A Cold Reception [Iris Ledford]

[heartofice]

Behind the glass casing would sit the idle patient, usually staring into space in apparent deep thought. He would be sit – if he wasn’t insistent on standing – in one of the two armchairs around a small rug which essentially marked the center of the room. To the left of the chairs, if one were to view the cell from the looking glass, would appear three rows of books strewn around the corner on the wall – apparently he was considered with a little more respect than your average animal.

All of this was deathly cold to the touch. In short, it was perfect for Victor Fries.

The seclusion was at least tolerable in that the man was free from mingling with the other, distasteful patients currently residing at the asylum. Fries had never really given them any thought prior to his incarceration within the walls and he tried his best not to bother himself with them afterwards either. And while it was almost a direct insult to the man after his intense misfortune, he decided that it had been for the best that he was taken to Arkham Asylum rather than the lowly Blackgate Penitentiary – here he would get what he wished, and that was to be left alone.

At least, he would be spared attention for most of his time as he was still left the tedious patient interviews to get through. Although the prospect of engaging in random and meaningless banter with other patients around the asylum was irritating enough of a prospect to Fries the doctors still took it upon themselves to indulge in ascertaining his deeper thoughts. Two people had already stepped into the sub-zero chamber in order to speak with him. The first had been an introduction to the facility and the second had been brief interview with a doctor who had claimed that another doctor would be taking his sessions; both had attained little actual response from the man.

That doctor who would be taking his sessions was scheduled to begin the first within minutes. So, it was a little over the period of one day and he was now set for a meeting with the person who would make up almost solely for his human interaction for the period of an unknown length of time – he was, with as much enthusiasm as his depressed mind would allow for, hoping to know this would also be their last.

[Deleted]

Outside of the cell, Iris braces herself. Though her main reason is probably not the one that most people would assume. She was quite surprised when she was given Fries to treat. There is a certain glamor to being assigned to one of Gotham's infamous rogues, though whether that's deserved or not is another question. Only the ones who somehow manage to capture the public's attention get that title and that corresponds more with how actually dangerous the person is than the level of skill required to treat them.

And this case just does not seem that complicated from a mental health standpoint. In fact Iris somewhat suspects that he may have been assigned to the asylum rather than the penitentiary more because the asylum was better able to quickly convert a cell into a giant freezer and his questionable mental status gave them an excuse. It seems like the asylum is playing host to more and more people with... interesting biology and they're therefore quite adaptable when it comes to their housing and care. But those decisions aren't up to her, and she's all too happy to simply worry about her own business - taking care of his mental health to the best of her ability.

So it's nothing about who she's about to talk to that's causing Iris to have to psyche herself up as she bundles herself into her warmest coat and adjusts her scarf and gloves. No, the real reason is simply because she's a thin-skinned Arizonan at heart and it's really, really cold in there. She doesn't even want to know exactly how cold it is - anything below 40 degrees seems all the same to her. In fact, when someone mentioned that they could set up some sort of an intercom so that she wouldn't have to go in, she'd been half tempted to accept for that reason alone.

But no, the files she was able to get on her patient indicate a lot of isolationist tendencies and it would likely be far too beneficial for him to have to talk to her directly for her to justify wimping out just because it's cold. She'll survive the session, and therefore she'll go in for the good of her patient. Not that she expects him to be grateful for that. Once she decides that she's as ready as she'll ever be, she nods to the bundled up orderly next to her before they both head inside.

As expected, the cold hits her like a load of bricks, but she stubbornly forces her expression to be neutral anyway. Letting the orderly shut the door behind them and silently take a position next to it, Iris turns her attention to her patient. "Good afternoon, I'm Doctor Iris Ledford. I've been assigned to be your psychologist," she says by way of introduction as she heads further into the room, though she stops while she's still quite some distance away to allow him his space. She doesn't smile or try to appear overtly friendly, but she does give him a polite nod. Stuffing her hands into her coat pockets for warmth, she asks, "What do you prefer to be called?"

[heartofice]

He did not have to wait long as before he knew it the psychologist was already before him inside his frosty enclosure. One could easily sympathize with the woman as she was required to wear multiple layers and a coat in order to conduct what would have been a rather simple patient interview. However, in this instance, the otherwise understandably practical outfit looked out of place, with Victor Fries being dressed in little more than his customary patient gown.

