Persona 4: Psychology
Click-click-thunk. Click-click-thunk. The endless repetition of the train's gears slowly progressing towards it's destination. I watch as the valleys pass by, losing myself in their cacophony of colors. I turn towards the rest of the train's occupants, the previously dull roar now getting even louder as we get nearer to our destination. I sigh, smiling a bit. I've always enjoyed loud places, it helps me think for some odd reason. I decide to look around at the passengers one by one, trying to judge them at a glance. One of them, a young man, seems to be grandstanding, obviously trying to impress the various girls he has around him. He looks like he's doing a good job, but looking at his face closely, I can see flashes of uncertainty and a lack of confidence in his every action. He seems to succeed in everything he does, but doesn't seem to have any faith in himself. A fairly common boy, honestly. He'll grow out of it eventually. Well, either that or he'll have to see me… Eh, I'll just take it as it comes.
I continue to let my eyes wander, looking at the various crowds of kids, aged anywhere from thirteen to eighteen, chuckling occasionally. Eventually, I spot a solitary young man with gray hair leafing through a magazine. Usually, kids like that are at least somewhat lonely, and shoot glances at groups of people, but this young man didn't seem interested in anything going on. Looking up, I see that he's got a lot of luggage. Must be heading towards a city or something, he doesn't seem to be the country type. I go through my head, trying to think of any cities on the route, but after a while I realize that we just passed the last city, and the only stop left is for Inaba. Hmm, maybe going to see some family or something? …Still seems like an awful lot of baggage though. I turn away, yawning as I look out at the valleys again. Peering towards the front, I notice a building, likely the Amagi Inn, slowly rise over the horizon. I stretch, getting ready to get all my things together.
Suddenly, the rhythm of the train speeds up. I frown, thinking. This really shouldn't be happening, the train never gets above the speed it was at before, unless there's some sort of… Oh crap. I tense up, not fully convinced that there's a problem yet, but still fully ready to move at the slightest jolt. The train bolts, and starts shaking as the other people in the train begin to realize that there's a problem. I jump up, not sure what to do. I look around, trying to spot a safe way out as the others in the train are beginning to shout even more than before. I begin to panic, starting to shout with the rest of them, my fear getting the best of me, as suddenly;
"Everyone, settle down! Now!" The gray haired boy shouts, somehow managing to get himself heard over the chorus of fear. "Right then! There's no time to lose! Everyone sit back in your seats, and put your feet against the back of the next seat! Those in front, just do it against the wall! Move!"
Everyone listens to the boy, him being the sole sane one in the entire train as he follows his own advice. I quickly do as he says, wondering for a moment why I'm obeying him so readily. I decide to look that up if I end up not surviving. Speaking of which, there's a time and place for this! The train speeds up, faster and faster, and suddenly a gut-wrenching rending tear is heard as the train hurtles off the tracks. Our momentum carries us further and further, as the screams within the train rise to fever pitch. I look at the young man, who looks completely calm about the situation. I turn away quickly, looking out the window as I try to get an idea of how fast we're going. I quickly wish I didn't. A second later, the car in front of us is crushed against a hill, as dozens of screams are suddenly cut off.
"Oh god! Oh god!" One of the girls screams, "Takeshi! TAKESHI!"
The train comes to a rattling halt, it's momentum halted by the hill. However, the screaming doesn't stop as everyone rushes around, trying to escape. I leap out of my seat, initially intending to follow them as I catch myself.
"No, I can't just… leave. I have to try and help." I mutter to myself, cursing my inability to simply flee. I look around, looking for any injured as all of the healthy ones try to escape. I hear a wail as a woman is trampled in the aisle. I leap out into the center, pushing against the crowd as I try to get to her. However, as I struggle against the fleeing masses, her cries get smaller and smaller, and by the time I reach her, she's gone completely silent. I swear to myself, barely able to keep my position in the tide, and jump off into the seat next to me. The wave of people begins to subside, and I jump off of my seat, still looking around. I see the gray haired boy from before, apparently having the same idea as me, helping a little girl who got trapped in her seat. Apparently her parents just ran off… I spit despite myself, despising the very idea of parents that would do that. I continue pass the boy, offering a nod as I move into the back car. I spot an elderly woman with her leg trapped in a part of the car that was twisted. Her leg was completely caught in there, and the blood was purely visible. Suppressing my desire to gag, I moved over to her.
