The Vampire Therapist

A

-A L I C E-

Guest
Frey sighs as his alarm goes off. He looks at the time and it says 4 in the afternoon. He of course only slept a few hours because of anxiety of course. Normally he's not so anxious. But this will be his first appointment at 6 O'clock p.m. He picks out clothing from several different drawers and then goes to get a shower. Once showered he goes to the kitchen of his studio apartment. He rummages around in the fridge. Just because he's a vampire doesn't mean he can't eat human food. Yes vampires can eat human food even though it doesn't do anything for them really. He sighs when he sees the blood in the fridge. He knows that he will have to drink some of that before he goes. No need to have a frenzy on his new therapist's hands.

After feeding he decides to sit down and go through his phone. He sees the reminder from two days ago in his phone as well as today's of his appointment with Mena Fitzroy. His new therapist. This is the first time that he has ever gone to one. But being a young vampire still he figures she might help since she is a special type of therapist. He's under a year old. Just turned 7 months ago. There are still things that he is learning about himself as a vampire as well as the way society is with the supernatural. He sighs as he puts his phone away. Before he knows it, it's time to leave.

He goes out to his motorcycle and drives off to the office. He knows where her office is because he was a walk in. Which was three weeks ago. He parks his motorcycle in a parking spot and then goes into the office. He sighs. The secretary looks at him. "Since this is your first time. You'll have to fill out paperwork." She hands him a clipboard. He sits down and begins to fill out paperwork. Once that is done he hands it to the secretary. She smiles at him. "She'll be with you momentarily." He nods and sits down. He looks at the clock. Five minutes until his appointment. The five minutes rolls by like a snail.

He then hears talking and looks up to see the door open. A woman with black hair is talking to a woman with blonde hair. The woman with blonde hair has horns sticking out of her head as well as a tail and clawed hands. He figures that the blonde is some sort of demon. They talk for a few moments before the blonde goes over to the secretary. Then he realizes that it's his turn apparently. He's now just waiting for her to say his name.
 
She had only been in the job for a matter of weeks and already she was feeling a little disheartened. She had been warned of this by her mentor, who had told Mena that the shock of the inane problems and people just going through the motions was something of a shock to the system. However, there were patients that wanted the help of a therapist, and so even as this rut threatened to swallow the young therapist, a second wind would ensure her resolve did not falter. Or so she hoped.

Despite her worries about the career she had chosen to pursue, the ebon haired female was soldiering on and refusing to be bogged down by the difficulties that came with entering the working world for the first time. This day was going well, and the smartly dressed woman - shirt and a pencil skirt - was looking forward to relaxing after a productive day. However, after the current client had left, there would be one more appointment before she could finally kick off her heels and pour herself a glass of wine at home.

The demon she was currently seeing was a surprisingly conscientious woman, genuinely determined to alter the traits that were giving her such trouble. She struggled with a temper as fiery as her demonic reputation, but this wrath was obviously not conducive to a peaceful and happy life. Mena quite liked this particular client, and was quick to wish her well as she opened the door. "See you next week, and call me if you have any trouble." The therapist was perhaps a little too free with giving her direct office number, though thankfully as yet she had not been foolish enough to give her private cell.

With her penultimate client sent on her way, Mena turned her attention to the only other person in the waiting room. "Hi, Mr. Rodrick? If you'd like to come through..." It always felt a bit awkward calling someone in, although the optimistic woman had no idea why that was. Whatever the case, this was the last one of the day and so that tricky social moment was over for another few hours.

Gesturing for the tall male to go ahead and take a seat in one of the plush chairs, Mena sat opposite him, taking up a notepad and pen that sat idly by on a table beside her. A lot of people typed up their notes as they went, but for whatever reason the young therapist preferred the old fashioned way. "Are you done with your forms? I can take those." All this admin was so damn boring, but it had to be done.

Eager to move onto more meaningful work, the dark eyed woman introduced herself, "I'm Mena and I promise I'm qualified. You'd be surprised how many people have asked that." Weirdly, that was actually true, and one man had required verification before he believed he wasn't being duped. "Now, tell me about yourself and what you'd like to get out of these sessions." It was standard fare, though depending on the answer the hour could progress in a number of ways.

