Come and knock on our door...

Who: Doc, open to Grayson, Jocelyn, Kurt, Seph, and Syn
Where: The Martens residence
When: Evening

In the end, Doc had opted against Chinese for dinner, though he hadn't strayed far. Thai worked just as well, and he had a procession of cartons and plates laid out on the coffee table next to a cooler of beers and sodas. He'd made the necessary round of calls earlier, cluing the others into the when and where, but it all felt so odd.

Really, the setup for dinner and the environment of the home made him feel more like he was hosting a cocktail party or having friends over to watch some football. And giving out his address to Grayson and Jocelyn had felt a little weird in and of itself; Doc valued privacy out of necessity, but he didn't have to fear betrayals. It was as he'd told Jocelyn: to earn trust, he had to give it in kind.

The twins were somewhere in the house, probably upstairs or in the kitchen, but Doc wasn't in a hurry. They were both sharp enough to notice whenever the others started arriving. "Which seems to be now," he murmured as keen eyes caught a silhouette through the window that looked out onto the porch, the shape of someone cresting the stairs and moving for the door. Leaning over to grab a beer, Doc twisted the cap free and pocketed it, then started for the door with a slow tilt of his bottle to drink from as he moved to intercept his visitor. Swinging the door open before a knock could fall or the doorbell could chime, he had a lazy grin in place as he swallowed. "Right on time."

Jocelyn took two involuntary steps back when the door opened before she'd even touched it. Her hand that was raised to knock on the door was still up and she was visibly shaking. "Jesus," she said when she realized it was Doc standing there. "You half scared me to death, darling." It took two long slow breaths to slow her heartrate and muster up the courage head inside. She'd already spent the entire walk over on edge, going over how the evening would play out. Sure meeting her new co-workers had her keyed up enough, but mix in meeting the twins, not just as their surrogate father's new associate but as his lover and it was enough to make anyone go mad with nerves.

Grinning at Jocelyn, Doc stepped back from the door to give her a little tip of his head back into the house. "I do that sometimes," he told her with a wink, "C'mon in, dinner's nice and hot, the drinks are nice and cold, you're the first one here." He could see the jitters running through Jocelyn's frame, and the nervous little jump in her eyes, and Doc smoothed out his smile to aim a reassuring glance at Jocelyn. "When business is on, I tend to be a grump, so c'mere," he requested, stretching his unfettered arm out to invite her towards him. A quick squeeze wouldn't hurt, right?

She breathed a sigh of relief when she let him pull her towards him. Just the feel of his arms around her calmed her nerves significantly and she pushed up on her toes to give him a sweet kiss. "I'm not surprised I'm the first here; I might have overcompensated for how long it would take me to get here." Jocelyn had also factored for getting lost but she left that out because she hadn't gotten lost, well not really. She sniffed the air which smelled strongly of Asian food. "You went with Chinese anyway didn't you?"

Keeping the kiss too brief for his liking, Doc still leaned back after a moment, making no move to withdraw his arms. "Thai, actually. They do a lot of contrasting dishes, and I'm a fan of a good pad phri." He reached past Jocelyn, shoving the door closed lightly behind her and finally releasing her with a hand smoothing over her side. "A good thing to remember in this town? It never takes long to get anywhere." He turned towards the living room and the setup of drinks and food running parallel with the couch, glancing her way. "The twins are around somewhere, I'm sure. Oh, and there's a dog," he added with a wink, "He's asleep right now, but that could change in the blink of an eye. Completely harmless though."

Nerves returning when he relinquished his hold on her, Jocelyn just nodded in response. There was an awful lot to process and she was having a hard time at doing so. The twins could wander in at any moment, and now a dog. Visions of a good sized german shepard floated in her mind. Her voice seemed lost and all she could muster was another nervous smile as she followed Doc towards the living room. She was going to have to snap out of this before everyone showed up, but at the moment all she could think about how terribly wrong this could all go.

"You want a drink?" Doc asked, drawing to a halt near the cooler and waggling his own beer for emphasis, "Got a lot of stuff on ice, got some whiskey and scotch in the kitchen." It was a small effort to help her relax, one Doc didn't think would get very far, but just like with his other work? It was all about presenting options. He turned to face Jocelyn, setting his beer down near the food and shaking his head at her with a little smile. "You're going to do fine," Doc told her as if he could read her thoughts, though it was just her poise and mannerisms, "What you've studied for so long? It's all about etiquette, at the core. Rules of conduct. Just remind yourself of that, and don't worry about anything else." He moved in close again, winking down at Jocelyn. "And if you feel nervous? I'm right here."

