Xaviers!

"...aren't you supposed to be encouraging?"

"There would be nothing encouraging about letting you believe that you have mental health problems when I can't see any evidence of them," Melody says.

"I just don't... what am I supposed to do with this information?"

Melody leans against her desk. "That's up to you. If you want my help, we can try to find out more about the nature of this development. We could explore it together carefully and in a safe environment."

"This doesn't have to be a bad or scary thing, Sam," Melody says. "But whatever it is, you should try to understand it. Otherwise, you risk hurting yourself."

"It's not... me getting hurt that I'm worried about."

"But I get the point, I guess."

"Well, I hope it's not me," Melody says. "Whether you got a goddess in you or not, kiddo, I've faced scarier. Trust me."

"I do have... this vague urge to 'fix' you."

"I'm not sure what that entails, but it's probably not pleasant. Not that you probably couldn't handle me. I'm not that deluded."

"But no, not you. Or at least not just you."

"Who then?"

"...everybody, aye?"

"Nobody wants to be the girl they let out too early."

"Sam, I recently had to deal with paperwork involving a student driving another student through our infirmary wall," Melody says. "We have an ex-child assassin on campus. Most of the students are hormonal children that double as weapons of mass destruction.."

"I understand your concern and I have nothing but respect for your dedication to not hurt the people around you, but that dedication is exactly why you belong here and not at Muir," Melody says. "Everyone here is dangerous and potentially unstable. The important thing isn't what you could be, it's what you choose to be."

"The answer's kind of the same regardless, isn't it?"

"Yes, I want help. I want to know whatever... this bloody is."

"Good!" Melody says. "How do you feel about being hypnotized?"

"...I let another student root around in my brain the other night."

"So... probably pretty okay."

Part of Melody helpfully informed her that this sort of thing would be easier to deal with if she wasn't taking the serum, but she told that part of her to kindly shut the hell up. She pulled up a chair next to Sam and locked eyes with the redheaded student.

"Take a deep breath," Melody says. "Tell me when you're ready."

"...oh. You meant, like, right now."

"Well, I suppose you could make an appointment and come back later," Melody says. "That might make more sense. I just thought you were feeling all twitchy over it, so sooner better than later, right?"

"No, no, it's fine. I'm just not quite thinking straight, I guess."

She takes a moment to steady herself. Breathing exercises she knows, even if she's not the most diligent.

"Okay, let's give this a try."

"Look into my eyes," Melody says in a slow and steady voice. "At the count of ten, the world will fade away and it will just be you and me in a blank, neutral space."

Melody's suppressed vampiric nature gave her skills at mesmerism a bit of a boost, it was an excellent way to catch prey after all, but most of this was training from her husband. Being able to hypnotize people came in very useful for an occultist.

"Ten. The world is getting lighter. Fuzzier. Keep your eyes on me and listen to my voice..."

She was very good at it.

Though Sam has fairly decent defenses against telepathy, she is at her core rather mundanely suggestible.

Her breathing steadies, and her eyes stay focused on Doctor Malcolm.

Melody takes Sam through the entire count, slowly prodding Sam to become more relaxed and focused on her voice until she reaches...

"...One. Let the rest of the world drift away. There is nothing but you and me. You feel completely relaxed, calm, and safe as the lightness spreads through your fingers and fills you with an incredible sense of peace."

"S'isn't so bad..." Sam mumbles softly as she drifts off, her eyes unfocusing.

Melody smiles. "Now, when I snap my fingers, you'll wake up feeling completely refreshed. It will be like you had a good night's rest. Do you understand, Sam?"

"...got it," she mutters.

"Let's start slow," Melody says. "What's your full name?"

"Samantha Elizabeth McManus."

"That's a lovely name," Melody says. "I want you to know that you're safe here, Sam. I will never do anything to hurt you or ask you to hurt yourself. The moment you feel threatened or in danger, you will wake up on your own without me snapping my fingers. Understand?"

"Understood. That's... that's good."

"I'm glad you agree," Melody says happily. "I'm going to begin asking you some questions about the Morrigan, Sam. Is that alright?"

"It's okay. It's... what I came here for."

"Good," Melody says. "Where did you first hear about the Morrigan, Sam?"

"An old story about Cú Chulainn. Gran likes to tell it."

"Which story is that?"

"The Morrigan can be anyone and anything, so you should always watch what you're saying because it might be her."

"One day, Cú Chulainn saw a woman driving a cow from his land. He thought she was stealing from him, so he confronted her. She turned into a crow, and he realized he'd made a mistake. He tried to apologize, but she told him there's nothing he can do now that won't make it worse. So he gets cocky and says she can't hurt him. She tells him about a battle that's going to happen in his future, and that she'll be there when he dies."

"That's a very good lesson," Melody says. "Can you name the three aspects of the Morrigan?"

"There's Badb, all urge and action, then Macha, the line in the dirt, then Nemain, yielding and retreat."

"Are these the aspects that Miriam met?" Melody asks.

"She met Badb. Badb was the one that snuck up on me. She said she woke the other two up to provide balance."

"And do you know how long these aspects have been with you?" Melody asks.

"I don't know. They remember things I've never done."

"Like what?"