Juniper had been stuck here at least an hour more than she was supposed to be. She had left a note for Catherine at their house, but she still felt guilty. They were supposed to be spending time together, playing a board game or talking or anything really. Sighing, she continued scrubbing the counter she was working on. A particularly messy group of young men had eaten there, and Juniper was left to clean up after them. 

Her extra shift was almost over, and she threw the rag she had used into the towel rack for dirty rags. Washing off her hands off in the diners kitchen sink. Finally finished with the dirty work, she settled against the counter, coffee in hand. 

Sighing, he left the two to Catherine and made his way towards a nearby diner. It was far from a respectable establishment, but one couldn’t expect much from a business in this sort of area anyways. The prices were alright, the food was decent, and it was, most importantly, convenient. A set of bells jingled as he pushed the doors open, disturbing only the music played by an old radio set. Unsurprisingly, given how close it was to closing, the restaurant was almost devoid of customers. What did cause his eyebrow to rise was the employee, apparently taking a break, by the counter. “Ms. Connor. Didn’t expect to see you around at this time,” he remarked as he walked up beside her, waving at the cook in the kitchen behind as he did so.

Juniper checked the clock once more. Two minutes, just two more minutes until her shift was over. The only employees left were her, the cook, and another waiter who was currently serving the last customer. Or what she thought was the last customer. Juniper inwardly grimaced as she heard the bell jingle, but looking up she gave a soft smile at the man entering. 

“Hello Mr. Stein. Out late again?” She set her coffee mug down on the counter, walking over to him. “So, what can I get you tonight?”

“Job ran a bit later than expected, I guess it’s the same for you?.” Taking a moment to think, he figured four times the usual would be enough. Jean doubt any of the “kids” could put away as much as he did anyways. “Just four of the usual. Got some guests to feed tonight.” 

“Oh really? You finally made some new friends?” Juniper knew Jean well enough, he was one of their regulars, and quite a nice young man in her opinion. Juniper also knew that she was one of the few who she knew about that thought so. She didn’t know him very well, but she did know that for him, friends were rather uncommon. They were for everyone in this city, including herself, and her daughter. Right, her daughter.

 “I’ve been meaning to ask, would you like to come over sometime for dinner? I have a daughter a few years younger than you, and she could use some company.”

He took a seat on one of the counter stools and leaned back onto the countertop, shrugging at her question. “Interesting acquaintances would probably be better.” He couldn’t really picture the four of them as friends, even putting aside the fact that he’d known them for probably less than ten minutes. Years without a close friend tended to make imagining hard. 

Blinking in surprise at the sudden invitation, he tilted his head as if in thought. Jean recalled Juniper had mentioned her daughter in a few of their past conversations, though the details escaped him. “I wouldn’t mind that. Company though eh?” He grinned at the barely veiled implications, though meant it in a joking manner. He might not have remembered much, but her love for her daughter stuck out quite clearly.

“Very funny Mr. Stein. But no, not that kind. You should know I would never let her have a boyfriend until he proves he’s a good man. Ha, most girls have protective fathers, but she’s just stuck with me.” Juniper called across the room, taking a medium sized box from the cook. “I hope you meant for those orders to go, because you’re coming with me!” She grinned at him, placing the box on the table in front of him. Her hands slowly untied the knot of her apron, and she let her brown hair fall free from its ponytail. She leaned against the table, relieved that her shift was finally over.

“How disappointing,” he murmured with a sad sounding sigh, before sliding off the stool and taking the warm boxes filled with food. In their place he left a few bills, and then motioned towards the door with a nod of his head. “Shall we get going then? I’m sure your daughter misses you, and they probably want their food.” He’d have to excuse himself afterwards, but Jean figured he could at least accompany Juniper back home. 

“Alright then, let’s go.” Juniper pushed herself up, walking towards the double doors. She walked through and held it open for Jean, before continuing. Streets passed, street lamps flickering. Juniper didn’t want it to be awkward, so she made small talk. “So, thank you for walking me home. I can fend for myself, but it’s always nice knowing you can rely on someone.”

“I’m sure you can, but better safe than sorry. The streets have been getting more dangerous since the military came in…” Malko wasn’t affected too much, but even he had changed a few things around. The small timers, unaffiliated? They got antsy with the show of force, even if the military’s job was to round up Shifters and not common criminals. He pushed thoughts of the business out of mind for now though, and paid more attention to where Juniper was leading him. A nagging suspicion that couldn’t be ignored prompted him to ask, “Say, what’s your daughter’s name anyways?” 

Juniper turned to look at him, slightly surprised, before grinning. “Hmm. It’s a secret. You’ll meet her, and I think you would like her. She’s quite adventurous.” Juniper turned her eyes towards the sky, remembering all the good times she had had with her daughter. They had both been glad to get away from Junipers husband, as he had been very oppressive and slightly abusive. 

“Ah, we’re here! It’s not very big, but it’s our home.” Juniper grinned, opening the gate that lead to the path up to her small house.

Ah… it was a bit disappointing to have to wait a bit longer, but Jean didn’t press. Simply nodding, he continued to quietly follow behind Juniper. Coming up to the gates, he didn’t hold back a small grin as he recognized where they were. “Mmm. It has a nice feel to it,” he agreed as he stepped through the gates, nudging it shut with a foot. “Hopefully your daughter isn’t too surprised to see me.” 

 “Hmm. Thank you!” She turned and closed the gate. Wait, what did he mean be surprised? Juniper shook it off, supposing that he just meant that Catherine would be surprised that they had a guest. She unlocked the door, stepping through and taking off her shoes. 

“Cathy, we have a guest!” Juniper shouted, not harshly, just enough so Catherine would be able to hear. “She’ll be over in a minute. Oh, I bet you two will be great friends!” 

Slipping his shoes off as he stepped in behind Juniper, Jean hummed to himself in thought. What was on his mind? Well, he was debating whether to keep quiet or say something as well. While it would probably be hilarious to see Catherine’s reaction to him alongside her mother, there was also the possibility that her reaction might make Juniper suspicious. Considering that she’d seemed interested in the “scent” of blood he apparently had, well that wasn’t exactly someone you wanted to find walking a loved one home. Taking all that into account, he called out shortly after Juniper’s echoes had faded. “And the guest brought some food too!”