First Session: Oluremi

"Well, I can still contact him. I could even visit him. Mommy prefers to stay near me when I visit though or wants me to allow her to listen to my conversations with him whenever he's on the phone. I guess she's worried he'll say something rude to me again and ruin my day, but ever since they've divorced, he's taken great care not to offend me, nor my mommy. Whenever I did call or visited him without her supervision she would frea—uh, she would get really angry."

Remi still felt silly speaking about her problems like this. There were people on the islands that had significantly worse issues. She heard stories of people being hunted for how they were born and people who gained their powers from rituals they were forced into. Mommy and Daddy issues were probably issues some people would kill to have. Maybe Dr. Bryndísarson appreciated this. This could be one of his most relaxing sessions, which may mean her problems could be solved quickly and easily.

It was obvious where this was going. Remi has heard it all, or at the very least, most of it. How she was old enough to move out and stay away from her family. How she didn't have to follow anything her moms said. How it wasn't her responsibility to take care of her little sibling. Remi's response was to explain all they needed to know about the situation, create a wall, and try to change the subject. This session wouldn't change that.

"I understand. I don't know why some people try to hide their ages anyways. But to answer your question, yes, I'm nineteen. I still live with my family, but a lot of oricenta do. It's common for us to live in large households, and it's very uncommon for someone to live by themself or in a very small family. My parents are working a lot too, so it's up to me to take care of my little sibling Arjean usually. I'm sure you understand." Somehow, she managed to give a fairly convincing smile, though it seemed a tad meaningless, and in a way, passive aggressive.

"I wouldn't say I come from a western culture, nor an eastern one. I guess in this case oricenta do have views similar to eastern culture. I'm not going to be seen as a failure or ostracized from society, just... weird. Like I'm trying to ruin my connection to those who helped raise me. Does that make sense?"

When Dr. Bryndísarson asked her about her family relationship, she froze for a few seconds, but then allowed her body to become more loose and relaxed. She took a deep breath in, trying to organize all of her thoughts, and then she let everything out. "I'm happy with them. It feels more loving than my previous home, and my mommy is happier now. Her self-confidence improved after the divorce and remarriage. My new mom, who I refer to as 'Maman,' is pretty strict and... uhh... I'm not too sure how to put it?" Calling Béatrice "emotionally unstable" sounded like a good way to set off some alarms. "Mood swinger" also didn't sound too flattering. "She's very emotional, so we have something in common, she just... shows it off more. I really like the clothes she gives me. My new grandparent is nice too, but I don't see them that often since they're usually working. To be honest, I don't know much about them. They seem pretty similar to Maman, though, just more reserved with their emotions."

Remi nodded, happy that she was making sense. It was hard for her to tell if she was clear with what she was saying. This session made her feel like she wasn't acting like herself. At times it felt as if she was speaking without actually meaning to. It didn't help that it felt like she was jumping back and forth between speaking formally and speaking casually. "Thank you for the explanation. I don't know why there can't be an even mixture of both, but my family will be living for a long time. I doubt I'll be moving out from them anytime soon."

Dr. Bryndísarson bringing up her sibling didn't make her feel anything in particular, surprisingly. She thought she would feel nervous or excited since Arjean was the one she knew the best. She did have to take care of them nearly every day after all. "Ah, Arjean's only two. I don't think there's much to say about them," she lied. "They're actually my half-sibling, from both my moms." For some reason, she thought that was useful to acknowledge, but she couldn't think of any particular reason why Dr. Bryndísarson would use that tidbit of information. "We're not treated any differently, other than because of our ages. Maman invited me into the family quickly, but that's maybe because she knew me before she even became my second mom."

"Maybe I'll try getting away from them then," Oluremi muttered to herself, loudly enough for Dr. Bryndísarson to hear. She then began to raise her voice to a more normal volume, or at least she hoped so. Sometimes she spoke too quietly for people with weaker hearing than she had. "I mean, just for a bit. Leave the house some more, find Arjean a consistent babysitter, something like that."

Remi wasn't completely sure how to response to Dr. Bryndísarson saying her becoming an older sister must have been a change. He wasn't wrong, it was a change, just not one she ever thought too much about. Sometimes she thought her family, or at least Arjean, would have been better off if she was the only child, but she liked her little sibling. They were talented and cute to play with... when they weren't throwing fits and wrecking everything around them. "I don't think it was that bad of a change," she started off. They're a lot of trouble to babysit, but I like being there to keep them safe."

"And school?" She nearly cringed at the thought. Academics was never something she was great at. "I'm alright at it," she said casually. "Maman wants me to get a tutor to help me out in subjects I struggle with, but I don't care much for it. I was, like, a 'C' to 'B' student." Though she ended off high school almost becoming a "D" student. "I'm more of a music person. I like to collect instruments, play around with them, sing, that sort of stuff. I'm really into dancing too, it's my favorite hobby. It's why I chose dancing as my major." It still pissed her off that Béatrice kept trying to get her to study subjects she didn't even need anymore.

Abruptly, Oluremi switched the subject to a slightly different subject. "I don't have a lot of friends there, though. I mostly just go there, do what I gotta do, then leave and go back home."