Tough Boss

“I’m not really a “let’s wing it” kind of girl. I need to gather up as much information as I can about this, and create a great strategy in order to succeed, because failing is really not ideal right now.” She wasn’t someone who was just going to consider failing ever to be an option. “I really appreciate the advice. I haven’t really talked to anyone about this.” She bowed her head slightly, as she glanced at the female through her lashes, her lips curling into a warm smile. It was odd, discussing this particular topic, simply because she never envisioned herself running a business, despite having her own dance studio to have always been her dream. “It’s called complicated.” She tried to dismiss the topic with a small laugh, and a vague answer, as best as she could. “Nothing too impressive really.” She continued further more, before clearing her throat slightly, “Well, seems like everything here is functioning right again, I’ll let you get back to your hobby.”

“And is that the same strategy you used when you hired a barely competent cleaner?” Maggie questioned the woman, raising her brows a little. It wasn’t meant as a dig at the other- it was a simple observation, one that needed to be pointed out. For all she knew, the girl would actually take it into consideration, and appreciate it, in her own way. If not, perhaps she’d learn her lesson with her next business adventure. “Please tell me you at least spoke with the bank before taking a loan out- if you needed one, that is. Or, at least, read through a checklist of some sorts.” No business was the same, nor the way it was built, but there were always rules the owner had to follow. “If it’s hidden away, then it’s impressive, at the very least. Or something that people are interested in.” She reasoned. At the other’s decision, however, Maggie nodded. “You’re free to stay, I really don’t mind. But, should you need, you can go. I’m sure there’s something else to take care of.”

“I’m just - not - I don’t know,” Connor stammered, flustered by the fact that the Original seemed at all interested in him to begin with, let alone that she still seemed interested in getting to know him. He was a nobody in the great scheme or things, right? Nothing special. Just some kid living in town. Why would Maggie Blackwell care to know him? “I uh - It’s a pleasure to meet you, too, Miss Blackwell.” He combed fingers through his hair awkwardly, brushing the loose strands behind his ear. “Like, fifteen years…or so? But like, most of that time was spent in school and such so uh…yeah…”

Maggie studied the young man, who suddenly appear so, so flustered. It wasn’t uncommon- people seemed to hold her to a certain level, which, at times, was for the worse, rather than for the better. “You might want to figure that out for the future.” She spoke, being a strong believer in self worth. It was the only way to get by in this world. “So you’ve been around for a while.” She finished his sentence for him. “Was school different than what life’s like now? At least, regarding the supernaturals. Did kids hide their abilities?” At least, whatever abilities they had.

“It’s something people do when they wanna have fun, Margaret.” He gave her a look as he took a sip of the drink he’d already ordered, barely hiding a small smile. Was he gonna have to loosen up every prickly Blackwell? “Now do you wanna play and learn more about little old me, or do you wanna sulk over there and judge over some stereotypes?”

“People drink, when they want to have fun. They dance. But they don’t play a game even teenagers find boring.” Maggie argued, rolling her eyes. Taking a sip of her drink, she finally focused back on Tobias, a small, almost teasing smile appearing on her face. “You can always just tell me secrets without having to play a silly game.”

He let out a small laugh, but nodded anyway. “No…s-she died. In a house fire…because-” he stopped when he felt the familiar blame coming to him-it’s my fault. She’s dead because of me. I can never love anyone else ever again because she was the only one I ever loved.-was on the tip of his tongue. “Her coven was upset that she fell in love with me and wanted to punish me, but she knew and got me out…didn’t come out herself.”

Maggie stayed silent, letting the man talk. It was almost expected, given the way he seemed to talk about her, yet she still seemed to have made the mistake of asking. “Her coven sounds like a group of assholes.” She replied bluntly, not being politically correct, for once. “I’m sorry it happened to you. Losing a loved one like that... you can’t just get over it.”

