Selina Skies
December 04, 2020 8:47 PM
I'm not angry (tag Killian) by Selina Skies
As her daughter’s face faded from the fire, Selina took a moment to sit back and collect her thoughts. Apparently Ema’s boyfriend wanted her assurances that she wasn’t mad at him. She didn’t want to be. She didn’t want to go and pick a fight with Killian. It was still impossible to bridge the mental disconnect and make those concepts join up into the idea of a single person. Nor could she exactly say that round one of the discussion had gone well.. Admittedly ‘Don’t you remember what happened last time?’ had been a terrible way on her part to phrase things. Of course Ema did. But she couldn’t exactly say that Ema or the situation were entirely without fault here.Firstly, Ema herself was stubborn. Once she got an idea into her head, if you weren’t with her, you were against her. No matter how many obvious or glaring flaws there were with her plans, she just didn’t want them pointing out.
Secondly, this. Selina liked Killian. Obviously, she was deeply fond of Ema. They were both good people, who she cared about a lot and wanted nice things for. Did that mean she wanted them for each other? Funny how it didn’t quite work like that… She knew that from being in her own early twenties; you could have all these single friends who you wanted nice partners for, but it didn’t mean they fitted together. Except Ema had decided that she and Killian did. Even though they lived on opposite sides of the world. Even though Killian was Selina’s employee. Even though... Even though Killian was a mess, with a dysfunctional family. She felt bad holding that against him, it was all the reasons why she wanted something nice to come into his life because, Merlin, he deserved it. But did it have to be Ema? She would have been the first to be happy and to think that having a nice girlfriend (or boyfriend - which was another question… Hadn’t he…?) would have done him some good. And she wouldn’t have thought very much at all about the well-being of the person on the receiving end of Killian’s affections had it been anyone else. She had no idea how much Ema knew about all that. After all, she barely knew him.
She pulled out a bottle of wine before remembering who she was supposed to be going to speak to, briefly finding herself questioning whether this was an appropriate response before deciding that, for once, she cared a little more about how she felt than about someone else would feel, and that she damn well felt like having a glass of wine. Killian had never expressed any sentiments against other adults drinking around him, and in fact occasionally drank himself, and even if he had, Selina thought he damn well didn’t get to have an opinion if he was going to make himself a source of stress to people.
She only got about halfway through the glass before she found that she wasn’t really enjoying it. She couldn’t let go and unwind because there was still something she was supposed to be doing, and she knew this was just her putting it off… Ema’s boyfriend wanted to know she wasn’t mad at him. And that meant speaking to Killian.
She made her way through the corridors. Off to Killian’s office. To tell him she had spoken to his girlfriend. Except she couldn’t imagine saying that. And what she did say, when her knock was answered, was:
“I just had a floo call. With my daughter.” And the last three words sounded like they could have been the ending to a very different sentence. She stepped inside as Killian gestured for her to do so. “Apparently I need to assure you that I’m not mad at you. So. I’m not mad at you,” she informed him, with very careful and controlled delivery.
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Selina Skies
I'm not angry (tag Killian)
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Killian Row
December 08, 2020 5:43 PM
i'm not scared. by Killian Row
OOC: I'm assuming Killian knew Ema was telling her mom today? BIC:
Ema was gonna talk to Selina soon and Killian was fine. It was fine. Nooooo worries, totally fine. So his palms were a little sweaty and he'd been pacing a bit. That was normal, right? Toooootally normal. Everything was fine and OH MERLIN SOMEONE WAS AT THE DOOR. Reason told him that it was probably a certain mother, which was great because he had the wherewithal to wipe his sweaty palms on his jeans before answering the door. Remarkably, the site of Selina standing there was actually calming to him.
A big part of it was that, if he was about to die, then at least he didn't have to keep pacing and waiting. Not to say that Selina would make it fast, but she probably wouldn't draw it out too long, right? But beyond that, this was Selina. On a normal day, he knew she cared a lot about him.
