tension between the girls

Who: Jocelyn and Synnove
Where: Printed Syns
When: Late afternoon

Things sorted out with Maddie there was one stop left before Jocelyn could return back to Babylon or the safe house or anywhere else in the world she felt more comfortable than she was feeling standing outside of Synnove's gallery. This was easily the last place on earth she wanted to be standing, or going inside of for that matter. But she'd told Doc she'd talk Synnove about the spirits gaining momentum and Jocelyn wasn't going to go back on her word. If he was sure Synnove could help or at least learn something extra about the situation then Jocelyn was going to have just deal with the fact that she was something that bordered on terrified of this moment. Taking a deep breath to steady her nerves Jocelyn pushed the door the gallery open and stepped inside.

Syn happened to be in, something she was a lot lately. She'd been spending what might be considered inordinate amounts of time at her gallery, and mainly because of the company that was staying in the loft upstairs. She was enjoying her time with Marcus, and was still figuring out where the lines were on that score. At least at the moment she wasn't upstairs with the guy, she was downstairs, sitting at her desk, framing photographs. When the bell above the door jangled, she glanced up, honestly surprised to see who was there. Jocelyn. Doc's new squeeze. "Hello." she said in greeting, her surprise not necessarily projected loud and clear, really, but there was a light lilt to the end of the word that made it almost a question. Not quite, but almost. The music that had been playing on the speakers in the place turned down slightly, as Teddybear did so accordingly due to unexpected company.

"Hey Synnove," Jocelyn greeted back, trying to make her voice seem light and cheery, but it came out still somewhat rooted in the nerves that were plainly shown on her face. She did her best to casually make her way into the room undoing the first few buttons of her coat and unwrapping her scarf from around her neck as she walked. Her focus though was drawn from the gallery's owner to the artwork that scattered the walls and Jocelyn found herself drifted more towards the photographs than the photographer. "These are amazing," she breathed admiring some of the portraits near her of a man perfectly framed along the beach. Still nervous, she glanced back at Synnove, looking somewhat embarrassed.

Syn watched Jocelyn kind of get distracted as she wandered over towards the walls, and she smiled a touch when Jocelyn commented, and looked back. She was definitely getting the 'hey, nerves!' vibe from the woman and wondered if she was just that intimidating. Granted, she'd come off as intimidating before, so it wasn't exactly new. "Thank you." she said, heading over towards Jocelyn, keeping her eyes on her instead of looking at the prints. She knew what was up there.

There were a few other prints from what looked like the same day as the beach photo. Looking closer as Synnove headed her way, Jocelyn noticed they were of the same man, but she didn't recognize him. Something about him though was striking, and not just because he was handsome. It was something in the way he held himself. Something that oddly reminded her of Doc when he talked about work. "Who is he?" she asked once the other woman was closer, but not taking her eyes off the photographs.

"A friend." Synnove answered, finally looking away from Jocelyn and looking to the photographs of Marcus. "Before he was a friend. That was when I met him. He was good enough to humor me while I took photos of him." she shared with the woman. Marcus had taken direction alright as well, even if he was being stubborn. Still she had those ones, and then, nearby, the photographs of his scar. Those she had thought turned out well as well.

"Quite the good-looking friend," Jocelyn let slip before turning to face Synnove. "Sorry to bug you; I'm probably far from who you were expecting to see today. Your dad wanted me to ask you about some stuff though." The nerves which had subsided briefly with their friendly interaction, but they were bubbling up again. "If you've got a minute of course." Jocelyn tried to bit back the part of her that hoped she'd been really interrupting things and Synnove would send her back out the door and this whole mess of a conversation could end.

Syn smirked faintly when Jocelyn mentioned that Marcus was good looking. Because yes, in fact, he was. Syn could agree with that wholeheartedly. "You're not bugging me." she said first. "And I have a few minutes, even. What's up?" she asked. She gestured back over towards her desk where there were chairs. "Want a soda or something?" she asked, heading back over there and ducking down by the minifridge to get two out just in case.