“Money is not really an issue-..I mean, I have plenty to invest, that was kinda the idea behind selling my old apartment, but I’m kinda new-..at this whole thing, and I don’t really have a playbook on how to run this, so I’m just-..trying to figure things out slowly.” It was so much easier to share with a stranger, than an actual friend, and even if Haylee wasn’t someone much for sharing, she found her words almost spilling out of her mouth uncontrollably. “I don’t usually ramble, sorry. Thank you for the advice, though.” She chuckled, as she tuck a lock behind her ear nervously, “It is. I try not to rely that much on spells, and my actual abilities, but as long as you use a healthy amount now and then, there’s nothing wrong with it.” She offered her a warm smile, although that was half the truth; now the side effect of suppressing some of said abilities could surely weaken her so much, that she wouldn’t be able to even fix that stereo, but she couldn’t share that much; the stereo was fixed already, she just hoped nothing else would need fixing anytime soon.

“It sounds silly and very, very cliche, but you have two choices. You can just wing it, most likely fail along the line, and use this as a good learning experience for the next time. Or you can listen to someone’s speech on Youtube, maybe attend a seminar or two, and fail a little later, with more experience for the next time.” Maggie spoke. She wasn’t trying to sound negative, not by any means, but it was the simple truth she had learned along the way. Blackwell Media wasn’t the first company she had started, and it wasn’t going to be the last. “It’s okay. Rambling, apparently, can’t be helpful. And I’m in a decent enough mood.” She joked, in her own way. Still, Maggie observed the woman in front of her, the way she moved so nervously. Clearly, there was something else, yet she wasn’t the kind to pry into the strangers’ lives. “Your actual abilities? And what exactly is that, if it isn’t spell casting?”

Joslyn raised her eyebrow at her sister challenging her to say otherwise. After all, she didn’t give compliments to those she found unworthy of them. It was far more fun to tear people down after all. “Judging by your reaction, I’d say yes. I mean honestly, Mags. What was the last scandalous thing you did? I mean honestly, what?” Joslyn challenged wanting to pry any dirty little secret out of her sister for her own amusement. “Hey, anything to see those moves.”

“Well-” Maggie paused, then, as she tried to figure out an answer to Joslyn’s question. When was the last time she had done anything, really? She couldn’t recall it, at this point. The past three decades have been filled with work, work, council, and then some more work. She was simply too busy to do anything. “-that depends. To someone, sleeping around is scandalous. To others, it’s another day.” She tried to reason, a little caught off guard. It was a rare thing to witness. “You do know it’s just weird to strip without a pole, right? In front of my own sister, not to mention.”

The question made a smile break out on his features. “That’s easy-at a party. She came over and just started talking to me. She loved my stories that I told that she asked me to come by her house so I can tell her more. And I did, and we’ve been together for as long as I can remember…before…before she passed.” The last words came out low and soft, his smile wavering a bit.

“It sounds like an adorable love story.” Maggie agreed. There was no dig at that, there was no malice or sarcasm in her words. She was being genuine, in this case. After having had lived for so long, most of them were bound to have a sweet love story like that. “How did she pass? Was it peaceful?” She asked, carefully. No matter the memories, something like that, at times, was comforting for creatures like them. A comfortable death was a luxury.

She heard ‘what you’d wish to see’ and “everything” slipped out on a breath. Her back hit the door behind her when she all but leaned against it, her hands coming to play with the ring on her finger almost subconsciously. She could, she could go anywhere at any time and there wouldn’t be a target on her back. More than that, anywhere she went could be home, if she would just let it. In her head, a list started to form, starting with all of Maggie’s suggestions. “The money, it…I’ll start with the Yacht Club, and work my way from there.” She smiled, remembering composure a second after letting her excited relief show through. “Thank you, honestly, for the suggestions. And I’m sorry, again, for interrupting. You seem focused.”

