Someone to Watch Your Back

Who: Grayson and Jocelyn
Where: Babylon
When: Evening

Depressed didn't even come close to covering how Jocelyn was feeling all afternoon while she tried to trudge through her shift at Babylon. In the end she'd broken at least three glasses and gotten more than several dirty looks from both patrons and coworkers. She was in a haze and couldn't seem to find her way out of it.

Part of her thought she was justified in being skeptical of the other woman Doc had brought home from his travels, part of her felt like she'd royally screwed up her life just by caring too much. It wasn't like Doc jumped to explain himself. If Kayos had been under their protection then Doc would have said something. But he didn't say anything of the sort. Just pointed out that she was his closest friend, which didn't make sense given her apparent age, and made it clear he thought Jocelyn had overstepped her bounds by assuming there was something else going on. Or that the girl was trouble.

All of it left her in the dazed state she was in, avoiding anyone who knew her well enough.

Part of being a lycanthrope meant being able to sense the moods of others based on their scent at any given time. It was how they could judge just when someone else was lying to them, when they were afraid or excited. It was all about signals being interpreted by the brain. The point was, that was how Grayson could ascertain that Jocelyn wasn't quite herself when he saw her during the evening shift that day.

Usually his breaks were dictated by the overall length of his shift at any given time, and considering the fact that he had already been working for a good few hours that day, he was entitled to at least one, and when that time rolled around he slipped out from behind the bar, destination already in mind, and made a beeline of sorts for Jocelyn. He found her across the club, able to pick her out easily thanks to his vantage point, a good few inches taller than most of the other males and almost a clean foot above many of the females in the establishment. When he came up beside her, it was with his head cocked that he did so, eyes on her profile.

"I'm stepping outside for a break," he told her, conversationally, as if he hadn't noticed anything at all was amiss. "You should tag along." That wasn't so conversational, a not so subtle hint that he knew she wasn't quite herself and fully intended to ask her about it.

Grayson was easily one of the last people she wanted to converse with, and at the same time one of the only people she wanted be around. There was something about how he always just knew what she was thinking or feeling and in this moment that could be both a blessing and a curse. "Ok?" Her answer was almost a question but she didn't hesitate to follow him. Something about that level of comfort between them caused her to trust him, plus she'd been working non stop since early in the afternoon and it hadn't exactly been a slow day.

Had it been anyone but Jocelyn it was likely that Grayson wouldn't have said anything. Truthfully he only confronted people in that forward manner when he had gotten close to them, when he felt a bond with them, and the number of people in his life whom he had that with now could be counted on one hand with fingers to spare. It wasn't sad to the werewolf at all, he didn't care that he only had one or two people, perhaps three at a push, who he felt that close to. Yes, he was a pack animal and not having a pack constantly gnawed away at him on the inside, but he didn't need huge social circles, whole groups of people he didn't feel especially close to. To him, it was better to have those tight few than the vague masses. Aware that Jocelyn was following behind, he waited until they were outside and the door was shut; even then he didn't speak right away, instead took the time to pull his cigarettes and lighter from his pocket and go through the motions of getting one started. Only then did he turned his gaze on the witch, making sure to exhale the smoke away from her as a courtesy. "So what's going on?" There was a touch of a challenge there, but only a light one; did she really want to say nothing when she had to know he knew there was something wrong?

Jocelyn let whatever had been holding her upright and functioning for the past few hours at ease and felt herself drop back against the wall outside. Where was she supposed to even start to explain? "Doc's back. He was at the safehouse this morning when I went by looking for Kurt. And he wasn't alone. Apparently he picked up a stray, who he claims is an old friend, but I swear she looks younger than me, and brought her back. As you can imagine, that meeting didn't go very well." Jocelyn covered her face in her hands briefly, embarrassed by her actions from that morning, but not doubting she was right in some way to act as she did. Pushing her hands up, she ran them through her hair and looked up at Grayson. "And Kurt's gone. Just left, nothing more than a note." The strength in her was failing and even leaning against the wall it was obvious she was seconds from just sliding down it.

Grayson was thankful that Jocelyn didn't fight him on the question, it would have been a waste of time and effort on both their parts, and beyond that, it was reassuring in its own way. It told him that he hadn't imagined the levels trust and comfort that had built up between them, and as she talked, he rested one shoulder against the wall, body angled in her direction, and listened attentively. When she was done, he continued to smoke the cigarette calmly and after breathing out another stream of smoke, he narrowed his eyes and looked at her face, gauging her emotions using her expression and the exact light in her eyes. "This old friend," he started, deciding that would be the most logical place to start, and on top of that, it seemed to be the point that was aggravating Jocelyn the most, "who did he say she is, exactly?"

