Dick smiles kindly at you when you walk behind his chair. He glances at you in the mirror he’s seated before while you put the cape around him, hands resting on his thighs beneath the fabric.

He’s been coming to you for a while. For a number of reasons, you’re his favorite. You’re kind, for one, and you do your job well. That, and you always talk with him during your sessions—even though they’re always relatively short. He’d much rather watch you work and talk to you than find something else to occupy him.

You begin combing and wetting his dark hair. It’s messy. As usual. Dick breaks the silence first, “You look nice,” he says kindly. He offers you another smile through the mirror. Starting off with a simple compliment is not unusual for him, “How you been since last time?”