Safe As Houses
 

Three hours since the new arrival had been brought in. Athena figured that was enough time to let the poor thing calm down, and she went over to the room the new arrival was being held in for the moment. She knocked softly.

"Hello?" she called. "May I come in?"

Out in the main area of the building, Clint casually jumped down from the rafters, easily climbing from beam to beam as he left the little window he'd been watching from.

"Tin man's home," he called to the others.

Chloe jumped at the knock but cautiously moved over to open the door, moving away again swiftly. She'd been through a good many things in her years, but being treated this courteously and being given her own room right off the bat was unusual. And a little worrisome. But she didn't make a move against the human who entered the room, instead watching with eyes more feline than human.

Tony opened the front door and habitually glanced up at Clint. "Behave," he told the archer. "We've got company." He glanced back at Zee and grinned, letting the other fae in. "You get used to his brand of crazy."

Athena stepped into the room carefully, making sure not to make any sudden movements.

"My name is Athena," she said, meeting the other woman's eyes briefly, just long enough to make sure she had her attention. "I'm here to answer any questions you have. I'm sure you're wondering what all's going on."

"I always behave," Clint said as he perched on the lowest rafter beam. "Just not the way you like."

"Welcome back, Tony," Bruce greeted from his seat at one of the small tables. He had a couple of files in front of him, and a small pot of tea within reach. He didn't look up from his files, even as he picked up his cup and took a sip.

Chloe nodded briefly. "What are the rules here?" she asked quietly, looking off to the side. She wasn't even remotely interested in a dominance contest. That was mostly wolves anyway.

Tony waved briefly at Clint and instead headed over to peek over Bruce's shoulder. "What are you working on now?" he asked, giving the other Fae a few moments to settle in.

"Rules?" Athena echoed. "Well, it's not so much a set of rules as it is a set of... guidelines. We all treat each other fairly, here. There are a mix of races, and species, and we try to accommodate everyone's needs. Essentially, try not to pick any unnecessary fights with anyone."

"Putting together a preliminary file for the new arrival," Bruce said. "As soon as Athena's able to convince her to come out for a check over."

Chloe blinked at that. "...This doesn't sound like any of the other places I've been," she said slowly. "What is this place? No one has said anything. Is it just a collection or?"

Tony nodded. "Right, new one, forgot she was coming in today. She settling in?" He glanced over the details again to remind him who it was he'd helped bring in.

"No, not a collection," Athena said. "It's a safe place. We take in individuals who have been treated badly, and we give them a place to recover and time to decide what to do. We don't make you stay, we don't kick you out."

"So far," Bruce replied, glancing up and then back at the file. "And you shouldn't ignore the person you brought with you, Tony."

Both of Chloe's eyebrows shot up. "You set up a safe haven for weres?" she asked, clearly disbelieving.

"I'm not ignoring him, this is Zee, he's used to me by now, besides, he gets a chance to look around, he knows he can just talk to me to get my attention." Tony grinned.

"Yes we did," Athena said, nodding. "And it's a good thing we did, really. It's been very helpful for many people."

Bruce just rolled his eyes and waited for Tony to get bored enough to wander off again.

Chloe frowned but didn't say anything else for a few moments. "I've never heard of such a place," she said, though she was slowly relaxing when nothing was asked of her immediately.

After a bit, Tony did head into the kitchen to get himself some coffee and offer Zee some. He was just waiting for the other fae to ask questions or start looking around.

"That's what makes it so effective," Athena said. "It's safe because nobody really knows about it." She smiled just a little. "You're welcome to stay as long as you need. Is there a name you prefer to be called?" She knew that some weres didn't use their birth names and chose others instead, and she had learned not to assume.

Zee was indeed looking around the place, studying what he could immediately see.

"Interesting place," he commented.

"Chloe," she said, blinking. "My name is Chloe." She started to actually look around the room, touching the bed and the dresser.

