Tony figured as much. This woman seems rather... straight-forward... This was a trait Tony preferred. It made things easier- for the most part.
"Why do I think bad things happen to good people?" He mulls over the question. "Equilibrium. Everyone has to take the bad with the good. We're all fighting for survival and humans have found they can have more successful lives and procreate more effectively when they build relationships with others- relationships based on trust.
If we were always looking over out shoulders to see who was going to try and take us out next the human race would have died out eons ago. We have some who go against that trend, of course, but evolution has dictated that the simplest way of survival is doing right by each other so we do not get bitten in the arse. Humans are 'pack' animals- we desire the company of others and are most emotionally healthy when we can have stable relations with other humans without fear of it hurting us.
However, this does not take into account situations where something like an illness comes along and afflicts a person. An illness can have no hidden agenda since it is just that- an illness. Although, I suppose that could be filed under 'taking the bad with the good' in all truthfulness."
"So--balance. It's a trope. We wouldn't be able to know the good things so clearly if we didn't have the bad, if there were no contrast."
She listens to what he says about trust, though, attentive and quiet, and smiles slightly. "It's really hard-wired into us, too, that evolutionary necessity; I actually did a paper on it in college, on paranoia and attachment disorders and how they're linked more often than is really recorded because one tends to be symptomatic of the other--people who have a relationship aversion ingrained since childhood, who feel that life is too unstable to trust to form attachments, suffer much higher stress levels and general bad health. But, um...that's a little bit of a tangent, isn't it."
The topic certainly interests her, though. "Do you care if I smoke? Most people here don't, it's weird."
Tony gives her a smile, "We all go off on tangents and there is nothing to be sorry for about it- you bring up a valid point. Our early childhood experiences guide our development. While we are capable of changing our pattern of reaction to certain stimuli we can only do so if we realize we have an issue to begin with. And," he pauses and sighs, "more often than not we do not realize we have a problem or if it is pointed out to us we react by lashing out as a defense mechanism. It's a vicious cycle."
He shrugs at her question, "Doesn't bother me. You seem to have psychology background- have you studied it. I mean, you must have if you wrote on it in college but was it your main area of study? Are you a psychologist?"
The way he speaks actually reminds her somewhat of some professors she had in college, and she smiles, agreeing with the first bit of that; it doesn't need much more comment, does it, and the question distracts her as she lights her little black cigarette. (The lighter is Givenchy, because in all things she is meticulous about quality.)
"Me? Oh, no, I'm only twenty-four. But I was going to go into that field, I just didn't quite make it all the way to grad school yet." In fairness, at twenty-four she's young enough to only have recently completed her bachelor's, but it's been a couple of years. "But my degree was in psych, yes--my big focus was empathy and aggression. What about you? You obviously know a lot about this."
It is not surprising that Tony sounds like a professor since he actually is one. He takes note of the lighter brand and files that piece of information aside. It would seem that she is a woman who has a taste for the finer things in life. However, the type of cigarette she smokes also tells him that she is not your everyday person- she has a flair for doing things in a way that are not the simplest or the cheapest- she knows what she likes and what she does not like. She is willing to go the extra bit to get what she likes.
"I'm a clinical psychologist- I teach graduate studies in it." He pauses and then gives her a thoughtful look.
"'Was'?" he comments, his interest piqued. "Why the change?"
"Oh, well, that explains it! So really I'm not telling you anything remotely new."
She could be flustered here, but--why bother, and it's kind of nice to meet people in a similar field, even if she uses her skills learned mostly to make money in ways that are presently kind of illegal. Unfortunate fact of the matter is a woman who looks like Hasibe, particularly in her age range, makes a hell of a lot more in the sex industry than she ever would with only a BA in Psych, and as she says, shrugging, with a bland little smile:
"Girl's got to pay the bills. Grad school costs a lot, especially at my alma mater, and I haven't even begun to pay off my loans from before. Discussing this is a little declasse of me, but I'm sure you know how it is."
Tony is starting to realize exactly what this woman does for a living. Psychology would come in rather handy for that. He studies her in a non-sexual way (which he can honestly do) and his assessment is that most men would happily hand over money for an escort from her.
"So if you don't practice psychology what do you do?" Even if he already knows the answer it is something to take about and this woman's conversation was rather stimulating.
"Former adult film star--nothing particularly household-name, of course--and present paid companion." She says it without a trace of shame; people often react to this revelation either with pity or disdain, but this guy seems a little too analytical, maybe, to attribute a moral judgment. It remains to be seen, however. She grins at him, and leans forward, one hand balanced on her knee, gesturing lightly with her cigarette.
