Fresh Meat [Arkham]

[Carmen Hernández]

When you're trying to hire enough people to fill a job in which a fair percentage of those who start will quit after a short time and it doesn't matter much if you accidentally end up with slightly too many, it's a good practice to hire more than you need so that when those who quit quickly are gone you end up with about the number you wanted. It isn't a foolproof tactic, however, because even more people quit than expected and you end up with too few.

At the start of the summer semester, Carmen had gone out to the internship fair along with the other students, applying with and being interviewed by all the potential places where she could get the required internship credit that she needed. At the top of her list had been Arkham Asylum. She'd been told that it was a difficult internship and that it wasn't for the faint of heart, but that only made it sound to her like it was one of the best places to go if you wanted to learn a lot from the experience.

But she hadn't got in, and instead had to settle for another choice. She was never told why, but she thought that had been that. Luck was on her side, however, because enough of the interns that had been chosen by the asylum at the beginning of the semester hadn't worked out that they'd had to pull out their 'maybe' list from the internship fair and see if any of them wanted to switch over to the asylum. Many of them didn't because, even though they'd had an initial interest, they were settled into the place they'd chosen instead and were no longer interested. Carmen was, though. In fact, she'd had to suppress a squeal when she got the phone call - she felt like she'd been chosen for the big leagues!

This was why she was now arriving at the asylum, wearing her carefully chosen black slacks and pink floral blouse so as to appear as professional and ready for this opportunity as possible. "I'm Carmen Hernández - I have an appointment with Dr. Arkham," she told the lady at the front, and then took a seat to wait - carefully forcing herself to sit still even though she was dancing with happiness on the inside. She was about to meet Dr. Arkham! She was about to work for him! Not that she knew that much about him - she knew that he ran the asylum and that the asylum was quite prominent and that was all she needed to know, really.

She hadn't met him at the fair because interviewing potential interns was a laborious process and best relegated to whichever staff member had nothing better to do, lots of patience, and a was good judge of character. Though the notes taken from the interview had still been on file, just in case this exact circumstance happened and they needed to give the people who had made the 'maybe' list another look. They indicated that she was extremely eager but extremely raw and didn't seem to be very focused - she had good grades but her bachelor's degree in liberal arts wasn't necessarily very impressive. The interviewer had found a nice way to imply that the patients would probably eat her alive as the final conclusion.

And yet, here she was, sitting in the waiting room and just taking everything in. This was so cool!

[Jeremiah Arkham]

The camera was still rolling; Jeremiah had leaned back to check it just moments before. It framed a young man, dirty blonde hair. He looked to be in his early thirties. He sat across the clinical table, ankles cuffed to the floor and hands fidgeting in their own shackles. His knee bounced up and down.

Jeremiah glanced up at him in the short pause that had settled between them before he straightened and gave him a smile that reached to his eyes behind his glasses.

"Was lunch a good selection," he asked, his voice calm and open.

The man looked down a moment, fingers twisting around one another, but when he did look back up, he smiled and nodded. “It was meatloaf,” he said in a soft tone, it wharbled just slightly, “and potatoes. There was gravy and carrots. It’s my favorite meal. What about you, sir? Did you enjoy your lunch, Dr. Arkham?”

“I did, thank you, Peter. I had a caesar salad I made. It was very good." He had stopped looking over his notes and instead was regarding Peter with his full attention. "When we broke for lunch, we'd just started talking about your senior year of high school. You stopped attending about half-way through the first semester. You also stopped going home. Let's get back to that. Is that alright with you?"

His eyes went to the camera, he repositioned in his seat, but he nodded. "Yeah, that's-that's fine." He smiled just a little. "School just wasn't teaching me anything I couldn't learn on my own if I didn't try. I thought, what's the point? And besides my mom was harping on me to get a job. Support the family, you know?"

Jeremiah nodded, "I do. These were repetitions from your new step-father too. You were doing wonderfully in school I'm told, but you stopped going to support the family."

"Yeah, it was-it was my duty. It wasn't like my writing would get me anywhere. Our family...it wouldn't matter here. So I had to get a man's job."

"You became a long-haul trucker."

"What better a teacher than the world? The road? You could meet so many people there and I did. That's where I met Randall Downs." He smiled at the memory. His nervous ticks faded and he looked at Jeremiah.

