Some guy gets flung into Worm, no powers or special abilities, just the skill of being a good listener and several years of living there and understanding just how bad it can be.
Good Listening (OCSI)
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Introductions 1.1
UsurperOfTruth
Amateur Writer
- Location
- Somewhere
1.1
It was August 21st 2010, just a bit past 3 o'clock, and I could only think about the fact that the situation I was in was maybe just a teensy bit over my head. I sat across from the person before me with a bit of trepidation and a healthy dose of nerves that I tried my best to school as I sat mostly relaxed in the small office that was supposed to serve as the place where I could make sure all the junior heroes, the adults too but that was an entirely different thought to try and deal with, were mentally healthy.
"So you're the shrink I have to talk to? What a fucking joke." Sophia Hess tastefully remarked as she got comfortable in the cheap, but nicer that it looked, couch that was provided for the office.
I tried to smile, but I knew my nerves were for once getting the best of me. Deep breaths, she's just a teenager, a really messed up teenager, but still. At the end of the day Sophia Hess was just a kid who went through the worst event in her life and hadn't made it out entirely intact. That didn't mean the things she did were okay, or that I suddenly would just forget the fact that she isn't a great person, but… it's my job to reach a hand out right? I knew what I was signing up for, so I couldn't give up at the first slight hint of difficulty, could I?
I clapped my hands together more for myself, but took note of the fact that her eyes darted towards the sound and she looked a bit more tense than she had before. Don't do that again, noted.
"Yeah, I can see how this all looks like they're treating you with the kiddie gloves, so to speak. What access I do have to your files, along with the info you can look up on PHO paints the picture of someone who…" I paused for a minute trying to not blurt out something unflattering or offensive, remembering the public speaking courses I'd taken another life ago, finally finding the words I continued.
"Someone who is driven and reasonably effective. And I imagine that you're also reasonably angry that you feel like you were forced into accepting being hamstrung over going to juvenile detention. So, if you don't want to talk about your feelings, or past, or anything of the sort today or whenever we meet that's fine. I'm here to help yes, but this is supposed to be a space where, if only for an hour, you can relax and talk about what's going on in your mind if you so desire. So if you have something to say, you can say it now, there's no mics in here." I felt a bit drained, it wasn't a speech, but I felt like I needed to get it off of my chest.
However, what I hadn't expected was for the girl sitting across me to stand up looking like she was ready to assault me. The only thing stopping her likely being the fact that while there were no mics on there were cameras around in the office, the mics technically being turned off because I thought that it'd be better for people to be able to say what they really want to without being reprimanded for it.
"Okay, Doc, you wanna fucking know what I think then? Fine. I think this entire thing is fucking stupid. I've had my powers for two-and-a-half years, and I fuck up hard just once, and suddenly I'm slammed with the kiddie gloves and treated like some loose cannon instead of the goddamn hero I am. I can't use the stuff I've gotten good with to put down the real fucking bad guys and actually make them think twice about doing the shit again, no I have to be "taught" how to minimize damage while those fuckers are out there preying on people who won't hit them back. I've put away more ABB and E88 idiots then half the heroes on this base, and then they have the nerve to put me on the junior heroes team? The group that's even more hamstrung because of all the rules, stipulations, and regulations that they have to jump through? It's all bullshit and I could go on and on about fucking Piggy, but what does it matter?"
She sat back down, some of the tension in her form drained, but the look on her face telling the story of one who had swallowed something bitter.
"I'm stuck here for three years, playing kiddie cop. If you want to help me, either tell them I'm fine and don't need this bullshit or leave me the fuck alone. I don't need some shrink telling me how to get my shit together, when I already have it the way I like. Got it?"
I stayed silent for a moment, my thoughts looping around a bit as I thought on what I could say to someone who I think I might've come on a bit strong too or at least stronger than I should've for someone that was the perfect mix of brashness and the more common feeling of knowing more than you actually do that most teenagers go through at some point.
I nodded, a bit more confident this time.
