Returning to No Applause, Only More of the Same

Gerald stood there for a moment, his large eyes blinking slowly. “Is it-, sorry, may I come inside?” He seemed hesitant to ask, and Darius fully understood why, reacting to the whole scene with a mild, relaxing smile to lessen Gerald’s fears.

“Of course. Your English has gotten much better, too. Though, in my house, you need never speak too formally,” Darius said in his best German. He hadn’t learnt it for this specific purpose and he certainly hadn’t had to use it in a long while, but it made him happy that he had such good use for it with the young Gerald. As Gerald nodded hastily, Darius turned back inside, making sure to grab a small bowl of assorted nuts and dried fruits for Gerald before entering back into the library. Gerald was right behind him, and after only a little moment, they were each seated in their respective seats.

Gerald eyed the bowl of assorted nuts and fruits with lusting eyes. Until Darius gave an approving wave of the hand, Gerald didn’t do anything. Once he did, the teen went rabid, throwing himself at the bowl and stuffing the little salted things in his mouth.

After gobbling down about half of it, the boy carefully wiped his mouth on the edge of his long-sleeved shirt and sat up straight. “Thank You, Doctor.”

“You’re always welcome to anything you’d like in this house, Gerald.” Darius removed a blue notebook from beside his chair, a different one from the light-red one he used for Kreig. It already contained notes on their last session, which Darius quickly picked up from. “Did you tell that Annie girl in your class that you’d like to be friends?”

This made Gerald perk up. “Ah! Yes, Doctor, I did! Seeing her sit on her own was-, I’m glad I talked to her. Jay agreed too, though she seemed to have some strange idea that Annie deserved not having friends, which I found odd. Either way, Annie agreed, and she turned out to be nicer than I thought!”

Gerald genuinely smiled at the thought of having gained a second friend, and Darius felt a hum of content seep through his body. They hadn’t been meeting for too long, but even at such an early moment as this, it was still clear that Gerald was making very quick improvements. As far as he had said in just the previous session, Gerald hadn’t truly had more than one friend before coming to this world. And now, he had two.

“Is she getting along with Jay?”

A little frown found its way onto Gerald’s face. “I’m not sure about that. They are both very different people with very different thoughts and lives. They might become better friends soon, but as of now, they have a long way to go.”

“Have you told your adoptive parents yet?” Darius asked, absently writing in his notebook. His attention was fully focused on Gerald.

“Huh? Do You-, do You mean Andrew and James?” Gerald asked, leaning closer. “Yes, I informed them only yesterday. They appeared delighted at knowing I had gained yet another friend. Andrew went so far as to suggest he pretend to arrest one of them to see if they had any ulterior motives. I’m not sure what he meant, Doctor. Is this normal behaviour for a policeman or ought I be worried?”

Darius gave a chuckle. “No, no, it’s nothing like that. I’m sure he was just joking with you. You know how parents are.”

“...Doctor, I’m not sure I do any longer. I hold no disdain for my former parents, they brought me up right, but now that I know these people, I’m starting to wonder if I truly was raised properly.” For a second or two, Gerald clearly mulled over it, leaning to clutch his hands together. “Tell me, Doctor, were your parents kind? As-, as a priest would be?”

An odd question, but as a psychiatrist, Darius had every need to be as honest with Gerald as possible. “I don’t believe they were, Gerald. Few are. But my parents, much like yours, did their best. Even then, you have every right not to thank them for what they did, even though it might have been the best they could at the time.”

“The best they could...Yes, I’m sure that’s what they did. Despite what You say, Doctor, I will still not dislike them. They brought me to this world, and although it has not always been kind to me, I believe, at this time, it is a good thing.”

Darius couldn’t help the smile blossoming on his face. “That’s good to hear, Gerald. Always hold that in you.”

The rest of the session progressed rather routinely, with Gerald talking about how the school he joined is treating him, issues with the faint language barrier (he is still immensely thankful for Jay, the only one in his class who spoke fluently enough to understand him and teach him English), subjects he found interesting and the like. Apparently, unlike almost all other otherworldly prisoners recovered, Gerald held no hate towards the English language, likely on account of his youth.

The only thing Gerald found unappealing about Jay was that she still hadn’t let him go home to her house, something Darius had told him was normal during an earlier session. In almost all other regards, Gerald was developing and becoming genuinely happy. Accepted by his family, welcomed to his class without ridicule, able to make friends… In a certain way, it was a far more positive development than Darius had ever dared to hope for. Watching a young boy like Darius overcome such a terrible past was inspiring in an odd way and gave him real hope for Kreig.

As the session neared its end and Gerald grew more talkative, speaking in warm words about how his foster fathers had planned him a so-called ‘movie-night’ for the evening (whatever that was), Darius readied himself to close the blinds on it.

“Always glad to hear it, Gerald. Now, we’ve almost reached 17, is there anything you’d like to tell me as a final addendum?”

Gerald, just as last time, furrowed his brows and tapped his thumb to his lower lip. “-Forgive me! I forgot to ask last time, but has Kreig been released yet? I’m sure they’re keeping him for a reason, truly, I, if anyone, should know, I… I’m just curious. When will he contact me? The phone I have is rudimentary, but I’ve been assured that, should I be contacted, I will know.” Gerald waited a moment before speaking again. “Do You think he’d like his painting back? It’s framed in my room. I’m afraid I can’t take it down.”

Darius laughed heartily. “Hahahah, no, not at all. I’m sure he’d be delighted to know you’ve kept it. He spent an entire night on it, not to mention the days he spent studying your face. Furthermore, he has been released, although he still hasn’t fully grasped the concept of modern technology yet. Until he does, you may be met with silence. Take it warmly. He’ll reach you when he gets here. Keep in mind that he holds you in extremely high regard.”

Gerald smiled deeply. “Is that so? Then, I’m glad. Thank you for telling me.”

“Happy to tell, Gerald.”

And so, the session ended peacefully.