enter clayton

who: eris and clayton
where: chinatown
when: early evening

Eris had something pretty specific to purchase, and she got it in Chinatown. Afterwards, she slipped it into her purse, and went for a bit of a walk, just coming to terms with the fact that she'd not only planned to kill a man, but a high profile one, and not even for crimes committed against herself. It wasn't that she was rethinking it--she wasn't. It was much more that she was doing it at all, and she was contemplating what it might mean, at the root of it. But then, she wasn't entirely positive she wanted to know what it meant.

Pausing, she reached up to tuck her hair behind her ears, the umbrella she was using wasn't doing a whole lot to keep the weather off of her. The storm was still raging, though she didn't especially mind. It was actually the perfect weather for her mood, and served a purpose--it meant not too many people were out and about and would be making any connections to her being in Chinatown at all.

With the exception of the umbrella that he had chosen not to bring with him, Clayton had never been very good at dressing for weather like this. He didn't care about getting wet, didn't feel the cold like everybody else seemed to (though he was aware it was cold) and didn't really care what the weather did to his hair. It was too short to get messed up to the point where someone could pass comment. And anyway, skin was waterproof. So the extent of his waterproofed wardrobe was decent boots and a leather jacket. Hell even that was more for stealth than for protection. The umbrella helped keep him from public view. The jacket helped him blend in with the shadier people in Chinatown that seemed to shoot him looks every few seconds. Clayton was very good at what he did, rain or shine he made sure he was able to blend in.

He wondered how he should approach Eris. It had been so long since he had actually talked to her face to face and he didn't know where to start. Should he just come up to her and go Hi Eris! Remember how I was supposed to guard you and instead I let you get fucked up and nearly killed? Yeah...well sorry. It just didn't seem like a good way to start a conversation. On the other hand Hi Eris, I have been following you for the past few days and I just wanted to tell you that I am kinda obsessed with you again. didn't seem to cut it either. So, he was going for the less obvious 'follow her around town and make sure to kick the ass of anyone who looks at her funny' approach. It wasn't working out so well. No one had approached her, and he was just trudging a block or so behind her like a little lost puppy. When she made her purchase at one of the Chinese Shops, Clayton's eyes widened with a mixture of concern and curiosity. Any ex-military man worth his salt could recognize poison when he saw it. Clayton wondered what kind of trouble Eris had to be in to be buying that kind of item in the middle of Chinatown. It was that very train of thought that pushed him to weave through the small amount of people that were out and up to Eris. He fell into step alongside her easily and said the only thing that came to his mind.

"Hello Eris."

Considering she was paranoid in the first place due to her recent foray into 'taunt the psychopath' dealings, she jumped when suddenly she found she wasn't alone. Her first thought was Andrei, her second, a split second after the first was that Brett had opted to follow her, and then, her heart about stopped when she heard his voice. It wasn't like she couldn't place it, after all. He'd worked for her for a decade. She knew him pretty goddamn well. She just hadn't expected to see him. Definitely not randomly while she was out in Chinatown, of all places.

So her first reaction was to jump. Her second reaction bypassed her brain entirely. It didn't pass go, it didn't collect two hundred dollars, and it didn't even pause to wonder about time, place, appropriateness or anything of the kind. Just one second she was recognizing his voice, and the next she'd stopped and slapped him. It was a hard slap, too, stepped into to add to the force of it, and it left her hand stinging something fierce, and a shock went up her arm. That, along with the words that tumbled out of her mouth also unfiltered: "Where were you?"

He had expected many things from Eris, he had even anticipated a few responses to his oh so eloquent greeting. He had not anticipated a slap hard enough to turn his head. He should have known better with Eris. What had he expected, a hug and a parade? He brought his hand up to his face as if that would somehow stop the burning sensation, or the palm print he knew would be showing shortly. What could he tell her? He had no real good reason for being gone when she was attacked. He mulled this over while he took her in. She was still as pretty as he remembered, pale skin, dark hair, and a body that a man would kill to touch. But she seemed...different. When he had worked for Eris in the past, she had been all flash. Nice jewelry, clothes that caught a person's eye...Now she was in black as if she wanted to fade into the background. If he wasn't trying to think of a way out of the situation he would have questioned her.

