State of Mind [NPC Jandice]

    Two weeks. It had been that long since all the supernatural business had been tucked away.

    It felt weird, to be honest. He'd spent a full year passing portals and dealing with a demon rumbling about in his brain. Now the streets were filled with the influx of tourists that had been remiss for ages, his head was perfectly silent save for his own thoughts, and the glimmers of light he spied were nothing more than the glint of the sun off of store windows.

    He should get used to it though. This was the way things were going to be from now on. Hell, that's what he wanted, right? No more of this hopping to other worlds nonsense, no danger for his home. That's what he got, and so he should be happy.

    Forcing himself to shrug off the lingering regrets he was having about this whole Event, he glanced both ways up and down the street and, seeing that the crosswalk was flashing "GO", scurried across the street and hurried up the steps of the townhouse nestled there. In moments he rang the doorbell, and the door almost immediately opened to reveal Pierce's grinning face.

    "Well hey there Psych." his uncle backed away from the door, holding it open for Julian to enter. He did so, and once the door was closed, pulled down the hood on his hoodie and looked around. Before he could say much of anything, Pierce turned him by the shoulders towards a hallway and shoved him forwards. "She's in the guest room, tell her I'll have food ready in a little if she wants to eat."

    Julian nodded at the retreating figure of his uncle before walking down the hallway and arriving at a room near the end, which was closed. After taking a deep breath, Julian raised his hand and knocked on the door gently. "Jandice? It's me, Jewels. Can I come in?"

    Taking her reply as a "yes", Julian opened the door and peeked in before stepping into the room fully and closing the door behind him. He took a moment to glance at the TV and deliberate for a moment before giving Jandice a soft smile. "Things seem to be calming down a lot. If we're careful about it...yeah, we can go out for a while."

    Hooking his thumbs in his pockets, the teen leaned against the wall next to the door. He listened quietly to Jandice's progress, silently pleased with how far she'd come. As much as he hated to have her here when he knew she'd rather be somewhere else, he was glad to hear that she'd been taking this time to deal with her problem and maybe come to terms with it, even to a small degree. "Really? That's great." he gave her another smile before tending to her question. "A few weeks ago, we managed to get everything squared away. So far, Azores seems to be running smoothly again, and we haven't seen hide or hair of Thesis or anyone like her." He watched Jandice's reaction carefully. As much as he'd like to give her all good news, he might as well be honest with her. "I don't know if Thesis is gone for good, but it doesn't look like she'll be back anytime soon, at least."

    Julian looked down at the floor for a few seconds before letting out a soft sigh and asking lightly, "So...how are you feeling?"

    He shook his head lightly in bewilderment, a slight smile playing his features. He kind of wanted to scold Jandice for taking this so lightly, but he thought better of it. Throughout the year, he'd taken everything so...seriously. He didn't trust anyone, he played his cards right, closed himself off. Maybe he needed to learn a lesson form Jandice and take a step back every once in a while, not be so stressed. "I'm sure they were all glad to know you're safe."

    "As far as I can tell, yeah. It's back to normal for me, it seems." He shrugged lightly, watching the girl bounce from place to place with a light smile. "So...what do you want to do? Pearce is fine with you staying here for as long as you need to. Or we could find you somewhere else to stay until the Wave's Peak is up again." Looking back on it all, Pearce had been fantastic. All he'd asked in return for his medical expertise and housing of Jandice was the assurance that neither of them had broken the law and that his kids would stay with Julian until Jandice had recovered and didn't mind the extra noise or she left. Blinking once, the teen made an "o" shape with his mouth before adding on, "Oh, right. Pearce is making food if you want some."

    She seemed fine. More than fine, actually. This was the Jandice he remembered from when he first came to Azores, the one so vibrant and full of life. Seeing her like this again brought back heavy waves of nostalgia, and for a second, Julian could almost forget that any time had passed since his first night at the club. ...Well, that is, if the scenery wasn't so...residential.

    Chuckling lightly, Julian gave her a nod. "Sounds good. But if you don't want me, at least let me see the girls you want to set me up with first, alright?" Standing upright, Julian opened up the door to the hallway and looked back at Jandice. "You wanted to go out, right? Well, get ready and we can go. Maybe pick up that stuff you need."

    He took a step as if he was about to exit, then hesitated. There was a question lingering on his mind, and he wouldn't feel right leaving it unasked. So after a moment, he turned back to Jandice, expression perplexed. "Hey...so, the guys who were after you that night...are you worried about them?" he questioned tentatively. It would be foolish to drop their guard right now, just in case those guys wanted Jandice for...whatever purpose, but it couldn't hurt to know what Jandice thought of her current situation. She must not be too worried if she was already eager to hop back into her old lifestyle...right?

    "I think I'll take a page from your book. Penecia is more fun than Standasen anyways." he shrugged, a light smile playing his lips. His expression sobered somewhat after a moment before he assured her, "Don't worry. I can look out for myself." Of course, he couldn't help but add in a mildly teasing tone, "I know you'd be devastated if anything happened to me."

    His spiel done, Julian began to exit once more, calling out, "Meet me by the door when you're ready." before he closed the door, allowing the Jandice the privacy to do...whatever it was she might need to before heading out.