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Dual sides [Bear & Vyttor]

vyttor

vyttor

Super-Earth
Joined
Mar 27, 2011
Sigh.

Robert's tongue gently touched his lips, dry to the point of cracking from the fresh autumn air. Deep brown eyes trembled slightly as he contemplated the situation, gazing from the slip of paper in his hand to the tall modern building hiding in plain sight in between its peers. The question in his mind wasn't the address, but rather his own purpose in being there. Should I be doing this? And yet that was the question he had been asking himself over and over again lately, and that had guided his steps to a psychiatrist.

His slim frame didn't call much attention as people walked past him, leaving the building for the evening. It suited him - it was useful at his nighttime occupation serving justice. Long strong fingers flexed and stretched, a habit of preparation for whatever challenge was to come, no other muscle moving in his toned but very lean body. The loose fitting jacket barely twitched, grey over the dark blue shirt. What am I even going to say? I mustn't reveal I am the Hunter.

Long strides finally carried Robert in. As the elevator doors closed behind him he was glad to find sometime alone as it climbed. The person in the mirror, short cropped black hair and beard, seemed a distant someone else. He dared not speak.

Stepping out he saw a plain young lady leaving the very office to which he had come. She was dressed formally, although she had already let her brown hair down. It was she who greeted him. "Oh, you must be mr. Adams! Welcome, hi!" She looked at the clock on the wall and then continued, "Boy, you sure are serious about being on time, aren't you?! I was just leaving, but please come in and make yourself comfortable - she will be with you in a minute." Robert took her image quickly, without noticing anything that would deserve high praise or critic.

She just stood on the door and waited for him to get in past her. She seemed intent on leaving, a boyfriend probably waiting downstairs, but she was polite. "I trust you didn't have trouble finding it here? May I get you anything? Water? I think there's still some coffee..."

"Thanks, I don't drink coffee", he smiled back.

"Oh, that's new. Most patients are like druuuunk on coffee, at least the first time. Well, please excuse me. Be seeing you!"

She had turned around and let the door close behind herself before he had the chance to casually reply with "yeah, sure". His brown leather shoes made a soft noise pacing slowly to the armchair in the waiting room. It was only then that he took the time to look around and take in the room.
 
In stark contrast to the bubbly and ever friendly receptionist that greeted guests was the only other woman in the office, seated at her desk behind the closed doors as her current patient rambled aimlessly through his long list of excuses as to why in particular, he had felt the need to consistently avoid her over the past few weeks. This woman, though far more reserved in both her words and her personality, was by no means the more boring of the two.

Annalise Carver was the youngest of her parent’s children and by far the most cunning of them all, a devious woman even as a child and forever mischievous as she’d made her way through life. Now an adult, she had found her calling in psychiatry, seating herself across from a wide range of raging lunatics to calm sociopaths that she was quite sure would end up either in the grave early or behind bars within the next few years. She had done quite well for herself at her job, considering her ever dominant attitude and her inability to accept failure. Her greatest weakness was the simple fact that she had lost patience years ago, and as such had quickly lost her ability to hold her tongue against liars and deceivers.

“Hm, yes,” She cut the man off as he was starting onto another conversation entirely, desperately trying to veer the line of questioning away from the simple fact he hadn’t wanted to come to the appointments. “Here’s where I have a problem, you see.” She tapped her pen on the paper in front of herself, her eyes moving from it to lock on her patient. “I don’t care for the lies you’re trying to feed me. You’ve made it quite clear that you don’t care if you waste my time. So,” She set the pen down calmly as she could, pushing herself out of her seat, “I am not a jailor and you’re not a prisoner. You’ve made it clear to me that you don’t wish to be here. My receptionist will see you out. I’ll send you the bill for the time wasted. Make an appointment when you’re ready to put forth the effort.”

Her eyes had broken from him as she moved towards the door, opening it without so much as acknowledging him further, her hand motioning that he was to leave. She scanned the room now, green eyes landing on the young man that was undoubtedly waiting on his turn to sit in her chair and talk to her about his problems. “Please, do come in.” Lise offered the man a soft smile, much different from the face that she offered the previous client, a man who was now slinking past her in an embarrassed hunch, muttering something she couldn’t quite make out.

