Like a Line of Dominos... [Sean]

[Emrys Waterson]

She'd finally arrived.

Emrys took a deep breath. Candence had arrived, and she'd gotten even more distant than she'd been when he left. He strode down the hall, making his way to Sean's office. It had been a little while since his last visit, and even that had just been a check-in sort of thing, to make sure he was still doing well. He had been then and since. Coping, but still functional and much better than he'd been when he'd first arrived, or even just a year back.

Then Candence had manifested, and gotten recruited for Hammel, which had caused the last week or so to be more than a little stressful. And she'd changed so much in the three years. Sure, he'd seen her on breaks and such, but those didn't last terribly long, not long enough to really help or to realize something was more wrong than she was letting on. Now she'd be adjusting to Hammel... What if she didn't adjust well? What if she didn't make any friends and was isolated? What if she hurt herself? What if...

He paused to rub his face and try to get a hold of himself. She'd be fine. She'd arrived safely, after all, and transportation would have been the most dangerous part of the transfer. Now that she was here, she'd be all right. Right? But what if it wasn't? A thousand different possibilities buzzed through his mind despite his attempts to dispel them, and he began getting that all too familiar tightness in his chest.

Darn it. No, he wasn't doing this, he was not going to give himself another panic attack. Deep breaths. Candence was fine, likely eating lunch in the cafeteria, surrounded by other students and probably safe. No, not probably, definitely. Nothing was going to happen in the cafeteria. And if something did, there were plenty of people around to deal with it and help. It was a school of metas for Pete's sake, she was probably safer here than at her old high-school.

Shaking his head, he strode the last few steps to Sean's office. The doctor was always helpful, he had been since the first day, which was why he was the first person Emrys opted to talk to in situations like this. With a final deep breath to steady himself, he knocked on the office door. "Doctor Neville?"

[Dr. Sean Neville]

Meta-human abilities were genetic, although science had yet to crack the meta-human gene or determine what, precisely, determined the development of meta-human abilities. The blood tests could determine whether someone was meta-human after they had manifested, but that provided no insight into the underlying genetic factors.

Still, meta-human abilities were genetic, which meant that they could, and did, crop up in families. Not in Sean’s, where he remained the Neville outlier, but in other families, like the Bishops and the Richmonds. They were on the opposite end of that spectrum. It was hardly uncommon for siblings to each manifest, and, as a result, Hammel kept an eye on families when they had younger siblings, after one sibling was already enrolled at Hammel.

Not that meta siblings had any less of the issues and concerns addressing baseline siblings. Sometimes more. The faculty tried to be mindful of this. Just as they tried to be mindful of the backgrounds of individual students, particularly when they had a sibling already at Hammel to fill in some of those gaps.

Sean was aware of what had happened to Candence Waterson. All of the interactions with Emrys over the years had provided, and cemented, that knowledge. When her file crossed his desk, he put a sticker on it, and had made a note to check in with Emrys as well.

The boy beat him to that.

Hearing Emrys outside his office, Sean turned his head towards the door. “I’m here, Emrys. Come in.”

[Emrys Waterson]

“I’m here, Emrys. Come in.”

He was there. Thank goodness. Emrys opened the door and stepped into the office, glancing around for Sean as he did. There, he was at his desk, presumably having been doing paperwork, but he didn't seem particularly perturbed at being distracted. Not that Emrys could remember him ever having been annoyed by unannounced appearances.

Emrys greeted him with a calm, "Hey", offering a smile as he did. "How've you been?" Despite the undesirable circumstances of it, he was glad to see the doctor again. Not to mention he didn't want to seem too flustered... Perhaps that was the one, and possibly only, similarity he shared with his younger sister: not liking to lose face. Thankfully, he was pretty much a natural at keeping a calm exterior.

"Candence is here," he added, still keeping his tone light. It was good news that she'd arrived, after all. For all his worrying, he was excited to see her again and to know she would be living so close by. It was also just...no. He shook the thought off. The last thing he needed to do was go off on that tangent again.

[Dr. Sean Neville]

Sean didn’t explicitly tell the young man to sit down – Emrys had come to his office enough times to know that he was welcome to choose whatever seating arrangement he desired. Instead, he offered the boy a nod and smile of greeting, waiting for Emrys to indicate what had brought him to the psychiatrist’s domain today.

