A chat with Mary Brooding on Crotalus Commons

DH Skies

August 04, 2018 12:02 AM

A chat with Mary Brooding by DH Skies

The morning after the Opening Feast, Selina had penned a note to Mary Brooding reading Could we meet over breakfast in my office please? 7.15 am. She had phrased it as politely as possible, even though it really was a summons and not a request, because she did not want to scare the new professor. She was fairly sure that, at Mary’s age, she had just been getting over her nerves that any request to interact with a senior authority figure meant something dreadful was about to happen, and wanted to do her best to convey that that would not be the case, and that this was a perfectly friendly meeting. That was pretty hard to do in writing, and she was aware that being summoned to the office of the deputy headmistress on your first full day of work was probably a little nerve wracking.

She had had the elves deliver a pot of coffee and some pastries. She hoped this would be a relatively brief meeting and they could then get down to the Cascade Hall and have a proper breakfast but it seemed rude to demand someone’s time during a meal time and not provide sustenance. Especially if it was early and that sustenance included coffee. If it looked like they would be there a while, she might ask the elves to fetch them something more substantial.

When the knock came, she invited the Professor to come in and take a seat, wishing her a good moring, and offering her coffee and something to eat.

“You left us rather suddenly last night,” she began, getting to the real reason why she had summoned Mary here. “Now, I’m not looking to pry into your personal life. You are always welcome to tell me as much or as little as you like. I just thought it would be remiss of me not to check in on you, and see whether everything’s alright.”

13 DH Skies A chat with Mary Brooding 26 DH Skies 1 5

Mary Brooding

August 04, 2018 12:18 AM

I suppose I should've seen this coming by Mary Brooding

When the note came from the deputy headmistress, Mary had forgotten entirely to be nervous. Starting her first full day of work with a chat from the person who'd believed in her enough to give her the job in the first place sounded like exactly the sort of preparation she would need to get through the day. Her nerves were clawing holes in her stomach, not least of all because of Tabitha's pretty smile, and she suspected that she could've eaten an entire feast table herself.

This is likely what prompted her to bring a jug of juice and a platter of breakfast sandwiches to her meeting with Selina Skies. She only hesitated a moment, wondering if it would be odd to bring so much of so few things, but decided that at best, Selina likely would only provide a few treats. 'Meet over breakfast' sounded like breakfast would be had, and Mary was nothing if not a contributor. Who turns up to a party without bringing anything to share? Certainly not Mary Brooding.

So when she knocked on the door to the deputy headmistress' office, she did so with her shoe. She'd mastered the art of kicking a door as gently as possible to make it sound like a regular knock, and she pushed the door open after only a slightly awkward pause as she groped for the door knob.

Selina very kindly offered her coffee and food as well, which made Mary twice as glad she thought to bring something to offer the other witch, and that she hadn't brought tea. Nobody wants to drink tea and coffee at the same time, but a cold glass of orange juice can go with the bitter morning wake-up coffee. It simply made sense.

Mary smiled and set down the items she'd brought on the desk around other food selections, and then took the chair opposite the deputy headmistresses. When the woman opened her mouth to speak, Mary remembered to be nervous.

She blushed and tipped her head down, knowing her hat would cover her eyes and buy her a moment of demure recovery time.

"I appreciate your kindness in thinking to check on me!" Mary started, looking up again and smiling at Selina. She didn't doubt that Tabitha would be spoken to as well, and wanted to take the opportunity to separate herself from any early rumors on the matter. "I had almost forgotten how lovely you and your staff are, but Sonora has always drawn in the most wonderful people."

She worried then, again, when the voices of bitter people came to mind in memories. Don't try to butter me up. Kiss up. No one really thinks you're serious, Mary. But she was serious, and she hoped Selina saw her comment for what it was meant to be: a genuine observation from a grateful witch.

"I was a bit overwhelmed," Mary admitted honestly. She certainly didn't want to start this relationship off with lies, whether or not she was willing to tell the whole truth just now. "Everything is so beautiful here and I felt a bit...small. A good night's rest has made a massive difference."

Mary paused for a moment to take one of the pastries Selina had offered, and to nibble at a corner of it. She would have preferred to snarf the whole thing at once, but was more conscious now of her self-presentation. Patience would have to do.