She let the client enter her office of his own volition, returning to her desk and crossing her legs beneath her primly. Her clothing was as you would expect from someone with her profession, a dark women’s suit beneath a white coat that had her name tag with a small picture ID just beneath it. Her copper hair was pulled back away from her face during business hours, tied up into a neat bun that had taken years of practice to perfect. Everything about her screamed professional, though she did have the warmth about her to make her seem less of a cold and corporate robot, just enough that she was someone people could feel comfortable about opening up to.

As the client took a seat she opened up his file, skimming through his basic information slowly, “So, Robert, would you like to tell me about why you’ve come to visit me?”
 
Driven by a combination of anxiety and intense training, Robert's eyes immediately assessed the situation as the door opened, and it soon proved a mistake. The slightly cowering posture and not nearly so subtle embarrassment of the man leaving helped nothing with his feelings and doubts towards being there. What had affected that other patient so? And most of all, will I too come out of here like that? He felt some shame himself already going in, barely able to meet the doctor's gaze as he passed by her, expecting but not waiting for a hand shake. Her new patient sat down uncomfortably, even though the chair itself was much more welcoming than he was used to.

"Well, Dr. Carver... ermm... hi", he smiled uncertainly, far from being at ease with his words. Strong fingers gripped the chair and he inhaled a long breath - this time the jacket moved up some, the tight shirt below it stretching against his chest. "I'm..." leaving... yes... I should be. "... Robert." He looked at her, but had difficulty finding a single point to focus on, his eyes wandering between her face, her name tag - does it have to be over her breasts?, her hands, the folder she held. "I'm sorry, I've never been to a psychiatrist before. It's... a challenge for me to... put some things in words." I can usually let the blades do the talking. "I'm not sure... it's one specific thing... the reason I'm here, I mean." White cheeks twitched, unsure whether to smile or to remain serious.

"I think... I have recently started questioning things... things in my life that used to be... well, that I used to take for granted." He took a pause, conjuring to memory the explanation he had rehearsed in his mind so many times. "I think I'd like to come to terms with that... with my life... with decisions... things I do." Robert looked at the doctor questioningly, this time fixing the gaze at her face for a little longer, albeit not clearly at her eyes. "Is that... does that mean something to you?"
 
Lise was watching him as he went through an almost silent process as he started to work things over in his mind. Her eyes moved over his face, watching the twitches in his cheeks and the way his eyes looked at her. He didn’t know where to look, didn’t even know quite what to say and he stumbled his way slowly through an introduction. It was all things that she knew beforehand, but he didn’t seem sure of what to say. It was to be expected, but everything about his demeanor told her that he felt very uncomfortable with what it was that he’d come to talk to her about. He was having doubts, possibly because of the way her previous client’s session had been ended.

Her lips curled downward just a bit, her eyes glancing down at his profile again, her pen tapping on the paper in a slow beat as she mulled over what he was saying. “That does mean something to me,” She said, closing his folder slowly so that she could turn her full attention to him, “What, exactly, is it that you do that you are so frightened to talk about? You’re acting as if I have put an electric current into your chair to shock you if you speak about yourself.”

She set her pen down and leaned forward, letting her elbows rest on the table and her chin rest into her cupped hands. “I’d like it if you took a deep breath for me before we try again. I can’t help you if you can’t talk to me openly. I’m here to help you.” Her voice had turned from the stern and no-nonsense businesswoman towards a richer honey, something that she hoped would put him more at ease with opening up to her. It was always difficult the first time someone came to sit in her office, especially if they were holding something in that they didn’t want anyone to know. He was a curious case, for sure, and he definitely was holding something in. But what?
 
"Really?" Genuine surprise aroused when the doctor acknowledged that yes, there was meaning in what he was saying, nonetheless because Robert didn't realize at the time that the way he was saying it also carried loads of significance. Anyway, her acceptance centered and steadied his attention back on her. He finally met her gaze long enough to notice the color of the eyes staring back at him. He even laughed shortly at the mention of getting shocked.

