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She gave an honest answer, and Marcus slowly nodded his head with her reasoning. He could see it, how she put more then the others into her training, but how it didn't own her like it had him. There wasn't a right or wrong answer with his question, but more of a self evaluation. If she wanted a family she couldn't be as committed as she was now. Marcus wasn't sure he was built for family. He had been raised mostly by his mother who had thrown herself into her faith to escape his abusive father who wasn't always around--thankfully. Marcus had not been a guard for two full years when he arrested his father, and watched him get floated. Since then he had been very by the rule, and it had gotten him moved up and up through the ranks very quickly.

She thanked him for showing her the moves, and Marcus nodded. "They'll serve you well against the larger people you will need to fight with; especially when you become a guard and have to arrest people." The citizens knew that they would be floated for any little crime, which meant they didn't often go willingly to be arrested. You had to be ready to fight and put them down with as little effort as you could. "Though you should always try to use the shock baton before you attempt physically restraining. The last thing you want is it getting out of control and a citizen getting caught in the cross fire."

“You’re the best.” She told him after opening the door. Marcus knew they shouldn't have become friends as much as they were outside of training, but he couldn't help it. He enjoyed spending time around her. She took the cooling pack, and then moved to walk into her place, leaving Marcus to notice that she was slightly favoring one side over the other. Not enough to show major injury, but enough that he could tell she was hurting. “I was just about to take a look at how colorful I’m about to become.” He had seen the beating, and could guess she would have some busing. Tomorrow she would hurt worse. He wanted to tell his friend to take the day off, but as her training officer he stayed silent.

She would have to push through. He had. “I bet you can call me ABC tomorrow: Aurora Blake Cow with those bruises.” Marcus found himself laughing at that, "You did well today, tomorrow you will pay for it, but you got a lot of people's attention. That could serve you well later when it's time to finish and request assignments." He told her moving to stand by the table. "Sit up here, and prop your foot on the chair, let me make sure it's not too swollen." Then he could check on the rest of her, but the fact that she was favoring one side meant he needed to start there. She was walking fine, so he knew it wasn't major, but he needed to make sure.

“What silence?” She joked, her head gesturing toward the crowd, which he knew could be clearing out soon. The day was over, and free time was upon them. They would want to enjoy it with either family or lovers. They didn't have to report in until their next training shift. The same with her, though she didn't seem in a hurry. It made him wonder why. “Sounds good. Though you’re definitely in the advantage already.” Was he now? “You have access to my file and . . . there is a lot about me in that one.” Marcus didn't say anything to confirm or deny that. He had read her file, yes, but he was not going to use any of that information now. Instead he watched her silently for a moment, his eyes holding humor before he spoke up. "I like to think people are more then files," He told her in a light hearted comment, enjoying her smirk.

“You’re pretty young compared to the other supervising officers.” She went right in for it, and Marcus paused for a moment, his own fork growing still in his food. “Are you that good? I mean . . . I’m probably totally putting my foot in my mouth here, but you must have done something to earn this position earlier than all the others.” Marcus reached for his drink and took a slow sip from it to buy him a moment, though the how action just looked like he was clearing his voice to speak clearly. In truth she had asked him something that he had asked himself, but no one had ever come right out and asked him before.

He had often wondered that himself. In his early days he had found his father breaking the law, and had arrested him. He was floated shortly after, and ever since then Marcus had put himself fully into work. He didn't see his mother often, and because of both things all this time went to working. His smile never left his face, even while these dark thoughts flickered in the back of his mind. He didn't want the moment to fade away, by telling her of his past. "There are three types of Guardsmen, Blake. There are our co-cadets who work hard but this will be a job to them. They will put their personal lives before whatever job they get. They might not make it up the ranks, but they will be fine with that. If they were become gruadsmen." Because not everyone who was a cadet because a guardsmen. "Then there are people like Shumway there. Who will put their job before their personal life. It will be more then a job to them, and they will slowly make their way up the ranks; while leaving time to have a decent personal life."

"And then there are the ones like me." Who was hiding from their personal life. "Who don't have a personal life, and put everything they have into the guard." It wasn't the romanticized answer she wanted, but it was true. "Which type are you, Blake?"

Marcus was grateful when his son told he that he was glad he was happy. This wasn't their normal type of conversation, but it was one they needed to have to make sure they were both aware of what was happening since Marcus was thinking about beginning something public with Callie rather then just keeping it between themselves. Bellamy finding the clothing just made it seem like fate. He hoped that his son and his . . . . and Callie would get along, and that they could move forward together. He wasn't sure what to call Callie right now, other then just 'someone he loved'. Girl friend wasn't serious and sounded childish to a man his age.