She wanted to reach out for him, if only to hold his hand, but she wasn't entirely sure how appropriate that would be. Instead she opted for a deep breath and determined nod. "I know, I'm just feeling painfully self conscious, I'm sure you can imagine why." She hoped he could because listing off the reasons why she felt like crawling under a rock were not going to make the situation any better. Rules of conduct she thought. You're going to do fine. His words were echoing in her ears, but it did make her feel better. "I'll have what your having," she said answering his first question.

He grinned at that, leaning in as Doc started to bend towards the cooler and only stepping back when he would've otherwise collided with Jocelyn. "Done and done," Doc told her, snagging a beer and twisting the cap off. "And I'd be a bad host if I didn't make it worth your while," he went on, gripping the cap in two fingers and narrowing his eyes. 'No direct action' had a lot of leeway, thankfully, because around beautiful women? Sometimes Doc liked to show off. He focused intently, bending the trajectory as his fingers snapped the cap away and bounced it off the handle of the front door. Doc snapped his hand out, plucking it from the air with a chuckle and shaking his head at himself. "Sorry, I'm a fan of physics," he said, offering her beer over with a self-conscious smile.

"Cute trick," she offered with a coy smile, bringing the bottle to her lips for a drink. The cool bottle in her hands along with his obviously playful attitude was definitely helping her relax. A few minutes earlier she was sure she'd be jumping out of her skin every time someone spoke but now she felt like she could actually face this. "You know you don't have to show off anymore right? You impressed me enough the other night." She closed what distance was left between them and leaned up, pulling him close for a longer kiss, knowing it would probably be the last of the evening.

He went willingly, tossing the bottle cap over his shoulder and grinning as Doc drew Jocelyn up towards him. Doc took his time with this one, pressing into her lips for a drawn-out moment before withdrawing, still keeping his hands on her. He knew this was a terrifying moment, Doc could remember his first dealings with others well enough to know how scrutinized it could make you feel. "Maybe I just like to," he argued in a low rumble, "I had to skip the teenage years when most people were having fun. I was at college. So... I like making up for it here and there."

"College?" Her voice was still a mummer and her eyes were still closed from the kiss. Jocelyn leaned in close again, just giving in to the natural pull of herself towards him. She was going to hate giving up the small tender moments, feeling him next to her, breathing in the smell of his skin. But he had promised that when he could he'd come back to her, to them and that would have to be enough.

"I was a smart kid," Doc explained in an equally low murmur, smoothing a hand across Jocelyn's hair. "And my family was pretty well-off, so I started college... early." Understatements, of course, but Doc didn't need to conflate the image Jocelyn seemed to have of him. She already seemed to view him as incredible, he didn't have to bring up his accomplishments. "Of course, no one wants to invite the kid to the college parties, so I studied a lot. Now I just make up for lost opportunities here and there." He'd miss this closeness as he had in the few past relationships he had, no doubt about it. But Doc was a man well-versed in quiet suffering and endurance, and he liked to think it'd make what time they had that much more notable when it happened.

Jocelyn pulled back a little to get a better look at Doc. "That sounds terrible." It wasn't hard for her to remember the fun of her high school years, even though two of them were deeply weaved with Jean. "Like cruel and unusual punishment terrible." She bit her lower lip lightly and took stock of the situation. "I think I'm going to have to let you go on that one, what with the tortured youth and all." There was a hint of smile creeping as she layed her hand on his cheek. "I mean the teen years you're just supposed to survive, but it's not supposed to be that hard."

He laughed quietly, letting go of Jocelyn and resolving himself to separate before the twins walked in. It'd just make an already-awkward meeting even weirder. "It wasn't that bad," Doc told her, shaking his head, "I liked studying, believe it or not. It was just about the only thing I liked at that age." He'd been a sullen, insular, angry youth, and his powers' emergence hadn't helped that one bit. He seemed like he was about to say more when his head twisted to one side, eyes fixing on the doorway. Doc didn't leap away from Jocelyn, but he did withdraw slightly. "I'll finish that story some night soon, promise," he said as he finally stepped clear, "Get comfy, poke around and see what looks good."