Since the shadow manipulator began with pleasantries, Sean responded in kind. “I’m fine. The weather is finally turning for the better, and I aim to take advantage of that.” If the sky remained dry and clear this weekend, and the temperatures were tolerable, the psychiatrist intended to grill one night. “And how have you been?” That question had dual purpose. It was the proper response to Emrys’s initial query, but it would allow the boy to share as much, or as little, of his present state and recent past as he wanted the psychiatrist to know. It was a starting point.

Then they grew closer to the meat of the matter. “I heard.” Candence’s file had crossed the psychiatrist’s desk, as she had been flagged as someone over whom he would want to keep watch. “I was alerted that they planned to bring her in.” And he planned to have a meeting with he in the near future.

[Emrys Waterson]

Emrys nodded in agreement with the comment about the weather, wandering to a chair and seating himself as he did. Good weather was definitely a plus... it made biking from place to place a lot more simple, and much less cold or wet. Not that he always intentionally biked in inclement weather, but sometimes storms could come up unannounced.

He laced his fingers together, something he'd taken up doing to keep himself from fidgeting under nerves. "I'm doing all right.." He berated himself a little for not guessing that Sean would have known that Candence was there. Really, he should have put that together. But ah well.. He sighed a bit and leaned forward as he looked to Sean. "She's changed. I don't mean older, but she's even more closed off than she was before. I'm worried that..." he trailed off, considering the best way to put it. He didn't want to go into every detail he was worried about, so he groped for the best possible summarization.

"I'm worried she'll become so distant I'll lose her. And I'm worried she'll get hurt... or hurt herself." His fingers began to ache, and he loosened the grip he'd unconsciously taken on them.

[Dr. Sean Neville]

Sean shifted in his chair a bit when Emrys sat down, allowing himself to become comfortable again. As the psychiatrist had been poised to move, he needed the moment to readjust.

“That’s good,” the psychiatrist replied, in response to the fact that Emrys was doing well enough otherwise. That was a start, although his reaction to his sister’s appearance at Hammel eclipsed his basic emotional state. As easy as it might be to focus on small talk, the boy had managed to cut to the chase, and the psychiatrist could only serve him well by following him through to the more serious topic.

What he described of his sister’s behavior was to be expected, given the severe trauma that she had suffered, and then her brother’s years away from her at Hammel. At the same time, he understood why Emrys found those changes distressing. There was much to discuss about the situation and his impressions of his baby sister.

“I can’t promise what will happen with her here with you,” he began. The psychiatrist didn’t want to get Emrys’s hopes up in this situation, but he did want to offer alternate options. “But, it’s possible that you could bond again, now that you have being meta in common, and now that you’re both at Hammel.”

However, there was an underlying issue, and Sean tilted his head slightly to the side as he asked the next question. “What type of harm are you worried about?”

[Emrys Waterson]

Emrys didn't believe in dancing around an issue, at least, not when he had sought out the help. Granted, when he had first come to Sean's office, he had been much less willing to get to the point so quickly, if at all. Even with previous experience from his past counselor, it had been a difficult adjustment. He could only be glad he had found a friend in this doctor.

As Sean began speaking of Candence, Emrys nodded. "I know it is a possibility we could get to know each other again now," he said. "But it is also possible that things will stay the same. Especially since I don't live here anymore..." He sighed. "It would be different if I did."

Again with the "what if"'s. They would be the bane of him if he wasn't careful. However, they were still there. What if nothing changed between he and his sister? Or worse-- what if things got worse? It was possible, anyway, she could begin to resent him for worrying so much if he wasn't careful.

What type of harm? His sister was not the most sociable of people. The friendships she had at her high-school were all from before the kidnapping, so far as he knew. What if she couldn't--or refused to--make time for friend making at Hammel? He studied the wall, formulating his reply carefully before returning his attention to Sean. "I am afraid she will push herself too hard. That she will work so hard that she won't think about friends until she is alone."

[Dr. Sean Neville]

“Not living on campus makes it harder but not impossible.” Emrys would have to adjust hours for visits or stay late, but the situation was manageable. “She might want you to show her the ropes.”

The psychiatrist folded his hands in front of him, pushing his thumbs and forefingers up to form a tent. He knew of the external pressures that the Waterson children had faced back home, and he knew – from many conversations with Emrys – the degree to which he (and his sisters) had internalized those pressures. As a result, he understood Emrys’s concern for his little sister; he considered those concerns warranted, although only time could tell what might happen.

