Episode 1224: What's Going On?

“You didn’t tell her I’d be tagging along?” Lucy said as they settled in opposite Tansy and Lucy bumped her shoulder against Xavier’s. “Tansy, if you were looking forward to a one on one conversation with your pal here, I can leave, I-”

“No, please stay, that squeal when I hugged you was joy, I promise. You know I love talking to you, especially when it’s not school mandated. This is such a nice surprise since you never managed to make it to my parents’ decorating party at Christmas. It feels like forever since I last saw you.”

“Well, between you starting freshman year and the start of the school year always being busy for me getting to know my students and figuring out what they need, I think we’re both excused for not finding time to visit until now. I’m glad Xavier invited me, even if he did rudely not tell you first.”

“She did say it was nice surprise,” Xavier pointed out, “so no harm done.” But it wasn’t really meant to be just a nice surprise, there was a plan that went deeper. Through Quent and Justine as well as through his own interactions with Tansy, Xavier knew something was going on with her at school and at work, but he’d yet to get her to fess up about whatever it was that put a glum look on her face.

Lucy had helped Tansy as a kid. He’d thought maybe Tansy would open up with her now as long as Tans didn’t think that was what she was supposed to do. He’d thought it best to keep Lucy in the dark about the plan, too, in case she wasn’t comfortable with ambushing Tansy instead of waiting for her to just come to them. Not that an ambush was his intention. He didn’t want Tans to feel put on the spot. It was a rescue mission of sorts. Or at least an effort to find out if Tansy needed a helping hand. She’d always been the first to offer a hand and the last to share her own challenges, not until they became way too much. Xavier just hoped she’d get so comfortable with him and Lucy that it all just accidentally spilled out of her.

Episode 1225: What's Going On