"She goes by Kayos, but he wasn't specific. Just that he trusted her and she was probably one of his best friends. But she's my age on a good day, I'm not sure where she came from or how he found her, but that doesn't make me any less nervous about her." Jocelyn flashed back to the kitchen, her hand curling around the other girl's arm. "And he didn't explain himself. He just said that he trusts her. I just got reamed by Synnove for just trusting Doc implicitly and then he gets all testy with me when I question the situation. That's not even bringing my personal feelings into the matter. That made everything even more complicated." And made me even more of a bitch. She rolled her head to the side to face Grayson, fleetingly acknowledging the level of trust between them in her desire to rest her head on his chest and wait for everything to go back to normal. Or at least their version of normal.

Kayos? Now there was a strange name. Sure, Grayson wasn't exactly run of the mill, but there was different and then there was just plain odd. Maybe it was a nickname. If she was cllose with Doc in some way, then it was likely only a matter of time before the werewolf could find out for himself one way or the other. He could understand why Jocelyn had had her hackles raised by this new girl. She might not have been a wolf, but she was involved with Doc and therefore -- at least in Grayson's eyes -- fully entitled to get a little possessive or territorial. Just because there wasn't necessarily anything going on between Doc and this Kayos girl, that didn't mean Jocelyn just had to roll over and take it. "Well for what it's worth, I think you're well within your rights to feel the way you do." He offered her a smile, faint though it was. "What's the girl like?"

Jocelyn sighed before continuing. "I wish Doc felt the same way. He seemed to think I was acting childish for being jealous, or worried or whatever I was feeling. At one point he even chastised me and told me to think about how I'd feel if someone came at me that way. I'm pretty sure I'd feel an overwhelming need to explain everything, but not Doc. He just let Kayos poof off before explaining anything. And he said it was ok." The anger she'd felt earlier was seeping back into her voice. "As for her, I dunno. She's happy and chipper, which is just weird. And she did actually just poof disappear. Which was just fucking nuts." Again, Jocelyn was usually pretty sparse when it came to swearing but Kayos just vanishing into thin air was more than she could really wrap her head around. "What kind of creature can do that sort of thing?" Her word choice wasn't on purpose, but it was fitting. "Demons? Doc wouldn't befriend a demon would he? He said she saved his life more than once, that doesn't make sense does it? And how did she pull that off? She was at most a kid when he was hunting. I don't get it."

Given that Grayson had never been in anything more than a fleeting, hollow relationship -- that wasn't even the right word, any intimacy he had with females of any race was only ever on a one-night basis, or at least that was the patter that had been left in his wake; maybe that would change in his future but he didn't have any plans -- he couldn't sympathise with Jocelyn as much as he might have liked to, but he still gave her a small, thoughtful nod all the same. "A happy and chipper demon?" Grayson took a drag from his cigarette, speaking through the exhaled cloud of smoke with a very slight smirk on his face, "I didn't think those existed." It was a small attempt at humour for her benefit, but he didn't delay long in getting back to the point. "If you like, I could take a look around, see if I can run into this Kayos girl for myself. Maybe I can get some answers out of her. You know." He shrugged his strong shoulders. "Without making it obvious that I'm fishing."

Fleetingly Jocelyn wondered what it was like to be Grayson. If there'd been that one love in his life and now he was pushed forward by something else, or some sort of revenge. It didn't seem to fit him though. Although she doubted the lifestyle she'd kept at Babylon didn't seem to fit herself. "Alright so maybe we rule out demon," she concurred with a half smile. "You're welcome to see if you can cross her path. I'm also assuming I'm due up for a one on one with Doc where either he sheds some light on the situation or lectures me for being jealous." She sighed again, leaning her head back against the wall and closing her eyes. "I think he's going to ask us to trust her like he asked us to trust Kurt. Which is hard, there's something more off about her than there was with Kurt." Opening her eyes she looked at him again. "It's not like with you, with you it's easy."

Jocelyn would have been right about the revenge angle. Grayson had originally come to Marquette looking for that one wolf who had torn his pack apart, the one male who had ruined everything for so many, but he had stayed out of necessity. If it hadn't been for the fact that he'd needed money, and badly, then he would have kept going, kept hunting. "If she's allied with Doc, then she'll probably show up at the safe house sooner or later. I'm sure I can make up some excuse for spending time there." There was a wry sort of smile on his face to go along with his words. "I'll see what I can find out, see just how trustworthy she is." How trustworthy she seemed at least; there was definite benefits to being able to smell out a lie. Jocelyn's closing words conjured a different sort of smile, one lacking in humour and instead run through with sincerity and appreciation, a warm sort of acknowledgement.

