It had been a month since the strange events of Halloween, and the weather matched the mood. The fallout from Halloween went a lot more smoothly than anyone could have thought. The procedures they had started during the drama seemed to serve as a good foundation. It first no one knew what to do, other than what they were already doing. The armed diplomats remained, and the staff expertly returned any random visitor back into the portals they came out of. So far there hadn't been any who left the hotel in any other way than how they arrived.
Tamara sipped her cup of coffee as she walked up the street towards the lonely building. Tall evergreen trees hid any other signs of scenery, except the hotel. Its stark red walls were a contrast to the trees around it. The trees were tall enough the three story building barely poked out above them. It was a cloudy and dreary day. She hoped snow would come soon, she didn’t like cold rain.
Little had changed inside the lobby. The double doors opened to the wide room. The smell of fresh coffee permeated the air. Shannon was calmly explaining to Agaust what to do if anything happened. He had been a good sport about taking on a job, and adjusting to life in the hotel. The idea of a troll living in the hotel and claiming it as his own was a little disturbing. Yet the troll’s idea of claiming territory with people around seemed to work itself out okay.
She slipped down the hallway before she could be roped into giving pointers. All her notes for the meeting were in her office, so she could hide there for a little bit. It’s not that she hated staff meetings, but so much had changed in the matter of a few weeks. Safety was upstairs in her office where she could be left undisturbed, almost. She looked down at the sleeping wolf on the carpet as she entered the second story office. With a shake of her head she stepped over him and settled down at her desk to organize herself.
The massive ball of fur stretched and yawned deeply. He transformed to a more human form, well fae form, and took a seat across from her. Fionn accepted being limited to the hotel and its grounds for now. She figured that human and fae society was different enough that staying here gave him time to adjust. Fae were weird as well. Unlike Agaust who settled in easily, Fionn had trouble with a number of social issues. It was easier for him to stay in wolf form and the staff passes him off as the hotel’s resident pet.
She pulled three folders off the pile marked inbox, right where she left them. He watched her with hooded eyes and a slight grin. He was free now. No one else had come through the portal and then it vanished, only to be replaced by another. No one would be following him. The magical ‘outburst’ on Halloween had destroyed any magical hold that anyone had on him outside of his dead master.
Ever since then he had been exploring his new home and learning the ropes. He had stayed close to the hotel, as if he was somehow tied to it, and mostly in wolf form. The staff simply introduced him as owned by the property. She didn’t mind his bad habit of following people around, especially Mandi.
Tamara sighed. It was hard to see them as employees sometimes. It was more like they were a small family managing a big rodeo. She had opened up a year ago, in fact just before Christmas would mark one year. Initially they had some turn over in employees, but since then it has been steady. She lucked out in find people who really wanted to do their jobs, not people just looking for paychecks. It also meant she wanted to care for them as if they were her children. Seeing Mandi struggle hurt.
With a final sigh she picked up the pile of folders and headed for the door. Fionn jumped to his feet and pulled the heavy door open for her. She couldn’t help but pausing as she came close to him. It was these shy moments she allowed herself a little freedom to smell his husky wild scent. He wasn’t overly tall, but taller than she. He too leaned in slightly, but moving no farther in. It wasn’t about sex, it was about being close. Packs were close, often fairly cuddly in wolf form. Yet neither of them was ready for that yet. He was in a new world, with a new life. If he came to her now she would just be a crutch. It would be nice to have a pack, people who were close and supportive. But now was not the time.
The fleeting moment passed and they walked together down the hallway, and back downstairs. In conference room C, Tracy was already there. He had been relieved a half hour ago. His eyes were closed with his feet propped up on the massive conference table. He was the reason she held the meeting in the morning. Sleeping for night auditors was fleeting at best; then to have to get up in the middle of that time to come into a meeting was hard. The body naturally wanted to sleep during the night not the day. It was something auditors fought with. She remembered those days, and didn’t miss them.
“Anything I can help with?” “He asked with a yawn.
“No. Nap away. Or go get coffee, your choice,” she said as she deposited her files onto the head of the table.
“Coffee…” he moaned for a moment before kicking his feet off the chair. “I’ll bring the urn.”
She chuckled as she started sorting files. Fionn took to wolf form and plopped down in the corner. This was his first staff meeting, so as always he opted to take things in the form he was most comfortable in. Must be nice, she mused as she got things set up. People began strangling in as she finally sat down. This wasn’t a full staff meeting; she met with the housekeepers separately. There was a certain amount of animosity between the two groups. Front desk were the center of customer service, and housekeeping was back of the house. They operated so differently that even meeting content was completely different.
Tracy had brought back a coffee urn and placed it next to the snacks that she had made sure were provided. Shannon came in and sank down next to Tracy; the two class clowns Tamara noted. Mandi came in and sat down as if she were a robot a moment later.
