i need a cold glass of water + p, ophelia

[ophelia.]

[align=center][div style="borderwidth=0px; width: 65%; line-height:120%; text-align: justify;font-family: verdana;"]Ophelia nodded along quietly as Leroy spoke, allowing him to lay his thoughts in front of her for her to dissect and process. She wouldn't claim to be good at problem solving, wouldn't pretend she was the best at it, but, when it came to her friends, she was certainly willing to put her all into figuring out the best course of action to take. She didn't like that Leroy seemed so troubled by this, and she desperately wanted to help him figure it out. In the least, she wanted to give him some sort of solace.

That was why she continued to be silent for a few moments after he finished spilling his thoughts, thinking things through carefully before giving her response.

"I don't perceive you as bad." she started with, figuring it was the safest route. "I don't perceive you as good, either, though you are certainly good to me, good for Tanglewood. I know that things are different for others, that they may see you in a certain light that I don't. I won't put you on a pedestal and proclaim you an angel, by any means. I also know that you wouldn't want that, and that's not what you're asking for in this situation. I think that you longing for neutrality means that you are neutral. I perceive you that way. Maybe I don't have all the facts about you and who you are and who you want to be, but I know that you don't want to give kindness to those outside of Tanglewood, and that's perfectly fine. It isn't a bad thing to want a bit of chaos sometimes and a bit of serenity others. You're grey both in pelt and in morals, and that's alright."

Her gaze flicked up to Leroy's face, studying his features intensely for a few small moments. This conversation with him was painting him in a slightly different light than she'd seen him before. It wasn't a bad light by any means. Just... Different. Perhaps in a good way. She felt closer to him now than she had before, a certain sort of camaraderie formed from this kind of emotional honesty. It was an intimacy she'd never really shared with anyone else. That had to mean something.

Her gaze held his, and she pulled in a breath before straightening up where she sat, letting a smile return to her features. "I will help you how I can. You'll just have to communicate with me and be honest about what it is that you need from me. You're my friend; I wouldn't dream of letting you deal with things on your own when I know that I can assist."