"Randall was the first of your victims."

Peter nodded. "Yeah."

Jeremiah leaned back and took in Peter. The strength in his broad shoulders where he still worked out in the recreation space in the asylum. He nodded. "What did it feel like when you were killing him?"

Peter furrowed his brow and shook his head. "It wasn't anything special."

"You know I have a hard time believing that, Peter."

"Why?"

"You killed seventeen of them."

Again a little whimsical smile. "That you've found."

While Jeremiah smiled, his eyes were sharp. "My point is that something drove you to keep killing. So you must have felt something."

Their rapport might not be greatly maintained yet, but he could see Peter wanted to tell him. He did, but he was proud too. This frustrated him and so though he laughed, it was to hide the irritation he felt.

"It was just-just a thing I did, you know? Just something I did. People do things everyday."

Jeremiah chuckled. "We do. We wake up, we eat, we go to work. We do those things. You raped and killed young men. I think that's different, don't you?"

Peter stared down at his hands. The intercom in the room came to life.

"Dr. Arkham," one of the guards, "the new intern is here. You wanted to meet her?"

Jeremiah nodded. "Yes, I did." He began to gather his papers. He shut the camera off. The guards would pack it and return it to his office. "You think on that, Peter. I'm sorry our time was cut short. We'll pick back on the subject if you want when we meet again on Wednesday." He stood up and as he left the orderlies entered to return Peter to his cell.

He'd need to drop off his notes in his office before he went to meet the new intern. The meeting had been set up since she'd accepted the offer after a number of their previous interns had decided Arkham Asylum was not their fit.

You'd think that would grate heavily on Jeremiah, but it didn't. He'd spent such a long time defying his draw to psychiatry and knew it wasn't for everyone. Arkham Asylum being both outpatient, inpatient, and an extension of the criminal justice system was awarded a doubly cautious disclaimer. No, this place wasn't for the faint of heart, but that did not mean it didn't need all sorts of people.

He made his way to the main lobby and that's when he got his first look at Carmen. He'd read her profile and the notes their representative had made, but you knew a lot just by taking in a person before they were aware of you.

"Ms. Hernández," he inquired as he crossed the tiled floor. He held out his hand to her. "I'm Jeremiah Arkham. You're early and I do like that initiative. I'm also happy to see your remaining interest in working here."

She did look eager. She looked cheerful and fresh. Jeremiah, however he trusted the staff member he'd sent to the career fair, he also liked to see candidates for himself. They could surprise you.

They may have thought Carmen would he devoured, and that may well be right. This field was difficult and stressful, but if she was ill-fitted it wouldn't take long to know. For now Jeremiah gave her the benefit of the doubt.

Someone had to. And someone had given him that long ago.

"We'll walk and talk, alright? Why don't you tell me about your classes and any extracurricular activities you do. Hobbies." He walked to the gated entrance into the asylum proper. He opened it and held it for her.

[Carmen Hernández]

Though she was successfully containing herself, little hints of the little happy dance Carmen was doing on the inside were surely leaking out - mostly in her little smile at nothing even when she wasn't interacting with anyone and her inability to sit still. Of course, that she was so excited about the prospect of working at a place like Arkham Asylum spoke volumes about her youth and naivety, but also how genuine her desire was - she wasn't here on a whim or because she thought of it as prestigious, but because there was something about the asylum that she had a passion for.

Whether or not that would survive whatever heavy-handed first dose of reality she faced was an open question - if not, she'd go the same way as the intern she was replacing, but if so there was some possibility that she'd shape up into a decent intern. And if any of that energy survived her internship, she might make for a decent psychologist. But that was far into the future, or at least it would seem so - this was day one.

She perked up immediately when she heard her name - more specifically, her last name and that bore a note of significance to her. After all, she was still young enough to be 'Carmen' immediately to almost everyone, but now she was venturing into the land of career professionals where 'Ms. Hernández' was the new normal. So cool! She stood up and quickly shook the offered hand. "Thank you, Dr. Arkham!" she said with just the slightest hint of shyness to her smile - the kind someone who is accustomed to being confident gets when they suddenly realize that perhaps they're in a situation where they're less confident than they expected to be.