That was going to be it for the meeting it looked like. Agaust was the newest employee as the security force. He had assimilated well so far, enough to handle the desk for this meeting. Jerome she had to let go for another no call/no show, which of course added up to no job. She had yet to find a part time replacement. She needed someone to take on shift and graves to give Tracy a break. The other employee was Tonya, the evening girl. She couldn’t come today but had let Tamara know she had morning classes. They had talked extensively about what was going to be involved in today’s meeting so it was all right. Similar to Tracy, she was going to college. The twins had a strict part time schedule, but they were good in a pinch. It wasn’t a surprise for them not to be here.
“Okay, I know we’re a man down, but this is us all,” Tamara said finally as everyone was in friendly chat.
“No we’re not,” Tracy said light heartedly. “Hire the wolf and we’re good to go.”
"This is it?" Shannon asked as she looked around with a frown. "There are so few of us. Where is Tonya?"
“She has a midterm this morning, right now in fact. I talked with her already so its okay,” Tamara said with a grim smile. She liked responsible people. She also liked the dig at Fionn. “We have a lot to go over.”
“Budget,” Tracy chanted. “I know we made it.”
“Of course you do, you did up the numbers.” Tamara said. “And you're not entirely right. Halloween hurt us pretty bad.”
“You mean turning away an entire night's worth of guests and losing rental revenue?”
“Among other things.” She agreed. “Luckily there are enough reserves to carry us through. But that does hurt pretty badly, so Christmas is not going to be as grand as we were hoping.”
Shannon let out a small pout, “how bad?”
“It depends on how we can do with the anniversary party,” Tamara explained as she leaned against the back wall. “Our big Christmas event has been advertised for months now. People are already booked. I’m hoping the rooms will clear up nicely.”
“I’ve been popping in fake reservations when they open up for that night,” Shannon reported. “I hope that holds, then I’ve been converting those fake reservations into real ones.”
“I’m not entirely happy with that. It doesn’t show how many we really have. But with these portals popping up I can see the logic.”
“At least they’re naming themselves now,” Tracy toned in. “It’s much easier to track and know if we need to be worried or not.”
“This brings us to another issue. The diplomats,” Tamara said with a sigh. “They’re really getting on my nerves.”
“Thank goodness,” Shannon said dramatically. “They want to tell us how to do our jobs. And then get huffy when we ignore them.”
“I think they’re used to being obeyed, and unused to long term jobs,” Tracy answered.
“It’s adjusting for everyone. We need to be able to manage the portals, and of course they are trying to figure out if there rhyme or reason to it all,” Tamara said. “We are working on getting better with the protocol.”
“How much are we losing in revenue over this?” Tracy asked.
“That is the difficulties. The diplomats want to take over and deal with it, but aren’t willing to pay. Meanwhile the rooms are taken out of circulation and we lose out on rent. It’s making it harder.”
“Not too hard,” Tracy commented dryly.
They were all realistic in the matter of little-to-no-revenue meant little-to-no-long-term-job. The portals did make life interesting, but it was also making it harder. “Let’s focus on the anniversary party. Most of it is in Mandi’s ball court.”
Mandi looked up, clearly alarmed to be the center of attention.
“It will be a great party,” Shannon said assuring, taking the attention off of the pale girl.
“Yes. We are as booked up as we are going to get,” Tamara filled in after a moment. “A live band booked for the terrace, with some interesting people coming out for it, including council members. You know Ibrahim has visited several times; apparently he’s bringing some friends. So we’ll have more than just guests there.”
“Circle grove?”
“Is still off limits,” Tamara said. “It’s not time yet. At least for us. I know its lost revenue, but the space is badly tainted and it’s still clearing and being cleared. So now I’m proud of everyone for working so hard.” Tamara then switched subjects. “I am sorry to tell you that we are not going to be able to have the grand party we were hoping to for staff. I’m working on some ideas to make it fun.”
They all nodded. It wasn’t a surprise that they were disappointed. The ideas on the table had been camping, dancing, and rock climbing. Now it was going to be a classic staff party.
“I’m open for ideas of what to do here at the hotel.” She offered.
“Scavenger hunt,” Mandi said suddenly. When she realized all eyes were upon her she blushed and looked at her lap.
“I think it’s a great idea,” Shannon said. “Each department can make a list for another department.”
“But individual participation,” Tracy added. Tamara wasn’t surprised by his addition. Night audit was usually stuck between accounting, front desk and management. Plus he would also have fewer chances to take part.
“I like it.” Tamara agreed. “Shannon you can iron those details off…”
They all jumped when her phone rang. A nervous chuckle lit up the room as they all laughed at themselves and each other. She looked at the device and her eyes went wide. She looked up at her expecting staff and held it up. “We must be doing something right. It’s Hotel Oracle. I’ll be right back.”
She left them guessing as she stepped out of the room. “Hello?”
“Tamara Decker?” A lightly accented female voice asked.
“This is she.”
“Oh good,” the voice said in a very relaxed manner. “This is Oracle LeFay.”
“I’m honored I think,” Tamara replied as she slipped into conference room B. It was thankfully empty.
“I heard you had some problems going on and thought we might be able to help each other out,” the infamous hotelier said in a slow calm manner. “That is if you are interested.”
