Private Finished First Session: Alma

Valli visibly cringed. The you're a kid, you don't understand was an argument that he was fairly sure had never actually worked once in the entire history of mankind. It just didn't. It had none of the qualities that might make it a convincing argument, because it required the person hearing it to completely forget their own arguments to have any chance of even reaching the best case scenario.

And even then, the best case scenario was no, I don't understand, why don't you explain it to me.

"This is at least partially a cultural issue," Valli explained. "Depending on where your mother grew up, sex work might very well have been considered horrible. While she's a vampire--and correct me if I'm wrong--was she human once? Manta Carlos doesn't take standard western ideals about purity and the sanctity of virginity quite as seriously. Somewhere else, a woman who had sex before marriage might be considered completely unmarriagable and worthless. Even if she moved to a place that was safe for her, like Manta Carlos, those feelings don't easily go away."

There was no getting around that talking about sexuality with teenagers could be weird, but he was a therapist. A professional. And he couldn't help anyone if he was going to just say it was weird and shy away from the subject. They'd pick up on it, and as a result he'd spent many, many hours of his schooling dealing with the subject specifically. Practicing. Letting himself be comfortable enough to talk about it without letting any hesitation show.

He still wasn't a sex therapist, but he wasn't a prude either.

"There can be plenty of beneficial side effects either way, so it seems like it would be a good idea. Consider exploring your options as well. While the pill is the most common, it can be difficult to remember to take it daily for many people. Something like the implant-" Valli paused, tapping his forearm to indicate what he was talking about, "might work well for you instead, assuming you're capable of getting one."

Valli unfortunately had no idea who Iggy was. Her boyfriend? That was Valli's best guess, but it was better to clarify, so he did his best to do just that.

"A middle ground. An adult, but immature. Assuming he didn't seek you out, it might be a good option." There was always a difference there, with adults who sought out teenagers against teenagers who sought out adults. It was a strange subject, but her points were only general. "You've already talked about it with your boyfriend--Iggy, I mean?"

Valli smiled at the compliment, giving her a little nod.

"It's a skill," Valli said, "Something I have to admit I worked on. The first step is simply being completely non-threatening. A patient once commented I could be walked in on with a bloody knife and a dead body, and people would just assume I'd found them and pulled the knife out to try and help."

Which was true, as far as he could tell. He spent his life helping people, and very few people could imagine him harming another.

"I would recommend against a job and the student council, at the very least. Both can be quite exhausting, and you're right, it might very well be too much. The school will provide for all your needs, so if you're careful and budget, you shouldn't need a job at all."

Iggy sounded like quite a character, and Valli wondered if he'd ever run into him. Not that he really could talk with him. It'd be a violation of ethics to get close, knowing what he did. Even if he met, it could never be more than polite smalltalk.

"I think you'll find many people agree with your points," Valli said, "although people are bound to ask what exact steps you'd take to improve them."

Knowing there was an issue wasn't enough. You had to have plans, and be willing to act on them.

"Can I ask what your plans are for tomorrow? Filing with the school to get a dorm before the new term starts?"

Bad. The answer was bad. Bad. Guilty. Even when dealing with parents who had abused them in the most horrible ways, children still hesitated to cut their parents off. Alma would be much the same with Aaron. They weren't just siblings--the were twins. Two halves of the whole and all that superstitious nonsense.

Valli didn't like any superstition that implied a person was lesser for some reason, and all that was no different.

"That's probably a good idea," Valli said. "Often people think that the correct thing to do is to cut someone off entirely, and in many cases it is. But it's always important to think about intentions when considering if someone should be cut out. To weigh the potential for future harm. Think about how your brother reacted during and after. And use that, combined with what you see tomorrow, to make a decision. Does the understand what happened? Does he express remorse? Often you'll see people who do, and yet don't actually understand what it is they apologize for--an empty apology. If someone can't explain what they're apologizing for, then their apology means nothing more than that they want the problem to go away."