"Ma'am, are you alright?" I ask, trying to keep my voice as steady as possible. She is unable to reply with anything but a gasp. "Ma'am, concentrate on my voice!" I shout, grabbing her face slightly and turning it towards mine.
"You'll be just fine, okay? Just hold out for the ambulance to get here." I pull out my cellphone, still talking to her as I dial up the police. Apparently, they had already been notified so I hung up, still talking to the elderly woman, trying to get her to remain conscious. Eventually, I hear the sound of stomping feet as policemen enter the aisle. They motion for me to back away as they survey the situation.
"Oh, hell… This isn't good! Her leg's trapped!" One of the policemen shouts to the others. I decide to get out of the way, there's nothing I can do that would make the situation any better than I already have. Thankfully, those were the only three injured outside of the front car… I get a sudden flash of how it must have felt to be in there, your last moments being those of utter, gut-wrenching terror… I shake my head, snapping myself out of it as I clamber out of the car. I see the gray haired boy once again, talking to one of the officers, probably giving a witnesses description. For all the good that'll do, it was a goddamn train accident. I look myself over, making sure I'm uninjured, before simply leaving. It's not that far of a walk, and I'd rather not be associated with something like this on my first day in Inaba.
As I walk towards the town, I try to keep my mind from flashing back, deciding that I was lucky to not be injured and that I shouldn't over think it. Things happen, and I couldn't have done anything else… I sigh, rubbing my temple as I walk. Suddenly, the boy from before crosses my path, stopping as he looks at me. Why do I keep seeing him? Hell.
"…" He simply stares at me , still standing in my path. …Creepy.
"Yeah, what?" I say, quite off guard due to how creepy this kid was. It's bad enough that he's doing this, but the fact that I can't read him… that's the worst bit.
"You helped out on the train, didn't you?" He asks, squinting at me. It feels more as though he's interrogating me than a conversation. Pretty offputting, really.
"What of it?" I decided to go for the too cool to care approach, mostly intending on just getting to the town as quickly as possible. It's humid as hell out here.
"I just wanted to say thanks. Didn't see anyone else getting their ass in gear and helping out." He extends his hand towards me. "Nice to meet you…?"
I take his hand, sighing a bit. "Nanami Tsukihiro." I look at the luggage in his hand, suddenly realizing something. "Ah, hell!" I shout, remembering that I completely forgot my briefcase. Turning around, I realize I've already walked about two miles, and I sigh. "Well, that's just…" I realize there's still that kid behind me. "…terrible."
"Forget something?" The boy says, grinning as he pulls out my briefcase. Apparently he'd carried it all this way, along with his normal luggage… Wait a second.
"Er… thanks, but now that I think about it, how the hell did you overtake me while carrying all that?" I frown, probably looking rather confused. He just grins, walking away as he waves at me over his shoulder.
"I'm off! See you later." He shouts, taking off at a run. Hell of a runner, gotta say. I could totally run like that if I wanted to… I look at myself. I'm bulky, but not exactly fast. I sigh, then chuckle to myself a bit. "I could totally run if I… well, ran."
I pick up my briefcase, looking for all the world like I just came out of a business meeting, not a train crash. I look over my suit, feeling pretty professional. I sigh again, continuing on my trek towards Inaba. Just a few more miles to go, might as well take it slow. Least it's nice outside this evening. …Wait, evening? I quicken my pace, realizing I don't have much time if I plan on settling in.