"Understood, if you want to come in here for an hour and just sit, I won't force you otherwise. The only thing I want to reiterate is that I'm here to help, not just you, but the adults too. I'm here because all of this?" I waved my hand around me to make my point. "All of this hero thing? It takes a toll on everybody, eventually. Some handle the pressure better than others, heck some find ways to mitigate the pressure entirely, but most capes, just like most regular people when faced with constant stress, are like powder kegs. I won't begrudge if you think you have things handled, but just know my door's always open even if you just want to vent to somebody because no one else is available. Alright?"
"Whatever." She shrugged and rolled her eyes before pulling out her phone and looking away from me, and I had to accept that it was probably the best I was going to get from her.
I refused to let out the sigh that wanted to escape, I wanted to help, my own idiotic sense of not wanting to sit around when I knew that I could do something prevented me from finding somewhere to bunker down at for the next several years and hoping that I made it. So I turned to one of the few things I was decent with, people. I liked to think I was a good listener, and hey, all those years of college work and being the person that people went to vent about their problems had to count for something right?
Even if all I could do was serve to make these people have a little bit more peace of mind in their day to day lives, that would be enough.
So long as I can say I tried my best, I'd be happy.
However, that didn't change the fact that Sophia still very much so had another fifty minutes or so of a session remaining and unless I could somehow work a miracle in that time, I very much so doubted that she was suddenly going to open up about the various problems she had and let me start her on the road to being mentally healthier that she definitely didn't think she needed. So, that meant for at least the next fifty minutes we would probably spending it the sort of quiet that wasn't the comfy kind, but more like the kind where you know the other options are either much worse or likely impossible and so you sit there.
Quiet.
Yikes.
Regardless, just another several more one on one introductions to go through before the day could officially said to be over for me.
I can do this, it's the one thing I can say I'm decent at.
Just gotta stay positive.
It was August 21st 2010, just a bit past 3 o'clock, and I could only think about the fact that the situation I was in was maybe just a teensy bit over my head. I sat across from the person before me with a bit of trepidation and a healthy dose of nerves that I tried my best to school as I sat mostly relaxed in the small office that was supposed to serve as the place where I could make sure all the junior heroes, the adults too but that was an entirely different thought to try and deal with, were mentally healthy.
"So you're the shrink I have to talk to? What a fucking joke." Sophia Hess tastefully remarked as she got comfortable in the cheap, but nicer that it looked, couch that was provided for the office.
I tried to smile, but I knew my nerves were for once getting the best of me. Deep breaths, she's just a teenager, a really messed up teenager, but still. At the end of the day Sophia Hess was just a kid who went through the worst event in her life and hadn't made it out entirely intact. That didn't mean the things she did were okay, or that I suddenly would just forget the fact that she isn't a great person, but… it's my job to reach a hand out right? I knew what I was signing up for, so I couldn't give up at the first slight hint of difficulty, could I?
I clapped my hands together more for myself, but took note of the fact that her eyes darted towards the sound and she looked a bit more tense than she had before. Don't do that again, noted.
"Yeah, I can see how this all looks like they're treating you with the kiddie gloves, so to speak. What access I do have to your files, along with the info you can look up on PHO paints the picture of someone who…" I paused for a minute trying to not blurt out something unflattering or offensive, remembering the public speaking courses I'd taken another life ago, finally finding the words I continued.
"Someone who is driven and reasonably effective. And I imagine that you're also reasonably angry that you feel like you were forced into accepting being hamstrung over going to juvenile detention. So, if you don't want to talk about your feelings, or past, or anything of the sort today or whenever we meet that's fine. I'm here to help yes, but this is supposed to be a space where, if only for an hour, you can relax and talk about what's going on in your mind if you so desire. So if you have something to say, you can say it now, there's no mics in here." I felt a bit drained, it wasn't a speech, but I felt like I needed to get it off of my chest.
However, what I hadn't expected was for the girl sitting across me to stand up looking like she was ready to assault me. The only thing stopping her likely being the fact that while there were no mics on there were cameras around in the office, the mics technically being turned off because I thought that it'd be better for people to be able to say what they really want to without being reprimanded for it.