He wanted to meet her, and Marcus felt an odd emotion that he could only pin point as nervous over that idea, but he didn't let it show. "I will arrange something. She has a daughter, perhaps the group of could sit down and co-meet on official terms." He knew her daughter, but she didn't know about him and Callie either. At least not that he was aware of. Then Bellamy asked how long, and Marcus wondered how best to answer. "I am going to decline giving you a number, but know that I have taken things slow. Callie and I are both very career driven people, and we have taken things slow. I have decided to change that. Perhaps begin by making things public." Working their way from there. "It means a lot to have your support. I know that being raised by a single parent is hard." He was raised by one, and had never really spoken about his father, who had been in and out of his life from birth until Marcus had arrested him and taken him to be floated. "Perhaps I should have done this sooner. Given you a mother figure you . . . . be a mother." Though Bellamy had his grandmother, he knew it wasn't the same. He was a career driven man, and Bellamy had paid for it at times when he couldn't be a father at the same time.

Marcus gave him time to take the gun but the moment stretched on. Marcus assumed it was because Bellamy was thinking about the moment, or trying to savor things, but his words told him differently. Not only was Bellamy not ready to take up the gun, but he was doing it because apart of the other man lived inside him. Marcus had hoped being here would be enough, but clearly more would be needed to help Bellamy feel like himself again. He had not commented on Octavia making peace with the grounders for a reason--he was trying to keep the topic on Bellamy and his life here. He was hard to see him so conflicted, and not know how to help him find peace with himself.

Pulling the gun back toward himself, Marcus watched his son's face. He tried to think of wise words that would help him feel more at ease here, with less of a struggle. "It's not apart of their culture, because they were told it wasn't." He pointed out, knowing it wasn't just a fear of the weapon, but from what he heard it was Mount Weather making them fear it. Years and years of brain washing, from how he had heard the stories from his advisers. He knew Bellamy could tell them more once he was feeling more like himself. He kept his tone gentle, and encouraging. "I know this can't be easy for you Bellamy, you are fighting a war inside you over who you were for most your life, and who you had to fight really hard to be in order to survive. The more you walk in your old life, the easier this will be for you. You can't hold on to the grounder forever. He is not who you are." Bellamy was an Arker, and he belonged with his people--his family. "You're my son, and you belong here."

“The last one to come sits alone.” She told him, and Marcus kept watching her, trying to see if that was true or not. Surely they could have all slid closer together to allow her to sit with them. She was small enough. “Besides, have you smelled them?” Her joke at their expense made him smile, and the serious moment broke. Touche. Men (and women) right from training didn't smell the best if they didn't clean up well afterwards. He had humor, good, that would help her with her training. There would be times when it got hard, but if one could find humor in some things then it might make it easier.

“I don’t remember you eating with us before.” She also was bold to call him out on something, and it didn't make his smile go away. "I was just making sure all was well." He told her, knowing that sometimes cadets could bully or try to weaken each other; and he wanted to make sure no one had harmed her. It was his job to protect the cadets, but there was also more then that. He had wanted to make sure no harm had come to her. "If I am ruining your silence, I can leave." He teased her, knowing she would not ask him to leave. "Or we can eat together, and get to know one another." He liked getting to know his cadets, as it let him know when to push and when they had hit their limit.

Marcus Kane, had never married. He had lived most of his life alone, unattached. He had come close to falling in love a few times, but nothing seemed to have worked out for him. One woman, Aurora Blake, had been one of the very few whom he had almost loved. They had been secretly being together when Marcus was her training officer, and he had started falling in love with her. Knowing that it would kill both of their careers for a cadet to be sleeping with her teacher, he had broken things off with her before any more emotion could make it harder. However, he would learn a few days later that she had applied for a permit to have a child with another man. He discovered he might have felt more for her then he understood because the betrayal of that news had left Marcus withdrawn for both friends and pushing himself head first into his career.

A year of nothing but hard work had brought three promotions as he had moved from from a training officer to supervisory officer. From there he worked himself into the chief officer for a sector--in which all the guards in the manufacturing station reported to him. He had not been there long when he was moved to the political station (Alpha), and it was clear he was being groomed for commander. From there, the only promotion left would be joining the council, and even perhaps one day becoming the chancellor. He had been 32 year old and commander of the guard--youngest ever--but had kept pushing himself. In these days, he had even reconnected with her, but nothing had come form it.

Or so he had thought.

Instead he would find out that he had given her not only a son, but a daughter. He had children. Plural. Now he was chancellor, and building a city for his people. No one knew of his children, but himself and his children. He wanted the news to break in his own way, rather then someone using it against him. Which was why he was meeting his son's girl friend this way, rather then afterwards. He would address his plans soon with his children, though that was not his plan tonight. When he heard the knock at the door, and put the marker down, and pushed the map side before talking to answer it. "--and enjoy the thrill of a forbidden relationship.” He could hear her voice from the other side of the door as he opened it. Marcus found himself amused, "If that is the case, perhaps planning it with him standing near would be unadvised." He was clearly joking, though in typically Marcus tone it was almost hard to tell. His tone was always part serious. Stepping back he gestured for them to enter, before shutting the door behind them.