In Need of Direction [Sean]

The past week had been trying. The student body was up in arms over the betrayal by Mia and ac, and to a lesser extent JD and Robbie; that was understandable but retaliation couldn’t be tolerated from a policy standpoint and from the standpoint of how an eye for an eye left the entire world blind. The faculty was adjusting to the new Headmistress, and Sean didn’t entirely agree with the punishment brought down on Mia and Zac.

But long-term power blocking had never been part of his playbook; unfortunately, it was out of his hands.

At least his personal life was ironed out again; that was the only bright spot in the midst of all of this.

He’d been fielding questions from students left and right, about what would happen to them, to Mia and Zac, about whether their feelings were valid. He’d answered every question, but the days were long.

As such, he had been looking forward to his scheduled tea time with Estelle. As always, he had brewed the tea in advance, had brought in cookies – this time five varieties of miniatures which were good for sampling –and he had a bottle of Excedrin on his desk should he need it.

But when she entered, he frowned, because her usually sunny demeanor was utterly lacking. “I’m fine, Estelle,” he reassured her, waiting until she had sat before he continued. “How are you?”

“I have been, but I’m never too busy for our ritual,” the telepath assured her. Sean set aside a block of time for her, to make certain she could always come in as scheduled for tea and baked goods. He also wasn’t happy to see that she was crying; it wasn’t displeasure with her, rather it was concern for her. Her protestations to the contrary, she obviously wasn’t fine.

He waited for her to share her troubles, and when she did, he was sympathetic. To fighting with a friend, to being upset over Robbie’s conduct and for the reasons behind it. What had happened was upsetting, for everyone who had been there, for everyone who had been violated, for everyone who merely heard about it. This affected everyone.

While she explained what happened, he listened intently, while pouring her a cup of tea. He set the mug in front of her as he voice rose, listing her primary grievance.

It was a fair reason to be upset.

When she finished, he settled across from her and shook his head. “It isn’t bad, and you shouldn’t feel guilty for having empathy for others. You’re upset with him because he assisted in doing something hurtful and he’s expressed no remorse for it, and thus no empathy for others.” Because if he expressed empathy or sympathy for those who had been violated, it would be impossible not to show remorse.

He prompted her gently, “Would you like to talk about exactly what happened with him?”

Sean also sipped his tea, watching her as she spoke and listening intently as she described what happened. He sighed softly, not upset at her for losing control, because she was only a teenager and it was understandable, although he couldn’t condone the violence. As much as others might feel Robbie deserved it. When she finished, he met her eyes and said, “We can discuss appropriate remedies for hitting him later.”

That was to let her know that he wasn’t giving her a free pass, but that he had more pressing concerns at the moment.

Such as the fact that she felt guilty over the fact that Robbie felt upset. Although Zac wasn’t the most reliable source of information at present; unfortunately, Sean could not put it past the boy to try to manipulate others as a way of damage control. “Please trust me when I say that I understand how that feels.”

That had been the burden of his powers and his youth. “But I also need you to understand that nobody is entitled to your time or your regards. That someone might feel bad as a result of your need for space or your anger over this does not make it less valid. You’re entitled to be upset; I would go so far as to say that you should be upset that a friend of yours treated other people this way and has expressed no remorse to you.”

He set down his mug, thinking briefly of the recent explosion with his own closest friend and the turn that had taken. “Did Zac say why Robbie feels miserable? Or did he only say that it was because of you, without giving any details?”

The telepath met her eyes as she explained herself, and he nodded. “I understand that. I do understand, Estelle.” And he did, he understood what it was to react emotionally to an event and be disgusted with yourself afterward for the lapse in composure. And while he had never been moved to strike another person, he still understood.

“I don’t condone bullying, and so if any of that is happening, you should report it to the other faculty or to me; I’ll take care of it.” Nobody, no matter how well-deserved their pariah status, deserved to be bullied.”If people are simply shunning him or yelling to air their emotions, it’s to be expected. They’re hurt; this was a horrible event.”

Zac wasn’t usually a reliable source of information, which would make his comment suspect. On the other hand, Zac also had a reputation for being selfish and self-involved; that he was attempting to help Robbie by bringing together what remained of his shattered social circle, and deflecting blame from the weather manipulator wasn’t his typical manipulative modus operandi and thus gave his words more strength than usual.

The psychiatrist weighed that as he listened, but then he shook his head, correcting Estelle on one point. “It isn’t all your fault. You need not to think of it that way.” It was a task easier said than done; the psychiatrist understood that, but he wouldn’t allow her to take responsibility for what wasn’t hers. “You were upset because Robbie showed no empathy for all of the people who had been hurt. Even if he didn’t cause that, that lack of empathy is rightly concerning. You are, and were, entitled to be upset about that; it would certainly distress me. You also aren’t responsible for how other people treat Robbie, and if other people are upset with him, it isn’t your fault.”

It was imperative that she understood this distinction. The psychiatrist then gave her a sympathetic look. “You shouldn’t forgive someone because you don’t like that they feel bad for being rightly called out for their conduct. You should forgive someone because he deserves to be forgiven. And only you can decide if he should be.”