"OWW! Fuck that hurt." He said as the wave of heat finally hit his cheek. "I deserved that." He added shaking his head. There was no decent way to say why he wasn't there when all hell broke loose. "Okay, this is going to sound really bad but I was with Rosaline. I was pissed at you and she was being more than friendly. I didn't know there was any danger. Eris if I had known what was going to go down that night I wouldn't have left your side for anything. I know it's a shit excuse and probably the worst apology in the history of apologies but it is all I can offer you." He said sincerely. Not being there for Eris was one of the only regrets Clayton had in his long list of fuck ups. He had done horrible things, things that normal people would consider death worthy, but he did them with a clear conscience. Leaving Eris unprotected was one thing he would never forgive himself for.

That sharp, viseral reaction was still running hot in her veins as she stared up at him, brown eyes fierce in those moments. It could have been months ago, the day after it all happened, with how fresh it felt right then. Listening to his excuses, that didn't help, really. "With Rosaline." she repeated, voice cold. "With. Rosaline." she put out there again, words biting as she advanced a step closer. Nevermind he was taller than her. Or bigger than her and could likely snap her like a twig if he really wanted to. "So let me get this straight." she said, tone going low, almost a whisper, but clipped as her eyes narrowed. "You were mad at me, and went to go get yourself laid while I was being raped strangled and beaten?" she posed. She gave a short almost laugh that was entirely humorless, head shaking a slight bit. "You fucking asshole." she said, positive that wasn't a good enough cuss out but it was what she had at the moment. And she turned to walk away, not even sure what she was doing now.

Very smooth Clayton. Ya handled that well. He thought to himself as he watched her go from mad to absolutely livid. He knew that look, he had seen it on her face a milliion times before this and he knew that he was not going to just be able to say he was sorry and have all the issues disappear. He automatically backed up a few steps as she advanced on him. Despite the fact that he could subdue her in his sleep, Clayton was intimidated by Eris when she got like this. When she turned to leave he followed and walked so he was in her line of sight. "No Eris! It wasn't like that. I wasn't trying to get laid. I was just sick of your shit. Rosaline told me about some of the games she thought you were playing with me and it made my head spin. She suggested that we get out of there and I was stupid enough to go. I never thought you were in danger. It was dead out that night, bar fights had been at an absolute minimum and I didn't see a threat." He said lamely knowing it was no excuse. Then what she said earlier finally hit him.

"Wait a minute...raped and strangled? What the fuck happened to you Eris and who did it?" He said his anger coming to the forefront. He looked at her more closely now, as if the signs of the beating would still be there. She looked like herself until he saw the angry red scar on her neck. He saw red as he waited for her to explain.

"Wow, that's fabulous, Clayton! Just tell the girl you ditched that you were sick of her shit and that's why she was nearly killed. You're great with words, anyone ever tell you that?" she asked, shaking her head. "Just absoultey a prince of sentiments." She kept walking, not slowing in the slightest. Thankfully the storm meant they pretty much had the streets to themselves. When he asked the last bit though, she rounded on him again. "What the fuck to you think happened to me?!" she snapped. "You cannot be that stupid! I know you aren't! What, you didn't find it mildly suspicous that the O'Malleys immediately came in and siezed everything? That wasn't a little fishy to you? That maybe possibly they did it, to take Babylon? And maybe you were pulled out of the way specifically so they could get to me? What exactly did you think happened to me? Did you miss the signs of struggle? The reports that I was missing and presumed dead?" She shook her head again, realizing belatedly that she was clenching her fists so hard her nails had bitten into her palms. "All I really need to know is if you were in on it." she snapped, advancing on him again. "So, tell me, Mr. Marshall, were you in on it? Did you get a nice kickback for not being there when I needed you the most?" she asked, advancing him right back against a wall.

