12th of Cylus, Arc 721
"You look antsy."
Prae tried for a grin, with mixed success. "That obvious, is it?"
The squirrel who'd introduced himself as Hong seated on a plush armchair on the other side of the room shrugged, a gentle smile on his muzzle. "We don't have to do this sitting, if you don't want to. I want you to be as comfortable as possible during our sessions."
Tail twitching too and fro, Prae took the squirrel up on his offer, standing and beginning to pace around the room. The study was a wide open space, built for ithecal proportions. In comparison, the squirrel and his armchair looked disproportionately tiny, settled against the far wall, where a few cool rays of moonlight shone through the window.
"So, to start us off, why don't you tell me why you came to see me." Hong suggested. "Can I assume this is your first time seeing a therapist?"
Prae sighed, rubbing his muzzle. "It is." He muttered. "I've been.... jumpy recently. Since last season, I've... my companions have learned not to surprise me, or I—" Prae raised his hand, forming a tiny whirlwind in it briefly, before letting the wind dissipate. "One of them heard about this place, and insisted I come." His muzzle broke into a brief smile. "'For the sake of my sanity, if not yours' she said."
"Your companions care for you," Hong noted. "You say this started last season—can you think of anything that might have triggered this response in you?"
Prae was silent for a long while as he paced a circle through the room. "It's ridiculous." Prae said finally, reluctantly.
"There's no such thing, Praetorum." The squirrel leaned forwards, paws resting on his knees. "Minds are complex things."
"I—" Prae's tail lashed once, twice, thrice through the air. "We won a war. In Rharne. I was fine while it was going on, but once it was done, I felt.. feel..."
The squirrel waited patiently as Prae struggled to find the words.
"It's only now that we're safe that I feel like there's an enemy around every corner."
"Does that scare you?"
"No," Prae shook his head. "But it's exhausting. I have to be ready to fight back at any moment. But there's no one, I know there's no one I need to fight." He rubbed his muzzle again, tension visible in his shoulders. "I don't know why this is happening now. The war is done, so why..." He trailed off, turning away from Hong as he continued to pace. Saying it out loud just drove home how stupid it was, for Prae to only develop this after it would have been useful.
"I see." Hong went silent, and for a moment, Prae felt a frission of alarm, that.... he didn't know what he thought, but it made him turn on his heel, only to find the squirrel exactly where he'd been, with a slightly pensive expression on his face. The squirrel glanced up at him, but didn't comment on the sudden movement. "Would you say the war was difficult for you, emotionally?"
Prae paused in his pacing. He had to think about that one for a while. "I... don't think so? Maybe. The threat of all of Rharne being set ablaze was not exactly relaxing, but I was doing fine then; I didn't have any of these issues while the war was happening. And I didn't have these issues before either."
"How long did you fight in this war?"
"Two seasons. Ymiden and Vhalar." Prae laughed softly. "I wasn't expecting to walk right into the middle of another war, though."
Hong smiled sadly. "Unfortunate timing, isn't it?" The squirrel pulled out a pad of paper. "I've got a questionnaire I'd like to walk you through, if you don't mind. Just to get a sense of where you're at."
Praetorum nodded. And as the squirrel began to run through his list of questions, he began to pace once more.
"You look antsy."
Prae tried for a grin, with mixed success. "That obvious, is it?"
The squirrel who'd introduced himself as Hong seated on a plush armchair on the other side of the room shrugged, a gentle smile on his muzzle. "We don't have to do this sitting, if you don't want to. I want you to be as comfortable as possible during our sessions."
Tail twitching too and fro, Prae took the squirrel up on his offer, standing and beginning to pace around the room. The study was a wide open space, built for ithecal proportions. In comparison, the squirrel and his armchair looked disproportionately tiny, settled against the far wall, where a few cool rays of moonlight shone through the window.
"So, to start us off, why don't you tell me why you came to see me." Hong suggested. "Can I assume this is your first time seeing a therapist?"
Prae sighed, rubbing his muzzle. "It is." He muttered. "I've been.... jumpy recently. Since last season, I've... my companions have learned not to surprise me, or I—" Prae raised his hand, forming a tiny whirlwind in it briefly, before letting the wind dissipate. "One of them heard about this place, and insisted I come." His muzzle broke into a brief smile. "'For the sake of my sanity, if not yours' she said."
"Your companions care for you," Hong noted. "You say this started last season—can you think of anything that might have triggered this response in you?"
Prae was silent for a long while as he paced a circle through the room. "It's ridiculous." Prae said finally, reluctantly.
"There's no such thing, Praetorum." The squirrel leaned forwards, paws resting on his knees. "Minds are complex things."
"I—" Prae's tail lashed once, twice, thrice through the air. "We won a war. In Rharne. I was fine while it was going on, but once it was done, I felt.. feel..."
The squirrel waited patiently as Prae struggled to find the words.
"It's only now that we're safe that I feel like there's an enemy around every corner."
"Does that scare you?"
"No," Prae shook his head. "But it's exhausting. I have to be ready to fight back at any moment. But there's no one, I know there's no one I need to fight." He rubbed his muzzle again, tension visible in his shoulders. "I don't know why this is happening now. The war is done, so why..." He trailed off, turning away from Hong as he continued to pace. Saying it out loud just drove home how stupid it was, for Prae to only develop this after it would have been useful.
"I see." Hong went silent, and for a moment, Prae felt a frission of alarm, that.... he didn't know what he thought, but it made him turn on his heel, only to find the squirrel exactly where he'd been, with a slightly pensive expression on his face. The squirrel glanced up at him, but didn't comment on the sudden movement. "Would you say the war was difficult for you, emotionally?"
Prae paused in his pacing. He had to think about that one for a while. "I... don't think so? Maybe. The threat of all of Rharne being set ablaze was not exactly relaxing, but I was doing fine then; I didn't have any of these issues while the war was happening. And I didn't have these issues before either."
"How long did you fight in this war?"
"Two seasons. Ymiden and Vhalar." Prae laughed softly. "I wasn't expecting to walk right into the middle of another war, though."
Hong smiled sadly. "Unfortunate timing, isn't it?" The squirrel pulled out a pad of paper. "I've got a questionnaire I'd like to walk you through, if you don't mind. Just to get a sense of where you're at."
Praetorum nodded. And as the squirrel began to run through his list of questions, he began to pace once more.