A Listening Ear (Sean)

[Haven Kensington]

{{{{IGNORE MY SIGNATURE IF YOU SEE THIS AND IT"S NOT FIXED. I KNOW ITS BEASTLEE HUGE. TRYING TO FIX IT.}}}}

Haven wasn’t good with words. She was the type of person who would run a conversation through her head, several hundred times before sitting down and having it. Then upon the moment when the conversation was supposed to happen, she wouldn’t-couldn’t say half of what she planned. That’s what made her both nervous and confidant about her talking to Dr. Neville. Nervous because she wasn’t a conservationist, but confident because one, Dr. Neville was a psychiatrist and she was sure he would know what to say. People spoke very highly of him at Hammel. The other reason she felt confident, and also hesitant, was of his ability to read minds. She just hoped she could block out her power mimicry to be able to talk.


She has been having trouble at Hammel. She isn’t used to being around so many metas. After all, the last time she was around metas at all was when she was in school. She assumed she just got lazy, but putting up a mental block was extremely hard for some reason. Her experience with Jack Maguire and mimicking his power of empathy still made her blush. For more reasons than one she supposed. She shook her head as she knocked on Sean’s office door. Being a mind reader that was the last thought she wanted him to know. Her fancying a co-worker she just met, like some high school kid.


She also has been incredibly worried about her father. Having M.S. and being put into an assisted living home in London…it’s hard being so far away. She took a deep breathe and hoped it wouldn’t be too awkward a conversation.

[Dr. Sean Neville]

Sean prided himself on his ability to do his job well. More than that, he tried to be a resource for the students and the other faculty alike. Everyone was able to benefit from his open door policy, which allowed for drop-in visitors to simply come in if he was located within his office and wasn’t engaged in a session, a conference, or another task that involved other people or couldn’t otherwise be shifted around.

Because he had control of his own schedule and wasn’t confined by the typical “period” system of the teachers, he had a fair amount of time each day that wasn’t claimed by others. During that time, he tended to paperwork, reviewed notes, or engaged in research. During that time, anyone could stop in to talk to him if he or she so desired.

Thus, when he sensed someone outside of his office and heard the tell-tale knock, he called out, “Come in.” From what he had sensed, it was Haven Kensington, one of the newer teachers. They hadn’t had a proper conversation, per se, but he still recognized her. He tried to be cognizant of all of the staff members.

Since she was a staff member, he could guarantee that this wouldn’t be a disciplinary session, and thus he could let her choose where to sit, and how she wanted to go about the conversation. If she wanted a more relaxed talk, they could adjourn to the sofa and armchairs on the other side of the office.

[Haven Kensington]

Haven heard the “Come in.” and hesitated a moment longer before opening the door. She was skilled at the art of being calm and collected, or at least appearing that way. So she could imagine what Dr. Neville saw when she came in, her giving him a genuine smile, looking almost serene and peaceful, though lately she had been anything but.


She had seen Dr. Neville many times in the halls. Being here in his office was different though then a passing in a corridor. He wasn’t intimidating by any means. In fact, from his general demeanor and his reputation Haven decided that she already liked the man. However, though he couldn’t have passed Haven’s age by about maybe ten years or so, he seemed old. Wise and very old. Perhaps that’s what came with being a telepath. Then again, Haven didn’t know his life. She had lived in relative ease, and held a rather sheltered life. Despite the number of years she had been alive, she was quite young comparatively to Dr. Neville.


“Hello,” She said to him, closing the door behind her. “I hope you’re not busy. I’ve wanted to come by and properly introduce myself.” Okay, so this was partially true, but not at all the reason she was here. She went over to a couch, but didn’t sit. She didn’t want to be rude after all. That’s when a splitting headache struck Haven making her grip her head. So much for being calm and collected. She took a deep breath and with quite a bit of effort blocked the power absorption from happening…for now.

[Dr. Sean Neville]

Sean set aside the papers that had been in front of him, in anticipation of Haven entering his office. He could always return to them later, as they were of relatively low priority, and he didn’t want her to think that he was distracted, when he was not. He offered her a smile of greeting when she stepped through the door, noting that she had closed it without prompting, which gave some indication of what she needed to discuss. Not specifics, but a relative tone since she was mindful of privacy without being prompted.

“Hello, Haven,” he greeted. He then shook his head slightly, indicating that she wasn’t interrupting him. “You aren’t interrupting me at all.”

Since she had taken the initiative to settle on the sofa, he rose from behind his desk and followed her to that end of the office. He settled in the arm chair near the sofa and held out one large hand to her for a handshake, since she had said that she wanted to formally introduce herself. “Sean Neville,” he said, a small welcoming smile still on his lips.

“Would you like a cookie?” He asked, gesturing at the plate on the table between them. Chocolate chip raisin, which were his favorites. “My partner baked them last night, and I can vouch that they’re delicious.”