"Yup." Tony grinned. "We've got a fun mash-up here." He started to walk, just kind of checking on everything.

"Chloe," Athena repeated. "Alright. I'll leave you to get settled in. If you need anything, just ask and we'll try to get what you need." She paused for a moment. "Everyone who comes to the haven needs a preliminary check up by the doctor we have here. Is this alright with you?"

"So what took you so long, Tin Man?" Clint asked as Tony walked under him. "You're usually out and back pretty quick."

"What is this, Twenty Questions?" Tony asked, glancing up at Clint with a bit of a smirk. "Did Steve try to make you my babysitter again? I'm allowed to go out, honestly, nobody followed us back, we're good."

"A check-up?" Chloe snorted. "Seems kind of pointless." She didn't refuse, though.

Zee snorted at them and resumed looking around rather curiously. He had to admit he liked the idea. The kitchen had seemed to be well-stocked, the house was large enough to hold several people and set on enough land to give weres room to run, and the house was comfortably furnished.

"Bruce just wants to get some baselines," Athena said. "So he can put together a reference file, just in case anything happens in the future. He likes having the reference on hand, and he has one for everybody in the house."

Tony downed one cup of coffee and poured another before meandering away from the kitchen again.

Chloe nodded. "Alright, might as well." She stretched a bit and motioned for Athena to lead the way.

Zee followed him, since he figured he'd get a better look around that way. He glanced at one or two weres they passed but he didn't make eye contact.

Athena nodded and walked out of the room, pausing to wait for Chloe. Then she led the were to Bruce's medical bay.

"Bruce?" Athena knocked on the doorframe. Bruce didn't even jump, he just looked over.

"Ah, yes," he said, standing up again. "The new arrival, right?"

"Chloe, yes," Athena replied, nodding. She took one step back, so Chloe and Bruce could see one another. "Bruce, this is Chloe, our new arrival. Chloe, this is Dr. Bruce Banner. He looks after everyone in the house."

"Good to meet you," Bruce said to Chloe. "You can call me Bruce, if you like, I don't mind."

"So what do you think?" Tony asked after a few minutes of wandering around.

Chloe nodded. "Bruce. Okay." She moved in easily, glancing around quickly. "I still don't understand the purpose of having a baseline when I heal anything not fatal."

"Interesting place," Zee said. "Very you." He smirked faintly. "They all seem relaxed."

"Just in case," Bruce said. "So I have a reference handy if you or I or anyone else notices anything unusual."

"That's the point, isn't it?" Tony said. "A place for them to rest and relax and recover and make their next move."

Chloe nodded. Really, she wasn't against this. "What do you need?" She settled into a comfortable waiting spot.

"Just because it's the point does not mean that guarantees success," Zee pointed out. "But this looks fairly well done."

"Just a basic physical," Bruce said. Athena took that as her cue to go and headed back out to the main room.

"Of course it is, I designed it," Tony said, although he was inwardly pleased at the praise.

Chloe nodded and let him direct her without problem. She didn't mind, after all.

Zee snorted and motioned for him to lead on. He figured he might as well see the whole place, after all.

Out in the main room, Athena flopped over onto a couch and sighed.

"New arrival's settling in," she commented, mostly to herself. "Tony's back... Life's pretty good right now." She stretched a bit, and then went boneless on the couch. She glanced around to see if anyone else had wandered into the room.

Tony nodded and kept walking. The house was pretty big, after all.

Natasha had moved into the room and looked at Athena. "She's not causing any problems?" she asked, stretching lazily.

Zee let Tony lead the way around the rest of the house. He did kind of approve of this place.

"You wanted me to see this for more than just bragging rights," he said, looking at Tony.

"No, not at all," Athena replied, glancing at Natasha and moving a bit to make room on the couch. "Another feline. You and Steve going to be alright with that?"

"Well, yeah, kinda," Tony replied. "Don't get me wrong, I love bragging rights, but sometimes a second opinion's not a bad thing, you know?"