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Post by Deleted on Dec 17, 2017 7:13:57 GMT
 She started her day rough to begin with. While most would've woken with a gasp at the faint gunshot that still rang in her head from the dream, Claire's eyes opened with a heavy weight to stare blankly at the stretch of sheet and pillow before her. The first anniversary had just passed. With everything out in the open, finally she'd told her father the whole story; every truth, every detail. He knew about Mason, about how he was the only one that kept her from her downward spiral of self-loathing and horror at the change they'd gone through. The only one that reminded her she was still human.
It was hard to be stuck on the coast instead of being in the Windy City at home. Her father already hated how far away school had been. After all, they were all the other had. They'd spent nearly an hour on the phone the previous night - him having called to check in on her during a time he knew she'd struggle with - and she asked him a question she'd finally found the words to form after so long.
"Dad?"
"Yeah, bug?"
"How do you love someone so much that you hardly met?..." A silence.
"Well... he changed your life, kiddo. It's okay to hurt." a hand lifted to wipe the moisture from an eye, his voice still present in the small phone speaker.
"Hey. It is. It's okay to hurt."
Those last words before they'd hung up replayed through her head, arm slowly moving beneath the covers to push herself up from the mattress and force herself out of bed. She opened the mirror in her small bathroom, took her daily regimens - vitamins and the like - and got dressed before heading to the testing room she'd become all too familiar with over the past few months. This time when they used the gas to put her under she'd found her way to 'walking' much faster. It was becoming easier to grasp. Today's sessions weren't long, but they were short and plenty in quick succession which made it exhausting to come in and out of. Rather drained this evening, Claire put a pot of tea on the stove in her kitchenette, kept an eye on the time, and stood by the counter while finishing a frozen meal she'd heated up for dinner.
Her follow-up doctor would be in shortly, just a short walk from the clinic he worked in at the other side of the building's wing. At first, she grimaced at the thought of having a psychiatrist, but Nathan was different than she'd expected. He was interested purely in his work with exploring and learning alongside her of how this dream-walking actually worked and effected her. He didn't speak at her like the doctor's in the lab seemed to fall into the habit of. To him, she was at least still somewhat a person and they'd actually figured out some discoveries together. While she was sure he still answered to and worked for the almighty Joyce - the cold woman running the show and giving her sanctuary - he did a nice job of doing his best to actually care.
NOTES: Long day.
WEARING: Here. |
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got a photograph dream on the getaway mile
ALIAS
Nate
AGE
26
Inactive
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Dec 18, 2017 14:24:26 GMT
Post by Nathan Havelock on Dec 18, 2017 14:24:26 GMT
 Blue Lips, Blue Veins The day had been long and difficult, with nothing really to show for it. He’d just been working on a case that involved an epileptic pain manipulator who inflicted severe agony on those around them whenever she had a seizure. Working conditions were subsequently a little touch-and-go, and so far the team had been unable to control the seizures with any of the medication they’d tried. Neuro-imaging hadn’t pointed to any obvious solutions either, and every time the woman apologised for having a seizure it broke Nate’s heart.
Still, he had one last duty for the day, and fortunately it was a favourite regular of his. Nate had been assigned to Claire from fairly early on into her work for the MNRU, and it was the only time Nate was really granted access to this part of the research unit. She was a popular tool for Joyce Williams’ work, it seemed, and Nate had been brought on-board to keep her motivated and useful. Ever focused on patient-centred practice, Nate had instead followed Claire’s lead in investigating how her power actually worked. He also took quite a lot of time to make sure that she wasn’t starting to crack under the pressure of constant dream-walking sessions for the MNRU – she seemed fragile at best as it was.
He was followed closely by a member of the MNRU security team as he made his way down the corridor. Nate pretended not to notice, offering them a jovial smile as they passed him by once he reached Claire’s front door. He knocked as a manner of courtesy, but quickly let himself in once the security guy’s brow furrowed at Nate’s loitering.
“Good evening!” he called happily, doing his best to pull himself out of the fatigue of the day. He leaned up against the fireplace which divided Claire’s living area from the kitchen, eyeing up the pot of tea on the stove. “Enough for two?” he asked, gesturing to it hopefully.
