Marion's Room

[Marion]

Occasionally Marion had had to remain at the Hyperion for late nights - and Cole being who he was, she'd been given a room to use. At first he'd given her one at distance from all the wolves, near to Nate's, but Marion had asked for a different one. It was near Heidi's study (what had been that is, Marion was going to miss the blond wolf terribly) and not far away from the kitchen. She liked to be near the bustle of the pack, though she had a strong door and a latch.

It gave her the ability to observe and be a part of them without intruding on the younger wolves, and keep herself safe without being overt about it. It was a benefit to her most of all, since she could better know how to act around her father as well.

Her room had a gorgeous wooden desk that she adored, a bed in the corner, and a small coffeemaker. Music piped from her laptop - she was indulging in her vice of some poppy music played low, while she made notes. Her caseload was light for the moment, so she was making a few arrangements for Cole. Owen's rent had been paid for a few months, food ordered for Zodiac to be delivered to the hotel, and she had finished a lookup on Flynn to make sure there was nothing more in the police database to be concerned about. She fired off the information to Cole, a tidbit to Jeremy about Zodiac's breed, and she sat back in her chair and looked at her desk.

Seeing the pack in action had been awe inspiring, and made her both proud and lonely all at once. With Heidi leaving and her assistant Andrew being gone - Sarah was going now as well - Nate was always swamped at the hospital - Marion was beginning to feel a little too unique in the pack. Not that she was going anywhere. But still.

Shaking her head, she began to flip through take out menus, knowing full well whatever she ordered she'd have to get several of - food never survived in this hotel long... but that was okay. She'd welcome company today.

And she needed to talk to Archie...

[Archie]

Archie hadn’t gotten a lot of sleep since leaving Marion’s work place. Somewhere around seven in the morning he’d fallen into something that was more exhausted unconsciousness rather than healthy sleep but it had been a period of rest nevertheless. The few hours had given much needed relief to his body, every part of him under pressure and stress, with the mild attack of his diabetes not having helped matters. It had left him feeling shaky and groggy and so when he had woken around midday in the random room he had been given, Archie had simply stayed in it.

He’d needed the next few hours to try and clear his head, to attempt to understand even a fraction of what had happened. Although the paralegal had known from the start that the only way he was going to find out real answers and get the whole story was by talking to Marion, the young man hadn’t been ready to face her just yet. Not after cleaning up blood and certainly not after finding out a second blooded and injured man had shown up in the large – hotel? – building they were currently housed in. Exactly what kind of situation had he fallen into, where people seemed to appear around this group, injured and mysteriously treated without a hospital.

Numerous possibilities had rushed through his mind, each one wilder and crazier than the last. Finally accepting what he had realised from the start, that he was only going to drive himself insane by thinking alone, Archie had summed up the courage to speak to Marion. Exactly what he was going to say, that part, he hadn’t quite figured out. Moving quietly through the hotel, Archie hadn’t been able to stop himself glancing nervously round at every corner, half expecting to run into the dark haired woman who had been staring at him so distressingly the pervious night. Thankfully he hadn’t seen her or indeed anyone else, although the young man couldn’t help the feeling that he was being watched as he nervously knocked on the door where Marion was supposed to be.

[Marion]

Marion had been looking at the menus - she'd selected a few things for herself, and was just picking up her phone to place the order. She dialed the number, but as the phone began to ring, the knock came on her door.

"Come in! No need to knock guys, you know that - not unless the sign's up!"

Marion had a small post it that she put on the door with "No entry - this means you, Jeremy" when she really needed to get something done. The wolves for the most part respected it. She hung up and looked up as the door opened and her new assistant came in.

"Archie! Oh thank goodness. Come in. Please, sit... we have a lot to talk about."

[Archie]

It was something of a relief to be able to step through the door and into a room where only Marion was, even if that did mean going to alone into a room where his boss, a woman with steely determination and the ability to do who knew what with him if he failed. Archie couldn’t help the feeling that whatever was going to happen in the next few minutes would be an even greater test than the night before. Last night in The Colony it had been almost easy in a way – there he had to do nothing but blindly trust. Now he had to listen and make a real judgement for himself.

Her words were certainly no exaggeration and Archie only wished he knew where to start in the mired of questions that swarmed through his mind. Questions, thoughts and ideas, some of which hadn’t even fully formed in his mind but were little more than wild flailing, pointing and open mouth. His parents had taught him better than that, not only the saying ‘if you can’t say anything nice, say nothing at all’ but also that it was better to remain silent if speaking would make you the fool. Carefully, he made his way further into the room and took the offered seat.