"Okay, Doc, you wanna fucking know what I think then? Fine. I think this entire thing is fucking stupid. I've had my powers for two-and-a-half years, and I fuck up hard just once, and suddenly I'm slammed with the kiddie gloves and treated like some loose cannon instead of the goddamn hero I am. I can't use the stuff I've gotten good with to put down the real fucking bad guys and actually make them think twice about doing the shit again, no I have to be "taught" how to minimize damage while those fuckers are out there preying on people who won't hit them back. I've put away more ABB and E88 idiots then half the heroes on this base, and then they have the nerve to put me on the junior heroes team? The group that's even more hamstrung because of all the rules, stipulations, and regulations that they have to jump through? It's all bullshit and I could go on and on about fucking Piggy, but what does it matter?"
She sat back down, some of the tension in her form drained, but the look on her face telling the story of one who had swallowed something bitter.
"I'm stuck here for three years, playing kiddie cop. If you want to help me, either tell them I'm fine and don't need this bullshit or leave me the fuck alone. I don't need some shrink telling me how to get my shit together, when I already have it the way I like. Got it?"
I stayed silent for a moment, my thoughts looping around a bit as I thought on what I could say to someone who I think I might've come on a bit strong too or at least stronger than I should've for someone that was the perfect mix of brashness and the more common feeling of knowing more than you actually do that most teenagers go through at some point.
I nodded, a bit more confident this time.
"Understood, if you want to come in here for an hour and just sit, I won't force you otherwise. The only thing I want to reiterate is that I'm here to help, not just you, but the adults too. I'm here because all of this?" I waved my hand around me to make my point. "All of this hero thing? It takes a toll on everybody, eventually. Some handle the pressure better than others, heck some find ways to mitigate the pressure entirely, but most capes, just like most regular people when faced with constant stress, are like powder kegs. I won't begrudge if you think you have things handled, but just know my door's always open even if you just want to vent to somebody because no one else is available. Alright?"
"Whatever." She shrugged and rolled her eyes before pulling out her phone and looking away from me, and I had to accept that it was probably the best I was going to get from her.
I refused to let out the sigh that wanted to escape, I wanted to help, my own idiotic sense of not wanting to sit around when I knew that I could do something prevented me from finding somewhere to bunker down at for the next several years and hoping that I made it. So I turned to one of the few things I was decent with, people. I liked to think I was a good listener, and hey, all those years of college work and being the person that people went to vent about their problems had to count for something right?
Even if all I could do was serve to make these people have a little bit more peace of mind in their day to day lives, that would be enough.
So long as I can say I tried my best, I'd be happy.
However, that didn't change the fact that Sophia still very much so had another fifty minutes or so of a session remaining and unless I could somehow work a miracle in that time, I very much so doubted that she was suddenly going to open up about the various problems she had and let me start her on the road to being mentally healthier that she definitely didn't think she needed. So, that meant for at least the next fifty minutes we would probably spending it the sort of quiet that wasn't the comfy kind, but more like the kind where you know the other options are either much worse or likely impossible and so you sit there.
Quiet.
Yikes.
Regardless, just another several more one on one introductions to go through before the day could officially said to be over for me.
I can do this, it's the one thing I can say I'm decent at.
Just gotta stay positive.
Introductions 1.2
UsurperOfTruth
Amateur Writer
- Location
- Somewhere
1.2
As I looked at the young girl sitting in the chair before me now, it was hard for me to separate the fact that she had been a hero for just as long as Sophia had and the fact that Missy Biron was really just a child.
Compared to the rest of the Wards, there was a certain youth about her that was undeniable. To reconcile such a thing with the person on their team that had the most potential for danger, because the ability to warp space was really dangerous if I understood how her power worked correctly, was something of a challenge to say the least. However, the first thing you noticed when you looked at her was inevitably the fact that she was young. Younger than the rest of her teammates by just enough to be notable.
I couldn't let that affect how I treated her however, not just because from what I was told and knew second-hand, but also because I kind of understood not being treated the same as the rest of the people around you just because you were younger. Having memories of a previous life surprisingly didn't make school, and other kids, easier to deal with when growing up. If anything… I'd say my experience was a net worse the second time around.