But she recovered quickly and added, "And of course! This was my first choice in the first place! I've wanted to work here ever since I knew it existed." Which was a truthful enough statement for her to make, but less impressive to someone who knew just how short of a time period that actually was.

Though giving a tour of the facility while they talked may have been the normal procedure for Jeremiah, the idea was a particularly good one for this young woman who had all the enthusiasm of a puppy at the moment. She let him lead her along and direct her where to go, eagerly taking in her surroundings even as she rambled out an answer to his question.

"Well, I've been focusing on the core classes mostly - I've been kind of having trouble deciding how I want to specialize, but I'll need to decide soon... Right now I'm finishing up the statistics requirement and the research course, and the foundations courses..." she explained rather quickly, expecting that to not be particularly interesting because those were all the absolute basics to the field - if she'd started into more specialized work that would have said something about her, but she'd not done that yet.

Other things aside from classes, though? She knew that was a bit more unique. "I only have so much time for other things right now but, well, until I started into the graduate program I was on a women's rugby team, and I still really like to keep in shape - running, lifting. So that's what I do with most of my free time. Keeps away the stress, you know?" she explained. This also explained why she could manage to maintain her excitement at such a high level for so long - she was an athlete with a lot of endurance so even her emotions didn't tire her out very quickly.

"And if I have any free time after class, studying, working out, the internship stuff, sleep, and other 'taking care of myself' stuff I'm usually out with my friends," she added, feeling that wasn't the most interesting 'hobby', but she knew that it indicated that she was the gregarious type who liked to relax by being with people instead of isolating. That was something she guessed that someone like Dr. Arkham would be interested to know about her, given his profession.

[Jeremiah Arkham]

Excitement had been an aura around her at Jeremiah's approach and there was absolutely nothing wrong with that. Her smiles, the way she fidgeted; it wasn't nerves certainly and it made Jeremiah smile on the inside much more than the pleasant and polite one he had offered to her as he'd approached. Ashamed as he was to admit that he'd not come into the field with the enthusiasm she displayed, he remembered it coming to him as he'd learned and gained experience. Perhaps he no longer seemed to contain the pure energy she had, but the passion had never left him.

Not yet.

Reflected back at him was that same passion in the body of a girl who reminded him so much of a puppy as she sat in her seat. Even when she became more shy at his greeting, she still reminded him so much of a puppy. She was adorable and it made Jeremiah feel such affection for her immediately.

Let it be known, it was not an unprofessional and lustful affection, not that had he been closer to her age she wouldn't have caught his eye, but he wasn't and he was now an experience-wizened man. The affection he felt towards her was like one felt towards a child. With that, of course, came a fear. Carmen had no idea what she was getting into and he was sure of that. Not only was Arkham Asylum a known mental health facility for both outpatient and inpatient treatment, it was also part penitentiary. Those deemed criminally insane were housed here and those were the sort that he could see most affecting the girl who followed him. He worried about her mental health, but he also worried about her passion.

These were not the hush-hush days of his own learning and a newer generation of patients would respond well to her passion and approach, if she could make it through this internship and further through her schooling. She had truly just begun as her words and profile had made certain, but there was opportunity there. Not just to cement her passion, but to also end her path sooner than later if this wasn’t the right calling for her. Jeremiah held an open opinion about that as he led her into the asylum proper and listened to her speak about herself and her hobbies.

He’d learned to listen completely without interrupting, without pre-planning what to say to his conversation partner. Instead his brain hooked onto whatever pertinent information and once finished he could comment.

“Well, I’d focus on finishing all the groundwork first. A strong foundation, just in my opinion, is the best path to lead you to a specialization perfect for you. Though, it will be important to pick one. I have practitioners of every specialization in employ here, if you want to, I think they’d be happy to let you pick their brains about them.” He could certainly set that up, and wasn’t that the point of this internship? To influence and nurture the next wave of therapists and psychologists that would be entering the workforce? “And if you’re having trouble, I find long runs to be very enlightening. I was an athlete in my undergrad years, soccer,” he chuckled, “I find it’s as much therapy for the mind as the body, gives you the silence and focus to think, plus it’s great stress relief.”