"Soda sounds great," Jocelyn said as she dropped into one of the chairs by the desk. "It's about the hauntings around town. I'm not sure if you've heard about them, but people have been experiencing poltergeists in their houses and such. Grayson mentioned it to me as he'd had a visitor tear up his kitchen one night then try and flood his apartment the next night. But apparently he's not the only one around town with unexpected guests." She leaned back in the chair and watched Syn closely. "Doc said you'd be the person to ask about it, perhaps you could find out something?"

Syn held out the bottle of soda, and sat down behind her desk where she had been. She thought before she spoke, something Synnove was prone to doing in general. "I've heard a little here and there about the hauntings." she said. "I don't know exactly what I could find out, but I could try. Or I could possibly stop the spirit from trashing his place again." she said. She was a spirit elemental. If she wanted to stop a spirit, she could. If she wanted to rip people's spirits out of their bodies, she could.

"I think I've got his apartment under control, but if the game has changed somehow and my wards don't hold up it might come to that. I'll let you know." She paused to take a sip from the bottle she'd taken and open while she was talking. "Doc was wondering if it was all linked given the number of hauntings. Or if it indicated something else. Something larger." The last thing they needed was trouble, what with Doc being out of town and Grayson, Kurt and Jocelyn still not knowing their way around each other yet.

"I don't know. I'd have to try to talk to one in the midst of things." Syn answered. "I can hardly go wandering around town looking for random spirits to grill on the subject." she pointed out. It wouldn't really help. Plus they might not know. And then Syn wondered if Jocelyn even knew what it was she could do. What she was. She was willing to bet the answer was 'not really'.

Jocelyn pondered what Synnove said briefly, but it made sense to her. "I understand. I know Grayson said he tried talking to the ghost but didn't have much luck. I'm not sure how that affects the situation. He's not really much of a talker in general." Why Synnove would be better cut out for this task than anyone else had crossed Jocelyn's mind briefly but she'd let it pass, her trust in Doc's judgment when it came to his kids was solid.

Syn nodded, taking that in. "Well, why don't I show up to his place tonight, and we can figure something out?" she suggested. "If the wards hold, then fine, if they don't, I can manage things." It seemed like a reasonable type of suggestion to her. Plus she'd be able to see more of Jocelyn and Grayson.

All of the rosiness from walking outside in the cold that was in Jocelyn's cheeks drained away. She didn't go completely pale, but there was a definite change in coloring. "Um, sure that sounds like an ok plan. I need to run it by Grayson though. I know he's not been sleeping and who knows what his night last night was like." It was a reasonable plan and it made sense. It was probably the best way to fix the problem, but the idea of it continued to play on Jocelyn's nerves. She really needed to stop being so nervous around Synnove. It's not like the girl completely disapproved of Jocelyn's relationship with Doc; he said as much himself.

Syn didn't say anything for a long moment, and just eyed the woman assessingly. "What was that?" she asked. She'd noted the whole paling thing, and that she still seemed kind of nervous, or...whatever. So, Synnove being Synnove, she was going to be straight forward about it. Entirely. "You've been a ball of nerves since you got here, and what--do you not want me helping? Do you even know what it is I can do?" she asked.

Why me? "Honestly I have no idea what you can do, but I trust Doc when it comes to you and Seph so if he says you're the go to person, you're the go to person." Her tone was less than pleasent which probably wasn't the best way to go about this whole process. "I won't lie to you and say being around you doesn't make me nervous. I've never been one to hide my feelings so lying about them is a waste. This," she gestured to their surroundings, "is not comfortable for me. I have no idea how you feel about me, as both Doc's associate or his whatever and it's making me a little tense." The rant came out far more coherant than she'd expected. "So the prospect of more time with somoene I'm not sure even wants me around makes me even more uncomfortable. Bear with me."