"If I'm honest, Professor Hawthorne reminds me of the sort of kindness I'd so missed at Sonora. We struck up a rather fast friendship, I'd say-- she really is a lovely person-- and I was surprised by the strength of my joy at returning to Sonora in my new capacity."

It was all true, and Mary smiled, happy to know she could speak so calmly about the whole...thing. Besides, Selina seemed kind, and Mary wouldn't turn down a possible friendship with almost anyone. Possibly with a kelpie.

"How are you? You've no doubt been busy this past few days, and years of course! Is there anything I can do to support you?"

22 Mary Brooding I suppose I should've seen this coming 1424 Mary Brooding 0 5

DH Skies

August 04, 2018 5:28 AM

Well, you're not teaching Divination by DH Skies

The jug of orange juice and sandwiches was something of a surprise. It was a sweet gesture though, and she couldn’t fault wanting to be considerate or wanting to make a good impression as traits in an employee, so she smiled and poured herself some juice.

“I see,” Selina smiled, when Mary explained her reasoning. Many years of teaching had had given her a diverse range of ways to drop these two little words into a conversation, to suit almost any purpose. These ranged from the ice cold ‘I see,’ implying exact understanding but absolute censure of whatever she had just been told - the kind of ‘I see’ that was deployed when a student admitted they had just wanted to find out what happened when you mixed a scoopful of ashwinder eggs into a hiccuping solution, and when the answer turned out to be that your lab partner needed their eyebrows to be reattached and you would be facing a solid month of detention. There was the moderate, professionally toned ‘I see,’ - the kind that said a person’s information had been received and would be considered. There was the warm and friendly ‘I see’ - the one that suggested that a situation had been explained to her satisfaction, and that she understood and accepted the reasons she had been given. It was this last type that Mary received now.

Selina did not see. But she was a seasoned professional. She had managed to maintain her poker face last year through being told that one of her students was a half veela, and so it didn’t slide a notch now, even though Mary’s remarks were altogether alien to her way of thinking, to the point that she almost had no idea what the woman was talking about. At first, she had merely seemed to be gushing a little, but seemed at least sincere in what she was saying, and Selina initially attributed the rather overly emotional and flowery language to something akin to nerves. Except it just kept going like that. She had left the feast because of feeling… too wonderful or some such? Overcome with emotion? Selina was generally a gentle person, and a nice one but she was also very pragmatic, and definitely believed that there could be such a thing as expressing too many feelings. Sensible people just… did not talk like this. When Selina had interviewed Mary, she had seemed practical and capable, and now she was coming out with all this. It was the sort of thing people said in dramatic novels, but did real people really think and feel that?

“I’m glad you think you’ll be happy here,” she added, because that at least seemed to be something positive - Mary had not run out on them due to any problem. Well, no immediate problem. Selina rather suspected more was going on than met the eye. Perhaps something had been occurring in Mary’s personal life to make her feel especially fragile. That, she could more readily understand. Life had its ups and downs, and when something major was going at home, it could make a person vulnerable.

The friendly but professional smile she had worn throughout the conversation twitched into something a little more genuine, though perhaps slightly amused, when Mary turned the question back on her.

“It said on your resume you were a Teppenpaw. And you really are, aren’t you?” she laughed but gently - not at Mary. The woman, for all Selina found her either a little confusing or perhaps even a little naive, was very genuinely sweet, and it was hard not to find her appealing, and to find that she had thought to ask, or to bring orange juice and sandwiches, rather touching. “I’m fine, thank you. Yes, busy, but…” she gave a small shrug, “that’s what I signed up for. You can help me by having a good week of classes,” she advised. Meaning, although she did not say it, not becoming so overcome with emotion that she ran out of the room. Hopefully, Mary would not show quite so much of her soft and vulnerable side to the students. Selina didn’t think they had many who would take advantage, but it only took one or two to turn a class quite literally upside down. “And let me know if you have any problems.”

OOC - as I hope comes across, this is just Selina’s way of thinking and not a judgement on how realistically you write Mary. Selina is just practical and middle-aged. Plus it is amongst my favourite thing ever to have our fictional characters talk about how people in stories vs real people like them behave.

