TIME WARP: Society is One Big Conspiracy (Sean)

[Dr. Sean Neville]

Sean hadn’t expected anyone to have given thought to the issue of pronouns, since it wasn’t a topic that would be relevant until Claire and Clark had synchronized, and that was several years in the future. Also, through his experience interacting with gestalt pairs and then interacting with other people who interacted with gestalt pairs, he knew that pronouns were typically quite far down the list of topics given any consideration at all. As such, the psychiatrist nodded in agreement with the plan. “Waiting is best, yes. And then just take your cues from them.”

It was really no different from respecting anyone else’s gender identity, except that it was one identity shared between two bodies.

He also remained firm in his belief that Cee’s siblings could find someone who understood the situation and who would marry the twins. He knew far too many gestalt pairs who were married to believe that they were anomalous. It simply required an open-minded person. Then again, their social group as adults would necessarily be culled to only include more open-minded people.

“Your parents are probably closer to my generation,” the psychiatrist said with a smile. He used computers for work and for other tasks, but his default was his own handwriting and his own filing system. He still liked to receive letters in the mail and to send them to others. “But I’ll be sure to encourage Claire and Clark to write your parents often. And, of course, your parents can always call or write to check in with them.”

He then shook his head. “Mister Cohen, I reserved this time for you, so you aren’t keeping me from anything. You’re not under any obligation to stay if I’ve addressed your concerns, but you don’t have to worry about my time.”

[Cee Cohen]

Cues from them. Cee was half-tempted to take notes, except that he’d always been better at remembering things told to him instead of things he’d written down. It had exasperated his professors in college, but when he’d patiently explained to them that he wouldn’t have been able to see his notes even had he written them, they had given up. Besides, he’d always managed to pass the classes with flying colors.

Except classic literature. Cee hadn’t ever managed to get the idea that the teacher wanted him to write about things that weren’t obvious and didn’t even seem to be hinted at in the material. He’d needed a tutor and, after some moments of exasperation, a part time essay writer in order to get him to pass that class.

“Um. I wouldn’t know.” Age tended to be vague for Cee. As his vision was only good close up, and most people didn’t want to be put under that kind of scrutiny, Cee didn’t have a very good idea of what people of different ages looked like. To him, Sean looked perfectly fine. “You seem young to me,” he added, without any sense of diplomacy whatsoever. I’m sorry, Sean. At least he’s not being blatantly insulting.

He shuddered at the reference of “Mister Cohen.” He would never get used to being called that. “Please refer to me as Cee,” he pleaded. “I’m conscious it’s unceremonious, but I like it a lot more. I’ll never be Mister Cohen. It makes me feel positively Victorian! Anyways.” Realizing that it was too far, he cleared his throat. “I just am not sure what other disputes need to be addressed. I’ve never gone through this before.”

[Dr. Sean Neville]

Sean chuckled at the other man’s phrasing; he was good-humored about his appearance and his age. “That’s the greatest compliment I’ve gotten all week. And in that case, I’m older than I look.” That wasn’t a sentiment he often had reason to hear. Josh did, but Sean looked his age. Nearing fifty...less than two years away now.

“Cee it is,” the telepath conceded with a nod. He wouldn’t insist on using formalities if the younger man would prefer he didn’t. While he tended to be a bit formal in work situations, the telepath wasn’t in the habit of forcing all social conventions on unwilling parties. Briefly, his thoughts turned to his sister, since that was a major area in which they disagreed, before he inwardly sighed and dismissed the train of thought.

Not now.

He then spread his hands in front of him and offered the younger man a smile. “I understand that it’s jarring. Unless you come from a family of meta-humans, people are rarely prepared for a loved one manifesting and all of what it entails.”

Since not every meta-human under jurisdiction enjoyed their time at Hammel, and since every meta-human was different and the times were always changing, even experience alone wasn’t a guarantee. It was, however, helpful.

“You have my number,” Sean pointed out. Since Cee had managed to arrange a meeting in the first place, he obviously had access to the telepath’s contact information. “How about you call me if anything comes to mind? Or you can email me if you want; I check my work email regularly, even if I prefer to send letters myself.”

[Cee Cohen]

“Oh.” Once again, the vision thing was in the way. He cleared his throat, a little sheepish and feeling a little guilty and not sure why. After all, he’d complimented the man, right? But Cee had never been one for worrying if he was making social errors--if he had been, he would’ve been pretty incoherent for most days just trying to figure out basic social cues. Cee’s perspective ranged more toward not worrying about it and making the rest of the world figure it out.

Once again, no one said Cee was logical.

“Thank you!” he offered him a relieved smile at the name, and then shrugged his shoulders. “It’s not a bad jarring, though! I mean, it’s fantastic they get to experience these neoteric things, and we’re fully prepared to accept and love them and...” He trailed off and cleared his throat. “That’s all slightly Disney, though. Anyways. It will be challenging and we will adapt to our situations.”

“True.” Cee’s voice showed his doubt about telephones. He didn’t actually have a landline, and he and his cellphone had a tenuous relationship at best. He’d had Anna dial to make an appointment. “Email would be the most acceptable solution, I think. My handwriting is illegible at the optimum times. No one enjoys receiving a letter from me. But thank you for the thought. Is there anything I should know...?"

[Dr. Sean Neville]

Sean shook his head, waving off the younger man’s dismissal of the sentiment as too hokey to discuss. “Disney or not, it’s precisely what they need. Love, support, and understanding.” That was what all families should provide to each other, particularly to children.

