22 Phoenix place, Wednesday afternoon

[sharp_as_knives]

So, the group therapy sessions were to begin today. There hadn't been much terrible island trauma in some time, but there had been the minor ones, and surely some people had issues of their own. Hannibal was curious to see how many would show. The chairs and sofas in his office had been arranged into a loose and seemingly haphazard grouping designed to eliminate pressure from any one position.

After some deliberation, he'd decided that the food shouldn't overpower the discussion, and had gone with an assortment of very good cheeses, a few homemade sausages, fresh-baked bread and crackers, and a few types of jam. Plus, naturally, coffee, tea, and water.

When the time came to start, he nodded at the people there. "Before we begin, I must insist on a few things. First, there is to be no judgement. You may question each other, you may say you would do things differently, but this is to be a supportive environment for all. Also, anything said here remains here. Unless you are explicitly told otherwise, whatever you hear is not to be repeated." He waved toward the rear of the house. "The squirrels are currently working on a ridiculously good bottle of rum. The rest of you will simply have to be trustworthy."

He looked them over. "I thought to begin, we might start with stories. What is something you have had happen to you on the island - good or bad - that you would never have conceived of where you came from? And also, if you will, what is it you hope to get from this group, if anything?"

Hannibal smiled. "I can say from my own perspective that there are many things I never would have conceived of. Meeting aliens, being possessed, being a woman, being a child. It's fascinating, but it was quite an adjustment. And what I'm hoping for is to help people to make that adjustment." He looked expectant and waited for the next person to speak up.


[OOC: Open post! Other than who came and what Hannibal set up the office for, the rest is NFB due to therapy and squirrel bribes.]

Comments

Re: Arrive and mingle!

[furnaceface]

A hug! Jono was braced and ready for that as Alluka bounded up to him, holding his arms open and picking her up for a little (careful, as they were indoors) twirl.

//Hello there! And how're you today?//

Re: Arrive and mingle!

[that_oldsaying]

He gave the best hugs! And she loved that he twirled her. (It made her feel like a princess.)

"I missed you," she shared. "And, and I have a new toy! And I'm going shopping with Mabel and Ringo later!"

Re: Arrive and mingle!

[furnaceface]

//Missed you too, Sunshine,// Jono replied fondly as he set her down again. //And a new toy and shopping? Why, that all sounds terribly exciting. Want to tell me about either of them?//

Re: Arrive and mingle!

[that_oldsaying]

She'd tell him about both of them, if he gave her a chance!

"Andrew gave me a panda in class last week," she said happily, as she landed back on the ground. "And it talks! Back to me, I mean. And it can wave it's paws around and I don't know it's name yet. Do you think it'll give me it's name soon?"

Re: Arrive and mingle!

[furnaceface]

"It might," Jono replied, thoughtfully. "Though you might have to give it a few suggestions. Maybe it will decide that your name for it is special and want to keep it."

He kind of figured that a 'talking panda' was perhaps one of the 'squeeze its tummy and it says a pre-recorded thing' variety. If he knew 'Andrew' was Ender and he'd gotten the bear from Ben, though...

Re: Arrive and mingle!

[that_oldsaying]

It was so not her fault that Andrew was the only name she knew Ender by! Not her fault!

She giggled. "Maybe," Alluka conceded, "but, but since most of my toys only talk to me where other people can't hear them right, I think this toy should name itself because everyone can talk to it."

Re: Arrive and mingle!

[furnaceface]

//Ah,// Jono replied, giving a little nod. //Well, in that case, perhaps you ought to bring it out sometime, show it around the island. Maybe it'll find something that it thinks suits it best?//

No, really, Jono needed to meet this toy to really understand.

//What sort of things does it talk about?//

Re: Arrive and mingle!

[that_oldsaying]

"Everything," she said happily, pleased and delighted at his suggestion of bringing it to meet him. She was totally going to do that. "We have conversations all the time and I read her bedtime stories and she laughs with me."

Re: Arrive and mingle!

