Nerys' Office

[Jess]

The invitation had been a relief, there was always the worry that she might have been disturbing Heidi from important and unexpected Beta business. As much as a dreamer Jess was, she was aware of things like that even if they seemed less important to her than other things. She closed the door carefully behind her, letting it click shut before moving forward and settling herself on the offered chair, her usual smile still present on her face.

“Nothing in particular Heidi,” she replied, glancing over to the computer and the little Egyptians moving around on it. “I remembered you’d left the courtyard rather quickly this morning and well… I guess I just wanted to make sure you were okay.” Half the time, Jess didn’t know why she did the things she did, trusting that there was a part of her that knew far better than her conscious mind why she chose such actions.

[Heidi]

"Oh, I'm all right, thank you dear." Heidi leaned back in her chair a bit, adopting a more relaxed pose. "It was a...bit of a harrowing morning, that's all. Not least because of the new arrival -- did you know about it? There's a new wolf somewhere in the hotel; at least, I assume he's still here since I heard no fighting-esque commotion."

She stretched slightly and read the time. It was a little farther on in the day than she would have expected, but that tended to happen when she actually allowed herself the luxury of 'playtime.' "What about Kate? Did Violet and Jeremy manage to escape his wrath, do you know?"

[Jess]

“A new wolf?” Jess had missed his arrival but she supposed that wasn’t too much of a surprise. She did tend to miss out large chunks of the day simply because she had drifted off into her own world. Sometimes, when life changing events were going on and she missed it, her absent nature was more a curse than a blessing, more so when it meant the world shifted without Jess even being aware of it, the youthful looking female deflating slightly. “I hope he will settle in with us.”

At the question about Kate, she brightened up again, pleased that here, at least, she could engage in a proper conversation and know the answers. “He’d calmed down the last time I saw him… it was strange, he was acting so oddly, not like himself. But he said he’d not killed either of them.” Jess gave a small shrug, smile still on her face. “Knowing those two though, they’ll say something to rile him up again soon enough.”

[Heidi]

"Acting oddly?" Heidi repeated, thoughtful. "Well, perhaps the moon had something to do with that. At least we're almost through it, the worst is over. Really, though, dying Kate's hair pink? I'll be very surprised if Cole doesn't have something to say to the troublemakers about all this." She smiled and shook her head. "I suppose I'm just grateful it wasn't me."

She glanced at the computer and moved the mouse to save her game, just in case. "As to the newcomer, I don't know whether he will or not. But I imagine we'll find out before long; he can't have posed too great a threat, at the very least, since the fighters all seemed to calm down after a time. It would be nice to have a new face in the building; it's been some time since the pack grew at all."

[Jess]

“I doubt even Cole could stop those two and make them behave for very long,” Jess offered, a small grin on her face. She had complete faith in her Alpha to ensure a basic kind of order was enforced throughout the pack – Jess just couldn’t quite imagine Violet and Jeremy being anything other than exactly what they were and she had a very good imagination. There was no way she would want them to be different either, even though you had to watch yourself when they were around in case they decided to target you.

Like Heidi, Jess too hoped that the newcomer didn’t pose a threat, albeit for more selfish reasons. She didn’t like the thought of those she cared for, the fighters – and most of all Kate – having to be on full alert and risking themselves to protect everyone else even if one wolf against the full might of the pack’s fighters was hardly anything to worry about.

[Heidi]

"You may be right," Heidi admitted. "I guess that was wishful thinking on my part. But then again, I don't think life around the Hyperion would be the same without those two running amok."

She smiled at the dreamy-eyed younger wolf. "So, what have you got planned for today? Besides soothing Kate's ruffled ego, I'm sure."

[Jess]

She lifted a hand to grab at a few stands of her hair, absently twisting it around her forefinger in loose circles as she thought on Heidi’s question before being forced to admit mental defeat and shrugged. “I’m not sure,” Jess admitted, a small smile quirking on her lips for a few seconds. “I’ve not really thought that far ahead to plan anything really.”

There would be something going on in the hotel, of that Jess was completely certain. There always was something happening around the pack and nearly everyone would be more than happy to include her in whatever activities they were doing. “I’m sure something will come up. What about you? Anything important calling to you?”

[Cole]

Continued from: Hallways with Drake.


Cole smiled at Jess as he and the new male addition to the pack stepped in. Drake, for his part, hesitated on the threshold, as if he wasn’t sure about entering a leaders’ space, but didn’t linger long, stepping in after the Alpha to join him. Glancing to Heidi with another smile, he said, “I hope we’re not interrupting.” It was his way of apologising in case they had, and the Beta would know that; she had, after all, known Cole for a while now.

“This is Drake Montgomery, he’ll be joining the pack as of today. Drake,” he began, indicating each female in turn as he continued, “this is Jessica Keane, another member, and our Beta female, Heidi Fischer.” His hands found his pockets again afterwards, a stance that quite often made him seem unthreatening and even overly casual, something that had actually come in useful in the past, if only because, when standing amongst and alongside many of the fighters, he seemed one of the less likely candidates for the ‘biggest threat’.