13 DH Skies Well, you're not teaching Divination 26 DH Skies 0 5

Mary Brooding

August 04, 2018 11:12 PM

Thank Merlin for that! by Mary Brooding

Selina seemed... something. Mary couldn't put her finger on it. Perhaps the woman was simply careful, a trait that probably served her well in her role at Sonora. Mary was not a particularly careful person, and found it difficult to relate to. She didn't mind, though.

"I'm glad you are alright! You have a full plate and I'm happy that me doing my work well is helpful for you," Mary smiled. She meant it, too.

As much as she loved to work with students and help them, she was also eager to help her team of staff at Sonora, all of whom had worked tirelessly for however long they'd been employed.

"I remember being a student, my favorite professors were always the ones whose passion for their field was the most key part about them. We all know professors are people, but what they can contribute to the teaching of the subjects is all that matters in class. Your devotion is so clear! I'm glad to work with you."

Whatever others thought about flattery, Mary thought it was silly. Why bother flattering people when you could just tell the truth? It shouldn't be very hard to find something you admire about a person, and if you can't think of anything then you probably don't know them well enough. Well, Mary admired Selina's dedication to excellence in teaching, leading, and headmistress-ing, and she wanted to demonstrate that in her own classes.

Office hours were for engaging with the professor, class was for engaging with the material. Mary would be nothing if not emphatic about this. Students in her class were coming for potions and that's what they would get. No matter how lovely a color most potions tended to be.

"I should admit that I have some concerns after our conversation regarding Miss James. Not in my own conduct or anything like that, but I want to just be transparent in telling you that I have had a previous relationship with an adult veela. I do not intend to be alone with Miss James, but would be failing in my own standards if I didn't tell you this openly. I know it makes your job only harder to find things out on the back end."

Mary hated to say anything. She hated thinking of Michelle and she hated that people often thought she was a pedophile for being a lesbian, let alone that she was now admitting to concerns around a child. There was no fear that said child would be a problem for her, but Mary knew the administrative side could be messy, and she preferred to make other people's lives easier, regardless of her own personal embarrassment in doing so.

"Are there any measures you prefer I take with this information in mind?"

22 Mary Brooding Thank Merlin for that! 1424 Mary Brooding 0 5

DH Skies

August 05, 2018 6:03 AM

That is... unexpected by DH Skies

(OOC - as is hopefully apparent in the text, Selina is written as being deliberately a little old fashioned in her views, and some of her comments and thoughts are not necessary appropriate to the way we would discuss identity today. Her views are reflective of her as a character and not our attitude as a site)

Selina came within a hair’s breadth of stating the obvious. But veela are all women. In fact, it was the first slip in her professor composure, as she got as far as opening her mouth but then found herself shutting it abruptly without having said anything.

“Thank you for your honesty,” she said instead. It was not that Selina was entirely ignorant of the way the world worked. Nor did she have a particular problem with any type of person. She had known Tarquin’s husband since her school days, and they were friends. She was not homophobic, and had no problem with people of… different persuasions. She just… sort of didn’t expect them. She had lived the comfortable and blinkered existence of a white middle class straight cis woman. She did not think gay people were a particularly common phenomenon because, in her world, they weren’t. And she knew one wasn’t supposed to think in stereotypes but stereotypes existed for a reason, had a grain of truth in them, and Mary Brooding really did not look like a lesbian.

“I don’t think there should be any problems. With Cleo, I mean. Obviously there isn’t a problem with you being… that way inclined,” were you still allowed to say that? She thought that was a polite way of saying that, and better than a label because people were picky about labels, but people were picky overall with the language they used around this sort of thing, “We’re an equal opportunities employer,” she added, in the tone of voice of someone who very definitely had a school policy on that sort of thing - inclusivity, and respect and tolerance - and who probably even believed in its principles but clearly had little experience in putting them into practise with a real person in a naturalistic conversation.

