Desire Counseling

[Coco]

Upon the day of Thurs, after the clock had struck noon, Coco sat at a table in the Rose Garden's private room, waiting for her "client" to arrive. It would be an a fascinating session, not just because it was to be her first project of the season but also because there was a part of her that was rather...bitter when it came to Alex Rivers. There was an air of disinterest that he seemed to color his words with, and Coco hadn't appreciated to hear that inflecting his opinion about her. Sure, there were others that expressed a similarly ambivalent view of her, but those were at least people who had cause for such...low opinions. Alex, as far as Coco was concerned, should have kept his stupidly well sculpted mouth shut if he hadn't spoken with her enough to offer a truly subjective opinion.

Alas, he hadn't, and now here she was, waiting for him to arrive so that she could help him not only make his desires come true, but to understand them better, as well. Hopefully, in doing so, she could convince him to share a more favorable view of her when the gossip mill started turning once again.

[Swami M]

Alex has committed himself to making an effort, to reaching out to other Courts and making stronger connections to the rest of the Freehold. So he dutifully appears at the Rose Garden at the appointed time, even though he has no clue what these people can actually do for him... and despite the insistent whispers of Admiral Ackbar in his mind's ear. He'll just have to trust that their intentions are good, and that this is not some kind of elaborate prank.

He makes his way to the back room and finds the wasp lady waiting for him. "Hello. Nice to meet you again."

[Coco]

"And a pleasure to see you as well," Coco replied, a broad smile sliding onto her face as she saw her "client" enter the room.

"So, Alex, would you care to order some food or drink before we begin? I know that some find it more comfortable to discuss the intricacies of their desire over a meal. I would caution you not to go too heavily on the drink, however. Lower inhibitions can be wonderful and all, but a clear head is needed to truly begin to conceive of making your desires possible. So, I'll leave that choice to you, but otherwise, would you care to begin?

"We can start with things of lesser importance, if you like," Coco suggested, shifting in her chair so that she lounge against chair and table with one leg dangling over the other, crossed at the knee.

[Swami M]

Alex has absolutely no intention of boozing it up in the middle of... whatever this is. He orders iced tea.

"I've actually been talking about my goals with a friend. I broke them down... from the things that are the most straightforward, to the the things that will be tougher... and then the things that may be nearly impossible. That's the point where the line between 'desire' and 'fantasy' blurs..."

[Coco]

Coco decided upon an apricot cider and a cobb salad, pausing only to call the waiter over for their orders and then send them on their way before she replied, a new glint entering her eyes.

"Ah! So you've already begun to explore the subtle border between fantasy and desire. It is a filament. As much a connection as it is a frontier between them. So I must admit, I'm impressed that you've already begun to discern the difference. An enterprising first step on the path of desire, if I may say so," Coco expressed, uncrossing her legs and spinning around so that she faced him fully, her spine straight and antennae perked.

"I'd like to hear about both. Why don't we start there, then, if you've already enlisted the help of friends for the more easily attained."

[Swami M]

"So my first priority is making a home for myself in this Freehold... making friends, finding ways to be of service. That's just going to take time and effort. Then there's the problem of a meaningful job and a career, since none of my education and experience officially exists any more. That's still possible, if more difficult. Even if I have to go back to school. What really seems impossible at the moment is real relationship. A family. There's no way I'm going to inflict our miseries and dangers on any normals... so what are the odds of me finding the love of my life in a group of a few dozen people? That's what I mean by fantasy. I still desire a normal life, but that happening is about as likely as me becoming an astronaut..."

Alex can feel the frustration in his own voice. He takes a moment to sip at his tea and gather himself.

[Coco]

"Meaningful job and career," Coco echoed, all while internally struggling to ensure that no derision surfaced upon her features. "What inspired you to desire that? For many, a job is just another word for a set of shackles that occupies the majority of their lives. Forty and more hours every week, all devoted to the gain of another, and the eventual hope that, when the body is ugly, old, and broken, they might finally have time to themselves. So I ask you, what is compelling to you about that? And answer me truly, and in full," she demanded.

"Understanding the depths of the desire, as well as its source, is crucial here."

[Swami M]

"Well, unless Spring is working on a plan to implement a Universal Basic Income, I have do something to eat and pay rent. Right now I'm working retail for a living. So, shackles? Old? Broken? Check, check and check."

Alex glances down at his hands for a moment, at their perfect and unblemished skin.

"I'm actually a lot older than I look. Before all this happened, I was a newspaper reporter for more than 20 years. It's not exactly what you see in the movies. More like the Paper Chase than All the President's Men. But I liked the job. I was good at it. And the work had meaning and purpose... at least some of the time. It was hard and stressful, but not in the worst way. Not like 'maybe I should jump off a bridge today,' which is where 20 years of folding jeans for a living might lead me. Now print journalism was a dying industry even before I went Away, so I'm probably going to have to do something else. I just hope whatever that is will keep me interested, motivated and connected to the world. The whole world, not just the bubble we live in..."

[Coco]

"Sadly, I must admit that I doubt I'm one that can help you stay connected to the whole world, though I do believe that I can assist you in finding a way to pay rent and eat," Coco replied after a few quick moments of consideration.

"One of the lessons of Spring is to embrace the bounty which we've taken when we left Faerie: contracts, pledges, tokens, and other talents of the Wyrd. A pledge cannot give you money on its own, but if tied to an endeavor, then it certainly bolster whatever income you might otherwise get. Doubtless that can assist you with pursuing something you enjoy, even if ordinarily it does not pay much.
"Contracts, on the other hand," Coco continued, "might allow us to venture into a field that we ordinarily wouldn't be able to. The ability to read desires, for instance, can be tremendously beneficial. As for the others, I won't get into them, but allow me to also suggest something."

The Wasp leaned back in her chair and crossed her legs again, hands folding demurely in her lap.

"If you search for a meaningful job, do not divorce it from your duties to the Freehold. A bubble we might be, but it is a bubble for a reason. So, instead of thinking of stepping outside the bubble, consider thinking of expanding the bubble through your efforts. A reporter could be very useful, for example, if the primary focus was not reporting for a newspaper editor, but to the Freehold. In fact, you could even consider becoming your own editor. Have you ever thought of starting your own periodical?"

[Swami M]

"Unfortunately, none of my, uh, special skills have real business applications. As in influencing other people and their emotions. The one thing I've been given that kind of works that way is my, uh, looks. And there are certainly ways to be hot for a living. But that's something that can get very complicated and very ugly."

Alex has been approached more than a few times by people offering 'modeling' jobs. These propositions ranged in creepiness from 'sad and lonely old guy' to 'aspiring porn producer' to 'this guy probably lives somewhere deep in the woods, in a cabin built from the bones of dead rent boys.' Modeling was a real profession, of course, but it was nearly as competitive as music or professional sports. To the point where exploiting young hopefuls and stage parents had become an entire industry of its own. Alex had worked stories about that, back in the day...

"Starting my own periodical? With the Internet, it's never been easier to get your writing in front of the public. So I could start the 'Freehold Blog.' Kind of like what that DJ Otzal guy does on the radio. With lots of code words and hidden meanings. Or I could start a blog on any other topic you can think of. For a wider audience... at least in theory. Because the down side is that while writing for an audience has never been easier, writing for a living has never been harder. But aside from that, yes, I have offered my skills in research and information gathering as a way to be of service to the Freehold."