Year 1 / Life in the Institute of Hamell

[Vincent Meian]

(Translated for the sake of readers.)


1 年・ ハメル所での生活


Day 1: We moved into the house this afternoon. It is large compared to our home in Ibaraki, though from the outward appearance of many houses on the street it is a typical occurance.

Our daughters each have their own room now, and they seem to be enjoying the solitude. Though Appoline has already begun to unpack, is seems Cassi is a little unsure about being apart from her sister, even if only a wall separates them. She will become accustomed to it, I am sure.

Nakia seems to enjoy having a garden now, one that she may visit without leaning out the window. I must admit, she seems happy to be here, despite the move from being a hospital doctor to working with children. I am only happy that she is happy, and that is all there is to it.

Tomorrow I shall see the school again. There is a person I have been told to talk to, one Dr. Sean Neville. He is apparently the school counselor, although perhaps that title is not an accurate translation. Regardless, I shall make it a priority to visit him - I would rather have someone else to explain things to than my wife. While she is the only person I could ever truly confide in, I think she has heard my stories too many times. A new place need fresh ears.

We will need groceries very soon. I think we will eat out tonight, perhaps to receive a better grasp of the locals. After my meeting tomorrow, Nik and I can shop while the girls settle in. Though it may be difficult to procure foods we are accustomed to, I am sure we will adapt.

~August 17th, 2012

[Vincent Meian]

Day 2: Nakia and the girls will be going into town today, leaving me to finish unpacking the kitchen and Nik's study. I am certain that she will reorganize everything once she comes home, but she always seems to appreciate when things are at least put somewhere logical.

~

The kitchen was more of a chore than I expected; despite being packed into specifically labelled boxes and bins, I have managed to misplace my spice rack, a new set of bamboo spoons, and the dining ware Hatsuharu gifted us last Christmas (he seemed to think that we would have more guests over and that none of them could use chopsticks. While I will not disagree that many in the United States tend to use European utensils, they have thus far remained untouched.) Hopefully, I will find these objects shortly - I hope to begin cooking again tonight, and if I do not find my supplies I will be sorely pressed to do so.

~

The realtor came by shortly after noon to check that we had settled in comfortably. I was actually grateful for the company as the silence of my new home suddenly seemed unnerving. It comes from raising children, I suppose, even ones so collected and quiet as my daughters.

We spoke at length about the house and the town and the school nearby. He didn't ask if my daughters were attending and I did not mention; I think things such as this were an unspoken truth in a place such as this. We spoke of his own family; though his own wife had left some time ago, his son stayed with him and went to school in the high school up the road. No meta-humans there - only those without powers went to that school.

Honestly, I think that may be because of children like me that parents wish to keep us separated. Or perhaps it is a choice for those without "gifts". Either way, the conversation was pleasant, and we parted ways with no ill will. I doubt, however, that I will be seeing much of him anymore. His work is done.

~

My family has returned, just as I have placed the last of the books on Nik's bookshelves (which I rebuilt just a short time ago). While she sets into her ways and fetters about, I will take this time to enroll Appoline and Cassiopeia for the coming fall school year. Perhaps I will see this "Dr. Sean Neville" afterwards. I did, after all, say that I would take the optional psych-evaluation.

From the way they said it, it did not sound entirely optional anyway.

~

The girls have been enrolled, and I sent them to look around the campus while I find my way to this counselor's office. I'm certain they will not find themselves lost; there are still a number of students around the grounds, and Cassi has always been sound of direction. Hopefully, this will not take too long.



((To Be Continued...))

[Vincent Meian]

((Continued from previous entry))


My meeting with Dr. Neville was far more relaxed than I had expected it to be. We spoke mostly of school policies and the command structure of the school - surprisingly, the majority of this was very easy to understand. Standard disciplinary action should be reported to the psychiatrist; anything involving suspension or higher would need to be discussed with the Headmistress. (I have an appointment with this woman on the 4th of September - I must remember this).

My initial impression of the man is that he genuinely seems to care about people. It's an odd trait to find in the world, at least to such a degree, but it seems that he has it. He is a telepath - one with the ability to read men's thoughts and know his emotions. This power makes me a little nervous, I am ashamed to admit, but from the research I have done it appears he cannot influence emotions more than any other person. He is empathetic, but not an empath; I can trust this man not to play with forces outside his reckoning. Or mine, for that matter.

Perhaps the most interesting thing is that he declined a psychoanalysis - or rather, he didn't even seem to want to conduct one. Perhaps that is simply because he has not read my files yet (they are still in transport, at last check), but I believe he honestly thinks that I would not have been hired without one. This is true, of course; however, I expected him to want to conduct one on his own. Very peculiar indeed.

He did offer, of course, to speak of the things that weigh on my mind most heavily. Perhaps I will accept the invitation at a later date, however time did not allow for it then. I had left my daughters waiting, after all. But... I will speak to him soon. There are things I need to talk about still, even if I don't want to remember them. Relapses are frightening things.

As an additional note, there is a student with whom I may be acquainted in the near future; a young man named Sam Rixon. He is a pyrokinetic with a series of unwise choices and activities weighing him down. He seems to have very little control over his power, and he cannot seem to stay with one trainer (likely by his own volition). According to Dr. Neville, he seems to be more interested in succeeding now - perhaps that will aid him in the coming months.

~

Nakia managed to find my missing materials while we were out, and I put them where I could find them later. Unfortunately, the day has been spent and we still do not know where the grocery store is. Maybe I'll find it tomorrow when I go walking. In the meantime, it seems we will eat elsewhere again.

~August 18th, 2012