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[That said, if she has to come down from here because you threatened her husband you'll probably leave the room with more issues than you had when you came in.]

[Hohoho, finally she is on the other side of the desk now, so to speak.]

[Rose peeks her head into the office, first noting the excellent taste in decorating, before noticing the man there.]

Setting up an office for something?

[He turns around at the sound of his alternate's voice and smiles as he gestures her inside.]

Yes, I thought I'd do a little therapy while I was here. There isn't really much else to do, is there?

[Rose smiled, walking in and looking around. It was similar to her office, with some differences ~~like no porn magazines sitting around.~~]

I made an office like this when I first got here too.

[She laughed a little.]

Maybe we should go into business together.

[~~Yeah he needs some pornos to spice things up around here~~]

You did? Didn't mean to step on your toes.

[The suggestion makes him smirk in return.]

That's not a bad idea. We'd make an excellent duo.

Don't worry about it. There's always a need for more people to help out.

I should have open office hours again sometime. I've been busy staying home with Jack and John.

[Although things have calmed down considerably, she'd just been enjoying being a mother and wife.]

If we did, we wouldn't have to worry about making competition for one another.

[Not that she was worried about that. The Nexus had enough crazy to share.]

The last person I'd want to compete with is myself.

[The mention of Jack and John gets a smile out of him, as he thinks about his own family. He wishes his daughter would show up...]

How have they been? Jack and John?

Don't worry. The more people for others to go to for help, the better.

[She smiled back at Russ.]

They've been well. Jack's getting used to normal everyday family life, and John is just starting to stop obsessing over how cool his dad is.

[Really, for awhile Rose pretty much hardly existed as far as John was concerned, since he was busy being thrilled about his dad.]

That's good to hear. I wish Jackie would adjust better... she still insists on spending most of her time in that cyborg body, and wanders off more often than not. I bet it would help if our daughter was here like your son.

[It makes him sad to think she might not be happy about a lot of things... he wishes he could help her settle down more.]

That's too bad...

[Even though Rose didn't know Jack's female alternate that well, she felt bad to hear that she wasn't adjusting well.]

Maybe if she talked to my Jack sometime, it might help? Since he kind of knows what she's going through.

That's not a bad idea.

[It might be hard to convince Jackie to do something like that, but he can probably nag her enough until she gives in.]

I think it could really do her a lot of good to talk to someone who went through the same sort of thing. Why don't I give you my contact information so that you can let me know when he'd want to talk to her?

[If there's one thing Solidus needs, it's therapy.

Big Boss doesn't bother to research, of course. Why bother? If they're not good enough, he'll sort them out. Instead, he simply carries the wriggling four-armed boy to the office-]

I told you, you'll feel better for it! Get your goddamn therapy or else I'm going to tan your hide until you could easily be mistaken for an embarassed red poison dart frog from behind!

[-shoves him through the doorway and slams the door shut. You can be sure that the door is being tightly guarded from the outside.]

And stay there until the therapist is done!

[Solidus is unceremoniously shoved inside the room, scowling angrily at the unfamiliar man behind the desk.]

I don't wanna!

Ah, Sir-

[He tries to call out to Big Boss, but the door is slammed before he gets a chance.]

[Wow... what a way to send someone to therapy. If this kid has issues, he might already know the reason why.]

Are you all right?

[He continues to scowl.]

I'm fine! I haven't gotten hurt in ages!

Can you tell me why your father brought you here?

[He may as well try to be helpful, even if he would have preferred to talk to his father first.]

He says if I talk to someone about stuff I'll feel better.

[He shuffles his feet and turns his glare to the floor. Solidus knows it isn't this guy's fault that Daddy was acting weird. Solidus wasn't a wuss, he didn't need to tattle about stuff...]

He is right about that. Talking about your feelings is a great way to make you feel better, no matter what might be bothering you.

If there's something you want to say, feel free to talk to me. I'll be happy to give you advice, or just listen quietly if you would prefer that.

[Grumbled] I'm not a baby or anything. I can handle stuff just fine on my own.

[Solidus glances at the door, knowing there's no way he's getting out of here until he talks about things. Which brings up another question...]

What am I s'posed to talk about?

Now listen, when you say you can handle stuff on your own, that's actually very unhealthy thinking. People often become depressed or violent because they think talking about their feelings makes them weak. It's actually the strong people who are willing to talk.

[Admittedly, he isn't used to giving kids therapy, but it might not be too different.]

Why don't you start by telling me something about yourself?

But Daddy doesn't talk about feelings.

[Still, he'll humor the guy and take a seat. The Snake Arms remain tucked close to his body.]

