First Session: Ashton

AxelAsh

AxelAsh

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When Ashton had been brought to the island, he was surprised at how big of a community he was brought to. He was actually not used to being around so many people with similar attributes and powers and such. But even so, he still felt terribly out of place. Oh no, that was true. Ashton was surrounded by all these people but he still felt that crippling loneliness he felt when he was by himself in his cell. He was so terrified of this feeling, to the point on the plane he'd been crying.

Obviously crying as indication he needed therapy, which was just as so. Ashton had seen some shit that would make people pee their pants and have nightmares for weeks. He sighed, sitting down in the therapist office he had been assigned to. He looked around the room, taking note of all the items and things. He took a deep, and long breath, his head hanging between his knee's.

Ashton had been giving the bare bones of clothing and items when he arrived. Tattered up converses, old jeans that barely fit him(they just hung off him) and a grey hoddie. His hair was a mess and he looked as though he hadn't slept in days. He kept that hoodie wrapped around him tightly, feeling as if he didn't everyone would see how badly beat up and scarred he truly was.

He was terrified really. What if they decided he was a lost cause? What if this person thought he wasn't worth helping and they sent him back to those people!? WHAT IF THEY THOUGHT HE WAS TOO MUCH OF A THREAT TO LEAVE ALIVE!?

Those thoughts raced and swirled in his brain to the point he began to cry quietly in the chair he sat in, just waiting.
 
Romi

Romi

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Valli's office was fairly new, and thus sparsely decorated. He'd done his best to make it feel comfortable and lived in. It wasn't a terribly large space--there wasn't even a waiting room--but a small plaque outside the door had his name on it, and nothing else. In fact, he'd gone out of his way to avoid anything that might mention it was a therapist's office, preferring for things to remain as low key as possible. he was well aware of the importance of discretion, and he tried his best to stick to it whenever possible.

The office itself was simple and sparsely decorated. Light green walls, a large window with frosted glass to keep anyone from seeing in, and then a desk pushed up against the wall. Valli preferred not to give his patients the idea that he was looking at them over a desk, preferring to rest in his own chair while they rested in theirs with nothing between them. The desk was for between patients, and beside it was a large filing cabinet, already filled with patient files.

Of course, all of that went by the wayside when the person who was supposed to be receiving therapy was so upset by the idea that they started to cry. When Valli returned to his office--a few minutes late, having gotten stuck in a conversation in the hall--he was surprised to find that not only had his next patient arrived a few minutes early, but had already started to cry quietly. It was barely audible, but even from behind Valli was used to noticing body language, and everything about the boy's posture screamed fear and misery.

"Are you alright?" He asked, closing the door carefully behind him. The answer was obviously no, but it was probably better not to rush too quickly into things.

 
AxelAsh

AxelAsh

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As soon as he heard the other speak, Ashton let out a startled cry. Of course, that startled cry had caused him to light his own shirt on fire on the shoulders a little.

"Gah! Shit shit shit shit!" he whispered before patting the fire out. He took a deep breath, wiping his face with the back of his hands and sleeves. "S-Sorry, I didn't mean to ya know...be an issue." he muttered, trying to perk up a little. Ashton was still terribly concerned. His stomach was churning and lurching and he felt like he was going to be sick. It was really just his hunger and his nerves.

He just...didn't want to worry about his future anymore. He wanted to be free to do what he wanted and just to be left alone. Sadly, he wasn't ever given that opportunity. He was worried out of his mind and it was showing.

"I...I've never been to a therapy session...before." he muttered, fidgeting in the seat he sat in. Scooting forward to protect his wounded back that was originally sitting up on the back board. "I-I'm Ashton but you more then likely already know that...What exactly do you know?"

@Romi
 
Romi

Romi

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It wasn't the first time Valli had suffered from things being lit on fire in his office. Really, he was happy it wasn't him being set on fire. That had happened once before, and with very unfortunate results.

