Home Court Advantage [Sean]

[Terrence Mathews]

Terrence did talk to the other members of staff... honest to God he did. But... conversation wasn't a strong point of his. It wasn't like he hated people, he just... hated the pressure of talking, and the possibility of saying something wrong. He adored his books, but even he knew that the word of mouth could spread a message a lot faster than any text could. 

That was why he loved his library so much. People went in there to study or work or just read. It was used for social interactions as well, but the other uses outnumbered the social ones immensely. And when people did talk, they were generally respectful of the space. It made Terrence a very happy person.

He was kind of... doing a lap of the shelves. To check on students (because as much as he hated making conversation, he felt like he still had to help other people - and he was more obliged to if they were as book-loving as himself) and stuff. He was comfortable here, happy.

[Dr. Sean Neville]

Sean had great fondness for the Hammel school library.

Hammel’s general budget and eighty-plus years of operation ensured a deep selection across a wide spectrum of topics. For certain topics, particularly those related to meta-human studies, the psychiatrist found the Hammel library superior to the Pilot Ridge Public Library. Even in other, less specialized subjects, he often enjoyed perusing the shelves either after hours or when classes were in session – so that he did not disturb students who might be studying. He’d found several unique reads over the decades.

More than that, Sean liked the library because of the library staff. When Eli Morrison had been on duty, the psychiatrist would stop by to speak with him from time to time. Several of the student library assistants through the years had been protégés of Sean’s, made a good fit with the library because of the quiet atmosphere.

Today, Sean came because he wanted to find back volumes of a medical journal to which he was certain that Hammel had a subscription.

As he reached the stacks, he saw Terrence – the current librarian – up ahead, apparently making his rounds. The psychiatrist offered the younger man a warm smile. “Good afternoon,” he greeted. “How are you today?”

[Terrence Mathews]

Talking. Talking was fun, talking was... was good, at times. At what times, Terrence wasn't sure. Maybe when it was mandatory? Small talk, making conversation for the sake of it... the librarian struggled to do that. He didn't mind it so much, if it was a topic he was good at or something, but... but... ugh, why was it so hard to be a normal human being?

He saw Sean and... well, he was intimidated. He couldn't help it, his fellow member of staff was quite well respected and Terrence failed at conversation. Still, he smiled back, albeit a little awkwardly, and not lacking in a little stiffness, and nodded at the greeting, "Afternoon, Sean." Come on, Terrence, calm down, relax. He forced himself to breathe regularly and turned to the books, before they could start appearing around him or something. He nodded again, "I'm... I-I'm good, thank you. A-And... and yourself?"

Hopefully he didn't seem rude, he was just incredibly... incredibly nervous. He hated it, but what else could he do?

[Dr. Sean Neville]

Sean knew that his presence could be intimidating to some people. His height alone made certain people nervous, particularly since he had never taken to slouching as a means of combating that impression, and thus he towered over people while maintaining excellent posture. It could make an unfortunate combination, although he tried to undercut it with his gentle demeanor.

Apparently, that failed to do the trick, given Terrence’s obvious nervousness. Even without the telepathy, the young librarian’s stutter made his discomfort plain. The psychiatrist would do what he could to set his colleague at ease.

He offered Terrence a gentle smile, as he answered, “I’m well. I tell this to everyone, but I think our library is even better than the town public library.”

That was not an idle compliment; Sean had long held that opinion. Certainly for his purposes, the psychiatrist considered the Hammel library superior. They had a comprehensive selection of books related to psychic powers, to meta-humanity, to medicine as it intersected with his job, and the paperback and biography sections was exceptionally thorough whenever he needed something to skim during downtime.

Then, to move from the realm of work to one of pure recreation, he asked, “Do you follow any sports teams?” If Terrence liked baseball, he had a question regarding upcoming spring training.