Syn kept her gaze level on Jocelyn. "First of all--stop that. Trusting Doc is a good thing, blindly following and not making any inquiry on your own is not. It means you're not putting your own thoughts into things, that you've got no drive. Don't be a little automaton. Think for yourself. Don't always just go with what he says. The man is intelligent and knows what he's doing, he isn't infallible. I know my father. He doesn't want a doll, he wants someone who can stand on her own. Keep that in mind." she said, tone even. Jocelyn could snap at her all she wanted, really, Syn didn't so much care, as she wanted to cut to the heart of the matter and it appeared she had. "It's negligent for you not to inquire about what those around you are capable of. You can't exactly assess a situation if you don't even know that. So no, you don't get to just go with 'Doc told me'. Find out. Dig. Ask. If you're going to be around and working with people, then work with people. Do it on your own, don't just hover in Doc's shadow, waiting for him to point out who to talk to or where to go." she continued. "Second, you've not been asked to hide your feelings, now have you? So, why bring that up? If you were doing so, then that's your own fault, not mine. If you want to know how I feel about you, ask me. I don't really appreciate you sitting there saying that you're not good with spending more time with me when you've made no actual effort to either get to know me or find out how I feel about you in the first place. Seems to me like you're just outright assuming the worst and wishing to avoid, and don't even care to remedy that. So--think about your behavior, please. Doc probably wouldn't have brought you in on anything unless you had some strength of your own--prove him right. Display some." Her tone was that same even, reasonable sort of level throughout.

A familiar fire burned behind Jocelyn's eyes as she listened to Synnove's lecture. The way the girl just tore apart most of Jocelyn's concerns, without dispelling any of them burned away most of her nerves. "I am by no means anyone's doll. You also probably know your father isn't one to divulge information about anyone, including himself. I spend most of my time trying to piece together the glimmers of information he's given me about him to put together a clearer picture of the man I'm sleeping with. He's told Grayson, Kurt and I next to nothing about each other and even less about you and Seph. I know you're a skilled hunter, but the rest he seems to keep close. Just as I can assume he's not told you much about me either." Jocelyn's tone smoldered slightly, but was still almost as even as Synnove's was. "I spoke with him last night and told him about the situation at hand. I suggested warding Grayson's apartment, running things by Kurt and another of my contacts for information. Doc suggested talking to you, I took his suggestion and here I am. If you'd like to clue me in on why exactly you're the girl with the know-how on spirits, then by all means, clue me in. If you'd rather not then don't." She took a slow breath before continuing. "As for you and me, I've not gotten a good vibe off you yet and I've made a solid living off reading people who don't like to be read so I tend to trust my gut. It made me nervous because I would prefer for you to like me, and I wasn't sure how to go about that being that we probably don't have much in common. But honestly, you really don't have to like me; I'm with your dad, not trying to move in as some sort of wicked stepmother."

"So just because he's not said anything, you don't feel like you need to get that information? He does play things close to the chest. He knows what he knows, and it's your job to fill in the blanks if he's not going to tell you things. And honestly, you should be doing it yourself, because then you can get to know people better on your own terms, not on his." Syn said. "That's not an excuse, it's more proof you need to be doing this." she added. "It's clear that you're just following. It's clear that you're not thinking things through on your own. Yes, I'm the person to go to for spirit information. I'm a spirit elemental. If you don't know what one is, because they're rare as all hell, it's someone who's got a direct connection with spirits, on a number of levels. I can summon them, sense them, keep them...even living ones, now--though that's not a practice I do often." she explained. "Your 'vibe' comes from what? A single encounter when you were in a room full of a bunch of people you were first meeting when you were continually looking over at Doc any chance you got when you thought no one was looking?" she asked. "Hardly a good measure. In fact I'd say that that's not having given me a chance. As for things in common--you never know, you don't know a thing about me. And there you go again, putting a negative spin on everything. Honestly, Jocelyn, it seems very much like you've arbitrarily decided that this isn't going to work, or maybe you've got your own grudge against me. I don't know what it is, but it's spectacularly unfair. You've slapped a negative veil over everything and basically seem to be going with that instead of even making an attempt to find out if it's valid. Maybe that's easier for you. Maybe you do just want to be with Doc and call it a day and not deal with anything else like the fact that he's got kids. I don't know but you aren't exactly painting yourself any differently." she said. She shook her head. "You know, I met you for a very short time, with a bunch of different people. What exactly gave you this negative 'vibe' impression? I didn't even really get to talk to you. I wasn't shooting you dirty looks, or anything of the kind."

