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Grayson had actually spent the day productively. After he'd dropped Elke off at school, he'd lingered around the front for a few minutes, made sure that she got inside and didn't immediately come flying back out again, and then he'd hit the town. It didn't bother him that he still didn't have a car or even a bicycle, though he imagined he was going to need to get something when he moved out; walking to and from everywhere wasn't exactly the best plan in a place as big as Destiny City. It was fine when he was patrolling, of course, but part of becoming a responsible adult meant having reliable transportation and a faster means to get somewhere than his own two feet.

Ugh, responsible adult. He still really didn't like the way that phrase settled in his mouth.

He'd wandered around the whole day, picking up applications and chatting amiably with the employees already working wherever happened to be hiring. He grabbed lunch at a little cafe, tucked himself into a corner booth that had his "good side" facing out, just because he was getting a little tired of the double-takes. It wasn't even people that knew him wondering, either; he just had a lot of scars on his face, and they looked strange. His ego was used to getting second glances from time to time, though he'd never really realized how vain he was until his pretty features were marred.

He guessed that went along with not knowing what you really had until it was gone, though.

By the time he made it back to Meadowview, he had a peechee folder full of applications and his left shoe was untied, though he didn't realize that. He saw Elke waiting for him, her backpack in front of her feet, knees pressed together, looking a little lost and lonely. He lifted his hand to wave, but she didn't seem to see him, so he tucked the folder under his arm and half-jogged to where she was.

"Hey, Elke," he said, when he was within hearing distance. He flashed her a smile and offered his hand, eyebrows slightly hiked. "How was school?"

He was a little amused and bemused when Elke tied his shoe, but he waited patiently. The one foot was now tighter than the other -- she always pulled the laces more snugly than he did -- and it was a weird feeling. He lifted his foot and shook it a little, but didn't comment, simply helped Elke to her feet and then casually took one hand in his own. He was so used to holding hands while they walked that it didn't occur to him that it might look like something it wasn't, that most people didn't realize they considered one another siblings. Any stray glances they got he ignored, focusing instead on the gentle swaying motion of their hands between them, the conversation at hand.

"I'm sorry. It'll get better," he said confidently, bringing his shoulder up to his cheek, rubbing an itch away. "The first few days are always kind of hectic."

He shrugged, sighing a little at the mention of the job hunt. It was only the first day, but considering he'd been fired from his job -- quit? -- by means of presumed death, he didn't imagine Larry's Pizza would be a good reference. Hopefully he would get something, though. "I got a lot of applications. Hopefully I'll get something."

He really needed to be making money again. His bank account had emptied and gone back to his parents when he was presumed dead, and they'd returned all the money to him, but he was definitely going to need a regular inflow of cash. He would be getting his own place, eventually... no one had brought it up yet, but. He was actually looking forward to living on his own, somewhat. His parents wouldn't worry as much if they didn't know he was out and about at night, right? They wouldn't have to know that he was patrolling, things would be easier all around... It was just the best solution.

Just not yet.

The prospect of working again wasn't exactly an inviting one, but Elke visiting him would make it at least a little more entertaining. He'd very rarely had anyone stop by Larry's Pizza for him, and even then, the instances had been few and far between. Of course, he'd worked with Barnaby and Jude, so it wasn't like he was ever lacking for company, but that was beside the point. Work was work no matter where it was or what you were doing, so having a friendly, familiar face come in and out would do wonders to cheer him.

"That'd be great." They paused at an intersection, waiting for the light to change. "I'm going to apply pretty much everywhere... fast food, gas stations, little shops. I think I got one for an ice cream shop, don't really remember."

The walk signal came up, little birds chirping along with it, and they crossed amidst a small crowd of people. Suddenly, he said, "I think I'm going to test for my GED."

This would be news to everyone. Even his parents weren't aware that he'd decided this yet, mostly because he hadn't actually made up his mind until just that moment. It had been fine to get a dead-end job and scrape by before, but he'd made a promise to himself that he would do better, and that meant... actually doing better. He would start with the Grayson that everyone else saw, and work his way into making Leo better, too. He would.

It was a little cold, and that was only one of the reasons Grayson was not only wearing one of the short-sleeved plaid shirts Elke liked so much, but a white turtleneck underneath it. When she put his arm around her shoulders he simply tucked her against his side, adjusting his pace so that it would keep time with hers easier. "Yeah? It's a promise, then," he said, winking. "Now you have to visit me."

She would, regardless, he knew, because she was Elke and she didn't make empty promises. They were very alike in that respect, but even aside from that, they were as close as two people could be who weren't actually related. Though she'd only been in this life for a few years, and even some of those felt like borrowed time, he felt like he'd known her for as long as he had been himself; had, in a way. Still, it was fun to tease, to have the normal sort of banter that people their age would have, to pretend to bicker like siblings from time to time.

Though, he couldn't actually recall bickering with Elke much. She and Tristan did, often, but he usually caved quickly. He didn't like to see Elke upset, even if she wasn't actually upset, and he was a little more mature than his brother besides. Life was just easier when you got along, anyway.

When she smiled at him, he smiled back, though his was a little softer. "I hope so. I know they've been pretty disappointed in me, so.." He inhaled, exhaled. He hated the feeling that his parents were ashamed of him in any way, and one would think that would inspire him to greater heights, but it hadn't. Not until then. "I'll definitely be able to do it if you help me."

He didn't like the idea of studying, but having Elke around would make it easier, if only because she'd keep him from falling asleep on his books. Helping her with her work would be like extra studying for him, anyway.

