Dining Hall -- Xavier Compound

Contents:

Ashen

Irissa

Obvious exits:

<MB> Main Building

Catrina comes in, yawning. There's a general sound of hub-bubbery as she opens the door to come in. She heads towards the bowls. Probably to get herself some cereal.

Ashen smiles to Irissa and nods, seeming to talk lightly to Irissa, yet not whispering... although he does happen to sound lower-toned and yet happy. "Ashen glad he teach you how to kiss... Ashen happy when you kiss him... feels better than when friend Rogue kiss Ashen..." He smiles to Irissa, then looks to Catrina, "Halo, Friend Catrina."

Irissa giggles and nods, "Me too." She seems to be a bright color of red at the moment as she stands there with Ash. She can't help but giggle, covering her lips for a moment as she notes Cat. She warbles brightly, still overwhelmed by the emotions that she felt a moment before. "Hi Cat!" She giggles, covering her lips since she knows that was too loud, but just couldn't help it.

Catrina looks over, catching the last bits of that. She face-palms, as she pulls down her bowl to fill with cereal. "Get a room, you two," she grins.

Ashen looks to Catrina, "But Ashen have room..." He says, trying to understand what she means.

Irissa looks puzzled a bit at the comment, "Umm..Cat? Me have room upstairs." She frowns gently, not understanding that at all. Cat knows she has a room.

Catrina gets her cereal, and comes over to sit at the same table, on the bench across from you two. "You guys DO know, like, about how babies are made?" (please say yes... please say yes... please say yes...)

Ashen smiles to Catrina, "Menelenna said... uhm... crocs find babies hatch and bring them to mamas." He says, grinning to Catrina for a moment, then sighs. "But Menelenna gone now." He whimpers.

Irissa blinks, looking quite puzzled. "Umm..me know people have, but me not know how." She tips her head to one side, "YOu know how people have baby? If do can tell? Me want know.. Me not learn that yet."

Catrina looks at Ashen like he's joking. "You're kidding, right? I mean, about the crocs?"

Ashen shakes his head to Catrina, "No... Menelenna say she find me in swamps, Crocydiles bring me to Menelenna."

Irissa blinks a bit, tipping her head to one side as she listen. "Animal croc make babies? But me no look like big lizard."

Catrina shakes her head. "No... no no no... that's not it, at all..."

Catrina regards the two of you, and tries to figure out how best to explain.

Ashen looks to Catrina, frowning. "Then Menelenna not tell truth to Ashen?" He whimpers.

Irissa frowns gently, patting Ash's arm gently. "Not true. Umm..Maybe she understand one way and Cat know another?" She looks back to Cat, biting her lip gently. "Umm..How make baby?"

Catrina shakes her head again. "It ain't that, honey... She was... tellin' you what you could understand best..."

You say "Hell, for all *I* know, a croc DID bring you to her..."

Ashen nods to Irissa, "Oh..." He nods to Catrina and then smiles at her second statement. "So, how make baby?"

Catrina takes a mouthful of cereal, fortifying herself before she launches into this. She's seated across from Ashen and Irissa.

You say "Okay. Here's the haps. Mommas and Daddies are build different from eachother... They got different parts..."

Irissa blinks and listens carefully. "Umm..Different parts?" She glances over to Ash, blinking several times. "Umm..He no look different than me. His voice deeper though.. "

Ashen nods to Catrina, grinning, "Ashen no have daddy."

Catrina gestures absently with her spoon as she tries to explain. "Well... look at me, f'rinstance." She sits up, and yup. She's got bumps on her chest. "This shows that I'm more'n likely female. I'm a girl..."

Ashen doesn't really seem to look at her chest. "What show?"

Irissa oh's softly, looking down at herself and seeing she has bumps too. "Umm..Me have bumpy things too." She looks down her shirt. "Yes..me have bumpy things."

Catrina blushes a little, as she continues. "You have a daddy, Ashen, because your momma had to, uhm... make love with somebody, in order to start you growin'... everybody has a daddy, even if they don't know who it is..."