"Take your time. And if there's anything you want to ask about me or anything else, please don't be shy." Although she had seen plenty of therapists sticking to a rigid formula, Mena was certain that was exactly the wrong thing to do. As far as she was concerned, her clients were the ones who needed to lead the sessions, regardless of how seemingly off piste they might end up.
 
  • Like
Reactions: -A L I C E-
Frey looks at her when she calls him in. "You can call me Frey." He didn't like being called Mr. Rodrick to him he believed that belonged with his father. That's one of the things he thinks he should suggest working on. His is problems with his father and him being a vampire. But right now he thinks he should focus on the vampire problems. Like for instance not liking to feed off humans or drink blood. He'd go weeks to months without drinking blood. He sighs as his foot taps anxiously on the floor as he sat in the chair. He sits there looking at her. He knows he needs to speak eventually. He normally isn't this quiet.

He sighs. "Well we could work on my issues with being a vampire. I don't like being a vampire. Hell I don't even like drinking blood. I'll go months without feeding just so I don't have to do it." He knows he sounds crazy. A vampire that doesn't like blood. "Then later we can work on my issues with my father and how he feels about his son being one of the undead." He said that as though it left a bad taste in his mouth. His father is the only parent he has that's alive. Yes Frey was supposed to keep the vampire part a secret from his father but his father found out.

He sighs hoping she won't judge him. He doesn't look at her either hating to make eye contact with a stranger. Eventually he will make eye contact with her. He looks up and sees that she isn't judging him. Which is something he is grateful for. Frey sighs again trying to think of something else they could actually work on. But those are the only two that he can think of right now. "Those are the only things I can think of to work on right now."
 
She'd need to remember that. It was tempting to err on the side of formality, particularly as many of her clients came from times when such familiar terms were hardly accepted freely. But, if Frey wanted her to use his first name, then that was fine by her. And with this established, the therapist waited for the obviously anxious man to speak. It took some time for him to gather the courage to do so, which was to be expected, especially as this was the first session. Hopefully, in time he would become more open, though he made a good opening gambit when he did eventually open his mouth.

Noting down the key issues between Frey and his father, as well as the very fact of his newfound vampirism, Mena was pleased to see that they at least had some clear problems to work on. "That's plenty, really. If more comes up later, we'll address it then." She saw little point in unpacking everything right now, feeling that they would only be able to scratch the surface at best. It was far more appropriate to focus on one issue at a time.

"First off, you're not alone. It's one helluvan adjustment to get used to." Mena was a frank woman, certainly not one to beat about the bush unless she had to. With Frey, her initial impression was that he would appreciate a straightforward discussion, rather than dancing around the issue without ever really looking at it. "Are you still in touch with the person who bit you?" She was fairly certain she knew the answer, but in this profession, making assumptions rarely ended well. It was a relatively common problem for newborn vampires, although most had a mentor to see them through the first few difficult months of undeath.

With Frey's answer in hand, his new therapist delved into the meat of the matter, "The first thing to understand, is what it is about drinking blood that really puts you off. Is it the taste? The association?" One of the cases she had studied had actually been caused by the consistency of the blood. Apparently the person in question had had a deep seated hatred of thick liquids and this had continued in their new life. This person had only needed to mix the blood with water to get over their feeding troubles, the deep anxiety fading as fast as it had come. That was an odd case, but it just went to show that one could never tell what the problem might be.
 
Frey sighs. "No I'm not in contact with the person that turned me. She left me." He sighs again. When she asks about the blood he has to sit there and think about that part. Why he didn't like drinking blood. "It's not because of those two things. I'm sure of it..." He trails off thinking about it some more. "I think I don't like blood because I'm afraid I'm going to loose what little humanity I have left if I drink it." That's the best answer that he can come up with. As well as closest to how he feels about it. He has an issue with loosing his humanity if she can't tell.