Regardless I needed to approach Missy with something more suited for what I knew about her.
Thus, I made a note to let us sit in silence for a little bit, not out of some tactic to get her to speak first or anything like that as it wasn't guaranteed to work for every person, but more so that I could figure out how to approach this without inserting my foot into my mouth by accident. You'd be surprised how many counselors and psychologists alike end up coming on too strong for a client or patient, one method doesn't fit every person perfectly or at all in some cases. And while with Sophia I think my words were okay, Missy wasn't her.
Where Sophia had come in guarded and caged, obviously angry about the fact that she was here, Missy had come in with a certain resigned attitude. Resignation was a bit hard to place, but at a guess she probably wasn't too dissimilar to Sophia's idea that therapy wasn't necessary. It was for different reasons almost certainly, with Missy likely seeing this as either being another attempt at treating her like she hasn't been a cape for quite some time or that I wouldn't be able to understand the issues she had as I wasn't a cape.
While I understood why she might think that, the problem that I faced right now was trying to at least make her understand that I got why she thought therapy was of no use to her, if that makes sense. You can't really help people that don't think they need help, so it was my job to make them see that everybody can use a bit of help every now and then.
It was easier said than done, but I had to try at least.
"I think if we sit in silence any longer it'll start being more than a little awkward, so I'll introduce myself first. My name is Dr. Jordan Hill, I'm a licensed psychologist and therapist, though it feels like those are just titles most of the time, I think maybe whoever was here before might've mentioned that I was next on rotation the last time they were here? Regardless, it's a pleasure to meet you Missy, or would you prefer I call you Vista?" I reached a hand out to her with what I hoped was an inviting, or at least nice, look.
She stared at me for a second, green eyes looking at me and my outstretched hand with what I thought was maybe disbelief? Confusion? Surprise? Well, that, or she thought I was an idiot, which mind you I can be, but still it kind of stung just a teensy bit.
After a moment longer where I began to feel just a tad self-conscious, Missy reached her hand out towards mine and shook it firm once before taking her seat back on the chair that she had been in.
"Call me Vista, so you're the new therapist that they passed around here then?"
"Yeah, that's me, I'll be here for awhile until I'm rotated for the next therapist coming in."
I smiled at the tiny progress that was made, I had things easier than what I could've had if I'd managed to get the job any later, Brockton Bay was a hot spot for all the really messed up things that were going to happen within a very short span of time. I couldn't recall it clearly, but I knew Yamada had been cycled here sometime after Leviathan and to say that things were bad then was putting it lightly. Missy had suffered some very life-changing losses and events in regards to her friends and the people around her.
An Endbringer and then the Slaughterhouse some time after would be a lot for anyone to go through, especially if they actually made it out alive.
It was a small mercy that at least one of those events was months off, and the other should hopefully be butterflied away.
Hopefully.
Regardless, I had more important matters to focus on for the moment.
"So, Vista, sorry if you feel like you've been forced into this or anything. I'm obligated to speak with both groups, Wards and the Protectorate, but only the Wards have mandated sessions with me for the first week I'm here. Wrangling the rest of the local branch into visiting isn't something I've done before but," I couldn't help the resigned sight that left my lips as I thought about the task that lay ahead in my future, "I'll figure something out."
"Good luck with that, I don't see how you're gonna get most of them in here, let alone Armsmaster, but yeah I don't blame you personally or anything. We're the Wards and we're supposed to get more oversight to make sure that we're "fine"," the sarcasm in her words was palpable as she spoke, "I'm used to it by now. Anyways, we're supposed to talk about how I'm feeling or whatever problems I'm dealing with, or something like that? That's what Dr. Kline did."