“The situation with Cleo has been designed with everyone’s best interests in mind,” she continued, back on firmer footing now, “She is currently accompanied in all one to one situations. When we were putting the precautions in place… Well, we didn’t want to assume anything about anyone. Nor did we want anyone to feel like they had to… Declare themselves. Or to be faced with a situation where we effectively outed female staff to Cleo by suddenly insisting she is accompanied in particular people’s presence. So, you should not need to take any additional measures, no. I… I believe Cleo was diligent about following these rules last year. She certainly takes the issue… seriously,” that was an understatement, given that Cleo had seemed to spend the best part of last year detesting herself and avoiding interaction as much as possible, “If you find she is not following those rules, or you find that she is starting to take risks, you are free to remind her of them, or let me know. But that’s something I’d expect from all my staff. I hope… I hope you told me about… yourself because you wanted to. That you felt you had a choice, and not that you felt… forced by the situation?”

13 DH Skies That is... unexpected 26 DH Skies 0 5

Mary Brooding

August 05, 2018 5:06 PM

Thank you for trying by Mary Brooding

Selina's reaction was reserved enough that Mary could tell she was trying, and the effort was quite sweet. It wasn't as if she was unused to such reactions, although she rarely knew anyone closely enough to tell them such things about herself, and some people certainly didn't try so hard to be kind. There was a reason Selina was Head of Crotalus-- careful and intentional, she was clearly making an effort.

Mary smiled warmly, enjoying the moment. The business with Miss James wasn't her favorite thing to consider, but Selina didn't seem too worried and Mary was able to enjoy the rest of the situation instead.

Clear as it was that Selina was uncomfortable, or at least put off her guard, Mary decided this was not the appropriate time to educate. She also didn't particularly want to. She wasn't sure the makeup of staff and students at Sonora, but didn't particularly want to be the token lesbian. She'd heard there were a few other LGBTQ+ people, though, and she was excited to meet them.

"I appreciate the steps you've taken, both for Miss James and for your staff," Mary smiled. "And no, I did not feel forced. I would have hated for Miss James to find out my...inclinations," she stifled a grin at Selina's choice of words, "and you find out that way. I know your job must be easier when you know exactly what potions you've got in your pocket."

Mary smiled at the idiom. She'd often heard of 'playing the hand you've been dealt' and other such things, but liked to include potions where possible. Everyone should have a little more exposure to the art and science of brewing.

"I'm also happy to be included on any discussions about veelas where my experience may be helpful. I don't know whether Miss James has heard of any positive encounters with them."

She also wasn't sure that telling a teenage girl about her own history with relationships would be helpful, but at least she wanted to offer. Selina would make the right decision in the end, she was sure of it.

22 Mary Brooding Thank you for trying 1424 Mary Brooding 0 5

DH Skies

August 06, 2018 9:53 AM

Oh. Um. You're welcome by DH Skies

I would have hated for Ms. James to find out… and for you to find out that way.

Selina tried not to think about the ways in which that situation might arise. There was of course, the good old rumour mill. Cleo might hear things from other students, come to her asking about Professor Brooding… Then there was also the more… direct way that Cleo might find out. None of those sounded like particularly pleasant conversations to have – she dreaded the day that she had to have a conversation like that about any member of staff - but she had to admit that being blindsided by information about a teacher’s personal life during the process would make it substantially worse.

“I do appreciate that,” she smiled, very genuinely, “Yes… This is pretty much the exact opposite of the conversation I was having at almost exactly this time last year,” she added, “With Andrew James – Cleo’s father,” she added. “And me finding out things I would ideally have known before then…” She had explained, when introducing the subject of Cleo, how it had been dropped on them all rather suddenly only the year before. It was an important factor to know when dealing with Cleo – she had not always known this about herself, and was still coming to terms with that fact. Though a lot fewer things had ended up on fire than they had all expected. Only really one major one… Or there had just been so many other explosions going on last year that they had all just sort of blurred into one or overshadowed the occasional regular fire? It was concerning that it was hard to know which….