Ashen blinks to Catrina. "Make love? Oh... Ashen love pizza... er... pizza not somebody. What mean make love?"

Catrina smiles apologetically to Ashen, "These." She pokes one of her own breasts, about halfway up... "I'm gettin' there. Shaddup, and let me explain."

Halfway from peak to neck, that is.

Irissa frowns a bit, "Me not know Mommy or Daddy." She listens to Ash's questions and nods. "Me not know either.." She bites her lip as she hears Cat again, "Me sorry..me no say no thing till done."

Ashen begins poking his chest to see if he has bumps.

Catrina eats another mouthful of cereal while she can.

Catrina tries it this way. "Hey, Ash. When you gotta pee, you do it standing up, right?"

Catrina looks to Irissa, "this is part'f the difference between boys'n girls."

Ashen blinks to Catrina, scratching his head. "Ashen can sit down too, but why P different from other letters?"

Catrina frowns, and tries it slightly different. "When you gotta urinate. Pass water. Piss."

Ashen blinks... apparently doesn't know these.

Irissa listesn carefully, loking over to Ash to see his answer to this one. She knows that she sits down. How would anyone do it standing up?? She looks puzzled for a moment before she blinks at Ash, "She mean go bathroom.." She giggles softly, shaking her head. "Umm...me sit down too."

Catrina looks to Ashen, reaching for it. "Number one?"

You say "When you go to the bathroom, and it ain't solid?"

Ashen OHs to Irissa! "Ashen stand up, yes..."

Irissa blinks in shock, looking over to Ash. "How do when stand up? Me would make mess on self if me do that.." She scowls, glancing at Cat again to hear her next words.

Catrina looks to Irissa, and nods, relieved THAT part is over with. "He can stand up to pee, because he's got a penis. That's the boy-part. You and me, we've got vaginas... That's why we have to sit down..."

Ashen blinks, confused. "Huh?"

You say "The boy-part is outside of the body, like your hand is outside of your wrist, okay?"

Irissa blinks at all the funny words. "UMm..Me not know pennies..or vaginia."

Catrina nods to Irissa, "Of course you don't. You're a girl - you don't have to know about penisses... But you DO have a vagina. That's the girl-part. It's inside, where nobody can see it."

Ashen nods to Catrina about the boy-part. "Ok..." He hears Catrina and blinks, "Me no know of that."

Irissa blinks, looking at her wrist and then her hand before she looks back over to Cat, "Then..how know is there? If noone see.." She bites her lower lip a bit and sighs.

Catrina shrugs to AShen. "Of course you don't. You're a boy - you got your penis... You can hold it and play with it and write your name in the snow if you wanted to, with it..." she grins wryly. "I know it's there, 'Rissa, 'cos a regular doctor told me 'bout it, and showed me how to take care of mine. What happens is, when a guy and a girl love eachother a lot, and they wanna be a daddy and a mommy, they get together, and they play with eachother's parts... and that's called making love. And usually, about 9 months later, they have a baby."

Dining Hall -- Xavier Compound

Contents:

Ashen

Irissa

Obvious exits:

<MB> Main Building

Catrina comes in, yawning. There's a general sound of hub-bubbery as she opens the door to come in. She heads towards the bowls. Probably to get herself some cereal.

Ashen smiles to Irissa and nods, seeming to talk lightly to Irissa, yet not whispering... although he does happen to sound lower-toned and yet happy. "Ashen glad he teach you how to kiss... Ashen happy when you kiss him... feels better than when friend Rogue kiss Ashen..." He smiles to Irissa, then looks to Catrina, "Halo, Friend Catrina."

Irissa giggles and nods, "Me too." She seems to be a bright color of red at the moment as she stands there with Ash. She can't help but giggle, covering her lips for a moment as she notes Cat. She warbles brightly, still overwhelmed by the emotions that she felt a moment before. "Hi Cat!" She giggles, covering her lips since she knows that was too loud, but just couldn't help it.

Catrina looks over, catching the last bits of that. She face-palms, as she pulls down her bowl to fill with cereal. "Get a room, you two," she grins.

