A Bitter Taste (William Griffin)

[Doctor Zendu]

Location: Doctor Zendu's Private Practice, Belasco.

After a full day of seeing patients, Doctor Robert Zendu, galactic psychiatrist generally liked to treat himself. This particular evening, that treat was takeout from one of the finest restaurants in the Belasco capital. He had ordered a Xizor salad as a starter, tossed with Sizhranian lettuce and Hocekureen sea salt croutons, and his entree was braised nerf with a side of poached hawk-bat eggs, a delicacy in most parts of the galaxy. Lastly, the doctor had paired a nice red wine with the meal and was just sitting down to eat at his desk, his knife and fork poised over his plate, when his Datapad pinged softly. With a huff he noticed that he had one last patient to see before he dined. Plucking the patient file from the top of the stack, he perused the details of his next arrival:

Name: [member="William Griffin"]
Age: Twenty
Occupation: Unknown
Species: Human

He irately noticed that his receptionist had failed to ask the patient to elaborate on anything more than just the basics. He generally liked to be a bit more prepared for his therapy sessions, but he'd just have to make do with the scant information he had. As his food started to get cold, Doctor Zendu carried his plate upstairs to the kitchen on the top floor so that the smell didn't waft through the office. Then, descending the spiral staircase, he crossed his office and, clutching his patient file to his chest, opened the door to his waiting room to peek his head out.

"William Griffin?"

 

[William Griffin]

The only reason William was in this man's office was to test his skills as a psychiatrist.

William was very fond of Psychological games...to a certain extent where people actually thought he was mentally insane. William smiled sadistically when the doctor had called popped his head in and called his name.

William slowly got up.

"Who else but I?" William said calmly to the doctor as he walked into his office.

In his coat was nothing more than a knife....one used to prepare most meat in the kitchen, He looked at the doctor.

"You seem like a person of wealth doctor, I like that."

[member="Doctor Zendu"]

 

[Doctor Zendu]

Normally Doctor Zendu had a security droid in his waiting room that would search patients for weapons. Today, however, the Mirari Bodyguard Droid was malfunctioning and his underpaid receptionist didn't bother to inform the doctor. So without hesitation, the psychiatrist gave his new patient a warm grin and ushered him into his office.

He wasn't sure what to make of the patient's comment about his wealth so he just let it be. Doctor Zendu then placed his patient file on his desk and grabbed a little black notebook. with a thin-lipped smile, he gestured to the corner of his office that housed his desk, a few chairs and his plush, white Hover sofa.

"Please have a seat. Most patients prefer the Hover sofa. They find it helps them compose themselves better. But you can sit anywhere. While you're deciding why don't you tell me a bit more about why you've come to see me today."

[member="William Griffin"]

 

[William Griffin]

William walked to the chair instead of the hove-sofa. William sat down and looked at the doctor.

"I have come here for no reason at all Doctor....let me ask you something...Do I look like I need help?" William said before crossing his legs,

William smiled then pulled out the cooking knife and placed it on the doctor's desk.

"You see this knife doctor...it's a simple knife used by chefs like me...it is used to prepare most foods, Now why do I carry it around?"

William smiled and took his gloves off.

[member="Doctor Zendu"]

 

[Doctor Zendu]

An astute reader of body language as well as emotion, the doctor immediately noticed something was off about his new patient. First of all he eschewed the Hover sofa which was odd because most patients adored it. Then when William spoke, his suspicions were confirmed.

The psychiatrist blinked when he saw the knife, perplexed as to how his patient got it through the security droid. Taking on the gentle, concerned demeanor he used with the very deranged, Doctor Zendu furrowed his brow, clutching his notebook to his chest, and spoke softly to William, his eyes flickering down to the knife and back.

"William, I do think that you might need some help. Everyone needs help in some way." Doctor Zendu started to edge towards his desk where the knife lay, his eyes not leaving William's. If he could just get close enough to snatch it up, then he would feel like he had the upper hand over his patient. The doctor kept talking in the hopes that conversation would distract the man.

"William, I haven't the slightest clue why you carry a large kitchen knife around, but why don't you go ahead and tell me. After all, this is your time to share."