"A spirit elemental? How similar to another sort of elemental would that be? I had a client that was a fire elemental, not local of course, but she made an effort to stop by whenever she was in town. And Seph? Is he an elemental too?" Jocelyn's tone had taken a complete direction turn because her curiosity was piqued. The desire to match wits with Synnove was lost, and Jocelyn was pretty sure the girl was right on almost all counts. She did tend to shed a negative light on everything and assume the worst when it came to herself--doubting her own abilities, doubting the possibility that she and Synnove could find some common ground to stand on, or that Synnove would even want to. Jocelyn was fully aware of her own self-esteem issues and it didn't help that Synnove's words were just short of a verbal beating. But she let that slide for the moment, changing gears and losing the bite from her tone. "I mean it's not really a hereditary thing is it?"

"I'm not entirely certain, honestly." Syn answer the first question first, not at all going to not answer when she'd told Jocelyn she should ask in the first place. So if she was going to? She was damn well getting proper answers. Since Jocelyn had dropped her Tone going on, Syn's was the slightest bit less edged as well, not that she'd had much edge in her tone to begin with. So, it was even. Reasonable. Open. "I've read up on other elementals, but to me it seems like they're not quite the same things. It's just what we're termed as. Like...I regain energy by meditating with elements, I suppose, so there's a connection. And I can feel it when anything around me dies--which by the way is horrifyingly bad, and it knocks me out of commission, which you might need to know someday. I hope not, but it's something that's likely to happen eventually." What with their line of work and all. "I'm fairly good at what I do, but it's intuitive, and difficult to explain. Like I can summon spirits and do a whole lot with them--I could see them before everyone else could. Talk to them just like I'm talking to you." she explained. "And no, it's not hereditary, our mother was like Doc, and the sperm donor was a were-coyote." There was a clear bitter undertone when she mentioned her biological father. Yeah, there were some issues there. But it was only there for that, her tone even returned to normal when she answered about her brother. "Seph is a death elemental. More similar to myself than other elementals as well...he'd have to explain what it is he can do."

Jocelyn sat back in her chair, relaxing slightly as she compared what she'd been told from the other elemental to what Synnove was saying. "I think it's somewhat similar. She could do that regaining energy thing too, only with fire. And she could control fire. Which was why she liked me so much, I can conjure fire." It was actually a very twisted relationship, but the patron paid well and had offered more than once to Eris to pay out Jocelyn's contract. Thankfully Eris had refused.

Syn bit back that she'd just told her that she knew about other elementals, and didn't exactly need to be told that fire elementals could regain strength by meditating with fire. "Well they're all termed together. And that's what I can do. So, anything spiritually related, I'd be the girl to talk to, because I believe I can have the most impact upon them." She took another drink of her soda, and set the can down. "Conjuring fire could be useful." Such as with vampire attacks.

"It comes in handy," Jocelyn told her, sparking bits of flame across her fingers. It had become almost second nature, and tending to be something she did when bored or nervous. Plus it was easier to light the candles in her room on her own rather than with matches. "Burns though, there's no way around that." Shaking her hand the same way one would shake out a match, she glanced back up at Synnove. "So we set up shop at Grayson's tonight and hope for the best? Part of me feels like I should offer him my room at Babylon tonight so he can sleep. A cranky werewolf is the last thing we need on our hands."

"That's the plan." Syn said. She noted that Jocelyn had glossed over entirely by now the whole what she thought of her thing. Dropped it like a hot coal. But she didn't bring it up again either. If Jocelyn didn't want to know, and wouldn't put in even that small amount of effort? Then so be it. It just wasn't going to win the woman any points, especially after the things she'd said to her during the course of the visit. The mention of her place of employment made Syn internally twitch slightly, but there was absolutely no indicator of it. That she considered none of her business. "I'm sure there are other places he could stay. There's a spare room at our house." she said. "If he didn't want to stay there, or pay for a hotel."

There was something about the way the statement was worded that caught Jocelyn slightly off guard. It almost seemed like offering her space was a poor choice. "Doc offered the safe house as well. Although I imagine he'd feel more comfortable somewhere he's familiar with. I only suggested Babylon as he works there as well. Although in a pinch Eris would probably help out to keep him from lashing out at her customers," Jocelyn pointed out. What was left unspoken between them would probably remain that way for the time being unless something or someone other than Jocelyn brought it back into the light. She wasn't ready to take on Synnove in that department; she had far more to prove to herself and to the others around her.

