be discreet

[msmage]

It's not much later, in Isabella's room, that she asks:

"So... is Alex really a dom?"

Comments

[msmage]

"What am I not going to pay attention to, then?"

[alicornucopia]

"I don't have an opinion, I'm just a walking sack of depression, those don't know anything about how they work."

[msmage]

"That's not what I'm saying. What is your opinion?" She bites her tongue on voicing what she thinks it is.

[alicornucopia]

"I just don't think I work very well on my own."

[msmage]

Blink. "I know that. I- must have been very unclear if I sounded like I didn't think that. I'm sorry."

[alicornucopia]

"...then I don't even know what you're on about."

[msmage]

"I think that's probably necessary but not sufficient for you to be well, is what I'm on about."

[alicornucopia]

"A while back you thought I couldn't find anybody to date because I was depressed, and now you're admitting that I can't be 'well' alone, but you just flat out disagreed when I said it was circular!"

[msmage]

"I thought it was harder for you to find someone to date because you're depressed, and that that was probably contributing to your not having found it by then, and I still think that. Additionally, you look like the kind of person that needs someone to take care of them. You've convinced me of that. But I think not having someone to take care of you isn't the sole cause of your not being a hundred percent, as evidenced by the fact that now you do and yet."

[alicornucopia]

"He's not really the taking-care-of type," says Jackson.

[msmage]

"No, he's really not," she sighs.

[alicornucopia]

Jackson prods his by-now-cold eggs with his fork. "I have to go to class."

[msmage]

"Yeah. And I have to go to work." She gets up and-

-pets him. Not like she was his dom or something, but just a friendly petting.

[alicornucopia]

Jackson's head droops in something that might be relaxation. He doesn't attempt to move until she stops.

[msmage]

She doesn't do it for too long.

"Bye, Jackson."

[alicornucopia]

"Bye."

[msmage]

And then work as usual.

[alicornucopia]

She doesn't wind up in the cafeteria for lunch at the same time as either Isabella or Jackson.

[msmage]

What about the other folks? Roger or Janet, maybe? She doesn't like Victor much but if he's the only one around-

-well she might sit alone in that case, but.

[alicornucopia]

Janet's over there with some people.

[msmage]

Janet's nice, she'll go sit with her.

[alicornucopia]

"Hi," says Janet, but then she goes back to talking about the awful haircut her brother got and how nobody should go to discount barbers.

[msmage]

"Hello yourself," she says, and doesn't strictly comment on the awful haircut, lacking a lot of experience with barbers (her hair's part of the 'shifting, after all), but makes the appropriate noises at the appropriate times.

[alicornucopia]

Then she and Janet's friends will successfully conduct lunchtime smalltalk.

[eclipsi]

At dinner: oh look. It's Isabella.