He didn’t miss the positive in even her social nights with her friends, either. It meant that she did, at the least, like people and it could even speak to her ability to empathize with. “Nights out are important too. You have to have a sturdy mind in order to help others, do you have a counselor? Not an academic one, excuse me, I mean a mental health professional? I’d advertise getting one. Even I have one that I speak to several times a month. It helps in this profession.”

[Carmen Hernández]

As Dr. Arkham started talking to her, Carmen unknowingly demonstrated something else that hinted at her potential - though she talked easily and was full of excitement and energy, when he spoke she was instantly quiet and listened carefully to his words. She was genuinely curious about what he would say, and that wasn't simply because he was her new employer and she wanted to figure out what she needed to do to do well in her job, but that's how she quite naturally treated anyone in any conversation.

But especially in this case when she was talking to her new employer and wanted to do well. Not just with the internship but also her schooling and the launch of her career - when he talked about giving her the opportunity to speak to people in various specializations, she was certainly all ears. "That would probably help so much! If I could see what they actually do instead of just which courses I would have to take, it might get easier for me," she replied enthusiastically.

She listened, too, when he mentioned his own experience with athletics, though when he mentioned soccer a flicker of amusement crossed her face. For half a moment she had to debate with herself about whether or not to say out loud the comment that immediately came to her mind - she was just meeting the man now, after all, so she couldn't be sure what his sense of humor was and how he might take it. However, after that moment she came to the conclusion that she might as well find out here and now - even if he was offended she doubted it would be counted as severe enough to kick her out or something, after all, especially coming from an new intern. "Soccer, huh? In my rugby team we always joked about how soccer was rugby for wusses who couldn't take a hit," she said with a smile and a laugh, her tone just slightly teasing.

Though she had to hesitate just a little bit longer when he asked if she had a mental health counselor. "Yes... technically. You're required to have one to be in the program. So I started to seeing one of the counselors off of the list they gave us with recommendations, but I've only seen her a few times and I don't think it's working out for me. I mean, I know it's important to worry about my mental health and take care of my issues because how am I supposed to help anyone else out if I don't have my own stuff together? But I think that this particular counselor and I just aren't a good match, you know? So I want to find a new one, but I haven't had very much free time to get that figured out," she explained, but was quick to add, "But yeah, I'll get it figured out, so no worries - I don't think I have any big issues to work out, but it would definitely be helpful to have someone help me process all of my stress right now, at the very least."

As they walked along she split her attention fairly evenly between Dr. Arkham and her surroundings - being attentive but also eagerly seeing what there was to see. She was already quite enamored with everything, really - which was only to be expected because she was coming in with high expectations. This, right here, was where the real, hardcore mental health work happened, she knew it!

[Jeremiah Arkham]

Arkham noted her attentiveness. While his first impression may have been her energy, how it seemed to make her vibrate in her enthusiasm, he also saw that she could reign it back and not let it distract her from what she needed to focus on: her patients in the field and currently, himself. He knew it couldn’t just be something she was newly demonstrating either, it was a skill that took practice and whose cracks were easily seen. No, she had this important skill and was actively practicing it regularly. It was a green flag for Jeremiah to see it. It meant that maybe, just maybe she was aware of the field she was jumping into. It waned his doubts if only slightly and shortly. What would remain to be seen was could she hold her own in a clinical setting. Listening to a patient was important, but not every patient here could respect the rules between doctor and patients. Some of them would use that listening to lead the interview astray, take advantage. These were all things he kept in mind.

“This way,” he turned down the hall that led to the faculty offices, among which was his own. He smiled at her response to getting to see the professionals in action. “These are the offices. Many of the people you’ll shadow will be here, though there are others throughout the other buildings. This is also where you’ll start. The most boring part of the field,” he chuckled, “paperwork and bureaucracy.” The hallway looped, so he wasn’t concerned about turning around. The walls had bulletin boards, doors with their plaques, and other such decor. It was rather plain, but the offices themselves were all warm colors made to elicit relaxation and of course, the doctors and other personnel decorated them as they wished. “Most of our outpatient counseling happens in the office too so you’ll be able to see that.” He glanced at her from the corner of his eyes. “I’m glad you’re looking forward to this. Do you have an idea what sort of therapy interests you just on the base level?”