"Ah!" He said, making a small startled noise. Even though Ashton was already putting it out, Valli made a point of ducking over to the cupboards, digging around for his miniature fire extinguisher. It was a bit old--and probably not exactly at it's best level--but he was pretty sure it would work if it needed to.

Extinguisher in hand, he stepped over, taking a seat across from Ashton and setting the extinguisher to the side.

"Don't worry about it," Valli said, waving it off. "No harm done. I have the extinguisher if it happens again and gets out of control."

He'd had much, much worse happen in sessions before, and a little bit of fire... well, a little bit of fire had hurt someone before, but not in this case.

"Would you be Ashton, then? Or would you prefer Mr. Allen?" He didn't mind which, although most tended to go by first names. "I have to admit I don't know much. Since you weren't forced into therapy but instead chose to seek it yourself, it's effectively just what you filled out - basic information, but not anything about why you chose to come. I assume someone suggested it for you?"

He kept his smile friendly, and his body language relaxed. Ashton was obviously nervous, and the most important thing would be getting him to relax.

 
AxelAsh

AxelAsh

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Ashton bit his lower lip but smiled weakly at the male. Thank god he wasn't angry about the fire, and he personally wasn't hurt. So it was all good. He rubbed the back of his neck. "O-Oh I'm sorry if my file isn't...filled fully. I don't know half of those questions on the paper; answers or what they mean themselves." he admitted, staying seated now.

"Um...Well to be honest I was given the choice of this or being stuck in another health facility for evaluations to make sure I'm suitable for outside living, and after the past few years I just...wanna be able to come and go as I please?" he muttered. Looking at his feet, he tapped his fingers on his knee's. "If that makes sense."

In Ashton's file, there would be a documented police report of the sort of torture Ashton had been subjected to while living with that Anti Demon group that had him prisoner.
Water torture, suspension, denied medical treatment and food, drugged, beaten, burned, and the list just went on and on. The worst one was probably when they would bind him in a straight jacket and keep him tied up onto a large cross like their Lord and Savior had been.

They treated him like an animal more then a person. He just...wanted to be left alone.
 
Romi

Romi

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That was what he got for being on time, rather than thirty minutes early. He was already behind, playing catch-up with a patient he should have already had all the information on.

He supposed, in a way, it might even have been better. Reports tended to treat things in very clinical manners, which was good for the professional reading them, but bad for the patient themselves. The first session was mostly about building a rapport, getting people friendly with him so that they'd be able to open up in future sessions.

"That's understandable," Valli said. "You seem composed enough that I doubt there would be any need for a facility, but even if they were, it's important to remember that those sorts of places do have their place. Especially when it comes to powers--some can be extremely disruptive, even more than just setting things on fire."

He'd seen some truly awful powers over his career, and randomly sets things on fire did not even rank.

"I suppose we should start with introductions, although I'm a bit disorganized at the moment. My name is Valli Bryndísarson. I'll be your therapist for the foreseeable future. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask me now, and in the interest of full disclosure, I should note that my powers make me seem a bit... put together than I actually am."

Well, he sort of was. But it was hard to explain the exact relation. It wasn't really an illusion, but it wasn't quite a change either. He just always looked his best, happy and healthy no matter what.

 
AxelAsh

AxelAsh

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For the first time in awhile, Ashton truly smiled. Valli seemed like a very nice person, and Ashton felt a small form of trust in him. He knew about Doctor Patient confidentiality so he didn't have to worry too much he supposed. And obviously, he was going to try and make him comfortable as possible.

"You're fine..." he said, rubbing the back of his neck. "And I bet you're more put together then me both inside and out." He took a breath, twiddles his thumbs together.

"I'm Ashton, and I have no idea what the hell I'm doing." he said with a small snort. "I'm 16 and still in the 10th grade but really I should be higher I feel and I have the social graces of that of an 11 year old." he snorts. "I've got this horrible fixation on food, and I used to enjoy dancing."
 