Far too many young metas weren’t given one or more of those; some were denied all three. Such circumstances pained the telepath on behalf of those children, and as a result, he wanted to commend and encourage any family members who were prepared to give all three. Even if it should be standard, because it wasn’t in practice.

Sean then nodded his acknowledgement of the younger man’s preferences. “Email it is.” He reached for the pad of post-it notes he kept on his desk and took a pen out of his pocket. His handwriting had always been impeccable, but he attributed that to his Catholic schooling pre-Hammel; there had been frequent lessons on penmanship. After writing out his email address, he held the post-it note out to the younger man. “That’s my work address. I check it a few times a day, and so if you have any questions or need anything else, you can reach me here fairly quickly.”

The telepath smiled at Cee. “As for anything else you should know? If you come to visit the twins, you need to sign in at the front desk. If you take them with you, you need to sign them back out so there won’t be any panics about missing students. Be mindful of their curfew, and don’t give them any pets that can’t live in a cage.” Those were the bare basics of visiting life at Hammel. “Most of that should be covered in the handbook.”

[Cee Cohen]

“Of course.” Cee seemed surprised that Sean would even bring the topic up. What else would he have done? No matter how uncomfortable he was with the situation, he still loved his siblings very much and refused to let them see any moment where he was uncomfortable. And if his family didn’t—which he sincerely doubted—then he’d deal with that too. Um. Somehow.

It took Cee a moment of squinting in order to locate the post-it note, but then he took it with a certain air of triumph and nodded his thanks, folding it very neatly and tucking it away in his pocket. “Great! I’ll try to be coherent in my written communications with you, Doctor Neville. But don’t worry on the responding quickly. If there is something I need to know quickly, I’m capable of picking up a phone.” He had one of those ones with the very large buttons. He’d always appreciated that feature. Some asked if he was embarrassed, but not knowing any other way to be, he’d just shrugged it off.

Cee nodded again and smiled, a bit sheepishly. “Um. Oh. Okay. I will be certain to remember that.” For next time. Because he certainly hadn’t followed it now. “And, ah, handbook?” he hadn’t seen one, but he wasn’t any good with anything on paper, not really. Unless it was written in code, it needed a neon sign in order to catch his attention.

[Dr. Sean Neville]

Sean found it both heartening and encouraging how the younger man appeared genuinely baffled over why he would list love and understanding as necessary criteria. It meant that his brother and sister came from a good family and wouldn’t want for the support so many other meta-human children lacked. Such was the effect of prejudice, and this was why he did what he did with his life.

“I try to respond quickly anyway,” Sean replied. He considered that to be part of professional courtesy.

The psychiatrist wasn’t in charge of distributing materials beyond the ones designated for mental health services. And the condoms he kept in the box outside of his office, but that was of his own volition. As such, he couldn’t quite say where the handbooks were being stored at the moment, but that was fine. Instead, he crossed to the shelf where he knew he had his copy and pulled it down. Returning to where Cee was, he handed it to the younger man. “Here, take mine. I can always get another.”

Sean could track down additional copies after lunch today; it would be far easier for him to do that than it was to send Cee to find one for himself. Particularly given his difficulty finding the office in the first place and his admission about being somewhat uncomfortable with paper systems.

“It has all of the basic rules about everything: pets, visitors, academic concerns. All of that.” Anything else could be answered by a human being, and Sean had already given Cee his email address.

[Cee Cohen]

“Thank you for that,” Cee said, looking quite cheered by the prospect of quick replies. “I have aspirations that my patrons will one day be the same in the prompt manner. Well, no way for me to fix it.” He blinked as Sean got up and then handed him the handbook. He lifted it closer to his face to examine it, then smiled up at the other man. “Thank you very much! If I locate another copy I’ll make sure Claire and Clark bring it to you. I’ll bribe them with some video games or something—they usually like that.” He slid it into a pocket and patted it to make sure it fit, then nodded. “Okay. I’ll have it relocated to my family. I mean, I’ll be the main liason here, but you—well. Get the general idea?” Now his smile was quite sheepish. He cleared his throat, then rose to his feet.

“Well, I think that should be all. Thanks for your interval, Dr. Neville.” He offered his hand. “I appreciate it very much, and I hope Claire and Clark aren’t too exasperating.”

((I am very sorry for the shortness of this.>>))

[Dr. Sean Neville]

Sean waved off the offer to have Claire and Clark bring his book back with a small gesture of his hand. “That’s unnecessary; I can always find another one for himself.” He had access to the administrative materials, and it would be easy for him to replace his handbook. It wouldn’t be as easy for the twins, or for Cee himself, to procure another copy.

Although, at the mention of bribery, the telepath smiled. “That method tends to work on my nephew, too.” Fortunately, he had decades of experience with keeping his emotions to himself, decoupling his expressions from his thoughts. As such, his smile didn’t falter at the memory of how he’d had to miss Ryan’s last birthday because of Kathleen’s animosity.

Someday.

“And I do. If I have the opportunity to meet your parents, I’ll be sure to answer any of their remaining questions in person.”

With that, Sean took Cee’s hand for a parting handshake. He pumped firmly and then released, although he remained nearby in case the younger man required his help leaving. “You’re quite welcome, Cee. And I’m sure they won’t be any worse than other students we’ve had. You can imagine some of the hijinks that happen.”

Sean was confident in Hammel’s ability to keep them from causing too much trouble.

“If you need anything else, you know how to find me.”