After about an hour, I finally finish the mini-journey, panting as I come in to Inaba. I look around, getting my bearings as I begin to move towards my office/home. Thankfully, I finished all of the preparations before I arrived officially, managing to scrape the last of my savings together to get myself a small building and a nice little plaque. Oh, and the bed and fridge and whatnot. Even had the key in my pocket, so I was all set. As I trudged up the street, looking a fair bit less professional than before with some nice little sweat stains under my armpits, I eventually made it up to the front door of my office, grinning as I put the key into the lock, twisting it as the door opened.
It was a fairly squat little building, only a bit wider than the story tall it was, barely large enough to hold both an office and a bedroom in the back. I drop the briefcase on the ground, stretching as I enter the house office thing. I look around, noting how it looks fairly bare, deciding to get a couch the next time I come into some money. Deciding to just turn in for the night, I make a note to myself to get the office in order tomorrow. Apparently the appointments are coming in right away. Some might say that it's impulsive and silly to have appointments scheduled the day after you arrive, but I'm twenty-two. It's my time to -be- impulsive, dammit!
I stroll into my bedroom after locking the door behind me, smiling as I see the bed that looks incredibly comfortable. Just so… comfortable…
=Super Special Line Break=
BRRRRING! BRRRRING! The alarm rings, pretty much the most annoying sound in the damn world. I roll over, wondering when I even got around to plugging it in. Slamming the alarm until it stops making the noise, I get up out of bed, yawning as I look out the window. After admiring the shining sunrise, it's coffee time. I walk over to the corner of my room that serves as the kitchen, yawning again as I start up the pot. I dig around in the cupboards, and eventually find some cereal. Ah, cereal. Best, easiest, quickest breakfast ever. Doesn't really go great with coffee, but by the time I realize this I'm already pouring the milk into the bowl. Eh, who cares. I walk over to my table-
…Of course I would forget to get a table. Hell. I sigh, grabbing the end table and putting it next to my bed, sitting on the mattress as I eat. Not exactly the most prestigious way to eat, but I think I can live with it for a while. Right then, so I'm going to need a couch and a table. I look around the room, and realize that there's not exactly any extra room to put a table. …A small one, I suppose. I continue mindlessly eating my cereal, and finish just as the coffee pot rings it's finishing bell. Oh goodie, time to wake up. I put the bowl into the small sink, making my way towards the coffee pot. I pull out the coffee jug thing, and then I realize I forgot the damn mug. God, I hate mornings.
After my daily routine of morning silliness, I walk out into the lobby, dressed in my nicest suit, wearing my best cologne, and all in all looking very, very pretty. I stretch a bit, getting the suit nice and loose, and then start placing my diploma and plaque on the wall. Tsukihiro Nanami, Masters in Psychology. I love having ego boosts. Turning away from my accomplishment, I look over the appointment list again.
"Hmm… Looks like Seta Souji, Yukiko Amagi, and Mitsuo Kubo, eh?" I think out loud, rubbing my chin.
Right. Forgot to shave, too. I put down the list on an endtable, sighing as I trudge back into the room. After coming out again, I'm finally ready to face the day. Hmm… I guess I have a little bit of time before the appointments start. I've still got a few yen left over, I guess I'll go buy some magazines or something so that people aren't too bored when they walk in. I stride out the door, locking it up behind me, and then walk down the street, whistling. It's a great day, and the town is quiet enough that I have the streets mostly to myself, able to enjoy the sun's slow rise over the valleys. This is so much better than the city it's ridiculous. Only a couple passing cars disrupt my walk, but that doesn't even put a dent in my mood. This is going to be a great place to live.
Eventually, I begin to see students trickle out onto the street, and soon enough the streets are almost filled. I sigh, remembering the days when I went to school. Wasn't really well known, wasn't incredibly smart in most subjects, except for psychology. When it comes to analytical psychology, I outclassed every single person. Managed to get my Master in four years. I don't really know what it is, but for some reason I can just read lots of people like books. When I actually have to talk to them on a personal level, I can barely handle myself, but if I'm just watching them, I can almost always determine their behaviors, likes and dislikes, all that. It's always baffled me. However, I was able to keep a few close friends during school, although we drifted apart afterwards. Still kept school from being a total hell though, so I'm certainly grateful for that.