The woman’s reaction to something so simple, a statement so easy, was surprising to Maggie, and raised her brows before she could help herself. There was even a shift in the room, in the temperature, almost, and it made her curious enough to keep the conversation going, rather than return back to her dancing. She’d have the entire evening for that. “You’ll enjoy it. It’s quite the experience, and, if you have a taste for things like that, you might just become a regular.” Maggie agreed, keeping her eyes on the woman. “Don’t apologize. Why don’t you tell me a little more about what you enjoy, and I might be able to recommend you a little more.”

“I won’t do it again, then, but it seemed worth mentioning initially.” She was trying to brush it off like it wasn’t a big deal but it clearly was if normally she only let family into her living space. The implications of this were kind of staggering and if Cal thought about them too long he would probably turn tail and run so he didn’t. He just allowed it to be a comforting thought and left it at that. If nothing else it was nice that she trusted him like this. He hoped it wasn’t just pity for his obviously altered state but Maggie didn’t seem like someone who would be motivated to do such a thing just from pity. Cal wanted to believe that, anyway. 

Cal was leaning back against the couch when Maggie returned and he smiled slightly at the bottle and glasses. Drinking had been the cause of his mood tonight but surely he’d eventually get to a further state of drunkenness and would feel better. That’s what he was hoping for, anyway. “Thank you.” He took the glass she offered him and sipped from it, turning to look at her when she spoke. “I left of my own accord.” Mostly because he’d been plummeting into a worse and worse mood and hadn’t wanted a crowd of people to see him get…maudlin. But then he’d been alone and that hadn’t been much better. At least he wasn’t now. “I’m glad I did, now, or else we likely wouldn’t have run into each other.” He smiled softly and just looked at her for a moment before the smile faded a little and he looked away. “Assuming, of course, you’re also glad we ran into each other.” His tone made it sound like he wasn’t sure of that and he sipped his whiskey again just to keep himself from talking more and seeming any more vulnerable than he already was. 

“Initially, perhaps.” Maggie agreed. She still felt odd, about inviting him in, about having him around, but at the same time, she felt the need to keep him safe. It was an odd feeling, one she hasn’t felt in such a long long time, and that alone was terrifying. But she was capable of just pushing it all aside, and focusing completely on Cal, and, oddly enough, only on making him feel good. 

She merely nodded as he thanked for the alcohol. Given the state he was in, it was probably not the wisest idea to let him drink further, but, at times, it could help. Drinking in company was different than it was drinking alone. So Maggie took a careful sip of her drink, keeping her eyes on Cal, and remaining close to him. “Such a rarity nowadays.” She pointed out, a small smile appearing on her face as he spoke again. He seemed so uncertain of himself, so unsure. All of it was just so unusual. But she accepted it, with ease. “If I wasn’t glad, I would’ve just walked past you.” Maggie added, taking another sip of her drink. There was something so off, so down with him, she could smell it. And it unnerved him. Not because it was unusual, but it was because it was coming from him. She didn’t want that. So she did whatever she thought would work, and reached for his hand. “Don’t tell me, thought, that this was your intention all along.”

“Almost? What do I have to do to get a celebration then? Follow all of the rules? You’re asking too much.” From the beginning, Lukas had shown he wasn’t willing to follow all of the rules set by the town council through the creation of Purgatory. Still, there were certain rules he didn’t break out of respect for his older siblings and their dedication to the town. “I most certainly have.” He joked, choosing to act as if that were his reason for coming to see her. “I thought you’d be proud, possibly even plan a parade or two. We can start with just a small party.”

“You just set the bar yourself. I would’ve added just attending the meetings a little more often. This one’s on you.” Maggie teased her brother lightly, playing along to this whole thing. To be fair, it was simply nice to see him out and about. In the general public’s opinion, given how different the two were, many probably assumed the two Blackwells clashed, but Maggie loved her brother unconditionally. “How about we opt for just a drink? I’m sure you already have a party planned as it is.”

