Four years later.
Issinia offered a blanket to the shivering pandaren woman, helping her to bundle up despite the warm air in the Townlong Steppes. Recovery from addiction often caused odd reactions in different individuals, and the furry female fully understood that the chill was all in her head. Regardless, she felt more comfortable wearing the blanket as if it were cold, and Issinia was happy to oblige if it helped the client to feel better. Small niceties like that were part of their success; though relatively new, the Sisterhood of Elune mission in the region had built a reputation for their kind treatment of the lost and the sick who showed up at their proverbial doorstep.
A few more people milled about beneath the wide tarp without walls, taking cover in the shade it provided from the sun outside. Living among the outlanders required one to conform in many ways; Issinia had finally grown used to being awake partially during the daylight hours. Once the woman who always felt cold returned to the enclosed tent she shared at the camp with several other clients - not patients, as Tinalith had reminded them - Issinia was able to field questions from a few new arrivals who were waiting in a line as if queuing up.
Four of them - three pandaren standing at the edge of the tarp and one very large but peaceful mogu kneeling outside - regarded Issinia a bit shyly. "Come in, please," she chortled while beckoning them with a downward motion of all four fingers, as was common on their continent. "There's no need to line up. There's enough soup for everybody; please, help yourselves." She pointed toward a long table where Jupiter, in full priest gear, was serving hot bowls to the residents of the camp as if her were a volunteer, regaling more of his old stories to whoever was in earshot.
Nodding and thanking her profusely, all of the group save a rather thin pandaren man left to receive warm soup, one of the more common food items allowed in the controlled diets at the mission. Registration could be handled later; Issinia rarely engaged in formalities with new arrivals, allowing them to mingle at the site for a period of time to get comfortable before officially checking them in.
The thin man looked around nervously, hugging himself a bit. He was obviusly experiencing withdrawal from an unnamed substance, but didn't appear to want to leave, which was a good sign judging by how poor his condition appeared. "Is there...a talk here?" he asked cautiously. His Common was near perfect and his unease was obviously due to the condition of his health.
Smiling as warmly as she could, Issinia easily fell into the sort of calming, nonchalant body language she'd mastered when speaking with the undecided or uncomfortable who approached the Sisterhood. "Ah, you must be referring to the introductory speech by one of our greatest success stories," she replied in a low, humming tone. "Yes, Sister Anna will begin shortly. She once struggled through addiction, and...well, it's better to hear the story from her directly. Come!" Issinia reached one hand toward the soup table and the other toward the nervous man. "All are welcome here."
Hesitant at first, the thin man gripped his jacket a bit tighter as he took baby steps into the covered buffet and seating area. "I...oh...I don't have much money," the man mumbled uncomfortably. "I spent most of it on...my...I don't have much money."
"You don't need any; all of our services are provided free of charge. Please, the soup is still warm; you and your companions look like you all just walked a long way."
"We did when we heard about the mission. We experienced some...difficulties...along the way. I...thank you so much, really. We haven't eaten since yesterday."
"There is no need to thank us; not ever." Issinia ushered the now less nervous man toward his companions as they chatted with Jupiter before turning her gaze back toward all the chairs that had been set up facing a low stage.
A number of clients at the mission had already begun to sit down. Many had already eaten and undertaken their chores for the day; others were already seated and finishing their meals as they waited. All things considered, the new mission had been a fantastic success in a region that had, until recently, been plagued by petty drug peddlers and growers. While local authorities had rooted out the origin of the problem, they'd proven ineffective at healing the damage already done, and the Sisterhood had practically been begged to set up their mobile treatment clinic. Proud of their work and thrilled at the recovery the locals had begun to make, Issinia leaned against one of the poles supporting the high tarp as she observed.
"It's incredible, isn't it?"
Smiling with her eyes closed for a second, Issinia soon turned to find Anna approaching. None of the current clients would recognize her, and thus she was free to speak with her former facilitator as they wished.
Relaxing as Anna finally reached her, Issinia admired the non priestess Sisterhood uniform that the shorter woman wore. "You were a part of what made this program such a success," Issinia chortled.
"Oh, stop. I was enrolled in the program, not working on it."
"You were, in a way. Your patience with all my beginner's mistakes gave me time to develop that new facilitator training workshop I handle. Plus, your success story was part of what convinced the higher ups back home to expand the program internationally." That sappy feeling began to overtake Issinia again, and she didn't hold back. "I've never thanked you properly. I know I wasn't an easy counselor to have in the beginning."
Pursing her lips tight, Anna's resolve broke and she laughed out loud. "Nooo...it wasn't like that..."
"Swear?"
Anna just pursed her lips again and crossed her arms. "Maybe..." she replied, to the amusement of both of them. Once they quoted down, Issinia gave her the same look.
"Thanks. I mean it."
Grinning with far more confidence than she'd ever shown during her own time in rehab, Anna truly did look like the changed person she was. "I accept your thanks. If anything, because I know you won't accept any other answer."
"Hey, I'm not your facilitator anymore; you're a regular, clean living, everyday citizen. I can bully you now and it isn't a breach of trust."
Anna smiled and looked down. Though they were both employed by the mission by that point, they didn't see each other as often as before due to their work schedules. As the Sisterhood's most sought after motivational speaker on the entire Pandarian continent, Anna did have to travel a bit. Looking up at Issinia for the first time in a few months, Anna's faded eyes bore a thoughtful glint to the,.
