First Session: Eli/Elisa

Valli was angry. He almost never got angry. By nature, he wasn't an angry person. If asked to describe him, most would have picked words like warm and friendly, but never angry. He'd built up a very strong tolerance for things after working as a therapist. But this?

This was something that couldn't not bother him.

"The confidentiality of a therapy session is of the absolute highest importance. Patients act differently in private than they do in front of their friends, let alone strangers. For me to break confidentiality without a proper reason would mean me losing my job, likely permanently. And you, someone who is here as a guest in the school, decided to violate that confidentiality so you could giggle at your friend's private matters."

The office had no intercom, but he did have his phone, and he pulled it off, actually having to turn it on as he pulled it up to his ear.

"Yes, this is Doctor Bryndisarson. Could you please send someone up from security to escort a young lady out? I caught her listening into a session. ... Yes, thank you."

He hung up the phone, turning it off once again before fixing Autumn with an almost pained look.

"I don't think it's possible for me to express how disappointed I am that someone would violate someone's privacy in that manner."

"No," Valli said, interrupting Autumn. "You didn't have to know. If Elisa had wanted you to know, they'd have told you. Instead, you invaded their privacy. You invaded my privacy. I stressed the importance of confidentiality while you were in the room, and you chose to spy anyway."

Valli turned slightly, glancing back to Elisa, and then shook his head.

"If you had allowed her to stay in the first place, it would have been unorthodox, but workable. I can't allow someone who would spy on a patient's therapy session like this to remain. I'm going to have to soundproof the door as well, rather than trusting that no one would do something so callous. I understand if this means you aren't interested in continuing the session."

The situation was an absolute mess, and the appearance of a familiar shot of red hair down the end of the hall risked making things even worse. Zveris was there, one of the school's security team, and while very good at his job, he wasn't exactly friendly.

"You can go with the security officer, explain what happened, and let them sort it out," Valli said. "You can't fix things by crying at the door." The anger was still there, but Valli wasn't quite stern. More like pained that it had happened at all.

The entire thing had been exhausting, but when Elisa signaled she wanted to continue, Valli did his best to pull himself together. What happened to Autumn was not his problem.

He closed the door behind them, returning to his seat before starting again.

"I understand what you mean. You like who you are as Elisa, but you didn't want to not be Eli. I suppose my next question would be how you feel without thinking about the social side of things. Not how others react to you, but how you feel when it's just you. Are you comfortable?"

He considered for a moment, and then decided to explain further.

"At this point I'm trying to determine if this is a gender issue, or if this is a matter of identity. While the two are closely tied, I suppose my question would be... if you had put on a charm that allowed you to become someone else, but male, and had the same things happen to you, would you still be happy?"

Valli considered what she'd said, and what she'd explained. It was a difficult and somewhat complicated subject, and one that everyone had their own opinions on. Valli, on the other hand, was trying not to give his opinions at all. A big part of therapy was about listening, and about guiding people to their own conclusions. Telling Elisa what the right answer was would only lead to a bad outcome, because realistically speaking there probably wasn't a right answer: Just one that felt right for her.

"There are certain social rules and social norms you'll see popping up over and over again. That men must be strong and stoic. That women should be submissive. That a man showing their emotions is... wrong, or unappealing in some way. The social rules for men and women are very different, but they shouldn't be. Manta Carlos is more socially permissive, but it isn't completely free of these rules. Do you think you might be exploring the limits of those rules, and seeing how things are from the other end?"