A Bitter, Miserable Man

A Bitter, Miserable Man
Date of Scene:	30 January 2024
Location:	Coruscant
Synopsis:	Soren gets an unexpected visitor...
Cast of Characters:	141, Cayde Alexis

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Soren Cassias (141) has posed:
It's a day just like any other at the Cassias Enterprise office, with the lobby full of waiting patients while Dr. Cassias' young secretary Luli takes a holocall while trying to simultaneously fill out paperwork.

The office tooka toys with a potted plant near the entrance, while Onesie, Dr. Cassias RJ unit, sits on top of the tooka's head while watering the potted plant...

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    Another sleepless night, and Cayde once again finds himself wandering away from the Temple. But this time, he doesn't go down in to the Lower City like usual.

    Instead, he ends up somewhere much nearer--the Cassias clinic in the Federal district. The young padawan meanders into the lobby full of patients waiting to be seen, glancing over at the tooka as it swats at the plant.

Soren Cassias (141) has posed:
It looks up and him and meows, brushing against his leg and unintentionally knocking Onesie off. "Aah!" she cries, accidentally spilling the water all over Cayde's boots.

A few of the patients look up at him idly with arched brows but then go back to reading their datapads.

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    Cayde leans over and picks the watering container back up, putting it on the floor near the pot. Then he tries reaching out into the Force, searching for Soren's presence. Was he here today?

Soren Cassias (141) has posed:
He is, but he's much deeper in the building. Somewhere high up, most likely on the upper levels.

Perhaps in his office, or seeing patients in a different wing...

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    Oh, must be an upper floor then, for sure. Cayde starts toward the office proper, looking for an elevator...

Soren Cassias (141) has posed:
There's one opposite to him on the far end of the hallway, leading away from the lobby area. When he gets inside of it, he'll find there are ninety nine floors...

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    Cayde makes his way past the waiting and reception area, entering the elevator. He frowns at the control panel upon seeing there are many, many floors. He brings up a directory, and tries to find Dr. Cassias' office. It has to be here somewhere, right?

Soren Cassias (141) has posed:
It's... extensive. Cayde will have to scroll and scroll to even get past all the surnames that start with the letter A in Basic. Trying to get to the letter C... he'd be here all morning!

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    No, no there had to be a way to filter the list. Cayde keeps messing around on the console, trying to find the room number and floor...

Soren Cassias (141) has posed:
A few patients and nurses filter into the lift and start pressing buttons. They watch Cayde with some curiousity, but eventually just go back to minding their own business.

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    Somehow, Cayde doesn't end up figuring out how to work the directory. It's just not any familiar system, or maybe it's broken who knows.

    When others enter the elevator, he tries reaching into their minds, to see if any of them are going to see Dr. Cassias or going to his office. Then maybe he can follow them...

Soren Cassias (141) has posed:
He gets a very clear picture of what all of them are doing here at the hospital, but unfortunately none of them are going to his office.

Eventually he'll find that he's been on the lift going both ways and a nurse who had seen him on the elevator going up is now going down and re-entering. "Ah, are you lost?" she asks.

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    Cayde appears to be standing there with a distant expression on his face. But when the nurse addresses him, he blinks and looks at her.

    Nodding, he points at the Cassias name and logo at the top of the directory page. [Where is his office] he signs.

Soren Cassias (141) has posed:
She looks puzzled. "He's hardly ever in his office," she says, confused. "If you want to see him, you'll need to make an appointment."

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    Cayde sighs...but she doesn't understand. Soren probably wouldn't want to see him.

    [That does not work] he tells her, shaking his head. He glances at the directory again briefly, then looks back at her. [He is here]

Soren Cassias (141) has posed:
"...What do you mean, it doesn't work?" she asks. "All you have to do is go downstairs and ask Luli to get you an appointment. She can usually get you at least three weeks out. And he's usually in, so of course he's here."

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    Oh...

    Cayde frowns pensively, thinking. Well, maybe, if Soren didn't know it was him, then it might work.

    Suddenly, he nods. [Okay thank you]

Soren Cassias (141) has posed:
The nurse nods, then exits on her floor.

A few moments later, the lift has reached the first floor again, and opens out into the lobby.

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    Cayde exits the elevator again and goes out into the lobby, approaching the receptionist. Come to think of it, Soren hadn't learned his name. But maybe he shouldn't give his actual name, anyway...

Soren Cassias (141) has posed:
The young Mikkian girl sitting at the front desk looks to be around Kuv's age. She's as pretty as she is stressed and frantic, which, at the moment, is very.

She's on a holocall with a patient who seems very unhappy for some reason...