She looked perhaps even more tired than he felt, which was worrying. He was definitely leaving his notes in his bag for now – she clearly needed a cup of tea before hearing any medical talk.
“How have you been?”
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Dec 18, 2017 16:19:15 GMT
Post by Deleted on Dec 18, 2017 16:19:15 GMT
Without having realized, Claire had spent the majority of her standup frozen dinner eating staring into nothing in some sort of half-conscious haze at the window sill. She wasn't thinking of anything in particular, mostly just fragments of things like someone would while driving a long stretch of road and losing time. Her dad, the doctor, her sessions earlier, Joyce's goal for the weeks, a rebellious thought of sneaking out for late night basketball after hours in the rec hall.
The knock caught her by surprise and had her jump at the realization that half of her meal had gone cold and uneaten in her hands. She was quick to turn around and set the thin, plastic tray on the counter to head towards the door, but when she'd barely even stepped into the hall the door opened. He'd let himself in before, it wasn't something that particularly bothered her. When Joyce or her doctor's came, they hardly knocked (or, most times, didnt). Nathan at least waited until the overbearing gaze of the security guards pushed him in.
"Hey. Didn't give you a hard time, did they?" She looked past his shoulder towards the door until needing to move out of his way. Like she could do anything about the guards anyway... it just seemed polite to inquire. Claire shuffled back to the counter to make light and norm circumstance of picking up the food and putting it in the microwave for a few seconds before turning to face him and finally greet him respectfully. "Yeah, figured I'd make us some. Kind of my new thing, I guess," her eyes drifted to the pot for a second, "trying new flavors and things," a bony shoulder shrugged. The fact that he wasn't jumping right into their session made her grateful. Today just felt sluggish. Heavy.
When she looked back at him she saw the length of his face pulling down, a bit of shadow under his eyes and shoulders lower than usual. "You look tired. Did you want a something to eat or-? Fridge is free game." Her small talk had needed desperate work after she crawled back into her shell and it had greatly improved with Nathan. She knew she wasn't his friend, but at least it was easy to pretend and use him as conversion practice outside of het father.
NOTES: Dinner? Snack?
WEARING: Here. |
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got a photograph dream on the getaway mile
ALIAS
Nate
AGE
26
Inactive
|
Dec 18, 2017 19:04:45 GMT
Post by Nathan Havelock on Dec 18, 2017 19:04:45 GMT
Blue Lips, Blue Veins Nate puffed out his chest. “Who, security? Psht, I could take ’em,” he added with a wink. Well, he could probably put up a good fight if pushed – Nate was in the middle of one of his actually-going-to-the-gym phases and he wasn’t as slight as he might look. Still, the guards at MNRU were fairly elite from what Nate could gather. No expenses had been spared when it came to the higher levels of Dr Williams’ operation.
“New flavours?” Nate peeked over her shoulder to see if he could get a hint as to what kind of tea Claire was brewing for the two of them. “What are we having?”
It was nice to see Claire trying to pick herself up a new hobby. There couldn’t be much to do when you were basically confined to the clinical white walls of the research unit, despite how cosy they may have attempted to make Claire’s lodgings. Nate was more of a coffee person but he would indulge whole-heartedly in Claire’s tea experiments so long as it kept her, if not upbeat, at least a little way back from the cliff of hopeless boredom.
He looked embarrassed, as though she’d caught him out. So he hadn’t quite hidden his exhaustion. “Heh, I’m okay, long day,” he explained, rubbing the back of his neck. “I’m sure your tea will pick me up, but thanks for the fridge invitation.”
Nate waited patiently for his tea, still leaning up against the fireplace. He didn’t want to take a seat at the table in case Claire was more in the mood for the comfort of her sofa, so hovering as nonchalantly as possible would have to do for now. “How have you been?” he repeated, hoping she wasn’t avoiding the question. “Working hard as usual, I bet?”
They both knew that “working hard” was a bit of an understatement when it came to Claire’s position at the MNRU, but it was an agreed one. It was just a little depressing to acknowledge the lengths that Claire was stretched to in her role during small talk – that was something best saved for their actual session-talk, and even then it was hard to say much beyond, “Stop letting them make you work so hard.” Which, as they both knew, Claire wasn’t about to do.