Ashen looks to Catrina, "But Ashen have room..." He says, trying to understand what she means.

Irissa looks puzzled a bit at the comment, "Umm..Cat? Me have room upstairs." She frowns gently, not understanding that at all. Cat knows she has a room.

Catrina gets her cereal, and comes over to sit at the same table, on the bench across from you two. "You guys DO know, like, about how babies are made?" (please say yes... please say yes... please say yes...)

Ashen smiles to Catrina, "Menelenna said... uhm... crocs find babies hatch and bring them to mamas." He says, grinning to Catrina for a moment, then sighs. "But Menelenna gone now." He whimpers.

Irissa blinks, looking quite puzzled. "Umm..me know people have, but me not know how." She tips her head to one side, "YOu know how people have baby? If do can tell? Me want know.. Me not learn that yet."

Catrina looks at Ashen like he's joking. "You're kidding, right? I mean, about the crocs?"

Ashen shakes his head to Catrina, "No... Menelenna say she find me in swamps, Crocydiles bring me to Menelenna."

Irissa blinks a bit, tipping her head to one side as she listen. "Animal croc make babies? But me no look like big lizard."

Catrina shakes her head. "No... no no no... that's not it, at all..."

Catrina regards the two of you, and tries to figure out how best to explain.

Ashen looks to Catrina, frowning. "Then Menelenna not tell truth to Ashen?" He whimpers.

Irissa frowns gently, patting Ash's arm gently. "Not true. Umm..Maybe she understand one way and Cat know another?" She looks back to Cat, biting her lip gently. "Umm..How make baby?"

Catrina shakes her head again. "It ain't that, honey... She was... tellin' you what you could understand best..."

You say "Hell, for all *I* know, a croc DID bring you to her..."

Ashen nods to Irissa, "Oh..." He nods to Catrina and then smiles at her second statement. "So, how make baby?"

Catrina takes a mouthful of cereal, fortifying herself before she launches into this. She's seated across from Ashen and Irissa.

You say "Okay. Here's the haps. Mommas and Daddies are build different from eachother... They got different parts..."

Irissa blinks and listens carefully. "Umm..Different parts?" She glances over to Ash, blinking several times. "Umm..He no look different than me. His voice deeper though.. "

Ashen nods to Catrina, grinning, "Ashen no have daddy."

Catrina gestures absently with her spoon as she tries to explain. "Well... look at me, f'rinstance." She sits up, and yup. She's got bumps on her chest. "This shows that I'm more'n likely female. I'm a girl..."

Ashen doesn't really seem to look at her chest. "What show?"

Irissa oh's softly, looking down at herself and seeing she has bumps too. "Umm..Me have bumpy things too." She looks down her shirt. "Yes..me have bumpy things."

Catrina blushes a little, as she continues. "You have a daddy, Ashen, because your momma had to, uhm... make love with somebody, in order to start you growin'... everybody has a daddy, even if they don't know who it is..."

Ashen blinks to Catrina. "Make love? Oh... Ashen love pizza... er... pizza not somebody. What mean make love?"

Catrina smiles apologetically to Ashen, "These." She pokes one of her own breasts, about halfway up... "I'm gettin' there. Shaddup, and let me explain."

Halfway from peak to neck, that is.

Irissa frowns a bit, "Me not know Mommy or Daddy." She listens to Ash's questions and nods. "Me not know either.." She bites her lip as she hears Cat again, "Me sorry..me no say no thing till done."

Ashen begins poking his chest to see if he has bumps.

Catrina eats another mouthful of cereal while she can.

Catrina tries it this way. "Hey, Ash. When you gotta pee, you do it standing up, right?"

Catrina looks to Irissa, "this is part'f the difference between boys'n girls."

Ashen blinks to Catrina, scratching his head. "Ashen can sit down too, but why P different from other letters?"

Catrina frowns, and tries it slightly different. "When you gotta urinate. Pass water. Piss."

Ashen blinks... apparently doesn't know these.

Irissa listesn carefully, loking over to Ash to see his answer to this one. She knows that she sits down. How would anyone do it standing up?? She looks puzzled for a moment before she blinks at Ash, "She mean go bathroom.." She giggles softly, shaking her head. "Umm...me sit down too."