Try as hard as she could she couldn't picture Doc being the studying type. But there were plenty of aspects of him she didn't understand yet and could only hope to learn about. She had been ready to hear another of his stories, but his attention turned away and he created a sufficent gap between them. The type of gap that implied mere aquaintence between them. In an instant she realized it was because someone else must have arrived. She did her best to muffled her defeated sigh as she stepped farther away from Doc, moving to an open patch of wall to lean against. A few words were murmered under her breath and she felt her personal wards awaken. Hunkering down inside her invisible shield she watched the door intently, trying desperately to remind herself he'd promise her another night, and soon.

The contact hadn't been at all unexpected, given Doc's warning of such during their last meeting, when Grayson had been officially brought in, as it were. Since that meeting, the werewolf had been studying the palm of his hand where the mark lay, invisible to the naked eye, almost as if through sheer force of will and unwavering scrutiny he could make it appear again and stay there. Not that he wanted it there for all to see -- himself included -- of course; if he was understanding it correctly, then it wasn't something that he wanted to be advertising to just anybody, and the more discreet he was about his 'employment' with Doc, the better. Whatever questions he still had tumbling around in his mind could wait, he had told himself; wait for the meeting, and if an opportunity came up to air his thoughts without coming across as confused and vulnerable in any way, then he would take it, as anyone needing all the facts should. He was fully prepared to take in everything that went on during the night, a good memory and keen attentiveness ensuring he would be able to absorb actions and words and keep them in his head for future reference, if need be. That, and he would be able to work up rough profiles of sorts of his 'co-workers' in meeting them, studying their body language, the energies they projected. He was a wolf, after all, and he was fluent in those things. Grayson would sit and learn, and get involved as and when need be.

Finding Doc's place had been easy enough with the address in his mind rather than written down on anything permanently. Quietly thanking the weather for being agreeable rather than bitter and white, as it had been more than once in the recent past, he didn't hesitate in approaching the door. Alphas didn't show hesitation or doubt; those were weaknesses, fractures in a controlled, confident exterior that they couldn't afford to display. That would invite challenges and risk, and dominant wolves avoided that, if they could. If they were smart. Grayson wasn't in charge here, and he knew that, but he had been a leader in his life, in control of a whole pack of werewolves, and it was that experience upon which he drew as he came to a stop in front of the door and knocked to announce his presence.

Swinging the door open, Doc grinned in greeting at Grayson, standing to one side to both hold the door and give Grayson and Jocelyn their first glimpses of each other. "Glad you could make it," he said with a welcoming nod, "C'mon in, I've got drinks on ice and enough food to feed a small army." Technically, that's what this was; the beginnings of a force Doc could trust to defend the balance of this town until he could suss out the origin of its' power.

That opportunity for a first glimpse of one of the other members of the 'team' was one that the werewolf didn't waste, looking over at the woman and taking in everything he could in those few moments before Doc addressed him and called his attention away from her, whoever she was. Whatever she was. Giving Doc a nod and one of those very faint smiles that was more a hint of the expression than anything real and obvious, he strode in fully and collected what information he could upon doing so. One of the first things he noticed was the scent of a dog, something he hadn't been expecting, and with another glance at the woman, holding himself at his full height, he said to Doc, "I didn't know you had pets." Not that it was a problem. Dogs usually gave him a wide berth and didn't cause any trouble; that was his experience with them, anyway. For all Grayson knew, it was different for every werewolf, and he was one of the lucky ones who didn't get snarled at or attacked. His attention was back on the woman soon enough, studying her without getting closer to draw in more sensory information, the way the wolf side of him wanted to. Most strangers didn't take kindly to being investigated in that way up close, after all, and until he knew what she was, and therefore what she could do, Grayson wasn't going to take any chances.

"Because you've been here before and all," Doc observed wryly, grinning just a smidgen. "I don't normally take the little prince on local work, but you'll get to meet my herald soon enough." Which would hopefully provide a laugh for Grayson; Doc knew he always chuckled over his choice of the diminutive corgi, especially with how everyone seemed to think he was the type to own a big dog. "Anyway, I'll let you introduce yourself and grab a bite. Try the gai pad, it's the best I've had outside of Thailand."