[Haven Kensington]

Haven did not take his hand, merely shook her head. “Sorry,” She said holding her hands firmly in her lap. “I don’t do very well with handshakes.” She knew that was very rude but he would understand when she explained.

Her head pounded behind her eyes but she continued to stay calm and smiling. “Thank you, I’ll take one.” She took a cookie from the plate between them. What she really wanted was an aspirin. “I was really hoping you weren’t going to be busy. I need to talk to someone.” She wrinkled her nose. That wasn’t exactly how she wanted that to come out. Haven was generally not to apt to sharing worries with strangers. After all, they had only just properly met. Still, she continued, taking a courtesy bite of the cookie. Even the migraine couldn’t mask the fact that they were very good.

“Tell your partner that these are delicious.” She said genuinely a passing thought on what he meant as to ‘partner’ which quickly evaporated to the back of her mind, for she continued. “I’ve been having some trouble, controlling my power mimicry. And I think it has something to do with…well, for one I haven’t been around metas in quite some time and putting up a mental block for the first time in twenty years is a bit hard.” She wrinkled her nose again. “But it shouldn’t be that hard should it? Do you think…” I’m not controlling my emotions, thinking about other things? She thought the last bit to herself.

She wanted to get up and leave now. She felt silly, as it normally happened when a conversation didn’t go quite the way she wanted. After all, what could Dr. Neville do for her? She sighed. Perhaps she just needed a listening ear.

[Dr. Sean Neville]

Sean accepted that explanation with a nod, pulling back his hand immediately. He took no offense to the refusal, as not everyone enjoyed physical contact and some abilities undermined casual physical contact. Instead, he made a mental note, so that he wouldn’t make the same attempt in the future.

He then settled across from her, sitting in one of the armchairs near the sofa. This way they could both be comfortable without infringing on one another’s personal space. The psychiatrist waited for her to take a cookie, before he took one for himself. A smile spread across his lips at the compliment; even though it wasn’t directed at him, it was for Josh, and that was close enough as far as he was concerned. Moreover, he agreed with her; his partner had developed excellent skills over the past nine months. “I’ll be sure to pass that on to him,” he said. He knew that Josh would appreciate the compliment, and perhaps he would come to believe in his skills with the third-party feedback.

“I’m not busy,” Sean assured her. What he’d been working on could wait, and face-to-face sessions were the primary aspect of his job. He then settled in to listen to her reasons for coming to his office. Power problems were common enough among the students, and long-term side effects plagued the faculty, as was the nature of meta-human abilities.

“It can be difficult to relearn old habits,” the telepath agreed. He wasn’t in a position where he could forget how to construct mental shields, but he could understand how habits could slide for other people. “What did you used to do to train? Perhaps trying those exercises again would get you back into the habit?”

[Haven Kensington]

Haven sighed and leaned back on the couch. She thought for a moment, back to those long hours in the training rooms when she was a student. Her trainer, who went by Madam Florence, had been someone she had really admired. An older lady, who was quite the posh French woman, was regal and no-nonsense in her training. She rubbed many students the wrong way, but considering Haven had always been no nonsense, she and Madam Florence got along quite well. Plus, though Haven didn’t know at the time, Madam Florence had a bit of a soft spot for her pupil and only let on to that fact a year after Haven graduated.

She taught Haven many things. Though Madam Florence had the ability of shape shifting, she explained meta powers in a way that, no matter how different they were, all of them needed an amount of control in the mind. Some just needed more mental blocks then others.

“Well,” Haven said to Sean, “The exercises involved thinking very little of inner feelings, because, being wrapped up in your own head, you get lax and let things in.” She looked Sean in the eye. “Basically, concentrate on the present, not on the thoughts in your head, that way I can detect when to put up a block.” She wasn’t sure if she was explaining it exactly the way it was. Madam Florence, all those years ago had made it seem so easy to verbalize.

Haven regretted loosing contact with her.

“I think I’ve gotten more sentimental in my old age.” Haven supposed this was a joke. She wasn’t one to make jokes, and it stumbled out of her mouth quite awkwardly. Still, she smiled and continued. “It’s hard moving to a new place. My parents are getting older…my dad has multiple sclerosis and it’s getting really bad. And that’s hard because he’s all the way in London.” She paused, her eyes burned. Haven was not a crier, but something about saying that out loud about her dad, especially to the listening man in front of her, made her a bit more emotional, and she wasn’t sure why.

[Dr. Sean Neville]

Sean listened carefully while Haven described the words of wisdom that Haven had learned from her trainer. He believed strongly in forging a positive relationship with one’s trainer, and he believed that it was possible to be touched for decades after one’s tenure as a student. After all, Robert had been the single greatest influence in his life as a student, and he remained so important in the decades after the telepath had graduated. Until he had passed away.

Sean still missed the older telepath.

