The Ties That Bind

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Simon nodded and wandered a bit away at her agreement, glad to make her as comfortable as he could while she was with them. It was a simple thing, getting her something to drink, but sometimes he simple things could make a big difference.

"Hm?" He questioned softly as he got a small plastic cup from near the water dispenser and started to fill it for her. "Oh, of course." He agreed readily enough when he realized what she'd said, his smile gone a bit curious at her hesitation even as he came back and handed her the cup. "Here you are. There are some things I'm not allowed to answer, of course, but feel free to ask any questions you'd like."

He couldn't give away any confidential information, but he would do his best to explain things otherwise.
 
She took the cup with a soft word of thanks, taking a long sip, her anxiety had made her throat a bit dry and she was grateful for the cool refreshment.

Holding the cup with two hands in her lap, it kept them busy, she wondered how to phrase her question. There was a lot she wanted to know, but she doubted he would or could answer them.

Besides it was likely she'd be a bit mistrustful of his answers anyway, still he seemed fairly open. She looked into his face, her expression casual but she was carefully reading his expression.

"Maxim, I get the sense he's a bit more than just your boss." "What's he like?" "I mean to work with?" She was trying to get a sense of if he was really as genuine as he seemed.
 
Simon had expected questions about the office or its jurisdiction, even what might happen next one that she was going to be considered an informant; questions about Maxim and his personality were a bit of a surprise. For a moment, Simon only made a thoughtful sound, hands fiddling idly with a pen he'd meant to put away before she'd started speaking as he considered how to answer.

"What's he like?" He repeated as he tried to decide what kind of answer she was looking for and finally decided to take it at face value. "He's a good friend of mine," He said with a little smile. "He takes care of people, and tries not to demand anything from anyone, if he doesn't have to." He was alpha, but Simon had always noticed he made requests at home, rather than giving orders, and tailored the way he treated each of the others to their individual personalities. He wasn't quite sure how to explain the dynamic out loud, though he was sure if Madeline was in the office she must know what Maxim was.

"He treats me like a little baby sometimes," Simon added with a fond chuckle. "So I don't work with him all the time, since it can be dangerous in the field, but l like it here. He got me the job to help me save up for college, and he kicks me out if he thinks I've been working too much." But really, given Maxim had taken him in as part of the pack and treated him gently and protectively because he wasn't a wolf, his experience would be different from hers in a lot of ways. "He can be stern to people, and I wouldn't say he never gets upset, but he doesn't get angry quickly, and if you're working for him he'll always think of your safety. I don't know what kind of work you'll be doing, so I can't say too much, but if you feel unsafe you can always tell him."

Maxim wasn't the type to needlessly put someone in danger - not unless it was himself, Simon thought sometimes. He would always rather take a fight head-on than see it passed to anyone else.
 
She looked thoughtful as she silently listened to him speak, her gaze never really leaving his face as she tried to tell just how honest he was being.

He seemed pretty guileless, which made her a little envious, wondering what his life had been like, not having to develop that kind of skull.

It was an encouraging sign that he was telling the truth about Maxim, it also made her hopeful that the rest of his pack would be the same and that she'd be surrounded by decent people after all.

Not that she was letting her guard down that easy, but still, she was feeling a bit less pessimistic. It did make her feel even more guilty about putting them at risk, especially Simon since it seemed like she was right about him being human.

She was confused how he'd ended up in a wolf pack, though it seemed similar to how she had, though of course it seemed his job had been a legitimate one.

"I see." She said softly, no real hint of what she was thinking in her tone. "So are you not a shifter?" She asked curiously, in a sudden change of topic. "You don't have to answer if you dont want to."
 
Simon wasn't sure what Madeline's questions were for, other than idle curiosity and wanting information about her new 'handler' of sorts. When she asked if he was a shifter, though, he blinked at her in clear surprise at how easily she'd said it out loud rather than dancing around the words like others did.

"Oh! No, no," he said with a shake of his head, holding his hands up in surrender as if to apologize for accidentally making her think he was, "I'm nothing special, I just live with some." It was a lot more complicated than that, but describing how and why he ended up assimilated into the pack without being a wolf was difficult without delving into things he didn't like to speak, or think, of.

"They call me their human pup sometimes," he said instead, with a little laugh at the idea. "I've gotten used to it." There had been a great deal of strange things to get used to, after he'd started living with the pack, but they were like family now. He didn't mind that they treated him a bit like the children when it came to keeping an eye on him or keeping him away from danger. He knew they only did it because they cared about him.
 
