I7DT-Where did I put it!

[Isabel Galen]

Isabel was sitting in the break room, frantically digging through her backpack.

[Aiden Mitchell]

Aiden walked by the door to the break room carrying a notebook.

[Isabel Galen]

"Where is my damn notebook." Isabel swore.

[Aiden Mitchell]

That made Aiden stop and back up a couple of steps.

"You lost a notebook?" Aiden asked from the doorway the notebook held under his arm.

[Isabel Galen]

"I did, yeah." Isabel said "Did you find one?"

[Aiden Mitchell]

Aiden probably cut quite the figure in his Acolyte uniform. He held up the note book.

"I found one out on the quad under a bench," Aiden said, "Might be yours."

[Isabel Galen]

"Yes, it is mine." Isabel said, practically grabbing it from him. She flipped through it, looking for signs of missing pages.

[Aiden Mitchell]

"You should put your name on the outside of," Aiden said, "Otherwise it is rather difficult to find who it belongs to without needing to look through it and play detective."

[Isabel Galen]

"You looked through it!" Isabel said, looking mortified "You didn't...did you read it?"

[Aiden Mitchell]

"Yes I did, there was no other way to find you," Aiden said, "There were enough clues in your poetry to lead me here."

[Isabel Galen]

"......oh........" Isabel said "I...please don't tell anyone. Its..this is something private. I only keep it for myself."

[Aiden Mitchell]

"I will do that, but I recommend finding a different target for your affection," Aiden said, "Trying for this one is only going to lead you to pain."

[Isabel Galen]

"It already has." Isabel shrugged "I'm used to the pain by now."

[Aiden Mitchell]

"Why not try to move past it?" Aiden asked.

[Isabel Galen]

"Because the heart wants what it wants." Isabel said "I can't just turn off my emotions like flipping a switch."

[Aiden Mitchell]

"You cannot," Aiden said, "But when you say you are used to it that sounds more like complacency to me."

[Isabel Galen]

"Not complacency, acceptance." Isabel said "Like, I don't know, living with a missing limb."

[Aiden Mitchell]

"Acceptance or resignation?" Aiden asked.

[Isabel Galen]

"Both? Neither?" Isabel said "I know what I want, I know I can't have it, so I live with what I can have."

[Aiden Mitchell]

"And what can you have?" Aiden asked.

[Isabel Galen]

"His friendship."

[Aiden Mitchell]

"A good thing to have if it is not making you feel worse," Aiden said.

[Isabel Galen]

"Life is pain." Isabel said.

[Aiden Mitchell]

"Life is many things," Aiden said, "Pain is but one them."

[Isabel Galen]

"In the end, all of it leads to suffering."

[Aiden Mitchell]

"What do you really know of suffering?" Aiden asked "What moment in your life has lead you to believe life is only pain and suffering?"

[Isabel Galen]

"My mutation forces me to make the choice to either take suffering upon myself, or to pass that pain along to others. Or to not use my mutation at all." Isabel said "I see pain every day, and I can't fix any of it. Just redirect it."

[Aiden Mitchell]

"And what of all the people you have saved? What of all the people's whose pain you have redirected?" Aiden asked. "We are not perfect, we cannot protect everyone, we cannot save everyone, and sometimes we must cause pain to prevent it.

You need to take solace in the fact that you can do something, which is far more than most can say."

[Isabel Galen]

"And that is why what I am is bearable." Isabel said.

[Aiden Mitchell]

"Bearable," Aiden said the word like it was dirty, "You have your notebook, do not worry I will not tell anybody about its contents."

[Isabel Galen]

"Thank you." Isabel said.

[Aiden Mitchell]

"No thanks necessary, Ms. Galen," Aiden said, "Take care not to lose it again and of yourself as well."

With that Aiden walked out of the break room.