[Jess]

Her attention had slipped slightly from Heidi at the knock on the door, automatically focusing on the scent beyond it as it belonged to her Alpha, a wolf she dearly loved. There was another scent mixing with his, one Jess didn’t recognise and it didn’t take her long to realise that this had to be the new male member to the pack, the one Heidi had mentioned before as having arrived today.

Jess smiled brightly at Cole and Drake as they entered, giving them a cheery little wave. Few people could brighten up her day so easily, but the Alpha male was right near the top of the list, just like the other leaders and of course Kate himself. She kept her smile wide as she focused on Drake – while she may never have met him before, he was walking without a guard with Cole and was now being introduced to Heidi which could only mean he was safe to be around.

[Cole]

Cole rewarded Jess with another smile, his hands still casually in his pockets as he then glanced back at Drake, finally settling his eyes on the female at the desk; the ‘second female’, as they would have called her back when Cole was a youngster. The terminology hadn’t shifted much over the years, but he had never really liked that particular one, and its counterparts, for some reason. He wasn’t even sure why.

He said nothing during the brief silence, if only because he suspected Heidi would want to greet Drake personally, and perhaps even give him her own version of a welcome. Not that hers was any different to anyone else’s, really, but Cole believed that each of the leaders, himself included, made new members feel welcome in their own ways, whatever those methods might be, whether they be through tone of voice, body language, or some kind of act or gesture.

[Heidi]

Heidi, like Jess, had instantly gone into a more alert mode when she scented the Alpha's approach, particularly since he was accompanied by the unfamiliar smell of the newcomer. At Cole's introduction, however, she rose with a smile.

"Drake. Welcome to the Hyperion," she said, extending a hand. "We're very glad to have you here." She could say as much, she felt, since Cole was obviously willing to give the younger wolf enough approval to allow him to join the pack. "I suppose the chief is giving you the usual tour of the place?" Quick brown eyes darted from one male to the other; they held the faintest dusting of gold, but it was a welcoming hint, not a potentially threatening one.

[Drake]

Drake had offered the two females a little smile and polite nod of greeting upon entering, staying back a bit. There was no reason in the world for either of them to have not gone on alert upon smelling him- he knew that well- but the smiles had made him calm a bit.

When Heidi offered her hand, he moved forward to shake it reflexively. “Thanks, I’m glad to be here.” And he most certainly was. Not only because he had another chance at another new start, but also because he had been almost certain that at least one of the fighters he had encountered upon entering the Hyperion was going to end up ripping him to pieces. Or, at the very least, had very seriously wanted to, because he imagined that they wouldn’t have actually done it unless he had seemed to pose some sort of threat. “I’ve seen some of it, but I imagine there’s still a bit to go.”

[Jess]

A warm feeling spread inside Jess at the smile from Cole, the female werewolf feeling delighted at the attention given to her from her Alpha, even if it was only something as simple as a smile. It made her feel special and loved, which was always a positive feeling to experience. She kept quiet and relaxed as Heidi stood up and introduced herself to Drake, listening quietly as the typical pleasantries were offered by the Beta. Jess had never been in the new wolf’s position, had never had to face the unknown in the same way. This pack was all she had ever known and all she wanted to know.

Jess just didn’t understand why anyone would want to leave the pack they belonged to; Drake still smelt of strange wolves which meant he had been around others before coming here. It seemed so alien to her, just as her parents and sister’s action had seemed so alien and confusing so long ago. It was true that for a few hours she had considered leaving the pack, but that had been to stay with her family, to stay together and it was still pack.

[Cole]

Drake would be able to figure out easily enough who Heidi had been referring to as ‘the chief’; it was a title that everyone was used to, but only the Beta female used, oddly enough. Not that Cole was complaining, of course. It was almost affectionate, in a sisterly sort of way, which suited him just fine, especially considering it was also respectful in its own way, which the baser, wolf part of him definitely appreciated.

“I’ve told Drake he’s more than welcome to explore, but, well, I thought he should meet all of us leaders first, so he knows who’s who if he needs anything.” Cole told Heidi this in a calm, level tone that both she and Jess would recognise as his composed but somewhat businesslike ‘mode’. It was one of his Alpha states, in fact, one that seemed relaxed, almost pleasantly nonchalant, but he could switch at the drop of a hat, and the two females knew that. Maybe, on some level, Drake did too.

[Heidi]

Heidi knew that 'mode' of Cole's very well. It was not unlike her own first meeting with the Alpha, and that amused her on some private level. He was all business, but in a mild, easygoing fashion; he wanted Drake to grow more comfortable.

"Well, I don't think he'll have too much difficulty telling the four of us apart," she teased him. "Dia and I look like a photograph and its negative, as Mara might say. But yes, Drake," she went on, turning back to the newcomer, "don't be afraid to ask for anything you need. We're happy to do anything to help you feel at home."