Fries was seated in one of the two armchairs inside his cell, across from the woman. His posture within the chair was neutral and his expression remained expressionless. It was a normal appearance for the man to adopt – as opposed to any other appearance – and it hid the irritation that he felt from the presence of the psychologist. He knew best to hide this, however, as he believed it would be most beneficial for him to not oppose the interview in any unnecessary manner – even if the psychologist in front of him where to fail, she would only be replaced with another. He guessed that was not a desirable outcome. Besides, he had no qualms with the principles of patient interviews and the like – it was just that he did not particularly care about them either.

The psychologist was the first to speak, beginning with a simple introductory sentence. She then asked Fries what he preferred to be called. Disallowing himself from engaging personally with the woman he responded with, “You may refer to me as Mr. Fries.”

[Deleted]

Being very careful not to look like she's staring, Iris nevertheless watches him very closely for the first few moments. Based on the reports of the people who have already talked to him she didn't think that he would be likely to try to attack her or something simply for coming in, but you never know with a new patient. Getting caught and locked up in a place like this is undoubtedly traumatic, and that level of trauma can easily cause people to do things they normally wouldn't.

Nodding as he gives her the answer she expected, she says, "You may refer to me however you wish, Mr. Fries." And, seeing that he's behaving as well as she'd expected, she moves to take a seat in the other armchair and tries to will her mind into forgetting the temperature - with only a little success. It's interesting being in this room, having to be bundled up so carefully while talking to a man who can endure it easily. If she came in dressed like he is then she'd not survive for very long. And while cryogenics is a field very far removed from her own, that doesn't mean that she doesn't find it fascinating.

"And, first of all, I've been asked to inquire whether or not you find your room satisfactory? Naturally, given the uniqueness of your case, this facility is not accustomed to housing someone with your particular needs and we want to be sure that they're being adequately met," she says, knowing that is a good way to start off this interview - very formal, but she knows that she could easily make the mistake of being too friendly too fast. She hopes that he'll decide that she's tolerable first - then she'll work on seeing if she can't get him to open up a little.

[heartofice]

The psychologist, Dr. Ledford, came across to Fries as both formal and polite. He could at least respect her decision to act so. He hoped that her open-minded approach to their interview would allow for debate and, following on, understanding of his situation.

“The room is adequate for my condition, yes,” he began. “Unfortunately, for everything else, it is not. Locked away in here I am unable to function as a human being. I am unable to tend to matters in which are of the utmost importance. I… am unable to see my wife.”

His expression, for a moment, faltered. The man was not as much of a monster as some believed. He was still able to feel the deep compassion for his wife that he had prior to his incident.

Following that incident the woman had been in danger; GothCorp, the company in which he had worked, was not a safe location. Fries had been forced to move her. The process was difficult and awkward and so she still remained within the building, albeit in a more fortified position. However, upon his arrest and incarceration, law enforcement had no doubt raided the area. They were likely holding her. The truth was, he was unsure of her whereabouts. It irritated the man immensely.

“I am the only one who can save her, Doctor, from her… condition. You must allow me to.”

[Deleted]

Given some of the alternative options, Fries was probably quite lucky to get Iris as his therapist. She's never been one to approach a patient with anything less than an open mind. Mostly because she simply doesn't trust anyone else's assessment of a person and prefers to judge them based on what she herself sees. Not that she ignores the opinions of others entirely, but she watches to see if the patient proves or disproves their reputation and is prepared to see something different than expected.

For instance, she's not entirely surprised when a patient she was told seems to be completely heartless is so quick to express a very understandable concern for someone else. It's very rare for anyone to possess such a trait to the fullest extreme, after all. Her eyebrow does lift a little when he turns the request on her, however. "I'm afraid it's not within my power to grant that request," she replies, though actually she's somewhat relieved. It could easily be a tricky decision to make, after all, especially if she happened to decide that the answer was no - she's talking to someone who very obviously believes in revenge, after all.

"However, I can pass it along to my superiors, as well as my own recommendation, if you remain cooperative. Which is, I should note, neither a threat nor a bribe - the equipment and such you would require to continue your research could easily be used for other purposes so some level of trust would be required on our part to provide you with such things. And even if granted, it could very well take a long time - there would be a lot of bureaucracy to get through first," she calmly explains, being careful not to either get his hopes up or dash them entirely either. While she knows that he's not about to be released, there is some possibility they'd permit him to work here where he could be watched. It's actually an idea she personally likes a great deal, but she's completely unsure what the powers that be would actually do with that request.