Snapping out of my trance, I realize I wandered just outside the Junes store. The chain's been getting remarkably popular lately, springing to life in the last five years. Well, might as well shop here, right? I stroll on into the store, amazed that a small town like this has such a huge supermarket. That has to be ticking a few people off, but it's not really my pro- Oh, right, it is. Hmmm, maybe I just have trouble with empathy, now that I think about it… It would indeed be a shame if the small-town atmosphere was lost, I mean I just left the damn city to get away from all that… Oh well, it hopefully won't expand beyond this. I'm amazed even Junes was stationed here, this is a very small town. Right, rambling internally again, I gotta work on that.
I find myself in the furniture section, and I look at the different couches. I only have about 200,000 yen for expenses, thanks to some good saving habits from my childhood. My parents always ingrained that in to me, never spend more than you need, because you'll need it later and all that. They probably put it more succinctly, but I've always had a love for overcomplicating things. I eventually find a pretty nice couch for only 20,000 yen, a steal. I immediately call a Junes salesperson over, asking how I can get it in my office by the end of the hour. She was pretty quick about it, maybe detected the urgency, and managed to get it on a truck, along with a small table for another 10,000 yen. I thanked her and the driver, and walked back home. The driver asked me if I wanted to ride along, but I just don't feel comfortable sitting in another person's car. Just feels odd. By the time I got home, the duo of boxes were outside, and just had to get carried in. Thankfully I started doing a bit of weight training before I left high school, so I was more than capable of getting them both into the house pretty quickly. I put the couch in a corner, deciding I'll go for a slightly less "waiting roomy" look. As for the table, I just threw it into my bedroom before walking into my office.
The office was fairly small, but was the largest by far of all the other choices I had. One of the other ones was literally a small cupboard, and the house portion wasn't much larger, but I digress. It was a decent sized room, with my pride and joy mahogany wood desk in the middle, and two comfortable seats on opposite sides of it. There were two windows on my side, letting in a good bit of light. Made it a bit more imposing, which was somewhat the atmosphere I wanted to have. I had the obligatory shelf filled with books dominating the right side of the room, and the useful things such as notes and such laid out neatly on my desk. There was a grandfather clock in the middle of the left side of the room, along with some fairly nice paintings. The floor was carpeted with brown, a fairly nice "office" color. Certainly better than grey, in any case.
I sigh contentedly, sinking into my seat as I look over the chart again. It's about three in the afternoon, and apparently Seta should be showing up fairly soon. I think for a second before deciding to get some tea ready. Might as well welcome him in, and besides, it might get me a good reputation if I greet all my guests with some tea. I start it up, and by the time it finishes, I hear the chime on top of the door sound, announcing Seta's arrival. I straighten the tie on my suit a bit before walking out with the tea, smiling at hi-
Woah, hold on a second. Him? The grey haired boy from earlier stands in the doorway, looking almost as surprised as me. I recover quickly, stating calmly;
"Ah, you must be Seta then, please, go ahead and have a seat." I nod towards the office door, and follow him as he walks in. I place one of the tea cups on his side of the desk before sinking into my own seat, sipping at the cup. I try to let my patients make the first move, always makes it more interesting in the end.
On the downside, this also leads to increasingly awkward silences. We spent a good five minutes staring at each other imposingly while sipping our tea. Eventually, I realized that we weren't going to get anywhere like this. I placed the tea on the desk, leaning back into my seat while recalling Seta's file.
"So then, Seta. Have you been acclimating well?" I ask, smiling slightly.
"Yes, I suppose. It's been slightly difficult, but I'm adjusting. Now, how have you been acclimating yourself, Nanami-san?" He asks, smiling the same noncommittal smile I am. Damn, he's good. Managing to put me on edge too, although I suppose that's only polite. Hmmm…
"Rather good! It's nice to be in a small, quiet town." I reply. "But I'm wondering, how did you know I was new here as well?" I quirk an eyebrow at Seta, keeping my face blank. He continues smiling, looking directly into my eyes. God, this kid is somehow more imposing than any patient I've ever met.