"She might drop in the safe house once or twice, but after our run in there, I can't imagine she'll come back any time soon. I'm sure Doc will set up another meeting. Or at least introduce you." Jocelyn breathed a little easier with his smile. He didn't have to admit that he felt the same way, the smile said enough. "I'm just not looking forward to talking to Doc about this. I can't imagine he's pleased with me in that regard. And I can't decide if I was right, if I should hold my ground or just give in."

"If she's as happy and chipper as you say she is, I doubt you'll have put her off." Somehow he managed to say those words without them seeming harsh at all. Flicking the cigarette butt away and exhaling the last stream of smoke down towards his boots. It coiled away and up behind him to be lost in the gentle breeze that was sweeping lazily down the back alley in which they stood. "Wait and see how he reacts. Whatever happens, for what it's worth, I think you're right. Your reaction was justified."

Jocelyn nodded, taking his advice to heart, but preferring to have Grayson at her side when she faced Doc. "You sure you don't want to be there, to stand guard?" And to keep me from giving in immediately. She reached out for him, gently resting her hand on his chest. The gesture was meant as a friendly one, just one person reaching out to another.

For lycanthropes, physical contact of the sort Jocelyn was initiating was always a source of comfort, reassurance and companionship. They were a tactile race, after all, they thrived on contact and socialisation. Just because Grayson no longer had a pack in the literal sense, that didn't mean he couldn't see others around him in the same way he had seen those other wolves in the past. "I think I can make the time for that," he told her with that gentle smile on his face, warm and steady.

Sighing again, Jocelyn leaned into her hand until her forehead rested on it. "Sadly, it's probably something I need to do on my own. I just don't know if I'm strong enough now." She was breathing easier though, and relieved in the overwhelming sense that she wasn't alone. There was no doubt now that she and Grayson would easily stand side by side. Just as Doc and Kurt had been partners in a sense, she felt that there was a strong possibility that the duo would have a similar relationship. "I think I want to leave Babylon."

"Just let me know if you need me, if you want me. I'll be there." As Jocelyn closed the gap, Grayson looked down at her, the way her head rested close to his chest. It was clear that even after airing her thoughts she didn't feel wholly better, but that was to be expected. Just saying what was wrong didn't fix anything, it never did, and there was no way it could be that easy, unfortunately. "Leave Babylon?" It was almost like he'd stopped understanding her then. He had always thought that she considered Babylon home, in a sense. "Is that really what you want?"

"I don't know what I want. I wanted to talk to Doc about it, but I doubt he's going to listen now. And he'll think it's because of him. Or worse becaue of her." Jocleyn hadn't moved, but continued to speak softly. Most of the pain was gone from her voice now, she was just explaining thoughts to a friend. "I just know I don't feel as home here as I used to, since I've stopped taking clients. And I was with Mathias the other day, helping him look at places to move into? I can't say I was jealous. Here I have a room, yea, but it could be yanked out from under me at any given moment if I manage to upset our mistress. And I never really meant to take up residence at Babylon, I just ended up staying."

"Doc might surprise you yet," Grayson said, not entirely sure if he believed it for himself. Honestly if it came down to a decision -- as much as he hoped it didn't, but there was no way to tell in this world, not when everything else was so uncertain -- between Doc and Jocelyn, the werewolf would choose the latter without hesitation or difficulty. He felt he had formed more of a bond with the witch than he had with anyone else, practically effortless in the forging and unmistakeable now that it existed. "If you need to find a place to stay away from here, away from the work side of it, I'll help you."

"Yea he might; he's done nothing but surprise me since the first night he walked into Babylon." Jocelyn leaned back a little, looking up at Grayson. "I appreciate that, I really do. I don't even know how to start to get out. I imagine I'd have to convince Eris to let me leave, I'm sure I've got some sort contract that I have to buy out or something." She felt the same thing, the strength of their bond. Future incidents could find them fighting side by side and Jocelyn could already tell that would be the only place she'd want him: at her side.

Grayson showed Jocelyn another small smile, a subtle expression that somehow still managed to seem warm and affectionate. "I'll help you figure something out. Okay?" He lifted a hand and rested it on her upper arm, giving it the slightest squeeze. When he said he would do anything to help Jocelyn, he meant it. She might not have been a wolf, but Grayson felt protective of her and a desire to guide her all the same, as if she really were one of his pack.

Jocleyn let her smile creep into her eyes for the first time since that morning. "Thanks Grayson, honestly." Leaning into his touch a little she gave a contented sigh. "It's nice to know someone has my back."