Celestia and DealerAnon Pt. 14

''Wait, who's Heartstrings? I wanna hear this.''
>She whistles between her teeth with a conflicted look on her face
>''I'm not sure if I should tell you. I mean, there's something of a 'don't ask, don't tell' thing going on.''
''Come on, who would I tell about this? You can trust me.''
>You give her a reassuring smile and pat her clasped hands
>''Well, Lyra Heartstrings is definitely a character, I'll tell you that. She goes on about talking horses and unicorns all the time, enough for the nurse to recommend her for psych evaluation.''
''And, let me guess, magic?''
>She smiles briefly, clearly already more at ease than a minute ago
>''You're a good guesser. As far as I know, she's been assigned several different medications and she's refused to take any of them. I can't even count the number of times she's been sent to me for interrupting biology classes.''
''Biology? Why?''
>''More specifically, the classes on anatomy. To be honest, she's built quite a world in her head. It'd be cute if it wasn't so sad. It's like, well, a little girl's fantasy world.''
''Wait, you've listened to some ding-dong motherfucker ramble, just because?''
>You punctuate your sentence by waving your finger, as if ringing an invisible clock
>''Well, work gets boring sometimes, so I asked her. Or, well, it got boring. And she's not 'ding-dong'. She's very smart and an amazing musician. She's just, well, trapped in her head sometimes.''
''Sorry. So, what she say?''
>She shrugs again, this time with a smile on her face
>''All kinds of things. Wonderful, but sad. It's like, she goes to this magical pony land when she sleeps, but when she 'is' there, all she does is think about being human.''
''Oh, the fucking irony.''
>''I guess you could say that.''
>You both sit in silence for a moment
>This Lyra sounds pretty fascinating
>In the same way a car crash is fascinating
>Across from you, Celestia fidgets with pencils, her hair, and pretty much everything she gets her hands on
>Flipping them around, examining them, the works
''Hey C?''
>She immediately snaps her attention to you
>''Yeah?''
''What's up with you? You're acting like a fucking tweaker.''
>''What's that?''
''Nevermind. Anyway-''
>You snatch the cup from her grasp
''Please calm down, okay? You're stressing me out.''
>''Sorry.''
>She looks down, almost seeming sad for a moment
''Any reason for it?''
>''Well, you remember back in the store, when I found out my account's frozen?''
''Yep.''
>Okay, now you're nervous too
>''Well, it's just, well, I don't know if I can pay the rent when I move in. If I even get the apartment, that is.''
>Fuck
>This is the last thing you need
>Why can't the world just leave your hangover alone for one day?
''Wait here. I need a cigarette.''
>You stand up, a little too quickly, your tone a bit too aggressive
>She looks crestfallen again and stands up morosely
>''Alright…''
>In doing so, she spills her untouched coffee cup, the black, steamy liquid staining her skirt
>''Ow, damn it! Why does this always happen to me?''
>She is visibly angry, tears forming in her eyes from the pain
''Hey C, chill. I was about to do laundry anyway, I can lend you some clothes until yours are dry.''
>''Well, I don't know. I don't want to, well, intrude…''
>She trails off, clearly unsure of what to say
>You don't know if it's actually that, or if she doesn't just want to wear your clothes
>To be honest, she could use a change of new clothes, or at least a thorough laundering
>The ones she's wearing are definitely starting to look a little ratty
''I'm telling you, it's cool. I'll lend you some sweats and a tee or something.''
>''Well, if it's okay with you. I really don't want to-''
''It's cool, aight? Just, like, take a shower or some shit and I'll pick something out for you.''
>''Well, if you're sure-''
>You grin at her and silence your guest with a 'zip it' gesture
''Come on, get your ass to the shower. I'll find something fresh.''