"It's the truth, what do you want me to say? The truth is that as soon as I heard you were gone I shot out of there like a bat out of hell and looked for you. Up until very recently I thought you were dead." He wasn't going to tell her that he had been following her for a while now, that was best left unsaid. He stayed in the same stride as her, Clayton thanked his lucky stars for his big bodied nature in that moment. He started to back away from her again as she rounded on him, hands raised in submission. It was true that he hadn't thought about Rosaline being in on it until now, but now that she mentioned it, everything clicked into place. Rosaline had said just enough against Eris to make him mad, then she had coaxed him for precisely long enough for them to get Eris. He supposed he really was that stupid. Women were something they didn't train him how to deal with in the military. Tough when she accused him of being in on it it was his turn to get mad. The wall gave him no place to go so he lowered his hands and stood up to his full height. "Fuck no! Eris after working for you for ten years do you really think I would be so stupid? I was more loyal than a goddam Labrador. I would NEVER sell you out like that. Leaving you to those bastards was the biggest fucking mistake I have EVER made and I beat the shit out of myself daily for it." He said, his eyes blazing and his stance rigid.

She stayed right where she was, not backing off an inch, the storm raging overhead just a backdrop to the fight itself at this point. "I waited for you." she said, voice shaking a little with something, but what it wasn't clear, her anger was covering just about everything else. "I waited. Even after he started in on me, I fucking waited. I thought, just another minute, and he'll be here. Just another minute." she admitted, and that was when she backed off, feeling herself shaking. She'd just had a lot of this dragged up from her fuzzy memory of the events that happened that night. Brain damage was funny that way. But she remembered that. She remembered feeling her fingers break, a snap sound to it and how she'd kept expecting the door to come crashing down off it's hinges. But he hadn't been there. He'd never arrived. She started walking away again. "I think after ten years you could have just told me you quit, and fucked off, not left me when I was most vulnerable while you were off getting a piece because you were pissed." she said, tone drained of all emotion. Like the downpour had washed it out of her. "I didn't even know you were gone. I thought I was safe. So no, Clayton, you do not get the benefit of the doubt."

"I searched everywhere for you Eris. You know what I found? A shitload of big angry guys with guns and knives. I fought for hours trying to get to you, but everywhere I looked was a fucking dead end." He said, his anger melting as she railed at him. He couldn't even imagine the hell she had gone through, and he felt like the biggest dick in the world for not saving her from it. He had always gotten there just before shit hit the fan before, but the one time she needed him the most, he had failed her. He completely ignored the rain around them and focused on her. She was the only thing that kept him grounded at that moment. "Eris, I wasn't quitting, hell I barely even left my post. I was idiotic and pissed but I never said. 'Fuck you and your job Eris.' It wasn't like that...though I might as well have for all the good that does you." He said his anger turning quickly into self loathing. He watched as the fight drained out of her face and it made something inside of him crack a little bit. Eris had always had some sort of fight in her, a comeback, a way to lash out, but this shaking anger that was hiding something else was new to Clayton. He didn't care about the consequences of what he was about to do. Without thinking much at all, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her to his frame. "I would never knowingly let anyone harm you." He said the fight starting to wear on him.

Eris really wasn't prepared for a hug. She didn't get a whole lot of them, after all, and her history hadn't lent itself to that. Hell, even now, she didn't really get hugged. She was occasionally held, but that was different. And considering her state of mind, and everything that went into it, she didn't react especially well. Once she realized what was happening, after she completely tensed up like she expected him to hurt her, she lashed out, jamming her elbow as hard as she could into his gut. "Do not touch me." she said, trying to back off again. Somewhere in the back of her mind she was thinking he got off light. Last time she'd tried to get someone to back off it was Brett, and she'd pistol whipped him upside the head. That hadn't gone down especially well, even if he hadn't given her a whole lot of shit over it.

He had readied himself for the possibility that she wouldn't want his hug but the elbow to the gut still hurt like holy hell. He let go of her but didn't let her out of his sight or arms reach for that matter. "Dammit. Eris." He ground out as he straightened himself up, ignoring the pain in his gut. He knew he should back off but that was never who he was. Clayton was always an intense person and he never did anything half assed. He didn't come any closer but he didn't shy away from her either. One elbow to the gut and a heavy slap wasn't enough to make him forget the fact that Eris was alive and in front of him. "Eris I don't know what to say. There aren't enough words to make up for the shit that was done to you. All I can say is that I plan on working like a slave to make up for it." He said sighing. "You know me, you know how I am. You can't ignore ten years of history to back me up." He said as calmly as he could. "Besides you get into too much trouble to be out in places like this alone."