"Oh, you know, new people in town always attract gossip… especially when they purchase a building. Not to mention, Inaba didn't exactly have a psychologist before." He states matter-of-factly, grinning once again. I don't quite know what to make of him. That still doesn't really make sense, though. If I'm correct, he's been in town only as long as I have, and I doubt anyone at school would be talking about the brand new psychologist versus the new kid in town.
"Hmm, I suppose word travels fast! It must be the same for you, eh? The new city boy in town!" I reply, chuckling a bit. Might as well surprise him as well, if he's going to do that to me.
"Heh, you could say that alright. I managed to get yelled at straight away by my teacher. Said something about how I was a pimp or a gangster or something, and that it isn't the same out here in the country. I wasn't really paying attention until he called me a loser." He sighs, rubbing his temple. "At that point, I got a little ticked, so I called him out in front of the entire class."
I couldn't stop a chuckle, imagining the scene. "Must have been quite the reaction you got there, eh? Was it worth it?" I smile, starting to analyze him a bit. Probably the "cool guy" sort of type, always trying to stay above everyone else. Or maybe not, bit too early to tell.
He grinned before replying. "Totally. Not many better ways to become popular straight away than putting an asshole teacher in check, and if Morooka doesn't like me, I think I can live with that. I'm pretty sure him not liking me puts myself in higher esteem with the other teachers, anyway."
…Woah. Nevermind, he's definitely the manipulator type. Either that, or he just knows how to work situations to his advantage. Either way, he's definitely a lot smarter than I initially gave him credit for. And judging by his actions yesterday, he's also a pretty good guy. Speaking of which…
"So, about that train… I noticed you were trying to help that girl. A pretty chivalrous act, wouldn't you say?" Might as well get a sense of his ego, but it seemed to have a slightly different effect than I imagined. Usually when asked a question like that, people will either be humble, accepting, or arrogant. However, I noticed him frown a bit before responding.
"Well, I… I did the best I could, given the circumstances, but so many other people died. I wish I could've saved them, somehow." He frowns again, wincing as he relives the memory.
Hmm… Possibly a bit depressed, and I can't blame him. I feel the same way, but I've been trying to block it out. Hmph, hell of a psychologist if I try to repress things. I'll have to think about it later, now isn't the time.
"I see. I feel the same way, actually." He looks up suddenly, surprised. "Yes… I managed to help an old woman in the back who got trapped, but I was almost right next to the top car… Suddenly hearing their screams cut off, and the sounds…" I shudder. Hell, I guess it is the time.
"O-oh. Yeah, it was terrible." He looks a bit shaken up, more than before. More like he just got caught off guard than actual sadness… Wait a second. Was he trying to manipulate me? That cheeky little bastard! I barely suppressed a chuckle. My, this will definitely be one interesting patient. I'll have to keep an eye on him. Taking a look at the clock, it seems we only have a few minutes left. I take the tea again, sipping before starting to speak once more.
"Well, we can talk about that next time, if you choose to come. But more importantly, have you made any friends, enemies, all that?" I ask, sipping my tea once more.
"Well, I met a couple of people, but I haven't really gotten friendly yet. It's only the first day, after all, and people seem more interested in the gimmick of a city boy than me as a person, so far. It's… pretty irritating, actually." He sighs, rubbing his temple again. Finally, I find someone else who does that.
I grin. "Well, that's the curse of the new kid, eh? I'm sure they'll grow out of it shortly, especially if you kick their asses in the academics field. Well, either that or they'll think you're trying to make them feel stupid, which wouldn't be very good. Hmm…" I trail off, before realizing that I'm rambling -outside- my head. That's generally not good. "Er, in any case, I hope you have good luck in Inaba, I think you have a bright future ahead of you if you just keep at it. Will you be coming again, or do you think you're fine?"