Romi

Romi

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"I'm an adult," Valli pointed out. "I've had more years to get myself put together than you've been alive."

He couldn't help but chuckling a tiny bit at his own joke.

"But what I meant was more physically. For example, if I were to roll out of bed in the morning, I'd still look like I'd put effort into my appearance. It's a time saver, although not all that useful."

Not compared to the powers so many others had, anyway.

He did like the way Ashton had introduced himself though. It was nice and personal, without focusing too much on his own problems. It gave a glimpse that Ashton had a life outside his trauma, which wasn't something all his patients did.

"I never really danced, I have to confess," Valli commented. "I should note I only got a portion of your file - I'll have the whole thing pulled before a second session, but before that, I want to hear things in your words. I find police files can be a bit... to the point. They don't give the full picture. You don't have to if you aren't comfortable, but I'd love to hear, in your own words, what you feel therapy might help with."

 
AxelAsh

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Ashton grins. "Wow I wish I could do that. Be camera ready all the time." he couldn't help but laugh. He was still smiling, seeming to be a complete 180 when he first got there.

"Mom used to be a competitive dancer. Her love for that engraved itself on me. She used to have all these beautiful costumes and outfits. She took me to one of her competitions before and it just sold me for life." he said with a grin.

When Valli mentioned the file being incomplete, he was not surprised. In fact, most people didn't know that facility even existed. He took a deep breath, his elbows resting on the arms of his chair as his fingers placed together.

"Well..." he whispered. "When....mom passed I went to live with her parents; my maternal grandparents." This was hard, in fact he sounded like he had something stuck in his throat.
"I had never met them, because they're very devote Catholics. And I'm half demon, and mom had me out of wed lock. You can imagine their initial response to finding out they had a grandson." he snorted, rolling his eyes.

"That woman was pretty much the description of a pencil in human form. Tall, straight edged, and looked at you like you were dirt to everyone. My grandfather had this...always upturned nose. Always sticking it in the air. They were wealthy, big house, lots of cars. Shame they weren't as nice as all their things." Another eye roll.

"They sent me to this...private religious school mom went to. I felt...small comfort with the idea mom had gone there but in reality I was always sick. Religious artifacts of holy nature make me physically hurt, or I get sick."

This was the part that got hard.

"I'm here because my track record of my anger." he whispered. "When I went to that school, I was picked on and bullied a lot. And when they started talking smack about my mom cause one kids dad worked with my grandfather and I was mentioned. I just...I lost it. I set that kid on fire without intending to, but...I liked it. And then I set the rest of the place up like a roman candle." He breathed.

He didn't realize he was shaking or even holding his breath. "Of course...my family wasn't happy. They had the biggest fit...." he stopped there, waiting for Valli to take all this in.
 
Romi

Romi

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The more he heard, the more Valli understood. While he had no particular gripes with organized religion itself, Ashton wasn't the first he'd heard a similar story for. Religion could bring out the very best and the very worst in people, and on an island with a large population of demons and half-demons, it tended to be the latter.

It was a lot to take in, but none of it was really unexpected. It ran down similar lines to ones that Valli had heard before. In many ways, Valli could relate, even if he hadn't really gone through the exact same things.

"Anger is common," Valli admitted. "Especially among those with demonic heritage. It isn't a matter of the children of demons are angry, but instead the children of demons have reason to be angry. One of the issues that the veil creates is that there isn't any sort of acceptance or understanding for them outside of the islands, and people like you often find themselves in unfortunate situations if they aren't involved with their demonic parent."

When the demonic parent was involved, things tended to go a lot better, but those cases were far rarer than ones where the human parent was abandoned.

"How old were you when you lost your mother? And when you lost control of your powers?"

He wasn't going to call it murder. He didn't know if he'd murdered it. Maybe the boy had gotten out fine, or with minor burns. Wording was important, and it was extremely necessary for him to be careful with what he asked.

@tag
 
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