(no subject)
... I could've sworn I posted this last week.
The counselor almost heaved a sigh, but managed to suppress it at the last second and make it sound like a yawn instead. Sighing dismally in front of clients was a no-no. Even clients who were infuriatingly taciturn, who did not speak unless spoken to, who did not even let him refer to them by their first name, who refused to have anything to do with---
Tobias sat in the plain wodden chair in front of the counselor's desk.
The counselor picked through a collection of papers scattered over his desk. "These drawings you've done are quite... interesting, Mister Easu. I'm glad our Art Therapy program is working out so well for you. Tell me, what do you call this particular piece?" The counselor gestured to a pencil sketch of a young girl caressing a unicorn.
And yet another long silence permeated the comfortably furnished room.
Tobias' counselor steepled his fingers on his desk and sneaked a look at the plain clock hanging by the doorway. Tick tock tick tock. These weekly meetings seemed to drag on and on. "Well, Mister Easu, since our session is almost over, why don't we play a little game for the last few minutes? Have you ever played 'word association'?"
Tobias looked at the man wordlessly. After a long, still moment, he replied with a flat, "No."
The counselor leaned forward eagerly, "Well, let me explain the rules to you then. How it works is, first I give you a word, and then-"
"-And then I reply with the first word I think of." Tobias finished the man's sentence shortly. He too looked at the clock, though he made no effort to hide it like the counselor had.
The counselor resisted an angry impulse. Instead, he smiled at the boy. "Yes," he said brightly. "That's it exactly. Would you like to try it?"
Tobias' voice remained flat. Bored. "As long as I leave on time."
"Of course," the man's grin grew wider. "How about I start us off then? First word will be, hmmmm... Water."
"Beach." Tobias said immediately.
-and Tobias walks along a sandy beach, and the moonlight is reflected in the dark waves so brightly. It blinds him. And coming towards him now along the sands is-
His counselor smiled again. He made a small note on his pad of paper. "Good! Let's keep going, just like that. Next, how about... Book?"
Tobias shifted minutely in his seat to look out the window. "Words."
The counselor made another note. "Hmm. Music?"
Tobias replied immediately. "Symphony."
"Green?" - "Grass."
"Door?" - "Exit."
"River?" - "Flow."
"Love?" - "No such thing."
-and he was thrown against the wall again, roughly and violently. She pushed him up against it, hunger in her eyes and in her arms and in her lips, and-
The counselor forced a laugh. "Now Tobias, single words only! No phrases allowed!" he managed to keep chuckling.
Tobias only scowled. "Move on to the next word."
The counselor kept a grin firmly on his face. Little cretin. He made another, slightly longer, note on his pad. "How about we come back to that one? For now, let's move on to... Poetry?"
Tobias yawned. "Pointless," he replied, and the counselor had to resist another angry urge.
"War?" - "Death."
"Trees?" - "Autumn."
"Butterfly?" - "Change."
Hmmm, that was interesting... But should he push his luck?
He had to. "Unicorn?"
Tobias turned away from the window to look at him evenly. "Dangerous." he said.
-"Now we must be careful," his sister cautioned him. "In all things there have always been two, and in this it shall be no different. For this game, I will play the maiden, and you will play the hunter. And the unicorn will be split between us just so."
"But," and she raised one finger in warning, "Still, we must be careful. Because in this game there is danger, and love, and hate. Just as there are in all things."
And Tobias wanted only to tell her, 'But sister. That is three, not two...-'
The counselor leaned forward to rest his elbows on the desk. "Dangerous, Tobias? A unicorn?"
Tobias shrugged. It seemed an unnatural movement coming from him. "It was the first word to come to mind." No inflection in his voice. Only casual disinterest.
The counselor started writing at length on the pad. "Hmm. Now... why do you think that word was the first one you thought of?"
Tobias glanced at the clock again. "It's time to go." he said evenly. He stood up.
"Woah woah, hold up." the counselor grinned (remember, smile smile smile), and laid a hand on Tobias' arm. "You never gave me a word for 'Love', remember? Give me that at least, before you go."
Tobias was at the door. Twisting the doorknob, he slipped his arm out the counselor's grip easily. Fluidly. So thin! What do they feed him?
But then Tobias stopped. And Tobias turned.
"Danielle." Tobias said softly. "Danielle is love." And then the door was closed behind him and he was gone.
*****
Inside the empty room, inside the counselor, a feline tail flickered and stirred.
The cat smiled. The cat understood. And the cat purred.
Anyway, new comic will be probably either Sunday or Monday this week. (It'll also be Tobias-centric. Because, um, everyone loves him or something.)