Lise's change of tone however roused some suspicious from the Hunter inside the young man. It wasn't subtle, what had just happened? Robert forced the suspicions to the back of his head and reminded himself that it had been his choice to be there. He wasn't at risk, and this wasn't a criminal to be chased. Yes, deep breath, harmless enough. And he did. This time he actually inhaled deeper down, relaxing a bit. He noticed sweat beads forming everywhere. Another deep breath. "May... may I?" he asked politely, gesturing to his own jacket and already pulling it open. The shirt was tight enough to hint at his very lean, toned body, elegant like a slim dancer.

"OK, let me try again." He was calmer now, his voice steadier and his attention more focused. A second-long pause let him take in the image of dr. Carver's face resting daintily on her hands. At least in his mind it was barely a second. "It's not that I'm frightened to talk about what I do. Well, I guess I'm not, hehe. I'm a... I work in the security industry. As a consultant - I'm a consultant." OK, that's out. So far it had been a rehearsed path. A little white lie, shouldn't get in the way of the treatment. Whatever it was.

"Err... electric currents are no longer used in treatments, are they?" It was said in a light tone, but there was a hint of an actual doubt in the question.
 
Robert was by far one of her more nervous patients without having been diagnosed properly with an anxiety disorder. He was sweating visibly and seemed to be hard at finding the words he wanted to use. She could see that he was really struggling with whatever it was he needed to talk about, possibly an internal conflict that he didn’t want anyone to know about, or maybe something that he knew to be illegal. Either way, he was having problems with talking about whatever it was. She wanted to ask about it, but she knew that probing him too hard would be a bit hard on him at first since he was already acting like he wanted out of her office.

The name of the game was to get him to feel comfortable to talk - actually talk - and not to be sitting in the chair like he was in the middle of a police investigation. Her change of tone did seem to help him a bit, but he still didn’t settle quite the way that she wanted him to. He was calmer now, giving her bits of information in slow trickles that weren’t enough to even be considered a stream of information. She watched as he stripped of his jacket, her eyes taking a moment to look over his body shape.

He was in shape, visibly so through his shirt and she could appreciate that he was a man that appreciated the beauty that was the human body. She couldn’t help but feel like she was looking too long at him, her eyes moving back to his face swiftly. It wouldn’t do well for him to see that she’d been ‘checking him out’ so to speak, though she’d caught him getting more than a glimpse at her when she’d been seating herself at her desk and he’d been looking for something - anything - to look at.

“We don’t use electric shock anymore. Unless you’re into that.” She gave him a playful wink so that he’d know she was joking with him, turning now from the joke towards something more serious. “If you’re not scared to talk about it, then why are you not talking about it?” She asked, straight to the point as always, “I’ll take this time to let you know that I legally can’t report anything that you say to me to the police, if that’s what you’re worried about. You’re protected by doctor-patient confidentiality. Just between us, I swear.”

She let the silence hang between the two of them for a long time before she started again, the sweetness back into her voice, the soothing one, “Now, what exactly is it that you are having a hard time coming to terms with? You seem secretive, so you’ve obviously got something to hide… And I should likely let you know that you’re a terrible liar, so let’s start on the right foot by being truthful.”
 
He smiled at Lise's kinky joke on electrical shocks, and shook his head "No, no!", as if it was absurd to actually enjoy that sort of treatment, which he actually believed it to be. Dressed as the Hunter he had been subjected to some rather strong currents once or twice, and his recollection of it wasn't even remotely pleasant. Nevertheless the light tone served to center Robert a little bit more, and he examined the doctor more closely now as he listened to the more serious message. Confidentiality. Should I count on it?

While the young man pondered the question in his head, his brown eyes took in the graceful face of the woman on the other side of the desk, and found her quite elegant in that professional layout. Her green-eyed wink had a very sexy quality to it. Quickly he became certain that this was not the light in which he should be evaluating his therapist, and noticed that he had been staring perhaps a beat longer than would have been polite, and averted his gaze slightly, following her hands instead of her eyes. His shoulders had visibly relaxed by the time the doctor took the stage once more.