"No… ," I was a bit confused by that expectation, but I guess it was a fair one, "we can talk about whatever you'd like to talk about really. It could be about your favorite food, a crush you might have, something you might want to do but feel you can't, what sort of rebranding you might want to do for yourself when you join the Protectorate, or yes, we could talk about your problems if you so wanted. I'm here to listen first and foremost, so if you want to come in here and rant about your boss, school, or people you know you can do that. Or, if you want to talk about what's on your mind, we can do that too. Or, if you want to come in here and just read a book or sit on your phone, well, you can do that just as well. The next hour's all yours." I laid my thoughts on the matter all on the table and while I think I might've come off a bit too strong, I think it was important I said my piece.
I don't know what exactly the previous person was doing for them, but seeing as we're rotated out every now and then, it was important to leave a strong first impression. Also, I should probably look into the previous doctor if Missy thought that was the purpose of therapy.
"Huh… okay." There was a pause from Missy, and I could see the imaginary gears in her head spinning for a moment as she thought heavily about… something. I hoped it was my words, but it could also just as easily be her thinking about any negative thing that she could possibly take away from my impromptu speech.
No, no, no. Not today anxiety, gotta think positive.
"So… Shadow Stalker, Sophia, our new teammate, she's kind of a bitch." Missy's words were blunt, more blunt than I expected.
I blinked.
"It's barely been two weeks and she just acts like a bitch to everyone, and then she keeps acting like she's some tough lone wolf that can't be bothered to interact with the rest of us. And Carlos and Dennis tell me that the boot camp she's going to is going to cool her head, and that I shouldn't let her get to me, but you've talked with her right? She treats everyone around her like crap. I hope that the boot camp in San Diego does something for her, because, I get it, her time as a Vigilante was way better in her opinion because she got to act and do whatever but if she wants to be a Hero she needs to get it together. Right? I feel like I'm the only one that really sees this just because the boys finally have a girl their age and are just kind of ignoring the fact that she's looking down on us. We're heroes, so why is she acting like this?"
I paused for a moment as she stared at me, her green eyes staring intensely at me. Can't believe I forgot that Missy was pretty mindful of the people around her, she isn't just some kid, she's a kid who had to be a lot more grown up than any kid should have to be. If things fell through on my end, she'd have to shoulder an even larger burden and a part of me rebelled at that thought.
"I can see why you say that. Sophia is fairly... abrasive." My words were carefully picked as I described Sophia in terms that were much more nice than I knew someone else might.
"Abrasive is one way to describe her, yeah."
"Her place on the Wards is a bit contentious for her, " I tried to be cautious with my words as I couldn't remember whether or not they knew that she'd been forced into Wards versus doing time in juvie, "she wants to be a Hero, but she wants to be a Hero her way. She chafes under the restrictions, as I believe you can tell. I'm not going to say she's right, or that her treating you all that way is understandable and something you should ignore, but I can say confidently that she has reasons for why she's like that. The hard part is getting through to her that you both understand and want slash need her to change."
"So, what? I'm supposed to just wait and hope for her to get better, Doctor."
"No. She needs people around her that don't enable her bad habits, and you guys are all very much so people that she needs even if she would never say so. I can't offer you some solution that will resolve your problems with her, people just aren't that simple, but I think maybe arming you all with at least some ways to deal with abrasive and acerbic coworkers will do wonders for some sort of start. And from there if you keep making an effort, I'm sure eventually she'll come around." I kept the hopefully inward and to myself.
Missy huffed a bit.
"Are these methods going to work on Dennis too?" The small smirk on her face let me know that I had made one small step forward once more.
I couldn't help the stupid smile that worked its way on my face.
"Certainly."
The rest of the hour went by relatively smoothly afterwards, Missy leaving with a comment about me being better than the last guy that was here raising my spirits just a tiny bit. The bar was probably rather low for compliments, but knowing that I was doing something right was still a bit of a confidence booster. I still had more than half the Wards left to do, but I could do this.
I had to.
As I looked at the young girl sitting in the chair before me now, it was hard for me to separate the fact that she had been a hero for just as long as Sophia had and the fact that Missy Biron was really just a child.
Compared to the rest of the Wards, there was a certain youth about her that was undeniable. To reconcile such a thing with the person on their team that had the most potential for danger, because the ability to warp space was really dangerous if I understood how her power worked correctly, was something of a challenge to say the least. However, the first thing you noticed when you looked at her was inevitably the fact that she was young. Younger than the rest of her teammates by just enough to be notable.
