I'm FINE (Sean)

[Olivia Baker]

When Liv got the notice to Meet with Dr. Neville she was livid. She couldn't believe that she was getting sentenced to see someone regarding her emotional distress. She was stable. She had always been stable. She was in control, just like she always had been and he would see that and all of this would be one big EMBARRASSING mistake.

She slipped into the office right on time to avoid catching anyone else in there. She quite frankly didn't want to be seen and didn't really like the idea of it getting back to anyone, especially Reece. The last thing she needed was him to think that his stupid valentines day crap put her in therapy or that she cared about him because at this point she most certainly did not. 

The sleepwalking was concerning though, she'd admit that. The bags that had formed under her eyes were telling of the nightmares that had been keeping her up for weeks. The side effects were worse, she'd bruised herself, sported several cuts, and her moodiness was growing worse and worse with each passing sleepless night. 

[Dr. Sean Neville]

Sean made a point of distinguishing his psychiatric duties from his duties as a disciplinarian. Mental health assistance was not a form of punishment. That their culture, and many other cultures across the world, treated mental health treatment as though it was a punishment rather than as the psychiatric version of physical health (as it should be treated) was incredibly problematic. To the best of his ability, he tried to destigmatize mental health concerns, and he did not muse on the fact that, most likely, he would die before the culture changed in the necessary ways.

Sean could only do his own part.

That did little given how some of the students took to notifications to see him. It wasn’t a punishment; psychiatric sessions were never a punishment. Even those that arose from misconduct were not punishments in and of themselves.

The psychiatrist wanted to make that plain to Olivia when the teenager arrived in his office. This was not punishment. This was concern about her somnambulism.

To that end, when she was inside, he offered her a smile and shut the door to give them privacy. “Thank you for coming down,” Sean told her, because polite small talk could be a starting point for the rest of their conversation.

“How are you today?”

[Olivia Baker]

Liv took the seat across from Dr. Neville, smoothing out her skirt. She had been here very infrequently since coming to Hammel and was happy for that. She knew more than one student who hadn't been that lucky. But that shouldn't be surprising in a school like this. Not only was it filled with teenagers from a million different backgrounds but it was full of teenagers who got hit with puberty a bit harsher than the rest of the population, and instead of having to worry about wet dreams and blood stains got stuck with time warping and setting things on fire. It was a different ball game. 

"I'm great." She said, her tone having a bit of bite laced in. She wasn't one for small talk. She never had been and her distaste had been amplified by her exhaustion which could be seen on her face clearly given the dark bags under her eyes. 

"But if you wouldn't mind Dr. Neville I'd really prefer to just get down to why I'm here." She said as she tucked a loose dark strand behind her ear. "I know it's because of my Sleepwalking." Or she assumed as much. In all reality, she didn't know just how much he knew about her recent behavior. 

[Dr. Sean Neville]

Not every student needed Sean’s help, for which the psychiatrist was glad. He was happy to help as many students as required his assistance, but the existence of self-sufficient students, students with stable home lives and circles of friends, students who adjusted well without outside guidance, caused him contentment and filled him with hope for future generations. That not every student crossed his desk because of a massive behavior issue also did wonders for his stress levels.

“I’m glad to hear that,” Sean replied, as that was true. He hoped for the best where the students were concerned, even if life with no problems –ups and only downs – particularly during adolescence was impossible. The goal was more good days than bad days, and “great” was something to which to strive.

He then inclined his head again, this nod to demonstrate that he took no offense to cutting to the chase. Some students preferred small talk, but the psychiatrist could drop pleasantries as quickly as he adapted them. “That’s fine. And it is for your sleepwalking and related matters. Sleep walking isn’t easy in general, but the dorms aren’t the best place for it.”

Hammel strove to be a safe environment for the student body. Yet, between the stairs and windows up multiple stories, and the students themselves, and their powers, the dorms were hardly safe for someone who couldn’t react due to somnambulism. “I want to help you with it.”