"I didn't ask you to justify your offer. Just pointed out that there are other ones. The safe house would work as well though I'm not actually sure how much furniture is left in there, unless it's been re-furnished since we moved. I haven't been there in a long time so I wouldn't know." Since the safe house had originally been theirs, and they'd ditched it for the new place. When one tended to have random guests and other such things, having a two bedroom house was a no-go. Particularly when one's brother had a thing for his sister in close quarters.

"It's still pretty sparse outside of some bed rolls and pillows," Jocelyn answered, a half smile turning at the corners of her mouth as she remembered one of her last visits to the house. Shaking herself from the reverie so focused back on the situation at hand. "I think Kurt was planning on moving in sometime soon, so I'm not sure if he's had any luck with that since."

Syn hummed a little. "Right, well, the place needs furniture. End of story. I'll work on that. Shouldn't take too long. If you can think of anything you need specifically there, or want, let me know and I'll see about procuring it." she added, leaning forward to make a little note for herself. Syn may be young, just barely out of highschool but the girl was mature beyond her years and responsible to a fault. So yes. Furniture for the house, especially if it was going to be used by people to crash in. It was probably beyond time for that anyhow.

"If we're making a list of things it needs, it's lacking proper provisions. With Kurt moving it, there'll be day to day food stuffs, but nothing for long term, or if there's a sudden influx of people staying over." Jocelyn ran her thumb along her bottom lip, trying to think of anything else that was jumping out at her that the house might need, although nothing was coming to mind and the more she tried to place herself in the house, the more she remembered Doc pressing her into the wall so hard she was pinned beneath him. Her cheeks flushed a tiny bit with the memory.

Syn wrote down food and other basics to put into the house, like linens and fixing the bathroom up properly with everything people would need, along with a good amount of medical supplies just in case. No one liked heading to the proper hospital, the kinds of wounds people like them sustained just weren't that explainable. Glancing up, she noticed the bit of a blush, but didn't make any indication she did. "I'll get supplies for the house, they should be there within the next few days." she assured her.

Following the memory was a flood of loneliness as Jocelyn remembered it would be yet another night and following day without seeing Doc. Trying to keep her emotions in check and hopefully not plastered all over her face she delved into the plans for the house. "I'll get Maddie over as soon as she's able to get her spell laid in place for the house. I think that will be more than just a one day job, but we'll get it into place before too long."

"...I don't know who Maddie is, but sure. I'm sure you've got your own agenda. I'll just take care of practical things, you do...whatever you're doing. And tonight, call to give me the address, so we can try and work out Grayson's spirit problem." Syn said, writing down a few more things, then finally setting her pen down.

"Maddie would be the witch your father hired to safeguard the safe house with a ritual. It should make it impenetrable to anyone who isn't invited." It was hard, but Jocelyn manage to keep most of the animosity out of her tone. She really did like Maddie and appreciated what Maddie was doing, but having Doc circumvent her like that was still grating on her nerves. "Not that you actually asked, but I figured I'd fill you in nonetheless. If her ritual is anything like some I've seen my mother do, it can be unsettling to someone who doesn't know what's going on. Just in case you happen by the house while she's working on it, I don't you to be thrown off gaurd."

Syn just stared at Jocelyn for a moment. Then she leaned forward to rest her arms on her desk. "Jocelyn," she started. "Do you really think, with a mother who was like Doc, with what he can do, and the fact that you know I'm a hunter, and a spirit elemental, and that I've got a ton of experience with all of this, that something like that is really going to throw me?" she asked. She really didn't think Jocelyn meant to be insulting and condescending with her comment, but it was. Maybe the girl was just trying to get a shot in, because she'd so blatantly dropped everything else she didn't have an answer for. Or maybe she just didn't think before she opened her mouth. Or maybe, she just wanted to try and put Syn in a position that was lower than herself in an area. She didn't know, she just knew it wasn't something she appreciated, even if her tone never left it's even keel, and her facial expression remained neutral. She'd phrased it as a question to give the girl a chance, not to jump down her throat.