He sighs and taps his foot on the floor. Obviously still full of anxiety. As each session goes on he will get less anxious. He looks at the clock and sees that they have still almost a half hour. He wonders what else she will ask. He wants to add to the thoughts about drinking blood. "It makes me feel as though it masks my true self." He says referring to the drinking blood part. He has problems with allowing himself to admit that he is no longer human. He doesn't want to admit that he's a vampire.

"When I was turned it was a one night stand type of thing. So without an explanation and warning she turned me. I had to find out the hard way that I was a newly turned vampire." He almost got burnt to a crisps when the sun came through the window the next morning. But he moved fast enough to close the curtains.
 
In all honesty, the woman was quite appalled by the behaviour of the vampire that had bitten Frey. Anyone who chose to bite and turn another person had a certain responsibility to their newborn offspring, whether or not they thought to honour it. Thankfully, it seemed that most vampires understood the gravity of their power and did not turn a person into a member of the undead without prior consultation and forethought, let alone abandon them to their fate. Unfortunately, there would always be those few rogues and idiots that simply didn't think about consequences.

"Well, that must have been the shock of the century." Mena commented dryly, though she was quick to follow this up, "But you've coped for a year without any help. Other people in your situation haven't fared as well, so already you're off to a good start." From her research, Mena had found that newborn vampires without guidance often became almost feral, their humanity utterly decimated by bloodlust. Others took a walk into the sun, most likely afraid of the very real threat of the former problem. Frey seemed to be pushing himself to deal with the situation, though his anxiety was plain to see.

The vampire had valid fears, as the imperative to feed could be a dreadful lure to dark deeds, but he would not quash this seductive instinct by starving himself. "That makes sense. Considering a helluva lot of people barely even know where meat comes from, it's a drastic change to get used to." Luckily, it was not something that could not be made at least a little easier. "Avoiding blood is counter intuitive, as I'm sure you know. If you feed regularly, you'll be in control, but if you starve yourself, your instincts will take over, if only for a moment. There's nothing wrong with that, but if that's not what you want, there are some things we can try."

She knew that the euphoria of sating a long standing thirst could be incredibly potent, a reason for some vampires to abstain for long periods of time. This was playing with fire, but Mena supposed life could get boring after a few hundred years. "You could try taking blood alongside a meal you enjoy. A bite of pizza, a sip of blood. Little and often. You don't need to gulp it down, just get used to it. If it's just another part of your day, you'll begin to see it won't harm you." She hoped so, anyway. "And if you really can't cope with that, I did know one guy that used to eat rare steak. You don't really notice it on top of an already bloody bit of meat." One just had to be careful not to accidentally cook the blood, which was never a good idea.
 
Frey sat there listening to what she is saying about ways that could help him with his blood problem. He nods. "I never thought of that I could always do that. Drink blood along side a meal I enjoy sounds like a plan." His anxiety seemed to dispel a little when she suggested that. He is still anxious but not a much since he seemed to grow on the idea of doing what she suggested. And he knows what she meant when she said about starving himself. "I know I almost attacked my father once when I didn't drink blood for a few months. Of course this didn't go over very well with him. Another reason he doesn't like the idea." He sighs trying to think of something to change the subject. He didn't feel like talking about his father. He would probably dance around that subject some.

"I've already tried the rare steak thing. It was okay. I prefer my steak medium-rare." He looks at her and sighs seeming to get more relaxed now that he realizes that she can help him. His anxiety was slowly dissipating. He looks at her. "Is there anything else you can suggest about the blood thing? Maybe I can mix it with one of my favorite drinks as well. Because sometimes I don't like the taste either. Maybe mixing it with another drink will cover up the taste." Now she had him thinking of ways to deal with the blood drinking. He hopes she says that's a good idea. Because he had several drinks that he could mix it with since he is a bar tender in all.

He looks at the clock and the time has flown by. That they only had about 10 minutes left. "I'm going to admit that at first I didn't think this was going to be a good idea. But now I see that it's going to help me. Which is something I need."
 
Even though it was a simple idea, it was still gratifying to see the man across from her beginning to relax. He had the right attitude, which really did half of Mena's work for her. Unlike with many of her clients, she wasn't going to be spending most of these sessions trying to convince Frey that something was worth trying and that it wasn't the end of the world. This could all change, of course, but for the time being this was going extremely well.

