Realistic or Modern The Conman and the Sneak Thief

[Araellion]

Persia not reacting to anything was worrisome. Hera tried to start up a conversation multiple times, but it was like the other woman had completely checked out of existence. All of which contributed to Hera's rising panic, barely held back by trying to formulate a semblance of a plan.

OK, silver linings. It didn't look like the woman was bleeding, but that wasn't a guarantee. Christ, Hera really hoped there wasn't any internal bleeding and that it really only was as bad as it looked. Bruises she could fix, she could have even sewed up some open wounds. That was about the extent of it.

When they got back to Hera's apartment, she guided Persia to sit down on her couch, still trying to touch her as little as possible. Just in case. The first aid kit probably wouldn't be necessary, so Hera just grabbed some bags of frozen berries and tried to get Persia to hold them to the bruises.

After that, Hera had no idea what to do. It registered in the back of her mind that she hadn't taken Skimbles' things off, but when she checked it seemed that he had gotten out of it alone and was now sulking inside of his box. Even that couldn't erase the worried frown that had settled on her face.

Seeing nothing more she could do at the moment, Hera went back to the kitchen in the corner of the livingroom, making them some tea. Once again she was grateful that her apartment was tiny. It helped her keep an eye on Persia.

Once both of them had a cup of steaming tea in front of them, Hera sat down in the armchair opposite the couch. There was a table between them, something Hera hoped gave Persia a sense of security. For now, there was nothing to do but wait.

 

[PauciloquentPumpkin]

The scent wafting from the tea caused Persia's eyes to begin to focus. The strong aroma was familiar to her. It reminded her of an old British friend of hers that had an obsession with the stuff. Some vague memories kept her from being confused at her current situation. She was aware of what happened. Her long walk. And Hera taking her in. She shivered as her body began to warm up, suddenly aware of just how cold she was. She looked up at Hera. Her eyes lacked the cool composure she normally sported, now replaced with pain, fear and sadness. She was a sad shell of her former self.

"I...," was all she managed to say before her emotions caught up with her. Tears started to cascade down her face. Stinging slightly against old wounds freshly opened, leaving a salty taste against her lips. She began rambling incoherently, "You weren't even there. I can't believe I... He... I had to. There was no... no other choice. He..."

Persia's words were interrupted by her sobbing, now completely uncontrollable as reality set in. The life-long scar only beginning it's true damage. She babbled words unintelligibly as she brought her hands to her face in an attempt to battle the powerful brook bubbling from her eyes. Her body shook with the rhythm of her sobs, her body rocked back and forth in it's own unconscious attempt to soothe itself.

 

[Araellion]

Hera was grateful when Persia came back to life, even if this was almost worse. She struggled to put together the fragments of the woman's rambling, but it was useless. There wasn't enough context to do anything with the pieces. She scanned the girl's injuries, cataloguing every one, burning them into her memory. A mental map of the injuries presented itself, giving Hera at last an idea about what had happened.

Her mind struggled to find some way to make things better, but she came up blank. God, she almost preferred the state Persia had been in earlier. Hera winced at her own thoughts. That wasn't true at all. Even this broken mess in front of her was a huge improvement. Broken things could be fixed, empty voids could not.

For now, Hera thought it was for the best to keep the girl talking. About anything at all. "Do you want a hug?" Hera asked carefully. Mostly because she could think of no other way to offer comfort. Even if she refused to let Hera anywhere near her it was something.

"Or you can try to hug Skimbles?" Hera gestured vaguely over to her cat. "Though, I believe he is slightly cross with me at the moment for not paying attention to him." Hera let out an awkward laugh. She always defaulted to talking about her cat when she didn't know what else to do. It was almost a nervous habit at this point.

 

[PauciloquentPumpkin]

A hug? Persia was brought from her delirium, looking up at Hera, her hands still held close to her face. Her cat? What a strange thing to talk about. Persia almost wanted to laugh at the ridiculousness of Hera's comments. Persia could see the struggle on Hera's face, her fight to search for the right thing to say. Persia turned her watery eyes downwards, feeling ashamed of her appearance in front of Hera. A hug? She wouldn't admit it, but it sounded like a nice thought, and she desperately wanted the comfort.

"I'm stronger than this." Persia muttered, almost a whisper, like she had to justify herself. It failed to make her feel any better though.

[/pindent]She realized the physical pain she was in now as she wanted some of the tea. She avoided moving though. She thought she looked vulnerable enough, she didn't want to make a grimace, betraying how she felt. Having not taken the time to inspect herself, she didn't realize how ridiculous this sentiment was. Her eyes started to wander, though she wouldn't look around too much, not wanting her curiosity to become too apparent.[/pindent]

She felt awkward in this situation. She felt vulnerable, given her earlier outburst, and continued unstoppable tears, though the sobbing had subsided. She realized her hands were still held near her face, and lowered them a little too fast, causing her to face to contort in pain anyways. So much for trying to remain stoic. Again, another ridiculous thought, given her situation.

 

[Araellion]

Hera leaned forward, desperately not wanting to miss anything. She kept an eye on every little expression flitting across Persia's face, for what little good that did her. Even now, Hera couldn't read her properly. That had never been a problem before. Hera specialised in acting, and that included both being able to read other people and knowing exactly how to twist her own features into expressions that expressed exactly what she wanted to express.