[Marion]

Marion put the menus back into their folder, and stood up, shutting the door quietly after putting up her post-it note. She sat back down and looked over at Archie. Her heart hurt her a little that she was taking this young man and plunging him into a world that was never still - and sometimes very frightening - and she'd seen some of the worst of the world.

"First, I have to say thank you. You gave me your trust and followed me - that has saved a lot of people who are very precious to me, not to mention one was my neighbor and friend. It was a huge thing, and as far as I am concerned, you acted intelligently and skillfully. If your knowledge of the law becomes half as good as that, I will be well pleased."

Nothing to do but jump in with both feet.

"Archie, I am sorry. But I have to ask you something, and I do not want you to answer it quickly." She pulled out a sheet of paper. "I am about to tell you about a lot of secrets. If you accept to hearing them... you are bound to them. You will need to give me your word that you will keep what you know secret, or you risk hurting many people. Including me, and a member of my family. It is a world that is very different to our own - and can be very frightening at times... but these are amazing places to be at times."

She pointed at the paper. "If you want no part of this, and I can certainly not blame you - I will ask that you sign this form. Its a combination of a restraining order to stay away from this place, and a gag order to prevent you from talking about it. It also comes with another job with another client of mine. He's a good man and will give you a good job."

She took a deep breath. "If it means anything, I would like you to stay on. I think you would be a great asset... and a friend. And frankly Archie - I could use both." She sat back in her chair. "It's up to you."

[Archie]

Right now he was doing his best to focus on what Marion was saying and little else. He had to focus on that, try to penetrate every layer of her words and draw the best conclusion possible. So many people only half listened to conversations and missed important things as a result, from whole sentences and meanings to a faint change in tone or a slight hesitation that betrayed something important that maybe was only being broadcasted subconsciously. As she offered the paper, Archie took it, not sure exactly what to do.

Holding the paper in his hands didn’t seem like a good idea; there was nothing more revealing than paper to show that your hand was shaking. It was a trick Archie had seen his mother use on more than one occasion and every time there had been that tell tale rustle of paper swinging back and forth. Not that he believed Marion was trying to trick him in any way or even that she wouldn’t be able to tell he was nervous and uncomfortable about the whole thing but if possible, he wanted to retain a shred of composure and dignity. Instead it was played on his lap – there was still a good chance it would shake but hopefully not so obvious.

Archie bent his head a little, leaning over the paper and examining it closely. Reading the legal document let him see his options clearly, as well as try and think everything through. All he had to do was sign a piece of paper and he would still have a job, and he wouldn’t have to think about this past night any more. Except, of course, Archie would be hard pressed to just ignore what had happened and forget. Even harder to pretend he had cleaned away blood without ever finding out the answer to why. The question was how much he was willing to risk in order to learn why. For almost two minutes, he remained silent, using the paper as an excuse to not speak or look at the woman opposite him.

“You know, I have a sister, someone who means the world to me,” Archie said at last, voice low. “Talk to her a lot, she’s my best friend. I tell her almost everything about my life.” Mind made up, the young man lifted the paper and folded it neatly in half, offering it back to Marion unsigned. “The thought of someone hurting her, I wouldn’t wish that feeling on anyone and I wouldn’t want to be the cause of it.”

[Marion]

Marion hid the smile of triumph that threatened to break out on her face. She had hoped she'd read Archie correctly - and the longer he'd taken with the decision, the more she was certain. This was a young man she could trust. Not only that, but she thought she could like him. Working with someone was so much easier that way.

She took the paper and allowed a little of the smile to come through, though it was now more relief. "Thank you, Archie. I don't think you know how grateful I am." She fed the paper through a small shredder at her feet, then sat back. She waved her hand to the shelves to his side - a small kettle sat next to a coffee maker with bags of various teas, and a small fridge. "If you'd like a drink, please help yourself. This is going to take a while, and a cup of something warm always helps information go down." She stood, poured herself a cup of coffee, and sat back down again, her fingers curled around the mug.

He hesitated for a moment, eyeing the different teas along the shelf before slowly standing and taking the decaffeinated English tea down and boiling the kettle. “Thank you,” Archie told her, happy for this small distraction and also grateful for the hot drink. Soon enough the drink was made, the young man gripping the mug tightly as though it was his only lifeline.