It took quite a conscious effort on his part to maintain his best poker face as dr. Carver called out his secrecy. He was sure she didn't know yet what it was, but a seed of concern started growing within his heart that she might find out. His lying skills being diminished sent his thoughts in a different direction though. "I'm not!" he didn't raise his voice, but his tone carried the indignation until he caught the reigns of his voice once more. I'm NOT a terrible liar... "I'm not lying." Her mention of starting on the right foot drew his eyes down for a split-second, a quick gaze at his own leather shoes then at hers, then back upwards of the table.

"I do have the habit of concealing things, though." - mostly myself... - "It's part of my job. And don't we all have something to hide?" It was his turn to lift up the tone, though he didn't wink. "Well, I'm not here to hide anything, of course." He breathed calmly now. "I guess I'm trying to find... some sort of purpose. To keep driving me. Sometimes I see things in my line of work which aren't very inspiring... the people I meet... the things I see them doing... and I question whether I should continue... applying my skills in that direction." He let the philosophy drive his gaze away from her and up, around the room. "A search for happiness, maybe? I think 'purpose' is really a word that gets close to it."
 
The tone lightened up considerably with her joke, but he was still holding everything in so tight that he was nearly wrapping himself up against her. She was doing what she did best and breaking him apart in her mind, watching every tick of his face and twitch of his hand. She wasn’t blind to the fact that he was watching her as well, his eyes moving over her face. It dawned on her then that his interest in her might be what it was that would break him open and get him to confess what it was that was bothering him so.

Without the flirting, he seemed to open up considerably on his own, the man working through it all in his own time, though he still was holding something back. She leaned back off her desk now, leaning back in her chair as she crossed her legs under her desk and mirrored it above by crossing her arms over her chest. “So you need to make sense of what’s happening in your personal life. You’re dealing with people that do bad things and you… What?” She tilted her head and quirked a brow.

“What exactly is it that you do at your job? I need some clarity on that. Help me understand.” She said, setting the back of her pen into the corner of her mouth and catching it with her teeth, “You obviously do something physical, you’re very well built. Unless that’s a hobby that you enjoy.” She said, motioning with her head towards him, in reference to the physique that she’d noted beneath his shirt. It wasn’t exactly a secret that he was muscular, sa he was practically flaunting it with his tight shirt and the way he’d removed his jacket. She was curious to see just how muscular, but that of course was extremely unprofessional.
 
The doctor's laid back posture sent signals to Robert's unconscious mind and he unknowingly relaxed a bit as well, opening up his arms to the sides. Consciously, what he noticed by her weight shifting was that she had crossed her legs, although he couldn't see it through the desk, so he settled for a quick glance at her crossed arms and how that accentuated her cleavage. He was sure to make it real quick this time, to avoid being too obvious while he listened, though he couldn't help the curiosity to see more of that cleavage.

And then he blushed at her comment. "No!" - had he denied it too quickly, too blatantly? Would she pick it up?

Robert was used to being discrete, especially in the night as the Hunter, but also during meetings with other people. Of course being built like he was, he had had plenty of experience with the opposite sex, but even then, open compliments to his physique like that added some color to his cheeks. Still, he was pleased by it, and instinctively his arms flexed just a little bit, displaying some impressive definition. "I mean, my job is not physical..." his head shook from side to side, avoiding her gaze now. Still, he was convinced he wasn't such a terrible liar. "It has been in the past, yes. I've been a security agent, down on the ground, for a couple of years after serving in the army." That was made up on the fly. He had never served, and should probably not have said that. His training had been very different, and probably a lot more efficient than the military. "I've actually met several guys much more muscled, in this line of work."