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    Cayde just stands there in front of the desk, watching her intently while waiting for her to be finished with the...unpleasant call.

Soren Cassias (141) has posed:
When she finally finishes she turns around in her swivel chair and offere Cayde a small smile.

"Hello there," she says. "Is there something I can help you with?"

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    Cayde nods, again pointing to the Cassias sign, this time the one emblazoned on the wall behind the desk. [I will make an appointment] he signs.

Soren Cassias (141) has posed:
"Mmhmm," she says a bit distractedly, picking up another call on the comm console, "Ok, sure thing sweetie..." she says as she hands Cayde a datapad, though whether she's talking to him or the person on the commlink is unclear.

"Just fill this out and give it back to me when you're done, okay?"

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    Cayde takes the datapad and nods, starting to fill it out. He pauses over where it asks for a name...but ends up putting his own name anyway. Soren hadn't gotten his name that time...there wasn't any need to be dishonest. Once he's finished, he hands it back to her.

Soren Cassias (141) has posed:
The secretary looks at it. "Oh, umm... you didn't fully fill it out," she says, scrolling down and then pointing to the last box on the form on the datapad. "You have to say what it is that you're wanting to see him for."

The young padawan might have missed it, or had just decided not to fill it out, as it asks for him to describe the reason for his visit and his symptoms in detail.

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    Cayde glances at the bottom of the form. No no, she didn't understand it wasn't because he needed Soren's help for an illness. After all he is a Jedi and if he were will the healers at the Temple would be seeing to him.

    He shakes his head and pushes the datapad back over to her. [I do not need help...he need help] he signs.

Soren Cassias (141) has posed:
The Mikkian girl looks utterly confused. "...with... what?" she says.

Then she just smiles sweetly at him and takes the datapad, and after typing a few things into the box and pressing submit, hands it back to him. "Okay, well it sounds like you need to head over to our psychiatric office, but first you have to answer a few questions, alright?" Then she turns back to the console she'd been working on.

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    Cayde stares at her. She thinks he's crazy, doesn't she? But he answers her question, anyway. [He is troubled] he signs.

    However, he just waits for her to ask the questions...

Soren Cassias (141) has posed:
But she doesn't look back over at Cayde. Instead, she seems fully absorbed in whatever administrative work she's doing on her console.

The other patients in the room are giving him odd looks...

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    Cayde just stands there, figuring she must be busy for the moment. He leans on the edge of the desk casually, waiting. And waiting, and waiting...

Soren Cassias (141) has posed:
Twenty minutes later, the Mikkian girl finally turns around. "Did you finish filling out the rest of the questionnaire?" she asks, smiling sweetly at Cayde.

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    Oh...Cayde looks back down at the datapad. He hadn't seen any more questions on the form...

Soren Cassias (141) has posed:
"You have to press next," The young secretary says to the padawan.

"Have you never done this before?"

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    Cayde shakes his head. Nope, he's never done this before. But anyway, he scrolls to the next page...

Soren Cassias (141) has posed:
The questions are ... terribly personal and introspective, and ask about whether he's ever experienced depression, anxiety, or had a desire for self harm.

Some of them, Cayde might have never considered before, especially the ones regarding identity and sexuality...

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    Hmm...Cayde looks through the questions, some of which he isn't even sure what they mean. Should he just answer yes to everything? Maybe that would actually get him an appointment with Soren? He didn't like being dishonest, but he'd already tried to tell her the truth and she hadn't believed him.

    So he just shrugs and enters 'yes' for everything, then hands it back to her.

Soren Cassias (141) has posed:
The young Mikkian girl frowns when she sees the first page of answers. "Ummm.."

"Alright, well, I guess... I guess I'll try to get you scheduled." She turns back to the console and pulls up a calendar.

"Mm.. well, it looks like his next available slot is three weeks from now, on the fourth Taungsday of next month," she says. "Does that work for you?"

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    Cayde frowns pensively. No...no that was...he couldn't wait that long. It would be pointless...

    Hmm. He closes his eyes, and tries to reach into the Mikkian's mind, attempting to insert the notion that he needs an appointment -now-. Just look at that list of problems he has...

Soren Cassias (141) has posed:
Her eyes glaze over. "Oh...well, I suppose you could walk over to the clinic and see if there's been any cancellations. Maybe they'll take a walk in."

She gestures at the door. "Just head out to your right and the building should be on your left."

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    Ugh...Cayde rubs his face. But Soren was -here-, not in that other building.

    <I need to find Dr. Cassias> He projects to her. Maybe she knows where he is, or can summon him.

