Indecision || Jasmine & Simon
If he felt threatened at all by the fact that she was a part of the sleuth, or possibly the mother of the cubs that Vaughn had mentioned, then Simon didn’t broadcast it. His shoulders and arms were relaxed and there was nothing especially guarded or wary lingering in his face. The last sleuth member other than Vaughn that Simon had met had been Evelyn, and she had been beyond kind in her treatment of him. Any problems Simon might have with Vaughn did not extend to her. Evelyn had gone out of her way to lay down the protocol and help out a strange werebear. If the other members of Vaughn’s sleuth were even vaguely like her, then Simon looked forward to meeting them.
Whether it was Evelyn’s example, the safety promised from being in a very public location or the trust that Jasmine wouldn’t do something as irrational and dangerous as come at him, the man did not seem concerned. Simon didn’t doubt that he could handle her, and he was in communication with their alpha. He assumed Vaughn kept his sleuth updated on ‘bear activity in Pickens.
Jasmine’s teasing manner was endearing, but Simon wasn’t in near an easy enough frame of mind to really enjoy it. He gave her a polite smile when she continued speaking about herself, but didn’t add any more. Words were nice, but the werebear had learned long ago not to put heavy stock in them. The past year had seen that particular lesson driven home with ruthless force.Taking up Jasmine’s hand in his, Simon gave it a professional shake. His hand was hard in Jasmine’s, his palm rough and dry. Strong as the grip was, he didn’t hurt her and he released her hand after a heartbeat.
The mention of Jasmine’s job sparked a flicker of surprise in the beta’s dark eyes, especially given the pride that she was displaying through her voice. It wasn’t Jasmine dancing around partially clothed that Simon disapproved off out of hand. It was that she was probably doing this for humans; blind, unevolved cretins that didn’t have enough braincells between them to rub together. They had no idea how truly rare and beautiful Jasmine was, and didn’t deserve to be in the same room as her, let alone gawk at her. That Jasmine was proud of doing this made Simon feel a little like he was talking to a circus bear. It made the man feel vaguely sorry for her, as well as angry that this was the world they lived in.
"It’s a pleasure to meet you, Ms. O’Hara," Simon’s tone was warm and genuine, despite his own thoughts on the she-bear’s job choice. For all his initial impressions, he would reserve judgment until Jasmine showed her true nature in her actions. "Again, I apologize for not paying attention. It’s been a long time since I was in Pickens…" Looking around them, Simon gave a quiet sigh. "Not entirely certain if I’ll be staying either."
His talk with Vaughn hadn’t left him feeling especially assured, and Simon wasn’t interested in going from one negligent alpha to another. He hadn’t decided yet what Pickens was worth to him, and Simon missed living in a sleuth….The beta bear had a lot to think about.
Jasmine had a tendency to seek out control of a situation. It was equal parts her rich girl upbringing and being so close to her bear. As she got older and money became harder to come by, the young woman had taken matters into her own hands. It was why she found her line of work to be empowering. At the end of the day fools were fools and all Jasmine had to do was dance for a few minutes and she could get whatever she wanted. Everyone lived their life around town with a mask on their face and if they didn't they were fools. Jasmine wasn't going to walk around publicizes that she was a bear or that she had children. She wouldn't even publicly lash out on someone she didn't trust, because she figured she might as well be hanging on a wall. So many people acted foolish in town, but Jasmine believed she knew how to stay safe. The piece of her self she gave out to other people was what she wanted to do. She was in control of every situation and Jasmine always needed to be in that position. It was why her wall hadn't come completely down in front of Simon.
" I'm sure it is. Pleasure's mine too," Jasmine replied continuing to look up at the new bear. Her head was still filled with thoughts and questions as to why he was there. She had cubs she had to worry about and a sleuth that needed repair, she had to make sure Simon was trustworthy. She had lived in Pickens for a few years now and knew people didn't just show up without a purpose. The world didn't work like that. Jasmine liked to keep a handle on thing's that were considered news. If new people were in town she wanted to know, especially if they were bears. The sleuth had lost a lot of bears. Good bears and that left Jasmine being somewhat judgmental as to who would come in next. Sometimes it was impossible to stop bad thing's from happening, but it was always possible to pick up after such thing's and Jasmine knew she was an important part of why the sleuth was still together even if it wasn't perfect.
" You've been here before and came back? How long ago was this and why on Earth would you want to come back here?" Jasmine added with a half smile. Yes, this was her home, but Jasmine knew it wasn't safe. She would have packed her bags and left ages ago, but this was her family and they needed her. " Well I've been here a number of years and I'm not going give you some fake pitch and tell you it's the most beautiful place in the world. It has it's charm though and it's your decision at the end of the day. " She liked to respect people's wishes even if she didn't agree. She may have been an aggressive lady bear, but she was still a former Ivy League student who came from a well off family. She had her etiquette. " What is making you want to jump ship? Surely running into cute blondes on the street didn't scare you that bad."