“That’s something I’ll have to think about, though I appreciate the offer,” she stated when Mary offered to talk to Cleo about veela relationships. Her initial reaction had been one of deep discomfort, which she had then forced herself to check – but, she concluded, it was nothing to do with Mary’s sexuality. She was fairly sure she would have had as visceral a dislike of that sentence had it come from a male teacher. Possibly more so, in fact. The thought of staff discussing relationships with students was not one she liked. She was sure Mary didn’t mean discussing anything particularly… mature with Cleo. Just to advise on relationships and the like. The trouble was, when that strayed from simple, neutral advice into including the staff’s own personal experience… That just wasn’t a discussion one had with a student. Private lives were private. They could certainly tell Cleo that it was perfectly possible for veela, or part veela, and humans to have healthy, productive relationships. That was good advice. The sentence just didn’t feel like it should end ‘I know because I’ve been there.’ Except, they did say that sometimes. Where did the line between empathy, between demonstrating that you understood and that you could assure them that what you were saying was true because you’d been there… Where did that overstep the line, and start constitute being unprofessional? It was an area fraught with difficulty anyway, and Cleo’s particular situation was not one she had dealt with.

“Of course, if she brings it up with you, I would never ask you to lie to her. Though I think she’s very unlikely to just waltz into your office and ask if you’ve had a relationship with a veela but… If she ended up talking to you about whatever’s on her mind… Just do your best to say what you think is the right thing to tell her, probably without getting too personal,” she remembered, just about, being Mary’s age. Wanting to be ‘relatable.’ Wanting them to like her. But they were here to be their teachers, not their friends. “It’s hard to know, sometimes, where our responsibilities lie in that area,” she explained to Mary, “They spend so much time with us. We’re in charge of their emotional care, their development as people too… And yet subjects like that are so touchy. So divisive. I don’t particularly mean Cleo, she’s a unique case but just… relationships in general. You find yourself having to give parental advice, not knowing what their actual parents would want you to say. Or worse, knowing exactly what they’d want you to say, but not agreeing that that opinion is in their child’s best interest… Not wishing to scare you too much in your first week,” she added, realising how serious that had sounded. “There are nice times too, when they’re all happy or being sweet and they make it worthwhile.”

13 DH Skies Oh. Um. You're welcome 26 DH Skies 0 5

Mary Brooding

August 06, 2018 2:13 PM

Am I doing something wrong? by Mary Brooding

The more Mary talked, the more she was starting to think that she was making a poor impression. She understood that Selina would have a thousand and one things on her mind and that, not knowing Mary, she would have to take a stance of cynical caution. Still, Mary felt like she would prefer to go back and start the conversation again.

This was an unusual feeling for the woman who was intrigued by, and typically excited by, every opportunity to engage with another person. Her mind turned to Tabitha, and she thought of how much she was really making things difficult for Selina and for everyone at Sonora if she wasn't careful. She decided right then that she wouldn't let her budding relationship-- whatever sort of relationship it was-- become common knowledge.

"I will, of course, defer to you," Mary replied, agreeing that professors were in a difficult position. "My job is to teach. I wouldn't presume to be an expert in child development or any other such thing."

She didn't quite smile this time, but did her best to sound friendly. At this point, she was just aiming for professional, and she was hoping desperately not to irritate this woman. Her mind groped at ideas to put Selina at ease but nothing came to her. It seemed likely that Selina would be most at ease if she were left alone and if Mary's business remained just that.

The idea that the students were sometimes happy and easy to work with seemed like an after thought, and Mary chuckled. It was indeed unlikely that the students would be happy and easy to work with all the time, and her job wasn't to worry about that. She wanted them to be happy if she could do anything about it, but her job was to teach.

"At the end of the day, it's about the students," Mary agreed. "Their education is my priority."

22 Mary Brooding Am I doing something wrong? 1424 Mary Brooding 0 5

DH Skies

August 12, 2018 1:57 AM

I don't think so by DH Skies

Mary had gone from being chatty, verging on rambling, to rather quiet, and Selina suspected she was feeling less at ease than when she had walked into the office. Which was a shame, but not something Selina held herself particularly responsible for - in some sense, she was sure it was something she had done or said, but she also knew that Mary’s age and lack of experience probably meant she easily ended up second guessing herself when talking to a superior. Selina would have liked to guide all her employees through that phase with minimal self-consciousness but she knew that, however nice and gentle she was, it was going to be impossible to avoid some self-consciousness or anxiousness on the part of her employees because some people were just like that.