She smiled. "You're more than welcome. We'll get some food after this, I think I owe you dinner at least." Drawing a breath, she began. "Cole Stanton is one of the most unique, most intelligent, most warm and most complex of anyone I have ever met in my life. He's also one of the best. He helped my father through something more horrifying than what you saw last night." She sipped her coffee. It never got easier to tell this part. She continued, telling him first of the horrors of what had happened to her father, her own fear. Her voice remained steady, her eyes clear.

"Cole got my father through it, and me. That is part of the reason why I work for him now." She took a deep breath. "The other reason is that he trusts me to keep what he - and what my father is - what all these people are - and what Owen now is - secret."

She met his eyes. "I promise you with all my soul Archie that there is nothing to fear here in the Hyperion from these people. You are protected here better than ... my god, anywhere."

Here we go. "Archie - Cole is a werewolf. A very old one. His pack lives here. My father is a werewolf, and you are now part of the small set of humans that help the pack." She told him of her father's turning, and how Cole had stepped in after her father had been arrested. The implication was clear. Everything that Archie had just seen Owen go through with help, Marion had gone through with her father - alone. She explained their history, and ended with "And that is the tip of the iceberg."

She watched his face. "I find that when the questions swamp you, you should start with the most simple. Even if it sounds stupid. You've earned the answers."

With thanks to Thozzy for Archie's response.

[Archie]

“A werewolf…” Archie repeated back slowly, almost expressionlessly, brain whirling and still struggling to come to terms with that piece of information, let alone everything else she had said. Werewolf – werewolf – seemed to be the major thing to focus on right now. This was going far too fast for him, and if that was just the tip of the iceberg, Archie wasn’t too sure how he was going to handle getting deeper. Curiosity and the desire to run screaming from the place, or even just the desire to call them all insane warred instead his head, all begging to be let loose. He had asked though, had wanted to know the why, partly for his own sake and partly because Archie had thought it would help him do his job better. The young man had been taught how to be discrete, how to ignore that siren of curiosity, but everything he had been taught seemed to pale in comparison to this current conversation, where he was learning more than he ever thought possible.

Calling them all insane was certainly that little bit tempting – it wasn’t everyday after all that someone told you that you were surrounded by werewolves and that they were actually real after all – but he’d seen too many weird things this last day to just dismiss her words, no matter how reassuring to his own sanity it would have been. Nobody healed as fast as Owen had already been starting to and next to nobody would have even survived that attack in the first place. Still. Werewolves?

“Like… werewolves from movies, full moon, silver bullet, werewolves?” Archie asked, taking care not to use the word ‘monster’, even if most of the things he had seen had them as just that. The only other explanation was she meant human werewolf syndrome, but somehow he doubted that. After all, it certainly didn’t look like they suffered from Hypertrichosis; Archie would have noticed something like that.

[Marion]

Marion quirked the corner of her mouth. "I guess it depends on which movie you're discussing." She sipped her coffee. "Full moon, yes. From what I understand, the pull of the change is hardest during the week of the full moon. Young wolves have difficulty controlling their wolf side, and it takes control - usually violently because of the newness and the fear - raw emotions, etc. Here in the Hyperion younger wolves get locked into cells at night during the moon's cycle, to help them to learn to control it. With time, they can make the change at will, and maintain control of their actions." I think I'll leave out how much time for now - the fact that Cole is more than 500 years old might be a little too much for Archie for the moment...

She pushed her hair back from her face and sipped her coffee again, watching the young man for signs of it being more than he could take, but for the moment it just seemed that he was weighing it all. She continued.

"Silver - werewolves are... for lack of a better word, allergic. None of that "inherited silver melted into bullets" story needed - just a plain old silver earring dragged across their skin will leave a red mark. Enough of it will kill them. But they're hard to hurt. My father took a shotgun bullet to the torso and four to the legs when he was in wolf form... and he ran home to call for aid." She swallowed the bitter taste in her mouth that came with that memory.

"They're people. Just.. more so. One might almost say more advanced. They just go furry once a month. Cole is the Alpha - his mate, Dia, who I'm sure you'll meet later are the leaders. We answer to them, and I hope that my saying that will carry some weight with you. I respect them highly - and I care for them very much, as well as many of the wolves here. Your work with me will occasionally require us working for them and with them - as well as typical legal things."

