Returning Patient: Chloe Black

Valli gave her a wry smile.

"It's always easy when you simplify things down, but in truth it's hard to handle things. It's easy to say just talk, but working up the nerve to talk--to share your feelings with someone--is very difficult. One of the most important things you can do is work out what you want to say. Even that sounds simple, but it's something people often forget to do when they're dreading a conversation. Writing things down can help you organize your thoughts, and give you a guideline for something to work from."

Familiar advice, but good advice just the same. Writing things down made things more solid, and your points more clear. It meant you were less likely to ramble, and people often did ramble when stressed.

Valli cracked a smile when Chloe called Amber a little angel, finding humor in the phrasing even if it wasn't quite accurate. Well, it was pretty much the opposite of accurate, but it didn't matter--the intention was clear.

"Well, he was still a parent," Valli pointed out, although he was on some very tenuous theological grounds. "If you have a specific issue, it might be an option. However, more mundane options might work as well. Have you considered joining a parenting group? There are a large number of resources for, ah, younger parents, and on Manta Carlos you would hardly be the only one around your age with a child."

Valli paused for a moment. "...Although you might have the oldest child of the lot."

He still hadn't quite figured that one out.

Valli had grown up on the island, so he wasn't a complete stranger to demons and their lives, but he wasn't familiar enough to just know something so specific. The explanation that they were born in November but already so mature did a whole lot to help fill in the very confusing blanks in Valli's understanding, and with that last (rather big and significant) piece, he more or less understood things.

Which was good, because it was always easier to talk through things when you knew what exactly you were talking about.

"No one knows the future," Valli said. "Worrying about it is normal, although you might have more curve balls than most. Even if you aren't comfortable speaking directly to Pandora's father yourself, you might consider reaching out to other older demons for ideas. I doubt spiders are the only demons to age up rapidly in fits and spurts, and you might find advice there."

But, realistically speaking, that wasn't the point.

"You're well prepared for it all," Valli pointed out. "The fact that you're thinking about it at all proves as much."

There was a moment's pause, and then a soft beep from Valli's desk. He glanced behind him, checked his own watch, and then nodded.

"I think that's a good end point for the session," Valli said. "We did cover a lot of stuff, and I hope I left you with some things to think about. Same time next week?"