like~glass]