Jocelyn Klaes || Hel (tohelandback) wrote in paxletalelogs, @ 2017-05-03 13:54:00 |
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Entry tags: | hel, loki |
Look at us, all grown up
Who: Jocelyn and Nish
What: This is what happens when you don’t call or write, Nish.
Where: At Nish’s law firm
When: May 3rd, late afternoon
Jocelyn stood in the hallway outside a frosted glass door, wondering if - now that she had packed up everything she owned and driven 2,500 miles - she actually had the nerve to go through with it.
BARRIS LAW, the door read in stark black letters.
It was the right place. It had to be. Rob wouldn’t have lied to her, even if he didn’t entirely approve of his younger sister’s career choices. And it wasn’t like the woman was hiding or anything. Probably.
She fidgeted, adjusting the lightweight kimono jacket she wore to cover her upper body. It was only May, and already the weather was warmer than she was used to after a dozen years in Toronto. It occurred to her that she should have called ahead. After all, it had been years since they had last seen each other, and Nishka hadn’t exactly expended the effort when Jocelyn had been in the hospital.
Just go in. It’s a big city - if things go poorly, it’s not likely you’ll run into her again. Right?
She took a deep breath and pushed the door open, stepping inside.
Jessica was at her desk typing an email when the door in front of her opened, her brows rising at the unexpected walk-in. “Ohh, hi,” she greeted, her tone friendly and welcoming, turning slightly away from her computer screen. “Can I help you? I wasn't expecting anyone, do you have an appointment?” she asked, consulting the book on her desk.
The office was relatively small, with one large entrance room dominated by the reception desk, with a few plants and tasteful pictures to make the space a little more welcoming. Two smaller rooms were on either side of the main room; a small room used as a kitchen, and Nish’s office. The doors to both were currently closed.
Jocelyn hesitated. “I don’t...no.” She chewed on her lower lip as she thought about what to say, then finished in an apologetic rush. “I should have called, I’m sorry. It’s just...well, it’s been so long, and I was in town and…” She felt her cheeks heating. “I just wanted to surprise her. That’s all.”
She thought, then added, as if it were an olive branch. “Maybe I can make an appointment and come back when it’s more convenient?” She smiled at the receptionist, tentatively.
Jessica smiled at the clearly flustered woman and then looked down at the schedule in front of her. “I think...she might have a few minutes,” she said, looking up at her. She reached for her phone and dialed Nish's office.
“Yeah there's someone here to see you, do you have a few minutes? No, but she says she's from out of town. Okay.” She hung up and smiled at Jocelyn. “She'll be out in a minute,” she said kindly, indicating to one of the chairs off to the side that served as their small waiting area. “Would you like a drink? We have some bottled water…” she got up from her seat and retrieved a bottle from the mini fridge nearby behind her desk, handing it to her.
“Thank you,” Jocelyn replied, accepting the bottle and taking the indicated seat. She forced herself to relax while she waited - when she found herself fidgeting with the unopened water bottle, she tucked it away in her purse and deliberately folded her hands on her lap.
Nish had been making corrections on an affidavit Jessica had typed up for her when she got the call, quickly finishing up her thought and closing the file so she could greet who she assumed was a new client. She quickly straightened the small pile of work-in-progress on her desk, made a cursory inspection of her appearance and then headed out of her office, only to find the last person in the world she'd expected to see again sitting awkwardly in the waiting area.
“...Josie…” she said, her voice a mix of surprise and curiosity and a little apprehension.
Jocelyn’s nose wrinkled in annoyance at Nishka’s use of her childhood nickname. Then she smiled as she rose to her feet. “Surprised, Nikki?” she asked, retaliating with another long-unused nickname.
Nish winced slightly at the name. Heather had called her that. Nobody was allowed to use it anymore. Apparently she hadn’t gotten the memo. “Jocelyn,” she said, reverting to her formal name, “why don’t we talk in my office,” she said, leaving no room for argument. She motioned towards the door she’d just come through with her head and glanced briefly at Jessica, who was watching the two of them with rapt attention.
Nish led Josie into her office, a smaller room with a nice dark wood desk, a few chairs, plants, and a window beside Nish’s seat. She closed the door behind them and then turned towards her, crossing her arms with questioning look on her face.
As soon as the door closed behind her, Jocelyn leaned against the wall, not making eye contact with her old friend. “Oh shit. Nishka...I’m sorry. I’d forgotten that she…” she shook her head. “I’m sorry.”
Nish sighed, her expression softening slightly, and nodded to her. She gestured to one of the chairs on the opposite side of her desk and then sat in her own chair, taking the moment with her back turned to compose herself. “So...it’s been a while,” she said, trying to break the very thick ice between them with a hint of a smile. “What...brings you to LA?” she asked, trying to sound casual and not invasive. Last she’d heard...well, what Rob had told her hadn’t been good.