Soren Cassias (141) has posed:
She just stares at him blankly. "..."

She doesn't know where he is right now, and he usually never responded to text transmissions until late in the day, if at all, unless it was an emergency.

"You could try his office," she says, giving Cayde his cube number. "Maybe he's there."

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    Well, maybe even if he wasn't in his office, Cayde could potentially learn something more about him from his possessions. He takes the cube number. [What floor] he asks.

Soren Cassias (141) has posed:
"The twenty fourth floor," she says, her eyes still glazed over.

Cayde will suddenly notice there's a line of four or five people waiting impatiently behind him. They look annoyed.

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    Cayde nods. [Thank you] he signs, then hurries back toward the elevator. Maybe he should've just mind tricked her to begin with...ah well.

    He enters the elevator and goes up to the 24th floor, then starts looking for the cube number...

Soren Cassias (141) has posed:
The other patients give him irritated looks as he hurries to the lift.

It will take Cayde some time to find the right cube, as there are a lot of offices on this floor and they're not ordered logically. But eventually he'll find the doctor's office... only to discover he's not there.

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    Cayde just shrugs and goes inside, anyway. Maybe he'd eventually come back here at some point. But maybe some of his possessions could shed some light on why he was so distraught all the time.

Soren Cassias (141) has posed:
His desk is tidy. There's nothing personal on it, though it's obvious from the multiple chairs opposite the desk that he takes patients and other visitations in this room.

There are drawers in the back of the room, but they're locked.

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    Cayde examines the desk, but finding nothing he goes to the back of the room and touches the drawers, trying to unlock them from the outside...

Soren Cassias (141) has posed:
The drawers are easily unlocked by moving the latch inside the drawer with the Force, but just as Cayde opens the drawer, the door of the doctor's office slides open.

Its the doctor, and he seems very unhappy to see Cayde. He moves over to the drawer and closes it immediately. "Those files are confidential," he says. "Please leave."

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    Cayde turns around when Soren finally arrives. Well it seems the Force had willed this meeting today.

    He starts moving toward the door, but instead of leaving, he just sits down in one of the chairs in front of the desk, as if he were supposed to be here.

    The young padawan studies the doctor's face. [You are troubled] he signs.

Soren Cassias (141) has posed:
The doctor shrugs. "I have to take a call in a couple minutes," he says, sitting down at his desk and tapping the comms console. He ignores Cayde's comment.

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    Cayde watches him, but doesn't move. He just sits there quietly, watching Soren intently.

Soren Cassias (141) has posed:
The doctor sighs. "You can't just come in here and demand to see me," he says. "If you want to see me, ask Luli to schedule an appointment for you."

"And you certainly cannot be in here while I'm taking this call," he says. "Please go."

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    Cayde arches a brow at him. He hadn't made any 'demands'. [She told me to come here] he tells Soren.

    Well it was true.

    <Do you follow your own advice?> The question suddenly appears in the doctor's mind.

Soren Cassias (141) has posed:
The doctor's brows furrow, and his lips press into a thin line. That was unusual for Luli, she rarely ever just told anyone to just go to his office...

"Look, you need to go. Please. I don't want to have to ask security to come up here."

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    Cayde shakes his head. [I cannot sleep] he signs, the points at Soren. [...it is you...doctor...you are my visions]

    Suddenly, memories flood the doctor's mind. His own memories, but it's almost as if he isn't inside his own body. He can see himself, on those days when he'd go down into the Lower City, drinking his sorrows away, or hiding in his room at home and telling everyone at the clinics that he was ill. For days or even weeks at a time, sometimes. He always wanted to heal others, but what about himself?

Soren Cassias (141) has posed:
The doctor's brows furrow deeply and his fists suddenly clench. He turns to face Cayde, his hazel eyes burning angrily as a tempest of rage rolls off of the man.

"Get. Out." he growls. "Now."

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    But Cayde doesn't move. In fact, Soren's rage just seems to make him even more determined. This was the first step, he needed to recognize he had a problem...

    The teenaged padawan just pouts at the man, then signs two simple words.

    [Make me]

Soren Cassias (141) has posed:
The comm console has now been ringing for a minute or two now, and the doctor glances at it, sighing. He picks it up for a moment, then says, "I need a couple of minutes, my apologies."

Then he switches on the intercom. "Onesie, can you send up security? There's a rogue Jedi in my office harassing me and he won't leave. Call the CSF, too, and see if they'll put a restraining order on him. This isn't the first time."

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    Cayde sighs heavily, finally giving up.

    <I am sorry you are a bitter, miserable man>

    He then takes his leave, still feeling just as empty as last time.