DT1: Melody Malcolm's Office

by **Melody Malcolm** » Mon Jul 20, 2015 3:46 am

((open))

Melody was unpacking boxes in her new office. The curtains were closed so she could leave her cloak hanging up by the door. She figured walking around looking like Emperor Palpatine was unlikely to help make students feel at ease with her.

Most of her boxes were filled with books about biology, parapsychology, psychiatry, or mythology. A few contained important pieces of memorabilia, like a photo of her ex-husband or a rosary from her first exorcism.

She hums cheerfully to herself as she puts everything away.

by **Nailah Weaver** » Thu Jul 23, 2015 1:44 am

There's an almost hesitant knock on the door.

by **Melody Malcolm** » Thu Jul 23, 2015 1:46 am

"Come in!" Melody calls out, putting the box down.

by **Nailah Weaver** » Thu Jul 23, 2015 1:48 am

"Uhm... Hi." Nailah says as she peeks her head in. "There was an email that said the school has a guidance counselor?"

by **Melody Malcolm** » Thu Jul 23, 2015 1:54 am

"Yes, that's me," Melody says. "My name is Dr. Melody Malcolm. Come on in! It's wonder--"

And then she tripped over a stack of boxes and face-planted into a box that sounded breakable.

by **Nailah Weaver** » Thu Jul 23, 2015 1:59 am

"Oh my gosh! Are you okay!?" Nailah asks rushing into the room and then stopping a couple feet away from Miss Malcolm, not sure if she should try to help her up or not.

by **Melody Malcolm** » Thu Jul 23, 2015 2:11 am

Melody laughs as she stands up, "Oh, yes. I'm fine. Don't worry."

She picks up the box and shakes it. Shards of glass jangle around inside.

"...I'll open this later," Melody says, setting it aside. "Sorry for the mess. How can I help you?"

by **Nailah Weaver** » Thu Jul 23, 2015 2:16 am

"Uhm..." she says, suddenly realizing that by rushing into the room she somehow tricked herself into a position in which she would have a hard time backing out and pretending she didn't have anything to talk to Miss Malcolm about. "I've... there's this girl..." she starts, hoping that those couple of words will suffice in explaining her issue with coming to terms with the confusing feelings she has for her partner-in-crime-fighting and just magically prompt Melody into answering her questions without actually having to say them out loud.

by **Melody Malcolm** » Thu Jul 23, 2015 2:19 am

"Is she bullying you? Or...Oh no, is this cyber-bullying?" Melody asks. "I'm not great with modern technology. But I'll do my best to help."

That explains the typewriter at her desk at least.

"Let's start simple, can you tell me the girl's name? And don't worry, everything you tell me here is strictly confidential."

by **Nailah Weaver** » Thu Jul 23, 2015 2:43 am

"What? No. Her name is Onyx. Or, well, that's not her real name, but I don't know if I should tell you, because it's kind of a secret." she starts blabbering about everything that isn't the point. "But she's not bullying me or anything. We're friends. Like... really good friends. We fight crime together!" There, that should explain everything, right?

by **Melody Malcolm** » Thu Jul 23, 2015 2:49 am

"This sounds complicated. Why don't you take a seat and we can talk," Melody says.

Most of her office furniture was still hidden underneath boxes and books.

"Would you like something to drink?" Melody asks. "I have coffee."

The coffee pot was one of the first things she had unpacked.

by **Nailah Weaver** » Thu Jul 23, 2015 2:54 am

Nailah finds a sturdy-looking pile of books and sits down, balancing herself against the stack some.

"Coffee sounds good, yeah." she nods.

by **Melody Malcolm** » Thu Jul 23, 2015 3:00 am

Melody starts fixing a pot of coffee.

"Sorry for the mess," Melody says. "Now, your friend. Onyx. I think I had her file out earlier....she's from Madripoor, right?"

Melody walks over to Nailah and hands her a cup of hot and very strong-smelling coffee.

by **Nailah Weaver** » Thu Jul 23, 2015 3:06 am

"Yeah, she's a superhero and her mentor send her here to train and stuff. She's been showing me the ropes and we've been doing a lot of training because she knows how to fight and I wish I could be as awesome as her."

by **Melody Malcolm** » Thu Jul 23, 2015 3:10 am

Noticing Nailah didn't have a proper chair, Melody moves some boxes out of a chair, setting them down quickly on a shelf.

"There you go. Sorry about that," Melody says. "It sounds like she's a good influence on you."

by **Nailah Weaver** » Thu Jul 23, 2015 3:32 am

"She is!" she says with the tone of somebody who expected to hear the opposite opinion. "It's tough but worth it. And in turn I'm showing her fun stuff so she can unwind and stuff. And then things kinda got... weird?" she says as she moves over to the chair. She didn't really mind the books, but it's only polite.

by **Melody Malcolm** » Thu Jul 23, 2015 3:37 am

"Weird?" Melody asks. She sits down at her desk. "Normal sort of weird or Egyptian tomb filled with brain slugs weird?"