It was one of the first lessons he’d learned when he’d been in Carmen’s shoes. You could read and read about the different psychologies and their techniques, but actually seeing them in action was another experience. Nothing, life especially included, was ever as tidy as a textbook. Theories on the human mind were the same. Man lived to outfox those who thought they had them down to a science. Man could not be neatly packed in a box; not his physical attributes nor his mental ones. Jeremiah always expected the unexpected.

Like the intern teasing him.

Admittedly, he was surprised at her boldness, but in a merry way. A way that had him laughing back and deferring his head back at her.

“Is that right,” his own lips gave a mock frown. His eyes danced. “Well, your rugby team is right. Even if I still enjoy the sport, it’s absolutely for wusses. We didn’t have a rugby team in my day, though. Luckily, though, you can find almost any sort of sport to play now. I happen to enjoy rugby myself now.”


The ease of conversation wasn’t even lost as he actively listened to her. She had a therapist, but they didn’t connect. It was a common problem within even those who were prescribed therapy. Not every practitioner and every patient was a good fit. “Why don’t you bring me that list when you come in for your first day? I can give you personal recommendations based on the sort of therapist you’d like to see and what you’re hoping to accomplish. Only if you’d like, of course, I won’t force it.” He smiled. “I have the faith you’ll get it figured out either way.”

By now they’d looped around the hallway and were making their way down the more ornate hallways. “Next I’ll show you some of our interview and intake rooms. Arkham Asylum serves both a purpose to treat the general populace as well as to aid the judicial system here. I’m sure you’re aware of that.” He nodded and opened a door.

The room here was brightly colored with carpeting. There were colorful shelves of books, markers and other art supplies, as well as stuffed animals. “A children’s interview and therapy room. It takes all sorts to run the system.”

[Carmen Hernández]

It wasn't all that difficult for Carmen to reign in her enthusiasm enough to listen to other people because so much of her enthusiasm was driven by a genuine interest in other people. And they don't have to be crazy to be interesting, though admittedly the crazy ones are a bit more interesting. Still, perfectly ordinary people are plenty interesting without that because each person is unique and has their own story, which means that they think and react to things differently. And sometimes it's just as fascinating that a particular person is functional when another person is not.

In any event, being presented with the faculty offices does compete for her attention, as her eyes scan over everything she can see. Which, plain as it was, means there was quite a bit to look at. The bulletin boards provided various clues about what was currently going on, the number of offices with doors open enough to peer through means something, and what could be seen in those ones did as well. Not that she was so bold as to stop and actually look at anything long enough to get more than a taste of what she could know while she was on a tour, but she was very curious about all of the doctors she would soon be meeting.

"I mean, the paperwork is important, though. Especially if you're researching - you, like, need accurate data," she commented when she pulled her eyes away from the scenery for a moment, "And, I mean, you personally have the business side to worry about too, or nobody gets paid, so..." She let that sentence trail off because she also agreed that it was boring. Important, but definitely one of the least exciting topics possible.

"So the patients who don't live here usually come here," she stated as she looked around herself once again, just to help solidify that fact in her mind. Already sure that she would get lost more than once during her first few days in such a big facility, she would definitely do her best to become familiar with the place quickly so as to avoid that. But it was the nature of old buildings to be mazes, especially if they'd been repurposed at some point so that whatever logical arrangement the original architect had intended had gotten superseded by another architect cramming something new wherever it fit.

Though her attention snapped more fully back to Dr. Arkham when he asked about her therapy interests, as that was a difficult question. "Ah, well, I don't know - I don't know which approach makes the most sense to me, but maybe that just means I like the holistic approach? I mean, it makes sense to me that everyone is different, so if I want to be able to help all sorts of people then I need to learn all sorts of methods. Though I know I think it's really cool to find out, like, how stuff that happened a long time ago can matter a lot. Like someone's childhood, you know?" she explained in a somewhat rambling fashion. A very broad sort of interest in the realm of psychology, but not a complete absence of a direction, at least.

When he reacted to her tease with amusement, she grinned and let out a soft laugh. "Yeah, it sure is fun to watch, isn't it?" she asked, adding the subtle jab of assuming that he would be watching and not playing.

