Some Sort of Therapy PV Tal Finished

Talia liked the evening, she guessed. When the sun was setting, it made the sky look like cotton candy, or maybe a sorbet, depending on the colours.

Either way, it was pretty. Tal wondered as she walked, would it taste good if you licked it?

Probably not, she concluded disappointedly. She was pretty sure the sky was just air, and clouds. And clouds were water vapor. But if you put flavoring in the cloud, then would it taste like cotton candy?

While Tal was busy being a scientist and asking the questions that mattered, she nearly walked by a specific damsel in distress. And that damsel in distress was named Rorie.

Now, the little brunette was not one to pass up an opportunity to spread some love. Not ever. So, seeing a mopey Rorie, now, that was a problem. So, Tal sacrificed her important questions to cheer her friend up.

"Hiya, Rorie! Why're you looking through the window like you're in a sad music video?" she joked lightheartedly, hoping for a positive response.

The small girl crawled up onto the windowsill next to Rorie, her fuzzy socks all that shielded her feet from the cold stone ledge. Pulling her bright rainbow jumper closer, she looked over to her friend with wide hazel eyes.

Rorie heard the soft, delicate padding of footsteps down the hall, but didn't really care so much as to look over and actually observe the scenario. It seemed as if everything was better the less you knew.

But when she saw the bright colored sweater and the fuzzy socks out of the corner of her eye, Rorie immediately knew who her unexpected company was. Talia Piper, school-reknowned adorable little thing, and who her friends liked to call Bunny. After all, that was exactly Tal. Soft and cute, but a fiesty little thing when she needed to be. Not to mention the eyes. Big, so big it was like you could fall into them, and a warm, smiling hazel.

"Hey, Bunny," Rorie mumbled, looking at the happy little creature huddled next to her. Then Tal made a joke about being in a sad music video, and Rorie couldn't help but smile. A weak smile, but still a smile.

"Yeah, you wish I was in a sad music video. Dunno, though, I just..."

Rorie trailed off, looking through the window hopelessly as her breath fogged up the glass. Tal was right, she really did fit the part of sad music video actress.

Talia giggled, reaching over Rorie to rub the glass delicately.

"Silly, I'm trying to look through the window, stop fogging it up!" she teased, patting Rorie's head playfully.

"Honestly, you'd crush the part of being sad music video actor at the moment. But I don't like sad Rorie, I want happy Rorie! And besides, it's almost the holidays. You know what that means? Sugary stuff!"

Talia looked for any signs of happiness creeping back into the girl's eyes. She really didn't know, Rorie was hard to read, even for Tal, the best of the best at empathizing.

Talia wanted to ask more about why Rorie was sad, but she knew it wasn't the time or place. Unless she could just give her a big, big hug, and then somehow use superpowers to read her mind and then magically heal all her hurting spots.

Was there a spell for that? Tal was sure that nothing like Ferula, Episkey, or Brackium Emendo could help an emotional hurt. But could a hug?

Tal supposed it definitely couldn't hurt to try. Wrapping her arms around the girl's torso, she squeezed the girl tightly.

"Just be happy, pretty please? For me?" she begged, smiling sweetly.

Rorie reluctantly smiled back as the girl tried to clear the window to look at the colorful sky above. It was quite frankly impossible to stay solemn and sad around the energetic brunette, and Rorie could almost feel her stresses alleviating as Tal laughed happily.

And then Rorie was hugged suddenly. Rorie had never really been hugged. Not by her mum, or brother, or sister. Her dad did when he was with the Thompsons, but since then, nothing. The feeling was strangely warm and fuzzy, but Rorie wasn't sure if that was good or bad. She patted Talia on the back awkwardly, not knowing how to react to the touch or what to do with her arms, honestly. After a few seconds, Rorie relaxed a bit.

"First of all, why are your hugs magical? Or is that how all hugs are?" Rorie started, laughing. "Yeah, I guess, can I vent to you?"

She looked to the little girl, not really prepared to take no for an answer. But knowing Talia, the answer would most definitely be yes.

"So, my mum, back in London, but the bad part of London, the sketchy and cheap part of London, isn't doing too well. Bad things happened, robberies and beatings and stuff," she trembled a bit at that.

"There's a whole lot of crime happening lately back there, and she has to take care of my little siblings too. So my family back home is practically falling apart and in danger, and I'm stuck here in a magical castle in Scotland trying to help, and I feel like I'm just watching my world fall apart around me while I watch helplessly. You know?" She paused to catch her breath, having spoken fast.

"And on top of that, while I'm worrying about my home life, my social life has just died too. I barely talk to my friends, and it's like I don't even know anyone anymore. I've missed so much, it seems," she added, smiling weakly. "Sorry for the rant, but it feels good to get it off my chest."

"I'd like to think my hugs are especially special," the girl said boastfully, holding her chin up extra high for extra effect. One of the things that Talia could take pride in was definitely giving hugs. Good hugs.

Tal listened thoughtfully to the loooong explanation of her friend's troubles, braiding the girl's hair into a complicated knot thing while she thought.

She'd always wanted to go to London, she thought as Rorie brought up her hometown. She figured it wasn't the time to bring up any vacation plans, though. She had an emotional band-aid to apply to Rorie's emotional paper cut.

"So, basically, you need some hot chocolate and more hugs?" she summarized when Rorie had finished, giggling. She stopped a few seconds later and put on her i'm-serious-and-i-will-heal-all-your-sorrows-whether-you-like-it-or-not face, looking determined. She cleared her throat professionally for more effect.

"As your new mental therapist and hug-giver, I think that you should try not to worry as much. I know it's hard, and I know it hurts, but your family can get through anything if they're at all like you. You're resilient, brave, you can survive practically anything," she stated simply. "Trust me, everything will work out in the end. It'll be just fine. But don't quote me on that," Tal joked.

"As for you're social life, honestly, just be yourself. Everyone loves you... well, most people love you. So just let everything happen, don't try to fret over things you can't control, it doesn't help anyone, especially you. It'll be okay."

Tal patted the girl on the head happily.

Rorie smiled. Talia really was right.

Her family had come this far, they knew how to stay on their feet. Even if Rorie wasn't there to help them. And there was really nothing she could do anyways, besides write them often and send a bit of extra money she'd saved.

"Well, I s'pose you're right. Thank you, therapist," Rorie joked. She really did feel an awful lot better, less stressed and a little bit more hopeful in the future.

"So, uh, do you want to take your turn venting? Or just talking about something, I dunno. Doubt I'll be as good of a therapist as you, but I'll try," she laughed.

Rorie wasn't sure what sort of problems Talia had in her life. Not that she thought there weren't any. It seemed everyone had problems in their lives they hid, and sometimes the worst ones seemed to make the best people.

Rorie thought she was honestly beginning to sound like a philosopher.

Maybe she had a family problem, or social drama. Rorie was quite honestly missing out on all the tea lately, which was kind of a sad prospect. Gossip was interesting, even if it was just, you know, gossip.

FTB