"As to what I do, it's a lot more mental now." That wasn't a lie... and his gaze returned to her, curious to what the pen on her lips could mean. "I analyze security conditions for commercial and industrial sites... and some posh residences as well... I test the efficacy of the systems and design improvements. There is the occasional training to personnel on duty. That is more or less the run of it. Well, there is the occasional times when I actually meet some wrong-doers, but that's up for the police, right?" He offered a smile and continued quickly before she could question him more on that matter.

"It's not just that I'm dealing with outlaws. It's also the people whom I try to help and protect... that sometimes surprise me. Almost makes me feel amoral in helping them. But then again on the fate of the ones who really are wrong in the point of view of the law... I have started questioning their fate... sometimes I pity them, other times I think they are not suffering enough." He sighed. "It's kinda like I'm not sure anymore."

It was relieving to speak, and also terrifying. What would happen if someone knew the Hunter, the famous vigilante, had such doubts?
 
He was opening up but he was so used to lying to people about everything that he didn’t even know how ot tell the truth if he wanted to and it was plain on his face. She was getting the truth in bits and pieces and he was dancing around what it was that he really wanted to say to her, if he even really did want to confide in her at all. She had her doubts on whether he wanted to open up or get validation for what it was that he felt the need to guard so jealously to his heart.

Even still, she knew that there was something that was troubling him and it was her job to ease his mind on it. Her eyes caught that he flexed for her visibly so that she could see the definition in his arms. Oh, he definitely did something that would make him that defined, her teeth biting down just a bit harder on the end of her pen. If he wasn’t her patient she would have given him her number by now, but he wasn’t going to be thinking it very appropriate if she asked him out for drinks after their meeting.

“I never would have thought that a security company would deal with ‘outlaws’ that often… Why is it that you in particular deal with so much crime? I can’t even think of a bank that needs that much protecting.” She was straight to the point because the way he was wording things made it sound like he dealt with more people than just a handful a year. She couldn’t imagine that it was normal for someone like him to deal with more than a rowdy teenager… Their town was rather quiet, but not without help, of course.

The connection finally happened in her head and her teeth visibly bit down on the pen, her head tilting a little bit more as she narrowed her eyes at him. “Robert, I would like for you to be honest with me. This is a yes or no question. I want to remind you that doctor-patient confidentiality is in effect in this office…” She let the pen fall from her lips, hesitating before asking because if she were wrong about the conclusion that she had come to then it would be rather embarrassing for her… But he matched the physical appearance that was that of the vigilante that kept their city at night.

“Are you the Hunter?”
 
Surprise kicked Robert into Hunter mode. The outside changes were subtle, slight shifts of his powerful trained muscles as his body got instinctively ready for physical threats. Most of all the change was in his eyes, almost imperceptible. He focused sharply on the woman sitting before him and assessed her again under a new light. Who was she? What did she pursue? Could she be working for one of his known adversaries? How did she get to that conclusion?.

He scanned her with renewed intensity now, a fighter scan now, but there didn't seem to be anything that could be considered a threat - if anything, he was noticing her beauty. His fingers flexed once, in reflex. He didn't have any blade available, but he was sure it wouldn't be needed if it ever got physical. He could easily overpower her if necessary.

"What?" The surprise was clearly feigned, his voice assuming a much steadier tone now, much more confident. "Why? Why would yo say that?" He managed to keep a very neutral face now, his intentions hidden behind the coldest eyes that had ever stared at dr. Carver's through that desk.

Robert didn't explicitly deny her question. It was also part of his habit as the Hunter, to avoid revealing information.
 
The way his body changed was enough for her brows to raise a bit, her eyes narrowing after a moment as she tried to decipher what all of it meant. It was obvious now that he was lying because he felt like he didn’t have any choice at all, his eyes defensive and searching her now for answers as she had been searching him just moments ago. Unlike him, she wasn’t hiding anything and wasn’t the least bit defensive. Her face finally settled into an expression - a smirk, smug because she knew that she’d struck quite a nerve with him.

“I say that because you have the same body type as him, you encounter more ‘bad guys’ than a security personnel would encounter in his life time, and you frankly all but told me.” She said, leaning forward again, setting the pen down onto her desk, “But, if you’re not him then I suppose that you wouldn’t mind talking about him, hm?” She asked, a challenge in her eyes as she looked him over, watching the tense way that he moved in the chair.