The thought of someone's pants actually bursting in flame was an amusing one, enough to make an absent smile turn his lips. That fell from his face, however, when they stopped next to a bench, people moving around them with only minor irritation, and Elke asked a question. Tell them about the Zodiac... it was something Grayson had always firmly been against in the past for many reasons, but he was beginning to have second thoughts. What they did was dangerous, of course, and simply by knowing their identities their family could be put in danger, but... at least they would know. They would know why their children sometimes came home bruised and banged, why they lived through terrible things that probably should have, by all rights, killed them.

There would be reassurance in the fact that they were stronger, faster, healed more efficiently, right? His parents... they might think they were terrorists or something, but they could see reason easily enough. He'd actually never heard them say bad things about the senshi, though he knew at least his Dad followed the news faithfully. There was the chance it could work out for the better, but it could also be worse.

"Maybe..." He trailed off, pulling Elke down onto the bench with him. He sat on the folder of applications, mostly so he wouldn't forget they were there, and looked down at their joined hands. Thoughtfully, he ran his thumb over her knuckles. "I don't know, Elke. I've thought about it, but.. it seems kind of risky."

He paused, then sighed. "At the same time, I feel like... they have a right to know, you know?"

Elke tucked against his side, it was easier for him to concentrate, oddly enough; his fingers absently brushed up and down her shoulder, brows knit into a faint frown as he mulled over his options. If anything, he was most concerned about Tristan, and not just because he was young. His brother, though his heart was in the right place, was very uncompromising about some things. He'd accepted that Sagittarius had saved his life, didn't seem to be too bothered by the idea of senshi, but that had been a long time ago. With everything that had happened between, there was the possibility for Tristan to have changed his mind, or worse, for him to resent his brother. Jealousy was an ugly thing no matter what shape it took, and he didn't want anything coming between the two of them.

He didn't have long to think about that, though, because Elke's confession about her henshin pen startled him. For a while, he'd stopped carrying his -- a bit intentionally, at first, because he was feeling insecure and afraid and all manner of things that he couldn't quite handle -- but then he'd just started forgetting it. Had gotten out of the habit, had been avoiding his teammates and losing touch with everyone, not that it was exactly difficult to do. How long had it been since he'd seen Topher? Too long for him to remember clearly, which was a bad sign, a very bad sign, but what could he do about it? Nothing, not so far as the past was concerned. He could change the future, but nothing about the past would ever be anything different from what it was, and that was why he had to learn from it.

That was why he could never forget again. People's faces, things that he'd promised, what he'd done... the ones who had died because he wasn't strong enough. He couldn't forget, and when he'd finally forced himself to stand at the crossroads and choose a path, he'd decided on strength. He would get stronger and he would become someone that others could depend on, and in the past he might have thought even if it kills me but he knew that he couldn't die again. He could never die again, not that it was possible because of course he was mortal, but he just --

That didn't matter, though, not when Elke was right beside him, arguably the most important person in the world to him outside of the immediate sphere of his family, and she was telling him that she didn't have her henshin pen. If something happened and she needed to get away or defend herself, she couldn't. It was well and fine for him to think that he was never going to let himself be really hurt again, never worry people like that again, but when he thought of something happening to Elke, everything inside of him seized up. He didn't ever really want her to have to fight, but there was a difference between not having to fight and not being able to fight if you needed to.

It was scary.

His arm tightened a bit around her shoulders, violet eyes serious on her face. "Elke, you... We need to get it back." He licked his lips, an age-old habit that betrayed his apprehension even though his voice was steady, calm as ever. "It's not really safe for someone else to have it."

How did you even locate a lost henshin pen? If this Castor, whoever he was, didn't actually have it... but that didn't bear thinking about, not at just that moment. Everything was accomplished in steps, he reminded himself.

Grayson was brave, if being brave meant looking danger in the face and taking the risks anyway. He was cautious because he didn't want to get hurt, because he didn't want others to suffer because he was too reckless or foolhardy. When it came right down to it, he was as much a normal nineteen year-old young man as he was a magical knight or whatever they wanted to call him -- he wasn't afraid of a lot of things, definitely not as many things as he should have been, because he was young and possessed the stupidity of youth. More than that, he had the knowledge that he was faster and stronger and more special than most people if only in the sense that he was a Zodiac and that meant he could live through more. Had lived through more.

He was brave, but the thought of losing Elke -- the thought of her being hurt and not being able to do something about it, the thought of her being out of his sight and unprotected -- it scared him.

She avoided looking at him and his stomach clenched, finally did look at him and apologized. Instantly he hand began to move again, a soothing circle on her shoulder; he might have murmured something, but wasn't exactly certain if he actually did or just made a brief noise. What exactly had happened to her while he was gone? What had made her give away her strength and protection, her duty and her gift? It bothered him that he didn't know, that he hadn't noticed. It really bothered him.

He hesitated a second before finally leaning over, pressing his lips to the top of her head. Always before it would have been brief, a simple peck and he would have straightened again, but this time he remained bent over her for a few moments. He breathed in briefly, comforted by the smell of her shampoo, lips unmoving against the part in her hair. Elke, safe. Even though she didn't have her pen, and it was irrational to be that afraid because no one even knew she was Virgo -- she was safe.

"Don't be sorry, baby," he finally said, sitting up a little and continuing to run his hand up and down her arm. "It's okay. We'll get it back, because... you don't have to do anything alone." He didn't want her to do anything alone. It was completely stupid, but he didn't even want her out of his sight until he knew that she had her henshin pen back. There was too much evil in the world, too many things that could hurt her.

With his free hand he tipped her chin up, fingers curled into a lazy hook underneath it as he offered her a little smile. "Okay? It's fine, so, cheer up."

It really wasn't fine, but it would be fine, and that was what was important.