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Dec 19, 2017 16:56:29 GMT
Post by Deleted on Dec 19, 2017 16:56:29 GMT
It wasn't long till she felt the need to busy her hands with something and thankfully turning about to search an overhead cabinet for mugs for the both of them satisfied that after finishing the last few bites of her dinner. "Nothing special I don't think. English Breakfast? It says breakfast but I like it in the evening. Suits the cold weather and stuff too. I can make something else if you don't like it," her head shook facing away from him as she poured them both a cup, a bit at her own awkward attempts at hosting and some at the offer to make another pot for him. It was no trouble.
"Busy at the clinic or-?" What else was there to ask? It wasn't her topic of choice, but these days most, if not all, of her conversations revolved around something within the MNRU's walls. She was rather limited with what she knew of Nathan and what there was to talk about. It often felt unfair. He knew everything about her. His try at humor hadn't gone unnoticed but her days of participating in the occasional cheesy joke had passed a while ago. Maybe she just didn't have the energy for them, maybe they hurt. She couldn't tell and, quite frankly, she didn't care much to find out for sure.
"You know," she answered vaguely with a rather forced smirk at the repeat of the question she'd failed to avoid, handing him his cup and looking at the table or the couch. No, the couch was too... open. She'd made a habit of the small kitchen table - somehow less vulnerable feeling - but she knew he was catching onto that trend. "I'm sure they tell you." With an internal sigh, she pressed her lips together and walked around the room with the mug snuggly in her sleeve-covered hands to the sofa, sitting on one far end with crossed legs and waiting for him to join. NOTES: Winding down.
WEARING: Here. |
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got a photograph dream on the getaway mile
ALIAS
Nate
AGE
26
Inactive
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Dec 19, 2017 18:31:34 GMT
Post by Nathan Havelock on Dec 19, 2017 18:31:34 GMT
Blue Lips, Blue Veins Nate watched the steam rising, enjoying the way it funnelled insistently into the air. It showed a lot of promise for the energy that could be acquired from its contents – or maybe that was just wishful thinking on Nate’s part. He bounced up and down on his heels, half to wake himself up and half to show eagerness for tea.
“Sounds perfect, smells perfect too,” he added, breathing in the steam that gushed his way as she poured the tea into the two mugs.
Claire was trying her best to make small talk, which was certainly progress in Nate’s eyes.
“Busy as always, but we have a rough case at the moment. Woman with pre-existing epilepsy which triggers her new abilities. We… I haven’t figured out how to help her yet,” he explained. He shook himself. “We will though! I’m sure. These things take time.”
Nate smiled and took the proffered mug from Claire, raising it to his face so the warmth could wash over him. “Thanks,” he said happily. He gave it a blow but the tea was definitely too hot to drink just yet, so he held onto it for now.
He watched as the decision on where to sit became visible on Claire’s face. There was a lot of internal conflict with her, a lot of doubt and concern about appearances that held her back from… pretty much everything. He imagined that part of that was what was fuelling her desire to continue working for the MNRU despite how hard it was. At least it was a consistent demand on her that she didn’t need to think about – she just needed to do as she was told.
“Not as much as you’d think,” he said honestly, laughing at himself. He moved to join her on the sofa, planting himself just far enough from where she huddled that he wouldn’t be intrusive on her personal space. She had a pretty big one.
“If you want, we don’t have to talk about the MNRU. Have you made any more art?”
Nate liked Claire’s art. It was a shame that work kept her so busy – she’d probably benefit from having more time to use her creative outlets. She’d sketch people at work, of course, but that wasn’t nearly the same thing.
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Dec 19, 2017 19:47:44 GMT
Post by Deleted on Dec 19, 2017 19:47:44 GMT
News of the woman made her posture soften if only a little as she felt for the woman she'd never met. As if her world hadn't been terrifying before, the Event just had to add to it. While she had no idea of the power or its effects, the fact that she'd come here put together with both the worry on Nathan's face and disparity on his voice, she imagined it to be a terribly saddening situation. "I hope you do... Poor thing," thinking about how many lives had changed for the worse just put a bitter taste in her mouth, but her tone was genuine with her hurting heart.