"No, there aren't enough words." Eris said. She looked back up at him, though, jaw set. "And make up for things how, exactly?" she asked. That was kind of unexpected, so she didn't know what he had in mind. Not even a little bit. So, she wanted to know, she'd hear him out, she guessed. She was still feeling raw and unbalanced, but a part of her was trying to even it all back out again, was striving to be who she used to be. At least for the moment. In front of him.

"I fucked up...badly. I owe you bigtime for all the time I should have been there. Hell, all this time since then, I should have been here to watch over you. I owe you for that time. So whatever is going on now, count me in. You need someone's face rearranged? Point me in the right direction. You need someone to go places with you like before, I'm your guy. No charge. Consider me your free muscle until you think I've even made a dent in the amount of shit I fucked up." He said sighing. It was only after he said it that Clayton realized he had just basically promised to be her slave for life. He wasn't going to take it back though. He wanted...no he needed to atone for this. It was the one goddam thing his shaky moral compass could not blow off, and as much as it pained him to acknowledge, he needed to see Eris again too. He had missed his former charge with a passion.

She drew in a deep breath, and let it out slowly, considering that. She knew she'd always paid him well before, and she didn't think he'd ever actually spent all that much of that money. He probably could afford to not get paid for a while. And there was the Andrei situation. The girls needed protecting, that was for certain. She didn't know if she could ever trust him to watch her back again, but that didn't mean she didn't think he could be useful. She was just also aware that it wasn't exactly only her decision anymore. "You'll need to get approval." she told him. "Not from me."

He watched her face as she mulled it over, looking for any signs that she had relented or that he was going to get hit again. He could almost see the gears turning in her head. He knew that free labor was something that Eris would have trouble giving up and he counted on that. So, when in the next breath she said that he would have to get someone else's approval he frowned and folded his arms. "Approval from who exactly?" he asked in as neutral of a voice as he could manage. Clayton didn't like taking orders from others when it concerned Eris, and he sure as hell didn't ask permission to protect her.

"My business partner." Eris said. "Mr. Trent." Clayton might have remembered Brett--he was the O'Malley boy who had had a rep at Babylon for not actually screwing any of their girls. Hell, the girls had a betting pool on who would finally crack him. But he wasn't someone who stood out overly much, either. He hadn't stood out to her beyond knowing that about him back before he'd saved her life. So it was entirely possible that Clayton wouldn't really recognize him til he saw him. But she was watching Clayton closely. She'd never ever had a partner before. She'd never been even the slightest bit interested. Things had changed, though.

Clayton screwed up his face at that. He didn't remember a 'Mr. Trent'. Then again, he really didn't pay attention to any guys at Babylon who weren't making trouble. It was the rowdy ones and the girls that he had to look after. He was completely blown away by the fact that the unstoppable Eris needed a partner. She had always refused them before, he figured that she knew she could hold her own and so partner would only be a waste of her money and time. He started to wonder just how different Eris was since they had last seen each other. He knew he had changed a little but she had been through hell. What kind of effect did it have on her? He decided that if he ever got in her good graces again, he would ask. For now it was best to keep his head down and his mouth shut. "Fine. If that's what I have to do, then so be it." He said resigned.

She nodded. "The girls will need protecting." she said. "They're all girls from Babylon, though the business has changed. They're escorts now, merely accompanying people to parties, being a date on someone's arm." she explained, starting to walk as she went over it. "Many of them live in my building. Clients do not go there, but clearly someone wanted me dead before, and he's still out there wandering around, therefore protection is required."

Clayton smirked a bit despite himself at the mention of her girls. He loved the girls from Babylon. They were crazy, brash, and they got him into trouble more often than not, but they were the closest thing he had to family. He watched over them all with a critical eye and made sure that they stayed safe. To hear that they were now escorts was both a good and bad thing. There was a little more dignity in an escort service, but there was more danger as well. He couldn't protect everyone all at once. Whatever semblance of a smile dropped off his face when he heard she was being hunted down by someone. "Do you know who?" He asked flatly.