"Do you ever wonder what would have happened had you gone to Uldum?" Anna asked. Though she retained the greatly increased confidence in her voice, there was a measure of self consciousness to it.
But Issinia needed no time to think about her answer. "Honestly, I do think about it sometimes. But it would have been perhaps the greatest mistake of my life; I would have hurt you, sold myself out and missed out on all the other people we've helped by expanding this program." She shook her head as if to dispel the slight hint of doubt she noticed in Anna's demeanor. "I have absolutely no regrets. None."
Vulnerability crept in to Anna's features if for only a split second before fading away. "Thank you, Issa," she whispered, almost looking choked up for the first time in four years.
Their quiet moment was allowed to linger a bit longer before Tinalith's slight footsteps approached and broke the silence. "Alright, Anna. We have thirty six clients gathered - it's a good time to get started."
"Of course, of course," Anna replied. "I don't want to keep everyone waiting."
The group split up as Anna moved to the stage in front of where all three dozen eager listeners had taken their seats. It was a mixed crowd of those in need of guidance and help; mostly from the continent, some from beyond. Numerous pandaren were seated, many of them thinner than usual after their struggles with addiction. A handful of hozen sat among them, and the mogu - who appeared fine aside from a haggard look to his eyes - sat on a mat in the middle. There were even a few goblins and humans thrown into the mix in a sign of consistent immigration across the globe. Some of the people were uneasy at the thought of being called on, others were tired and exhausted from their withdrawal symptoms, but all of them bore the same look of hope in their eyes as they waited for the legen who had beaten a nearly fifty year addiction to become one of the most respected women in the public speaking circuit.
Issinia followed Tinalith, who had already staked a seat out next to Jupiter. Both of them were a bit older and always discreet in their behavior, though word tended to travel fast among the missionaries. They sat a few inches apart, honestly believing that nobody knew they were seeing each other in private, and Issinia nearly giggled in the way her mother did at how cute the two older people were.
Next to them was Narrus, wearing a similar uniform to Anna's. He'd adjusted to life on the move as a missionary quite well, though since he mostly still handled administrative work, the only real change in his job was that he now worked in a tent instead of an office. The real change to their life, however, was bouncing on his knee. At two years old, their daughter - the first of several children they wanted to eventually have - had already become a world traveler, even dealing with boats and portals like a little trooper. Though her name - Ireth - was an amalgamation of the name of Issinia's aunt and the birth name of her mother, the toddler's features were those of Narrus. Added to the fact that Ireth always wanted to sit on her father's lap, the girl's appearance and demeanor had been the source of numerous jokes in the family.
Taking a seat next to her husband and little girl, Issinia scooted a little closer as she watched the stage from the back row.
"Gub gub gub gub," Ireth babbled as she finally let her mother hold her, a rare instance of calm detachment from Narrus.
"Watch auntie speak, Ireth," Issinia half laughed and half whispered to the little girl. Narrus, having just finished his shift, was a bit tired and sufficed by just putting his arm around Issinia's shoulder and falling halfway asleep during the introductory talk.
Murmurs in the audience died away as Anna took the stage. A number of the new clients had passed her on the way to the center of the camp without recognizing her, and gasped and oohed when they realized that the demure, humble woman in front of them was the person they'd heard so much about. Clasping her hands in front of her, she gazed over the audience, making eye contact with a good number of them before she spoke, unable to and even unconcerned with hiding the wide smile that had plastered itself on her face.
"Welcome, friends, to the Sisterhood of Elune mission in the Steppes. As I'm sure all of you know, it's our duty and our pleasure to assist you all as you begin the healing process. So many people have been hurt by the synthetic poisons in the world...and so many people have also been rejected for crimes that were not their own.
"We are not bad people; those of us who have struggled with addiction, I mean. We are not criminals. The pushers, the dealers - those are criminals. And like the wider society that must deal with the results, we are more of the victims. No matter what some people tell you, no matter how some people might make you feel, the most important thing to remember as you take the first step in the healing process is: you are not a bad person."
More murmurs were punctuated by nods and words of agreement. A few people in the audience hugged themselves subconsciously, a common nervous mannerism, while others straightened up in their chairs, uplifted by the kind words. Sitting in the middle of them all was the ten foot tall mogu, his fierce visage breaking into a pained, downcast frown that spoke of numerous scars left by emotional and verbal abuse. A single tear dropped down his stone cheek, but he nodded alongside his travel companions at the reassurance.
"My name is Anna; and I am the first person to have successfully completed the Sisterhood's treatment plan. For half a century, I, too, was afflicted by addiction. For half a century, I found myself unable to live a normal life. But after half a century, with the Sisterhood's help, I was able to recover and begin my new life.
"And you all can too; every single one of you. And that's why the mission is here. Let me start from the beginning...
A/N: and so ends the tale of how Issinia learned to properly care for those in need, and how Anna was able to help others find their way. And you get to see Issinia and Narrus with their first of four children.
I planned this story for far longer than I did others. While I tried my best to prepare for writing about the humanistic approach to psychotherapy without directly mentioning it, I am not an expert; I apologize if some parts were represented inaccurately. Hopefully if that is the case, then such parts were minimal. I wanted this to be more about the learning process for them both rather than a technical manual.
Thank you all so much for reading this. And I do want to say...if a friend or a loved one struggles with these same issues, please don't treat them harshly. Because quite often, the people who push such vices will often treat them like royalty to keep them coming back. Cherish those close to you, no matter what their flaws, and don't treat the sick like criminals.