“I want to check in with her when she arrives first.” That was standard procedure. It was also proper ethical practice, as the psychiatrist should not make concrete and unchanging plans before meeting with a student. Still, given what he already knew about her history, and what Emrys told him about her personality, he could consider some starting ideas. “We could encourage a schedule, something to make sure that she finds a balance between work and leisure and so she doesn’t push herself too hard.”

Given the nature of her power, the psychiatrist assumed that her trainer would be Chase or Vincent, either of whom would work toward that common goal. “It would be a starting point.”

[Emrys Waterson]

Emrys gave a half smile at the "showing the ropes" comment. He'd done just that when he picked her up from the airport-- shown her around the town, or at least the parts of it he knew well enough to not get lost. Then after helping her move in, shown her around the school. She'd seemed impatient, almost irritated even, much of the time. Of course, he had to remind himself, she had just flown in, so perhaps she had simply been tired. So, he just replied with, "Yes, she might." It wasn't as if he could bring real evidence forward to the contrary, after all. Not yet.

He nodded slowly as Sean put forward the idea of a schedule. "That could work," he said slowly. "But she does not always..." he trailed off, trying to find the right words to convey what he meant to say without speaking badly of his sister. Rebellious? Refuses to listen? Doesn't seem to care? How did one say that without making her look like a rebellious trouble-maker? Because she wasn't that... He wasn't sure there was a way. Finally, he gave a slight shrug and offered another smile as he agreed with what he could, "If she would balance those things, it would definitely be a very good starting point."

Honestly, he almost felt as if he should wish Sean "good luck". Candence had likely seen twice as many different counselors and psychologists and the similar as he had, and though he understood completely that she'd had a much worse experience than he had, he still just wished she could make some progress. Not that she hadn't moved forward at all in comparison with the first few months, but for too long it seemed to him as if she were simply treading water, and ignoring everyone who tried to teach her to swim.

[Dr. Sean Neville]

Sean had no doubt that Emrys would do everything that he could for his sister, limited only by imposing reality and whatever boundaries that Candance constructed. He had no doubt that the boy had already done what he could, in the limited time that had transpired since her manifestation and arrival, and Emrys coming to this office. They had spoken about family so much over the years, and Emrys had never conveyed anything other than caring and desire to be a good brother.

As far as the psychiatrist was concerned, Emrys achieved that.

“She’s headstrong?” The psychiatrist asked, offering that as a more neutral description of what Emrys might want to say. Headstrongness was not a negative quality, in and of itself, although it could create problems with guidance, and it could cause frustration with those around such a person. It also contained variables, since most teenagers could have their moments of stubbornness but often did not reach the level of it becoming a lasting character trait.

Although Emrys did not speak his thoughts aloud, Sean heard them nonetheless. Rather than reflect on word choice, he tilted his head so slightly to the side and asked, “If you had to guess what she’ll do when she meets with me, what would you envision?”

That would allow Emrys to offer advice while simultaneously allowing Sean to prepare and to see what, precisely, the boy wanted to describe of the changes to his sister’s personality.

[Emrys Waterson]

Headstrong. Yes, that was a good word to use, as it could be good just as much as it could be bad. Emrys nodded in agreement. "Yes, she can be a little headstrong sometimes," he said. Leave it to him to understate things, even as he was fully aware of understating it.

Emrys studied the opposite wall again, with which he had become very well acquainted with over the years, as he considered Sean's question. She'd had reactions to psychologists ranging from complete refusal to talk, at all, to refusal to talk about anything related to her feelings or that had to do with the event, to storming out after barely five minutes, to throwing things at the unfortunate psychologist. Though the last of these hadn't happened for quite a long time, thank God.

"Well..." he finally started, "my guess would be that she just wouldn't talk. Maybe at all, maybe just not about certain things..." He trailed off and was quiet a moment before adding, "I wouldn't be surprised if she didn't show up for her first few appointments." If it was one thing his sister was good at, it was hiding. Her size gave an advantage there. He was pretty certain that the staff would have their work cut out for them, trying to get her to actually attend any scheduled meetings with any psychologist, Sean or otherwise.

However.... "Since she's in a new place, though, maybe it will be different," he added. Being in a new place and around new people could make it a lot easier to start over, after all... perhaps this would ring true for his sister as well.

[Dr. Sean Neville]

“I can work around that,” Sean said gently. He had decades of experience, and telepathy, on his side. More than that, he was exceptionally patient, and that helped to counteract stubbornness and headstrongness. And she was a teenager.