The closing statement he'd made about their discussions had her giving a dry, humorless scoff quietly in the air between them. A simple, knowing "yes we do" left unspoken as het response. It was his job. Regardless if his caring was a facade or real, without needing to discuss things for the MNRU he wouldn't be here. Claire took a conveniently timed long drink of tea - the heat no harming issue - when he'd asked about her art to think about a response. It seemed wasted time, only able to answer whith a wordless headshake and a shrug. "Just for work. They had a uhm... bigger case. Just been focusing on that." It was a better alternative to staring at the window. This week, the anniversary of it all, it had just chained her down, felt like. Everything was heavier. "Is the tea okay?"
NOTES: Artist's block.
WEARING: Here. |
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got a photograph dream on the getaway mile
ALIAS
Nate
AGE
26
Inactive
|
Dec 20, 2017 20:48:06 GMT
Post by Nathan Havelock on Dec 20, 2017 20:48:06 GMT
Blue Lips, Blue Veins He knew that every drop of sincerity in Claire’s tone was genuine. She was always putting others’ needs above her own – a habit Nate doubted she’d ever be fully trained out of – and he knew that she could empathise with his feelings of frustration and helplessness when faced with somebody else’s problem that he couldn’t immediately start fixing. They were remarkably similar in some ways, he thought.
Nate’s attempt at steering the conversation away from the topic of work failed pretty dismally. A car crash of a subject change on a similar level to the one that had kickstarted the chain of events which had led Claire to be sitting in this very room. Although he didn’t appear to have unlocked any hidden powers as a result; just earned himself a scoff, a headshake and a shrug. Oh boy.
“Oh yeah? Anything interesting?” He raised an eyebrow suddenly. “Or is it… classified?” He waggled it excitedly, doing his best to inject some humour into the conversation.
He took a sip of his tea, closing his eyes and forcing Claire to wait and anticipate his reaction.
He opened them, a cheeky glimmer catching the light. “Delicious. Much better than anything you try to squeeze out of the poor old machines in the halls.” Damn, he was definitely still a coffee person though. This leaf water was great and all, but Nate was a devoted bean man at heart.
“I can put you in touch with my friend Harriet if you like, she has this whole shelf in her kitchen just dedicated to all this herbal stuff. Collects it from all over the world and then just hoards it for months. Who knows if she actually drinks it?” he added, chuckling lightly.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 21, 2017 3:56:28 GMT
Classified? The oddly childish way he asked melted the ice away a bit. She was too exhausted to remain so tense and cold. Claire shook her head and let her shoulders drop with a tired smile. "I'd probably tell you anyway," so rebellious. "You know the pier on uhm," she tried to think, taking a sip of tea while her eyebrows creased to recall the locale, "South Oakland? The old fishing one? There's this family, I think they're Russian or something. I don't know what they're saying but they talk inside at this little table all the time at the same time every other day. I've been drawing like... the room, the lighting, their faces, their distinctions."
Claire sighed with the long list, obviously leaving it unfinished with a waving hand at the unseen collection that Joyce had her working on. "Think Director Williams is going to have me follow one of them on Saturday. She wanted to talk to you about that," Claire nodded hesitantly, knowing how that conversation would more than likely end up for the fact that-, "It'll be, well, longer." Fingers fidgeted nervously around the mug and she swallowed, somehow feeling in trouble for even mentioning Joyce's plans. "Didn't want it to blindside you," her right shoulder lifted near her ear in a stiff but kind shrug at the information.
Claire took the next gulp and had to lift it away from herself halfway through at Nathan's offer. "Around the world?" her eyebrows lifted in impressed intrigue. "Wow uh, yeah... Yeah, that'd be amazing actually, thanks," she gave a few light nods, looking down into the tea. She wasn't knowledgeable about any of it, but she liked it. It was nice to have a new interest that wasn't time consuming and helped her physically relax throughout the day. NOTES: Joyce, blehk... tea, yum!
