Can You Spare a Moment?

Posted on Tue Oct 27th, 2020 @ 11:02pm by Level 2 Itishaam “Tim” Mughabghab PsyD & Level 5 Nicholas "Nick" Medhurst

Mission: Possessed and Obsessed
Location: Conference Room
Timeline: Three Hours After "How NOT to Ghostbust"

ON:

A short time after the mission, Nicholas finished what seemed like the longest shower of his life. Nothing seemed to get the stench of ghost off of his skin no matter how hard he scrubbed or how much soap he used. After a long while, the inspiration had struck him to take a similar approach to having been sprayed by a skunk. Springing into action, he had managed to dig into his bag and locate a small satchet of tomato sauce from an MRE that he didn't finish on his way to Raleigh and rub it on his skin, which eventually dulled the smell. With a final soap and lather, he rinsed himself off and retreated to his room to dress in his business casual clothes. As he laced up his shoes, something that he managed to bury deep into his mind- the reason he was here in the first place.

Finally standing up, he went in search of the North Carolina Ghostbuster's resident headshrinker with a thick, brown file folder in his hand.

Who he found wandering the hallways barefoot with damp hair. With slime in his hair- and other more embarrassing places- Tim had been forced to take a shower himself. He hoped this wouldn't be a regular occurrence, but something told him it would happen far more often than he cared for.

"Afternoon," he said by way of greeting as he approached the other man.

Nick nodded. "Afternoon, Doc-" He stopped as he noticed a hint of pink slime on the side of Tim's chin. "You've got a little bit of uh..." he said, pointing slightly at the offending spot.

Wrinkling his brow, Tim swiped at the indicated spot and found slime still stuck to him. "I thought I got it all," he complained. "Thanks, mate."

"-I was wondering if you had a few moments for a bit of a session. I know we haven't known each other long but I wanted to ask if there's something you could help me with." he said, looking around the hall apprehensively, wanting to get away from prying eyes.

"Sure," agreed Tim readily. "Wish I had an office. Ah, well. My room will do. Come on." He led the other man the short distance back to his room and opened the door. "I also wish I had something to offer. You know, scotch or something. Anyway, come in. Sit down." There were two choices for that, of course: the desk chair or the bed.

Nicholas sat down in the desk chair and ensured the door was closed before he spoke. "Stupid question but what do you know about people seeing ghosts?" he asked, sliding Tim the folder.

"See 'em myself all the time," replied Tim, settling cross-legged on his bed. "Have since I was a kid. So I'd say I know a fair bit," he added with a grin.

Nick's expression became more serious. "Good. That file contains all of my psychological evaluations from the Navy. They took my wings because they thought I was crazy. Bottom line is I'd like to get them back and you seem like the best person to help me." he said, taking a breath. "Now, I'm not asking you to do this for free. I can and will pay you if you're willing to take this on." he said, a hint of resolve creeping into his voice.

Tim waved a hand at Nick. "Don't worry about it," he said. "I'm not licensed in this state, yet. I'm working on it, though. This is going to be a tough sell. Getting the US government to acknowledge the supernatural is harder than teaching sign language to a goldfish."

Nick nodded. "I totally get that. If I can put you in touch with some folks at the Naval Research Labs, let me know and I'll make some calls." he said quickly. Looking around the room, he noticed that it was relatively sparse. "Why don't you tell me about youself, Doc?" he asked.

“Oh, is it my turn now?” Tim jokes, feigning seriousness. “Well, I grew up in England, as you can probably tell from the accent, and came to the states for uni. Became a citizen a few years ago, which is basically the same as living here with a work visa, but it means I can vote. That’s about all the important stuff
anyway.”

Nick smiled slightly. "And you chose here to settle down? You must be a glutton for punishment." Nicholas said jokingly.

Tim grinned. "Nah, it's the job," he said. "It sounded like a lot of fun, and a great way to use my talents. All of them, not just the psychology stuff."

“Good point- I think that’s why we’re all here in a way. Did the Captain pay you a visit as well?” Nick asked

"I applied, actually," replied Tim with a grin. "Replied to an ad I saw online."

Nicholas smiled slightly. "Good to know some people believe in this stuff. I mean, I didn't really before I saw this firsthand. I guess that comes from people calling me crazy for a couple of years." he said ruefully. "Thanks for your help, Doc." he said, more quietly now.

“That’s what I’m here for,” replied Tim easily. “Well, that and psychoanalyzing ghosts.”

Nick got up to walk out of the room, he stopped as he rounded the doorway and poked his head in. "If you're ever up for it, let me buy you a drink sometime and give you a proper Southern welcome." he said before walking briskly down the corridor.

"Might just take you up on that," Tim called after him.