Jocelyn sank into the offered chair with a sigh. She wasn’t quite sure anymore how she had expected this meeting to go, but she was reasonably certain she hadn’t been planning on sticking her foot in her mouth within the first minute of seeing her old friend.
She shrugged. “I just...needed a change of scenery for a while.” She reached up and fidget with the lock of hair on the left side of her face. “After the trial...well, he’s in prison now, no thanks to that scumbag who…”
Christ, this is not going well.
“...well, he’s in prison, and I received a little bit of restitution, and I just had to get away...you know?”
Nish nodded while Jocelyn spoke, chewing idly on the inside of her lip. “Yeah, I do,” she said, offering her a little smile. “You’re okay?” she asked, frowning with concern. “I’m sorry I couldn’t...Rob told me what happened, but…” she paused, thinking back on that time in her life, uncovering her own demons that had plagued her three years ago. “I wouldn’t have been much help to you then anyway,” she said with a shrug. A grin tugged at her lips and she added, “actually, Rob called me a selfish bitch for not coming out to see you, but I was too drunk at the time to do much about it.” Her smile soured a little, but stayed for her benefit.
“You should have heard what he said when you weren’t on the phone,” Jocelyn replied, dryly. “But for the sake of being the bigger person, I’ll just say that I’m sorry I wasn’t in much condition to be there for you, either.” There was a glint of laughter in her eyes.
Nish allowed a soft chuckle, glancing away from her to her now sleeping computer screen and then back to meet her eyes. “He was right though, I should have been there.” She more than anyone could have understood her, given her own past with Stephen. If anyone should have been at the hospital with her, it was her. But at the time they’d been distant, and she’d been dealing with her own shit, and all those other excuses that she’d given to Rob at the time but sounded hollow now.
She took a deep breath and forced a smile. “So I’m guessing you’re not in LA for the surfing,” she said, inviting Jocelyn to tell her why she was here.
Jocelyn snorted with amusement at the dig about surfing. “No, probably not - though they do make some cute wetsuits these days…” She looked thoughtfully at Nishka. “Honestly, I’m not entirely sure. I needed a change of scenery, yeah...but I really didn’t want to start over again in another city where I knew no one. Again.”
She frowned. “And then I was halfway here, before it occurred to me that most of the people I know down here are from the industry...and I’m-” she swore. “I’m definitely not ready for that yet.”
Nish frowned slightly at that. “You’re not going to get back into it?” she asked, surprised. “What will you do then? I thought you loved voiceover work.” She looked closely at her, noting a very slightly uneven skin tone on one side of her face, so subtle that it would be missed if it wasn’t there. A slight frown creased Nish’s brow when she saw it, though she didn’t look away, didn’t draw attention to the fact that she’d noticed. “Do you have a place here? A job? Do you need help?” she asked, lapsing back into the older-sister role she’d reluctantly taken on years ago.
Oh, Jocelyn recognized that frown, all right. Nish might be better than most at hiding it, but she’d been seeing that expression on people’s faces for months now. She bit back a frown. “I think I’ll be okay. I don’t have an apartment lined up yet, but I’ve booked a room at an extended stay place near the airport, until I find something more permanent.”
Nish’s brows rose in surprise. “You’re…no,” she said, shaking her head, “that’s stupid. Look, I have a futon in the livingroom, you can crash with me for a while if you want. That is, if you can put up with my cat,” she added with a little smirk. “We’ll see if we can find you a place...hell, my building is practically empty, I’m sure we could get you a cheap apartment there…” She knew the management was strangely particular about their tenants, but she’d also seen some rather odd people granted an apartment there. It was worth a try, at least.
Jocelyn quirked an eyebrow at her, then suddenly burst out laughing. “Wow. You must really be feeling guilty about not coming to visit!” She tilted her head slightly as she looked at Nishka. “Or is that hotel really that bad?”
Nish grinned, “the hotel is really that bad,” she grinned. “I’ve woken up hungover in nicer places than that. I wouldn’t wish that on anyone, and you’re practically family, so you get my couch.” She sighed and looked at her calendar on her desk. “I’ve got one more meeting today and then we can head home...do you want to go get your stuff and meet me back here?”
Josie smiled and stood back up. “Sure. I can take a hint. Time to get out of here before you have your dragon out front throw me out.” She dug in her purse for a moment, then laid a business card on the desk. “Card’s out of date, but the number’s still good. Call me when you’re done.”
With that, she turned and exited the office, smiling at Jessica and mouthing “thank you” at the secretary as she left.