un: ulysses | video

[restingstitchface]

[On the latest feed: a man with combed hair, a clean face, a mismatched suit and a pair of rimless glasses. Video is streaming from an office where one might spot a painting of an anguished man. He closes his eyes and fixes his lenses on his nose, looking away while leaning forward. His preference is for messaging, but today he is showing his face. He inhales in a calm and controlled manner. Facial cues encourage trust. He prefers to remain unobserved, but this should encourage a positive impression.

Unless you’re Batman, apparently.]

Well, that was a terrible couple of weeks.

In any case, my apologies for the intrusion. I was managing the aftermath and hesitant to reach out until today. I have nothing further to add except that I understand you might feel nervous. But if you resist those feelings, you will have to face them again, and when they catch you…

[He swallows his sentence and focuses on his reason for posting, grounding himself in the present moment by inhaling.]

Back home I treat people for support with their mental health. I had excellent resources there but here I can offer nothing but a listening ear. Perhaps you would like to take me up on that? It’s not like you need insurance and sometimes it’s good to talk.

Feel free to contact me. I'm here to help.

Comments

[nottheboss]

[He'd tried all of the above, and marijuana and alcohol and whatever else he could get, too, to disappointing results.]

Nah it was fifteen years ago, I don't even remember the doctor who gave it to me. I just popped whatever he wrote.

[Which is more or less what he's planning to do with Crane's prescription, too, because he's tired and he's desperate and things are getting worse.]

[restingstitchface]

You wouldn't be the first to trust someone's expertise.

[Blindly so. People trust their doctors because they dislike feeling ill. They want to believe they can help. But do they? Or do they simply enable maladaptive behaviour?]

But many doctors take more pride in their status than their work. Perhaps it's hypocritical coming from me but I do take pride in the latter.

[It's actually true, though.]

[nottheboss]

Around here you have to stand on your work more than your diploma anyway I figure.

You think you can help me out?

[restingstitchface]

Of course. I can make medicine in my sleep but it's more important we both do the work. The hardest thing you will need to do is be willing to challenge and change yourself.

Trust me, that's harder than it sounds. It's one of the most difficult things of all.

[nottheboss]

[Ordinarily that would be a hard no. A capital NO. But he's fresh off pissing off his commander, and he's thisclose to slitting someone's throat for looking at him wrong. And he has no idea how to change.]

...We don't have to talk about 'mommy never hugged me enough' do we?

[restingstitchface]

Can I force your mouth open and make you confess your mother hated you?

[No. Perhaps he can strap him down, inject him with a sedative or something that makes it hard to focus, but he is not the one making the decision to talk.]

Also that's the laziest excuse I've ever heard. You wouldn't be the first to try and deceive me with nonsense.

[nottheboss]

[Some of the disdain vanishes. The last shrink he talked to was dripping with sympathy and he'd loathed every second of their debriefing.

This guy is...not that.]

Fair enough. On the list of things wrong with me, no, my mom's not part of it. But the last shrink bought it.

What do you get out of this?

[restingstitchface]

[Working with nutcases and serial killers (many of whom were stitched up on charges are are thugs at best) tends to lend one a thick skin.]

Well, the same as anyone gets from anything. Satisfaction.

[And from his lukewarm tone he means the personal kind. He's not charitable, but he's not cruel. Just honest.]

[nottheboss]

[He thinks about that. It's not the same kind of transaction he's used to, but this is about changing, isn't it?]

Okay. I can live with that.

How does this work then? We meet up, you get me the drugs and...the rest?

[restingstitchface]

Nothing quite as fast as that. We meet at an appropriate date, endure the most wonderful conversation you'll experience in your life, discuss your medical history...

[God, let him request medical histories, Aurora.]

Mostly to ensure I understand what treatment would be appropriate. We don't want you experiencing another round of side-effects, after all.

[nottheboss]

Hah, medical history, yeah. I was in the Army, so I've had every vaccination under the sun. No allergies.

I'm infected with the Wild Fire virus though. Means I'll reanimate after I'm dead and hunt the living.

[restingstitchface]

Ah, I see the army remains notoriously cautious about vaccinating their soldiers.

[Right?]

In any case, I imagine your condition makes you extra cautious?

[nottheboss]

Means I sure as shit don't want to die, yeah. We don't need this place collapsing like my world did.

[restingstitchface]

What makes you think that will happen? I understand your concern but this world is different to ours in several respects.

[nottheboss]

Gotta be cautious. No one thought my world would end but it did.

[restingstitchface]

That makes me want to ask "How does that make you feel" for a second. But I respect our situation enough not to compromise myself like that.

Perhaps the better thing to ask is I trust you have matters in hand? You seem capable.

[nottheboss]

Yeah it's handled. People know what to do with me if it goes south. But you wanted my medical history and that's the big fucking flag you should know about.

What else do you need to know?

[restingstitchface]

Well, you shared your adverse reaction to Ambien. Is there anything similar I should know about? Any other allergies?

[nottheboss]

Cocaine makes me itch but I've got a feeling you weren't going to set me up with that anyway.

You make people nervous, doc. Did you know that?

[restingstitchface]

Of course I do. Psychiatrists have a bad reputation thanks to rumour and popular culture, especially when it comes to films and literature. Plus I'm not an gregarious fellow. People tend to have the wrong impression because of that.

[nottheboss]

You ever hurt anyone?

[restingstitchface]

Well, I've restrained people who were a threat to themselves and others. When necessary, I made sure those who needed stopping couldn’t hurt anyone else. I've also hurt others personally, but only after they chose to attack me. Sometimes, you have to defend yourself.

[From bullies and those who victimise and oppress you. Those who hurt you because you are vulnerable. In short? Punch bullies in the mouth.]

[nottheboss]

Sounds fair to me.

[More noble than Bossie can say of himself, since he's murdered whole families, down to fetuses still growing in the womb.]

Why am I being warned away from you?

[restingstitchface]

People fear those they cannot control. My name in other worlds carries negative connotations. But those familiar with alternate versions of me cannot understand me, so they repeat familiar stories to make sense of everything. People judge what they don’t understand. It's something most people have experienced. It's easier than facing the truth about others.

[nottheboss]

[That all makes sense. It goes a little ways to easing his own suspicions, at least.]

You're one of the lucky ones who exists in multiple worlds, huh?