WEARING: Here. |
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got a photograph dream on the getaway mile
ALIAS
Nate
AGE
26
Inactive
|
Dec 21, 2017 14:25:14 GMT
Post by Nathan Havelock on Dec 21, 2017 14:25:14 GMT
Blue Lips, Blue Veins “I’d probably tell you anyway.” Nate grinned broadly as though the two of them were hardcore conspirators – not just cogs in the MNRU machine. He rested his chin on his hands and leaned in, just a little, as Claire began to talk about her current assignment. Information like this provided a pretty obvious clue as to why Claire was a member of the Hero Program, despite not being your traditional costumed superstar like the ones you saw on TV. Investigating secretive Russian operations? Pretty badass.
“Longer, huh.”
Nate raised an eyebrow and leaned back, taking a long steady sip of his tea. “Don’t let her push it too far. We know it gets more… difficult if you stay in too long. I’ll give them my recommendations but it’s up to you to make sure they don’t take advantage.”
Claire would be well aware now of Nate’s disapproval regarding the ethics of her work with the MNRU. As a doctor, he couldn’t help but put her safety and wellbeing first, and he had the distinct impression that that was not the case with the rest of her team.
She definitely seemed to have lightened up a little though. Maybe the tea had some kind of special relaxing ingredient. Nate didn’t want to think too much about that in case it were true and he needed to answer any questions on his way out. He didn’t think so though, of course. Claire wasn’t exactly the type to spike her tea.
“Great!” he exclaimed. “I’ll get in touch. She’s a gorgeous woman, you’d love her. Does a lot of charity work – and we both know how into helping others you are.”
What was unspoken, of course, was that Harriet could afford to do a lot of charity work because she was very, very rich. And the charity work was always conveniently in beautiful exotic places – just perfect for an Instagram shot. Nate himself didn’t really think anything of it, however. It was just the kind of world he himself had grown up in.
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Dec 26, 2017 22:10:53 GMT
Post by Deleted on Dec 26, 2017 22:10:53 GMT
The tea and the comfort of the sofa had only helped unwind her natural, stiff and rather cold tension along with Nathan's naturally calm and familiar demeanor. She knew the news of yet another longer session in the lab would make him disgruntled at best. Just three weeks ago Joyce had pushed up the time limit for walks in the afternoon on Tuesdays and Thursdays when Claire supposedly had more energy. It had been a difficult adjustment but she'd levelled out her hours of sleep this past week thanks to a couple of mild pills and Dr. Havelock's loyal help.
"Yeah," she nodded hesitantly, knowing that saying 'no' never really ended up making the day productive; actually often setting them back with the need to rewrite an agenda, a rather offended Dr. Williams, and impatient lab techs. The guilt often won and left Claire caving the next day if she was able to function. "I don't think she's your biggest fan," she joked with a dark and dry realism, giving him a sideways smirk. Joyce often expressed her dislike and disagreement with Nathan under her breath probably more than she meant to. Progress was slow - obviously something new to the ambitious woman.
"Oh man, I think you give me way too much credit," she huffed with a grin - not quite a chuckle - and took another drink after a thankful, "She sounds great." She imagined herself elsewhere, maybe Africa or South America, doing a year or two of humanitarian work. Delving into a culture, learning and experiencing, helping those that hadn't had the luck of being born in a world that gave water as a right. If only. How beautifully humbling that would be. With a deep breath, Claire lowered her warm mug to her lap and shut her eyes to do her best at clearing her mind. "Sorry I was being stand-offish. Needed to decompress," she nodded with admittance before continuing, "Think I'm ready if you are." NOTES: Ready as she'll ever be.
WEARING: Here. |
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got a photograph dream on the getaway mile
ALIAS
Nate
AGE
26
Inactive
|
Post by Nathan Havelock on Jan 2, 2018 19:23:54 GMT
Blue Lips, Blue Veins He gave her another conspiratorial grin. “No? I thought Doc Williams and I were best buds!” Nate knew that Joyce Williams was a formidable force at the MNRU - and in the wider medicine community - and so he would never jeopardise his own career by actively antagonising her but… at the same time… he could usually construct his arguments well enough that she would occasionally be forced to adhere to his advice at the expense of her own agenda. He was sure that didn’t sit well with a woman who was very clearly used to powering through and having her own way.