"Yes, I do. Ran into him at a party, something tells me he isn't all that enamored with the fact that I'm still breathing when he thought I wasn't, and then he set up a fun dinner so he could sit across from me and smile a lot." Eris said. "He's an idiot, just a psychopathic one. And connected to the mob, so I'm sure he's got resources. Either way, I pissed him off, and lately there's been sort of a paranoid reaction to that, even if he's stopped sending me gifts, so far." Because he had sent her the flowers and a ruby necklace.

"Fantastic." He grumbled running a hand over his face. "Right. So I guess from now on I am your muscle for parties right? Make sure the girls don't get roughed up and make sure your new fan stays the hell away?" He asked. Clayton knew for a fact that Eris wasn't just going to trust him. He would have to work his ass off to even earn a shred of respect from her again. He just hoped that after all the time they had known each other and the fact that he was one of the best at what he did would count for something. He figured that she would at least use him because free muscle was better than hired muscle...especially with what Clayton normally charged.

"Who says I don't already have that?" she asked. Even if she wanted Brett to be more of a partner than just a bodyguard, there was still that impression that had been given out. Though clearly he'd not gotten the memo. Or he was ignoring it, there could be that. "I need protection for the girls. As for me, well, what exactly makes you think I would be able to relax with you having my back?" she asked him, watching him out of the corner of her eye.

Clayton snorted at that. "I wasn't saying you didn't have anybody Eris, I'm not stupid. With as much trouble as you seem to attract I'd be surprised if you didn't have anybody. I'm just saying that I'll be there if you need me." He said in a neutral tone. It was true that he felt that god awful pang of jealousy when she mentioned someone else guarding her, but he squelched it quickly. He had no right anymore, not after deserting her in her time of need. She had the right to move on if she wished.

"You know, you might want to take current events into account before you start making commentary." Eris said. "I've been off the grid for months. Clearly, I know how to not attract trouble when I need to." she said, rolling her eyes. "And right, you'll be there when I need you. I did, and you were off being pissy like a six year old girl." she pointed out. "This does not inspire confidence."

"Right...whatever helps you sleep at night." He said shrugging. Eris was almost always in some sort of trouble, whether she knew it or not. He had stopped so many potential disasters without her knowledge because he knew it would upset her. "Alright, I deserved that too." He said nodding his head. "But that doesn't negate the fact that I saved your ass from things time and time again for over ten years without so much as a spec of trouble. I fucked up. Plain and simple. It wasn't a common occurrence and it just happened to be the one goddam time I couldn't afford to." He said in self loathing. "I don't expect you to be confident in me, I just want a chance."

"And I can see you still haven't grasped the subtle art of knowning when to shut the fuck up." Eris snapped. "You know what, Clayton? Nevermind. You clearly don't get it, you're playing this off like it was just some minor slipup, and whatever, I should be over it by now. Well, I'm not and I don't need the headache. And I don't need you not even listening, because you know that could probably be pertinent and all, but no, you want to be snide about things. Go back under whatever rock you crawled out from under." she said, and she turned down the first street she found, so she could get away from him. Though if she knew him at all, he wasn't going to let her walk away either.

Clayton groaned in frustration and muttered a few choice cuss words before hauling ass after her and walking so he was in her line of sight. "Eris I'm sorry. I really don't know when to shut the fuck up. It's one of my less charming qualities. I don't know how to react to all this shit so I went for glib, Obviously it was a dumbass move. I didn't mean to act like it wasn't a big deal." He said sincerely. He had trouble with filtering his thoughts a lot of the time. That little voice that told him not so say something was usually shoved deep down to the dark depths of his brain and he was left without a filter from his brain to his mouth.

She kept walking. She also didn't say anything for a good few minutes. An idea had just occurred to her, and she figured she could go for it. "Tomorrow night." she said. "I'll make dinner reservations somewhere, and you can meet Mr. Trent." That would give him an alibi. She didn't mention she wasn't going to be there as well, of course, Clayton would pick up on it when he got there. But either way it would kill two birds. Brett would have an alibi, and Clayton would meet him and they could see if he could be hired on to watch the girls.