He blinked several times in rapid succession at Selina's opening statement before stepping back and gesturing for her to come in. Selina's daughter. She'd spoken to her daughter. Had she meant the possessive to push him out? Was that an accident of her mood? Or was it more than that? She'd spoken with Ema, a person who happened to be her daughter and his girlfriend. But of course, right now, for Selina, maybe her roles and who she was associated with meant more than who she was. Killian sort of hated that, even if he could understand
He tried not to act nervous because nervous looked guilty and he really hadn't done anything wrong. Well he had, but not recently. He wanted to point out that her shockingly cool demeanor was anything but reassuring, but this didn't seem the time so he merely nodded, sighing with some relief despite it really being only a small amount of relief.
"Thank you," he said quietly, his voice coming out steadier than he'd hoped. Really, he was an adult who had dated before and shouldn't be such a nervous mess, but he couldn't quite help it. It seemed there was a lot more at stake than usual in this case, both because of his professional relationship to Selina and because of his investment in Ema. She was different. This was different. And he didn't want to get transfigured into something terrible before he had a real shot at being happy. "Would you like a drink?" he asked, suspecting she hadn't come up here just to say that and leave.
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Killian Row
i'm not scared.
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Selina Skies
December 09, 2020 3:58 AM
I'm also not happy. What am I? by Selina Skies
"That sounds nice," Selina inclined her head, a little more stiffly and formally than she might have done previously with Killian. She decided to give him the benefit of the doubt that he was an adult and capable of operating within his own comfort zone rather than to start second guessing everything - and if the drink turned out to be cocoa, that was fine too. Besides, it probably set a much more hostile tone than she intended if she refused. She was already aware that she was not giving off effusive friendly vibes, and that 'not angry' was a significant step down from how she usually treated him."I want us to continue to be friendly," she stated, wanting to reassure him. "And I do try not to interrogate the girls'... boyfriends too thoroughly," she stated, her eyes noticeably flicking up and down as she still tried to process attaching that label to the person in front of her. Of course, that statement left room for 'just thoroughly enough,' and the meaning of that was definitely open to interpretation. "I don't have much need when my husband can pull all your records, or slip something into them if we decide we need to get rid of you," she added, with just enough of a smile that Killian could probably guess her to be joking, but that doing so might seem like taking a bit of a gamble.
Her expression softened then, reflecting for the first time the things she was saying - her affection for the person in front of her, and her wish to have a good relationship with him, although she still looked far from happy.
"You do know, don't you," she sighed, the crease of a frown, but not an angry one wrinkling her brow, "that there are several billion other people on this planet? Some of them even on the same continent as each of you, and not related to your colleague - or colleague to your relatives. It feels like you could have made things far less difficult for yourselves," she stated gently, and with an important grammatical distinction - not they 'could,' but that they 'could have.' And in that single word was some recognition that this was past a certain point where discussion and decision making was yet to happen. She accepted that this was happening, and she was not angry about it.
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Selina Skies
I'm also not happy. What am I?
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Killian Row
December 10, 2020 9:02 PM
Dare I hope for approving? by Killian Row
Killian was pretty sure he knew enough about Selina to know the kinds of things she liked to drink. He was also pretty sure that he shouldn't offer either his boss nor his girlfriend's mother shots. Or maybe that would be the best way to get through this? Knowing his own tastes in tea differed from most people's on campus (because most people were wrong), and knowing that a spiked hot cocoa might be the best thing for the mood but the worst thing for the occasion, Killian settled for a glass of cool water with lemon for each of them. It was refreshing, sour, and good for you, much like the mood and the occasion both.He nodded, real glad to be friendly. "I would like that as well," he said, offering a small smile. The urge to shrink was strong, but he wasn't about to have any of that. This was awkward, sure, but he hadn't done anything wrong. Just because all previous serious relationships - serious enough that parents were informed - had ended horrifically didn't mean this was going to and it didn't mean he was a bad person for wanting to be with someone and it didn't mean-- he cut off his own train of thought before it crashed into a mountain or something. He also found it very not funny to joke about his past or file or whatever, particularly given exactly how much John Skies did indeed know about his family. Switch the name labels on his and his brother's file and Killian would spend a long time in jail. Still, he was sure Selina didn't mean it the way it maybe came out so he managed a stiff nod, taking a drink of his water.