Mena noticed the sudden reversion back to anxiety as Frey mentioned his father, seeing that this was obviously a huge issue for him. However, she chose not to comment on it, preferring to wait until they knew each other a little better and Frey was better equipped to deal with the tough subject. She did, however, make a note of what had been said, just in case it turned out to be relevant later on.

"Yes, try anything you think might work. You'll probably have some outright failures, but there will be some combination that you might even enjoy." It would likely be more difficult in practice, as Frey might psyche himself out of even trying, but that was something they could talk about later, after he had attempted this little experiment.

"I'm glad you're thinking so positively. Try to remember that when you're having a dark moment." This process was never plain sailing, even with the most positive person in the world, and Mena didn't want Frey to believe that he would move forward on an even keel, regardless of how wonderful that might be. "I think we might just be out of time. So, try out what we said, and we'll see how it went next time." She reached over to where a stack of business cards sat, handing one to Frey, "Call me if you ever have an emergency. I'll always get back to you if I'm in a session." She was perhaps overly kind and free with her time, but that was a lesson she would need to learn later.
 
He nods and takes her card. He goes out to the secretary and schedules for next week. He sighs and goes out to get back on his motorcycle. He looks at his cellphone before riding off. It says a little after seven in the evening. He goes home and tries to relax before going into work at a club called The House of Torture. A goth night club. He's co-owner as well but he prefers to work too. He sighs. He decides to try the one technique out. There is some left over pizza in the fridge from the night before. He heats some up and then grabs a glass. He pours some blood into it. Since he's considered a new born he doesn't have the greatest control over his blood-lust.

He takes a bite of the pizza and then after takes a drink of the blood. He finds that it isn't bad that he can actually do that. That this is one technique that he will be using. He finishes his meal just in time to go to work. He will try the one with his favorite drink later the next day. He gets up and then goes out the door to go to the club. After the long hours at the club working as the bar tender and as the owner he goes home and tries to go to sleep.

He lays there awake in the darkened room. He lays there thinking about what he should talk about next with his therapist. He thinks that he shouldn't talk about his father until later. Until they know each other a little better. He guess that they can talk about more things if he can think of them what they need to work on some more. He eventually drifts off to sleep.
 
With the last of her appointments completed, the fledgling therapist allowed the receptionist to go on home, leaving herself alone in the building for a time. She spent a while typing up her notes, reviewing her upcoming appointments and going through emails that had built up over the course of the day. She was perhaps a little too conscientious, as few others would have stayed on so late, but it seemed the woman had trouble switching off at the end of the day, so for the time being this felt like the right thing to do. Later on, she would likely find herself burning out, but she'd cross that bridge when she came to it.

Once she finally left and returned to her modest apartment, the rest of the evening passed just as it usually did. Mena first called her parents, trying to repair bridges that had been torn down by her critical parents and her own headstrong beliefs, though it seemed the older pair were unwilling to give much of anything in return for the olive branch their demure daughter offered. It was frustrating, but Mena held faith that in time they would come around and these terse conversations would blossom into something more familial.

After this sometimes grueling task, the ebon haired woman turned her attention to dinner, which she ate in front of trashy tv. Sometimes she enjoyed a glass or two of wine and a book, but for the most part her nights at home were essentially the same. She had to admit that sometimes it was boring, this repetitive cycle rather sedentary and bland, but Mena couldn't deny that she was content. Her few close friends did at least help to break up the monotony, often cajoling the often insular woman out into the vibrant nightlife that existed in the city. One of those nights was actually coming up soon, which was something to look forward to, a welcome way to let loose after a difficult week.

A week passed, and Frey's appointment came around. Mena greeted him with a warm smile, ushering him into her room almost like an old friend, her easy manner likely why she was already making a name for herself and had a waiting list for clients. "So, how did it go with the blood?" She asked, hoping that it had gone well for the young vampire. With a bit of luck, they'd be able to look at some other things this time.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom
Back