Finding out that he can handle a little teasing did a lot to make her feel more comfortable because, while she could buckle down and be serious when she had to, she didn't like trying to be serious all the time. Which definitely helped her be comfortable with the idea of letting Dr. Arkham help her find a better therapist - someone too stuffy probably wouldn't understand her well enough to make a good recommendation, or at least she thought so. "Oh sure! You probably know a lot of them so that would be way better than me trying to pick one at random," she replied with a quick nod.

Her attention went back more to her surroundings again as he explained where they were going next, and she peered curiously at the brightly colored room - which almost seemed out of place in a way, but she was quickly nodding and commented, "Yeah... sad that any kid needs mental health stuff, but that just means it's better to give them the help they need immediately, right? We learned a bit about play therapy in one of my classes."

[Jeremiah Arkham]

Woe was the lot of the director, eh? She was right that he had the business side to worry about. He had to make sure documents were sent to pay-roll, yes, but he did have the help of the department heads and their managers and supervisors. It was all a cascade of responsibilities that all lead to documents being sent to Human Resources. There was the occasional kink, but for the most part it was a machine that worked well. He was satisfied and it left him with the time to attend to other matters like speaking to the legal teams, speaking to his ethical advisors, and then all the other tedious things like budget meetings, grant meetings. It was all necessary and while yes, those things could be considered some of the less desirable he was a genial person; he liked people, and there was a zeal in tying all the strings cohesively together. The Asylum was like a child to him and he wanted to keep it as well as he could. Wellness within the asylum, thus meant, wellness among his staff. Carmen was now a part of that group.

Even as he led her through the asylum, laughing as she further teased him, his mind was already assessing where she might fit. A patient population that would benefit from her holistic approach, her bright personality. He thought of a place that would nurture her rather than stymy her.

“Holistic approach, hm,” he considered it a moment, “I’m quite fond of that approach. The stigma associated with mental health causes both our patient and their families to want quick approaches which means psychopharmacological solutions, and that is often only a temporary fix, if an appropriate fix at all. Like you seem fascinated by, previous experiences, like childhood trauma often is a source for many conditions.” He smiled and nodded. Really, he was satisfied with her interest. It may have seemed broad, but tailoring a therapy to a patient was the most important step. The field needed people who could sit with a patient and with knowledge of the offerings, make such a recommendation. “You have to treat the whole person,” he agreed. “We’re like butterflies that way. As a butterfly emerges from the cocoon that once housed it as a caterpillar, the struggle squeezes fluid from its wings which makes it lighter, allowing it to soon fly. The holistic approach is like that. A patient is coaxed to face the source of their distresses and in that struggle, they too are made lighter in their cathartic moments. It’s beautiful and satisfying as a therapist to see it.”

Maybe others had seen her as naive, but Jeremiah only saw Carmen as young. She was herself only a caterpillar. “If you like that approach, then you’ll certainly need a therapist. Compassion fatigue will definitely be a high threat there. You bring that list, and I’ll certainly find you a therapist.” Or recommend another separately. He already had some ideas and hoped at least one of those names was on the list.

That brought them to the play area and his grim expression. “It’s sad, yes,” he nodded. “But you are right; the sooner they receive treatment, the sooner they can be guided back to their carefree lives.” He brought her from the door and let it close behind them. “Play therapy is wonderful, but highly specialized. Children have such a different cognition than adults. Sometimes the only thing they know is a feeling of wrongness.” He paused for a moment and then nodded down the corridor. “These rooms can also be used for police evaluations, both for the officers themselves or a nonviolent prisoner. And I’m sure you know that Arkham is also the hospital for those offenders who are considered mentally unsound for trial.”

[Carmen Hernández]

Nodding as they walked and talked, Carmen commented, "Yeah, people always want quick and easy, but these things take time. And I've, like, met people who had to deal with some really hard stuff but then they, like, use it for good now. Like I have an uncle whose father was a piece of work - was a mean, abusive drunk when he was little and then ended up in prison. But because his dad was like that, he promised himself that he wouldn't, and not only is he, like, the best dad, he started this after school program for teens in single-parent families to, like, mentor them and try to help them. So he's, like, everyone's dad now. That's, like, super inspirational and shi-... stuff, so I hope I meet more people like that." And it was easy to see as much in her expressions as she explained it, somehow managing to find even more enthusiasm as she did so. This probably explained why she then hastily corrected her word choice when she found herself getting what she thought was probably a little too casual. This was a professional environment, after all.

