Page 28 of Stoney Gazes for Helpful Gorgons

"Hi," I respond.

She gives me a curious look as I head over to Jack and hand him his mixed slushie.

"Luckily, they're using those new bamboo straws rather than the paper ones," I say.

"Oh yes, they're much better." He stirs it around the slush. "Though I did like the plastic ones with the little shovel on the end for eating slush."

I chuckle. "Oh, yeah, I remember them." I sit down, feeling suddenly hot and sticky. "I still can't believe you get a mixed one."

"It's not like they taste any different anyway. The red and the blue taste exactly the same."

"They don't," I protest. "This totally tastes of raspberry." I take a slurp of my slushie, the cold rushing to my head and giving me a hint of brain freeze.

"If it's really raspberry, then why is it blue?" he asks. "Raspberries are pink."

"I don't know. Why don't you look it up?"

He picks up his phone and taps in the question, his eyebrows raising as he reads. "You're not going to believe this."

"Don't tell me raspberries are actually blue," I respond.

"Pretty much." He turns his phone around so I can see the picture.

"It's more purple than blue," I counter. "And kind of just looks a bit blackberryish."

"It's a blue raspberry," he says, scrolling back up. "But it does say that the blue raspberry flavour is completely synthetic but is made to mimic the blue raspberry. Oh, and apparently it first came out about in the fifties to add to snow cones, so you having it in a slushie is just about the purest form of blue raspberry flavour you could have."

"Huh, I'd never have guessed."

"Why haven't you looked it up before?"

I shrug. "I guess I've not really had someone to talk about the dumb things with."

"I don't know whether to be insulted or not." The amusement on his face tells me he's not being serious.

Someone clears their throat and we both turn to find Bobbi standing there with a strange expression on her face. "Mind if I sit?"

"Sure," Jack replies.

She pulls up a chair and makes herself comfortable opposite us.

"I'm sorry if we're not allowed drinks," I say. "I didn't think."

"The drinks are fine, Rhea, you're not in trouble or anything. I just feel as if I haven't touched base with either of you enough in the past few weeks. I noticed you've been gravitating towards each other in sessions, and I'm guessing spending time together outside them too?"

We exchange a look, before I nod. "Is that a problem?"

"Of course not. I'm glad the group has helped you find each other. I've had this position at the academy for several years and I've seen a lot of bonds like yours form. If you were five or ten years older, you'd probably find yourself leaning on a long-term partner for support. But I'm guessing neither of you have one."

"We're not dating, if that's what you're asking," I mumble.

"I was more asking if you were in a relationship with anyone else," Bobbi says.

"Oh, then no."

"Same here," Jack adds.

She nods, seeming to have expected the answer. "It's natural to search out someone who can understand you at this time. It's a good thing. Just don't forget to check in with everyone else."