To Read or Not to Read (Sean)

[Vincent Meian]

Earlier in the day, Vincent had been given a book by one of his students. This was not unusual, but the scenario by which this had occurred certainly was; the book had been tossed rather than given, it was a journal rather than a novel, and the 'giving' had been enacted in a fit of spite and pique. This made the fact that permission was given to read the diary a little hazy in terms of right/wrong in the Japanese man's mind. He didn't want to read those private thoughts if he was not meant to, but at the same time he didn't want to insult his student (who already had a fragile ego) by not doing so when told.

It was a predicament.

After thinking on it between his sessions for the day, the trainer had decided that he needed advice on the subject from someone who knew both Jesse Adams and himself. Who understood the blonde better than he, both in general terms and in specifics; who knew intimately the side effects of the boy's powers; who would be unbiased and be able to help him make a judgement call as a teacher, psychiatrist, and friend.

So, at the end of the day, Vincent made his way carefully to Dr. Sean Neville's office, the book resting in a satchel slung across his back for the purpose of carrying things while the younger man was stuck on crutches. After listening for a moment and hearing no voices, he knocked on the door, waiting off to one side for permission to enter or silence. Sean would know it was him; he always did.

[Dr. Sean Neville]

Chanukah was in less than two weeks, which was an absurd notion. While not Jewish himself, and despite having only reconciled with his partner for two-and-a-half years, Sean had celebrated the holiday with Josh’s family for more than three decades. The Bernsteins had welcomed him into their home as Josh’s friend, and he had never turned down a holiday invitation. As such, despite being an atheist and an ex-Catholic, he was in a position to remember various times that Chanukah began.

While not completely unheard of, it was still ludicrously early. Beginning before, and then coinciding with, Thanksgiving meant that the telepath had to plan multiple holiday meals within a very short period of time.

That was the task that occupied him, having finished with his session notes from his last appointment of the day. Bailey still had an activity ahead of her, which was why he hadn’t left yet.

This proved useful, since he sensed Vincent outside of his office, followed by a light knock on the door. “Come in, Vincent!” He called out, although he didn’t look up from his menu plans.

A low-sodium, low-fat Thanksgiving, followed by a low-sodium, low-fat Chanukah. This would be a challenge, and the telepath was not anywhere close to being a professional chef.

[Vincent Meian]

Being that the family was not from this country originally, the lining up of holiday events in the Meian household during this time of year did not include a typical Thanksgiving. In Japan, the occupation of the island by American forces had implemented the holiday as a 'celebration of hard work', and was held annually on the 23rd of November, regardless of what day it was in the United States. That being said, the head of the household was particularly fond of making holiday foods whenever he could, especially for some lesser known or 'adapted' holidays. Such, ironically enough, gave a man with little modern cultural knowledge of other countries quite an expansive taste in very old ethnic recipes.

For example, Winter Lent began yesterday, and yet the celebration of a Sikh prophet's birthday was in two days, with Yule on the 21st and Chanukah on the 28th (very early this year). The benefits of having a degree (and profound interest) in world mythos.

Actually, he'd been thinking about that this year, after meeting various people including Josh who were Jewish, and was seriously considering bringing to the school some homemade custard doughnuts - "sufganiyot". If he was feeling particularly adventurous, the pastries may have been filled with something not dissimilar to cheesecake instead. After all, there was the story about Judith and her basket of cheese and wine...

After hearing permission to enter, the younger man did so, managing as well to close the door behind him after only a slight fumble with the aluminum supports under his arms. He was still getting used to the things, after all, and thankfully he had the upper body strength to use them effectively. As such, he maneuvered himself into one of the relatively tall armchairs and settled easily enough. Normally, he would have asked permission to sit, but given his injury and his coworker's normal level of courtesy, it seemed a reasonable accommodation.

Once settled, Vincent looked across the desk to Sean, curious as to what he was writing but polite enough not to ask. Instead, he waited patiently for his friend to finish his thoughts before speaking.

[Dr. Sean Neville]

Sean didn’t require his colleagues to request permission to sit in his office. It was a standing invitation, an implied right of any adult who needed to come in and talk. For the most part, this applied to students as well, particularly ones who met with him regularly and knew what the rules of his office were. As such, the telepath took no offense when Vincent seated himself. Considering his injury, it was particularly important for him to take care and make himself comfortable.