My name's Solidus an' I live in a world where Daddy, that's Big Boss, is raising us three clones. Everyone here says that's weird, though, cause in most other worlds Solid has'ta kill us cause we turn into monsters and are Bad Guys.

Solidus...

[A woman in his world, he still knows what Solidus was responsible for, namely turning Jackie's life into a living hell. So that had been Big Boss? This is sure a lot to take in.]

Does knowing about your future often upset you?

[Still, he knows it wouldn't be right to place blame upon a child when he might not even become that person anymore.]

Sometimes, but it's not my future. [He shifts in the chair, eventually kicking off his shoes so he can tuck his legs up underneath him.] I saw that in another room; I'm not gonna be a monster.

[He fixes his gaze on the carpet, memorizing the pattern.]

It's kinda scary, though, I guess. What I could have been if Daddy hadn't kept us. Do you know about that? About the Big Shell and the Patriots gettin' me?

I do know about it, yes.

[Too well... he had been working as a Patriot spy for awhile, after all.]

It's good to know you can separate your reality from all of the others. That doesn't seem to be a problem for you... is there anything else on your mind?

[He'd rather avoid being asked questions of himself on that matter, so he keeps his own questions coming.]

There's a Solidus here from after that, after the Patriots took him apart. Meeting him was kinda scary.

[He wraps his arms around his legs and rests his chin on his knees.]

Sometimes other people don't care about whether my world's different or not. I guess I deserve it, anyway, since I could've been bad. I mean, I was, just not really me, y'know?

No, you don't deserve it, and you shouldn't think you do. People from different times can't even be considered the same, and definitely not from different worlds.

People who refuse to see the difference are wrong, and you shouldn't listen to them.

[The kid doesn't seem too convinced, but he makes a noise of agreement anyway. The Snake Arms join his human arms in wrapping himself in a hug.]

I don't like it when people don't care 'bout me being from a different world.

Why don't you tell me about a few examples of people not caring? Maybe we can think about what happened and try to find ways to make the situation better if it happens again in the future.

The one that sparkles doesn't like me, so I just try not to bother him very much.

[He "hnn"s the way most Snakes of any kind do]

There's this one Jack...I met him an' his Rose when they first came to the nexus. I tried to explain the nexus, but I think he was drinking and he got really angry when he saw my Arms. He beat me up pretty bad. I was scared. I think his Rose was, too. Maybe it's cause she was gonna have a baby.

[Oh... oh. Jack... that makes sense then. He could see Jackie not bothering to consider the differences between worlds when it comes to Solidus. She, and probably by extension the other Jacks, had suffered far too much trauma at her/his hands to be able to do that properly.]

I'm going to recommend that you do your best to avoid any version of him in the future. I know it hurts to be judged for what you haven't done, but in this case the safest option is to avoid confrontation.

[Solidus swallows hard and hugs his legs closer to himself.]

I just...I wanna make things better. He's supposed to be my son, right? Even if I did bad things...I wanted to try to make things better. I wanted to be a good Daddy.

[Merrel had just been passing by really, when his eyes caught sight of the comfortably-decorated office. The soldier didn't even notice that someone was occupying this apparent office at first, but then he blinks as he recognizes the man]

[Leaning against the doorframe] ...Russ?

[Why would anyone set up an office in a place like The Nexus?]

Merrel.

[He gets to his feet, appearing pleased to see the other man. Really he's a bit hesitant despite last parting on somewhat friendly terms... but hopefully nothing has happened to make those terms any less friendly.]

Welcome to my new office. [Russ walks over to shake Merrel's hand.]

...You're really setting up shop here, huh?

[Merrel takes Russ's hand and shakes firmly]

Thanks, I guess.

[Feeling more relaxed after the firm handshake, he steps back with a nod.]

Why not? Staying home all the time doesn't do it for me, and it seems like a lot of people here could do with an unbiased ear to listen to their problems.

[And the real dangerous crazies don't seem attracted to this kind of thing, so he isn't really worried about that.]

...I guess that makes sense. Soldiers can't be the only ones feeling restless in a place like this.

[Dropping his hand] So what exactly is the goal here? [Bluntly] To make the building a safer place by acting as a shrink for all the nut-jobs?

I wouldn't claim such a lofty goal as that. I just want to help troubled individuals regain some peace of mind. I don't have any certification to hand out medication, so I can't do much for some of the... worse cases. But every bit counts.

[His other skills aren't exactly useful here, so this is about all he can think of to do.]

"Troubled individuals"... That's a nice way of putting it.