Catrina looks to Ashen, reaching for it. "Number one?"

You say "When you go to the bathroom, and it ain't solid?"

Ashen OHs to Irissa! "Ashen stand up, yes..."

Irissa blinks in shock, looking over to Ash. "How do when stand up? Me would make mess on self if me do that.." She scowls, glancing at Cat again to hear her next words.

Catrina looks to Irissa, and nods, relieved THAT part is over with. "He can stand up to pee, because he's got a penis. That's the boy-part. You and me, we've got vaginas... That's why we have to sit down..."

Ashen blinks, confused. "Huh?"

You say "The boy-part is outside of the body, like your hand is outside of your wrist, okay?"

Irissa blinks at all the funny words. "UMm..Me not know pennies..or vaginia."

Catrina nods to Irissa, "Of course you don't. You're a girl - you don't have to know about penisses... But you DO have a vagina. That's the girl-part. It's inside, where nobody can see it."

Ashen nods to Catrina about the boy-part. "Ok..." He hears Catrina and blinks, "Me no know of that."

Irissa blinks, looking at her wrist and then her hand before she looks back over to Cat, "Then..how know is there? If noone see.." She bites her lower lip a bit and sighs.

Catrina shrugs to AShen. "Of course you don't. You're a boy - you got your penis... You can hold it and play with it and write your name in the snow if you wanted to, with it..." she grins wryly. "I know it's there, 'Rissa, 'cos a regular doctor told me 'bout it, and showed me how to take care of mine. What happens is, when a guy and a girl love eachother a lot, and they wanna be a daddy and a mommy, they get together, and they play with eachother's parts... and that's called making love. And usually, about 9 months later, they have a baby."

Ashen hmms and looks down to his body, thinking of something. "But Ashen no know game to play with pennies." He says it how Irissa did.

Catrina waits for the next round of questions. She eats more now-soggy cereal.

Irissa widens her eyes, blinking several times in shock. "Umm..Just play with parts make baby? Sound dangerous. Umm.." She glances over to Ash a moment, "Why would want to write name in snow with it? Would not get cold?" She frowns gently, "Take 9 months? That long time. Why take so long?"

Catrina corrects Ashen, "Not pennies... pee-niss.

Catrina shakes her head, grinning wryly, "Not with the penis itself... but by peeing into the snow, standing up. Some guys think it's funny. Yeah, it is dangerous... that's why you gotta know beforehand if you really wanna be a daddy or a momma, before you start playing with eachother's parts."

Ashen looks to Irissa, grinning. "Not sound hard... Ashen like play games." He smiles and looks back to Catrina, "Play like patty-cake?"

Catrina thinks about that, and grins. "Yeeeah... sorta like patty-cake..."

There's parts slapping against eachother, yup...

Irissa looks over to Ash in shock before she looks over to Cat, "But..we not play with parts." She grins at Ash nodding, "Me like that one. Me learn from nice cat lady who play purple lizard on TV." She grins, looking over to Cat again.

Catrina smirks, and nods. "Regular patty-cake's just fine. Just remember to keep your clothes on."

Ashen hmms. "Not sound hard." He tells Catrina. "But why take clothes off? Ashen no play game..." He gets a slight feeling from this. "No sound right..."

Catrina frowns absently, as she remembers something else. "And... if you don't want somebody playing with your parts, don't let them. Your parts are your own, and nobody else is allowed to touch'em, without your permission."

You say "It's LIKE patty-cake, but it ISN'T patty-cake."

Ashen smiles to Catrina, "You show Ashen?"

Irissa widens her eyes and giggles, thinking that's really funny. "Patty cake with no clothes on? That funny..get cold too." She shivers a bit, frowning now as Cat says this next part. "Bad man...make feel bad." She shakes her head, looking at Cat again. "Is..why me feel bad twhen think of it?"

Catrina nods, "It might be, 'Rissa... I don't know what he did. But if it involved touching you where you didn't want it, then... yeah. Probably."