Clayton waited in silence as they walked. He knew when to push and when to let Eris think things out. Pushing wasn't going to win him any new ass-kissing points so he stayed silent. "Alright. I'll be wherever you need me." He said. Truth be told, he was anxious to meet this 'Mr. Trent.' He still felt the need to give anyone Eris was spending time with the once over. Old habits like that died hard. He wondered why he needed to be approved by Mr Trent in the first place. Business partner or no business partner, Eris still did what she wanted when she wanted. "Is there something I should know about all thus. Cuz I'm adding two and two together but I keep getting three."

"If you've got a question to ask, Clayton, ask. Don't beat around the bush or fish." Eris said. "It's never been your strong suit." She could do this. She'd set up the dinner, get his number from him before they parted ways, and set it up. Brett wouldn't be suspicious, if she explained it right. Then he'd be taken care of while she was off doing her very specific, very illegal task. It could work.

"Yeah...sorry." He grumbled and then sighed. He looked at her piercingly and decided to man up and ask. "Not that it's any of my fucking business anymore but are you seeing this business partner Eris. I just want to know so I know what I'm getting into." He said sighing. He knew he would probably get bitched at but he was honestly curious. His lines always got blurred when it came to Eris. He used to think he was in love with her. Since then he had wised up, but he still cared about her. She was his to protect no matter what and the thought of some bastard taking that from him made him jealous.

She could have just answered honestly, but that wasn't what came out of her mouth. "Have you ever known me to 'see' anyone?" she asked. Eris didn't do relationships, she never had. Never, ever. Or, she hadn't up until now, anyway. But either way, the comment could be taken. It could be taken as the obvious answer as 'no, absolutely not and therefore it's illogical to consider it happening now' or out the other end, the assumption that it was more than that. She imagined Clayton would take the obvious route. Because it was hugely against character for the woman he knew to be involved with anyone.

"Yeah you're right. What the hell was I thinking." He said shaking his head stupidly. His emotions were getting the best of him again. That seemed to always happen when it came to Eris. He shook the morbid train of thoughts that followed from his brain quickly. He was not ready for that trip down memory lane yet. With a sigh he looked over at her. "So, you need any company walking back to wherever it is that you live?" He asked as if he didn't already know. Hell even if she said no he would just leave and loop back around to trail her again.

"No. I need your number so I can tell you where and when to meet with Mr. Trent." Eris said. "So, where are you staying, and do you have a phone?" she asked, slowing to a stop, and she turned to look up at him again. It was still jarring for her. It was still swirling everything around in the back of her mind. Everything that had happened, the fact that she still felt hurt by it all. And that bothered her to no end--that it hurt at all. it shouldn't. It wasn't supposed to, but it did. She'd actually trusted him as much as she'd trusted anyone in her life before the brain damage kicked in, and it had nearly gotten her killed.

Or maybe it wasn't that. Maybe it was what he'd said to her. That he'd been 'sick of her shit'. So it hurt that he wasn't there, but it was her own fault. He'd taken off, left her vulnerable, because he couldn't take it anymore. She'd never actually wanted to seek out who had done it to her. She'd always considered what happened to her a just fate. The only injustice she sought to right the one leveled against Brett. But not her. No, never herself. There was something that flickered behind her eyes, and she merely averted her gaze, to presumably gaze up the street, like she was concerned they were being followed.

Clayton sighed, he knew she was going to say that. He would follow her wishes now, but only because he was trying to kiss up to her, earn some brownie points for being a good boy. He dug around in his pockets and found a piece of paper and a pen. "I'm staying here, it's not too far off of the Apollo. The number is there too. I can be reached there unless I'm out..." He said grimacing at how redundant it sounded. He looked both ways after her. An old habit that died hard. There was practically no one out so he wasn't too worried about her. She had managed this long without him, though he would definitely follow her anyway. "So this is goodbye for now?" He asked finally shoving his hands in his pockets.

"This is goodbye for now." Eris confirmed for him. "Please don't follow me." she added, after she put the note he'd written her into her purse. She turned to walk away, figuring he would anyway, but then again she apparently inspired stalking qualities in the men she had around. So, she wasn't going to be overly worried about it, after all, she was headed straight back home. Still, she let her thoughts drift off again, to that night, Clayton, and what his presence in her life could mean now.