Owen
Rogue Werewolf
Advertising Executive
All my talk of starting over, these words were never true.
Posts: 44
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Post by Owen on Dec 7, 2010 20:03:56 GMT
CONTINUED FROM: Hallways with Marion.
There was something so very Marion about the space they entered and that was the first, strongest thought to enter Owen's mind after they crossed the threshold. Not only did it carry her scent -- that was one of the biggest adjustments he was having to make, every single person having their own individual and distinctive scents; it didn't matter that that was common knowledge even amongst humans, it was the simple fact that for the first time in his life he could really pick up on that kind of thing -- but it had her character; even something about the way the furniture had been laid out just screamed Marion Barnes. It was comforting.
"It's very you," he told her, nodding his head and scratching Zodiac's head before she headed off to curiously investigate the room at her own leisure, nosing here and there, finding out what was what and where she might be able to make herself comfortable. Zodiac liked to have her own place in a room, even if it was just a patch of carpet rather than a padded dog bed or anything else so specific. "I like it."
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Marion
Human
Departed
Posts: 119
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Post by Marion on Feb 13, 2011 2:32:48 GMT
Coffee machine attended to, she gestured to a spot near the window. A cushion from one of the couches from her office sat on the floor. "For Zo. It should smell familiar - it's the one that she always appropriated when you'd bring me lunch at the office. I brought it for her so she has a spot to go to if your room isn't available for some reason." <i>And for when you have to spend nights downstairs, if she wants to be near the elevator.. though she's taken to Nenet, thank goodness.</i> "I brought it up last week. I've had to replace all the couches, you know."
The dog came out from behind the desk and made a beeline for the cushion, turning around three times before flopping down with a huff. Her eyes never left Owen, and Marion pointed to the recliner nearby it, smiling at the pup. "A bitch should keep her option open, right Zodiac?" She grinned at Owen - "You'd better sit there."
Making coffee felt almost too familiar - they'd drunk together so much that she didn't even ask him for direction, making the cups quickly and adding milk to both. "I have sugar around someplace, I worry about when I'll have to find it." She handed him the mug and sat down herself, absently smoothing her clothes. Her phone beeped again - Harrison's call hadn't cleared, and she pushed the button to make it stop chirping, putting it back into her pocket. "Archie will be by sometime I'm sure - he's been helping me. You certainly made explaining what I do to him easier." Her smile was wry.
"Now. Do you feel like wandering around a bit more, or should we take it slow? I do have cards, if you feel like losing."
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Owen
Rogue Werewolf
Advertising Executive
All my talk of starting over, these words were never true.
Posts: 44
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Post by Owen on Feb 24, 2011 19:27:45 GMT
Owen couldn't help but smile at the small touch of the pillow. It seemed Marion really had thought of everything. It didn't take long for Zodiac to spot the familiar cushion and make an eager beeline for it, snuffling it around in a small circle on the floor before she curled up with it, looking as pleased as could be in surroundings that were still rather unfamiliar to her. His eyes moved to Marion's at the mention of her replacing her couches and he couldn't help the fleeting wince that creased his brow. Of course, he had bled all over the couch. Something told Owen that if he offered to pay for it she wouldn't have any of it but he still made a mental note to offer.
Coffee in hand after he had settled himself into the chair close to Zodiac, Owen finished his second examination of the room and met Marion's gaze. "Maybe after coffee. Cards are good for now," he said to her with a quiet smile before he turned thoughtful again. "About Archie," he began, almost hesitantly, fidgeting in his seat a little and wondering distractedly where he should set his mug down where it wouldn't run the risk of making a mess. "Is he all right? Someone told me he had a little trouble with what happened." That was putting it lightly and really Archie had every right. It had been a night of rude awakenings, really, and Owen could sympathise. Another mental note was made, this time to apologise to the young man, see if he couldn't somehow make up for what had to be the worst introduction in history.
