Canir boosted Sophia's ability to enjoy alcohol, which also included her being able to get drunk again. The tiger wasted no ti getting smashed while opening up to Maya and the others. She told them about how her sexuality made her insecure because she felt different from anyone else and how it changed the blonde for the worse in her old world.
"My family, huh...?" After she finished talking about how the shy and introverted Sophia ca to be, the girl repeated Maya's question while taking yet another sip of her drink.
"Yes." The cat-girl gave her a confirming nod. "You said that you were close with them, didn't you? Or at least with your sister, if I rember right."
"Things were fairly normamal with my mom, I guessh? But... Steph, yeah... we beca quite close... In... Insheperable, even..." Even though Sophia's speech was affected by the alcohol, her emotions might beca even more pronounced by that because her voice turned more somber than ever.
"Steph...?" Maya tilted her head.
"Stephanie..." The tiger needed a mont. "My little sister..."
"Ahh..."
"I've beco more and mooore withidrawn after all that happenened. Steph's three yearsh younger than I am, sho she had no way of knowing what was going on with for a while. Not that I spoke much with her in the first place back then, anynyway. During the day, I've shpend most of my ti outshide, either doing so kind of sports or shimply wanderering around. I just didn't want to be at hoo... Or rather, even though I wash lonelely, I also wanted to be alone... Sport was a great distrigi- distraction."
"So, you've really been working out for that long, huh?" She wanted to lighten the mood ever so slightly.
"Yepsh, the one posititive thing..." Sophia was only slightly smiling. "Well, even once I ca back ho, I mostly hid myself behind booksh and the likes... So years passhed, and my sister had gone through puberty, as well. Steph had a much eashier ti, though. She was open with it from the beginnining, kept mosht of her friends, and was able to deal with it really well..."
"Is she into girls, too?"
"Yesh... Maybe it happens more often with sibi… siblilings...? No idea? Probably not? Don't care, either… She also washn't the only one in her friendship circle... Beaushe she wasn't alone, Steph had soone to talk to and help her get to terms with it... Well, they helped out each other, I guessh."
"That's good."
"Absholutely... Another year or two passed, and she tried to get closher to again. Then, after having gathered sho first-hand experience by being int the sa boat, she quickly notished what wash going on with …"
"It's not really hard to notice, is it?"
"She pesterered for quite a while, and I eventually confesshed everything. Steph imdiately wanted to be there for and trieded to help. It had already burned itself into my brain already, though, and I wash too faar gone... She even brought along her leshbian friend one day, and the two together tried to get through ... I didn't speak to anyone at all for the follolowing weeeks afterward... I was around 18 at that point, I think... I alreeady knew how shtupid I was by then, but... but..."
"It had already turned into a phobia, or rather... deeply rooted fear of being close to other girls."
"Yesh..." Sophia hung her head. "Steph also notished it and changed her approach. Instead of trying to push , she wash simply there for . We're shpend a lot of ti together ever shince..."
"Sounds nice."
"It waas... We beca closher than ever and eventually did most thingsh together. I shtill did a lot of sports during the day while my sister was busy with after-school stuff and her friends, but our eveningsh were for each other. We chatteted a ton, went out together, and all that. On top of being shisters, we alsho beca besties. My condition didn't improve at all, though... It might beca even worshe, actually... I now had soone to lean onto, so I didn't even have a reason to change myshelf..."
"That's quite a dilemma..." Maya wasn't sure what to say.
"You have no idea... Eventuallily, I was done with school, and you normally try to get a job afterward... I didn't even try at first becaushe there was shimply no chance for to pass an interview... One day, I was taking a walk with Steph through a park, and we shohow ended up playing with a bunch of kindergarten kidsh. She noticed how good I was with kiids. I had no problem with them, after all. Afterward, Steph shuggested that I should ask mom, who'sh running her own kindergarten for a training there..."
"And you stuck with that, huh?"
"Yesh." Sophia sounded relatively happy. "Mom was really shurprised about it, though. She knew that I wash going through sothing, but I never found the courage to tell her what exactily... She had her doubts becaushe I was so withdrawn and shy, but mom luckily still gave a chance."