[furnaceface]

//Well, she sounds like an excellent friend for you,// Jono decided. //Have you both got a favourite story to read?//

Re: Arrive and mingle!

[that_oldsaying]

Alluka shook her head.

"I like princess stories," she shared, "so we mostly look at those ones. But I like all of them, as long as they end happily."

That was the most important part. No sad stories for her.

Re: Arrive and mingle!

[furnaceface]

//Happy endings are absolutely the best sort,// Jono decided, nodding his agreement. //Would you like me to keep an eye open for stories for you and your friend as well? It would be no trouble.//

Re: Arrive and mingle!

[that_oldsaying]

She gave him her best hopeful look.

"You wouldn't mind?"

Re: Arrive and mingle!

[furnaceface]

//It would be my pleasure,// Jono replied, honestly. //Good stories deserve to be shared, don't you think?//

Re: Arrive and mingle!

[that_oldsaying]

"Maybe," she settled on. "I like them shared with me."

Re: Arrive and mingle!

[furnaceface]

//Well, then that's exactly what I'll do,// Jono decided, nodding. And then tilting his head thoughtfully at her for a moment. //So, did you just stop by to visit, luv? Or were you hoping to take in the group therapy at all before you head out to go shopping?//

He was fresh out of pillows to dye, unfortunately.

Re: Arrive and mingle!

[that_oldsaying]

"I missed you," she said, like that it explained everything. Which it pretty much did. There was no world-ending reason for why she'd come to see him.

A beat.

"What's group therapy?"

Re: Arrive and mingle!

[furnaceface]

Oh. Oh, oh, oh, Jono's heart was doing a little happy 'awww' thing. Visits he got because of 'I missed you' reasons were few and far between. Alluka was officially the most warm fuzzy kid he'd ever met.

It was great to be needed for things from time to time. It was better to be wanted. It always kind of surprised him when it turned out he was.

//Group therapy is when a bunch of people sit down and talk about things that are on their minds,// he explained, still kind of stuck in happystupid 'aww' mode. //It can be good things or not so great things, but mostly it's about things that help people to put things into better perspective, so that they can learn and grow and improve how they're living.//

Re: Arrive and mingle!

[that_oldsaying]

Alluka looked down at her giraffe thoughtfully. It didn't look up at her, but that was okay.

"And even me is allowed to talk?" she asked.

Re: Arrive and mingle!

[furnaceface]

//Even you,// Jono promised. //Anybody who wants a turn to talk will get one, yourself included. Would you like to join in for the session, luv?//

Re: Arrive and mingle!

[that_oldsaying]

She looked up at him, her big blue eyes studying him seriously.

"Will you be there too?"

Re: Arrive and mingle!

[furnaceface]

//I will,// Jono replied, without even really thinking about it. He hadn't been planning to attend. Not that he didn't need therapy (he obviously did) so much as there was something sort of awkward about attending a group therapy session as led by one's romantic partner. But with big blue eyes like that? //I might not be terribly talkative, depending on how many people want to take a turn, but I'll absolutely be there, luv.//

Might as well, right?

Re: Arrive and mingle!

[that_oldsaying]

She smiled and her smile chased away the seriousness in her eyes.

"Then I'll go," she said happily. "Because it won't be scary if you're there with me."

Re: Arrive and mingle!

[furnaceface]

//I don't think it'll be scary at all,// Jono agreed. //And you might get to meet new friends. Ones you can talk to about anything.//

He certainly couldn't speak for everyone there, but he figured that Hannibal, at least, would be willing to listen. Hannibal was generally very much the listening sort.

Re: Arrive and mingle!

[that_oldsaying]

"I have friends I can talk to about anything," she said, hugging her giraffe.

She was totally talking about her toys.

Alluka smiled up at him though. "But more is always better, right?"

Re: Arrive and mingle!

[furnaceface]

//More is better,// Jono agreed, and then crouched down again to offer her another hug. //Let's go and take some seats then, shall we? And I'll be there for you the entire time.//