A strange look passes his face, of confusion mixed with some anxiety before he responds. "Yeah, I think I'll be coming again. Nice to meet you, Nanami-san." He gets up, extending his hand towards me again. I take his hand, trying to think of why he made such an expression, frowning a bit myself. "Nanami-san, you shouldn't frown like that. I hear it causes wrinkles." He lets go of my hand, leaving the room without another word. Wrinkles? Is he saying I'm old? That little twerp…
=Another Super Special Line Break=
I take a glance at my appointment list again. Next up: Yukiko Amagi! Hmm, wait, Amagi inn.. Oh, this should be interesting! Daughter of the proprietor of the Amagi Inn, obviously. Apparently her parents scheduled the appointment, saying that she was becoming withdrawn for some reason. Great, looks like I get an enigma for my second case. Eh, probably just puberty and her parents don't like it. Definitely wouldn't be the first time. I get up, making some more tea, but this time I'm in my seat with the tea already placed when she walks in. I call her in, and she sits down.
"Help yourself to the tea, it's for first time guests." I nod, smiling.
"Ah, uh, thank you, sir." She mumbles, obviously not all that comfortable with the situation, although she does take a sip.
"Please, call me Nanami." Might as well get off this title business. It's always infuriated me anyway. All these sirs, sans, kuns, chans, it's all just so damned confusing.
"R-right, Nanami-san." Oh. Great.
"Right then, Amagi! Now, from the file I have here, your parents sent you here because you became, ah, "withdrawn to them". Now then, what is the cause of this, do you think?" Oh, well, that wasn't very tactful, but I think I can live with it.
"Um, well… I don't know. I didn't think I was being rude to them…" She trails off, looking at her feet. Well, let's look at all the ways that this is suspicious. Exhibit A! She didn't make eye contact. Exhibit B, I didn't say rude, I said withdrawn. Exhibit C, she's being very, very timid, or perhaps that was just how she was raised. Not sure if that's suspicious or not, I just wanted an Exhibit C.
"Amagi-kun," Eh, screw it. If it makes her comfortable, why not. "I didn't say that you were being rude, just somewhat withdrawn. Are there other issues affecting your relations?" I ask, furrowing my brows. I love doing that. Makes me look all mysteri- Right, back on topic.
"N-no." She replies quickly. Wow, it's almost as though she's trying to be an open bo- Oh, maybe she is.
"Now Amagi-kun, you can tell me the truth. I swear upon my soul that I won't reveal any of this to anyone else. Everything said in this office remains -strictly- between us. Okay?" I smile at the end, hoping to let her guard down.
"Um… okay then…" She trails off. Oh, right, maybe swearing on my soul was a bit extreme. Bah, who cares. Moving on!
"Well, let me ask again. Is there anything bothering you about your family?" The thing is, I'm not actually asking the same thing at all. I think I'm just being strange for the sake of it now. Oh well, it's fun, and it seems to be working a bit.
"Um, well, I have been having a few problems… You see, my parents want me to take over the Inn when I grow up…" She trails off, frowning a bit. Ah, so -that's- it! Makes sense. The traditional "I don't want to do this but my parents want me to oh my god" thing. …Usually, though, the subject tries to rebel at every opportunity. She doesn't quite seem the type, somehow.
"Ah. And you're not totally fine with that, I take it?" I ask, quirking an eyebrow.
"Well, it's not that I'm not fine with it, it's just…" She trails off again. Must not be very confident in herself, I suppose. Pretty damn hard just to get a straight answer, too. I nod, noticing that the time is almost up.
"Well, all I can give you advice for at this point is to simply follow what you want to do. It's your time in life to do what you like, don't waste it stressing about what comes after. Go out, live your life, and when the time comes, decide what you want to do. Simple as that." She stares blankly at me, obviously not buying it. Oh well, it was worth a try. Maybe she's one of those that think they're more mature than the other kids, I don't really know. "In any case, I'm afraid our time is up. Will you be returning?" I ask.
"Well, maybe. I don't know, I'll ask my parents. E-er, no offense or anything, Nanami-san!" She stutters, obviously trying to hide her dislike. Ouch. Well, can't really expect her to be happy with this situation, I suppose, but it still kinda hurts the pride.