The psychiatrist listened attentively to Emrys’s assessment of his sister’s behavior and the possible outcomes of their first meeting. If she chose not to attend at all, then Sean would have to go after her, either on his own or with a security guard. Given the delicateness of her situation, he would probably seek her out himself, if that proved necessary. If she chose to attend but did not openly discuss her feelings, then Sean could handle that. It would make her no different from countless other students during their first sessions. “Does she like tea or cards?” If she liked either, then he could try to ply her with those rather than an outright conversation.

“We can hope.” For Emrys’s sake, and for his sister’s sake, the psychiatrist hoped that Candance would exhibit healthier behavior patterns. Separated from her parents and able to live her life in her own right, Sean hoped that she would take advantage of the ability to rest a bit and find herself, to find a rhythm that worked for her without overwhelming her or causing her to overcompensate.

Between the pressures from their family, the trauma of what had happened to her and her sister, and then the resulting years of compensation, Sean thought she needed the break in order to find herself. He would confirm that when he had his first meeting with her. “It is a very different environment than being back home with your parents.”

For better or for worse, Hammel was certainly different.

[Emrys Waterson]

Emyrs nodded. Of course Sean could work around it-- this was what he did for a living. Not to mention there was a great difference between the school psychiatrists back home, and Hammel counselors and psychiatrists. Sean especially, given his particular power. That would definitely help.

Tea or cards? "Well..." He considered for a moment. Tea, yes, cards... not that he knew of. Then again, he didn't necessarily know everything she liked since they'd been apart for so long. Last he knew, she got too impatient with hot tea. He smiled faintly at the remembrance of this. When she drank something, she wanted to drink it, not wait for it to cool down or go through the trouble of blowing on it. "She likes iced tea," he answered aloud. "She doesn't drink hot tea as much."

Emrys nodded quickly. "It is a lot different. She won't have as many pressures..." He trailed off, not wanting to speak ill of his parents. Or speak ill of anyone, really. Everyone had their own backgrounds and reasons for doing things, and everyone made mistakes. His parents had good intentions, he was sure of it, and therefore he could not judge them, even if he had made a mental list of things he would do differently if he ever had a family, the possibility of which was a long shot, in his mind.

Continuing with his previous thought-line, he added, "Not as many pressures, but not as much protection either..." Was it so much to ask that his sister be guarded by a troop of bodyguards everywhere she went? Yes, he was being sarcastic with the idea, but he had to admit it would have relieved some of his worries.

[Dr. Sean Neville]

Sean nodded to acknowledge what Emrys had revealed. “I can work with iced tea.” Hot tea tended to evoke a calmer atmosphere, but the psychiatrist liked iced tea well enough, and he could keep some in the miniature refrigerator for accommodation. “And I can always teach her to play cards.” Or another game; there were dice games and simple, non-distracting board games that they could use for bonding. Sean had his patience in his favor. His patience and the fact that Candence would be with them for a long time.

“We have different types of protection here,” the psychiatrist reminded Emrys gently. She would not have the close supervision of her parents and whomever else they used as security at Hammel, but Hammel was one of the most secure places around. The school had its own security guards to prevent outside interference as well as to mitigate trouble among the students. They had the greatest technical support team known to the United States, with their resident technopaths. They had excellent teachers, excellent trainers, and the various administrative members, of whom Sean was one. Candence would hardly be alone here, even if it would be different. “She’ll be safe,” he assured the boy.

There had been no infiltration at Hammel since M.S.A.D., years ago, and that had been a unique situation. Prior to that, there had never been any form of infiltration. The psychiatrist could think of few safer places for her than here; with her powers manifested, he could think of no safer places than Hammel.

[Emrys Waterson]

Emrys was honestly curious to find out how Candence took to card games. They hadn't really played them much at home, so who knew, she might actually take to them... eventually... once she adjusted to the whole getting antsy about sitting still thing. Actually, come to think of it, learning to play cards might actually help her not get as uncomfortable with sitting still.

Yes, they did have protection at Hammel, that was true, but in a school full of kids, meta kids especially, things could happen even with that protection. However, he knew he was overthinking it-- something could happen no matter where she was. So instead of arguing the fine details of protection, he nodded in agreement. "I know." He gave a sigh before offering a faint smile. "That doesn't mean I don't still worry sometimes, though."

Of course, he knew that no matter how protected Candence was, he would probably still worry about something, no matter how small a detail. He just needed to do his best not to obsess over it..