Case 002, Session 02: Vincent Smith

[Dr. Remus Finn]

The door was propped open when Vinny arrived. The doctor was sitting behind his desk, eating a sandwich. Vinny tapped and stepped in. Remus quickly wiped his mouth and rose.

"Ahh, Vinny. Great to see you. Come in, Come in."

Vinny slipped in and sat on the couch. Remus moved to an office chair near him and pressed record on the tape recorder.

"Let me start by reiterating what we discussed last session. You stated that you were having trouble in the rings, and that you believed those troubles stemmed from problems in your romantic life. Is that correct?"

"That's a fair assessment of the situation."

"You also said that the two previous romantic interests you've had have suffered death, and you are now nervous to become involved with a third woman."

"Would you want to be involved in another relationship after seeing your last two die in front of you?"

Remus sighed quietly with a gentle nod. "Can you discuss with me how the first girl died?"

Vinny nodded. "An old adversary of hers had kidnapped her and a friend of mine and placed them in a death trap. I only really had time to save one of them. I didn't know which one I was going to save and she...she chose for me."

Remus nodded and swallowed. "Okay. First, I want you to understand that that doesn't sound like it was your fault at all. You cannot control what had happened to her, and you are truly noble for trying to save her."

Vinny nodded slightly, "I've come to terms with it I guess. Just hard to deal with."

"I understand. Has your performance in the rings improved at all in the past few weeks?"

Vinny shook his head. "I haven't been to the rings much lately. I've been really busy with work. There've been a lot of projects that have needed me there. On top of all the other business.

Remus nodded in understanding. "Okay. What do you do for a living then?"

Vinny smiled slightly. I'm the founder, owner, and chief driving force behind the Starlight Foundation. As for what I actually do while I'm there, I'm afraid I can't talk about it, even if you do keep things confidential."

Remus pushed the issue. "I assure you Vinny, I am very strict on my patient/client privelege and what you tell me here will never leave this office."

Vinny looked stern, but not threatening..."If I told you Remus, there would only be two options. To hire you, or to kill you. And, judging by the business you've got going here now, you aren't looking for work."

Remus nodded. "Fair enough, but it may make my job a little more difficult."

Vinny nodded. "With all due respect, I think it'll probably make the job easier."

Remus smiled. "Alright. Let me say again that things will not get better over night. It's hard to overcome what you are feeling, but I assure you that blaming yourself for the losses you ahve suffered will not help the healing process, And it won't help you feel less distracted in the rings."

Vinny nodded again and rose. "I'll see you again next week sometime."

Remus nodded. "ALright...see ya then."