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 Posted: Wed Oct 21, 2015 7:32 pm
Toby peeled out of the driveway for no good reason other than an empty road and a bit of fun.
The day was pleasant, full of jokes and laughter and yummy food. It was a delightful time all in all, but the group had been forced to head for home before sundown.
It was the next day when Lori held open the classroom door for Maia and smiled to her. He had his usual files and books, but this time when they sat down he simply turned his hands palms-up.
"So. Is there anything you want to start with today?"
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Posted: Wed Oct 21, 2015 7:47 pm
Maia considered the question, for a moment. "Well, there's been something on my mind lately," She admitted. "But you can't tell anyone. No one." She seemed reluctant to share, fidgeting a moment and wringing her hands. "I want to know about selkie love," she said at last. "And if there's a way to tell that from the real thing."
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Posted: Wed Oct 21, 2015 8:00 pm
Immediately Lori shook his head.
"You signed a contract. Everything you share with me is confidential, unless someone is in danger, yadda yadda." Then he went quiet again to listen to why.
...oh. Oh boy.
"Okay, well. As far as anyone knows, there's no way to tell it from the real thing. It's just as real for the selkie as it would be were it not... affinity-based."
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Posted: Wed Oct 21, 2015 8:07 pm
Maia sighed. She'd been hoping for a different answer. "So there's no way to tell until what's causing it goes away?" she asked. Selkie love was caused by loneliness, if Toby stopped being lonely, would her feelings stop?
"It's been driving me crazy."
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Posted: Wed Oct 21, 2015 8:13 pm
"Not really. It's based on loneliness, so there's less of a chance if it's a person in a relationship or someone who isn't lonely, but then selkie love knows better than we do who's lonely and who's not." He had a feeling he knew who Maia was referring to to, and it would only cause heartache. "Do you want to talk about it?" He considered Maia a friend, if a new one. If she wanted to vent she was more than welcome to vent. He could even offer some examples, but if his guess was right she wouldn't be happy with the outcome at all.
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Posted: Wed Oct 21, 2015 8:24 pm
"So... How do I make it go away?" Maia asked, folding her hands in front of her. "I don't want to hurt him, and if it's selkie love I will. So how do I get rid of It? I don't want it." The warm feelings and the way Toby's presence made everything better, it wasn't worth the friendship she had with the werewolf. "I've read stories about selkies they leave the ones they love for the ocean. I don't want to."
She loved the ocean. She did, but she was starting to think she loved being human more.
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Posted: Wed Oct 21, 2015 8:29 pm
"Well, there's a theory that that sudden leaving is the selkie love dying off. It's also worth mentioning that selkies in the past have been kidnapped and taken against their will, so I'm pretty sure anyone would grab their things and leave, if they could find them.
"The only way to know is to try. That's it. If it goes away, it sucks, but at least you know. Or you could try to make the subject... not lonely any more. That's hard. Maybe impossible."
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Posted: Wed Oct 21, 2015 8:36 pm
"Yes, my father seemed especially concerned about my mother being taken." Maia mused. "I can't see how a human would be able to keep a pelt from someone so long... Toby had mine three days and it was all I could think about."
Could she make Toby unlonely? She doubted It. He'd lost his entire family, his fiancee--nothing could fix that. "I can try," she said.
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Posted: Wed Oct 21, 2015 8:43 pm
"Trunks with hidden keys used to be the stereotype. Attachment items are definitely motivation. If you need help, you can always come ask, alright? Or if you just want to talk." He wasn't going to ask who it was. If Maia wanted him to know, she would tell.
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Posted: Wed Oct 21, 2015 8:52 pm
"You think they'd think to rust the lock or break it open with an axe," Maia mused. "It's like missing this part of you. You know it's not there, like a missing limb." So many stories spoke of a selkie forgetting that their husband had their pelt; she didn't think that was even remotely accurate.
"I told Dari, and he won't tell. He says he'll help me 'get' Toby, even. But he told me about selkie love, and I thought I ought to ask about it."
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Posted: Wed Oct 21, 2015 9:00 pm
Ah, so he was right.
"You have to keep in mind who tells these stories. Humans. Sailors, men. Sometimes it's hard to sort through the biased lies. I don't think they'd forget either, maybe give up." Which was horrible. "Dari will probably be able to help better than anyone else. I-- eeyeh." He rubbed the back of his neck. Toby was a tough one.
"We've seen selkie love in action before. It's on-record. It's just hard to diagnose sometimes." Unfortunately the target had, again, been Toby.
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Posted: Wed Oct 21, 2015 9:17 pm
That made sense, if it'd been the selkie writing the story it would have certainly been from a different perspective. The human would be the villain, rather than the abandoned lover. "He's been helping already. He said not to tell Toby. And he helped me figure it out, I'd never felt anything like it before. I didn't know what it was. Butterflies and things." She looked towards the door, as if concerned either of the agents might wander in.
"Do I have access to those records?"
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Posted: Thu Oct 22, 2015 2:36 pm
Lori nodded, clearly listening, and tented his fingers. He was glad he wasn't naturally inclined toward anything like that. He was just slightly magical and a bit mischievous, or at least that's what the stereotypes were. He was more the push-ups and beer type himself.
"No, unfortunately only certain staff have access. There are people who work here who can't see them either." He was glad for that. He wanted to have a 'girl talk' with Maia. He wanted to discuss Toby and what he knew about him, but no form of that conversation ended positively.
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Posted: Thu Oct 22, 2015 3:39 pm
Maia considered that with a frown. Hm. She seemed hesitant to continue the conversation, and looked away. "What do you suggest I do?" She asked. "I think I make him happy," she mused aloud. He'd gotten friendlier and his hugs had gotten longer; and maybe he'd felt the same way she had at the lake?
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Posted: Thu Oct 22, 2015 4:22 pm
Ah, hell. Of course she thought she did. The question was: did she really? Toby was a hard guy to read and she'd only been around a month or two now. Granted they had been living together...
In the end, Lori just shook his head. "I don't know. Just don't tell him. It'd scare him away." Maybe the idiot had a chance at love yet.
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