Catrina puts her spoon into her bowl. "Look. Just keep your hands above the bellybutton, and you'll be JUST fine."

Ashen blinks to Catrina, "But then me make mess when me go restroom."

Irissa shivers, and looks down. "Me..understand." She shakes her head, getting up from the seat. "Me..me need go." She shakes her head, wrpaping her arms around herself and turning from the table.

Catrina smirks, "No, you can touch YOURSELF wherever you want... but keep your hands above the bellybutton, if you're touching somebody else..."

Catrina looks to Irissa. "Hey... you okay?" she sounds a bit concerned. She didn't want to frighten the girl, but she didn't know exactly how to explain this without getting traumatic.

Ashen nods to Catrina and nods, then looks to Irissa, smiling. "Ashen go with you..." He says, noticing she doesn't look all that happy. "Ashen do juggle."

Irissa turns around and backs away from the both of you. "Me...no me not okay." She turns and runs out of the room.

Irissa leaves the dining hall.

Irissa has left.

Ashen whimpers and follows after Irissa... scared for her.

Catrina mutters an expletive, and hops the table, following after.

Ashen leaves the dining hall.

Ashen has left.

You leave the dining hall.

Main Building -- Xavier Compound

Contents:

Ashen

Irissa

Bill

Sundowner

Obvious exits:

<OF> Offices <GYM> Gymnasium <LI> Library <CL> Classroom <DH> Dining Hall <Up> Stairs to Roof of Class Central <GH> Girls' Hall <BH> Boys' Hall <O> Out to Main Compound

Bill does paperwork and listens to Sundownder do music.

Catrina calls after the bird-girl, "Rissa, wait!"

Irissa comes running out of the dining room and heads for the stairs leading to her room. She seems to be upset about something.

Ashen seems to run on all fours, trying to catch up to Irissa, "Irissa, wait... what wrong?"

Bill quirks an eyebrow.

Sundowner is standing by the stairs, messing around on an acoustic guitar. It's the kind of messing someone does when they've just picked up an instrument they haven't touched in a long time. He pauses to watch the chase, his attention dragged into the present again.

Irissa shakes her head slowly, "Me..no want see noone. Me..feel bad." She shakes her head stopping on the stairs. "Me..not know was bad..Me just thought me feel bad.." She sobs now, shaking her head. "Me..no want see noone."

Ashen stops and whimpers, "Ashen feel bad now... Ashen no mean anything..." He whimpers and lays down nearby the stairs where she went up. He just lays on the ground, watching up to her.

Bill watches Catrina. "Problems?"

Catrina looks to Bill, her expression one of disgust. "Baby-making."

Bill blink-blinks. Seth -had- to leave him in charge? "Uhhhh, not in this school, I hope..." He gets up and heads to the others. "I hope we don't have to press charges on anyone..."

Sundowner tilts his head, glancing from Catrina to Ashen and Irissa.

Irissa stops at the top of the stairs and sits down, "Me..not know was bad feel. Me..not know. It feel bad...bad mand touch.." She shakes her head slowly, crying. "Me...feel bad now. Me..so confuse." She shakes her head slowly.

Catrina is angry, with herself for screwing this up so badly, with Ashen and Irissa for being ignorant, and for their prior keepers (or whatever) for keeping them in the dark. "Irissa, please... I'm sorry -- it's okay... Nobody's going to do anything here, that you don't want..."

Ashen whimpers, just laying on the ground. He doesn't even know what he did wrong. He asked questions, thats all.

Bill shifts to invisible-emotion form and heads for Irissa, doing his best to spread calm. "Irissa, whatever happened, we can help you..."

Irissa looks at Bill, tears streaming from her eyes. "Me..no can say. It secret. Me no can say.." She shakes her head slowly, looking down to Ash, "Me..sorry..Me no mean hurt you. Me..not understand before and now me do." She frowns, glancing at Bill, "Me..can't say..me no allowed to talk..about."

Bill glances at Catrina (not that she can tell). She's the one who knows what's going on here... c'mon, Cat, give a clue for the clueless guy in charge...

