It was in the afternoon, and the city of Hallen was starting to blossom. Although it wasn’t as urban as other cities, such as those in New York, it was clear that human civilization reigned supreme in the area. The only signs of other animals were of those walking their dogs and the cats inside peoples’ homes. The mark of wildlife on the city was always considered a rarity. As it was spring, some of the people prepared for the holiday of Easter in the year 2018.

In this city, there were many different kinds of buildings made for different types of work or merch. Shops and stores were all about, and there weren’t any vendors out on the streets. Of course, these weren’t the only buildings around; there were a few specialized buildings in the area: hospitals, offices, the occasional police and fire station, and naturally; a psychiatrist’s office, where one could speak their mind about the things that troubled them. However, even though the building itself appeared normal, the doctor inside was not.

Dr. K. Jones was a woman who had grown up inside this city, and had most certainly helped many other people with her occupation: a psychologist. She was the owner of the building she worked at, and was the only one inside the city who people could tell their woes and emotions to. However, as the city was mainly peaceful, she usually didn’t have any customers during the day: that is, customers from the city.

Dr. Jones’ business didn’t stop at the city’s borders, but at an entirely different world from theirs, where she would listen and give advice to foreigners going through troubling times. Her office showed up in several different places around that world, and despite looking randomly scattered, they all had something in common: they were always near areas of great tragedy.

Today, the temperature was quite warm, and the plants outside the building were receiving small amounts of sunlight. It was a cloudy day in front of the psychologist’s office at that place, and two people–one standing, one sitting, both otherworldly–were at the entrance inside the building.

“...Nata? S-Sorry, but, could you walk me in? I’m a little nervous…” The boy says while noticeably shaking, his breathing slightly off its course.

The said person then stands up relatively slowly from where he was sitting, and softly smiles at him. Their eyes make contact as the boy looks up to Nata. 

Nata speaks with warmth, “Of course Jaffy, you can always ask me for help. Do you need me to hold your hand?”

Jaffy, that troubled soul, was a frail teenager who appeared quite shy, and usually had a sad face whenever his friend wasn’t around. He had come to see Nata as a shining light in the darkness, as he had protected and saved him from many kinds of danger in the times they had known each other. He had grown a little bit dependent on his friend Nata, and believed he was a bother to him; therefore, he tried his best to be helpful to him.

Contrary to what Jaffy believed however, the man didn’t mind taking care of him. Jaffy sought to give something back to him for his help, but didn’t know whether or not his choice would be something Nata liked; it was a fact that worried him greatly. His body was covered with well-hidden scars, and his left eye was damaged from a certain injury that had happened to him in the past.

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

“No, no, don’t worry. I–I’m not that nervous.” Jaffy says while turning his head, gesturing to Nata to come closer. Nata walks over to him with a small degree of slowness, and together, the two of them walk side by side.

Nata was a kind man, though he became quite dangerous when it came to protecting his friend. He understood that the boy didn’t like sudden fast movements, so he always tried his best to slow himself down in order to make him feel safer. Although he did not know everything about him, he had faith in the boy and believed him to be an innocent child; that is, a child with a very large dose of trauma.

From what he had seen from him, Jaffy had gone through some very traumatic events, especially when they first met: hence why he found professional help that the man himself couldn’t give. After all, he was a swordsman, not a healer. Nata found it unbelievable how Jaffy had more scars than he did, and vowed to never let another be added to his total.

In the background, an inaudible conversation could be heard. From the tone of it, however, one could notice that it seemed like the people talking were wrapping up. Some noises sounded out inside the room, barely escaping the confines of the walls. One could then start hearing two pairs of footsteps, increasing in sound with every second.

‘I’m really nervous…just who is going to come out of this room?’ Jaffy thought to himself, putting his hands on some of his small scars. In those few seconds, his imagination threw itself around. Would they be some kind of rough demi-human? An absolute giant of a stoic person? Maybe an elf, from distant lands? Perhaps a soft, gentle person like his friend? Either way, he would know the answer soon enough.

“...okay, so you would like your next appointment at 5 P.M. next week on Jenkersday?” Dr. Jones asked, opening her room’s door. A middle-aged lady and a young man with dark circles under his eyes walked out, and the two people outside the room stood awkwardly.

The weary person replies to the doctor, “Yes, I’d like that please–oh!” He notices the two standing. He closes his eyes and smiles sheepishly. “Sorry, did I take too long? You can go in now, so don’t worry!” Although it appeared forced, he ran out of the room and disappeared outside. To where in the other world he went, only he knew.

The doctor looks at the man’s back, and chuckles to herself, swiftly going to a notebook. She writes the name of the one who just flew past, the appointment time on Wednesday, gets up, and apologizes to the people waiting for her to finish.

“I’m terribly sorry, you two. Hopefully, you weren’t waiting for too long. I believe this is…Jaffy’s first appointment?” The woman readjusted her glasses sharply, and Jaffy held back his flinch, albeit barely. “Apologies, but which one of you is Jaffy?”

Nata glances at Jaffy for a moment. The boy notices, and breathes in.

“I’m–I’m Jaffy, Dr. K. Jones.” He says, eager but nervous. “My friend said you could help me, so he–” Jaffy glances back at Nata. “So he scheduled an appointment for me at this time…right?” His heart rate goes up.

Affectionately, the psychologist smiles at Jaffy. “You can drop the K. in my name, Jaffy. If you’d like, just refer to me as ‘Doctor.’ You did come at the right time, so don’t worry.” She looks towards Nata. “I’ll be taking him in for a while, so if you’d like, you can come back later.”

“No need,” Nata replies back. “I’ll wait here.”

He turns slowly, and walks over to a nearby chair. As the sword he had would prove a hindrance to sitting on it, he took it off his back and held it with his left hand, making it lean on his body as he sat. The chair was heavenly compared to the hard wooden ones and the minimally useful cushioned ones, and he hid the satisfaction he felt.

“Don’t be too nervous, Jaffy. You’re in good hands.” The swordsman says, smiling at the boy. Jaffy nods back at him, some of his initial nervousness dissipating. The boy contemplates for a short moment. 

‘Since Nata said so, it should be true.’