“Have those exercises helped at all?” He asked. He still used the same exercises that he’d been taught to control his telepathy. If those worked for her, then her mimicry could be more controlled. “If not, perhaps we can set up a meeting with the side effects specialist.”

He offered a small, encouraging smile at the remark about growing more sentimental. “I think that’s part and parcel of growing up,” he replied. The telepath had always been somewhat sentimental, although as he’d aged, he’d found maturity and then had learned to appreciate the world differently. Life was different for a forty-year-old, as opposed to how it appeared to a fifteen-year-old.

The psychiatrist then listened carefully as she described the other troubles in her life and with her family. His expression was one of sympathy for her father’s illness, and he nudged the box of tissues on the table closer to her, so she could dry her eyes should need to do so.

“It can be very difficult to be separated from your family when a loved one is going through that,” he agreed. “Are you able to call often, at least? Or have other contact with them?”

Not everyone was comfortable with computers, but email did make communication easier, particularly over such a long distance.

[Haven Kensington]

Haven clasped her hands in her lap, gazing up at the ceiling. “Side effects specialist…” She mused. “Maybe that would be a good idea…” She really didn’t like the idea. After all, adults should be able to get a handle on these things. Haven didn’t voice it too much but she liked her independence, and that meant not asking for help. It took everything she had to come here.

She looked at Sean again. “I call, my mom calls. Dad is on so much medication though; I can’t understand him when he gets on the phone. His words are all slurred.”

She thought back to last night when her mom had called her. Her dad sounded so bad Haven had to get off the phone to keep from crying. The last thing her father or mother needed was to be worried about her.

“Can I have another cookie?” She asked. Comfort food please.

[Dr. Sean Neville]

Sean fundamentally disagreed with that view of adults and power side-effects. Side-effects were something that could be minimized with age and practice, but they could never truly disappear. After all, he still had to beware migraines when he over-exerted himself, as did essentially every psychic who had ever come through Hammel, regardless of age.

Because of that, there was no stigma that an adult required additional help with side-effects. She certainly wouldn’t be the only faculty member who had required a meeting with Clarisse this past year. “You know where her office is,” he added. “She’s open to walk-in conversations, so you should be able to just stop in if you choose to do so.”

The telepath then nodded sympathetically. He knew from personal, professional, and psychic experience how difficult it could be to watch a loved one deteriorate due to such an illness. “Do you plan to visit for the holidays?” Those were a couple of months away, which would give everyone some time to adjust and to gather their bearings.

“Of course,” he said with a smile. He nudged the platter closer to her, to minimize the reaching that she would have to do. “Take as many as you’d like. I brought them in to share.”

[Haven Kensington]

Haven nodded to the comment about Clarisse. She did know where her office was, even talked to her for a passing minute or so. Sean was right. It wouldn’t be so bad to talk to her.

She thought about his next question and had to smile. Christmas in London was beautiful, something everyone should see before they died. Haven had just described it to Milo Grant. Though it’s a gray city and rather dirty, Christmas time brings a whole new light to the town. Of course, if she were to visit for holidays, it would be rather bittersweet.

“I think I’m going to go to London for the holidays yes.” She bit her lip. “Thank you,” She said, taking another cookie. “Listen I appreciate the chat…and advice.” And she meant it. Like she said before, it was perhaps a bit of company and a listening ear that would probably boost her confidence. “And it was really nice to meet you.” She said earnestly.

“Will I see you at Stephen Spencer’s costume party? I don’t really know the host, but its open invite, and I suppose I’ll be going. But it would be nice to see a familiar face, and to talk on lighter terms.” She added the last part with a smile.

(((((Wrap? Getting stale on my end )))))

[Dr. Sean Neville]

((OOC: That is fine.))

Sean had been to England a couple of times before, although never during the winter holidays. He knew of Christmas in London through movies and books and then through stories that other people had recounted or what he had gleaned from their memories. He knew that it was lovely there during the winter. Winter had a beautiful quality for those who didn’t suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder or weren’t prone to depression around the holidays.

“I hope that you’re able to go,” he replied. It would be good for her to have face-to-face contact with her parents. Even with the illness affecting her father, she could see his vitality, in whatever form it took, in person more easily than taking comfort over the telephone and a five hour time zone difference.

“You’re welcome for the advice. That’s why I’m here, after all,” he replied with a small smile. He was always happy to listen to other faculty; being an adult didn’t render one immune to the need for conversation and assurance. “And it was nice to meet you too, Haven.”

The telepath had heard about the costume party from Greg when he and his blond friend had gone to Boston. He and Josh enjoyed parties, which was a point in favor of attending, as was the fact that Greg planned to go. However, they needed to discuss the matter, given the circumstances under which they had met Stephen. “I’m not sure yet,” he admitted. “I need to discuss it with my partner, but you very well might see us there. It’s hard to turn down a party.”