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Marion
Human
Departed
Posts: 119
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Post by Marion on Mar 19, 2011 7:32:14 GMT
Watching Owen's eyes shift and the way his hands passed his mug from one to the other, Marion dug a small coaster out of one of the drawers - touches from her former fastidious intern - and put it within Owen's reach so he could put his coffee down. She leaned back in her chair, putting the cards down as he spoke, a small line creasing her forehead as she tried not to frown at Owen's words. She'd not meant to cause him stress, and he was already in so much upheaval, she should have known better than to remind him of the night. Especially when his thoughts would go to the others' he'd affected. She had thought the couches were a safe joke, but the slight tightening of his jaw when she'd brought that up made her flinch inwardly and now his voice, soft and tense as he asked about Archie...
She folded her hands infront of her and looked at his face, quieting the pang of her heart as she once again took in the tired lines that would be there for a long while yet. The truth was Marion's favorite tact with those she cared for.. even in times of hardship, and this would be no different.
"Well, there were a few things going on with Archie. I found out a fair bit about him that night too." She picked up her own mug and sipped, gathering her thoughts before saying quietly, "He's a very, very intelligent young man. Strong, though you wouldn't know it to look at him. He thinks before he speaks -- and I think he'll be one of the better decisions I've made on the fly in a long while." Opening her drawer, she eye'd the bar of chocolate in it, but remembered she'd just had half with Owen and with a sigh, shut it again.
Returning her gaze to him she continued - "He's also diabetic, and he pushed himself to the limit. Shows a certain selflessness I might have to be aware of - can't have another one of those in my office... I can barely keep myself alive some days, and that's going to be his job now." She smiled wryly. "I feel quite sure he'd like to get to know you as you are, rather than bleeding on the floor, and he'll be around, so you'll get the chance. If I were you though, I'd consider being as natural as you can. For your sake and for his.. you're both in deep here... and..." She hesitated, then plunged forward - "And well, who better to trust that someone else who has just been shoved in the deep end." She shrugged a little. "I'll always be here, but I kept this from you, so I'd understand if you didn't completely trust me.. but I won't be around quite as long as this pack."
She sighed quietly.
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Owen
Rogue Werewolf
Advertising Executive
All my talk of starting over, these words were never true.
Posts: 44
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Post by Owen on Mar 22, 2011 0:18:06 GMT
Many things lately were causing Owen stress, the simplest of things capable of sending him on something of a downward spiral. Since the attack and everything it had changed about his life Owen couldn't help but let things affect him. There was another side to him now, something new and wild and powerful that he had been told would take him years to control and it just threw the simplest things out of whack. Owen no longer reacted to everything the way he used to, he felt on edge so much of the time and wary of the simplest aspects of life. Honestly if it hadn't been for familiar faces like Marion and Zodiac he honestly wasn't sure where he would be right now, what state he would be in or if he would even be alive. These were the thoughts that tumbled frequently through his mind nowadays and he wasn't entirely sure whether or not that would ever change.
"He seems like a good man," Owen said after a pause, his eyes downcast now that his coffee had been set down somewhere safe where it wouldn't stain any wood. His gaze lifted and found Marion's and he offered a gentle smile, fleeting though it was. Archie was young, Owen had been able to ascertain that much, but that didn't change what he had said. He did seem like a good man, someone trustworthy and reliable and Marion could definitely use someone like that. There was another pause after Marion's conclusion as he considered how best to respond, a look of contemplation crossing his face. Finally he met Marion's gaze again, making sure to hold it as he said, "I understand why you kept all of this from me. In your position I probably would have done the same." He hoped that would put her mind at ease somewhat but he went on all the same, "I wouldn't be here with these people if I didn't trust you, Marion. It's because of my trust in you that I trust them, this pack. If you have faith in them then so do I."
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Marion
Human
Departed
Posts: 119
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Post by Marion on Apr 9, 2011 10:27:34 GMT
And there they were again. The words. Marion's breath nearly caught in her throat. This was the only part of being part of Cole's pack that tore at her heart, though she never would have let Cole know it if she possibly could. These were the feelings that stirred in her soul in the dark of night when she needed to be thinking. She turned lives - souls - over to this pack without a second thought.
