counselor's office

@[ c ] mark tuan "Well," said Waii, looking down and twiddling her thumbs, "SHe never cooked and cleaned, even when I was little. I ate stuff ordered out for all my meals. Plus, she's a chronic horder which cause problems for me socially and emotionally. Plus, she always had strange guys around. We often fought, and sometimes, it got physical."

@[ s ] waii thienprasiddhi As she began to speak, Mark kept his eyes trained forward, nodding only occasionally to ensure to her that he was listening. Thailand... That explained her name. Upon hearing the way she dodged the topic of her mother, however, his interest piqued. She seemed unwilling to talk about it, as most students were with certain issues... But that was what he was here for- to dissect and examine and mend the fragmented pieces together. "Let's talk about your mom first..." he calmly began, easing back into the leather cushion of his chair, pursing his lips before beginning again. "I dunno if you noticed but you sort of dodged the subject about her... You said she wasn't 'like a mom should be', and I'm kinda wondering just what you mean by that." Tilting his head, his mind began filling with potential guesses, shots in the dark based only on studies and a few experiences of his own. "What is it that she was or wasn't doing?"

@[ c ] mark tuan "Um, well," Waii started...Hmm, how should she tell him about her. "Well, I'm from Thailand. I'm here as part of the student exchange program until I graduate. My mom is back home in Thailand, and I, uh...well, I actually joined the exchange program to get away from her. Things between us are...well, she's not like a mom should be. Anyway, I'm here with my aunt and uncle here, but the problem is, things are even worse with them, and I can't take it anymore."

@[ s ] waii thienprasiddhi Mark awaited for the girl to take her seat, observing the hesitance that splayed along her features like a perfume. It amused him, in all honesty, because he'd only ever received such reactions from anyone who met him. Students were often either relieved or disturbed to find that he wasn't at all the nurturing type, and his fellow staff members were always chiding him for it. It never got to him, though... So long as the job got done, he cared not for how he had to go about it. The end defined the means, and he felt there wasn't much reason to alter his persona to meet that.

"Waii, hm?" He repeated, nodding softly as she stated her classification before running a hand through the chestnut strands of his hair. "That's good to know but uh... Not sure how to say this, kid, but that's something I could easily look up in your file." He knew what this was- Waii's own way of trying to ease into the conversation by breaking the ice, but he wasn't for that. Though it seemed strange, he rather get to the brunt of the topic before she lost her nerve. "It's fine but... You're here to talk about YOU. Not your credentials or demographics..." Sitting forward, he rested his elbows on the desk as his chin tucked away into his palm. "Now... Let me hear about YOU. Who you are... And why you're here today..." His usual lopsided grin eased on his face, just as laid-back as his natural demeanor. "Take your time. Trust me, kiddo, I've got plenty of it to spare."

@[ c ] mark tuan Waii was pretty surprised; never did she expect to counselor to be...well, like that. He seemed so...uninterested kind of. Usually counselors acted all smiley and perky, and acted like they were always here for you, whether they actually really were or not. This guy, Mr. Tuan, seemed so blunt, and he didn't have that stereotypical "everything will be fine" attitude she had expected. Waii wasn't to sure if this was a good or bad thing. Sure, she was glad he wasn't all fake acting and happy, but what if this was a mistake? What if he didn't care? She arched her brow when he called her "kid". Well, that wasn't exactly professional.

She nodded, walked in, and closed the door. She went and sat in front of his desk. Not knowing exactly how to start things off when one comes to someone for help, she just said, "I'm Waii. Waii Thienprasiddhi. Uh, sorry for coming so late, but I know you've seen students after school before. I figured you'd be too busy during the school day, so I came now." She didn't know what else to say. "Um...I'm a sophomore, in case you needed to know or anything." She stopped and waited for him to respond.

@[ s ] waii thienprasiddhi [Omfg, Waii's so relatable tbh ;;]

The grunt that fell from his lips was neither one of exhaustion or satisfaction as Mark stretched his arms high above his head, fingers lacing in each other's crooks. It'd been a long day- or at least as far as HIS standards went. In all honesty, he'd only seen a handful of students all morning and the meeting after lunch had been a brief and uneventful one. Regardless, for someone as casually disinterested as himself, it was still enough to deem himself deserving of a quick cigarette break. He patted his back pocket, nodding curtly as he felt the familiar outline of the small box inside, and rose to his feet. It was late in the afternoon, and he noticed that by now- cafeteria food-drunk and ready for the day to end- not many students would drop by... So perhaps he could just spare himself a few minut-

He jolted at the knock, his hand already reaching out for the knob as it hung suspended in midair. Dammit. Dam n it all now... He heaved in a soft breath before composing himself to wipe away any disappointment from his face, before slowly wrenching the door open. "Yeah--" He paused, regarding the student before him- a young girl he could honestly say he hadn't ever seen before... But then again, he only paid attention to things selectively. "That's me. Need something, kid?" he asked as he backed up and toward his desk once more, rounding it to plop back into his seat as he met her with a tilt of his head. "You can come in. And shut the door behind you, while you're at it."

@[ c ] mark tuan Waii let out a heavy, shakey sigh. She was still so unsure of this. The last thing she wanted to do was actually tell someone about her problems, but it was probably something that needed to be done. Waii had figured that she could just keep her pain deep inside, and maybe she could just deal with it. After all, she only had two more years to go until she graduated, then she'd be an adult and she could be free and get a life of her own. But, two years now seemed like a forever away. She knew that something was wrong, and that she's have to seek help once she realized that she couldn't even sleep at night, because she spent nights crying. She couldn't take it anymore; if the continued, she'd end up losing her mind.

Well, she was already starting to lose it, to be honest. She looked up at the sign on the door. "Mr. Tuan, Guidance Counselor," she said aloud, reading it. She had promised herself to go see the counselor after school, that this would be the best thing to do. But, now, she wasn't so sure. She bit her lip and knocked on the door.

anything to assist a teacher o7

*wheezes in gratitude* Good... It was almost starting to look too clean in here. Tch.

/invades the office and leaves many random sticky notes all over the room.

*weeps* I LOVE YOU ADMINS ; U ; *marks my territory*