Several years Ago
This was Fiem's last hope. At this point it seemed she had tried everything conventional, and even most things unconventional, but it still wasn't getting better, and lately she had begun to feel herself slipping away, slowly sliding down into a darkness she didn't believe she could return from.
She sat, silently, the only passenger on the small shuttle whizzing through the darkness of space. It had taken her weeks to get here, ferried on multiple passenger flights through the Dienspura galaxy and on into the quadinspura galaxy. She knew this was her last hope, and simply the trip itself had been almost enough to send her over the edge.
Not so many months ago her life had been turned upside down. It wasn't something she liked or wanted to talk about, but a single incident had been enough to shatter her, and put her feelings of security permanently into question. Since the "Incident" She hadn't felt safe for a single moment, and this trip, though her last chance at recovery, had probably set her back months.
Even now she felt as if her world would implode and the space around her would simply swallow her up forever.
It was a terrible feeling.
The ship slowed, and nervously, she peeked through the window and out into space. What she found was not a black sheet of stars, but the glittering light of a blazing star bouncing sharply off the reflective white hull of the waiting Oxyclinic. Curiosity, somewhat peaked, she examined the strange little station, a floating ball of white in the middle of space, reflecting star rays off into the darkness.
It looked so peaceful.
But still her heart was in her throat, attempting to strangle her before she could even make a proper judgment. Fiem dropped her head and curled back into a ball her entire body tense and waiting for the moment it would happen.
The moment she would die.
Predictably it didn't come, and her sponsor came to retrieve her a moment later as the shuttle landed, and she was led into the oxy clinic waiting room. It wasn't what she had expected. Sure the walls and floors were bright white, almost blending but all of the other surfaces were soft and plush or even fuzzy. Patches of well contained sand even featured prominently, one square where a dozing Rundi rested.
No one else here seemed nearly as concerned as she did, even as she was taken from the room and led into a quiet little office. The Tesraki that sat in the waiting seat was not dissimilar to her. He was small, with large ears, brown fur, and a thick strong tail, which he had tucked neatly around himself.
She she entered, he perked his ears in greeting but did not stand.
She glanced at the room's edges and then scrutanied him with some measure of distrust.
"Fiem is it?"
She nodded.
"A pleasure to have you." his voice was even and soothing, and at no point did he make any sudden movements, "I am Dr. Sapien. I will be your doctor for the course of your stay. I understand you were sponsored to come to us. Tell me, how much do you understand about what we do?"
She shifted nervously in her seat, "You.... you use um humans.... To cure mental illness."
The doctor shook his head slightly, "That is a bit of a misconception, so I will explain briefly. Humans have a hormone, of a similar chemical composition and makeup that is common in quite a few of our sentient species. For them it assists in forming attachments and bonds, and as a side effect it can reduce anxiety and promote better health. Most of us don't produce so much of this chemical, as our bodies have other ways of preforming the same task, but a human produces significantly more of the chemical, which is why we use them here. Though integrated touch therapy, we have trained our humans to assist a variety of species in a variety of ways. I have already consulted your previous doctor. However, I would like to hear from you, what would you like to get out of this experience? And from there we can create a roadmap to your recovery in more detail.
She shifted nervously, glancing down at the floor, and then back towards the door, It took a long few moments before she was able to speak, but eventually she opened her mouth, allowing the words to spill slowly from her tongue and into the air, "I want to feel safe again. Every waking moment of my life is a living hell because it constantly feels like I am this close to dying." she held her fingers up to demonstrate, "I am in constant fear, and I can't take it anymore."
The doctor nodded sympathetically, his eyes fixed on her as she spoke.
They talked a little more about her concerns and worries. He asked some questions, she gave some answers, but eventually he nodded, "Very good, I think this is something we can help with. Now, this next part might be the hardest for you, but I want you to take deep belly breaths alright, count each breath and try your best to relax.
I Will be with you the entire time, and I promise you no one will hurt you.