Did she trust Cole? Dia? Implicitly. Did she trust all werewolves? Owen, poor Flynn, her own father - even Mara - strong evidences that werewolves were fallible - even capable of evil. Just like humans... possibly even worse. Here was Owen, deposited like an orphan into the best possible foster home she could find. She'd done all she could - she'd trusted, she'd been in this world for several years... and yet...
Yet... she had no idea what it was really like - and in a century she'd be a yellowed photograph that Owen looked at - that was a blip on Cole's radar. How could she imagine she was making this... this choice... that it was even something she should be a part of. It was sobering and chilling. And here it was again.
She tried to smile. But for one of those rare moments - Marion found herself unable to call it up. She leaned back into her chair, closing her eyes. "I have faith in many things. Cole is definitely one of them. The rest of the pack have been happy for a long, long time." She said it simply, then rubbed the back of her hand across her temple. "I have hope you'll find a place here. I know you... you'll do what you need to. I just found you a good place to jump off from - the soft place to land." She managed to crook a corner of her mouth up in a half smile, and went back to her coffee.
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Owen
Rogue Werewolf
Advertising Executive
All my talk of starting over, these words were never true.
Posts: 44
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Post by Owen on Apr 16, 2011 17:37:38 GMT
In the moments that followed what he said Owen wasn't sure whether or not he had said something wrong. Somehow he could sense the change in the air, he practically felt it like a tangible shift and he shifted with it, though his was physical, moving his weight from one foot to the other no matter how discreetly. Instantly he started trying to figure out what he had said that was wrong, how he could make up for it; in a way he felt like he owed Marion that much after everything she had done for him. It wasn't just the coffee and bagels she had shared with him in the morning when she'd seen him hurrying out of his door in the mornings when he was late for work and she wanted to make sure he had some breakfast, it wasn't just the offer to share takeout with him in the evenings when he got home at whatever ridiculous hour. Marion had gone above and beyond the call of friendship and he feared he would never be able to make it up to her.
There was a small part of him that was internally relieved when she finally responded and he could distract himself from trying to figure out what he'd said wrong. It wasn't that easy though, her words kept his concern close to the surface. Something was wrong, she had something on her mind that was bothering her. "Is everything all right?" He couldn't not ask, that wasn't how he worked; his friend was distressed. It would be so easy to forget that everything that had happened had affected her too.
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Marion
Human
Departed
Posts: 119
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Post by Marion on Jul 31, 2011 5:21:29 GMT
The question came as a surprise. It shouldn't have. Even with his new nature - his new aspect - he was still Owen. She should have remembered that, so the surprise was a sign of how upset she was... how weary and emotionally drained she was. She had concern for Archie's reactions to all of this, she'd only just stopped worrying for Mara, and her worries for her father simply shifted from one thing to the next. Marion was alone more than was healthy these days, and she was not dealing well. And she would be last to admit that - but here was one of her dearest friends asking her if she was okay.
Was she? Did she know what okay actually felt like anymore?
For a moment, and to her horror, her control actually slipped. Her vision blurred with the hot scratch of tears. She looked up, down - anywhere but at the friendly face that cared. Control. She had to get that back. She swallowed hard, the action allowing a teardrop to spill from behind her lashes. Angrily, she swiped it away with the back of her hand.
"Oh Owen." She gave a huff of laughter. "Damn you, you know I can't handle being asked that and actually meaning it." She cleared her throat again and looked around for a tissue... surely there was a box in the room...
"The problem is that I can't make everything all right enough."
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Owen
Rogue Werewolf
Advertising Executive
All my talk of starting over, these words were never true.
Posts: 44
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Post by Owen on Aug 4, 2011 23:04:53 GMT
Owen's smile was quiet and light and he looked at his friend with sympathy and understanding. The smile, soft though it was to begin with, was short-lived and soon enough he looked somewhat sombre again, sobering quickly, which probably came as no real surprise given everything that had happened recently. Marion was carrying so much on her shoulders with everything that had happened and despite what he himself had experienced Owen found himself wishing he could somehow make it easier for her. Owen had always been selfless that way, he didn't put his own needs or concerns before those of others, especially those closest to him. It had played a big part in the deterioration of his marriage, he knew, but he couldn't just change something that was such a huge part of who he was at the core. On some level he just didn't want to. What good would it do to suddenly put himself before others and stop caring so much?