Ashen looks to Irissa, "Ashen sorry... Irissa no do bad... Ashen do bad. No mean hurt Irissa... Ashen confuse too."

Sundowner lifts his head, all gears engaged now, guitar at lowest priority now. He considers what he's hearing, then looks down at Ashen, lying on the floor. "Ash." At least he knows the boy's name. He slings the guitar round his back and goes over to him. "Ash... it's all right. It's only a mistake; nothing bad, no one hurt."

You say "Rissa... If somebody touched you, and then said that you couldn't talk about it to ANYONE, then they're ashamed of what they did. It's not your fault. It's theirs - never yours. You don't have to talk about it, if you don't want to, and we're not going to make you."

Bill reverts to normal. This is too exposed for this conversation. "Irissa, Ashen, Catrina," he states in his most authoritative 'I got left in charge' voice, "In the office, right now. Let's go."

If she had doggy or kitty ears, Cat's would be lowering in either irritation or shame. (Here it comes...)

You enter the offices.

Offices -- Xavier Compound

Obvious exits:

<SP> Secret Passage <O> Out

Irissa comes in from outside.

Irissa has arrived.

Ashen comes in from outside.

Ashen has arrived.

Bill comes in from outside.

Bill has arrived.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bill closes the door quietly behind him a he steps in. He -had- to get left in charge tonight. "Okay," he says quietly, "Everybody sit down." Don't get mad at anyone until you know what's happened, Bill...

As soon as Bill comes in, Cat starts trying to explain. "They wanted to know about kissing, and where babies came from, so I tried to explain, but I kinda didn't, because I didn't wanna gross'em out and I was eating after all, and..."

Bill growls, "Cat. Sit."

Ashen nods to Bill and sits on the ground. He then just lays on the ground like puppy dog.

Catrina's mouth closes with an audible click, and she sits.

Irissa moves over to quietly take a seat, biting her lip as she shivers. Utoh..that sounds mad. Did she do something wrong? She looks hesitantly up to Bill, biting her lip gently.

Bill perches himself on the corner of a desk and sighs. In charge. Which means he can't treat these kids like his friends, They're kids. Cripes, there's not all that much of an age difference. Just... handle it, Bill. "Okay," he says quietly again, "As simply as possible. Irissa is going to tell me what happened. Nobody else will talk. When she's done, Ashen will do the same. And then Catrina. Got it? Good. Irissa... what happened?"

Ashen keeps quiet, laying on the ground...

Catrina stays sullenly quiet. (Great. He's blaming it on me. It's all my fault. Screw this.) She remains seated. And silent.

Irissa bites her lip gently, "Umm..Me went in dine hall with Ash. He ask if me knew what kiss was.. We try kiss." She shrugs, "He was nice and he say me was nice. Cat came in... Tell us get room and we ask why. She try explain why she say that." She bites her lip gently, "She..say about bad touching.." She shivers, "Me..me get upset and run out."

Bill nods. "Okay. Ashen."

Ashen looks to Bill. "Friend Rogue nice to Ashen, Ashen be nice to Friend Rogue and Friend Rogue finally kiss Ashen. Ashen fall sleep, but Ashen know she say kiss better, but my sleep is her 'power'... but I tell Irissa Friend Rogue teach Ashen kiss and Irissa ask me teach her... I tell her how it happen and she want me to show, so Ashen show Irissa... and then Ashen like it... and Catrina tell Ashen and Irissa get a room, but Ashen know he have room and Irissa have room... so Ashen confused. She try confuse Ashen but make little sense... then Irissa get angry... so Ashen no know what he did."

Bill nods quietly. "Uh-huh. Cat."

Catrina hrmphs. "Tried to explain the birds'n the bees to'em, they don't know penisses from vaginas. I tried to remember all the nice little things the stupid anti-social workers told me'n my brother, but I couldn't, so I faked it, and now everyone's pissed at me."

Bill blinks. "Riiiiiiight." Okay, so it's not a subject he knows anything about beyond classes in high school, either. I mean, c'mon, he only smooched someone a few months ago, and even that was just lips. He's supposed to be the all-knowledgible authority figure right now? And in a flash, he understands... teachers fake knowing what they're doing. "Okay," he stats quietly, getting to his feet.