Not that she seemed to be too self-conscious about it. In fact, the longer they spoke the more clear that, while there was a natural level of anxiety to her at the moment because it was her first day and that alone was stressful, she was perhaps less so than most would be and the high energy she had really was excitement more than anything. Sure she was meeting new people at a new place that she thought would end up being really important to her future, but she was already really sure that it would all end up working out just great.

Still, when Dr. Arkham mentioned compassion fatigue, she was quickly nodding and added, "Yeah, that and handing stress - it's a problem for me." Just because she was confident socially didn't mean that juggling school, this internship, and trying to function as an adult all at the same time didn't get to her if she let it. But at least she was aware of that, so that was a good first step in the right direction, at least.

If only by contrast to what was clearly the usual for Carmen, the fact that she didn't comment but simply nodded as Dr. Arkham spoke further about children hinted at some strong but unspoken feelings about it. But her attention was easily drawn to the rest of the corridor, and she nodded again, this time adding, "Yeah... I may have not mentioned that part to my mom when told her about this internship..." There's a hint of amusement to her expression, as she'd known that would make her mother worry but, clearly, Carmen herself wasn't worried about it. Or at least not worried enough to have decided that she wanted to have her internship somewhere else, as Arkham Asylum had been her first choice.

[Jeremiah Arkham]

The leaps and bounds that treatment had come since his birth were, like any medicinal history, amazing. Even the stigma about mental health was deteriorating with more and more public figures and celebrities opening up about their personal struggles. When Jeremiah had been born about forty-eight years ago, numerous asylums and the like were still open. The conditions had been despicable, the treatment still inhumane, and people still felt it appropriate to lock away their “problems”. Even then, you had suburban wives drugged on medicines. Society always wanted a quick-fix, but the mind wasn’t something you could heal in a day. It was like a machine. You could break it in seconds, but the reconstruction usually took much, much longer. He didn’t see people as machines, though. They were much more delicate, but also so much more resilient. Carmen’s own words proved that.

They proved how man could face such a dire environment and yet prevail over it. They also reminded Jeremiah of his own childhood. Parents who had neglected him, not out of cruelty, but misunderstanding and then there had been his uncle. Unlike Carmen’s who had defeated a past that could have easily pulled him down the same road, Amadeus had been defeated. He’d fallen into madness and he’d become a murderer. He’d instilled in Jeremiah a fear of the same. He’d looked up to his uncle, even when he’d been mad.

The unease of those memories had begun to settle inside him, a feeling he was used to and could acknowledge, but still bothered him. Thankfully, it was at that moment that Carmen almost cursed. It caught Jeremiah off-guard just enough that he snorted in amusement.

“I think you’ll have plenty of opportunities to meet people who have taken their traumas and switched them to better purposes,” he assured, “not just patients either. Many of your colleagues and other students are in fact doing that.” Jeremiah was doing that. He never wanted another, like his uncle to suffer and be untreated.

Carmen’s ease and ability to not be hung up on her almost slip, in turn eased Jeremiah. She pulled him from his forlorn and discomforting memories back to the present. He didn’t say he was thankful, but he was. He smiled and then he chuckled again.

He glanced over at her, “Stress? Tell me about it.” Their stressors were different, but Jeremiah dealt with it as well. Patients, the upkeep and management of the asylum, and his own need to have downtime. That was a battle for him too. The modern world had evolved to enforce stress on everyone and everyone could do with therapy and learning coping mechanisms.

Her reaction to his words about children intrigued him. Did she maybe want to specialize in that or perhaps had a personal experience that lent itself to emphasized empathy? He didn’t press, but he did wonder. Maybe he’d find out, but this wasn’t the time.

“I don’t blame you, but I think your mother can rest easy. You won’t be meeting our more dangerous clients. Not yet, anyway. Maybe passing them in a hall, but that’s it.” He shared her amusement. If she continued in the field and as she progressed through school, her duties would reflect it. If she remained at Arkham Asylum, there was no doubt she would meet their infamous patients, but for now, it was a bleep on the radar.