“I have to make two types of kugel,” the older man said, in response to a question that Vincent had not verbalized. Anyone who had ever met Josh knew that he was Jewish, particularly around the holidays as his partner went out of his way to announce this fact. Kugel often made an appearance at Jewish Thanksgivings, and during Shabbat, which also fell immediately after Thanksgiving each year and all of which coincided with Chanukah this year.

It would certainly be an experience.

However, his meal preparation plans could wait, and Sean set aside his pen and pad. Lifting his head, he gave the other man his full attention. “How are you feeling?”

He didn’t specify how is your groin?

[Vincent Meian]

The trainer nodded in understanding - there were a number of different ways to make kugel, though the most common recipes were not parve or tended to have a large amount of salt. However, given his eclectic taste, he'd also found some interesting non-dairy alternatives. "I have a recipe for a fruit rendition that is often served with meat, if you would like to attempt it," he offered. He could even bring a batch during the week-long holiday to share, if it would be appreciated. "It has no salt or dairy, and may be made with unsalted margarine and either fresh or canned fruit."

However, that wasn't what he was here to talk about today.

"I am sore," Vincent admitted. "However, I have difficulty ignoring my work, even given injury." He had had a similar issue of stubbornness last winter, when a backlash of power had left the tall man covered in bruises for weeks. But today, the soreness was in part because he'd forgotten said injury and attempted to run after a student who had stormed out of his office. Speaking of which.

"Jesse Adams left his journal in my office," he admitted, taking the book from his bag. He didn't give it to Sean, but simply held it in his hands as he spoke. "More honestly, he threw it at me during the conclusion of our session this afternoon. We had a disagreement, and he stated that if I were to understand him better that I should read this."

Honestly, he hadn't even expected Jesse to use it, let alone give it over for review.

Looking up from the leather-bound book to the psychiatrist, his expression was the slightest bit torn. "I do not know if he meant what he said, or if he was merely upset with me. I do not wish to damage his trust any further by taking words spoken in anger as permission to read of his most private thoughts." But he also wanted to understand Jesse, and if reading this journal was a way to do that in an acceptable manner, then he didn't want to miss the chance.

[Dr. Sean Neville]

“I’ll take the recipe,” Sean said with a grateful expression. The telepath already knew which kugel recipes he would use for Thanksgiving and Chanukah, since he didn’t need to worry about accommodating a kosher meal. Not as such. However, it could never hurt to have as many recipes as he could have.

He then nodded his understanding. Soreness was to be expected. “At least it’s healing.”

The situation that Vincent described, or similar ones, was not one in which Sean found himself as an active participant, not unless there was a particular reason that he couldn’t discern someone’s true intentions when engaging with them. Such occurrence were exceedingly rare, and they didn’t involve students.

However, it did create an ethical dilemma, and he recognized that. This was a delicate situation that could only be worked through via informed guessing or through bypassing the situation entirely.

The latter option was what prompted the psychiatrist to ask, “Would you like me to talk to him?” That was within the telepath’s job function, as well as within the scope of his relationship with Jesse. They met frequently for sessions; they discussed the boy’s training progress and his conflict resolution skills. There was no need to disclose the conversation with Vincent, but it would give Sean the opportunity to discover whether Jesse wanted his trainer to read his journal.

Either way, the argument would come up within the context of a session, sooner or later.

[Vincent Meian]

"If there is no hurry, I will bring it to your office tomorrow." Like many trainers, Vincent worked Saturdays and Sundays in an effort to give as much time to his students as possible and to work around the schedules of those who would be graduating. It also allowed him to be on-campus more often for students who frequented his office for things other than training (such as Koty, who was a graduate of his from Eisai and stopped by regularly for recipes or cooking tips). Other teachers and most administrative staff did not have such an extended schedule, however, so the offer was made with the unspoken clause of 'if you are already here'.

Indeed, healing was good. The time the slightly taller man would be on crutches would seem long, but was actually relatively short (another three, perhaps four weeks). But he'd always healed reasonably quickly, provided he didn't accidentally hurt himself again while doing so.