I smile back at her. "None taken, I understand how it must be, being forced to come to a psychologist, especially when he's a city man. Well, you can come if you like, or if your parents force you to again. My door is always open. Well, unless I'm sleeping. Or shopping. Actually, let's just say whenever I'm not at home." Dammit, rambling again! Thankfully, I hear the door chime sound. "Ah, Amagi-kun, I'm afraid that my next appointment has arrived." I stand up, extending my hand, but she simply bows and shuffles out the door before I can say anything. Man, am I really that bad?
I sigh, realizing I don't have tea for this next one. I put the cups away in one of my drawers. If he doesn't know there was supposed to be tea, he won't miss it now will he? Now, I'll just read over his file for a few seconds… Woah. This is insane. As I look over the files, it seems that mister Kubo here has had quite the destructive life. Sedentary lifestyle, parents never made him go outside, apparently lots of neglect… he's been through his fair share of psychologists too. Apparently he has an unhealthy addiction to video games, has a huge amount of trouble maintaining social relationships… Hell, this is going to take a lot of work. I'm not going to be playing around with this one, that's for sure.
"Kubo-kun, you can come in now." I call through the door, preparing myself mentally. As he opens the door, I get a good look at him. …Fishface. Freaky. No, can't let myself think like that, he'll pick up on it subconsciously most likely, and then we'll get absolutely nowhere. I keep my face a steady blank, motioning for him to take a seat.
"So, you're the new one, eh?" He asks in a surly tone, sitting down in the chair as he smirks. Oh, wonderful, he's had experience with this. I'll have to make sure not to fall for his tricks.
"Yeah, I suppose so. I see you've been through your own fair share of psychologists, eh?" I ask, grinning.
"Don't try that friendly crap with me. You're just trying to catch me off guard so you can pry in deeper, loser." …Woah. Yeah, he's definitely had experience with this. Well, might as well cut the bullshit, he won't fall for the tricks if he knows them all.
"Yeah, I definitely was. However, I can see that little tactic won't work. I've been looking over your file, Mitsuo. You've had a hell of a life." I decided to drop the title thing, maybe catch him off guard a bit my own way. Old habits die hard.
"Hell of a life, eh? Good joke. Tch. How about I just leave, you're not getting anywhere." I am losing control of the situation, not good. Time to get a bit harsh. As he begins to rise from his seat, I say utterly calmly:
"Sit the hell down, Kubo." I glare at him, as he glares right back. He acquiesces, grinning a bit.
"You have a bit more backbone than the others. Interesting." Good, it worked.
"I'm flattered, Kubo. Now then, let's get right to business, since you obviously aren't having this manipulation shit. Why are you so broken?" I stare at him, trying to read his face.
"W-what?" Oh yeah, totally took him off guard. His eyes are widening, hell, he's almost gaping.
"You heard me. I've looked through your file, and you seem broken in so many ways it's almost funny. You have no friends, all you do is play videogames, and then you get all elitist because you're good at the video games, and everyone else is bad at them. But I have a theory. -You're- jealous of -them-, aren't you? Jealous because they got the good life, because they have good parents, because they have people to help them. But you… you have nobody. I've been there." I rant, this time apparently having a good effect.
"…" He says nothing, digesting everything I've said. I guess I was the first one to just put it all on the table. I decide to continue leading the conversation.
"Now Kubo, I am not trying to make you feel small here. And now I have only one question for you: How are we going to fix this?" I ask him, staring directly into his eyes. The alarm rings, I guess I got too into the ranting. "Alright Kubo, it's time to go. I expect to see you back here next week, got it?" He nods slowly, leaving the room without speaking. I hope I didn't go too overboard. …I probably did, but hopefully that's what he needed. Sure as hell what I had to have, when I was like him. Well, he's out the door, and it's five thirty now, so it looks like I have a bit of time to kill… let's go see what the local bar is like.
Et voila. First chapter done. Longest one I've written by far. Apparently actually taking breaks in the middle of it instead of forcing yourself through it for two hours makes it a lot better. Who would've thunk it?