Irissa looks over to Bill, frowning gently that she caused such a mess. She hurt Ash and she hurt Cat..and.. She sighs softly, just looking really sad at the moment. Not mad at all.

Ashen looks to Irissa, nudging Irissa... purring lightly. He looks to her sadly. "Ashen sorry he hurt you." He says, then lays back down... sad that he hurt her.

Bill rubs his temples for a moment. "Ashen... Irissa... neither of you have done anything wrong. This... is something that's hard to explain, and I know why you're confused. But neither of you have done anything wrong. You can kiss again if you want, but if either of you doesn't want to, you need to say so, and tell me if someone forces you to." A sighs, and the temp-headmaster looks up. "In the future, if either of you have a question about this sort of thing, please come to me... or Jean. Jean would be better. But I'm here if you need to ask a question. Do the two of you understand?"

Catrina thinks (Oh great. I'm in DEEP, deep kimchee).

Irissa sniffs a few times, nodding her head several times before she looks over to Ash and manages a smile. "Me..understand." She sits up a bit more, but seems to still be shaken about something though she's trying not to let it show.

Ashen nods to Bill, nudging Catrina, "Catrina try help... but Ashen no understand."

Bill patiently asks, "Ashen, do you understand what I just said?"

Ashen nods to Bill, "Ashen understand..."

Catrina mutters, "You guys can't ask me. You gotta ask him or Miz Grey."

Bill nods quietly. "Okay. Ashen, Irissa, you're dismissed. Remember, any problems, you know who to talk to." Why, oh why, did you tell them to come to you?

Irissa nods gently, rising from her seat and heading for the door. "Me sorry Cat..me not mean to upset you either. Me..just not know.." She bites her lip, slipping out of the door.

You say "I din't mean to make you upset, or make you think 'bout bad things, neither."

Ashen nods to Bill, standing up and looking to Irissa, "Alright... Ashen will remember." He heads for the door after Irissa.

Irissa leaves the office.

Irissa has left.

Ashen leaves the office.

Ashen has left.

Catrina remains seated, and looks more than a little sullen. At least she hasn't been flinging accusations or blowing things outrageously out of proportion...

Bill sighs and sits back on the bench. When he speaks again, it's with an even more serious voice, if it were possible. "Any man who'd keep her locked up in a cage would probably take advantage of her as well. She hasn't said as much, but I've got my suspicions."

Catrina frowns. "I didn't know she was locked in a cage."

Bill says "Locked in a cage, sideshow freak, whatever, it all requires a certain level of evil." He sighs. "Catrina, I apreciate what you tried to do, tried to help... but we're dealing with two people who, as much as I hate to sound condescending, are emotionally on the level of small children. If anyone talks to them about this, it should be a trained psychologist, telepath, or empath."

Catrina looks to your face, her eyes looking towards yours. "I wasn't trying to like, traumatize'em or nothin'... I was tryin' t'be nice about it... I wasn't using dirty words, or going into, like GRAPHIC detail... I was trying to explain boy-parts an' girl-parts..."

You say "That's all."

Bill locks eyes with yours. "I know. And you had the best intentions, I can't fault you for that. But it really is best if they learn these things from someone who knows more than what a social worked told them." Again, why did you offer yourself? "I'd... like you to keep an eye on the two of them. As a student, you're closer to them than the teachers are. If you hear anything about either of them doing something the other doesn't want to do... you tell me."

Catrina nods, and even manages a bit of a smile. "I like Irissa. I don't wanna see her get hurt. She's a nice kid."

Bill says "Neither do I. She reminds me a lot of me, in some odd ways." He slides off the desk to his feet again. "Just use some common sense in the future, and send them to the adults if they need it, okay?"

Catrina nods, "Yeah... I will."

Bill nods. "Good. You're free to go. I've got some paperwork to fill out."

Catrina sighs, "Sorry I screwed things up." She heads for the door.

Bill says "You didn't."

 

end