“Intimacy seeking stalkers tend to experience intense bouts of loneliness. They latch onto a person and attempt to establish some sort of intimate relationship with them in the hopes to finally have a connection. Some believe their victims either do, or will eventually, love them back. These types of stalkers tend to live alone and don’t have any close relatives or friends. They turn to stalking in a poor attempt to heal themselves.”
“What about specific behavioral management techniques?” Sila asked then, catching Bay momentarily off guard. He’d thought for sure Sila was done engaging. He didn’t typically. Usually quiet throughout the entire class, only making a sound once it was over and he could leave laughing with his friends.
“Those differ from person to person, case to case, as well, don’t they?” Sila continued when Bay hadn’t spoken fast enough for his liking.
“Well, yes. For some, those help to curb the urges. They can subdue the offender’s habits and prevent them from acting on any of their untoward thoughts.”
“But they don’t always last, do they?” Sila tipped his head. “It’s sort of like putting a Band-Aid on a bullet wound, don’t you think, Professor? Eventually, whatever avoidance tactic they’re using is going to stop working and they’ll be pushed into a corner where the only option left to them is to act.”
“I…” He swallowed the sudden lump in his throat and shook his head. “They aren’t avoidance tactics, Mr. Varun. They’re tools, just like anything else.”
Bay’s were his visits to the Seaside Cinema. He glanced away, pretending to sweep his gaze over the class. “It differs on a planet-to-planet basis, of course, but what matters to the law here on Vitality is that a person is at least seeking help.”
“Even if it won’t last?” Sila asked.
He hadn’t expected this portion of the course load to go without a hitch when he’d written up the syllabus, but Bay hadn’t anticipated this level of interest from his object of desire either. He’d thought he would be the one making things uncomfortable for himself, too in his head as he explained stalking and the various reasons a person turned to that extreme.
But…
“You don’t think people who suffer from obsessive love disorder can be fixed?” It was out before he could stop himself.
“Is that what it is?” Sila’s curious expression never altered, but there was a strange note in his tone that couldn’t be placed. “I was thinking predatory stalking, but now that you mention it, that’s far too intense, isn’t it?”
Bay frowned. “I’m not sure what you’re referring to.”
“Yo,” Riel slapped Sila on the side of the arm, “dude, are you being stalked?”
Sila laughed. “Of course not. This is all hypothetical,” he returned his gaze to Bay, “Isn’t it, Professor?”
“Yes,” he nodded. “Yes, as I’ve said it’s all case by case, so anything we discuss here on the subject—on any subjects throughout the semester—will involve many hypothetical situations to better explain the nuances of these issues.”
“You keep saying things like that.” Sila propped his elbows on his desk and leaned forward. “Do you think these people are broken, Professor?”
“Don’t be absurd,” Bay gave an awkward chuckle. “People with conditions like the one I just mentioned—”
“Obsessive love disorder,” Sila provided.
“Yes, exactly, like that one.” Would this conversation never end? “People with conditions like that have been medically diagnosed. It’s improper to use words like broken. They have—”
“Conditions and disorders,” a thread of distaste entered Sila’s voice, causing Bay’s eyes to widen slightly. “What you’re really telling us is some people are different from the majority. Their brain chemistry is different—they think differently, and thus their actions and reactions are different from the average persons. But different doesn’t necessarily mean bad.”
“We were discussing stalking specifically,” Bay reminded, but even he knew he was losing his grip now, his words coming out nervous. “Most stalkers end up harming their victims. You’re misunderstanding me, Sila. I’m not saying people with mental disorders are all bad by nature, I’m merely suggesting that anyone who poses a danger to another living being would be considered a criminal. We’re all responsible for our actions. Some choose to seek help the second they receive a diagnosis, while others—”
“Opt not to be fixed?” Sila interrupted.
“One step at a time,” he said, making sure to keep his posture straight to better establish a sense of authority. “We’ll learn about stalking first and then branch out into other topics, as you’ve guessed.”
“What’s to learn?” Jol, a female student over by the window asked. “Isn’t stalking pretty self-explanatory? Someone follows someone else around without consent. The end. Just a bunch of unstable creeps who throw tantrums when they don’t get their way and don’t understand the word no.”
“Most stalkers are intelligent, actually,” Sila stated before Bay had the chance. “Sure, many fall under the sociopathic or narcissistic labels, but not all stalkers are like that either. For many, a lack of decent social skills which makes communicating difficult is what causes them to lurk on the sidelines. I’m willing to bet most of us have experienced being awkward around someone or someones.”
“Right, like that time you tried hitting on Feh Strong,” Riel said, pointing at Jol.
Bay didn’t know anything about that, but from the way other students laughed and pretended not to, it was obviously well known amongst their peers.
“Whatever. I don’t know how it is on your home world, Varun, but here stalking is a crime.,” Jol stated.
“Did I miss the part where he mentioned it wasn’t? Are you two arguing?” Riel asked. “I can’t even tell. Or, is this flirting?”
