My imaginary friend, not so friend, friend told me to..?

[Anthy Blacksmith]

Well, it had been going on long enough, hadn't it? Her relationship, that was. Anthy couldn't even remember how the relationship had began or how it had gotten so deep but it was about time for her to call it quits, wasn't it? Sure, it was on and off, but lately it had been more on and she hadn't been too happy about the majority of what was going on with it. It was time for some outside help. Well, outside of her own head, that was. At the same time, she didn't want to pile anything on anyone. Sure, Koty seemed like he was willing and able to try to help her out with her shyness issue, but as far as she knew he didn't know she had this going on with her as well.

This was possibly more embarrassing than the outbursts her power had...

<Hey. I hear you thinking about me.>

She wasn't going to reply. She wasn't going to reply. She really, really needed not to reply. After-all, only little kids and crazy people had imaginary friends, right? Yes, that was the relationship she had been thinking about. The one she felt like should probably come to an end. It wasn't right, was it? It really should come to an end, shouldn't it?

<Maybe you should sit down and think this over. Come on, I'm not that bad.>

"Yes you are that bad." She ended up muttering.... and then right after realizing how close to the partly ajar door she had been.

She almost palmed her face out of exasperation. Taking a deep breath, Anthy knocked on the door frame lightly. The door to Dr. Neville's office, to be specific.

"Um... I'm... I mean, it's Anthy. I'm here for my appointment.." She said, pretty sure on the man's ability to hear her.

Well, unless he was preoccupied with some work or something... There was that.

[Dr. Sean Neville]

Sean had sensed Anthy’s arrival before she had announced herself, but he had said nothing. Although his telepathy was hardly a secret, he tried not to make the students uncomfortable; instead, he tended to ease them into it, just as he did with those in his personal life. As a result, he did not respond to unvoiced thoughts, he did not bid entry to his office before people knocked or otherwise announced themselves, and he did not tip his hand to make people aware of just how much he knew about them without any affirmative steps on their part. He could provide the illusion of privacy in the absence of actual privacy.

Of course, he had also heard what she had spoken aloud, which would surely factor into this session. Not in lieu of introductions and pleasantries, but down the line.

With the knock and her introduction, the psychiatrist turned his head towards the door, which was already ajar. “Hello, Anthy. You’re right on time. Please, come in and then shut the door behind you.”

That helped to maintain actual privacy, as well as to provide a physical barrier between the office and the rest of the school.

Once she was inside, she would have her choice of furniture. She could take one of the two seats in front of his desk. Or she could move to the back of the office, which contained the armchairs and sofa. Sean would move to accommodate her choice.

[Anthy Blacksmith]

There came a welcome and an invitation shortly after her knock and she took a breath before adjusting the door as she passed through into the room. A small swallow came as she close it after herself followed by another breath before she offered a smile to the man.

"Thank you." She told him.

Anthy wasn't sure on exactly which part she was thanking him for. Was she thanking him for having this appointment with her? Was she thanking him for the less than intimidating way he had spoken? There were a few more was there's going through her head right then but she tried not to let herself drown in them as she looked from seat to seat to decide on where she might settle herself at.

But that wasn't the complete truth of the matter. Anthy was having a little issue with second thoughts trying to make themselves known. What if he told her she wasn't just immature? What if he told her she was crazy?

<A little crazy isn't too bad, Glowbutt.>

Anthy somehow managed to keep from blurting out a reply and went to sitting herself in one of the chairs in front of the desk.

"It's... it's nice to meet you." She said, trying not to be too timid about it.

Well, she had seen him around before. But they hadn't actually had a face to face. It would have been kind of hard not to have seen him around with her having been here for two years and having wandered about the school and property so often in that time.

Maybe she shouldn't talk about her friend.... Maybe she should instead bring up the shyness issue? Shyness didn't make you crazy...

[Dr. Sean Neville]

Fortunately, Sean was adept at reading other people and in social settings. He attributed this skill to many factors, not the least of which was his telepathy (although natural empathy and observation skills, medical and psychological training, and decades of life experience each played a role as well). And although he did not comment on student’s thoughts without invitation or necessity, he heard them all the same. He heard the nickname from Anthy’s memory, which, while not the most flattering, was nothing on which he could pass judgment.

After all, one of the nicknames he used for Josh had been used for a woman in a movie. One of Josh’s nicknames for him was the name of the most famous butler in literature.

He realized that Anthy was shy, and he was willing to take her by the hand, figuratively, and guide her through this first meeting.

With that, he offered her a gentle, patient smile. “It’s nice to meet you too, Anthy.” Then he became silent for a moment, waiting for her to indicate whether she would say anything else.

She did not, which was fine; he could lead this dance.

“How are you doing today?” Pleasantries had aided many a person across that desk to relax.

[Anthy Blacksmith]

Her smile, as shy and slightly trembly as it was, did brighten some when he told her that it was nice to meet her. Sure, it might have been a natural response rather than a decision, but it was still kind of him to say and she would take his word for it. She really didn't have a reason not to. Luckily, he was speaking again before she had time to think too far into it, him asking her how she was doing.

"I'm... I'm doing kind of nervous to be honest, actually... well, you could probably tell that already.... but... well.. It's not just because... It isn't..."

She took a breath, offering a small smile before trying again.

"It's not just because I'm... because I'm worried about being crazy. I... I'm just like this sometimes. It's getting better though... the shyness, that is..." She told him.

Well, there was a start. She hadn't meant to go on and say she thought she might have been missing a couple of marbles or anything like that, but she supposed it was bound to be said at some point. She just wished she had been more fluent with things. If only she could have been more like Koty. He seemed so calm and collected and so well put together when it came to things he said. Or like Piper, even if the redhead was a bit bolder than Anthy could ever imagine being, she at least had a good deal of confidence. But then again, neither of them likely had imaginary friends at their age either.

"I'm doing alright, Doctor, I.. I'm just a little nervous... S-sorry about that." She said a bit sheepishly.

[Dr. Sean Neville]

“There’s no reason to apologize,” Sean told her gently. Being nervous often went hand-in-hand with visiting a mental health professional, given the stigma that society placed on the topic of mental health as a whole. Made all the more difficult due to hormones and adolescence and peer pressure; he did not miss being a teenager. All that he could do was to try to set her at ease, so that the nervousness dissipated.

Because of the stigma, he avoided using the word crazy, and he encouraged others to avoid it as well. Due to Anthy’s jitteriness, he chose the subtler route, instead redirecting the language away from that word to a more neutral one. “Why don’t you tell me a little about what has you so worried?”

Worried, not crazy. Even if she was concerned about her mental health, she still would not be crazy

“And, while you do that, can I get you something to drink? I have water, ginger ale, and juice.” He never kept soda, and the options were limited since this was not a hotel mini bar. Still, perhaps having something to drink would help her to feel more at ease. If not, she need not accept the offer.