Carly's Ramblings Blog - Style

Communicating in Uncomfortable Conversations

Today's blog...

Blog City – Day 266

Prompt: What do you think is the best way to have a necessary but extremely uncomfortable conversation with someone? How could a character in a story handle this?

My preference is to avoid at all cost... and I know that is an unhealthy way of going about things, but my NaNo protagonist has another plan...
In my NaNo novel I am trying to work in some conflict in one of my subplots... this is a snippet of conversation. My character wants to discover the problem and help solve it.

Brynn needed to get this off her chest. For weeks she had watched, seeing Devon and Rachel exchanging words and each time Devon walking away a little paler, a little more distracted. Gone was the excitement from the girl who had started the internship the same time as her. No the girl looked positively pressured, almost beat down. But there was more too it than that, and each time she had tried to discover the truth, Devon had shut her down claiming she was fine. She even mentioned an issue with a boyfriend at one point; but something did not sit right and Brynn could not let it go.

Rachel was looking smug, or was that rich entitlement she could see and smell from over one hundred yards. The girl moved around the office like she owned the place and it grated on Brynn's nerves. She had managed to figure out she was going by her mother's maiden name - still rich by Toronto standards, but there was more. More that others were hiding and the fact that it was being hidden festered like a ragged hang nail.

She so wanted to confront the girl and knock her down a notch, but she held off, something about this situation played at her and she wanted more information before she barged in and just made things worse.

A few days later she walked into the ladies room and found Devon splashing water on to her face to hide the fact that she had been crying.
"Dev, please tell me what is going on... maybe I can help." she began softly, she voice as encouraging as she could make it. She moved close and wrapped an arm around the girl's shoulders.

Devon hung her head shaking it slowly back and forth, like the rhythm seemed to calm her. After several long moments she whispered, "I can't, Brynn..."

"I want to help, Dev. Let me help."

Devon closed her eyes, "I don''t think you can help..." She spoke so quietly Brynn could barely hear her.

"There is always a way to help..."

Devon was shaking her head again, her eyes still closed. Brynn's heart squeezed painfully as she rubbed her hand over the top of Devon's shoulders. They were rock tight and tense.

"Whatever this is Devon... you need to talk to someone about it... it seems to be eating you alive."

Devon gave a slight nod. Then behind them the door to the ladies room opened and Rachel sauntered in. Devon jerked upright and went about fixing her hair. The mask she had been wearing closed down over her pain and Brynn stepped back at the change. It was a blow.
She gave a bright, brittle smile and said, "All good, no worries." before picking up her files and heading out of the room.

Rachel watched her go, then turned her eyes back to Brynn. The look was dark. "Stay out of it."

"Or what?"

"Things could get difficult for you."

"Really? Is that a threat?"

"No... just some advice."

Brynn frowned at her and Rachel moved off towards the stalls.

Brynn decided a little fresh air was in order, turning she headed out of the ladies room in search of Devon and some kind of explanation. If she didn't get to the bottom of this soon it was going to drive her nutty.

Would love a little feedback.