Thread Roulette: Um, how about not.

[Event !]

Carter Chevalier's dad wants him to go to talk to Dr. Sean Neville. Carter objects.

[Carter Chevalier]

Carter begrudgingly waited outside the office of Dr. Sean Neville. The very idea of seeing some kind of therapist filled him with an intensely concentrated kind of frustration.

Yes, his parents divorce had been hard on both twins. His mother had cheated on his father with another man and decided to run off with him, fighting tooth and nail for whatever property and money she could get. Their father was ridiculously dragged through the dirt. That had messed with the twins substantially. But forcing him to talk to someone? He was royally pissed off. But he would do what his dad wanted, he supposed. He just wouldn't make it easy for anyone.

That is, if that was the reason he was called in. Carter couldn't think of anything else. So he knocked on the door, crossing his arms and choosing to lean against the wall nearby.

[Dr. Sean Neville]

Students found themselves in Sean’s office for all manner of reasons. Some sought the psychiatrist out willingly, coming to discuss whatever was on their minds. Others came of their own volition, but only because they wanted a calm atmosphere, the way that Estelle had. Still others were sent by teachers, for acting out in class or because the teacher had been privy to some knowledge that made them think that the student would benefit from Sean’s expertise. Other students had seen a psychiatrist or counselor before transfer to Hammel, and when they first came to the school, their records were transferred. Sometimes Sean called someone to his office, because of his own opinion and awareness. Sometimes parents or legal guardians thought it best for their charges to talk with the psychiatrist.

Carter Chevalier fell into that last category.

The psychiatrist had received a call from Carter’s father, requesting that Sean make an appointment with Carter to discuss his family events and how they might affect his emotions and his school performance.

It was a reasonable request, and the psychiatrist had complied.

Afterward, Sean had looked through Carter’s records in preparation, and then set those out to wait for the appointment.

Upon hearing the knock at his door, Sean called out, “Please come in, Carter.”

[Carter Chevalier]

With the appropriate indication, Carter pressed his hand to the door handle and opened it. Despite the composed face he was doing his best to display, the boy practically radiated animosity. He thought about his brother Dominique. Dom had struggled with the inner workings of their family issues much more than Carter had, and Carter had effectively taken on the older brother role and constantly put himself in the position to be there for Dom.

Maybe that's what the meeting was about? His mind was reeling with possibilities. So much so that it was almost difficult to think straight. His brain wanted to figure out what was going on before it could be sprung on him.

"It's nice to see you, Sir." Carter replied finally, indicating to the nearby chair before taking the seat. He was being polite after all, and wouldn't sit if he wasn't indicated permission to do so. "I assume this is my mother's doing?" Therapy for the twins had been her advice in the first place.

[Dr. Sean Neville]

Sean waited for Carter to enter his office and then a bit longer for the boy to find a place to sit that he considered comfortable. Because this wasn’t a disciplinary session, Carter had the option of sitting wherever he wanted in the office and wasn’t confined simply to the area in front of Sean’s desk. That typically had no bearing on where students chose to sit, at least until they were more accustomed to meetings. Like Estelle and Ann had been.

The psychiatrist offered the boy a smile in greeting once he had settled. While there was a fair chance that the young man’s behavior was merely for the sake of politeness, that had no bearing on Sean’s professional courtesy. “It’s nice to see you too, Carter.”

He then shook his head a single time in the negative. He believed that honesty was valuable and that students were entitled to know the reasons why they were in his office. And while the boy was correct in assuming that one of his parents was responsible for establishing this meeting, he had assigned responsibility to the wrong one. “Actually, your father was the one who called.”

Although the fact that he assumed it was his mother’s doing was a topic for discussion later. “How are you today?”

[Carter Chevalier]

The options for seating were not exactly what he expected. There were two choices, and in his mind they meant two very different things. He sat directly on the other side of the desk, settling in to rest his ankle on his knee and lace his fingers together. To the reciprocated greeting, Carter nodded his head once.

"Fair enough. I can honestly say, I'm surprised." He replied. His demeanour remained cool and calm, but questions were already forming in his head. He instantly sought to blame his mother. She must have gotten to his father, who would have chosen to appease her by making the phone call.