I couldn't let that affect how I treated her however, not just because from what I was told and knew second-hand, but also because I kind of understood not being treated the same as the rest of the people around you just because you were younger. Having memories of a previous life surprisingly didn't make school, and other kids, easier to deal with when growing up. If anything… I'd say my experience was a net worse the second time around.
Regardless I needed to approach Missy with something more suited for what I knew about her.
Thus, I made a note to let us sit in silence for a little bit, not out of some tactic to get her to speak first or anything like that as it wasn't guaranteed to work for every person, but more so that I could figure out how to approach this without inserting my foot into my mouth by accident. You'd be surprised how many counselors and psychologists alike end up coming on too strong for a client or patient, one method doesn't fit every person perfectly or at all in some cases. And while with Sophia I think my words were okay, Missy wasn't her.
Where Sophia had come in guarded and caged, obviously angry about the fact that she was here, Missy had come in with a certain resigned attitude. Resignation was a bit hard to place, but at a guess she probably wasn't too dissimilar to Sophia's idea that therapy wasn't necessary. It was for different reasons almost certainly, with Missy likely seeing this as either being another attempt at treating her like she hasn't been a cape for quite some time or that I wouldn't be able to understand the issues she had as I wasn't a cape.
While I understood why she might think that, the problem that I faced right now was trying to at least make her understand that I got why she thought therapy was of no use to her, if that makes sense. You can't really help people that don't think they need help, so it was my job to make them see that everybody can use a bit of help every now and then.
It was easier said than done, but I had to try at least.
"I think if we sit in silence any longer it'll start being more than a little awkward, so I'll introduce myself first. My name is Dr. Jordan Hill, I'm a licensed psychologist and therapist, though it feels like those are just titles most of the time, I think maybe whoever was here before might've mentioned that I was next on rotation the last time they were here? Regardless, it's a pleasure to meet you Missy, or would you prefer I call you Vista?" I reached a hand out to her with what I hoped was an inviting, or at least nice, look.
She stared at me for a second, green eyes looking at me and my outstretched hand with what I thought was maybe disbelief? Confusion? Surprise? Well, that, or she thought I was an idiot, which mind you I can be, but still it kind of stung just a teensy bit.
After a moment longer where I began to feel just a tad self-conscious, Missy reached her hand out towards mine and shook it firm once before taking her seat back on the chair that she had been in.
"Call me Vista, so you're the new therapist that they passed around here then?"
"Yeah, that's me, I'll be here for awhile until I'm rotated for the next therapist coming in."
I smiled at the tiny progress that was made, I had things easier than what I could've had if I'd managed to get the job any later, Brockton Bay was a hot spot for all the really messed up things that were going to happen within a very short span of time. I couldn't recall it clearly, but I knew Yamada had been cycled here sometime after Leviathan and to say that things were bad then was putting it lightly. Missy had suffered some very life-changing losses and events in regards to her friends and the people around her.
An Endbringer and then the Slaughterhouse some time after would be a lot for anyone to go through, especially if they actually made it out alive.
It was a small mercy that at least one of those events was months off, and the other should hopefully be butterflied away.
Hopefully.
Regardless, I had more important matters to focus on for the moment.
"So, Vista, sorry if you feel like you've been forced into this or anything. I'm obligated to speak with both groups, Wards and the Protectorate, but only the Wards have mandated sessions with me for the first week I'm here. Wrangling the rest of the local branch into visiting isn't something I've done before but," I couldn't help the resigned sight that left my lips as I thought about the task that lay ahead in my future, "I'll figure something out."
"Good luck with that, I don't see how you're gonna get most of them in here, let alone Armsmaster, but yeah I don't blame you personally or anything. We're the Wards and we're supposed to get more oversight to make sure that we're "fine"," the sarcasm in her words was palpable as she spoke, "I'm used to it by now. Anyways, we're supposed to talk about how I'm feeling or whatever problems I'm dealing with, or something like that? That's what Dr. Kline did."