“Maybe she’s under a lot of pressure from her own higher-ups and doesn’t like progress being slowed by trivial things like human rights and her employees’ wellbeings,” he added, with a roll of his eyes. “I’m sure you do a lot of good as it is - no need to sacrifice your safety. Hell, you could probably do more good if she let you spread out a little around the MNRU, talk to some of our patients and that. You are quite an expert in being a metahuman,” Nate teased.
She’d had a few months headstart on even the earliest of new metahumans. Her experience was more similar to those who’d been bestowed powers by the Event than those who’d been raised from birth with knowledge of metahumans. Those people were few and far between, and so lived in an exclusive and tight-knit community which had shared its knowledge well amongst its members. A far cry from waking up one morning and inexplicably being able to turn into an eagle, for example. Even now, the Families were secretive - an elite group of metahumans even within the small, but growing, metahuman population that now covered the Earth.
“Hmph, fine, you’re mildly altruistic then. Better?”
The second Claire began to show glimpses of humour - a grin in this case - Nate was quick to catch onto it in the hopes of drawing out a real laugh. He also just enjoyed playfully teasing people. Depending on the person, obviously. Teasing had occasionally backfired whenever a patient seemed to be completely devoid of any sense of humour, but that was a risk Nate the class clown was willing to take.
“No problem,” he said, raising his mug. It was always best to just accept her apology. Arguing the fact usually ended up making her feel worse and apologise even more. “The delicious tea is probably working its magic by now.”
He rummaged in his bag and pulled out the notes he’d acquired for them to review together.
“Okay. Most of this is pretty reasonable, but I see they still haven’t taken any blood from you yet.” He placed the papers between them so she could look if she wanted to. It was hardly riveting, confidential material. Just standard records. “Have you been having any other issues that you can think of?”
He took another sip of tea. Still not quite converted from coffee; but getting closer with every sip.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 8, 2018 7:58:39 GMT
"It's not that bad," he always worried. She understood why, but... she'd signed up for this, right? What other choice did she have? She smiled tiredly and shrugged her shoulders - a bit bonier than they used to be - and tried to put on her best reassuring voice. "She knows she can push me; that I can take it," her head nodded, fingers curling tightly around the warm mug in her hands. "I don't know everything about the cases I'm looking for, but... when she gets hard on me, I just try and think of how important they must be. What might be at stake. Who knows."
Enough of that, though. The more specifics Nathan knew about the pressure Dr. Williams demanded of Claire, the more defensive he became. She'd never liked being in the middle and it often almost felt like being the rope in a tug-of-war. The one thing she hated creating was tension between the two, so she kept as much quiet as she could. Which was difficult... when one of the parties involved was your psych who had studied years to be able to tell when you were being dishonest. Lying had never been her strongest suit anyway. "An expert? I don't know about that... I spend half my life asleep," she joked rather dryly.
Mildly altruistic, hah. "That's fair," it was accepted with a quirked smirk, settling back into the couch with legs folded. She took a breath and prepared herself for the psych session. They started off slow and easy to ease into, he'd gotten used to how she needed to settle into things. Claire eyed the notes at a glance and scrunched her lips. "They tried a few other things but no luck," why they thought that a spinal tap needle would make any other difference, she had no idea. The trick with the vice was at least a new side to attack the issue from but they'd still been unsuccessful.
When he'd asked her for 'other issues' she looked down to the tea. Yes... But not ones she was proud to admit. The lack-of-sleep talks worried him and she felt horrible when hearing the concern in his voice. Claire could handle it, but he'd insist on knowing until she spilled. So, she'd build up to it. "Some headaches after sessions when we go in and out of them so quickly, I guess? You know, the faster or shorter ones? But they'll probably go away when I get used to it. My appetite is on and off. I uhm-," she cleared her throat, "I don't know. Lots of dreams." NOTES: In Session.
WEARING: Here. |
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got a photograph dream on the getaway mile
ALIAS
Nate
AGE
26
Inactive
|
Jan 14, 2018 12:46:48 GMT
Post by Nathan Havelock on Jan 14, 2018 12:46:48 GMT
Blue Lips, Blue Veins “Sure,” Nate said simply, aware that Claire was beginning to close up now. Her fingers tightened on the mug of tea – clinging to it like a security blanket. “Trust your instincts.”