“Your first job is to teach,” Selina smiled, “What I’m trying to say is… Getting involved in their personal lives is pretty unavoidable when they’re living here as well as studying here. So, it’s not something we can ignore,” it now felt like Mary was going too far the other way - just their teacher, not going to get involved. It was a nice ideal, but unfortunately involvement tended to find one regardless of the level of resistance one put up. “At the moment, I don’t see the need to go out of our way to have personal conversations with Ms. James beyond those which we would have with other students. I mean, we may need to discuss her veela side with her to some degree, but we don’t exactly force relationship counselling on other students without their asking, so I feel we shouldn’t treat her any differently in that respect,” this was, perhaps an oversight on Selina’s part. It was possible to discuss the idea of veela powers without discussing relationships, certainly, but the two were very closely linked. And perhaps Cleo had more need than others to be told about how the world worked, or should do, and perhaps it would benefit her to understand more about the relationships she could have. But in Selina’s mind, that was separate advice from controlling her powers, and she came from the school of thought that said minimising the ways in which they treated Cleo as ‘different’ was the best and fairest way to treat her. “But we all need to be prepared to answer questions from her, or any other student, if they bring them to us.”

13 DH Skies I don't think so 26 DH Skies 0 5

Mary Brooding

August 12, 2018 2:48 AM

I'm so glad! by Mary Brooding

Selina had smiled. What a relief! Mary was quite sure that this was a woman who, if nothing else, was honest. She was honest with her work and in her work, and she was honest with her staff. At the very least, her face was. What a lovely thing, to have an honest face. Mary thought it was one of the very best types of things to have, and smiled back.

"I like how you phrase that," Mary considered. "My 'first job' is to teach. I think that's the job I am the most confident in. Well, with Potions at least. I'm excited to learn more about all the other parts of the job that go into the job of professorship here."

She hoped Selina took it for what it was and didn't take that to mean that the job of professorship at Sonora was overcomplicated. She thought it just right, and was eager to begin.

Selina's comments on treating Ms. James like any other student seemed...odd. But Mary also could see where she was coming from, particularly on the administrative side of things. Ms. James wasn't any other student; she was a half-veela. If the whole school was full of veela students, the curriculum would be different and the things students learned from each other would be different. Since Ms. James was so vastly out-numbered and out-of-place in that sense, it seemed intuitive to Mary to alter some approaches to suit Ms. James, the way they might alter their approach for a student who wanted to become an auror versus one who wanted to play professional Quidditch. Regardless, she trusted the more experienced witch. Selina seemed open to changing and adapting as time went on, which encouraged Mary.

"Thank you for taking the time to speak with me, I'm sure the first day is very busy, albeit in a wonderful way," Mary said earnestly. She didn't want to take any more time than was polite, but also didn't want to preemptively end their conversation, as Selina really did make for lovely company. Deciding it would be best to leave it to Selina to dismiss her at her discretion-- and knowing she likely would-- Mary left the comment lingering there and simply smiled at her breakfast partner.

22 Mary Brooding I'm so glad! 1424 Mary Brooding 0 5

DH Skies

August 12, 2018 4:09 AM

Me too by DH Skies

That was better. Mary seemed to have got the message, and they were in some sort of middle ground now, whereby she would deal with the students’ issues as best she could, without going out of her way to make that her business. She was sweet, and Selina had no doubt that a great many of the students would like her. That probably made her a prime target for hearing about their problems but… Well, hopefully she could handle it. Being an intuitively feelingsy person had its plus points, so long as Mary neither drowned in other people’s problems (or her own) nor got taken advantage of by any of the less than caring students.

“I’m sure you’ll do a great job, on both sides of things,” Selina assured her.

“Thank you for coming by,” she nodded. She knew that, really, Mary didn’t exactly have a choice when summoned, but she knew the new professor would be busy, and would have a lot on her mind, what with her first classes coming up. “And for the sandwiches and juice,” she took one of the former, deciding that a quiet breakfast in her office sounded rather nice, and grateful to Mary for providing that option. “I’ll let you get on now. Good luck with your first day. Do come and see me if there’s ever anything bothering you,” she reiterated.

13 DH Skies Me too 26 DH Skies 0 5