“I am always willing to listen.”
“Good. My business partner is willing to meet this afternoon if you're available.”
“Depends on where.”
“She’ll come to you.”
“Okay.”
“Good. Her name is Allison Dupree and she’ll be there this afternoon. About 1pm, provided nothing holds her up.”
Tamara hung up feeling numb. She wasn’t sure what was worse. The giant, and hugely successful resort, was interested in her little place. Or that the most dangerous woman in the underground magical society, Parandus, was coming to talk to her about it. After a few minutes she pushed herself into motion. There was a staff meeting still in progress and she needed to finish it.
“Oh great boss, what was it?” Tracy asked as she reentered the room.
“Not sure. Apparently there is a business deal they want to discuss.” Tamara said.
“If they asked to buy you out would you?” he asked.
She blinked and looked at him, “what?”
“That’s what we figured they would want.”
She shook her head and rolled her eyes. “Staff meeting, focus.” The truth was, she didn’t know what she’d do in that situation. She loved the hotel, but there was a lot of complexity in owning a hotel.
“What's left to say?” Shannon asked. “We talked about portals and parties.”
“Anything anyone else want to bring up?”
They all shook their heads.
“Well, I want to say that you guys did fantastic during Halloween, and I appreciate it. Even if we can’t have a blast of a Christmas party, I will still make it great for you.”
With some smiles and chatter they all got up and left. Tracy needed to go home to bed, and Shannon had to get back to work. Mandi was the only one left, sitting staring off into space. After a silent moment she blinked and looked around, realizing only she and Tamara were left.
“How are you holding up?” Tamara asked gently.
“I feel like a shadow of myself,” Mandi admitted.
“Not surprising,” Tamara assured her. “It takes time to recover.” Ibraham had stopped by on several occasions and warned Tamara. It was going to take time for the effects of the attack, and near death experience, to pass. Until then she was going to need gentle care.
“Can we walk?”
“Of course.”
Together they left the conference room. Tamara had a good idea where they were going. Mandi’s favorite spot was the benches just outside the back of the hotel. They overlooked the gardens and terrace. She smiled as they took a seat upon the benches, and shivered in the wind. It was cold, almost cold enough for snow. They sat there in silence staring off into the distance.
“I keep having dreams,” Mandi finally said. “Of the hotel.”
“Bad ones?”
“I don’t know.” After a moment the younger mage added, “How do you know?”
“Does it make you afraid? Is it threatening?”
“I am afraid, but I don’t think it’s the dream necessarily.”
Tamara nodded silently. She was familiar with those dreams. “What are they about?”
“I’m not sure. There’s a figure, and then I’m in the hotel.” Mandi’s voice trailed off. “There’s a symbol. Every time I close my eyes I see this symbol.”
“What is it?”
“I don’t know…” Mandi’s voice faded. After a moment she reached down and traced a shape out in the sand. It was a diamond with an hourglass in it. Tamara stared at it for a long time, and then she stepped on it, blurring the image so no one else would see it. “You know it.”
“I do,” Tamara admitted after a long moment. “In the shifter society there are very few rituals or much of anything formal. It’s sort of a loose knit of groups. We do have a little bit of history and legends.” She paused as her eyes passed over the land before her. “I chose this specific location because it means something.”
“What does it mean?”
“In legend a battle was fought here, between vampires, shifters and mages. All died to seal …” her voice faltered. She had never made the connection before. Now it rang all too true in her mind. “They died to seal a portal.”
“The symbol?”
“Shifters, who are also mages, create small symbols as sort of an insignia so they can leave messages for each other. Sometimes it’s a territorial warning; sometimes it’s a form of communication. That is an insignia I was taught when I first came to the area. It was always a mystery of who it belonged to, but it would appear randomly. Mostly near this area. I hadn’t thought much about shifter history when I built the hotel, other than to keep the land safe from outsiders.”
“Magic areas like these should be kept natural.” Mandi said softly. “Do you think maybe a shifter-mage was among those killed in that legend?”
“It’s possible,” Tamara admitted. “It is.”
“Mortal mages do something similar.” Mandi surprised her boss by speaking. “They create their own symbol, but it becomes their bold brand that is put on everything and everywhere. They want people to see and recognize them. Families are even worse.”
“Sounds like they could use a lesson in subtly.”
“I did meet one uncle who wasn’t like that. He was a battle mage who had a lot of scars. Every time I see him it’s like he is reluctant to have anything to do with Parandus and the politics.”
“Do you blame him?”
“Not now.”
Tamara took Mandi’s hand. “We learn best through experience.”
“If they’re all like that, I don’t want more.”
“They’re not all like that.”
They sat in silence for a while. “I should get back to cleanse circle grove,” Mandi said with a tired voice.
“Do you want help?”
“No. This is something I need to do.”
“If you want help, just ask,” Tamara said as Mandi rose up and walked away. Even though the mage hadn’t given indication that she heard the boss, Tamara was sure she had.