"Maybe you don't have to make everything all right," he said to her after a stretch of silence in which the only sounds were those of Zodiac's breathing as she started to doze off on her cushion, treat polished off and contentment settling in quickly. His eyes turned back to Marion. "You already do so much," he went on, giving her another one of those small smiles. It wasn't a bad trait, not in the least, Marion cared and that was one of her best and most admirable qualities, but Owen didn't like to see her so worn down by it. The problem was that he didn't know what advice to give to someone who was so selfless and giving when he had just been thinking about those traits in himself; he couldn't very well tell her to change because he wouldn't want to change those things in himself, and besides, Marion was who she was and Owen didn't want her to sacrifice any part of herself just so she could relax for a little while.
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Marion
Human
Departed
Posts: 119
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Post by Marion on Dec 24, 2011 0:56:59 GMT
Her eyes found a box of tissues by her computer and she dabbed her eyes, blowing her nose once. "Maybe I don't. But I'm good at it... and if I don't, who will?"
She shrugged a little, fighting with all she could bring to bear to stop losing the control. Her eyes cleared, but the shadows under them deepened slightly. She balled up the tissue and put it into the small bin at her feet, under the desk. "I have to help this pack, my friends... " She swallowed. Her life was beginning to only be the pack and work. Maybe that was where she needed to find strength - to accept that this was going to be her life.
She tried to crook a smile. "I protect this pack as best I can - with paper and the law... " She sighed. "I can't do anything else. Its at least something that they'll always be here. Job security is hard to come by." She made the joke, knowing Owen would not let it end the subject, but she could not continue it. To continue it would be to recognize how lonely and how tired she was. And that would help no one, especially not Owen, who needed strength right now. So she would be strong again. In true Bulldog form.
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Owen
Rogue Werewolf
Advertising Executive
All my talk of starting over, these words were never true.
Posts: 44
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Post by Owen on Dec 31, 2011 22:13:33 GMT
Owen felt a smile, small and weak though it was, touch his face. They were so rare nowadays that he felt them almost as soon as they saw fit to surface, and he hoped Marion would see it before it faded away. "Someone else can take over for a little while," he told her, tilting his head just a fraction, a motion that felt so much more animal than it once would have. A lot of things felt different now, after he had been bitten and changed, Owen had come to realise, actions and thoughts and feelings, small or large, and he suspected that would lessen as time went on and he adjusted to his new nature.
"Not everyone can be strong all the time, Marion," he told her, though he suspected he didn't really need to do that, not for her, someone who understood this sort of thing better than he did himself. She had been here before, most likely, and perhaps someone else had said the things he had, albeit maybe more convincingly. "I learned that a while ago. It wasn't a lesson I enjoyed, but I took it to heart anyway." When his daughter had died and his marriage had dissolved not long after, Owen had felt at his lowest, and he had tried to fight it all, only to end up feeling worse for it. It was okay to fall apart sometimes. That was what he had learned, and even if Marion already knew, she needed to remember it now and take it to heart.
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Marion
Human
Departed
Posts: 119
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Post by Marion on Jan 12, 2012 23:53:44 GMT
She tried to listen to her inner voice to be strong. She tried to listen to what he was saying, she really did. Marion's reserves were too low, and she'd not been taking care of herself. Too much coffee, (even for Marion) not enough water, no where near enough sleep. There comes a breaking point, and even the Bulldog had hers. The smile, the understanding, it drove her nearly to the edge.
"Sorry Owen.. too much coffee... one minute." She got up quickly and walked across the room to her small bathroom and pushed the door behind her. She stood before the door for a minute, eyes closed, head tilted back. She sucked in a heaving breath, and moved to the sink. Her hands gripped the counter, knuckles white. Tears welled from her eyes, but she ground her teeth against the sob that threatened to bubble up. No. She couldn't. She wouldn't.