He was beyond just tense now and it was a dead give away that he was indeed the man she’d accused him of being, no matter if he denied it or called her a liar. He’d been awful at keeping his secret to himself and had just exposed himself… In the safety of a doctor’s office, where she wouldn’t be able to tell anyone. “Lucky for you, doctor patient confidentiality will cover your nightly… Endeavors. I won’t breathe a word of this to anyone… Is that why you’ve come to my office? To talk about what you deal with?”
 
In the beginning it hadn't been so bad... but now this was going very far off plan. Even if it was just a hunch on the doctor's part, it was completely unexpected and Robert couldn't even begin to fathom the potential consequences. Could he hope that the confidentiality she was talking about would avoid all problems? That would eventually boil down to the woman's nature, and he couldn't rely on that. Am I really such a terrible liar? And could she have spotted even that right from the start? Those thoughts also made him blush, even through the adrenaline driven mind of the Hunter. It also caused concern and admiration at once. How much can she read on me? That might not be super human, but it still struck him as quite a powerful skill.

"What, just because I look the part I must be the man?" Robert mirrored Lise in leaning forward, defiantly in a way. "You yourself could probably be confused with a celebrity or two as well." He breathed slowly, inflating his chest, unconsciously trying to intimidate. "And I said that not all 'bad guys' dress as such. We meet a lot more of those others in our daily lives than even..." he almost said I, but caught himself and paused very briefly, "... the Hunter meets the more clear 'villains'." He had become inflamed during the short speech, an extended index finger ferociously marking his point on the desk.

He still hadn't admitted to being the vigilante. But hell... if I hadn't made it clear before, I have now, haven't I? He kept his body in the advanced position, but started relaxing again, his mind giving way once more to the Robert the patient, rather than Robert the Hunter. His eyes wavered visibly, uncertain again.
 
Even though she’d figured it out, he was still defending his secret as if his life depended on it, and quite possibly it did because really… How could he trust her? He’d only met with her just now and knew nothing of her. But rather than continue to fight the case and try to get him to open up, she eased back into her chair, putting the end of her pen into her teeth again, watching as he spun out a story that he’d likely rehearsed until he was blue in the face. She let herself take on the air of nonchalance.

“Well then, I suppose it’s a good thing you’re not the Hunter. I’d hate to have to tell my client that they’re doing an absolutely terrible job at protecting the city.” She stated it casually, flipping through the pages on her notebook before she came to an empty page, smoothing out the papers, “Just the other night I encountered him and honestly, he didn’t do much besides flash his muscles and try to show off. It was completely overrated. I don’t even understand why people are praising him.”

Quite obviously a lie, as she’d done nothing the other night besides cook dinner for herself and rent a B-rating horror movie. He wouldn’t know the truth either, unless he admitted that either the Hunter was a terrible vigilante or he was the only other person in the story. “So, since you meet the less clear ‘villains’ of who you claim to call them… What bothers you so much about the people you deal with?” She moved on casually, hoping that her seeming lack of care in her previous comments would sell that she had been merely making conversation.
 
Relief was almost audible for a moment as Robert breathed deeply at having the doctor convinced he wasn't the Hunter. He didn't get the chance to sigh it out though, as her next statement took him by surprise. "I don't think..." he started disagreeing, after all he couldn't help but defend his work, but he contained himself and observed Lise's fingers flipping the pages as she continued describing the vigilante as little more than a poser. Did I do that? Did I meet her recently? Damn, it's so many people, I... no, it can't be... can it? His body sort of compressed shyly, an all but childish reaction trying to avoid being seen as flashing his muscles again.

He lost a couple of seconds in those thoughts before realizing she had asked him a question. He shook his head slightly to return the concentration and started with an odd mix of sarcasm and resent "well, some of them can be rather ungrateful." Robert was surprised at himself for having said that - another emotion he was completely unable to hide. His eyes widened as he thought for an instant, trying to recover. "No, I mean... I don't think that's what bothers me most, no..." Although, come to think of it, it did came along more often than he would have liked to admit before. Yet, he couldn't shake the previous subject from his mind, and needed to pry it further.