The portion of Syn's question that jumped out at Jocelyn was the mention of Doc's own powers. It dawned on her that she had no idea what he was capable of and in some way that made her wonder. "When you put it that way, I guess it wouldn't throw you." Jocelyn's answer was calm, mostly because she hadn't meant any harm by her warning. The biggest concern she had, was someone happening upon Maddie and trying to take her out before asking questions. She shrugged, and stood, gathering her things. "I was just trying to cover all my bases."

"Considered them covered." Syn said. "I'll hear from you later then?" she said, wondering if Jocelyn was going to actually keep up with that end or conveniently forget about it and deal with whatever herself, just so she could keep avoiding Syn. She still hadn't asked the simplest of questions, even when told to do so. That still came off to Syn like she was uninterested and just wanted there to be tension there. If she did nothing to dispel it, or anything of the sort...it simply wasn't a good reflection on the woman's character. Which was disappointing. Syn hadn't had anything against her. She could have dispelled some things, but...not now.

"Of course," Jocelyn told her. "Should I call you here or at the house?" Jocelyn had no intent of backing out on their plan. Syn had been clear that she would be able to help if the wards failed, and this wasn't about Jocelyn and her insecurities. Sure she would dread it, but not going through with it was pointless and only hurt Grayson in the end. Something about the hauntings was still bothering her, but she couldn't put a finger on it. Jocelyn was hesitant to walk away, even though, as Syn had said, all of the bases were covered. She'd accomplished what she needed from this visit, but there was still tension between them. Just walking away from it could ruin things.

"Just call my cell, it'll be easiest, I've always got it on me. Though really, if you try to get ahold of me anywhere, the call will get forwarded to me." Syn told her. Teddybear made sure of that, so she never actually worried about missed phonecalls. The only time he let things go to message is if she was really indisposed. Otherwise? She was getting her calls if she wanted them or not.

Jocelyn nodded, but didn't walk away. "You were right earlier. I tend to put a negative spin on things and assume the worst. I'm not trying to make excuses, I'm just agreeing with you." She left out the piece where it was mostly rooted in self-esteem issues. Something told her Syn wouldn't be empathetic about that. "I care about your dad, a lot. I don't want to be involved in only one aspect of his life and ignore the rest though. I've been the secret lover long enough. You're dad means more to me than that. I want something to work between us."

Syn was quiet for a moment, assessing what Jocelyn said. "Honestly, Jocelyn, if you run around assuming everything like you did with me? That says horrible things about how you view other people. You put me in a light of being a bitch with no reason to dislike you, as if I'm the type of person to do that, to behave that way. So. Either you can stop making everyone around you out to be an asshole, and being bitten in the ass because of it, or you can work on it. The choice is yours. But I don't appreciate being judged so harshly when I've not done anything to give you any indication that I've got any negative feelings towards you. It's not fair." she said. And while Syn was someone who very much understood the world was a fantastically unfair place, that didn't mean she stood for it when it was being pushed on her. "I'm glad you care about him. I've been telling him for ages that he needs a life. I didn't appreciate the last woman he spent time with, but I'm never going to tell him who he can and can't choose to be with. That's his business. It'd be nice if we could not have tension between us, there's enough of that going around as it is." What with her brother's abhorrence of her seeing someone. She wasn't looking to add to that.

Hearing her defense mechanisms repeated back to her Jocelyn could plainly see how silly they were. "I'm working on it. I've been on my own for a long time Synnove, you've had your mom, Doc, and Seph. For a while, it was safer for me to assume the worst in everyone, I didn't have anyone to back me up when things got shitty." As for her view on people? Maybe it did tend towards horrible, but she'd seen some pretty horrible. "You know how I made my living for the past year, and Babylon caters to the most unique. A lot of ugly comes through our doors. Even those that aren't ugly, often have it inside of them. It makes you start to wonder if there's anything out there that isn't," she told her. "I don't expect us to be best friends, but I'd like to work on it and you seem willing. I'll do my best from here on out."