Carter shrugged his shoulders, tilting his head to the side slightly in curiosity. "Just fine." He replied. Could the meeting be about the revolving-door policy of his dorm bedroom? That was another thought that sprang forward as he considered his options. "How are you?"

[Dr. Sean Neville]

From the moment Carter entered his office, Sean began making mental notes about the boy. They hadn’t had much interaction before this meeting, which meant that the psychiatrist primarily had student records, telepathy, the conversation with Carter’s father, and the rumor mill to provide him with background and context; observation was all the more important in the absence of an established relationship.

Sean paid close attention to the boy’s body language and posture, to his facial expressions and the tone he used when he spoke. To his choice of words, of course, as those were the most obvious tells and also the ones to which response was the most appropriate. To the thoughts he overheard without probing; the psychiatrist didn’t use his telepathy to probe unless necessary. He also tried not to remark on overheard thoughts unless the situation called for it, as many found the habit off-putting, and he did want students to have an illusion of privacy, if actual privacy was impossible.

“Why are you surprised?” He inquired. If they could begin a discussion about Carter’s relationship with his family right off the bat, then all the better.

It was then Sean’s turn to shrug slightly. “I’m doing fine. It hasn’t snowed this week, which makes it a good day in Pilot Ridge for this time of year.”

[Carter Chevalier]

"Don't you know?" Carter tilted his head to the side in curiosity. Of course he knew, he had to. "My mother requested Dominique and I meet with a counselor when the subject of divorce came about." He pointed out.

Carter turned his gaze elsewhere, searching out the nearby window for a hint of snow. Hmm, it seemed the Doctor was right after all. "Winter in Vermont is something I'm still getting used to." He replied. After four years, it was still a little different. "The chateau in France. I still prefer spending Christmas there." He was always more comfortable there as opposed to in America, but that was the same with most people who spent more of their lives out of the country than in it.

[Dr. Sean Neville]

While Sean kept apprised of what happened with many of the students, particularly when their parents were in stages of divorce, he still thought it beneficial to hear from the parties involved. Carter’s father had given him a bit more information than the psychiatrist had gleaned elsewhere, and while he valued the background information, he valued Carter’s own words more than anything else.

Particularly if, in doing so, he could also gain a sense of the boy’s relationships with his family, as well as his perceptions of their relationships with one another. Such as between his parents.

“Did anything come of that with Dominique?” While the students were encouraged to avail themselves of Sean as a resource, they were also allowed to see anyone else at their parents’ or their own request. Ben, for instance, was an adolescent psychologist, and he was located in town. None of his patients ever came up in conversation, since sessions were confidential.

At the discussion of the weather, Sean nodded in agreement. “They do take some getting used to. They have their ups and downs, but at my age, they have a few more downs than ups.” That was coupled with a small smile; he could be a bit self-deprecating regarding his age, and he did so, in part, to try to set others at ease.

“Tell me about France,” he suggested, honing in on that detail. “And about how you usually celebrate Christmas.”

[Carter Chevalier]

"He did not appreciate it." Carter replied, shrugging his shoulders lightly. His elbows moved to rest on the arms of the chair, and his fingers intertwined together in front of him.

Carter found the weather strange for means most people would find relatively standard. "It is colder here. At this time, especially." Not by much but it was still a fact. He reciprocated the smile given by offering his own in return. It seemed only right to acknowledge the statement in some way.

"It lights up around December. Literally and figuratively. My parents, Uncle, brother and myself always travel the country to visit the different Christmas markets. Mulhouse was always my favourite." And he was always glad his father's twin would come along as well, so it wasn't just the twins and their mother and father.

[Dr. Sean Neville]

That was hardly surprising, although the explanation was lacking in details that Sean would have appreciated for the sake of their conversation. Still, they could move on to another more innocuous topic for the present time, before returning to family dynamics.

Such as the weather.

The psychiatrist nodded, the smile still on his lips while he reflected on winters in Vermont. “At least the town bands together to cope with the cold and the snow. So nobody is isolated.”

