St. Theresa's Asylum: A new patient

[psyd_seward]

Who: psyd_seward and steel_goddess
When: Backdated to Friday 12th, 4pm
Where: St. Theresa's Asylum, Seward's office
Summary: After receiving a call from a certain lady who is apprehensive concerning a possible psychological trauma Seward makes an appointment with a new patient.
Warnings: Psychiatry things. Patient concerns, etc. PG-13 we'll say.

Comments

[steel_goddess]

Apprehensive was a good way to describe Samus today. She'd been through this in her home Galaxy with Federation psychiatrists, and wasn't happy at the thought of having to revisit the conversation. Likely she didn't help her case by occasionally muttering 'I'm not crazy' while on the way to the...Asylum. Great.

She swept in with the Paralyzer holstered on one thigh and a file folder holding her medical history at the port. Being greeted by the Doctor in person was a nice gesture though and she fell into step next to him.

"Just Samus is fine, or Miss Aran if that's more comfortable." She held out the folder, "This is everything from my time here."

[File synopsis: Donated blood to a radiation burn case, her blood having a special property of being highly resistant to radiation. Severe case of radiation poisoning after discovering the core, hospitalized for several weeks. Blunt force trauma and fractured skull during assault by cultist, burns to the face in the shape of a diamond as a result of being 'branded' by said Cultists. Regular blood donor. Susceptible to cold, even in summer months.

[psyd_seward]

The tall doctor was slightly younger than the average psychiatrist, but he was no less knowledgable of his profession. He considered himself to be schooled in psychological therapeutics that would place the patient at ease, as well as foster a relationship of trust between them. It was not Seward's job to judge whether or not her actions warranted a call for madness,but was designed merely to help her to be well again.

Doubtless when she arrived she would've been asked to check in whatever weapon she may have been carrying before reaching the patient's room by security, and that the folder would've been brought by the nurse shortly thereafter...That is, if she'd let go of it. Which it would appear she hadn't.

Once he did catch sight of her he was...slightly surprised, though that may have not shown on his face quite so visibly. A slight raise of the brows, and a pique of interest in the eyes. Nothing more. It was in fact peculiar that this would be his first...Female patient in Siren's Port. Most of those who visited the asylum, and most of his patients at home were in fact male.

"Miss Aran, then. A pleasure."

Gently, he took the folder from her and held onto it for the time being, giving a gesture with his opposite arm for her to go inside his office first.

It wasn't long before, once they both were inside that he took a look at the folder quietly, noting the medical charts and history with rather...keen interest.

[steel_goddess]

Preceding him into the room as bidden, Samus swept the office with a practiced gaze, habit driving her to pick out the likely spots for both defense and a quick escape if necessary. The Varia Suit made leaving the Paralyer in a front room locker more of an annoyance than a threat, but she couldn't rely too heavily on it. It hadn't saved her from cultists after all.

Turning on her heel she regarded the young doctor coolly from behind blonde bangs. She didn't know this guy from Adam, and being a psychiatrist but him on the wrong side of her opinions...but she was here to -try-, so there was no need to be rude.

"So...what happens now?"

Blunt yes, rude no.

[psyd_seward]

"Please. Sit, if you would."

He'd pulled up a chair especially for her, as the couch didn't seem necessary yet.

The room itself was not meant for enclosure, given it was just his office. If she tried to turn tail and run he wasn't about to corner her. It was somewhat spacious, at least, with a window overlooking the courtyard where the grounds were green and neatly trimmed. All in all it was a somewhat calming atmosphere, as Seward knew the effects a tidy, as well as serene background could do for the mind.

"Now, Miss Aran, I am going to ask you a few questions regarding your history to gain insight into your condition if you don't mind. I think we'll start with the basics and go from there."

He leaned back into his chair and crossed one leg over the other, smiling reassuringly.

"How long have you been in Siren's Port?"

It could be relevant to the issue at hand, given her history.

[steel_goddess]

Samus slipped into the chair, but perched on the edge rather than fully sit. She brought one knee up to her chest in order to rest her chin on while she observed the good doctor. He had a...relaxing manner about him, which she supposed was good, given his line of work.

"I've been in Siren's Port for over a year now, since...last February or March I think. Sometimes it seems shorter, sometimes longer."

[psyd_seward]

"I see", he said as he let his fingers slide over the file, glancing back to it every now and then but politely maintaining eye contact as a way to show his sincerity and that he was listening as she spoke. His gaze did linger on the radiation and cultist bits, reflecting on their previous, if brief conversation from earlier in the week.

He recalled she'd said something about the founding of the Core, but perhaps he'd dismissed it too soon. This too could be related to her condition, though he could not say for certain without first knowing why Doctor Yumeno had referred her to him assuring her that her problems were psychological rather than physical. What sort of tests or dialogue had taken place that would make it so blatant? Hopefully the overview of that appointment (if indeed there had been one) would be touched on to help benefit them both.