Logically she knew she could trust him, but psychologically that felt impossible.
Still, she followed him out of the door and down a small corridor.
"It may take a few days or even a few weeks to find the right routine and match for you, but don't feel discouraged if it doesn't happen right away. Some people just click easier than others, and this may be one of those times. For our piece of mind, I will note that each and everyone of our humans is thoroughly vetted and trained. They are likely the safest creatures in the galaxy. I am going to introduce you to a few at a time and we will go from there.
She nodded and swallowed hard.
Her entire body ached with the effort of her tensed muscles, but she did her best to keep it under control.
The door opened and they were led into another room.
It was wide and spaciou, lined with even moe of the strange, soft couches. There was a large window over on one wall where light from the star managed to spill in through the windows and make this room look even bigger than it already was.
"We like to call this the day room, but it is also where we take most of our visitors. We require mandatory starrlight time for everyone we bring here, as it promotes healing and health."
She wasn't really listening to him, however, instead, looking down the length of the long room to where the humans congregated. She had heard about humans before, but she had never actually seen one. Her immediate thought was fear, and it took almost everything she had not to bolt out of the room.
They were bigger than she had anticipated, some twice as big as her. They were mostly hairless and rather ugly looking in her opinion, with brilliant glistening eyes in strange colors.
When they shifted, they seemed to move like exotic predatory animals inside a zoo.
Her legs wobbled a bit.
Her chest began to tighten.
She was going to fall over and die!
"Shh, deep breaths, slow and steady. They just want to help. Here, why don't we go sit over here on this bench, let you get used to them, okay."
Shaking, she did as told, but she certainly didn't want to.
He led her over to the little seat and sat her down as the humans continued to lounge.
It took a good thirty minutes before she was calmed down enough to acknowledge the humans again.
The doctor sat patiently with her the whole time, coaching her through breathing exercise as her panic slowly subsided.
"Very good, now lets get one of them a bit closer. Would you be okay with that." She paused and thought about it for a moment. She thought she could do it, and so she nodded.
The first human to come over was small, actually not much taller than her. This human had dark brown skin and a cloud of hair in tight spirals around her face. As she approached Fiem couldn't help but note a few things. The soft white clothing, the fuzzy slippers, and the mittens that covered the human's hands, also made out of the strange fuzzy material that made up the slippers.
Her eyes were unnervingly gold, "Hello." She said softly, her translation equipement speaking for her, "My name is Monique."
She did her best to acknowledge the human, but it was hard, and the fear kept her rooted in place.
The human herself moved very slowly and very carefully. She almost drifted in a way as she floated back towards the seats where the other humans were waiting. The next human she got was much much bigger, but when he spoke he had a very deep, soothing voice that echoed in her head.
He simultaneously scared her and comforted her,
It was a confusing feeling.
But it wasn't until the last human appeared that she tok special note of any of them.
He was a tall human, with pale skin and fur, and unnervingly bright green eyes. But as he approached, he stopped at a distance, and sat down, which immediately made him feel smaller to her. He kept his arms open and didn't move towards her, his chest and throat exposed. When he sat, he sat sideways, facing to her right, and not looking her directly in the face.
The difference was subtle, but it was there, "Hello Fiem, My name is Adam
The doctor watched her carefully, "Fiem, Adam also doubles as one of the security guards for this clinic.:"'
The corner's of the humans mouth twitched, and he tilted his head, exposing the soft flesh of his throat, "I can keep you safe."
She wasn't sure how he had known what she wanted, or needed, but at that moment the human said the one thing that she had wanted to hear. Even despite his size, there was something about him that made him inherently unintimidating. She couldn't have placed her finger on it, but perhaps it was the way he moved, conscious always of how that would appear to her.
He didn't approach against her will.
He didn't press his company upon her.
He didn't even look at her.
It was relieving in a way, and the doctor was not surprised when she tentatively chose him as her first option.