Partners in Mind [Marya]

[Arseni Tsankova]

The gold lettering above the door caught the grey light of yet another cloudy day, and Arseni paused beneath it a moment longer than a man simply arriving would. He read the storefront the way he read most things, without appearing to: the soft blues and greens, the potted plants along the wrought iron, the armchairs arranged just so in the window. It was a careful front. Whoever had built it understood that a person deciding whether to seek help often made that decision on the pavement outside, before they ever reached the door. He found he approved before he had met the man responsible.

He glanced at Marya, "Let's see how amenable this Blackwood is," he said before opening the door and letting her step inside first.

Inside, the impression held and deepened. Lavender and chamomile, lantern-light pitched low and warm, music soft enough to notice only if one went looking for it. It was a room built to do quiet work on the nervous system, and Arseni cataloged each choice with the detached appreciation of a man who spent his own days in similar rooms, doing similar work by other means.

Lisa looked up as the door opened and smiled. She was a rather plain young woman, but she smiled brightly, being the warm, welcoming face of this place. "Good afternoon," she said in a chipper voice, "How can I help you?"

"I believe we have an appointment with Blackwood." He had reached out in advance to set up a meeting to have this conversation. Aidan had seemed reasonable in his response, with the time and date included for this very meeting. Lisa looked surprised and a bit intimidated by his directness, but she looked down at her books to figure out if the appointment was there.

The door in the back of the room, beside the rabbit cage, opened, and Aidan stepped into the door frame. "Ah. Don't worry, Lisa, I've got this. You must be the Tsankovas. Please, come in," He motioned into his office space, smiling lightly. He knew he needed more hands in this business, more people to help, so he was hoping this conversation would go well.

As they came towards his office, he stepped further in to move out of the way of the door. "It is a pleasure to meet you both," he said. "I am curious what this conversation will be fully about. You didn't get into too much detail in your original letter."

"And yet, you set the meeting anyway."

"I had a good feeling."

[Marya Tsankova]

The brass lettering caught the light before Marya ever reached the door, her reflection briefly ghosting across the polished glass. She paused only long enough to smooth an imaginary wrinkle from the cuff of her cream wool coat before slipping a pair of leather gloves into her handbag. Everything about her was carefully chosen without ever appearing overdone; a tailored blue dress beneath the coat, an antique gold necklace resting at her throat, gold earrings that caught the afternoon light when she turned her head. Expensive, certainly, but never ostentatious. There was always something bright about her, some small refusal to let elegance become severity, and today it was the warm jewel tones that softened an otherwise impeccably professional appearance.

She smiled up at Arseni as he held the door. "I should hope he is," she replied with quiet amusement, looping her arm briefly through his before stepping inside. "You've already decided you approve of the waiting room." She hadn't missed the way his eyes had lingered outside, nor the subtle shift in his expression as he'd taken in the layout. After all these years she knew exactly what that thoughtful silence meant. He was evaluating. Cataloguing. Looking for flaws because that was how his mind worked. It was one of the things she loved most about him, even if he'd insist he was simply being observant.

The scent of lavender greeted her first. Her smile deepened almost imperceptibly as she looked around. Comfortable seating. Gentle lighting. Living plants instead of pristine decoration. Even the music seemed chosen to exist rather than demand attention. Someone had cared about how this place felt, not merely how it looked. Good. Healing deserved that sort of thought. The cheerful greeting from the receptionist drew Mary's attention immediately.

"Good afternoon," she returned warmly before Arseni spoke, offering the younger woman an easy smile that reached her eyes. She'd noticed the brief flicker of uncertainty after her husband's characteristically direct introduction and, unsurprised, simply remained pleasantly at ease. Arseni had a way of sounding far sterner than he intended, especially to those meeting him for the first time. When Dr. Blackwood appeared, Marya's attention shifted naturally toward him.

"A pleasure to meet you as well, Dr. Blackwood." She accepted the invitation into his office with an appreciative glance around the space before settling herself neatly into one of the chairs, waiting until Arseni had taken his own seat beside her. Only then did she fold her hands loosely atop her handbag in her lap. His final remark earned a soft laugh.

"I've found good feelings are generally worth listening to," she said lightly, the warmth in her voice genuine. "Though I suspect if my husband had written three more pages explaining precisely why we'd requested the meeting, you would have had considerably less reason to be curious." The fond glance she sent Arseni lasted only a heartbeat before returning to Aidan.

"The short version is that I believe the magical community could use more places like this." Her eyes drifted briefly around the office once more. "Places where people don't feel as though walking through the front door is admitting defeat." There was a quiet sincerity in her expression now. "I've watched far too many good people convince themselves that surviving is the same thing as healing." She offered a small smile. "I don't happen to believe that's true."