At XU, the difference was important.

by **Nailah Weaver** » Thu Jul 23, 2015 3:48 am

"Well it wasn't brainslugs, but I dunno if it was normal either. We were just sparring but then everything got all weird and she was standing right there and my stupid brain was being all weird cause I'd just had this dream about... uhm... well..." she hems and haws, not really having intended to mention the stupid dream. "It was kind of... you know... one of those dreams?"

by **Melody Malcolm** » Thu Jul 23, 2015 3:53 am

"Oh," Melody says. She nods, sipping her coffee. "You were attracted to her."

"I can see how that might be confusing," Melody says.

by **Nailah Weaver** » Thu Jul 23, 2015 3:56 am

"Right... yes." she says carefully. "Anyway, we kinda... ended up in my bed, kissing and stuff but I... don't really... I mean I don't know if that... I'm not a lesbian or anything. I just really like her."

by **Melody Malcolm** » Thu Jul 23, 2015 4:05 am

Melody nods carefully. She had to approach this carefully. Experience told her that Nailah was in a very vulnerable place. Saying the wrong thing, pushing her too far, might be disastrous and could cause a lot of pain and broken hearts.

"Now, do you 'like' her? Or do you 'like-like' her?" Melody asks.

Nailed it.

by **Nailah Weaver** » Thu Jul 23, 2015 4:09 am

"I... don't know. I like her a lot and she makes me feel like there's lightning in my veins... Does that mean I like-like her?"

by **Melody Malcolm** » Thu Jul 23, 2015 4:15 am

Melody smiles, "Lightning in your veins? Yeah. I think I know that feeling."

She twists a wedding band on her left hand while she talks.

"Can I ask you something? What are you really worried about?" Melody asks.

by **Nailah Weaver** » Thu Jul 23, 2015 4:20 am

"That... I'm not... who I thought I was?" she kind of feels her way through to an answer that kind of sounds right to her. It's not 100% perfect, but it's also not a million miles away.

by **Melody Malcolm** » Thu Jul 23, 2015 4:29 am

"That's something people worry about a lot," Melody says with a nod.

by **Nailah Weaver** » Thu Jul 23, 2015 4:33 am

"I mean I never really imagined... How does that even work?" she says before she realizes how that sounds and she turns kind of crimson. "Not... that. Just... relationships, I guess? I tried to ask her but she doesn't really know any relationship stuff at all."

by **Melody Malcolm** » Thu Jul 23, 2015 4:44 am

"She's probably just a worried as you are," Melody says. "It sounds like this is new territory for both of you."

by **Nailah Weaver** » Thu Jul 23, 2015 4:46 am

"And I guess that's why I'm here..." she says, trying to avoid looking at Melody.

by **Melody Malcolm** » Thu Jul 23, 2015 5:05 am

"Do you want my advice?" Melody asks. "You should go see a movie together."

by **Nailah Weaver** » Thu Jul 23, 2015 5:12 am

"Just go see a movie or go on, like, a date at the movies?"

by **Melody Malcolm** » Thu Jul 23, 2015 5:14 am

"Why don't you just go see a movie with her," Melody says. "Figure out if it's a date later."

by **Nailah Weaver** » Thu Jul 23, 2015 5:16 am

"That seems... the wrong way around."

by **Melody Malcolm** » Thu Jul 23, 2015 5:31 am

"Really? You think?" Melody asks. "What would be the difference if it were a date?"

by **Nailah Weaver** » Thu Jul 23, 2015 5:36 am

"I dunno, but the only date I've ever been on got super-weird when I remembered it was a date and I don't want that to happen with Onyx."

by **Melody Malcolm** » Thu Jul 23, 2015 5:41 am

"Oh, I get it now," Melody says. "You jumped into something without figuring out your feelings and you regretted it. Now you don't want the same thing to happen again. Am I close?"

by **Nailah Weaver** » Thu Jul 23, 2015 5:44 am

"Kinda, yeah... And I already freaked Onyx out once by being a butt and now I dunno what to do and I'm afraid to let my brain figure out the next step cause it just messes up half the time and wants me to do stuff that makes no sense."

by **Melody Malcolm** » Thu Jul 23, 2015 5:45 am

"What sort of stuff?" Melody asks, sounding curious.

by **Nailah Weaver** » Thu Jul 23, 2015 5:51 am

"Well it made me say yes to Sam asking me out on a date for one. And then it had some suggestions on making this weird tension between Onyx and me go away..."

by **Melody Malcolm** » Thu Jul 23, 2015 5:54 am

"That's interesting," Melody says. "Were these suggestions helpful or harmful?"

by **Nailah Weaver** » Thu Jul 23, 2015 5:58 am

"Well the one I followed didn't disappoint Sam then, it just happened later. And the other I didn't follow and I might have kind of freaked out and shoved Onyx away but now I think maybe it would have been the right thing to do?"

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