Something Old, Something New

18

Iris was on edge for the rest of the week, and it was incredibly obvious by the number of red pens she was chewing the absolute shit out of. Her teeth were stained red at the end of every day in the office.

"You're going to ruin your teeth," Merlin commented on Friday. He was on edge as well, and the chewing was starting to get to him. She had simply glared at him and said nothing. He had let it go, put in some earbuds and listened to music much louder than was entirely healthy, fingers tapping on the desk anxiously.

Needless to say, they were both ready when Saturday finally rolled around. They were not ready, however, for the therapy session that they were being forced to endure. Their individual evaluations were the next week; Merlin's on Monday, and Iris' on Tuesday. The psychiatrist, Dr. Nakoa Parra, worked at Shady Grove Hospital, so Merlin and Iris figured that if they had to go through this, they could at least further the case.

Dr. Parra was a dark skinned man with thinning black hair and a slight stature. He looked to be roughly fifty, and had probably been very good looking in his youth. Now he looked slightly emaciated, but his eyes were bright with intelligence. His job at the hospital was something he did on the side, so Iris and Merlin's evaluations took place in his office at 65 Northgate St. in Admington.

They arrived together, Iris having driven Merlin as she usually did. Merlin hated driving, and she loved it, so it was a system that worked well for them. 

"Welcome," Dr. Parra said as they entered his office. The secretary had waved them through once they had given their names. Dr. Parra gestured to the two armchairs, and Iris and Merlin took their seats.

"Did you drive together?" Dr. Parra asked.

"Yes," Iris replied.

"So you're close friends then."

"Very," Merlin stated. He hated psychologists almost as much as he hated profilers. Iris wasn't a huge fan either. Nobody likes to be psychoanalyzed, especially against their will. 

"Are you together?" Merlin and Iris exchanged an exasperated look. It was a question that they got asked all the time.

"No," they said at the same time.

"Do either of you have significant others?" Dr. Parra asked.

"What does this have to do with anything?" Merlin asked sharply. Dating was a bit of a touchy subject for him. Anytime he got attached to anyone he eventually had to leave, or watch them grow old and die while they stayed exactly the same. He wasn't a huge fan. Elias' face flashed across his mind, but he pushed it aside. A trained therapist, Dr. Parra noticed. He made a small note on the clipboard that Merlin found to be very obnoxiously balanced on the man's knees. 

"I'm just trying to get to know you. It helps inform me on who you are as people." Merlin rolled his eyes.

"I have a girlfriend named Freya," Iris stated, gaze daring the doctor to say anything even slightly rude or ignorant. Merlin hadn't known that Freya and Iris had gone officially to 'girlfriends' status. He grinned at her, but she was decidedly not looking at him. 

"Very nice. And you, Merlin?" Dr. Parra asked. Dr. Parra knew the answer of course.

"No," Merlin answered shortly.

"Why don't you walk me through what happened with Emma Johnson?" he asked, staring at them with that exaggerated level of attentiveness that shows that the person couldn't really care less.

"The whole thing?" Iris asked. It was kind of a long story, and they only had an hour.

"Whatever doesn't fit in this session we can cover in another," Dr. Parra replied easily. Oh hell no.