[Merrel decides to just let himself in; walking a bit past Russ to get a better look at the man's office.]

Hn. Looks like a pretty comfortable place... but I guess that's the point. Was this already set-up when you found the room?

[He doesn't mind, and has kept the room open so people could do just that. He'd like to keep the atmosphere as relaxed and casual as possible.]

A lot of the furniture was already lying around, but I arranged it myself and found some of the other things in nearby rooms. I prefer my office to have a personal touch.

[Russ gestures toward the larger couch.] Feel free to take a seat.

Sure.

[Merrel walks around and takes a seat on the couch, leaning back comfortably as one of his boots rests up on the edge of Russ' small coffee table]

[Jokingly] Is this the part where you psychoanalyze me? [Ohey chocolate. Merrel grabs a piece for himself]

[Russ goes and sits on the armchair across from him, glancing at the boot on his coffee table. Hnnnn... he'll have to make sure that's cleaned off later. But back to Merrel.]

I'd prefer to let you do the talking. The more you say, the less you need me to.

[He would actually really like the chance to talk to Merrel about the things troubling him, because he's well aware that there are quite a few.]

[While there are indeed quite a few issues in Merrel's life right now, he's not exactly taking this therapy session too seriously as of right now. That's not to say he came here for the purpose of making light of Russ's profession; he's genuinely curious to see what kind of work Russ plans on doing for people here. It's just that, in Merrel's mind, therapy is for nut jobs and people in danger of cracking under pressure. Feeling that he obviously falls into neither category, Merrel definitely doesn't think that this is something he needs to take seriously at all.]

Uh.... [Popping the small piece of chocolate into his mouth, chewing momentarily]

...Don't think I've got much to talk about, doc. My life here's pretty normal, I guess. As normal a life as any soldier can have in The Nexus, anyway. There are a few ups and downs- but nothing out of the ordinary for this building. Compared to the completely shitty time others have had here, I guess I can't really complain about my own Nexus life. [The man eats another piece of his chocolate.]

[Dimitri had been in places like this before. Therapists. People who helped you talk through problems. He had talked with people like that in the past, and they had been slightly helpful, but the last one he had met was at least two years ago.]

Hello? [He lingered in the doorway, not quite willing to come in.]

[Woah there, that gas mask looks familiar. Even if the Mantis in his universe was a woman, some things transcend gender differences. And though his Mantis might be dead, he's aware of his Foxhound history. ...Also means he remembers Mantis can read minds, so he'll try to stop thinking about him like that.]

Hello. [Russ gets to his feet, offering a smile. He'd never had a psychic for a patient before, and definitely not a famous one.]

Come in, the office is open to all.

[Russ didn't have to worry. This particular Mantis was actually somewhat gun-shy about reading minds now. ~~Although he might be interested to know how much of his personality remained the same growing up as a girl.~~]

[Nodding curtly, Dimitri walked in slowly. Everything about the space was warm and inviting. Like a playroom.] I can't say I'm very comfortable in places like these, but...they do serve a purpose.

Do you- [He licked his lips, many questions and anxieties bubbling at the back of his throat.] have experience in dealing with depression? And anxiety?

[He's glad he's made the place sufficiently inviting. Russ firmly believes that the way a room is arranged reflects a great deal about the room's owner, and as a counselor, he wants to project himself as calm and welcoming.]

Yes I do. [He gestures toward the larger couch in the room.]

Why don't you take a seat? Make yourself at home.

[... Well, he was already here. Might as well get the closest thing to a professional opinion while he can.]

Thank you.

[Sitting down, for Dimitri, is sort of like watching a Jacob's ladder toy fold in on itself. He took a seat on one of the couches, crossing his legs pretzel style and tugging his shirt into place.]

Most of what I've been thinking about concerns one person. I don't know if you recognize this name, but he's known by many as Psycho Mantis. As far as I've been able to tell so far, he's from a future point of my life.

[He folds his hands, leaning forward slightly in a relaxed position while he listens to the other man.]

Yes, I know about him. But judging by the way you're talking about him, you consider he and you to be two distinct people, is that right?

Distinct in that we come from other times and worlds, yes. [He pinched the pointer of his left hand with the pointer and thumb of his right, twisting it back and forth.] And certainly, we are almost nothing alike in personality, but we share the same history. His alteration is that something happened to him further along the time-line that I've been treading.

[If the mask had been removed, if Dimitri was able to get by without it, he would have looked very worried. His tone has gone very flat, as he keeps talking. Surely...his mounting fears are unfounded. Right?] It's very hard to distance myself from him in that respect. He's suffered a fate that I dread.

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