Jocelyn watched the man closely as he made his way inside, studying him the same way she would anyone who wandered into Babylon, falling back on what she did best, just as Doc had told her. From the way he moved she could tell there was something else about him, something that made him just a little less human and a little more...animal. The realization caused a sharp intake of breath. It wasn't so much that she'd never met a lycanthrope but they certainly weren't regulars at Babylon. A bar/brothel didn't usually appeal to their kind, from what she knew they tended to keep to themselves or their packs, depending on the type of animal. But Babylon saw almost everything, and she'd seen a one, maybe two wander in, looking for momentary sanctuary or something else.

Her gaze turned to Doc who seemed good natured and calm around his guest, so she did her best to take her cues from him. If he wasn't scared why should she be? She pushed the thought that Doc was probably far better suited for taking down a were-anything than she was away, and trusted that he wouldn't let anything hurt anyone tonight. Jocelyn pushed away from the wall, trying to seem less standoffish and moved towards the new comer with her hand extended. "Jocelyn," she told him when she was close enough. Her smile and grace exuded nothing of the fear or anxiety she'd shown with Doc moments before, just a calm composed and self assured exterior.

It just so happened that the lycanthrope she was about to meet did frequent Babylon, and for a very good reason. He had been offered a job working the bar, and had taken it simply because he'd desperately needed the money; bartending was a simple enough job, one that Grayson had felt he could do without difficulty, and so far, he wasn't doing too badly. Obviously they had never crossed paths, or the werewolf would have recognised her, if not her face then her scent. There was something about the woman, though, that told him she wasn't all that she appeared to be; there was something more to her, something supernatural. Something he couldn't put his finger on. All would become clear in time, he was sure. Why else would Doc call a meeting like this? They were here to meet one another, and Grayson didn't doubt that it wasn't only names that would come out into the open, but other things, the things that made them unique.

Grayson wasn't here to cause any trouble, and he was going to do everything in his power to shut down his dominant, aggressive tendencies. Of course, if he was provoked, then he would defend himself, verbally or physically, but he was hoping it wouldn't come to that. There was only a beat, maybe two, before he reached out and took her hand in return. "Grayson," he offered in return, smiling as well, putting his senses and awareness to good use up close. There wasn't much else he could tell from this new proximity. He didn't have enough experience with other supernaturals to be able to pick out what she was right away, but now that he had her name, there was another kind of recognition starting up in his brain. "I think I've heard your name before." Releasing her hand, he held her gaze without it being challenging. The name Jocelyn was distinct enough that he was convinced there weren't many of them in Marquette. "Do you work at Babylon?"

His question caught her off guard to say the very least. So much that her hand stayed extend even after Grayson released it. She clenched it into a fist and tossed a sidelong glance at Doc, knowing she was lingering too long in the glance, but this wasn't an easy spot she was in. Jocelyn had expected her other occupation to come out eventually but not to have it called out. If Grayson frequented Babylon enough to know her name, it was safe to assume he knew her brand of work. Which just continued to complicate the details surrounding her relationship with Doc. "Technically, yes I still work there." Her reclusion for the past few months and considering she'd only actively left her room four times in the past few days would explain them not crossing paths at any point. "How did you know that?" She did her best to clench her teeth and erase the deluge of emotion that was written all over her face, but the effort was futile.

He'd made her uneasy. That much was obvious, and he didn't have to have any preternatural abilities to figure that out. It was all about subtle signals, body language, energy. All of hers were telling Grayson that he'd taken her by surprise, and something about the question had unsettled her. But instead of apologising or asking her if she was all right, he let it pass naturally, let her get past the moment in her own time. "I work in the bar," he told her calmly, hoping to use that tone not only to appear casual but also to tell her that she didn't have anything to worry about. Whatever she did at the club was her business and none of his. "I haven't been there very long," he went on, discreetly studying her expression, knowing that she wasn't past the surprise or caution yet. At this new proximity, there was one thing he could ascertain, and that was that some of Doc's scent was mixed with hers. Yet another thing Grayson didn't comment on. Again, that was her business -- theirs -- and not his.

