Breaks are Necessary

[Rhys Rockwood]

Middle of nowhere, Arizona. Yep. That was exactly where Rhys wanted to spend a few days. At least it was just near the start of summer rather than right in the middle when the heat would be at its absolute worst. Regardless, he could hardly contain his enthusiasm for this trip...eh, who was he kidding? It wouldn't even take a psychic to see that this particular excursion was not going to give him anything to do besides actually work while out of town.

And naturally, who should come around the corner OTHER than a psychic? Well, it just happened to be the best telepath Rhys had ever had the genuine pleasure of meeting, Dr. Sean Neville.

Rhys shut the file he'd picked up and tucked it under his arm as he approached. Rhys could more than easily spare some time to talk with Sean instead of heading straight back to his desk to start the preparations and planning for his trip to the desert.

"Dr. Neville, it's good to see you again," he said extending his hand towards his colleague. Other than catching a glimpse here or there, Rhys hadn't seen Sean since getting back from his few months away from the Institute, and he expected that even a small discussion with the man would prove to be a good thing.  The school counselor seemed to have a knack for always knowing what to say to  "How're you doing? I hope things are better than normal around here, though I guess with the scholastic year wrapping up it's hard to be much better."

[Dr. Sean Neville]

Sean could never live a recruiter’s life.

He had nothing but respect for their work; recruiters played a vital role in Hammel’s day-to-day life. Nearly every student had been found by a recruiter and taken back to the school by a recruiter. Recruiters served as the first ambassadors from the school, answering student and family questions and as the primary contact until the student was settled at the school. Some people, like James Campbell, retained personal relationships with their recruiters for years after first arriving at Hammel.

However, Sean was too much of a homebody to thrive in a job that required him to travel anywhere and everywhere at a moment’s notice. Even before Josh and he had reconciled, and before their adventures in foster parenting, he preferred the consistency of an office job: weekdays with steady hours, even if he found himself on call at night or on the weekends.

As he turned the corner, he came face-to-face with Rhys Rockwood, of their best recruiters. He offered the younger man a smile and took his hand for a handshake. “Rhys, it’s good to see you too, and please, call me ‘Sean.’” The telepath never made his colleagues use his title when talking to him, even if they had been former students.

After a firm shake, he let Rhys’s hand slip from his. “Normal enough. The student still have a month until the end of the term, and finals.” Then graduation. That made his workload easier but put greater pressure on the students and trainers. “And how are you?”

[Rhys Rockwood]

"I'll get it right next time. Maybe," he replied with a bit of nod. Even all these years later, it was hard to not default to using the formality; Rhys had spent several years calling him 'Dr. Neville,' and the transition to using his first name was taking longer than it did for many other people. It would sort out eventually, most likely. Until then, Rhys would just try to remember that Dr. Nev-...Sean preferred to go by his first name.

Rhys held up the file and laughed a bit when Sean asked how he was doing. "Middle of nowhere, Arizona. Other than this little trip to the desert, I'm doing about as well as I can reasonably want. Home is comfortable, food is good, and my job is incredibly enjoyable. Maybe it's the people I work with. But even with this less then desirable location, the result will be entirely worth it." He had always strongly believed in his position as a recruiter; without people like him bringing the kids to a place like the Institute, their lives would be incredibly difficult.

"Time flies, doesn't it? Feels like yesterday I was preparing for my last round of finals and graduation. Hard to believe that was eight years ago, yeah?" He shook his head, barely believing it himself. Eight years since he had graduated. Eight. Years. The thought was a bit mind blowing. "Makes me wonder, do you, the teachers, the trainers, do you get a feeling of pride watching the kids grow up into people who are something resembling responsible?"

[Dr. Sean Neville]

Sean shook his head to himself, not envious in the slightest of that assignment. “Good luck,” he wished sincerely. The telepath had nothing but the utmost respect for the recruiters, because he acknowledged the necessity of their jobs while further admitting that he could never do that. Certainly he had almost anywhere else he wanted to be than the middle of nowhere Arizona of all places.

Sean folded his arms and hands behind his back as he stood, making himself more comfortable while maintaining his balance in that position. He nodded and agreed, “Time flies.” Time also had a way of blending together. The psychiatrist knew that it had been eight years since Rhys’s graduation, in the same way that information came back to people in a particular situation when otherwise they didn’t - or wouldn’t - think about or remember it. But those eight years blended together at Hammel, with certain highlights that stuck out in his mind. “I can’t speak for anyone else.” Rather, he could if he cared to probe, but he kept that to himself, and nobody had granted him that authority.

“But I’m always proud to see them grow into responsible young adults. We can’t choose their life paths for them, but we can give them all of the tools and skills they need to make the choice for themselves. Why wouldn’t I be proud?” His lips then twitched into a self-deprecating smile. “There I go. Some of the students tell me I’m a living Hallmark card, and I’m proving them right, apparently.”

[Rhys Rockwood]

Rhys nodded and smiled at Sean's response and reaction to his own words. It would have been hard to not smile; Sean's voice seemed to have that effect. If he hadn't known any better, he would have thought that Sean's power was a vocal influence instead of telepathy. Maybe he could...no. Even if Sean was capable of casually affecting people's moods to improve around him, Rhys had no doubt the man would abstain from using a power in a such way. Rhys decided it was better not to dwell on such matters.

"Well, I would certainly think there are worse things than proving those students right," he replied. "I mean, they could resent you, but probably not, especially when they look back after graduating and realize they were troublemakers and you were just trying to help them get on track." Rhys shrugged, not really knowing anything about it. "And if not, well, you did what you could. Some people are just beyond helping or they just won't take it, even when offered and they know they need it." 

Hopefully sounding like a Hallmark card wasn't a contagious condition.

[Dr. Sean Neville]

Sean overheard the younger man’s thought, although he didn’t reply to it. It was a flattering notion, both for the underlying sentiment and because it meant that he had succeeded in his goals: to make himself relatable, to be a calming individual that other people could trust. Just like Robert Hopkins had been to him, when he had been a student those decades ago, and for the rest of his mentor’s life.

He also knew that he had a soothing speaking voice, which he considered ironic given how off-key and raspy his singing voice was. But one couldn’t succeed in every endeavor.

He then chuckled. “You need to take more assignments in Pilot Ridge if you think the students never resent me.” Not every student. Sean prided himself on the fact that he had a good rapport with most of the student body, but he was no stranger to students who resented him. Some of whom he had to see at least once a week, every week, for years, until they graduated. A few of whom he had to see multiple times each week, every week, for years, until they graduated. One of whom might never graduate.

“That’s part of the human condition,” he said, nodding in agreement. He didn’t believe in lost causes as such, but he also recognized that he could not help everyone, nor could he be all things to all people.