Cary too, wanted to focus on the good friends in front of her. Despite her curiosity, she didn’t have the heart to turn the conversation away from the lighter, more jovial fare Serafine directed it. When she left, she felt both proud and humbled by how much Serafine trusted her. But she also felt the growing pains of a new friendship, and realized she only scratched the surface of really helping.

By the next day, she finally managed to identify that as the source of some of her unease. Even though her day-to-day routine had not really changed, she could sense a growing comfort and frankness--and she didn’t know what she did to deserve it. Thankfully, Cary didn’t need to let anxiety get the better of her.

“Cary, hey!” said Dusty, peeking her head around Cary’s cubicle so quickly Cary almost jumped out of her chair. “Here for my appointment a little early!” Cary instinctively checked her wall clock and, yes, by a mere three-minute technicality, Dusty had popped up before her scheduled hour.

“Could have sworn I didn’t hear Terra call…” Cary said, still muttering at the clock.

“Oh, that’s my fault--I was talking her head off,” said Dusty, giving an embarrassed wave. “Anyway, guess what today is Cary.”

“Your appointment?” Cary asked dryly.

“Cheeky today, aren’t you?” Dusty said with a chortle, pulling out a chair across from Cary. “No, today’s the day we help each other out!”

“This is a counseling session. It’s kind of a one way street,” said Cary. “Which is making me get more suspicious of this by the second.”

“Relax! Trust building is what this is all about!” said Dusty. “In fact, I only have one question for you: how’s everyone doing?”

“Fine? Everyone’s alive the last time I checked?” Cary asked.

“But everyone’s in good spirits, right?” Dusty asked. “They haven’t talked about anything that’s happened, or that’s made them uncomfortable?”

“I wouldn’t be able to tell you, even if they’re your friends,” said Cary. “Everything that happens in my office is confidential.”

“Then can I take your impressions?” Dusty asked, closing her eyes and tilting her head in an innocent grin.

“Can I ask you if everything’s okay?” Cary asked incredulously. “You really seem pretty do or die about this.”

“Well, that’s…” Dusty started, but she stopped in mid-sentence, lips parted as if stuck on a thought. A long pause drew as Cary waited for an answer that seemingly wouldn’t come.

“You’ve honestly got me a little worried now,” Cary said. She tried her best to give an encouraging smile. “I mean, I’d think you could just walk up to any of them and ask them if something was wrong, right? Even more than I could.”

“Well that’s not…” Dusty let out a long sigh. The breath of false enthusiasm seemed to leave along with it, as she suddenly looked more tired the next time she spoke. “It’s a little hard to bring up. It’s about...you know, what happened to me.”

“Oh,” Cary said, suddenly straightening in her chair. “Did something--”

“No, please! It’s nothing to worry over,” Dusty said. “I just heard a rumor going around that what happened with me didn’t stop with me.”

“So the producer might be assaulting other women?” Cary asked.

“It’s a rumor, you know?” said Dusty. “And normally, I wouldn’t give it much thought. Our record company, Rainbow’s Edge, is pretty serious about harassment claims. It’s one of the reasons why we’re on hiatus for just an allegation.”

“I get what you’re saying, but I can’t call what you’re going through ‘just an allegation’,” said Cary.

“Either way, they give me more credit and sympathy than I deserve,” Dusty said with a long sigh. “So that’s why I’m asking you and not them. I’ve already had more pity than I can stand.”

“That’s not--” Cary started, but Dusty didn’t even look up. Cary’s throat almost burned under the words she wanted to say. It wasn’t your fault! You were just a kid, and he was a grown-ass man! But she could see in Dusty’s downcast eyes that Dusty had heard it time and time again, from closer and kinder people than Cary.

“If something like that did happen to them, I’d have to report it immediately--even if I wouldn’t have already done it six times over,” Cary said. She felt herself stuck in a mix of disappointment and relief that her professional mode continued to serve everyone around her the best. “And I think I wouldn’t be sitting here having a calm conversation with you if I even suspected.”

“I see…” Dusty said with a small smile. “That’s a relief, Cary. Thank you.”

“No, thank you,” Cary said. “I really appreciate you always being honest with me. And I’d want to know that something like this is going on.”

“Well, like I said, it’s just a rumor,” said Dusty with a surprisingly easy grin. “So how about this? As a thank you for your hard work, I’ll give you a little treat. How about a nice lunch? You get a lunch hour, right?”

“I do, but that’s really not necessary,” Cary said with a shrug. “I’m just doing my job.”

“No no, I won’t accept that,” Dusty said. “You know, Terra was chatting up a storm with me out there. Saying ‘that Cary, she never takes her break and never takes a full lunch! She’s going to work herself to death!’ You worry that poor girl too much.”

“How the heck would she know?” Cary said, bristling. “She’s a volunteer!”

“Either way, I absolutely double insist,” said Dusty, leaning her cheek into her palm. “I’m going to take you out for a nice meal and good conversation. I’ve got my car all gassed and ready!”

“And again, that’s very generous of you,” Cary said, feeling her brow prickle at the thought of yet another unplanned social meeting. “But I’m happy to help, and I don’t feel good about accepting something for doing my job.”

“Okay, I was sort of fibbing,” Dusty said. “I actually need you to help me talk to Iona and Lori. And I’ve already told them we’re meeting up. And my car’s parked illegally out front with the flashers on.”

“I just got done thanking you for being honest!” said Cary.

“And I was! When the time was right!” said Dusty. “Come on, please? I worry about her the most, you know. She’s like you--breaks her back and never thinks of herself. I just want to make sure she’s not keeping anything under wraps.”

“Then! Ask! Her! Yourself!” Cary all but yelled, wrists vibrating under the instinct to throw themselves into the air in disbelief.

“Oh, but we’d make the best Good Cop, Bad Cop, don’t you think?” said Dusty. “Plus, you’d get a paid lunch. Didn’t your mother tell you not to turn down a free meal?”

“My mother throws chairs at people who try to pay for meals for her,” said Cary, “and it runs in the blood.”

“You know, Terra was telling me that it’s against the law to not take an interrupted lunch break for at least a half hour when you’re working a shift,” said Dusty, feigning a faraway look. “How do I put my faith in the counsel of a stickler who tiptoes around legally mandated breaks...?”

“I can’t believe this,” Cary said, face falling into two brow-pinching fingers. “You’re blackmailing me with labor law.”

“I’ll pay for five lunches after this then! Ten!” said Dusty, slapping her palms together and bowing her head in begging. “I’ll get you backstage passes! I’ll do paperwork and let you watch!”

“Enough! I’ll go to your damn lunch!” said Cary. “My break’s at one!”

“I’ll be back to pick you up!” said Dusty, lacing her fingers together to frame a sickeningly sweet grin.