Fixing her eyes on his, she said firmly - "I do not break the laws for these people. I make them work the way they should - to protect those that deserve the protection. I will never ask you to do anything illegal. If that ever comes up, I'll be doing it, you will have no knowledge or connection." She regarded him steadily. "Now, would you care to question my sanity, or do you have a different question?"

[Archie]

He lifted a hand, absently massaging the left side of his temple as he considered her words. Some part of him – a largish part if he was going to be honest with himself – wanted nothing more than to suddenly wake up on the slightly hard and uncomfortable bed in his room at the Red Tree Inn. To wake and realise with a start that everything that had happened was nothing more than a bad and confusing dream. The logical part of Archie however knew something like that wasn’t going to happen, just as that same logical part was also still pointing at this new werewolf knowledge and flapping it’s mouth open in the style of a goldfish.

Shakily, Archie exhaled, breath hitching a little in his throat, the nerves showing clearly, if only for a moment. He let his brain slide away in different directions in that same second, feeling himself break a little before he inhaled again, gathering up his thoughts and pulling that mask of neutrality back on, back to listening, considering and weighing everything Marion was saying to him against everything he already knew.

Archie could do this. He had to believe he could do this, could handle what she was saying and accept it as truth. In reality it didn’t really matter if he believed her or not – in the past he’d worked more than one than one case where the lawyer had believed something and he another. It hadn’t stopped him doing his job as though he believed and to the best of his ability. Yet at the same time, it did matter. It mattered so much, not only to Marion but to himself, to the trust they had to build up between them. And yes, despite what he thought he knew, Archie found that he did believe what she was saying and that he was honestly now sitting in a building full of werewolves. The world spun a little faster for a moment but nothing else seemed to have changed. He hadn’t changed, the world outside hadn’t changed.

“I’d have to question my own sanity as well if I accused you of that. I…” This could be done. It would be done. Even with that unspoken admittance that while he personally wouldn’t be expected to break the law, the possibility of that happening was still there. Then again, the paralegal doubted the current system was really designed for things like werewolves in mind. Archie would do this. “If Cole and the rest here are good people… then there are still… bad werewolves aren’t there? Who ever did that to Owen…?”

[Marion]

At his question, Marion lightly blew out a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding. If she was truthful, it was probably not on the list of questions she'd expected him to ask. In fact, she'd anticipated that question after several days, not several minutes.

Archie was proving just a little bit more than she'd considered, and that knowledge was welcome. She gave an approving nod and spoke. "You're right. Whoever did this to Owen was definitely not a werewolf like Cole's pack. Werewolves have the same idiosyncracies that humans do - and the same potential for good and evil. Some of the wolves here have had lives that were full of all that is darkness... yet they have chosen to be better than that and come to the aid of the weak." She drained the rest of her coffee and sat back in her chair. "Despite the burden that comes of being a werewolf... " She absently looked at her empty cup and sighed softly. "Its a blessing and a curse, Archie. That's my feeling. Cole's a pure born - he's never known any other way and I don't know that he'd agree with me. My father will outlive me - but he didn't choose to become so. Owen has now been given this challenge. We can hope that his personality is strong enough to deal with the chaos in his mind that will be there for a while."

She met Archie's eyes and tried to smile. "I choose to be with these people. I'm hoping that that's enough sign for you that you'll be safe here. Maybe even happy. All my initial offers still stand - salary, the room at the office.. your first tasks will probably be helping me square away Owen's life. I've done most of it."

She put her cup down on the desk. "You're in it now, Archie. And to be honest, I am glad to have you."

[Archie]

It made sense that if there were some ‘good’ werewolves, then there would be some ‘bad’ ones too. If everything he had been told was real – and the reality wasn’t that he’d snapped somewhere down the line and was in a nice padded cell with everything going on in his head – then it just made sense that there would be different shades. Unlike fiction, there was never a species in which every member was one way or the other. It defied belief and logic and so it was reassuring to Archie to learn that even with the world so different than he had expected, some of the things he had learnt were still the same. It also gave the young paralegal hope that he could wrap his head around everything that had happened and was still happening.

Maybe in time he could even speak of werewolves and their history with the same even tone as his boss was now using, his respect for the woman inching ever higher. To have seen and dealt with her father and who knew what else in the course of being the lawyer to this group, then she was even stronger than he had previously imagined. The pros and cons of being a werewolf and if they all wanted to be such a creature would take longer for Archie to understand, the information being stored away somewhere in the back of his mind, mentally filed to be pulled out at a later date when things weren’t still so stressful and in flux.