The counselor almost heaved a sigh, but managed to suppress it at the last second and make it sound like a yawn instead. Sighing dismally in front of clients was a no-no. Even clients who were infuriatingly taciturn, who did not speak unless spoken to, who did not even let him refer to them by their first name, who refused to have anything to do with---
Tobias sat in the plain wodden chair in front of the counselor's desk.
The counselor picked through a collection of papers scattered over his desk. "These drawings you've done are quite... interesting, Mister Easu. I'm glad our Art Therapy program is working out so well for you. Tell me, what do you call this particular piece?" The counselor gestured to a pencil sketch of a young girl caressing a unicorn.
And yet another long silence permeated the comfortably furnished room.
Tobias' counselor steepled his fingers on his desk and sneaked a look at the plain clock hanging by the doorway. Tick tock tick tock. These weekly meetings seemed to drag on and on. "Well, Mister Easu, since our session is almost over, why don't we play a little game for the last few minutes? Have you ever played 'word association'?"
Tobias looked at the man wordlessly. After a long, still moment, he replied with a flat, "No."
The counselor leaned forward eagerly, "Well, let me explain the rules to you then. How it works is, first I give you a word, and then-"
"-And then I reply with the first word I think of." Tobias finished the man's sentence shortly. He too looked at the clock, though he made no effort to hide it like the counselor had.
The counselor resisted an angry impulse. Instead, he smiled at the boy. "Yes," he said brightly. "That's it exactly. Would you like to try it?"
Tobias' voice remained flat. Bored. "As long as I leave on time."
"Of course," the man's grin grew wider. "How about I start us off then? First word will be, hmmmm... Water."
"Beach." Tobias said immediately.
-and Tobias walks along a sandy beach, and the moonlight is reflected in the dark waves so brightly. It blinds him. And coming towards him now along the sands is-
His counselor smiled again. He made a small note on his pad of paper. "Good! Let's keep going, just like that. Next, how about... Book?"
Tobias shifted minutely in his seat to look out the window. "Words."
The counselor made another note. "Hmm. Music?"
Tobias replied immediately. "Symphony."
"Green?" - "Grass."
"Door?" - "Exit."
"River?" - "Flow."
"Love?" - "No such thing."
-and he was thrown against the wall again, roughly and violently. She pushed him up against it, hunger in her eyes and in her arms and in her lips, and-
The counselor forced a laugh. "Now Tobias, single words only! No phrases allowed!" he managed to keep chuckling.
Tobias only scowled. "Move on to the next word."
The counselor kept a grin firmly on his face. Little cretin. He made another, slightly longer, note on his pad. "How about we come back to that one? For now, let's move on to... Poetry?"
Tobias yawned. "Pointless," he replied, and the counselor had to resist another angry urge.
"War?" - "Death."
"Trees?" - "Autumn."
"Butterfly?" - "Change."
Hmmm, that was interesting... But should he push his luck?
He had to. "Unicorn?"
Tobias turned away from the window to look at him evenly. "Dangerous." he said.
-"Now we must be careful," his sister cautioned him. "In all things there have always been two, and in this it shall be no different. For this game, I will play the maiden, and you will play the hunter. And the unicorn will be split between us just so."
"But," and she raised one finger in warning, "Still, we must be careful. Because in this game there is danger, and love, and hate. Just as there are in all things."
And Tobias wanted only to tell her, 'But sister. That is three, not two...-'
The counselor leaned forward to rest his elbows on the desk. "Dangerous, Tobias? A unicorn?"
Tobias shrugged. It seemed an unnatural movement coming from him. "It was the first word to come to mind." No inflection in his voice. Only casual disinterest.
The counselor started writing at length on the pad. "Hmm. Now... why do you think that word was the first one you thought of?"
Tobias glanced at the clock again. "It's time to go." he said evenly. He stood up.
"Woah woah, hold up." the counselor grinned (remember, smile smile smile), and laid a hand on Tobias' arm. "You never gave me a word for 'Love', remember? Give me that at least, before you go."
Tobias was at the door. Twisting the doorknob, he slipped his arm out the counselor's grip easily. Fluidly. So thin! What do they feed him?
But then Tobias stopped. And Tobias turned.
"Danielle." Tobias said softly. "Danielle is love." And then the door was closed behind him and he was gone.
*****
Inside the empty room, inside the counselor, a feline tail flickered and stirred.
The cat smiled. The cat understood. And the cat purred.
Anyway, new comic will be probably either Sunday or Monday this week. (It'll also be Tobias-centric. Because, um, everyone loves him or something.)