[member="William Griffin"]

 

[William Griffin]

William slid the knife closer to the doctor.

"If you wanted it just ask." William made a tsk sound then smiled.

"If everyone needs help wouldn't that mean you do too?"

William smiled as he heard the doctors first question.

William grind mischievously before answering: "Do you want the inane answer or the sane answer...I'll tell you both....The sane answer would be I am a chef so it is not that odd. ...And for the insane answer....What if I were to tell you after I kidnap the finest of 'specimens' I cut their organs out and cook them, after I cook them....I spice them...and after that....I Cut them with that knife.....The definition of insanity is repeating the exact same act and expecting different outcomes. I cook the organs over and over again trying to make it the best it can be, alas the outcome is always the same....am I insane doctor or am I just one of the few who is truly normal?"

[member="Doctor Zendu"]

 

[Doctor Zendu]

Doctor Zendu snatched up the knife and held it out in front of him. Then, showing visible signs of distress as it scattered some neatly stacked files, he tossed his notebook onto his desk. The doctor narrowed his brown eyes at William.

"I would say that you are not unlike some Trando'shan who eat their young and certain Hutts who have been known to dine on their enemies. Although the idea of normal depends greatly on where you are in the galaxy, you do not fit the wider description. You are a psychopath, William." The doctor gave his patient a tight-lipped smirk.

"I'm afraid there's no cure for psychopathy, besides very extreme measures, such as cranial implants. But from what I gather, you don't seem to want to be cured."

The psychiatrist crossed to a filing cabinet and promptly locked up the knife, upon doing so he surreptitiously pulled out a syringe filled with potent animal tranquilizers, which he hid up his sleeve with a shaking hand. Then he stood and smiled at William, gesturing towards the Hover sofa.

"However, talk therapy might help us at least figure out why you do the disgraceful things you do. Why don't you lie down on the couch, make yourself more comfortable and you can tell me more."

[member="William Griffin"]

 

[William Griffin]

William frowned putting on his gloves and before standing up.

"Psychopaths are not as normal as meare they...."

The doctor had motioned for him to go to the hover sofa, he simply stood where he was.

"Doctor, how dare you call my normallity disgraceful, My work is a art not something you can just disagree with just because you never tried it."

"Tell me doctor have you ever had another human's liver or cheek?" William said softly,

[member="Doctor Zendu"]

 

[Doctor Zendu]

The doctor realized that in his panic he had forgotten all about his training. Usually those exhibiting symptoms of psychopathy elicited sympathy from medical professionals, and he chastised himself for insulting the man. He wasn't supposed to judge his patients. But he found the acts that William described incredibly disgusting. And even worse, the man had zero remorse about them.

The doctor answered his patient huffily. "No, I have not ever sampled human flesh. Nor have I even been curious about how it tastes."

Doctor Zendu moved closer to his patient. If he could get close enough to jab him with the syringe, then the psychiatrist could promptly call the authorities and have him hauled away to a hospital where he belonged. He decided to switch tactics.

"Look, I'm sorry I called your hobby disgraceful. You're right." He placed his hand carefully on his chest. "It's just something that I as a person who took an oath to help the denizens of the galaxy, don't quite understand. But maybe you can enlighten me?"

The doctor took a few more steps towards William.

[member="William Griffin"]

 

[William Griffin]

William took his coat off and placed it on the chair.

"Doctor...you must try it one day, Its simply...to die for." William said slowly.

William smiled at the doctor, Enlighten him....

"Doctor...I will tell you a story, there once was this Boy, he lived in a loving home, He had good parents and was well fed....Every night he would help prep dinner for the family, yet his father would never explain to him what the meat was. One by one the kitchen and house staff started to disappear, The boy knew they were not fired because he would hear screams, and the next morning they were gone and more meat would appear. Now you tell me doctor, How do you change a man's way of life if that is how they have been living their whole life? The easy answer is you let it be....My papa had the most influence on me....that is until I ate his liver and brain..."

William smiled

"Do you have any fine wines doctor?"

