Twisted Tonelico

Interlude 06-Book 02:Hieg anw Vinan Bister(The White Wolf's Lament)

Synopsis: He can't keep doing this. He may not fully understand his senpai's grief, but he can't keep watching him sabotage everyone else just to prove himself as the best! He hopes they can forgive him for this betrayal. (In which Jack Howl wants to stop Leona before it's too late, but is still a puppet obeying his master.)

~Twisted Tonelico~

Usually he is not the type to be nervous. Even with having two younger siblings, he always remains brave and stoic like any normal person. But right now; right now he knows what a kicked puppy with its tail between its legs feels.

Facing the door to the new Counselor's office, Jack tried to wipe away some sweat from his hands. 'Play it like normal, Jack,' he told himself. 'It's just a therapy session...that's it.' He repeated this mantra enough times that he felt ready, ignoring Leona's voice echoing in his mind.

'Go have a nice chat with the Doc. While you're there, Ruggie will sneak around the Tin Can and search for anything we can use to get them off our backs. Secret bookcase, stuff related to Nightingale, anything that can be ammunition.'

Jack shook those thoughts away, knocking on the door and waited patiently for Marmalade to answer. He waited, and waited, and waited, and waited...until finally they opened the door- hair a frizzy mess and their face covered in char. "Hello, Howl! Didn't mean to keep you waiting! Come in!"

He walked inside, caught off guard still by the Staff's odd appearance. "Thank you, sir."

"Noo! Not sir. Not around these parts," they scolded him. "I prefer Doctor, as that is my job."

"Ah. S-sorry, Doctor, sir."

"We'll work on that," They offered him a seat on the recliner while they leaned on the edge of their desk. "You wanted to speak with me about something, right? Anything bugging you?"

He was grateful for them giving him the floor to speak. "Yeah. You could say that."

"Is it about Magishift?"

He couldn't think of an excuse, but he secretly thanked Marmalade for this window opportunity. "...a little."

"Is it pre game jitters? People dropping like flies?"

"What!?" he began to panic. 'Did they find out?! How?!'

Noticing the stress on his face, the Doctor calmed him down. "Not really, Mr. Howl. I was just stating in regards to their injuries screwing them over for scholarships and sponsorships."

"Oh, yeah. That." He didn't think they were joking. They really do take the cake for being an eccentric person.

"You're not that much of a talker, are you?"

'Is it that obvious?', he thought. "How can you tell?"

"Your body language gives it away. Your tense, rigid. And five seconds away from spontaneous combustion."

"You don't mince words, do you?"

They just laughed at his honesty again. "Should I?" They reached for their notepad and pen to prop them on their lap. "I'm very well educated in how this school works. The prideful, egotistical nature of you boys would make any normal Therapist run for the hills or drink until they're hospitalized." They continued to joke around, hoping this would ease the tension off the student. "Lucky for me, I've dealt with many people like them, and know how to handle myself around their kind."

Just from hearing that alone, suddenly Jack began to smile a bit. "...That's impressive." He said.

"It's Child's Play." Clicking their pen, Marmalade started the conversation lighty. Ranging from things such as his interests and hobbies, to stuff about his homelife; simple topics to break the ice of the conversation. And even though he was supposed to keep them busy enough to prevent them from knowing the truth, Jack felt like he could breathe. That he can finally not worry about letting down his guard a bit around someone, and be...honest.