She wondered why her question was so surprising, she supposed it wasn't usually something you just asked a stranger, especially when her kind was still treated with so much fear and hatred.

Though she figured with his connection to Maxim and the work they did, that it would be an obvious question. Maybe he was just surprised by the straightforwardness of it, since she was being so coy about herself.

She smiled a little in amusement at his nickname, it could come across as condescending or mocking, but it seemed more like a term of affection and he seemed to see it as such.

"And you don't ever feel..." She hesitated for a moment, "afraid or unsafe around them?" "Around people like them?" Meaning shifters as a whole, genuine curiosity in her tone
 
Simon was glad that he could make Madeline smile, even though it was at his own expense. His friends never meant to be condescending or hurtful, full of nothing but affection for him since almost the moment he'd met them, so he never took offense. Nicknames and coddling were just how they showed they cared.

"Unsafe?" He repeated with a little tilt of his head, his smile gone a bit confused at the sudden question. "No more unsafe than I feel around anyone else. People are just people." It was almost a question, at the end, as if he was confused about why he shouldn't feel that way. After what had happened to him, he supposed he could have stayed afraid, but he hadn't wanted to live that way, constantly jumping at shadows. Even before he had found out about the existence of werewolves and other creatures, he had always tried to assume the best about people. Until someone showed that they meant him any harm, even if they weren't strictly human, he tried to treat everyone with warmth and kindness.
 
She seemed surprised by his answer, appearing thoughtful, a hint of sadness in her eyes, and her smile growing wistful. It disappeared quickly though, as she buried those feelings away, not wanting to deal with them right now.

"Well that's nice to hear." She took another sip of her water, "in my experience it's not exactly the majority held opinion." Once again her tone was easy and casual, she had gotten pretty good at pretending nothing really bothered her.
 
There was something wrong. Simon had seen the short look that crossed her face before, in people that passed through or even in his own friends. Madeline was hurt somehow, he thought. He wished there was some way he could help, even though he had no idea how.

"I can't control other people," he said instead, with a small, almost sympathetic little smile. "I can only control me, and how I treat them." Most times, he'd found, giving someone kindness first led to receiving it in return. The times that it didn't, he did his best not to let it get to him. After being hurt by one wolf and nurtured by others, he had come to understand that not everyone was bad at heart, and not everyone was good. At least in his opinion, their species had little to do with it.

"Ms. Jones." Maxim called politely as he came back into the room, gesturing for her to come along with him when she looked at him. "If you wouldn't mind, I have some more questions for you to answer."
 
She appeared to consider this for a moment or two, then nodded a little. Liking his perspective on things, it was simple but undeniably true.

Whilst she appreciated it, the hint of sympathy she saw in his smile made her feel shy, she felt uncomfortable being vulnerable, and she'd had a lot of that lately, especially today.

She glanced over at Maxim, steeling herself a little before nodding and getting to her feet. Glancing at Simon, she nodded a little, a small shy smile on her face. "Thanks."

For talking to her, for answering her questions, or for just being nice to her, it wasn't really clear what she meant, perhaps it was for all of it.

Falling into step behind Maxim, she wondered what questions he would have. Would they be about her? Or more about Farkas and his ilk?
 
Simon only smiled back, giving Madeline a little wave as she got up to go. "Just remember to breathe. It'll be okay."

He had no idea what was going on, so all he could offer were vague comforts, but he did sincerely hope her situation improved. He was sure Maxim would find a way to help, if there was one.

"Right this way," Maxim said when she'd caught up, letting her fall into step with him and leading her to a small room meant for interrogation but with no mirror in sight. "For privacy and security reasons, I'm going to close the door, but let me know if you need a break at any time."

He gestured for her to have a seat, and sat across from her once she'd settled with a notebook and pen. "For now, we'll make this as good a summary as we can without going into every detail. I need you to tell me how you ended up involved with Farkas and his crew, from the beginning until now. Summarize as you'd like, and I'll ask questions if I want anything clarified, but we'll likely leave more detail for another day. All right?"

It would be useless to overwhelm her all at once. He would get the gist of things now, then gather other information at a later date, when the shock wasn't so fresh for her. He did, after all, eventually want to go home.
 
Despite Simon's assurances, and her own reading of Maxim, she still felt herself tense up. Though she knew logically that if he wanted to hurt her, he would have done it long before now.

Her heart still began to race as she followed him in the interrogation room, it was far to familiar to be comfortable. The lack of the two way mirror was encouraging, the lack of windows both comforting and distressing.