"It's remarkably like being a therapist, sometimes, actually, which is the only polite term I can think of for 'emotional sponge'. But I think this is the juncture conversationally at which I start making inquiries--I'm Hasibe Ozcelik, what's your name?"
"Dr. Tony Hill- nice to meet you Hasibe. And, yes, I would imagine that being a companion would be much like being a therapist. People tend to tell us," he gestures to her and then himself, "that they would not tell others. There is a sense of anonymity that comes from talking to us I suppose."
Tony passes no judgment on this woman. Each person takes a path in life that suits them and everyone has to find a means of survival.
"Why do I think bad things happen to good people?" He mulls over the question. "Equilibrium. Everyone has to take the bad with the good. We're all fighting for survival and humans have found they can have more successful lives and procreate more effectively when they build relationships with others- relationships based on trust.
If we were always looking over out shoulders to see who was going to try and take us out next the human race would have died out eons ago. We have some who go against that trend, of course, but evolution has dictated that the simplest way of survival is doing right by each other so we do not get bitten in the arse. Humans are 'pack' animals- we desire the company of others and are most emotionally healthy when we can have stable relations with other humans without fear of it hurting us.
However, this does not take into account situations where something like an illness comes along and afflicts a person. An illness can have no hidden agenda since it is just that- an illness. Although, I suppose that could be filed under 'taking the bad with the good' in all truthfulness."
Reply
"So--balance. It's a trope. We wouldn't be able to know the good things so clearly if we didn't have the bad, if there were no contrast."
She listens to what he says about trust, though, attentive and quiet, and smiles slightly. "It's really hard-wired into us, too, that evolutionary necessity; I actually did a paper on it in college, on paranoia and attachment disorders and how they're linked more often than is really recorded because one tends to be symptomatic of the other--people who have a relationship aversion ingrained since childhood, who feel that life is too unstable to trust to form attachments, suffer much higher stress levels and general bad health. But, um...that's a little bit of a tangent, isn't it."
The topic certainly interests her, though. "Do you care if I smoke? Most people here don't, it's weird."
Reply
He shrugs at her question, "Doesn't bother me. You seem to have psychology background- have you studied it. I mean, you must have if you wrote on it in college but was it your main area of study? Are you a psychologist?"
Reply
The way he speaks actually reminds her somewhat of some professors she had in college, and she smiles, agreeing with the first bit of that; it doesn't need much more comment, does it, and the question distracts her as she lights her little black cigarette. (The lighter is Givenchy, because in all things she is meticulous about quality.)
"Me? Oh, no, I'm only twenty-four. But I was going to go into that field, I just didn't quite make it all the way to grad school yet." In fairness, at twenty-four she's young enough to only have recently completed her bachelor's, but it's been a couple of years. "But my degree was in psych, yes--my big focus was empathy and aggression. What about you? You obviously know a lot about this."
Reply
"I'm a clinical psychologist- I teach graduate studies in it." He pauses and then gives her a thoughtful look.
"'Was'?" he comments, his interest piqued. "Why the change?"
Reply
"Oh, well, that explains it! So really I'm not telling you anything remotely new."
She could be flustered here, but--why bother, and it's kind of nice to meet people in a similar field, even if she uses her skills learned mostly to make money in ways that are presently kind of illegal. Unfortunate fact of the matter is a woman who looks like Hasibe, particularly in her age range, makes a hell of a lot more in the sex industry than she ever would with only a BA in Psych, and as she says, shrugging, with a bland little smile:
"Girl's got to pay the bills. Grad school costs a lot, especially at my alma mater, and I haven't even begun to pay off my loans from before. Discussing this is a little declasse of me, but I'm sure you know how it is."
Reply
"So if you don't practice psychology what do you do?" Even if he already knows the answer it is something to take about and this woman's conversation was rather stimulating.
Reply
"Former adult film star--nothing particularly household-name, of course--and present paid companion." She says it without a trace of shame; people often react to this revelation either with pity or disdain, but this guy seems a little too analytical, maybe, to attribute a moral judgment. It remains to be seen, however. She grins at him, and leans forward, one hand balanced on her knee, gesturing lightly with her cigarette.
"It's remarkably like being a therapist, sometimes, actually, which is the only polite term I can think of for 'emotional sponge'. But I think this is the juncture conversationally at which I start making inquiries--I'm Hasibe Ozcelik, what's your name?"
Reply
Tony passes no judgment on this woman. Each person takes a path in life that suits them and everyone has to find a means of survival.
Reply
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