It was clear she was nervous, but hopefully he could help put her at ease. Since this was their first appointment together he would need to do a psychiatric, if not physical evaluation, in order to get a proper assessment of her condition.

"Miss Aran, some of what I ask may be rather personal to you but I can assure you nothing that is said here shall escape this room, so please speak freely. In regards to your occupation what is it that you do exactly?"

(ooc: I'm sorry about the wait. :( )

[steel_goddess]

"Alright, I'll be as truthful as I can be." That was a cop-out answer and she knew it, but Samus wasn't ready to just be willingly parting with all of her secrets just yet. She'd answer where she could and otherwise...she'd have to be careful.

"At home I'm a Bounty Hunter, the best." It wasn't just an idle boast, but fact. who else got called in for extra tough assignments? "Here I'm working at a coffin motel, but I wanna change that. I was also...ah bartender at the major's club and a...toothpaste add model."

Those occasional billboards featuring the latest in Crest whitening technology? Yeah the smile was hers.

[psyd_seward]

He hoped that she'd be more...inclined to answer with less apprehension in her voice, but nervousness was to be expected if she'd never seen a psychiatrist before.

"A bounty hunter", he repeated with mild intrigue, watching her expression carefully. His old habit of reading another person's face as though he might somehow read her mind was telling upon him now.

"Coffin motel..?"

She certainly possessed the dazzling looks of a model or an actress, though currently Seward was more concerned about her state of being.

"Then..Do you often work at odd hours of the night?"

There were sometimes details that were overlooked as insignificant but if he could ask these things and get her feeling more comfortable then they could work together to get at the heart of the matter.

[steel_goddess]

"Mhmm. Piracy is rampant where I come from, and the Federation is stretched thin as it is. Criminals fall through the cracks or jump bail all the time, so it's up to me to drag them back." Dead or Alive. The thought brought a faint smile to her lips, thinking of the number of times it had almost got her killed...only for her to prevail in the end. That kind of work was, and always had been, intensely satisfying for her. Downs as well as ups but...that was the way with everything really.

"You mean now or then? Well...yes to both I guess. I work the after Siren shift at the motel, most people want to be home and I needed the work so...yeah. Can't say as I'll miss it when it's done though.

[psyd_seward]

"Piracy. Would you mind telling me more about that? And...Federation? Do you mean to say you worked for a government or bureau of a kind?"

He looks at her meaningfully, taking care to observe her demeanour with great care. If..The skull fracture were related then she could have possibly sustained a traumatic brain injury, or nerve tissue damage but what he was looking for was any sign of Postconcussive syndrome. It manifested differently depending on the area of the head struck but it could be the thing causing her to stay awake. He'd need to perform an examination and hear the whole of her symptoms to be certain.

That did not seem to be the case here, but he'd look for the signs regardless. The hospital should have found it but sometimes there were a number of lingering symptoms...Headaches. Nausea. Minor things that could be easily overlooked.

"I see. Would you say your quality of sleep has recently been affected by this? Or this is a normal habit for you even before being brought into the city?"

[steel_goddess]

"With. I worked with a Government...well, for them once, but eventually I gave that up. Too much bureaucracy and corruption. But they wanted to bring the Space Pirates to justice and I wanted the same thing..." Badly. Space pirates in particular were a sore spot, and one she was all too happy to talk about.

"Piracy is rampant. It's really easy for some to just forget about hard work or building a life and just destroy other peoples lives to take what they want. Before I came along the outer fringes were lousy with pirates, whole colonies would be overrun. I keep a special eye out for them." Afterall, if it hadn't been for them, her life might have been totally different. She could have had a family, parents, a normal child-hood...and she'd be damned if she was going to let them steal that from anyone else. Her lips had pressed into a firm line, arms tucking her leg a little tighter to her chest.

"It's...pretty normal for me really. I was travelling from one side of the galaxy to the other sometimes, so my sleep schedule was very rarely tied to any one planetary rotation."

[psyd_seward]

A somewhat incredulous look crossed his face for a split second before he caught himself, his expression becoming neutral after he took what she said into consideration. It wasn't as though he didn't believe her, as she was a Newcomer from a different world herself. It was simply that these concepts...Were somewhat difficult to grasp. And the term space itself...A shortened form of outer space, which simply meant "beyond the atmosphere of the earth". Which would indicate that she...Was not of his earth as he understood the meaning. For now he'd simply think of it as a...new sort of encounter he had never thought man capable of.

"You....You travelled among the stars?"

Of course some idea was formulating in his mind that the sheer possibility in itself had been toyed with for many centuries but it had not had happened! It was...incredible to think that such a thing might be an actuality for her. Tsiolkovsky would indeed have been electrified to know that his theories were in part true!

"Pirates! In...Outer-space. That is truly fascinating."

[ooc: Ick I am very late and I am sorry for that. I just started going back to school and I have a pretty busy term.]