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"I think a test would be a good way to start," Nightman said to Ken. "The ability to relax is very important. If one is in a state of alertness and paranoia at all times, it's incredibly stressful. Unhealthy. So, I'd like to try a form of guided meditation to see if it's possible to put you into a relaxed, meditative state. Depending on how hard it is, or if it is indeed possible at all, it will give me some insight into your overall mental and emotional state. After all, this room is hardly your comfort zone, so it will be good to see how you respond."

Over the next few minutes, Ken would be directed to close his eyes. It wouldn't take long for the guided meditation to take effect. It was a sort've... sinking sensation. As if the world around him had slowly melted away and he'd dropped away from it. He'd soon realize he hadn't been removed from the world, so much as plunged into his own mind

It was there the pain of his past would come back. The unpleasant memories, the betrayal, the suspicions and paranoia. His own self-loathing. It all encircled him, boxing him in like a cage, suffocating him. He could not lift a finger to pull himself back out, nor open his eyes to bring back the outside world.

It was all his darkest moments brought back to him all at once, unburied and now brought before him in stark clarity. 

Then, slowly, it all lessened, leaching away. Hot anger cooled and bitterness abated. Memories could be gazed upon without digging up vile emotions until those memories blew away like smoke on the wind. He was left only with a warm feeling of serenity. It was a contentment that asked for nothing...

Back in the waking world, the doctor sighed at the now sleeping boy. He stepped over and nudged his shoulder, but he was for the moment beyond rousing. He then turned and exited the room. He should tell someone to see to the boy while he prepared for his next patient... but then he felt something.

He reached into his back pocket, pulling out a note. No sooner had it appeared there, he had gone for it.

"You know," he spoke, turning his gaze toward the ceiling, picking the exact spot Chinami currently sat, "most doctors quite frown upon voyeurism during their appointments. It's quite the breach of privacy. Did you learn what you wanted? Perhaps you'd like to discuss the contents of this note face-to-face? I feel there's quite a bit we should discuss."

For a moment, it would have been almost paralytic, the act of him staring seemingly straight through her despite the fact that a moment ago, she might have assumed he had no idea she was in the building, let alone in that exact spot. Whatever it was about his stare, it was just enough of a distraction that the warning bells set off by her enhanced senses would come to her just a moment too late.

"Ahem." A man cleared his throat from behind her. He was a bit younger looking than the doctor, and wore a suit rather than the comfortable attire of said doctor. "I don't believe you should be here. This area isn't for patients. Please, let me take you downstairs." He said please, but it clearly wasn't a request...

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[@Dezuel]
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"This is true," Nightman nodded to Reverio. "The satisfaction of a reward is often greatest when one had to work to achieve it. I often wonder if people as they are now were granted paradise if they would even be satisfied with it. After all, there are no highs if they are not in contrast with lows."

At this point, the session was beginning to feel more like a philosophical discussion.

"What future I want? Well, I suppose being out of business wouldn't be so bad. If I could retire knowing there was no more work to be done, I'd be happy. Much better than burning out or simply running out of time knowing my services were still needed. Who knows if I'll be happy knowing I simply did what I could, yet, what else can I do?"

"So... this paradise you dream of yours, it indeed runs into that conundrum of contentment without strife and beyond that is rather lofty. Perhaps truly unattainable, at least for the foreseeable future. Would you be happy simply doing what you could, even if that came up short? Or, perhaps, is your actual goal something more humble? After all, many speak of world peace, and yet I think very few actually can truthfully claim for that to be their end goal. And, pessimistic as it may sound, I think fewer still keep those goals in the end."