Orchestra 31 | Voice

[springforth]

[She wishes they could just post text but here they are with just voice and video. So. Voice it is]

Hi, um, I was wondering if anyone on the train is like. A therapist? Or a counselor or something like that? It's nothing to do with the whole thing that happened recently, it's more that... Well I promised a friend back home that I'd speak to someone about this--thing that happened back home. But there's not really been a way to do that here. And it keeps coming back to bother me.

I guess failing any professionals, maybe just someone to talk to about it.

Um, I don't want to talk about what incident was on here but maybe I could try to explain in private? [Why do you have to talk about things to actually talk about things, this is the worst.]

Comments

-->Action

[acapriciousthing]

Okay, I'll meet you at the flowered one.

[And when she gets there, Death will simply... be there]

Action

[springforth]

[That's just a touch unnerving. But beings can teleport, that's a whole thing. A thing she's yet to learn or even knows if she can do, but a thing she's not unfamiliar with.

Persephone hesitates, checking the door lock before taking a seat. As she settles, she plucks a flower, twisting in her fingertips idly.]

Um--hi, thank you for meeting with me.

Re: Action

[acapriciousthing]

[She gives Persephone a gentle smile. So different from the Persephone she knows. Younger.]

I'm always happy to help, especially when anyone is troubled.

[springforth]

[Persephone tries to smile back, but it's awkward and forced. The flower in her grasp grows tendrils, twining around her fingertips as she seems to struggle with what to say]

Have you ever...[Hoo boy this is hard. She deflects suddenly.] You won't tell anyone what I ask, right? I know you're not a professional licensed person, you don't have laws to keep you from spilling the beans--but you won't, right?

[acapriciousthing]

Of course not. I might not be bound by any laws, but there's basic decency to consider.

[springforth]

Right. Right, I want trying to imply...I just don't want it to be... Sometimes people don't realize exactly what is...

[She's floundering. It's only after a long moment that she just plunges in] It's about sex. A bad experience. A--A forc--I mean Eros said that I didn't really consent. That. It's about that. If you don't want to talk about that, I really get it. That's why I asked around. So maybe one being might.

[acapriciousthing]

If you need an ear for that, I'm here.

[She considers the words]

Eros... was this something that happened on the train? Or before?

[springforth]

Before. At home. [She tucks back her hair, staring at the ground] I don't think I could have kept it a secret for this long if I had to see him here.

[Then a longer pause and she panics a little] Eros didn't do it--I mean, I talked to him about it. After it happened. At home. He said I should tell people and when I couldn't he--he's the one who made me promise to speak to a therapist.

[acapriciousthing]

A rare attitude from a god.

[She approves though. Even if she's surprised Eros wasn't involved.]

If you're not sure you consented, that means that you didn't. THat sort of thing should always be clear.

[springforth]

[Persephone can't help a little bit of bristling on his behalf] It's not rare from him. He's been very kind to me. Except for our first meeting but he couldn't really help that.

[Then she sinks back in on herself a little] Sorry. Um. I mean, I said okay. But--he--I said no before that. So I worry my okay canceled out the no or--you know what I mean? [She's sure people will think it no longer counts. She's sometimes unsure how much it counts.]

[acapriciousthing]

Did you say okay because you changed your mind about wanting it? Or was it just to make the pressure stop?

[The distress sounds like the latter but she wasn't there]