"Great!"
"Well, she probably alsho wanted to help ..." She paused for a mont. "Parents of the kids, especially younger mothers, were almost imposshible for to even get near, though… Still, I wash really populular with the kids~. It was a lot of fun! Mom was happy, too, and she eventuallily let work for reall while she continued to train for the posisi- poshi- position!"
"That was a nice turn."
"Absholutely!" The tiger gave yet another clumsy but earnest nod while, once more, taking a deep sip from her drink. "Shoon after, I actually moved out from ho becaushe I got the urge to get my own place. I shaw so many people and mom at work all the ti that I eventuallily wanted a place to retreat to... It didn't quite work out as expectected, though..."
"Understandable… Hmm, what happened?"
"Steph took a reaal liking to my new place and wash there almost, if not more often than I waas..."
"Aww, that's cute. She didn't want to leave you alone, didn't she?"
"I think sho, too. It was the beshtest! Not what I had planned to, but it was amashing! Bashically living with her made almost forget about my problelems... Just like you, Maya, she's also the cuddly type. She's my sister, soo there was never anything even remootely impure, but this closenenessh kept going..."
"It's great to hear that you found soone to rely on with your sister."
"I miss Steph..." Her already somber voice turned even more quiet while a big tear rolled down her cheek.
"A-Ah!" The cat-girl panicked and imdiately hugged the tiger in response. Trying to calm the sniffling girl, she looked at the others for help, but no one seed to be able to.
"Shtuupid alocohol..." Sophia managed to recover a little after a while. "Makes all emotitionally..."
"Yeah, the alcohol does..." Everyone had the sa retort.
"S-Shut up..." She looked at no one in particular. "Let have my execuse to cry my heart out... I'll be known as an emotional drunk from noow on!" Their reaction had cheered her up a bit for a mont, and Maya let go of her. "Canir...?"
"Yeah?" He turned to look at her.
"If you find them, my sister especiallily... do you think it's possible for them to get a ssasage from ...?"
"A ssage?"
"A shoort letter, maybe..." The tiger made a small break to collect herself. "A good-bye ssage from , bashically... I want to let them know that I love them, appreciciate everything Steph did for , or that they don't have to worry anymore. I'm living a life that I couldn't even have dreaded of... They should be happy, too."
"Are you sure?" Canir looked straight into her eyes. "It could make things much worse. For everyone."
"What do you ean...?"
"Well, you've been here for quite a while already. They might still be affected by your disappearance, but it should be healing by now. Receiving a ssage from you might open these wounds again. It won't do you any good, either."
"Y-You're riight..." Sophia hung her head. "Shtill... I don't think I ever can get any closure withoout it..."
"I see." He gave her an understanding nod. "Prepare a letter once you're sober again, and I see what I can do."
"Really?!" The tiger sprang up in surprise.
"Yes. It'll be an exception, but it is possible."
"T-Thank yoou!" Overco with even more emotion, Sophia tottered over to the overseer and clumsily hugged him.
"Ah..." He imdiately raised up his arms while glancing at Maya. He knew how she could be, after all.
"Stay put and let her hug you." The cat's reaction was different from expected. "She's missing her family, and you're willing to help her out. You've earned that hug."
"I see..." He wasn't sure how to feel about it.
"Also, there's no way that the two of you will ever be a thing. Like, none at all. Not even in the slightest. I don't care that much when it's like this."
"Where has your reverence from before gone...?"
"I bla the alcohol~." She demonstratively took another sip from her glass while saying so.
"You sound pretty sober, though."
"That's just your imagination." It took Maya a few hours, but even the overseer wasn't safe from her sass.
"You two are way too similar..." He glanced at Sophia, who was still hugging him.
A short while later, the tiger let go of him again and made her way back to Maya. There, she sat down next to her and let her head fall into the cat's lap. All tension had left her body, and combined with the effects of the alcohol, Sophia fell asleep the mont her head ca in contact with Maya's thighs.
The others watched her for a few monts before they continued to chat while enjoying so more drinks for a while.
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