Suddenly the door creaked. She spun, tears fresh on her face, it couldn't be Owen coming in. And it wasn't. Zodiac pushed in, her claws clicking lightly on the tile, looking up at Marion. The big dog came over and leaned against Marion's legs, and it was the final straw. With a muffled sob, Marion fell to her knees and buried her face in the soft ruff of the animal. Zodiac licked her hand, a soft whine coming from her throat. Marion threw her arms around Zodiac's neck and hugged her. After a moment, the animal wiggled free and licked Marion's face, then turned round, nosed the door open and left.
Sitting on the cold tile, Marion felt drained. She stood shakily, trying to right her clothing, and wiped her face with cold water. She remembered her reason for coming in, flushed the toilet, and opened the door again.
She knew she probably wasn't fooling Owen, but she opened the door anyway, chin high.
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Owen
Rogue Werewolf
Advertising Executive
All my talk of starting over, these words were never true.
Posts: 44
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Post by Owen on Jan 17, 2012 23:49:23 GMT
There was no fooling a werewolf, Owen was coming to learn, especially not when there was only a simple wooden door acting as a barrier. Though he tried not to listen, he heard Marion's sniffling and the sound of Zodiac's claws on the tiles. Quietly and patiently, the newly-made wolf remained where Marion had left him, and pretended he hadn't heard what he had. It was difficult to keep hold of any sort of privacy when you were surrounded by werewolves with all their heightened senses, Nenet had warned him that he would hear and see and smell things that he might not like when she had explained his new nature to him on that first day, but knowing the difficulties and experiencing them were two entirely different things.
When Marion returned to the room, Owen offered her a smile, and decided that the best thing to do was act naturally. Of course, that was easier said than done, considering Owen didn't really know what counted as natural for him anymore, not when he was no longer simply a man, but he would give it his best shot for Marion's sake, if nothing else. "Coffee's crafty that way," he found himself saying, glancing down at his own mug, which was settled beside him. "You never know when it's going to hit you."
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Marion
Human
Departed
Posts: 119
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Post by Marion on Apr 10, 2012 10:17:45 GMT
She smiled, grateful for his discretion, embarrassed to know that he would have known exactly what had gone on behind the door. As her friend a month or two ago, he would have suspected. As a wolf, he'd know. She rubbed her eyes, and smiled again, sheepishly this time.
"Life is crafty. And it hits without pulling its' damn punches." She sat down in her chair again, without her usual grace. She leaned back and closed her eyes for a moment. "I really need an assistant." She opened them again and looked at him quietly. "Like I said - you're in the best place I know you can be. You'll be safe here. I'll be here whenever you need me - and especially when you don't need me." She turned to her computer and closed the laptop, slipping it into her bag.
"And you still owe me a couch." She tossed him a catalog. "I like the corner suite in leather with the matching ottoman." She grinned a little.
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Owen
Rogue Werewolf
Advertising Executive
All my talk of starting over, these words were never true.
Posts: 44
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Post by Owen on May 8, 2012 21:52:25 GMT
It didn't matter that Owen knew what had happened behind that door. He knew Marion, that she was proud and independent, and that the last thing she needed if she was feeling in any way fragile or compromised was to have it pointed out. So he would do his best to breeze past it and act as if it had never happened in the first place. If Marion had wanted a shoulder to cry on, she wouldn't have excused herself before the tears had started falling.
And it hits without pulling its damn punches. What could he say in response to that? He could only nod, his smile sombre and quick to fade. Owen was grateful when she changed the subject again, lifting his gaze to meet hers when she did so. "That's good to know," he told her, his smile returning, but grateful more than sombre this time around, and more comfortable as a result. It was a relief to know that he would have someone from before all of this had started upon whom he could rely, someone who knew who he had been before becoming what he was now.
With two hands he caught the catalogue she tossed his way, feeling the laugh bubble up into his throat and seeing no reason to deny it. When it tumbled loose, it felt a little strange, something that should have been so natural, but it wasn't unpleasant. Owen smiled again when he saw Marion had dog-eared one of the pages, and turning the catalogue around, he flicked it open. "Matching ottoman, huh?" Lifting his eyes, he glanced her way. "I don't remember ruining an ottoman."
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