On the one hand there was nowhere for anyone trying to kill her to slip in, on the other hand, there was nowhere for her to escape if she needed to.

She sat down in the chair, crossing her legs under the table. As she briefly reached down to touch the ankle of her boot, she seemed to draw some comfort from it, the tension on her face easing a little.

Leaning back in her chair, she crossed her arms and tried to think how to begin, sighing softly as she decided to just start. She was grateful he didn't want much detail, or at least not about her.

"Alright." "A couple of years ago when I first came to the city, I was..... struggling." That was a bit of an understatement, but she didn't think he needed to know the details of why she had moved here.

"I was dealing with a lot, and I applied everywhere but it was a hard time for everyone and no-one was hiring." "Al... someone from Farkas's crew approached me, I didn't know anything about that at first though."

"He told me he could get me a job, that it wouldn't pay much but it was regular work, and honestly I really needed any job I could get by then." "It was more than that though." She added softly, not dwelling on that.

"At first it was just a simple delivery job, and I don't know for sure but it all seemed legal, but after a while, red flags started coming up and i found out what was really going on."

She was skipping a lot, seeming uncomfortable and even a bit ashamed talking about this. "Farkas had me doing worse and worse stuff, but there was nothing I could do about it."

"I thought about running but he threatened me, and I didn't have anywhere to go anyway." "He also said no-one would belive me and I'd be arrested if i went to the cops, then he'd kill me anyway."

"I tried anyway once, but..." She trailed off, and looked away for a moment.
 
Maxim was largely quiet while he listened, writing down a few keywords here and there to help himself remember and only asking for clarification once or twice, needing to know exactly when she'd come to town and how long afterward she'd been contacted. He had to wonder if Farkas had been watching her before someone had approached, or if it had been dumb luck that they found her, but it wasn't something she would be able to know.

As far as he could tell she was being truthful. It wasn't an unheard of story, someone hard on their luck being offered an easy, well paying job and accepting without suspicion, or even with it. From there it was easy to become tangled in the web of someone much larger and more powerful than themselves. Once they were in, it was often impossible to get out.

"He threatened you physically?" Maxim asked, for clarification. "No need to go into detail just now. Just say yes or no - nod or shake your head if it's easier. Did he injure you? Did he have someone else hurt you?" He would not, in that moment, press for any detail, but he made a note of her answers regardless. Eventually, when he was done writing, he set the pen down and sat back away from the table with a soft sigh.

"It's been a long day, Ms. Jones, and there are a lot of big changes happening at once." She was a criminal, at the end of the day, but he was not unsympathetic to her plight and how she had ended up there, nor was he unaware of how dangerous her current situation could be. "If you think you're ready for it, we'll wrap up here and head home. After something to eat, and somewhere to rest, I'm sure things will seem less overwhelming."
 
She answered his questions, being honest but not telling him anymore than exactly what he asked for. She wasn't really looking at him, it was too uncomfortable.

Besides she was afraid of the judgement, or disgust she was sure she'd be able to see on his face. Not that it wasn't deserved she supposed, she had been in denial at first and let herself stupidly fall into an obviously dire situation.

She was underselling it, but she had been desperate, her survival had hinged on that job, and not just in the monetary sense. Still she had tried to escape, to turn him in, and she'd done some bad things but she'd never hurt anyone.

His question about him hurting her had her tense up so much, she looked like a statue. Closing her eyes, she nodded a little. "Yes, he threatened me and after I tried to turn him in." "He and his pack, they..." She hesitated a moment, "they almost killed me."

She said this with no exaggeration, simply speaking the truth. "He said if I ever betrayed him again, next time they wouldn't stop, they'd kill me and my friend." "Or worse." She added in a whisper, not elaborating.

After this she was silent for a while, glad he didn't ask for more details, though she knew he might want them eventually. Gradually relaxing as he quietly made his notes, relieved when he seemed satisfied.

"That sounds pretty good." She said truthfully, she could use the sleep and she was pretty hungry. She looked at him cautiously, "have you talked to your pack about it?"
 
There were many questions Maxim wanted to ask - where had they attacked her and how badly, where had she recovered, had she gone to a hospital or had someone on Farkas' payroll kept her alive until she could do his bidding again, who was her 'friend' and were they still in danger - but for now he let it go. There would be time for those answers later, when she wasn't overwhelmed by everything at once. Eventually it was likely she would get tired of telling the truth for so long and begin to clam up, so it was best to conduct their interviews in smaller pieces with rest in between. Madeline was not violent, and he believed that she hadn't truly wanted to do what she was doing. He would allow her a few concessions for her comfort, as much as he could.