He took a gulp of tea, then smiled. There was a finality in it – no more discussion of Dr. Joyce Williams.
Nate laughed, a true and hearty one that caused his tea to dance dangerously up the sides of the cup. Fortunately he didn’t spill anything. “Dream job, right? I’m serious though, we should look into diversifying service. You might have all kinds of ideas that we wouldn’t think of.” He shrugged. Again, he didn’t want to push this at all; conscious of Claire’s rather complex relationship with her manner of employment.
As Claire settled back into the couch, giving at the very least an appearance of being ready to ease herself into the session, Nate sat up a little straighter. Not in an intimidating way, but as a kind of prompt to himself that it was time to get into a different headspace. Dr. Havelock was not exactly a completely different character, but it was still his professional role and he owed it to Claire as his patient to take things seriously.
He watched as she glanced at the notes, glad to see her acknowledging them without fixating or dismissing. He’d been trying to tap into the more relaxed side of her that bubbled every so often under the surface and so far – baby steps – it seemed to be having a little impact.
“I had a brain wave,” he confessed. “Last night while I was doing laundry – pairing socks. I think we need to approach this from a more holistic view of your power set. Acknowledge the matching pair, so to speak.” Nate grinned, enjoying his little metaphor. “The tough skin is just one part of you and I don’t think it’s a case of breaking through that barrier… Do you see what I mean?”
He jotted down Claire’s concerns as she spoke them, nodding affirmatively.
“Well, keep track of those headaches. If they don’t go away, we’ll look into them. It might be worth taking another look at your medication regarding appetite – is it random or related to the type of sessions you’ve had?”
The ‘lots of dreams’ comment was vague, deliberately so, and it piqued Nate’s interest.
“Could you tell me more about these dreams?”
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Post by Deleted on Jan 26, 2018 6:35:59 GMT
Pairing things together, complimenting her condition's attributes? It was an interesting though, one that she somehow found more quizzical when looking down into the small ripples along the tea's surface in the mug that snug warmly between her hands. Though it still didn't answer the question of, if not physically or by force; how would they ever get through her skin? There were still things she learned about the new 'her', especially when Walking. Maybe another solution would come up that was in front of them the whole time. Wishful thinking.
Nathan had a strange ability to bring out some old optimist from her. "Yeah. I kinda get it I think." Maybe she'd try asking her skin nicely. The thought made her give a dry exhale through her nose - half of a silent laugh at her own stupid thought. Keeping track of the headaches was a good idea. She hadn't had them regularly since her first few weeks actually Dreamwalking. That seemed like forever ago. "I don't know," she answered honestly with a small head shake, "I haven't really been paying attention to it that much." Now, though, she supposed she should. If she could think of something interesting and relating to it quickly, maybe it'd stall time before he asked-. Oh. Not fast enough.
They'd had this talk before too. The dreams had come and gone in stages. At first, they lasted weeks and seldom gave her a break. Then every few weeks for a stretch at a time. Then, eventually months between and only a few days lasting. It'd been a long break since she'd had them last. Looking back at it now she wished she wouldn't have hoped that it was finally a sign of making peace. It just made it that much more disappointing. "...Past three nights," she swallowed lowly, a defeated admittance to her voice. "Vivid again. Loud. Clear. Jumps around a lot."
He already knew the main characters of these nightmares. But one had often come and gone - almost like an unlucky guest. Claire took a deep breath and her chest and back expanded with it while her jaw tightened to ready the statement. "Alice is in them again." A mixed, violent combination of adoration and bitter anger swirled in her stomach. Every month it was a different mindset ranging from fury to regret and loving responsibility. 'I want her to know when it's right.' It wasn't fair. It wasn't fair for it to fall to her. Not with this bleeding heart that struggled and choked from thorns of a blaming grudge. "And... it's heavier. Worse. I don't know," her head shook and she sighed with exhaustion at how to explain it - shame at its return causing her shoulders to lower. NOTES: Tagging for mention.
WEARING: Here. |
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