[member="Doctor Zendu"]

 

[Doctor Zendu]

Doctor Zendu listened to William's story with a furrowed brow, wearing an expression of thin-lipped concern. Once he was done talking, the he spoke up, his tone clipped. "Well as a matter of fact, I do have many fine wines here in my office," said the doctor. "I don't often let patients drink during their sessions, but I suppose I could make an exception." Doctor Zendu crossed to his liquor cabinet and from a crystal decanter poured William a glass of red wine, not an easy task with a large syringe up his sleeve.

He walked towards William and stood a few feet away, stiffly holding out the glass with a thin arm.

[member="William Griffin"]

 

[William Griffin]

William noticed the doctor had some troubles pouring the wine, He smiled.

The doctor held out the wine and William gently grabbed it.

"Thank you...but doctor, aren't you going to make yourself a glass?" William asked with a smile then took a sip of the Red wine.

"mmm...This reminds me of home....Papa and mama always drank Red wine with their meals...now they put their curse on me...I drink wine every time I eat the organs of others." William walked around the room and smiled.

"Such a nice office doctor."

[member="Doctor Zendu"]

 

[Doctor Zendu]

Kark it, the doctor cursed to himself. William had moved away just as Doctor Zendu was about to stick him full of animal tranquilizers. He sighed and poured himself a glass, deciding he was tiring of the man's games.

He perched on the edge of his desk and sipped the fine red wine, holding it awkwardly so as not to reveal the syringe. "So William. Are you here to try and eat me? Or are you here because you genuinely want therapy? Because if it's the former, I can easily flip a few switches on that security panel over there..." He pointed to the terminal on the wall. "...and call in Security Droids faster than you can say, 'hors d'oeuvres'"

"So let's just get real with each other shall we? Hm?" With another sip of his wine, the doctor raised his eyebrow.

[member="William Griffin"]

 

[William Griffin]

William smiled.

"Eat you my dear Zendu...No,no,no...although it sounds great, you nearly stress out all day, and well stress does no good on your organs." William smiled, a devious smile that would chill a person to the bone.

"I am here because I wanted to hear your routine questions...alas, you only try to get me to lie down...." William smiled and stopped near the hover couch and sat on it.

"get real doctor? of course...have been real my whole life."

[member="Doctor Zendu"]

 

[Doctor Zendu]

Now that the patient's belligerence seemed to have subsided to a degree, the doctor's shoulders slumped, and he took on a more relaxed posture. Doctor Zendu still wasn't sure if he was on William's menu or not, but if the young psychopath merely wanted some therapy, the patient could turn out to be a very interesting study for the curious physician. He wasn't confident that he wasn't going to be able to cure the man of his homicidal tendencies, but perhaps he could persuade the cannibal not to dine on the innocent at least.

His eyes not leaving his patient's, he shook his sleeve and let the syringe fall out, holding it up so that William could get a good look. "This," he gestured to the syringe. "Is what you get if you try anything funny."

"No offense William, but the first thing you did when you entered my office was put a large kitchen knife on my desk. Forgive me if I interpreted that as hostile." Doctor Zendu had a slightly sarcastic tone in his voice, but not an angry one. "If you just want to talk, then put aside the games and let's talk."

"I imagine that being a cannibal gets a little lonely from time to time. Do you even have any friends?"

[member="William Griffin"]

 

[William Griffin]

William looked at the syringe and smiled.

"Tsk. Tsk. Tsk. Doctor I thought we were going to be friends" He said in a mocking innocent tone.

He paused and smiled,

"Games...I don't play games Doctor...I merely run tests of my own."

​"Being what I am earns me the loneliness... As for the friends...who needs friends...well I had a friend when I was younger....from the Covac family...But alas we grew apart."

[member="Doctor Zendu"]

 

[Doctor Zendu]

"You didn't eat him? I'm a little disappointed quite frankly." Doctor Zendu said, ratcheting up the sarcasm a few more notches. "And no, we're absolutely not going to be friends so just get that out of your head right now."

The psychiatrist straightened out his jacked and adjusted his glasses, more relaxed now that he had some red wine in his bloodstream. "Again, I'm not going to lecture you about these behaviors of yours, if that's what you're after. Nor will I pretend to be shocked. I don't believe your particular psychopathy is treatable anyway. You can't turn a cat into a mouse."

"That being said, what would you like to get out of our therapy? Help me help you, William."

[member="William Griffin"]