That went a long way in both survival as well as coping with the higher than average rate of Seasonal Affective Disorder that was found in particularly cold and snowy areas each winter. As part of his job, Sean had a particular interest in preventing or mitigating as many cases of SAD as he could.

The psychiatrist listened attentively as Carter described what France was like during the Christmas season. He nodded to show that he was listening, and he waited until the boy had finished before responding. “That sounds quite lovely.”

Which it did. Of course, it could be so because it existed within a bubble of monetary privilege, but it still sounded relaxing and peaceful.

“And how did your family celebrate Christmas? Walk me through your favorite Christmas in France.”

[Carter Chevalier]

"It is." Carter replied. He always spoke highly of the country. If it were France or here, it was clear where he'd rather spend his time.

Carter shrugged his shoulders, squeezing his hands together before releasing them completely. "It depends on what business was more imperative. Sometimes my mother would already be in France; she's a painter, and finds her muse frequently calls for her to visit different countries. But she always comes home for Christmas." He preferred to call the house in France home, but he supposed that was technically incorrect.

"She was there in the one I'm thinking of. The family house is in Maine, but I commit to art programs over the winter and the summer breaks. So I was already in France. Dominique, my father Lancelot and his twin; my Uncle Sebastian came to France on the 1st of December. We decorated most of the sitting room on that day before falling asleep. Father, mother and my Uncle work for a lot of the time. So do I and I suppose so does Dom. The week before Christmas, we visit the different markets. Mulhouse is first and last on the list. Dom and I run off on our own to find gifts for our parents and Seb, because they don't require material possessions from their children. On Christmas morning they seem very pleased with the mundane items they're given. Dom and I get new bikes, and we ride them through the Chateau halls." He grinned, "The carpet is replaced the next week."

[Dr. Sean Neville]

“What types of works does she paint?” Sean asked, focusing on that for a moment. He wasn’t an artist, nor was he an artistic spirit, but he knew enough about the topic to hold a conversation and to try to reach common ground. Moreover, he wanted to gain as much insight into Carter’s family as possible, and this was an innocuous means of doing so.

Sean listened attentively while Carter described everything about Mulhouse and how the holidays were spent with his family. The boy painted a vivid picture, and it all sounded quite lovely. Apart from the privileges that having access to such money had, the experience sounded so pleasant. With it rang some familiarity to Neville family events from Sean’s own childhood, although not nearly to that extent. While his family had been well-off, they hadn’t been rich, and there was a difference. But the psychiatrist could easily understand why Carter looked on it so fondly. Which also made it a prime focus for the difficulty with the divorce.

“And for this Christmas? Do you know what’s in store for this year?”

It might not be the most subtle segue, but Sean hoped that it would prove effective regardless.

[Carter Chevalier]

"Places and portraits, mostly." Carter replied. There was a clear sense of admiration in his tone when he spoke; despite it all he regarded his mother's work to the highest standard. No one could fault her for what she did. She was perfect in her art. "I think I got my artistic influences from her."

Carter turned his head to the side, wondering on the question offered to him for a second or so before looking away from the window and towards him again. "I don't," He admitted, "But I'll go wherever Dom prefers."

[Dr. Sean Neville]

Sean acknowledged that with a nod. Those tended to be somewhat standard for realistic art, as opposed to the more abstract artistic styles. The psychiatrist had never taken a class to develop artistic talent, but from the artists he knew (either by trade or as a hobby), he knew that portraits and landscapes were regarded as important. “Does she keep her paintings around the house? Or does she sell or donate them?”

Charity auctions were popular in a certain set, and the psychiatrist was sure that a great deal of good could be done through donations that way.

“Tell me more about your mother,” he then requested, because it was evident that the boy had respect for her, despite his suspicion that she would connive to have him sent to therapy. This was a topic to pursue for now.

The admission about plans, too, was telling, as it provided insight into his relationship with Dominique. “Has Dom given any indication about what he prefers?” There remained time before the holidays, so this was hardly an emergency. Still, after an event like a divorce that affected the family, plans needed to be ironed out earlier, because one could no longer simply fall back on the routine of childhood.