He just nodded as he let her lead him towards the nearest bench, memories of Tierney coming to his mind’s eye easily. Val’s lips broke out into a smile as the good memories came to him as he sat down, wiping the fallen tears away with the back of his hand. “There are so many things I can tell you about her,” he said quietly. “She was the most beautiful, loveliest thing I ever loved…and I would do anything for her. You know she left her own coven for me because she loved me?” he said as he kept talking. “And she was so smart…kind, and gentle, too. You would’ve loved her.”

It was so odd, so unusual to see Valentin like this, that it genuinely threw Maggie off. Still, she played along, watching him with odd curiosity- and sympathy, even- as they took a seat on the nearest bench. “She sounds lovely, you’re right.” She agreed. She could’ve easily asked where she was now, but, for vampires of their age, this question was far more difficult. “How did you two meet?” Maggie asked, wanting to keep him talking. Sometimes, something so simple was more than a person would need to feel better.

“Excuse me, I’m a huge fan of facts. I don’t have time for any other bullshit.” Joslyn said with a scoff, her nose scrunching up. Her eyes grew wide at the very image of Maggie being engaged in anything unsavory. “Bullshit!” Joslyn exclaimed trying to wrap her head around the idea. “Oh my god, I have to see this. Go Maggie go,” Joslyn teasingly slapped her sister’s ass. “Let’s see these skills.”

“And is that another fact of yours?” Maggie asked, a brow raised, before breaking into a small, teasing smile. Her sister’s sudden exclamation, however, threw her off, and, eventually, she crossed her arms at the reaction. “Do you really think I’m a complete and utter goody-two-shoes?” Maggie questioned her, jumping a little as the other slapped her ass. “Hey! Is that your way of getting me into the mood?”

“I-..Uh-.. I don’t really know how to do that, and I’m barely investing in a janitor, who, if we haven’t established that already, sucks at being a janitor.” She chuckled, although dealing with the studio was one hell of a mess, and she wished someone could just point her in the right direction to how to successfully run a business. She loved the place, and was contributing each minute to making it a great place, yet it was proving to be a hard job. “It’s a very simple one. Trust me, it’s not going to backfire. I used to do that when I was having car troubles. It’s good for any kind of broken mechanics.” She reassured her with a warm smile, after all, the stereo was all fixed now, no harm was done. 

“You might want to let the current janitor go and try and spend a little more money on someone more decent. You’d save more money in the future- unless you’re planning to keep this place up and running purely on magic.” Maggie pointed out. It was odd, handing out advice like that, but with her years of experience, she might just be the best person for it. She did run a well established and successful company, after all. “So be it, then. I’ll take your word for it- but isn’t magic all about the balance?” That was one of the many things she had learned, after all. Maggie never knew that she had witches’ blood, up until it was too late, and while she strictly stuck to being a Blackwell and nothing else, she was interested. 

Coralie’s lips quirked in a small smile, accepting the answer for what it was. She wasn’t unfamiliar with goals, with searching for something, anything to make the next step mean something. But she had qualms with the word ‘perfect,’ qualms rooted in belief and history, and sometimes she just wanted to see Tchaikovsky’s dancers shake. Rather than pursue the topic, she let it slide away, perhaps to work into a lecture later. “The pleasure is mine, I assure you.” She let her smile turn into something less accepting, and more genuine. “I take it you’ve been here a while. Can I bother you for some recommendations?”

Maggie remained a small, polite smile, as she continued to stretch a little. It was not something that she needed- warm ups made no sense when there was nothing to warm up- but it was a pretty decent habit of hers. “I have, indeed.” She was one of the founders of this town, but it wasn’t something she liked to boast about. If people did not know, she usually tried not to bring it up as much as she could. “Well, that depends on what you’d wish to see. The town square is beautiful. We have a yacht club nearby, and the views from there are stunning- or, if you’re not willing to spend money, just take a walk around the surrounding areas, during the day.”