Keep Calm and Remember... (Leiken)

Vincent glanced up and the knock and pushed the paperwork to the edge of his desk, straightening up as Lei walked in and shut the door. As he looked him over, the trainer realized with a pang of sympathy how utterly exhausted the boy looked. Despite his own sleep deprivation issues, it always worried the man whenever he noticed people not sleeping; it was generally very unhealthy and was cause for concern. In this instance, however, he knew that cause and was able to sooth some of the problem if not fix everything.


"No, not at all," he answered, gesturing for the teen to sit despite the fact that he was already doing so. "I understand - you have had a stressful week." Most of that stress had come from (in some form or another) Vincent himself, but he didn't reiterate that fact. It wasn't really important to lay blame on himself; what was important was fixing the problems at hand.


He sighed slightly at the student's question, tugging at the bandanna over his forehead out of habit. It hadn't gone exactly as he'd expected, but he supposed it would be good enough. "I explained the situation to Miss Serrano," the soldier explained. "Despite this, I do not know if she believed me or if she will keep rumors from spreading."


Though he wanted to console Lei and tell him that everything would be fine, he needed to be honest if the boy was to trust him. Still, he could offer one measure of appeasement. "If rumors were to arise, I can enlist the aid of Dr. Neville. He has always been rather adept at stopping false stories before they can spread too far. That is, if you would allow him to help." Vincent didn't want to assume that allowing anyone else into this fragile circle of trust was fine by his student, but he gave the option anyway. Sean was always there to help both student and staff, and he could see right away if they were telling the truth of their encounter that night. Telepaths were useful that way.

Vincent nodded in agreement. "This is true," he added, though it was redundant. He blinked in surprise when the tired boy had the observational skill to notice his habit (he'd been too focused on other things when he'd seen Lei last to bother it much), then lowered his hand with a slight laugh. "A scar I do not like remembering or talking about," he answered simply, and left it at that. It would be a story for a different day, if ever.


A look of sympathy and concern crossed the older man's features and he shook his head, at a loss. He knew that wasn't what Lei had wanted to hear, but he couldn't give the boy false hope. If Vincent lied and was caught in it, the boy would never trust him again and his training would stall. It wasn't a good position to be in for either case. "I am sorry, but I cannot force her into silence. It is her choice whether to spread rumors or not; I can merely give her the truth and trust that she will use it wisely."


The soldier frowned slightly at Lei's assessment of Dr. Neville. From what he knew and had seen, the psychiatrist was a good man and very perceptive. He didn't pry into other people's affairs and was unbiased when it came to discussing issues. He was also unaware that Lei had gone to see him at all. While he wanted to ask what made the boy think so poorly of the older man, he did not pry. Instead, he commented, "If you do not believe you can trust Dr. Neville with this, then I will not speak of it to him. However, I wish you to know that I have faith in the men's discretion; he will not, under any circumstance, reveal anything you believe harmful to your reputation. He will also be able to provide testimony that will allow me to remain in my position here at the Institute, if it comes to such things."


The tired boy yawned more loudly, and Vincent gave him another worried look. "You should rest if you are able," he commented, his voice low and gently authoritative as it had been the night before. "Worrying yourself unto exhaustion will not quicken a resolution."

The subtle flinch from Lei and in his tone gave the soldier pause. Something else bothered the young man, and he suspected that it was something else to do with the girl. Did he know Lucy outside of this office? Was he more worried than he let out about the situation? While the trainer wasn't a mind reader, he was relatively good at reading people. Something else was on his student's mind. But if he didn't want to talk about it, he would not pry. He gave courtesy as well as (and often better than) he received it.


The assent to outside help relieved some of the tension in the older man's face, though, and it relaxed into not quite a smile but something close. Having Sean as an ally in this would make things much easier. "I thank you, Lei," he replied. "I am grateful for the assistance."


The description of his student's dreams brought a painful sort of nostalgia to the trainer. After his own powers had acted out uncontrollably, he'd had similar nightmares lasting for many years. It had taken quite a lot of counselling and self-reflection to stem the tide, and they still hadn't stopped completely after almost twenty years. Still, he could not force psychiatric visits on the hemokinetic; Lei would have to move at his own pace and find someone he trusted to talk to. He would offer, but he doubted that at their current level Lei could trust him with such a sensitive topic. "I am familiar with the feeling," he said. "If you would like to speak of it, I do not mind listening."


Lei's description of the smell in his dream sent of a warning alarm in the teacher's head as something to be concerned about. There wasn't really anything different about the room aside from the futon when the student had collapsed the previous afternoon, and that had been washed and sterilized before being given to the school. Something else had to have caused the sensory perception in the boy's subconscious... and almost immediately Vincent landed on what it was. Could it have been my jacket? he wondered, pondering it over as Lei drifted into the memory. He clutched it rather tightly while he slept. Could it be...


He worried over this for a long moment. If this turned into some sort of unwitting attraction, the both of them would be in some serious trouble. Though it was flattering to the trainer that he could comfort the boy even subconsciously, such things could be misconstrued and warped very easily. He would need to find some way to divert that line of obsession one way or another. He would also likely have to discuss this with Sean if it became something he could not handle.


"I often meditate with incense," he replied slowly, looking for another way to provide Lei with the comfort he needed. "If you would like, I will bring some with me tomorrow and you can see if it helps." This could very easily have been the scent that the student had mentioned, and it could certainly help; it had with his own nightmares. Ultimately it was a stall, but if it helped it could give him time to come up with a more permanent option.

Nodding his head in acknowledgement, Vincent dropped the subject. His student obviously did not want to be reminded of the fact that healing involved trusting people to help you, so he didn't continue the line of conversation. The surprise at the older man's confession was also quickly dissipated by a fragment of the usual attitude the boy showed, but it was something the trainer expected. He merely nodded again and once more dropped the subject.


"There are many varieties," he answered simply. "The one I use is fairly unique. It has a tendency to stick to my clothing, regardless of how many times I wash them." The last part was a slight joke, evidenced by the wry smile on his face while speaking it. However, the slight joking manner was meant to put the boy at ease - he wanted to provide help without being too overprotective. "I will make sure to have some here tomorrow morning. You can pick them up whenever you wish."


"Is there anything else I can help you with?" He had asked mostly to break the awkwardness that Lei had noticed, but he was fairly certain that their conversation was drawing to a close. Still, best to leave these sort of things open.

"We may come to the point where I can help you with your nightmares in the future," Vincent replied. "However you will be the person to ultimately face your fears and send them back beyond the veil." He wondered if the reference was obscure but couldn't really think of another way to explain it to the tired student at the moment, so he left it as it was. Really, all the boy needed was rest and someone to share his burden, in addition to relieving the stresses of being a teenager.


That would come in time.


The trainer chuckled at the joke and nodded, understanding. "That would make life all the more bearable, would it not?" he added. "Alas, those with such a gift often view it as a curse. I think they do not know how lucky they are sometimes."

Vincent chuckled again. "We'll see." He seemed to be saying that a lot lately, but it was one of those things that happened with high-strung students; time would have to tell if things would work out, and nothing would make it run faster than fate intended.


Inwardly, he cursed his poor choice of words; Lei did not need to hear such things from him, and he had not thought it through before speaking. He sighed, wondering how to fix this without backtracking and settled for something in the middle; "Many people fear or resent their powers as it makes them different from others. There is a difference in perception between 'different' and 'cursed'. Most come to see this in time."


And I hope that you will, too.


Vincent rose with Lei out of respect and nodded to the shorter male. "Thank you." He really meant it, too. "Remember that you can talk to me any time, Lei. I am in my office or the training halls well after school hours, should you need anything."