Selina continued much more softly and Killian relaxed some. She was, in this moment, a worried mother. She was also his worried friend and boss. He nodded. "Could have," he agreed. "And there are several billion. I hope you know that I don't take it lightly then in picking Ema. And, somehow, in having the insanely good fortune of her picking me." He smiled a little, unable to help himself - as he never really could when he thought of Ema - and his eyes grew warm. "I do apologise for any strange position this puts you in though," he acknowledged. "I am happy to maintain whatever boundaries make you the most comfortable."
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Killian Row
Dare I hope for approving?
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Selina Skies
December 11, 2020 6:13 AM
Speaking of looking ahead... by Selina Skies
“Thank you,” Selina stated, taking her water from Killian.She listened as he talked, saying all the kinds of things a mother wanted to hear in the way her daughter’s boyfriend spoke about her. She could hear the way his voice melted, and see The Look in his eyes, even though he was only talking about her. All good signs, to be sure.
“You’re genuinely fond of her,” she said softly, maybe more to herself than to him. He seemed to know it after all. She looked at him steadily, searching for signs of trouble, and only finding Killian, who she liked and cared about, looking happier than she’d seen him in a long time, and-
Her thoughts were cut off abruptly by him worrying about her. About boundaries and what was comfortable. She did have to admit that that was a concern, in some ways. She would have to be very careful not to seem like she played favourites with Killian, or that she took it too far the other way in trying to deliberately not be biased towards him and ended up making him worse off. But that was probably her own headache, and it wasn’t even one she’d really come in here worrying about. She considered boundaries. She tried to consider what ones she might need, and found herself stifling a laugh.
“Sorry,” she said, “I just had a mental picture of you trying to engage in locker room banter about your girlfriend with Grayson, and suffice to say I don’t think I really need to worry about that.” She took a sip of her water, still thinking about his question. “Did you have anything like that that you wanted to discuss?” she asked.
“I don’t think I’m really worried about the present situation,” she stated carefully. “And if you’re making each other happy, then that makes me happy too…” she said, although her eyes still matched the last emotion she’d shown in them – worry. Because that sentence had begun with an ‘if,’ one she had stressed ever so slightly, because even if it was true right now, there was always the possibility that it might not always be the case. She hovered on the edge of saying it, fairly sure it was easy to read in her expression, and the fact that it wasn’t the present that worried her. But she’d already got an earful from Ema for ‘being negative,’ and no one ever went into a relationship believing it was going to end badly, and rarely wanted to discuss the possibility.
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Selina Skies
Speaking of looking ahead...
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Killian Row
December 11, 2020 8:36 PM
That's what I do for a living. by Killian Row
Killian nodded. He really was fond of Ema. She was a babe for one, but he wasn't about to point that out to Selina. She also had a beautiful personality, a fierce, fiery personality, a sharp sense of humor . . . he wasn't about to point that out to Selina. It seemed weird somehow to point those things out to one of the people Ema had likely gotten those things from. Like a poorly formed compliment about stuff no one wanted to hear compliments about.He allowed himself a proper grin when she said she'd imagined him bantering with the Charms professor over this. "Probably better him than Mortimer, yeah?" he practically giggled, imagining the wizened headmaster trying his hardest. It was grosser than it was funny almost. "But no, I don't intend to have 'locker room talk' with anyone," he promised, by way of reassurance for her both as a mother and as deputy headmistress. "I think I'm comfortable," he decided slowly. "But I can call you Professor Skies instead of Selina if you'd prefer? Or Mrs. Skies? Or . . . I don't know." He chuckled again. "That sounds silly out loud actually. Unless you think it's a great idea and then I totally agree," he said with a smirk, making it clear he was joking. He'd always been one to make jokes along the lines of please, Merlin, tell me how to please you, but there was more at stake now.
"She makes me happy," he promised. "I hope that I make her happy and I intend to keep trying to do that."
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Killian Row
That's what I do for a living.
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