"Say, do you really think the Hunter so terrible? I mean, he is seen catching thieves and stopping ruffians every now and then, right?"
 
Lise contained the smirk that was threatening to take place on her lips by concentrating instead on the way his face was processing his emotions, an almost visible war of relief and constant vigilance trying to take place. He was still visibly shaken by the fact she’d put the facts together and by the way that she’d gotten everything put into place like pieces of a puzzle that he could scarcely think. He answered her question, but not really as well as someone who was truly paying attention to her would have.

She pretended to be stuck on the subject of the so-called villains that he dealt with, “Well, what about the people you deal with bothers you? You’re bothered by something so you may as well come out with it if you’re seeking professional help. I can’t help you if you don’t tell me what’s wrong. That’s as useless as going to a doctor with a broken arm and talking only about your stomach feeling odd.”

She knew it was only a matter of time before he opened up and exposed himself even more than he had already, her eyes casually reading over information she’d read a million times before as he probed about how she felt on the Hunter. Lise feigned innocence, “Hm? Oh. I mustn't think he is but so awful. As flashy as he was, he did mention a date and if I’m not mistaken he’ll be meeting me for dinner tonight.” She commented, lifting her arm to glance at the thin watch on her wrist, “At six, actually.” She stated, “So, I’ll know better if I really think he’s as presumptuous as he seemed in a few hours. But let’s talk about you.”
 
"Oh?" Genuine surprise clear as he almost gasped. What the fuck?! A date?! There was also some concern in the mix. Did he have to attend this? It was obviously not the real Hunter who promised the date... if anyone did at all. But still for some reason Robert found this a dilemma. Of course the Hunter frequently received indecent offers from fans and rescued victims... but none had ever claimed him to set up a date. He adjusted his body in the chair a couple of times before speaking again.

"Yes, yes, about me, of course..." Buying for time more than anything, but still when his reply came his mind was more focused on the date question than on what he was actually saying. "Err... It bothers me... I'm not sure I should be doing what I am doing, you know... if this is the best use of what I do, what I can do..." With his concentration on another problem Robert doesn't even notice his wording is far from what he had rehearsed, and only opens up more of his secret. "I used to think I had to do this... it was my contribution for a better world. But I don't... feel that anymore. That sense of purpose." His eyes wander around, no longer on that sharp analysis of the woman across him, but rather thinking of some other issue, clearly. "And yes, the people, I... well, I maybe wrong, but feel like the people are part of the reason for this. It's not the gratitude, no, it's... it's like I question if they deserve... if they understand what I'm doing. They are not angels themselves... most of them at least."

Then again he was almost the uncertain young man that had first come into Lise's office, hit by the realization that he had babbled along without clear direction of his words. Did I say too much? His eyes once more locked on dr. Carver, but no longer assessing for threats - rather waiting for something.
 
Checkmate. The surprise on his face was real and he was far too expressive to keep his secrets to himself. She didn't let the expression on her face change much as she thought over her next move, her eyes looking him over slowly. He was so shocked that he took a while to come back to the subject she was talking about, trying to steer him gently because he did swing so wildly with his emotions. She didn't want to risk him becoming violent with her should he decide that his secret identity was no longer a secret any more.

Lise tilted her head to the side a bit as she thought over what he was saying and the words slipped out of her mouth as easy as silk, "Yes, I can imagine being the Hunter must be very unappreciated." She said, not stopping for a moment lest he catch what she'd said and decide to go back onto the defensive once again, "Maybe you should take a break from your... Defense position and think about yourself for a bit. What do you do in your spare time? Do you have any friends or a young woman that you're interested in to keep you occupied? Or do you spend all of your time thinking about work? That can be very detrimental, you know." She said, leaning back in her chair once again.
 