There was one hard, hard twitch there, and that was that Jocelyn mentioned her mother. "Don't presume you know who I have and had not have in my life, Jocelyn. My mother killed herself. We didn't have the warmest relationship in the world. So don't make blanket far off base assumptions that I've had support, when you don't know anything about me." she said flatly. "Doc only came into my life properly once she was gone. Before that? He visited a couple times a year and spent most of his time with my mother. My brother hasn't always been by my side. So you can just stop assuming things, please. Like what I just mentioned to you--assuming everyone's shit and going to treat you as such, and stop just--you don't know. You also seem not quite so good at making proper ones. And you don't seem inclined to ask, either, so if that's the case, don't speak about things with confidence like that when you have no idea the truth behind the matter." she said. She looked away for a long moment, then back to Jocelyn. "Everyone has ugly inside of them. It doesn't mean that's the end all of who they are or even the ruling factor in their lives and personalities. If you didn't like what your occupation showed you, perhaps you should have found another one. Either way, that's your business, what you do. It's absolutely none of mine."

Jocelyn just watched Syn carefully and didn't answer right away. "I suppose I was out of line, I apologize for that." Every step forward was two steps back. Crossing her arms across her chest she continued. "Don't make the same assumptions about me. Sure I didn't like what my job showed me, but I can't imagine you enjoy what hunting shows you. It wasn't reason enough to quit; I enjoyed what I did, and I was good at it. But you're right, that is my business, or it was. It's not really relevant anymore."

"I never put into conversation that I might have seen things I didn't like like it was meant to garner me sympathy. You did. You used it for some justification for you making a rather harsh judgment on me and everyone else, and I've pointed out that that's been your own choice. So it doesn't hold up as an excuse if it's something you're doing because you want to." Syn said. She noted that Jocelyn said that it wasn't relevant anymore, and figured that meant she had left the profession as it were. "Have you quit?" she asked. If Jocelyn didn't answer, she'd respect that. Syn was a different sort of breed sometimes. She could still be at odds with someone and entirely respect where the lines were, and respect them and their privacy as well. She believed in it, and still did here as well. It wasn't her business. That didn't mean she couldn't ask. If she got told where to go over it, then she wouldn't ask again.

"Technically no. Eris wouldn't let me out of my contract and keep my room. But I only see one client now." Jocelyn didn't have a problem telling Syn what her current status was, as it would probably go over well, considering her job typically brought her scorn. "And I'm being volunteered for waiting tables and tending bar a hell of a lot more often than I'd like. I just have to keep reminding myself that it's a fair trade: I'm not homeless and I get to see the person I want to see."

Syn nodded, taking that into account, and it did make her feel at least a bit better that her dad wasn't into some very odd things that she didn't especially want to think about. "Good to know." she said genuinely, to show her appreciation for the information in general. "And the practical is more what I'm interested in. Technicalities are just that. Technicalities."

Jocelyn kept Doc's deal with Eris to herself. True, even she didn't know the full scope of it, but if he wanted to tell his kids he'd made a deal with a madam to continue to see her, he could tell them. Her information ended at what she did and didn't do anymore. "I believe in Eris' world, technicalities are the bread and butter of any deal. One gets used to accounting for them after some time in her care." It was another assumption, but people talked around Babylon, and everyone knew Eris was a deal maker, and willing to bend things, literally, to get what she wanted from someone.

"I go for the practical." Syn said honestly. "I'm straight forward, don't appreciate bullshit, and don't try to give it out, either. I don't really feel that I have the time or energy to either blow smoke up anyone's ass, or give anyone a hard time for no reason either. That's probably the most important thing to understand about me." she offered.

"Then working with you will be a relief," Jocelyn answered with the same honesty. "I've never been as good at playing the game as she is and keeping up is exhausting. Not to mention making sure you haven't backed yourself into something you didn't want in the first place with no one to blame but yourself."

"Well you don't have to worry about that here." Syn said. "With anyone." she added, since they just didn't operate that way. Ever. "I think things are workable, Jocelyn, I just think it's going to take some work. And you're going to have to get over some of your knee-jerk assumptions on things and let go of some issues. But I'm willing to give you time to try."

"I appreciated it Synnove, I really do." Jocelyn sighed softly. "I'll call you a little later with the information about Grayson's place." Finally feeling like it wasn't going to ruin things she turned to start towards the door again, pausing briefly to take in the same photographs again. She glimpsed back at Synnove again, wondering what kind of friend he was exactly, but she didn't feel right asking; their relationship wasn't at that point. Maybe one day it would be.