He gave a short nod, to show he understood and accepted her words. It made much more sense now, why she had been so willing to offer him a room despite not knowing him; Archie could only suppose that working with such people you were forced into making life changing and serious choices quickly and you had to learn to reply on hope and instinct.

“It’s a lot to take in,” Archie admitted, knowing even as he did that he was stating the obvious. “But I’ll help… in anyway you wish me to.”

[Marion]

Marion stood, walked around the desk and enveloped the young man in a hug. He’d been such a champion to take in everything, it really was an involuntary action. Leaving him most likely stunned, she walked back around to her side of the desk and flopped into her chair again.

“It’s been a long, long day. And at the end of long, long days I like to get takeout. You’ll figure out what I like through time, but please don’t organize my takeout menus.” She gave a grin. “My old assistant, while amazingly detailed, used to do that and it drove me up a tree.”

She opened the collection of menus and laid them out on the desk – “Just a word of warning though, food attracts them. Don’t be afraid to tell them to leave you alone. Just be natural. They’ll listen. You’ll get all their respective personalities – some you’ll see once, some you’ll wish you had a repellant for sometimes.” Her smile made that the tease it was. “But this is a good pack. Cole and Dia, whom you’ll meet later, are wonderful – and everyone who lives here is worth what I do for them. Hopefully you’ll be able to come to that conclusion too.”

“Now. What’s your pleasure?” Her own hand was flipping the Thai and Indian menus’ idly.

[Archie]

Archie barely had time to blink before Marion was moving, arms around him in a hug and that was more personal space than normally he would be comfortable with. Then again, this was hardly a normal time and a little bit of human contact was welcome. She certainly felt real to the touch which hopefully supported his 'not insane, this is really happening' theory. And Marion certainly seemed healthy, not the sort to have any kind of germs on her which could be passed through touch. Until today, worries like that had been one of the major concerns in his life; Archie had a feeling that now werewolves had been entered into the mix that he would soon enough come to rearrange that list slightly.

At the mention of organizing the menus - or rather order not to - Archie couldn't help the twitch in his fingers, the desire to do just that and as boring and as anal as it might make him seem, he liked to organize. There was something so very satisfying in knowing that for everything there was a place and a place for everything. Of course, right now, he Archie was more than a little out of his normal text book. The mental filing cabinets in his brain were working furiously, trying to find some way to analyse and label, to thus define and understand what was going on and the rather large shift to the side the world had taken. More and more information was being added all the time by his new boss, names and small facts, and Archie welcomed it all, hoping it would narrow things down, would help him in the long run.

Even something as supposedly simple as ordering take out was less so when you were Archie. It helped to be able to focus on such a mundane thing, try and work out which take out food was the least likely to affect him. His diabetes was normally the reason why he cooked all his own food, Archie was a little bit of a control freak at times, he liked to know what went into each dish, right down to the amount of seasoning. It wouldn't - hopefully - kill him to have a treat though, he enjoyed the odd treat when he could convince himself to relax enough to do so. "Um. Ladies choice? I've not been here long enough to know which take outs are best."

[Marion]

Marion regarded him carefully. "You had to leave the scene at one point - I'm told it was due to your blood sugar." She watched as his mind worked - yes, this assistant was going to be a perfect fit - he was realizing how much she didn't miss, and she was becoming more and more certain that he was nearly as observant as she was - and whip smart.

She tossed the Thai menu to him. "These guys are good - the ingrediants are fresh, no additives - the food's always hot when it arrives, and I've never had a problem with their food. I'm the one who would - " she smiled wryly - "I don't think werewolves get food poisoning - I am pretty sure it just comes out a burp and they're good." An enviable quality

She paused, her thoughts clouding for a moment. It had been a trying time. She knew she'd need to try to find a short time with Cole if she could - his support with her father had kept her going - and while she badly wanted to go see Owen, she just... she couldn't. Not yet. It was too raw - and to her surprise, the wound from what happened to her father was still open.

Marion was tough as nails, and when she found she wasn't - it tended to unsettle her. But this was not the time. She shook herself mentally and watched Archie peruse the menu. "I'll order a few things in case we get visitors, but I recommend everything in there. I like the spicy stuff, but you grab what you'd like."