- IC CONTACT POST FOR MASKORMENACE -

[slightlyoffchilt]

"Hello.

You've reached the direct line of Doctor Frederick Chilton. As I am not available at the moment, you might assume I'm quite busy with something pressing. State your name and business, and I will return your call."

Comments

voicemail;

[resoul]

[ there's the briefest moment of hesitation and silence as Tommy debates just hanging up on the answering machine. ]

Is this... it's the shrink, right? I got the right line? My name's Tommy. Tommy Shepherd. I don't need therapy, but I was told to try talking to you.

[ and boy does he sound less than thrilled at the idea. ]

[slightlyoffchilt]

[The callback is quick! Maybe not Tommy-quick, but it's only a few minutes.]

Hello, Tommy Shepherd? This is Doctor Chilton. [A beat.] The shrink. I presume it's safe to anticipate that you're looking for psychiatric aid?

[resoul]

I'm looking for... wait, you can't tell anyone about this, right? Confidentiality?

[slightlyoffchilt]

Doctor-patient confidentiality in full terms initiates when you're officially my patients -- but yes, we can consider the agreement retroactive, to include this conversation.

[resoul]

First off, Dr. C: I don't like doctors, and I don't trust doctors. It's not personal.

[ there's an unspoken yet at the end. ]

I'll give you the benefit of the doubt because... I've never tried this before. It might help, I don't know.

[slightlyoffchilt]

I have indeed handled patients who aren't particularly swayed by the abstract of doctors before, I assure you I won't take offense. [Granted, the quality of patient he spoke about was something more much criminally insane, but details.] Why don't we discuss your goals, right now? So I'll know where to begin, whenever you'd like to schedule the official appointment.

[resoul]

Goals? Give me an example, first.

[ he hadn't thought that far ahead. ]

[slightlyoffchilt]

As you're contacting me against your usual habit, that implies that someone requires you to talk with a psychiatrist. [A common situation for imPorts, as it turns out.] If the third party is our governmental hosts, they have a tendency to be overly concerned with how imPorts process trauma. Traumatic events might not be limited to world hopping, depending on where you're from -- but would there be anything you'd like to overcome, anything in your personal life?

[resoul]

Trauma, huh? Hell, where do I start? I had a troubled childhood, but man, it's just going to bore you. Stuff only gets interesting around the juvie years.

[ he pauses and thinks over that again. ]

You know, Dr. C, I went straight from being a teenage delinquent to being a teenage superhero. How's that for a good place to start?

[slightlyoffchilt]

[Wow, thinks Chilton. He'll hand it to Tommy -- the directness is impressive.]

Quite the dramatic shift. [A beat.] What was your catalyst? What made you decide that heroics were a good use of your time?

[resoul]

Oh, it was a whole bunch of things. Mini-catalysts. A cute girl was on the team, too.

[ he's not going to get into the more important details just yet. ]

[slightlyoffchilt]

Would you think it was fair to consider your decisions mostly reactive? Or -- at the very least, impulsive?

[PLENTY of time for details.]

[resoul]

Reactive to not wanting to get locked up again, sure. Do I sound like the kind of guy who thinks long and hard about his decisions?

[slightlyoffchilt]

I can't say that's the first analysis that comes to mind, no. [Another beat follows.] But you have a good sense of opportunity. Not every young individual could pull themselves out of juvenile detention like you did.

[resoul]

I can't take all the credit. They - the team - helped break me out, and I took care of the rest.

[slightlyoffchilt]

So your introduction into heroism was born from a necessity? [Peer pressure, even?] And perhaps it suited your palette?

[resoul]

Yeah, you're getting it. I'm good at being a hero, too, so I know I made the right choice.

[slightlyoffchilt]

It helps, when you happen to excel at the higher road. But I can see how your past experience might raise a few eyebrows -- certainly, we can put the matter to rest, with a few psychiatric sessions. I imagine the government simply wants a personality analysis? [He clears his throat, phrasing the next few sentences delicately.] We've had a few imPorts who have done quite some damage. I imagine subtle precautions will be encouraged from here on out, with all newcomers.

[He dances around the implication; Tommy already has a few check marks qualifying a by-the-book anti-social personality disorder. But this apparent information (impulsivity, juvenile delinquency) could be completely misleading -- everything would depend on the upcoming sessions.]

[resoul]

Yeah, I'd like the eyebrows to stop being raised. And you can do that, the personality analysis? How long's it going to take?

[ he suddenly notices how impatient he sounds. well, he did mention his dislike of doctors. ]

I heard about the damage, too, the mass murder and explosions. I'm not that crazy.

[slightlyoffchilt]

A few sessions, for a credible analysis. [He, too, noticed the impatience -- but Chilton figured there would be ample time to explore the impulse behind that.]

Oh, I doubt individuals, even those who form our government, would assume that you were that degree of crazy right off the bat. But you know how cautionary types can be. "Better safe than sorry".

[He doubted Tommy would relate to that on a philosophical level, but still.]

If, indeed, we uncover a concern that could be medicated, would you be interested in that direction?

[resoul]

Medicated?

[ there's a hard edge to his voice-- no, the idea of medication doesn't sit well with him. ]

If we're talking about credibility, man, why not save that talk for if that kind of concern gets uncovered?

[slightlyoffchilt]

[Arching one eyebrow -- thankfully not evident over a phone call -- Chilton paused.]

We're still on the topic of goals, aren't we? It's good to know your boundaries, before we work towards results.

[resoul]

It's a boundary. I mean, how am I going to go out at night if I'm taking some pill that you can't mix with alcohol?

[ a cheap excuse that hadn't even occurred to him when he'd first objected to the medication idea. ]

The whole point of this to still live my normal life. I'm not giving up my free time to sit around in a haze.

[slightlyoffchilt]

It's fair to declare that at the initial period, of course. [The emphasis on living a normal life, while note necessarily unusual for super empowered beings, was still worthy of note. And Chilton was indeed taking notes.]

Then we'll keep the therapy verbal.

[resoul]

Cool. I can live with that! I don't care what kind of crackpot - no offense - verbal therapy tricks you want to test out, so long as it all stays that way. I'll be a model patient, make you look good to the powers that be, whatever, and in the end everyone's happy.