"If it would not be imposing to ask," he replied gratefully, his worries soothed somewhat by the offer. Having scheduled his own sessions with the boy around the psychiatric consultations with Sean, Vincent knew that Jesse and he saw each other regularly, even if he did not ask beyond that. What occurred during Sean's sessions was neither his right to know nor his business unless the doctor and/or his patient deemed it necessary. "I thank you for the help. His next training session is scheduled for Monday, however I do not believe he will be attending."

Such a course of action did not surprise the younger man. Those students with tender egos tended to avoid his appointments if they felt they couldn't talk to him. In the case of their young Mr. Adams, this was not only a possibility but an expectation. One that, after today, the Japanese man found only slightly concerning. Not concerning enough to alert the campus security if his truancy should it occur, however. Sometimes, people just needed space.

[Dr. Sean Neville]

“You can give it to me on Monday.” Sean would spend the weekend at home, and thus there was no need for Vincent to rush to get him the information. He didn’t need the recipe for this holiday, technically, and, if he chose to use it, he still had over a week from Monday in which to learn it and find the appropriate ingredients for preparation.

Due to the nature of Sean’s job, he didn’t allow students to choose not to attend sessions. If a student didn’t attend a session, either one for psychological support or for discipline, the telepath found them. If the student was having a problem, the way that Brooke did from time to time, he sought them out to accommodate them. If someone chose to blow him off from anger, he did not provide them with the opportunity. However, he and Vincent had different philosophies and the two men served different functions in the lives of the students.

“I’ll talk to him today and I’ll let you know how it goes tonight.” Sean wouldn’t wait until Monday because, should Jesse decide he want to attend his training session, the situation had to be resolved by then. Additionally, Jesse had a reasonable expectation that the psychiatrist would know about the encounter and how Sean would react. It would be no surprise.

[Vincent Meian]

"Certainly." Monday would be no more difficult to give the recipe over, and there was indeed plenty of time before the holidays even with the weekend.

When it came to his sessions, normally Vincent hunted down his students with relentless tenacity. If he could track them down within forty-five minutes of their starting time, he was usually able to eke out a lesson and a reprimand in the same go, then push his other appointments back by a few minutes just to make sure the lesson stuck. Sometimes, though, tracking down a student led to more harm than good (as he'd experienced himself as a youth), and so especially with this new injury of his, the argument with Jesse would fall on the boy to right if he so desired. If he wanted to avoid sessions with his trainer, that was his decision - sessions with Sean were mandatory whether he wanted them or not.

"Thank you," the younger man replied, gratitude in his tone and expression. That certainly relieved some of the doubt and anxiety over this. "That was all I came to ask."

Slipping the book back into the bag, the trainer adjusted the satchel and pushed himself to his feet again, the process much easier from this chair than the one in his office due to its overall height. "I will leave you to your planning, my friend. There is quite a bit I need to record of today's lessons before I depart, and I would prefer an earlier start."

It was a subtle asking of permission to leave, but one that was not intended as rude. He didn't wish to take up any more of the psychiatrist's time than he had to.

[Dr. Sean Neville]

Sean nodded a single time, since they had reached an agreement regarding the recipe. “Thank you.” Come Monday, he hoped to also have made far more progress with his menu planning. It helped that most of the guest list had already confirmed, so he knew the dietary restrictions, food preferences, and numbers for whom to prepare. He had already begun buying excess during his weekly grocery shopping trips, but next weekend he would have to stock up on the fresher ingredients. Buying them too early would undoubtedly result in spoilage.

“You’re quite welcome,” Sean replied. He was happy to involve himself, since that was one of his mediation functions. More than that, he didn’t want Jesse to regress in any sessions, which put this squarely within his sphere of concern.

The telepath also rose, in order to show the younger man out. “Of course. I’ll call you tonight to tell you what I learned from Jesse.” The conversation would be selectively edited, since Sean was certain that he would learn far more than the nature of the boy’s intent when throwing the journal at Vincent. The rest would count as confidential, but since all Vincent wanted was to know whether he would betray Jesse’s trust should he read the journal, then it would be fine.

Offering the trainer a smile, the telepath added, “Have a good rest of the day.”