“How’s the new job anyway? Putting that masters in psychology to good use, eh? Christ, you're even rocking the tweed jacket look now?"

“Ha, thanks. Sounds about right, but not as an academic counselor, more of a student life counselor. Think of it as a psychiatrist role for the student body.” I answered, giving our waitress a grateful nod as she picked up the empty teapot on the table for a refill of hot water.

"So, what's a normal day to day routine for you?"

"Hmm, why don't you take a look at my schedule for yesterday? I can't reveal anything confidential about my clients, but just between old friends, I can skim over some of the subjects that were discussed."

"Sure." After I slid my iPhone across the sarin tablecloth, Andrew scrolled up and down the screen before settling on Seo-yun/Sarah Choi, looking at me inquisitively. “Korean foreign exchange student?”

“Yes, she’s a sophomore majoring in molecular biology. She came made an appointment because she recently started dating a fellow classmate and wasn't sure what American men... expect from a relationship. I gave her a mouthful on how to appropriately bridge the cultural differences and she was quite grateful for the lesson."

"Hmm, that's not at all what I would've expected."

"Understandable, my job definitely focuses on satisfying the unconventional needs of the student body. But it is necessary all the same." I took another sip from my cup, then wiped away a droplet of chamomile hanging between my bottom lip and chin before brushing that thumb across a smooth, pale-white linen napkin. As the waitress returned with the now filled teapot, I flashed her a small, wry smile as Andrew continued to peruse my mobile device.

“Oh, thank you." He muttered as I deigned to refill his cup, his eyes scanning across the innocent notes I'd annotated underneath the name of the session's client. "What's up with Tricia Blaus? There's a frowny face next to her name."

"Poor girl came from not the best home life. Father abandoned her mother while she was pregnant. She's been dipping in and out of academic probation, acting up like a delinquent too. Ripped stockings, piercings and tattoos all over, inappropriate miniskirt and tube top, the whole 9 yards. Turns out all she needed was a strong male figure in her life to lean on. I even managed to convince her that there were other things worth doing that weren't drugs or alcohol."

"Even looking out for the ones that fell by the wayside, how kind of you. What about this girl? Christy Larson. You even scribbled a star next to her name."

“A player on our university’s D1 volleyball team. She’s been suffering from a case of body dysmorphia even though she has absolutely no reason to be considering the shape she’s in. But I suppose we don’t get to choose our vices. Anyway, I’ve been meeting with her every Monday and Thursday at 11am for the past 3 weeks, devoting ample amounts of time to help her work through her issues. Recently we’ve made a breakthrough; it was the first time I saw her with such a big smile on her face. Really tickles you in all the right places.”

My longtime friend nodded, then looked up at me confusedly. “Sorry, but you put down a wrong time here, right? Surely you didn’t actually have an appointment at 9pm.”

“No, that’s correct. Kali Sutherland. Her parents are alumni and they’re generous annual donors, so she gets extra attention and privileges from the faculty and is their good graces. But just between you and me…” I leaned in, lowering my volume down to a whisper, even cupping over my mouth with a single hand. “She’s just a hot-headed bratty princess undergoing a rebellious streak fueled by her parent’s money. I know we’re not supposed to speak ill of our students, but she even assaulted another student for flirting with a guy she had her eye on.”

Leaning back, I stretched my arms overhead, cracking the joints in my arms before returning to a resting position, my chin resting on a pink palm. “Of course, the university doesn’t want to suspend her. They managed to convince the victim to drop the assault charges, but they can’t have someone as volatile as Kali on campus regardless of her background. Anyway, they asked me to step in as the stick since the carrot wasn’t working. And seeing as she wasn’t complying with emails to a mandatory session on campus, the administrators gave me the address to her apartment to make her turn over a new leaf.” I flicked my wrist several times, curling and relaxing my fingers with a couple deep breaths. “Admittedly, being the disciplinary ‘bad cop’ made me a bit uncomfortable initially but I managed to power through and hopefully instilled some obedience into her. Only thing was I didn’t even get back home until midnight and I was sore all over already from everything beforehand.”

"... Is it just me or do you only have female clients?"

"Unfortunately, yes. I think it's partly due to the social stigma against men seeking mental help even if they desperately need it. Did you know that although women attempt suicide 3 to 4 times more than men, men are typically twice are successful? I try to make my services open to all, but only women ever take up the offer. If only people weren’t as judgmental against those that need mental help."

"Fuck, sorry. I didn't mean to come off as sexist or accusatory." I shrugged, flashing him a forgiving smile as Andrew settled on another appointment. "Why do you have an Ivana Rodriguez and Veronica Leonhart booked for the same time slot?"

"They're roommates that were written up by an RA for excessive disputing. I'll admit, those two definitely kept my hands full and I even needed to postpone the session after theirs, balancing their grievances among other things so that they felt they had an equal say during the appointment." As I spoke, I propped my elbows upright against the table's surface, lifting both palms up and down as if they were opposite plates on scale, my fingers curling inward from time to time. "But ultimately, I managed to find a compromise that satisfied all three of us. And I daresay they'll be better friends in the future now that I helped them find a common interest."

"Seems like you've really found your calling, huh? I'm happy for you. Also, got to say the trimmed beard look really gives you that authoritative edge." After reaching out and clapping me atop the shoulder, Andrew turned toward our waitress and lifted up his hand so that she knew we were ready to order, sliding my phone back towards me.

A brief chuckle slipped out from my lips, the amber pools in my eyes glimmering spectacularly underneath the soft yellow light as I reached out and slipped my phone back into the inner breast pocket of my coat. "Yes, I suppose so. And I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm practically threatening to burst at the thought of my next client walking into my office on Monday." I finished, giving him a smile before facing the window beside me, contemplating the challenges just over the horizon.

Tried my hand at writing a dialogue heavy prompt. Obviously, a college harem story, inspired by Hannah that I created from the ashes of my Big Tiddy Goth Succubus GF College prompt that didn’t work out so well!

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