"I've passed on what they need to know for now," he said when she questioned him, feeling no harm in letting her know. "I'll explain in greater detail later on, once you've settled in." He gave a small, considering tilt of his head as if weighing how much to tell her. "Suffice to say that they know you are in trouble, and that you are trouble." It was not truly her fault that bad things followed her, so neither he nor they would hold it against her, but it was their right to know what he was bringing into their home. If anyone protested too vehemently once he fully explained to everyone and could not be reasoned with, it was possible he would have to find her somewhere else to stay, but for now she would be safe in his home.

"Let's get going." He said invitingly enough as he closed the small notebook and got to his feet, slipping it into a pocket as he moved to open the door. "I'll collect Simon and we can be on our way." Her bag had already been confiscated, and eventually her personal ID and other effects would be returned to her, but for now they had nothing to retrieve. "For now you'll need to borrow clothes to sleep in, but I'm sure we'll find something that fits you. Tomorrow, perhaps, we'll see about getting something else for you."

In the meantime, before he could get what sizes she needed from her and send someone to do the shopping for them, she would just have to be content with borrowing.
 
She seemed a little sad about him calling her trouble, it's not like she'd asked for any of this, but she said nothing, just nodded softly.

She still seemed unsure, his wording making it seem like he hadn't stressed the danger they could be in by association. Still she'd just have to hope he had and that they were alright with it, she didn't know what sort of alpha he was though.

"Fine, as long as they're OK with the risk." She said quietly, getting to her feet. "I don't want anyone else getting hurt because of me."

She walked around the desk to join him, seemingly unbothered by his comment about borrowing clothes, too distracted by everything else.

"How many are there in your pack?"
 
"You can relax, Miss Jones," Maxim said more gently when she still appeared worried, pausing with the doorknob still in hand. "They are aware of your situation, and I will make sure they're fully informed. While you are under my roof, location alone will do a great deal towards keeping you safe. But I do appreciate your concern."

Breaching his land to come for her was asking for war, which he would gladly bring if any of his wolves were to come to harm. If it went so far, there would be no more bureaucracy, no more dancing around evidence gathering and careful planning. There would only be wolf justice, and blood paid for blood. If Farkas was aware of Maxim's existence at all, he would be smarter than to invite that.

"There are eight in total, if you count Simon and the children," he explained as they walked out to go and gather the human along. "Some will be more welcoming than others, but should you need anything feel free to ask anyone. They might be skeptical of your presence at first but they won't deny you aid." Aether would likely be at least mildly hostile, Maxim knew, and Bella might pretend indifference for a while, but neither would harm her or deny her anything she needed. Maxim had not gathered wolves to his side that lacked compassion.
 
She seemed to relax a little, glad they'd be fully informed and able to choose for themselves. If any of them had a problem, she'd leave without a fuss.

Perhaps she was just being paranoid, but she didn't think just being in his territory would help much, Farkas was not known to respect such things.

Still she nodded a little, "Alright good." Hearing just how many there were was a little nerve wracking, though she was more concerned when he mentioned children. "There are kids?"

"Maybe it would be better if I stayed somewhere else..." She was concerned for innocent people's safety, but children even more so. "I know you don't trust me, but I won't take off."
 
Maxim was halfway to raising a hand and getting Simon's attention when Madeline hesitated. He paused for a second or so, swallowing down a sigh so as not to let it out, and finally turned to face her. "If I find that there is an immediate reason to fear for those under my care, believe that I will find somewhere else to put you in less than a heartbeat. For now, you will duck down in the car so as not to be seen, and we will take a very roundabout trip home to avoid any tails. Once inside, you won't be leaving the building without my say so, and no one will see you inside. . . Does that reassure you?"

Whether it did or not, she was coming with him. If there was a change in plans later on, he would find her somewhere to be, or he would find somewhere for Oscar and the children to hide out for a little while until the heat died down. Her lack of faith in his ability to think through the problem and protect his own was beginning to border on insulting.
 
Despite how well he was trying to hide it, she could tell she was starting to piss him off. She hadn't meant to, she had hesitated only out of concern.

She didn't think children could consent to the risk the same way adults could, and she just didn't think they should be dragged into things like this.

Still she was probably just projecting her own childhood issues onto the situation, she had to guess their parents would keep them safe, or that their alpha would.

Unfortunately she'd had reason to doubt both of those things before, but she didn't say anything else. Just nodded a little, "that's fine then." She said softly, looking at her feet instead of him.
 
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