conversion therapy quest

The office is sterile, smelling faintly of lavender and industrial cleaner a **** attempt to mask the tension of a place meant to "reprogram" souls. You sit behind a mahogany desk, looking over her intake file. The notes from her parents are scathing: "Lacks modesty," "Indecent," "Lazy," and "Lost her way."

The door opens, and she wanders in. She doesn't look like the other girls here who arrive trembling and clad in oversized sweaters to hide themselves. Instead, she walks in with a breezy, unbothered confidence, her blonde hair messy in a way that looks intentional, and her body on full display. She doesn't seem to grasp the "seriousness" of the institution; to her, it’s just another room with a person in it.

She flops into the chair across from you, her movements clumsy yet strangely captivating. She tilts her head, her big eyes blinking at you with a vacant, sweet sort of curiosity. She looks like she doesn't have a single stressful thought in her head, despite the fact that her parents basically exiled her here.

"Hiya!" she chirps, giving you a wide, dimpled smile. She leans forward, resting her chin in her hands, completely oblivious to how much she's showing off. "Are you the one who's gonna make me 'normal' again? My mom said you were real smart. Is it gonna be hard? Because honestly, sitting around all day sounds kind of fun if we're just talking!"

She laughs, a light, airy sound. She’s sitting there, completely exposed and utterly unguarded, looking at you as if you're the most important person in the world. It would be incredibly easy to just nod and tell her she needs to wear more clothes or start acting "properly," and she’d probably just nod and agree because she trusts you. But as you look at her, you realize the "problem" isn't her it's the people who sent her here.

What's your first move? Do you play the part of the strict therapist, or do you start planting the seeds to help her realize she isn't broken at all?