Intertwined, Sewn Together

5

Feelings weren't typically something Wednesday was well at handling, or for that matter, acknowledging. This is a given. However, when Wednesday met Enid, something had shifted within the tectonic plates of Wednesday's brain, like foreign locations expanding and pulling her out of her comfort zone piece by piece.

Usually, this would be something Wednesday would find highly irritable. Wednesday enjoyed and preferred what she knew, and others attempting to violate that were nothing but a nuisance. When Enid came into her life, she gave her a new perspective on things that she had never considered before, (without persistent violation) and that was something extremely important to her.

Enid taught Wednesday how to express her feelings. Enid taught Wednesday how to do something that not even her closest relatives could do. This, Wednesday presumed, was the origin of something terrible inside of her beginning to unfold.

"Come again?" Wednesday replied to Yoko's conclusion, her eyes wide.

"Look, I know your first instinct is to deny everything and close yourself off, but seriously consider this, Wednesday. You aren't immune to getting a crush. Nobody is."

Diminishing Wednesday's association with Enid to a "crush" felt oddly similar to a heinous crime. Wednesday remained silent, her gaze still piercing, yet slightly more mellow now, like a visual development displaying her brain actively processing Yoko's words.

"Taking a vow of silence? Come on, Wednesday. You can't run from your feelings forever," Yoko says, looking disappointed. Wednesday lets out a sigh. Theoretically speaking, she actually could. She would just die eventually due to her conscience and torturous symptoms eating her from the inside out.

"Why does this need to be assessed? I came here for advice on my latest novel, not for my personal state of affairs," Wednesday replies, swallowing hard. Yoko rolls her eyes.

"You're deflecting! Wednesday, I proposed you with one simple thought to take into consideration, and now you're pleading the fifth, for what? It's okay to be honest sometimes. Nobody is trying to trick you."

Wednesday blinked, her teeth silently grinding against eachother in a firm, tense motion. There was no way to weasel out of this. Yoko was well aware of Wednesday's situation already, and she wasn't gonna stop until Wednesday threw aside her naturally iron exterior shield, which, in her absolute defense, has proven quite effective in dire circumstances.

"If really you must know, I have, regrettably, never once considered such a claim. Now that I am processing it, I do find that many of the aspects of such a concept do align with my current personal experiences. Infact, I think they have for a longer time than I'd be willing to admit," Wednesday mutters in a hushed tone, her eyes scanning the library for any potential predators who leech off of information like this, similar to a barnacle on the underside of a boat. (This of which they often resemble.)

Yoko smirks and nods, not particularly threateningly, but moreso in a knowing sense.

"It's alright, I'm not here to judge you. These things can be difficult to come to terms with," Yoko says, leaning back in her chair comfortably. Wednesday shifts in hers for the exact opposite reason.

"How do I know that this is not just a repeat of last semester's debacle? This could perfectly well be my mind manipulating itself into translating certain behaviors that I may not have adapted previously into undeniable romantic interest. Maybe this is a false alarm," Wednesday says, her own words doing a mediocre job at putting her at ease. Yoko sighs and shakes her a head a bit, causing all of Wednesday's microscopic sense of relief to be thrown out the window.

"Wednesday, look. Catching feelings can look very different depending on the individual. You're smart, aren't you? You've learned what being a friend of someone's feels like, regardless of how recent. Friendship and love create two very different feelings, and I think that deep down, you already knew that," Yoko says, like a vulture dissecting its catch.