how are you feeling today? | open

[nocheckboxes]

who ; The Counselor and anyone who wants to see him
what ; Therapy sessions.
where ; The Counselor's "office."
when ; Over this week/whenever's scheduled.
warning(s) ; tbd?

Comments

[theniputitback]

[I'll listen.

She recognizes the wearable it's sent from, and remembers the man she'd talked to - he was a little weird, but he'd seemed all right.

And as it happens, Parker has had a lot of trouble lately with people not listening to her, or not believing her when they do. Someone actually offering is practically unheard of.

The location ping itself is impossible to ignore, of course. She watches the door from across the street for awhile, but there doesn't seem to be too much movement, and soon she's moved on to watching from a tree in the front yard, and finally to entering the apartment itself.

It's on the first floor, and the windows are unlocked, opening easily and soundlessly. Parker slips in and drops silently to the carpet, looking around curiously.]

[nocheckboxes]

[ He doesn't spend much time at the "office," as a rule, but given that he'd opened himself up to having appointments, the Counselor had decided to remain there through most of the mornings. If nothing else, it was a quiet place to go over some of his notes from his other appointments.

He's got an eye on the sensors simply to know when people arrive, but the fact that someone's heading for his window is more than a little unusual. He's not given to panic, but he's more than a little startled, even though he can rule out a few particular suspects. Agent Washington had never been a master of stealth, and he knows his location is as secure as he could make it.

No, it must be someone else, and he encrypts his notes, accessing the rest of the sensors on his wearable to watch for whoever it is is paying him a visit. ]

i hope the bit of godmoding is cool

[theniputitback]

[There's not much to see. The apartment is sparsely furnished and undecorated; there are hints that someone's been there recently, but a quick look at the empty cupboards in the kitchen confirms that no one's actually living here.

She makes her way steadily and silently through the rooms, still not quite sure what she's looking for. Some kind of hint, maybe, about who this person is and exactly why he'd offer to listen.

What she finds, finally, is a room with light shining out from under the door, and she pushes the door open to find herself face to face with a man sitting behind a desk, looking entirely too unsurprised at seeing her.

Parker stands in the doorway, and they just stare at each other for a long moment before she speaks.]

Hello.

it is delightful

[nocheckboxes]

[ It wasn't really hard to get the apartment's cameras to sync up to his wearable, but the Counselor is pleasantly surprised at the identity of the woman he sees wandering through the rooms. He'd had some doubt as to whether or not she'd respond to the message he'd sent, but any concern was clearly unfounded.

She appears in the doorway, and he takes a moment to look her over, waiting for her to make the first move, and-- there we are. He smiles, setting his datapad down on the desk. ]

Hello.

I would have answered the door.

[theniputitback]

[Parker doesn't smile back. Her demeanor isn't hostile, just...blank. Careful. She hasn't made her mind up about him yet, but she's watching his every move.]

You didn't need to.

[nocheckboxes]

I can see that.

[ She's here, after all, and she'd decided to come of her own will. He folds his hands on the desk, watching her just as closely. ]

Would you like to sit down?

[theniputitback]

[She just looks at him, and for a moment she looks like she's about to walk right out again.

Instead, she abruptly sits down on one of the armchairs in front of his desk, perching on it with her arms straight at her sides and her hands firmly clasping the edges of the chair. She stares at him, not saying a word.]

[nocheckboxes]

[ At this point, he almost expects her to walk out -- for all the patients he's ever seen, this girl is by far the most unique. He has no idea what guides her actions, nor much about her at all past her name and what he sees on the network, and that, he supposes, is why she's here at all.

He smiles, as easily as he can, and simply looks at her for a moment before speaking. ]

Is there something you'd like to tell me?

[theniputitback]

[If anyone had asked, she would't have been able to tell them just what it is she's doing here, why she'd come in the first place or why she'd actually sat down when he invited her to. She is, in fact, doing a very good job of not thinking about it, and she just looks back at him, her face still expressionless.]

Something like what?

[nocheckboxes]

Anything you like.

[ Or anything at all, honestly, to give some frame of reference for what she does. As good at he is at figuring out what guides individuals' motivations, hers are cloudy at best. ]

[theniputitback]

[He is definitely an odd one.

She tilts her head at him, studying him just as much as he's studying her. No one ever offers to do this, no one offers to just listen, and really, she's here out of curiosity as much as anything else.]

Why do you want to know?

[nocheckboxes]

Call me... curious.

[ His smile brightens, eyebrows lifting, enjoying this little back-and-forth. ]

You're an interesting woman.

[theniputitback]

[She doesn't move, but there's just the slightest tensing of her entire body, unnoticeable by anyone not incredibly attuned to body language or watching her very, very closely.]

No.

[nocheckboxes]

No?

[ He doesn't catch the tensing, but the word is enough of a clue, really. ]

Is there another answer you'd prefer?

[theniputitback]

...Yes.

[She hadn't exactly expected that question, and it takes her off guard for a moment, but she's willing to accept it.

She takes a breath, and barges on.]

I'm not an interesting woman.

And I'm not here so you can be curious about me.

[nocheckboxes]

Very well. It was my mistake.

[ Anything he can do to keep her at ease, he will -- he wouldn't put it past her just to walk straight back out, and the opportunity would be lost. ]

Might I ask what brought you here today?