Nathaniel doesn't try to appear completely comfortable entering the counseling offices. It's not a place he stops by often, so something so blatantly unrealistic wouldn't be a good start. It's better to begin with something close to the truth. Uncomfortable, but doing his best to conceal it behind the neutral politeness he generally does his best to keep up. Nathaniel doesn't make an effort to hide his presence on the Barge, but he also doesn't try to draw attention to it.
He offers help to people in the library, because he's more comfortable with action than conversation. He cares about presentation, though that's mostly just shown by the care he takes to be neat and presentable. He's probably not a perfectly pleasant young man - he is on the Barge, after all - but that doesn't mean have to mean he's an unpleasant young man.
All in all, Nathaniel figures he can work with that.
"Doctor Sheehan, do you have a moment?" As if he's just caught him. In a world where Nathaniel would ever go to counseling, he would absolutely pick Sheehan over any of the other people who work there. It adds a certain level of honesty to it all.
at the counseling office
He offers help to people in the library, because he's more comfortable with action than conversation. He cares about presentation, though that's mostly just shown by the care he takes to be neat and presentable. He's probably not a perfectly pleasant young man - he is on the Barge, after all - but that doesn't mean have to mean he's an unpleasant young man.
All in all, Nathaniel figures he can work with that.
"Doctor Sheehan, do you have a moment?" As if he's just caught him. In a world where Nathaniel would ever go to counseling, he would absolutely pick Sheehan over any of the other people who work there. It adds a certain level of honesty to it all.