Kelsey watched the kids as they played, she was grateful to know there were some children Elio's age. After all, she was concerned about his development, he could talk, sure, but he didn't talk much like a kid, since he only had his mother to emulate and she'd never been interested in baby speech. She'd been speaking to her son like an adult, which helped her a little, because having only a child to speak with could be tiring, she needed to have adult conversation too, which is why working in the shop was so good, she could strike up a conversation with some of the patrons and her boss was lovely about letting Elio stay with her, as long as he kept away from the owls of course, which was harder than it ought to be, since Elio was convinced he could become an owl and maybe he would one day, but not today. "That would be wonderful, yes, I think we would both like that." Elio could have his fun, and Kelsey could relax with a glass of wine for a while, she didn't like to drink often, she knew how that turned out for some people, but she liked the occasional drink, just not around Elio and she didn't drink enough to get drunk as she always made bad decisions when she did so. She turned her attention back to Lyra then, and listened to what she had to say about the men in her life. It was certainly a lot and Kelsey was beginning to see more of a picture of what her life was like. There was just... so much complexity, clearly more than the poor young woman was wanting and yet, try as she might, Kelsey couldn't really think of the right words to say. It all was more than she'd ever had to worry about. She'd had only two boyfriends in school and only one, if Elio's father could be called that, after school. She'd tried dating a bit, but having a small child in tow, it was difficult. Lyra was certainly more experienced in that area than she was, and yet there was something in what she was saying that was hesitant, unsure, seeking wisdom from Kelsey that she longed to provide, but was unsure if she had the ability to do so. She was good with people, she knew that, but this was something else entirely. Given the wrong advice, Lyra could make the completely wrong decision and the thought of that was daunting at best and terrifying at worst. "That's certainly a rather complicated situation you seem to have fallen into." She said, tilting her head slightly as she looked out at the kids and crossed her legs. She wanted to say something, even just to reassure Lyra that she was listening. She certainly seemed to need to unburden herself and this was clearly the first moment she'd had to do so. It spoke to her character for sure.
Kelsey was preparing to comment when she realised that Lyra actually wasn't finished. Her guess about what was happening with her potentially dying had been correct it seemed, and there was more, regarding her step father, it was all... well it was quite an unsettling situation that was the truth. Kelsey had never considered herself a particularly strong person, she tended to run from her problems, and overreact to a lot of situations, she had grown rather a lot since her school years, but her first instinct was still to run from heavy situations, an instinct she was sure would have kicked into high gear were she in Lyra's position. The Potter girl... Potter girl? Kelsey went back over the conversation quickly in her head, yes, she'd mentioned her boyfriend Lanithro's father hadn't wanted him dating a Potter, as in Harry Potter? A quick glance at Lyra and those famous green eyes told her exactly what she needed to know. This was Lyra Potter, daughter of the late James and Kiera Potter, Granddaughter to Harry Goddamn Potter. Kelsey was talking to a Potter. She momentarily stopped breathing as the implications of such started to settle into her mind. She'd seen Harry Potter once when she was a little girl, the scar was what she remembered most, and the green eyes. He was much older than his pictures, probably because he himself had been older. It had been at a Quidditch match when she was about seven or eight. He'd seemed so... normal, if that was the right word. Sitting with his wife and daughter. She hadn't know it was him until a bit later, but the memory had stuck with her always. She shook her head. That wasn't important. She was talking to Lyra, not Harry Potter, and besides, that was half a world away, not here and now. She could fan girl over this all later. Kelsey remembered when she'd heard the rumours about James Potter though, she'd been in about second or third year, she thought. It had been shocking, no one had known what had happened and she was pretty sure that was still the case. Knowing who Lyra was, she also remembered reading about Kiera's death in the international news too. Kiera... Kaster, she thought, which would have made her step father... that Carter guy, the one who'd run in the recent elections. Kelsey probably would have voted for him, if he'd stayed in the running, as it was she'd voted for Cat, there was just something about her that Kelsey had liked. She couldn't believe she'd taken this long to work out just who Lyra was. She never really paid attention to that stuff, but the Potters? They were big news for everyone, as much as she was sure they didn't want to be.
"You have certainly been through a lot." She said, stunted. She couldn't keep the shock, or the sadness out of her voice as she looked back over to the three kids playing. So unburdened, completely oblivious to the deep conversation taking place between the two adults and Kelsey envied their ability to switch the rest of the world off. A skill she wished was still present in her life. It would have made quite a few things a lot easier. "I don't quite know what to say, but..." She wanted to say something, anything to her, to take some of the burden off her, let her know she wasn't alone. There had to be something she could say, surely? She wasn't normally so hesitant to speak, but she could see the strain of the situation on her, she could empathise with her plight, even if she couldn't completely understand it. "Regarding your... suitors?" It probably wasn't the right word, but, oh well. "I see why you might be concerned. That certainly seems like a situation you'll find hard to control." She would have liked to know more about these boys, she was sure there was more too this, but she didn't know Lyra, well, she was beginning to, but she didn't know her history of her story, not really. She could only know what she was receiving from the woman as she spoke, and whatever small tidbits of information shared in the papers, that she tended not to read anyway. "Having a friend by your side would be ideal, and if this Lanithro can be that for you, it will help you out, definitely so. It's easier to share the burden of parents, I should think. You may have different parenting methods however, and you may not agree on how you want to raise your children, so that is something you should consider." At least, she assumed so, she'd only ever had herself and Elio, so she really wasn't speaking from experience there. "Felix sounds a little like he would try to love a baby that wasn't his, but may eventually find that he would want a child of his own, it's hard to say how he might grow into that, but I expect he may transfer any love for you onto a child, perhaps smothering you both because he's overcompensating." She didn't mean to speak ill of anyone, but she was only saying what she was getting from descriptions. The last boy that Lyra spoke of, Ezra, he was an outlier, she was finding it hard to get a read on him from his description alone, not being pushy could mean anything and it could mean he wouldn't try to fight for her if things got tough, something she was sure would happen with Felix. Lanithro would probably let her do her own thing, which is what she wanted, but if she wanted this Ezra person to fight, Kelsey felt it might be something she would have to let him know, since he seemed to be a little too casual perhaps. She'd really need to know them to know that for sure. "Ezra seems like he might let you go, if you really tried."
"I think you're making the right choice for you. I'm not saying I think you're right, or that I agree with what you're saying," she hastily told Lyra, making sure she understood that this thought of dying was best left behind her. "But, if you honestly believe this is something you ought to prepare for, then I think that maybe you should. Leaving this world with nothing in it, having no way to say good bye, I imagine that would be horrible for everyone. But, Lyra," She said, smiling slightly. "You must know that you can make your own choices in this. If you let yourself believe in something too much, you can make it happen, stressing about what is going to happen in the future and trying to change things, make things better or worse, ignore reality, it can make your fears become a reality." She said. "Magic happens around us all the time, and... I know that you may not believe this, but, I think you might be whipping yourself up into a nightmarish false panic about something that may never happen." She said, turning completely to face her whole body to Lyra. She carefully reached out and grasped Lyra's hands with her own. "Lyra Potter, I know who you are now. I've heard you speak about your life, I've read about your family," she said, hoping Lyra wouldn't take offence to that, "if there is one undeniable truth of everything I've ever read, it's that no one, not even death, can stop a Potter who's determined to compete something." She hoped that she was helping at leas a little bit. She did like to be helpful, but sometimes it was really hard to tell.