//------------------------------// // Interlude 2 // Story: Consonance and Dissonance // by applezombi //------------------------------// Sonata Dusk Therapy Session #2, October 14th “Okay Sonata. The tape recorder is working again. Just to remind you, I want to mention that we can turn it off at any time, if you want to. “Sure. I’m fine.” “Good. How was your week?” “Highs and lows, I guess. I had a date.” “Do you want to tell me about it?” “She’s perfect, Still Waters. She’s so smart, she’s pretty, and she loves music. We have a second date on Wednesday.” “I remember music is a bit of a sensitive spot for you, since you can’t sing any longer.” “Yeah. She offered to see if I can learn to play a piano.” “You’ve never tried?” “No. I can’t read music.” “Well, if you need a place to practice, we do have an old piano here at the Center. It was donated, and it’s probably twice as old as me, so there’s a few keys that stick, and the G key two octaves above middle C just doesn’t work at all.” “Thanks. We’ll see how it goes.” “So what are you doing for your date?” “We’re going to go over to her house and see if she can teach me to play piano. Then we’ll go to a concert, and after that, I’m going to take her out for street tacos.” “Sounds fun. I’m glad you’re reaching out socially. How are you doing making other friends?” “Not great, doc.” “Are you close with any of your coworkers?” “Not really. Mostly they’re older than me. Besides, there’s not much time for hanging out at work. It’s kinda nuts.” “What about finding another way to meet people your age? Like maybe going to school?” “They’d murder me.” “Why do you say that?” “Because of what I did, doc. I hurt them. I used them.” “You don’t think they could forgive you? Give you a second chance?” “…it’s possible, I guess. But still, I don’t have the time. I have to work.” “Has Aria found a job yet?” “No.” “Is she looking?” “Of course she is! Aria just has really bad luck. Every job she’s had, it’s been a bad boss or coworkers who just doesn’t understand how she is.” “I have a hard question for you, Sonata. I want to know, seriously, how many hours a day your sister spends looking for a job.” “… I don’t want to talk about this anymore.” “Sonata, I think your sister might be using you. You work twice as hard, so that she doesn’t have to.” “I said, I don’t want to talk about this anymore!” “Okay, that’s fine. I want to talk more about school with you.” “What do I need school for? You know I’m ancient, right?” “Attending school isn’t just for book learning. It’s for socialization. For making friends, making connections, learning how to get along with people. You told me last time you wanted to leave behind the person you were before all this happened. I think reaching out, socializing with other people, might be helpful for that goal.” “I told you, I’m dating somebody. And I’m friends with Pinkie.” “Of course. And these are important things. But friendship is like your favorite flavor of ice cream. One or two tiny bites just aren’t enough to have a full, rich, satisfying experience. You need all the toppings, too. All the different kinds of friendship, all the different flavors. Casual friendly acquaintances, deep permanent bonds, and if you’re interested, even romantic connections. All of these things add happiness and connection to your life. And for somebody your age… sorry, your current, apparent age, the best way to have those connections might be at school. I’d like you to give it a try.” “You make it sound nice. But I still don’t have time. Cuz of work.” “One of the things we specialize in at this Center is making sure teenagers, just like you, have access to resources designed to help them in just such situations. If I were to help you find some financial or food help, that might enable you to go to part time work, do you think you could try to cut down to part time at the warehouse? Or even quit?” “I don’t know…” “Sonata, I’m going to be honest with you. I know you’re doing your best to take care of your sisters, to contribute to your family. That’s pretty admirable. But I’m worried about what’s good for you, what’s healthy for you. The amount of time you work may be okay for an immortal magical creature, but it’s just not healthy for a teenager. The fact that you’ve been managing as well as you have is amazing. You’re so strong, and you deserve to be loved and happy. So when we talk, I’m going to suggest things that might be hard, might be a stretch for you, but I think they’ll help you.” “You really think school will make me happy?” “I think so, yeah. Are you willing to give it a try?” “You can make it so we have food? Cuz I can cut back on hours if I don’t have to worry about food.” “I think so, yeah. There are a number of government programs designed to help people like you. Now, this might get a little complicated. I assume, from the stories you’ve told me, that you may not have the paperwork you need to apply for government food assistance.” “Paperwork?” “Social security number, citizenship or green card, even driver’s license, things like that.” “Uh, no. Adagio always saw to that sort of thing. It was never legal, either.” “I thought not. If you let me, I’ll look into what I need to do to get you access to legitimate documentation, okay? So that we can make you an official citizen of our world.” “Y-yeah. T-thanks, doc.” “Tissues are right here, Sonata.”