#ceffy squirrel

“NOTHING.” Omega’s voice box tone is loud and blunt. “THERE IS NO ACCURATE COMPARISON FOR YOUR SITUATION. YOU ARE A SINGULAR ENTITY WITH NO EQUIVALENT MATCH IN EXISTENCE."

Ceffy’s gaze trails down to her trembling hands and clenches them. “I can't…I can't function. I'm overwhelmed…” She drops to the ground

“This is what you say, but you are functioning now, as you speak.” Gemerl steps forward, joining her at her side. “You are alive. Despite how you may feel emotionally, your body is performing countless default involuntary tasks. This includes your increased heart rate in response to your heightened emotions.”

She wraps her arms around her own shoulders and compresses herself inward. “I want…I want…help…”

“PHYSICAL ASSISTANCE FROM US WILL NOT ANNIHILATE YOUR PROBLEM. THE STATUS OF YOUR SELF-WORTH IS THE CAUSE OF YOUR DISTRESS.” Omega explains, red orbs illuminating the ball of fur Ceffy had curled herself into.

“This is not an issue that can be resolved with our involvement.” Kneeling down to her level, Gemerl sets a hand on her shoulder and finds Ceffy’s watery eyes peeking through her fur. “We can provide you with temporary relief, but that is all. The solution you seek resides within you.” Gemerl aims a gentle poke just below her collar bone and Ceffy unfurls her body a little, blinking the tears back while she looks into his blue eyes with hope. “Until you believe you are worth the space you take up and deserving of the love others have to give, it will never satiate you.”

“DO NOT EXHAUST THE KINDNESS OF OTHERS TO FILL THE CHASM CREATED BY YOUR OWN SELF-DEPRECATION.” Omega warns, pointing a finger in her direction firmly.

Gemerl raises a hand to Omega, glancing his third eye back to him in slight disapproval, but Ceffy sits up and dries her eyes.

“No, he’s right. I…I don't wanna do that. It's so hard sometimes…” She sniffs and frowns at the ground, drawing shapes in the dirt that litters the floor.

“If the path to self-love were easy,” Gemerl begins and extends a hand into Ceffy’s line of sight, drawing the second half of a heart in the dirt she had been drawing before rotating his palm upwards. “There would be no chances to grow as an individual.”

“I want to grow.” She looks at her hands again, noticing they had finally stopped shaking.

“Then take my hand, and believe you are worth the love and appreciation we have to give you.” Gemerl nods to his hand, nudging it towards her just a little. 

The squirrel reaches for it pausing only for a moment when Omega issues one final warning. “ALL FORMS OF EXTERNAL LOVE ARE TEMPORARY. BY ACCEPTING THIS, YOU UNDERSTAND THAT THERE WILL BE DAYS WHICH YOU WILL NEED TO BE YOUR OWN SOURCE OF COMFORT. HOWEVER, YOU MAY LEAN ON US OR OTHERS, WHEN WE ARE AVAILABLE AND WILLING.”

Ceffy looks into Omega’s eyes, then Gemerl’s. With a deep breath in and out, her palm meets the metal of Gemerl’s hand. “I understand.”