Morning by the Lake (Sean)

[Julia Taylor]

The sun had just risen over the lake as Julia Taylor stepped out onto the porch of the dining hall. She liked to wake up early - and was used to it even if she didn't, due to having a small child at home who seemed never to want to sleep - and thankfully the dining hall at their campground started serving breakfast as early as she needed it to. She hadn't eaten yet, but instead had poured herself a cup of coffee into a paper to-go cup, which was now nestled into her hands. She stood at the front of the porch for a moment, blowing the steam off the top of the dark liquid as she looked out at the lake. It was shimmering in the early morning sun, just a hint of fog obscuring its furthest reaches. Around it, trees had started turning their usual fall colors, but most of them still had all of their leaves. Julie wore a light jacket, as it was just a little bit chilly so early in the morning; it would surely warm up later in the day, in time for the usual retreat activities and for the kids to swim comfortably in the lake.

Fall had certainly arrived to Vermont.

After taking a few sips of her warm beverage while leaning against the wooden rail of the porch, Julie decided she would like to be closer to the body of water she was viewing. Stepping down onto the path that connected the dining hall to the lake and various other points of interest, she strolled leisurely towards where the grass met the water, grateful she had put a plastic lid on her cup as she stepped over scattered rocks and tree roots.

Once she reached the shoreline, she stood in place, scanning her beautiful surroundings. One of her arms was folded across her chest, the other holding the coffee cup upright, from which every now and then she would take another slow sip. It was a little bit too hot, but on a cool morning she liked that. And while she certainly wouldn't mind if someone might join her at this pleasant spot, she would also be quite content to take it in on her own. Such was the relaxed, simple nature of the Hammel Student Retreat, and she quite appreciated it.

((I'm hoping for Julia to develop friendships with other Hammel staff members, so if you have an adult character and would like to join, please go right ahead!))

[Dr. Sean Neville]

Every year, Sean attended the annual Hammel Retreat. He had done so since first taking employment at Hammel two decades ago, and his appearance to chaperon was a forgone conclusion at this point. Half the time, the signup sheet already had his name on it when passed around at the staff meeting when initially planning for the trip. He tolerated it well enough, even if he didn’t particularly care for camping and he would prefer to be home with Josh. Or to be home in a comfortable, king-sized bed rather than sharing a cabin with adults who weren’t his partner.

Still, the telepath had attended the retreat, just as he had last year, and the year before that, and the year before that.

Sean was an early riser, and with the insomnia, he often slept less than optimally. Doubly so when in an uncomfortable bed, in an unfamiliar place, with other adults who weren’t his partner. The telepath woke early that morning, showered, and went out to find something to eat. While the dining hall was open early, Ferris had brought homemade marshmallows for S’mores, and he had split them up among the other members of their bunk house. So Sean roasted a few and made a mini-plate of S’mores, before finding his way to the dining hall for a cup of coffee to start the day more officially.

Before the students woke up and required his attention.

After getting coffee – and with a mug in one hand and the platter in the other – he went out in search of a quiet place to eat. His preference was for the water, which was as close to sailing as he would get this morning before any of the other staff came on duty. As he approached, he saw Julia, and he smiled.

“Good morning,” he greeted, as he came close to her.

[Julia Taylor]

In contrast to Sean's regularity on the chaperon list, Julia had come on the trip a few times by now, but not recently. The first few years, she had not gone mostly for reasons pertaining to her anxiety: the idea of being away from her home and family, and in a cabin with staff she may or may not know, was a bit too much for her. After that, she signed up at the behest of one of her fellow English teachers, who at the time had promised her that a fun time would be had by all. She had enjoyed it, in truth, but was ready to get back to the luxuries of civilization when the week was over. And while she had gone one more time after that, she'd had a very good excuse not to go the past few years: she didn't want to go while she was pregnant, and then she didn't want to leave for five straight days while Stefanie was still so young.

All told, this was her first time on the trip in three years, and she found she was rather liking it, particularly in these early morning hours.

Julia found that life sometimes had a funny way of giving you exactly what you wanted, but that you didn't know you wanted until it was given. As previously stated, the woman would have been perfectly content to enjoy her morning coffee alone, but some pleasant company would have been just as welcome. And what more pleasant company could there be than Dr. Sean Neville, the school psychiatrist?

"Dr. Neville," she greeted, taking a sip from her cup before offering him a smile. She knew she did not have to call him that; she had been a student once while he was on the faculty, but that was a long time ago. Rather, she liked to: Sean's name sounded very distinguished, like the wise older man who helps the protagonist in a novel Julia might read in her spare time. Perhaps it was Sean himself, and not simply his name, that brought this vision to her mind.

As he approached, she noticed the plate of s'mores in one of his hands. One eyebrow lifted quizzically on her forehead, and a smile spread across her features. "A breakfast of champions," she noted aloud. She recalled seeing him on more than one occasion enjoying a baked good in the faculty lounge, one that Mallory or someone else had brought in to share: he must, she wagered, have quite the sweet tooth.

[Dr. Sean Neville]

Although Sean wasn’t actively scanning her mind, they were in close proximity, and so her thought popped into his mind, which caused him to smile inwardly. He must have a sweet tooth, indeed. It was, perhaps, the worst-kept secret in Pilot Ridge, now that he and Josh had been reconciled for years and Stefan’s alcoholism had become undeniable to everyone else with the criminal conviction.

Sean accepted her categorization with a nod. “We only live once,” he pointed out, which was his overarching philosophy as an atheist more than a license for hedonism on his part. Over all, he had excellent self-control, and he had been the most mature member in his circle of friends from a young age – a pattern that had continued through the present, no matter who else joined his circle of friends and their current or relative ages.

Perhaps that was why he had such a high tolerance for the problems the students endured. Better the drama come from teenagers than from adults twice or three times the age of those teenagers.

With that, the psychiatrist held his platter of s’mores aloft, offering them to her if she wanted to partake. “Help yourself,” he said, before popping one into his mouth and washing it down with a sip of coffee.

[Julia Taylor]

Julia knew that Sean was a telepath, of course, but she would have to confess not to knowing all of the intricacies of the power. She did not, for example, know that he could know someone's thoughts without actively seeking them out; she had always assumed it was a power that required activation. But over the course of years, she had come to trust the school psychiatrist as a wise man, one who care deeply about the students and fellow faculty members, and who as far as she knew used his powers for the benefit of others, and not for personal amusement. Of course, she could not read his mind, so she could not know this for certain.

"And if we do it right," Julia started to reply, with a bit of a flair in her voice, "once is enough." Here she was quoting, though somewhat paraphrasing, American actress and overall icon Mae West. Julia did not, in general, practiced what she there preached, as she often chose to stay home at nights and spend time with her family or work on her side projects, as opposed to going out and doing anything extravagant. Then again, one might say to spend a life doing what one loved, one was living right.

She looked down at the platter as it was offered to her. She usually tried to watch her weight, and s'mores and other treats did not really fit into her diet, but this was about as close to 'being on vacation' as she was going to get for the foreseeable future, so why not indulge? "Don't mind if I do," she stated, taking one and biting into it. Her eyelids fluttered shut as she allowed herself to enjoy the mouthfeel of the crispy graham crackers, the melty chocolate, and the soft, gooey marshmallow. Who didn't love a s'more? She chewed thoughtfully. "My compliments to the chef," she stated with a hint of a smile. "It's been a long time since I've had one of those." She couldn't, in fact, remember the last time she had.