The fact that Grayson worked at Babylon was news to Doc, and while he wasn't entirely sure how much he liked it? He wouldn't grudge the man wanting some kind of income. And really? Doc had been more arrogant than he should've in his meeting with Eris, so he was working to not fault or suspect her unduly. "Babylon's a good place to draw a check," he commented evenly, grinning reassuringly at Jocelyn. "Just watch yourself when negotiating any long-term plans with Eris. Woman's sharp as a tack." He wasn't eager to have to cut another deal, but if it came to it? Doc would.

He could see the tension on Jocelyn as plainly as Grayson could, and again? Doc could lay no fault. It was nearly genetic in shapeshifters, how they drew it out in people. Doc had always thought it was a primal memory in mankind, an echo of something they knew they should fear deep inside, but it was just as likely plain unease over meeting a total stranger.

Doc's grin was what Jocelyn needed to breath just a little easier. Looking back to Grayson she was feeling better and safer. "I didn't realize you were down there. I guess that means we'll be seeing more of each other." Her smile was genuine and pleasant. Somewhere in the back of her mind she worried that his presence at Babylon might affect Doc's willingness to be seen with Jocelyn there, but she couldn't let idle concerns like that take over now. There would be another time and another place for those worries. "You're a lycanthrope?" It was a forward question, but she'd figured it out already so it seemed silly to ignore the issue. Plus she was certain he was curious how she fit into this mix and unlike him, her supernatural quality would be harder to pinpoint without certain abilities.

Gaze turning to Doc as the other man returned to the exchange, Grayson showed a smile and gave a tipped half-nod to show he understood the 'warning' in the words. He was a cautious being by nature, as a wolf and all, and he was careful enough not to sign anything precious away to people he didn't trust with his life; people like that were few and far between nowadays. In fact, he didn't know where any of them were, if they were still alive. Quickly enough his attention was back on Jocelyn, after a brief examination of the male Doc was talking to, and that easy smile was still on his face, the werewolf hoping to show her he meant no harm. It was a smile without showing teeth; Grayson didn't want to come across as too predatory. "I guess it does," he agreed with another nod. Whatever went on at Babylon didn't affect him outside of the club, he didn't think about what went on inside its walls and he certainly didn't talk about what he saw or heard while on the job. "I am," he confirmed, actually impressed that she'd figured out his race without asking any other questions beforehand. "Wolf, specifically," he went on. "I didn't realise it was obvious." His smile grew a little, briefly becoming an amused grin, and his gaze wandered the room curiously before it landed on her once again. "If you don't mind me asking..." It was probably obvious where he was going with this, but he persisted anyway without further delay; "What about you? I'd guess, but knowing my luck, I'd be way off. A lycanthrope's abilities only do so much around other supernaturals." Because she was supernatural, he was sure of that. He just didn't know what type she was.

"Wolf..." her voice trailed off as she took in the information. It seemed fitting the more she looked at him, even if she couldn't place why exactly. "It's not so much that it's obvious. You just give off a more animal air. Especially in the way you move," Jocelyn explained. She grinned sheepishly and went on. "I've been at Babylon for over a year now. I've learned to spot certain things about people. It's something you pick up after a while." Especially when your job and well being revolves around seducing people who find their way into the establishment. "I'm afraid my stance is far less interesting than yours. I'm a witch." It sounded so weak compared to the fact that Grayson was a wereworlf. "I'm still wondering what I'm doing here myself."

Ah of course, Grayson should have considered that. Lycanthropes tended to move with a more predatory awareness than most, a kind of feral grace, even the males. His smile became a touch self-deprecating as he nodded in acknowledgement of her explanation. "See, I didn't think of that." Which was stupid, really. He'd been a werewolf his whole life. But then, he'd lived with other werewolves for a good portion of that life, so it hadn't really occurred to him to him all that much. "A witch? I'm gonna have to disagree with you there." That wasn't less interesting at all. If anything, it was more interesting, at least to him. "I think I can safely say you're the first witch I've ever met, Jocelyn."

Jocelyn smiled at Grayson in a very pleased to meet you manner. "That you know of," she told him. "We blend in better than most." To her, it seemed more likely that he'd met one and just didn't know it. She'd been raised as witch though, by witches, and had a detailed account of what her bloodline was capable of when it came to magic. Not to mention having been raised in a portion of the country full of some sort of witches and possibly one of the only places where even small children know about voodoo. "It would seem we have our third," she said motioning towards the tall man headed their way.