"No… ," I was a bit confused by that expectation, but I guess it was a fair one, "we can talk about whatever you'd like to talk about really. It could be about your favorite food, a crush you might have, something you might want to do but feel you can't, what sort of rebranding you might want to do for yourself when you join the Protectorate, or yes, we could talk about your problems if you so wanted. I'm here to listen first and foremost, so if you want to come in here and rant about your boss, school, or people you know you can do that. Or, if you want to talk about what's on your mind, we can do that too. Or, if you want to come in here and just read a book or sit on your phone, well, you can do that just as well. The next hour's all yours." I laid my thoughts on the matter all on the table and while I think I might've come off a bit too strong, I think it was important I said my piece.
I don't know what exactly the previous person was doing for them, but seeing as we're rotated out every now and then, it was important to leave a strong first impression. Also, I should probably look into the previous doctor if Missy thought that was the purpose of therapy.
"Huh… okay." There was a pause from Missy, and I could see the imaginary gears in her head spinning for a moment as she thought heavily about… something. I hoped it was my words, but it could also just as easily be her thinking about any negative thing that she could possibly take away from my impromptu speech.
No, no, no. Not today anxiety, gotta think positive.
"So… Shadow Stalker, Sophia, our new teammate, she's kind of a bitch." Missy's words were blunt, more blunt than I expected.
I blinked.
"It's barely been two weeks and she just acts like a bitch to everyone, and then she keeps acting like she's some tough lone wolf that can't be bothered to interact with the rest of us. And Carlos and Dennis tell me that the boot camp she's going to is going to cool her head, and that I shouldn't let her get to me, but you've talked with her right? She treats everyone around her like crap. I hope that the boot camp in San Diego does something for her, because, I get it, her time as a Vigilante was way better in her opinion because she got to act and do whatever but if she wants to be a Hero she needs to get it together. Right? I feel like I'm the only one that really sees this just because the boys finally have a girl their age and are just kind of ignoring the fact that she's looking down on us. We're heroes, so why is she acting like this?"
I paused for a moment as she stared at me, her green eyes staring intensely at me. Can't believe I forgot that Missy was pretty mindful of the people around her, she isn't just some kid, she's a kid who had to be a lot more grown up than any kid should have to be. If things fell through on my end, she'd have to shoulder an even larger burden and a part of me rebelled at that thought.
"I can see why you say that. Sophia is fairly... abrasive." My words were carefully picked as I described Sophia in terms that were much more nice than I knew someone else might.
"Abrasive is one way to describe her, yeah."
"Her place on the Wards is a bit contentious for her, " I tried to be cautious with my words as I couldn't remember whether or not they knew that she'd been forced into Wards versus doing time in juvie, "she wants to be a Hero, but she wants to be a Hero her way. She chafes under the restrictions, as I believe you can tell. I'm not going to say she's right, or that her treating you all that way is understandable and something you should ignore, but I can say confidently that she has reasons for why she's like that. The hard part is getting through to her that you both understand and want slash need her to change."
"So, what? I'm supposed to just wait and hope for her to get better, Doctor."
"No. She needs people around her that don't enable her bad habits, and you guys are all very much so people that she needs even if she would never say so. I can't offer you some solution that will resolve your problems with her, people just aren't that simple, but I think maybe arming you all with at least some ways to deal with abrasive and acerbic coworkers will do wonders for some sort of start. And from there if you keep making an effort, I'm sure eventually she'll come around." I kept the hopefully inward and to myself.
Missy huffed a bit.
"Are these methods going to work on Dennis too?" The small smirk on her face let me know that I had made one small step forward once more.
I couldn't help the stupid smile that worked its way on my face.
"Certainly."
The rest of the hour went by relatively smoothly afterwards, Missy leaving with a comment about me being better than the last guy that was here raising my spirits just a tiny bit. The bar was probably rather low for compliments, but knowing that I was doing something right was still a bit of a confidence booster. I still had more than half the Wards left to do, but I could do this.
I had to.
- Location
- Michigan
Very interesting premise. Unpowered SI always fun.