Sneak Peek: Full-Contact Psychotherapist

(There was a discussion in the Zandraverse discord server this morning about "a therapist who makes people’s inner demons manifest then beats them up in single combat"—thank you Emily—and I got so inspired I had to write the start of it. If/when I complete it, the full version will be posted here for you all. <3)

~

For a long moment the woman stood there after opening the door, looking down at the disheveled stranger standing on the steps. Whatever was left of their umbrella could barely keep the pouring rain off of their coat, which itself looked like it had been in a fight. But if indeed it had come to blows between the two, then it was clearly the coat that had secured victory, albeit a pyrrhic one.

“Evening!” the person on the stairs said with gusto, reaching up to offer a crisp business card with the flick of a wrist. It was hard to tell their expression through the facemask and the mess of curly hair, but the smile was visible in their eyes. “Are you the one who made the appointment?”

The woman hesitated before taking the business card. “Uh, yes, that’s me,” she said, looking from the stranger to the card and back. “Are you…”

She again looked at the broken umbrella. The well-worn coat. The undeniable dark stain slowly spreading across the bottom of the sepia-toned facemask, threatening to drip down on the stranger’s white shirt. “Are you… okay?” she finally asked, involuntarily shrinking back toward the safety of her abode.

“Hm? Yes, why wouldn’t I… ah,” the stranger said, quickly reaching up to their mask with their free hand. “Dreadfully sorry about that. Been a long night!”

The woman stared back. “It’s barely seven.”

“Is it? Then I am on time!” the drenched figure replied cheerfully. “I assure you, from this point on I’m all yours. Though I, ah, could use your bathroom for a few minutes.”

From her vantage point at the top of the stairs, the woman seemed to weigh her options as she reaffirmed her grip on the door handle. But after a deep breath, her inner decision process came to a tentative conclusion and she took a step back. “That’s fine. Come on in.”

The stranger gave a quick courteous bow. “Gladly, thank you!” They reached up inside their umbrella and gave it a tug once, then twice, in a solid but fruitless attempt at closing it. They paused for a moment, shrugged, and finally threw the mangled remains into the trashcan by the stairs before making their way inside.