She meant... ''being the hunter' as in being on the hunt'. Right? Surely she did... There was still the matter of the date though. But Robert relaxed to talk about him - the man behind the mask. That was actually a lot more like what he had expected beforehand. "Well, I... I do think of my job most of the time, I guess. I also tend to work out consistently." He blushed slightly remembering how the attractive doctor had already noticed the effects of that, commented on how he was 'well built'. His shoulders opened up a bit, leaving the defenses aside. "And no, no woman. So... free, yeah." He smiled awkwardly. 'Free'? Did I really say that?

He thought about the people he met more frequently. Family was far away, Joshua who had been his best friend during college was dead. "Friends, err..." He did chat regularly with Lieutenant Spitzer, but that probably counted more towards networking. "There are a couple. Not too close." It was true, he could count some - though they might be more acquaintances than friends. Fred and Wilma, from across the hall. Isaac, who had also trained with Master Ti-Yan. Vera, who had been a fling and still visited for an occasional chat. Should he have counted her as a woman in his life? Robert realized the silences were quite long between his phrases, and his eyes directed at Lise's chest but not actually seeing it. He forced his gaze up to her face as soon as he noticed, slightly embarrassed.

"I try to read a lot. Try to learn new stuff." The young man tried to justify himself, one hand coming forward face up all but offering the excuses. "I had come to accept that maybe I'm just more of an introvert." He pulled his arm back, flexing his fingers. "Focused, maybe. That too bad?"
 
He continued to swing wildly between relaxed and tense as she steered the conversations in different directions, probing out for what would make him lower his defenses to the point that she would finally have an 'in' with him. He wasn't giving up his secrets as easily as most did because most people only had secrets that were minor - screwing the neighbor's wife, sucking the boss off to get a pay raise, things of the like. It was harmless usually for her to know these things but for her to absolutely have solid proof that he was the Hunter could ruin everything that he had worked so hard to build.

"I see." She said, in reference to his comment about being free, her tone implying... Interest, though not in the traditional way of speaking. She knew that he could put the pieces together to understand there was a mutual interest between the two of them. He was ignorant in a lot of ways but he was also a handsome man, which could be seen by anyone that had eyes. "I think that it would do you good to focus less on work and more on yourself. You're putting a lot of time and effort into something that isn't going to give you many positives. Try going out a bit and perhaps find something besides work that makes you happy."

His mention of his introverted personality made her nod a bit, as it did seem that he hadn't formed the skills to speak with people openly as most had. It was something that was easy to see when talking to him. "Focused isn't bad. Perhaps we just need to find a group of people you feel comfortable around. Do you know of anyone you feel comfortable with that you could spend more time with? Maybe get close with your friends that aren't close."
 
The suggestion of going out more brought back to Robert's mind the date proposed to (or by...?) the Hunter later that night. Not to mention that yes, he picked up on the interest shown by Lise's voice, and although he was reluctant to recognize it for what it was, it was doubtlessly seductive in a subtle way. "Well, the thing is work used to make me happy... fulfilled, I'd say. And it does take a lot of time. Consulting brings that, I guess." This wasn't a reply to oppose the doctor - it was rather a sad, sort of nostalgic commentary. His eyes fell down, and his body suddenly looked tired.

"And people are not quite fond of being friends with someone who work that much, are they?" He just assumed that as a good excuse not to get too close to anyone again. When he went out with Vera he lived in constant fear that someone would find out that he was the Hunter and go after her to leverage his feelings. He felt lucky it never happened. He hadn't truly tried to get close to anyone since Joshua. Robert uncrossed his legs, his body in a way feeling the pain of that loss and trying instinctively to relax and calm down.

His voice was lower now. "I... had a friend. He died a few years ago." It hadn't been his fault, he hadn't been present. He wasn't even the Hunter at the time, although he already had the skills he needed. "It sort of inspired me into this line of work. You probably remember that hostage situation in the Ocean Bank agency downtown." He looked up briefly to look for confirmation in the therapist's eyes, and then lowered his head again. "He was the... he was one of the victims." A dozen people had died that day, yet only Joshua truly mattered for Robert.
 
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