She couldn't hold back a huff of laughter at the woman's words though. Good grief, Hera really had her work cut out for her with this one. "I'm sure you're plenty strong, but that sounds more like pride to me." believe me, I'd know, Hera didn't add.

Persia struck her as a lion. Prideful and strong, even when wounded. Hera couldn't remember if she had ever thought of the other thief as an animal. Knowing her she must have at some point. The woman was obviously in pain, but refusing to be weak. As difficult as she was to read, that much was obvious.

With a sigh, Hera stood up. "I'm gonna go find some tissues and check if I have any pain relief stuff, alright? I'll be gone for about two minutes." She tried to keep her tone comforting and soft without slipping into pitying, which was difficult.

The pain relief was easy enough to find. She just had to open her medicine cabinet. Sadly, she was all out of the actual useful stuff and only had a cream left. The cream was decent enough for muscle pains, but useless for anything else, especially bruises. You had to rub in the cream for bloody ages, which would just make the bruises worse, so she gave up on the pain reliefs.

Next mission, remembering where the hell she had left the box of tissues. After searching for far too long, Hera remembered that she had put them in a locked cabinet so Skimbles would stop tearing them apart.

Bright blue box of tissues in hand, Hera sat back down in her armchair. Well, technically Skimbles' armchair, but he was still sulking. "Here are the tissues." Hera put them in front of her on the table between them. "I couldn't find anything for the pain, sorry. Do you need anything else?" She would try to help Persia in whatever way she could. And having something to do had calmed her nerves a bit.

 

[PauciloquentPumpkin]

Persia's cheeks gained a slight rosy hue that highlighted some bruises, blushing slightly at the astute comment Hera made about her pride. She turned her head away, letting out a small huff from her nostrils in response. She's strong, that much is true, but even she has her limits. She felt ashamed she was in this position, that she couldn't take care of herself. A thought flashed her mind, that she needed to be even stronger. Though she was weak, and would allow herself, just this once, to let someone else take care of her.

Persia didn't react when Hera mentioned getting tissues and pain relief, though she would accept them, internally grateful for the help. She took the time alone she had to start looking around, but realized she was in greater pain than she thought. The bruise around her neck was particularly painful. It was a gnarly shade of purple against the chocolate brown of her skin. The mention of tissues made her want to wipe her face, but her arms were also in pain. This also led to her not taking a drink of tea, letting the pain win out over her thirst.

The couple of minutes Hera was away felt like an eternity. Persia felt her emotions returning, strengthening the flow of tears once again. She lowered her head as her mind wandered, though perked up once she heard Hera, failing in her attempt to hide her fresh tears, though at least they stopped running. Persia was thankful she didn't wear makeup. She was disappointed Hera had nothing for her pain. She was going to refuse the tissues in an attempt to seem stoic, but upon looking down and seeing the wet stains on her pants, she changed her mind and reached out for a few tissues to dab at the moisture, wincing in pain as she did, despite her efforts to hide it, drawing a sharp breathe inwards before she let out a quiet gasp.

"I don't need anything." Said Persia, her voice unconvincing. She needed a lot, though she didn't know what, or how to word it.

 

[Araellion]

Hera winced in sympathy when Persia did, desperately wishing she could take away the woman's pain. At least she was hopefully helping slightly. Anything was better than the other thief wandering the streets, looking like her soul had left her body. The thought was slightly reassuring.

God, what would have happened if Hera hadn't stumbled across her? She didn't want to think about it, yet her treacherous mind presented her with multiple scenarios. Best case scenario; Persia would snap out of it and tend to her own injuries. Worst case; Persia would would walk straight into a speeding car. Hera shivered. Best not to think about that anymore. Not right now anyways. She was sure the thoughts would haunt her sleep though.

Hera let out another huff, this time in disbelief. "This will be a lot easier for the both of us if you just tell me what you need," she admonished lightly. Good god, she was starting to sound like her mother, and the thought alone was enough to make her wince.

Alright, so clearly Persia's communication skills could use some work. But then, Hera had already suspected that much from their previous meetings. That could be worked on later though. For now she just needed some straight answers, no matter how they were obtained.

"How about this then. Why don't you tell me exactly what you don't need, since you don't need anything. You know, so I can make especially sure not to get those things." Her tone was infinitely patient, even if patience was the last thing Hera felt. God, she didn't even know if that had made sense. Hera just hoped Persia would get the hint.

 

[PauciloquentPumpkin]

What did she need? She knew what she needed. She needed to end the endless cycle of fear. Hera rephrased the question, though that didn't change anything. She looked down, finally taking in her appearance. A plan started to form in her mind. She looked up to Hera, determination in her eyes.

With some of her old self back in her voice she said, "I need a change of clothes." What do I need? She thought to herself as her eyes wandered in thought. She knew. "He needs to die."

She looked back at Hera, suddenly realizing she mentioned the last part out loud. That wasn't something she was prone to doing. Her eyes widened in surprise for a moment before lowering, embarrassed she let that slip. She didn't realize it at the moment, but she was tired, and things tended to slip out. She tried to shrink herself, hoping to avoid being questioned by Hera. This was something she felt she had to do. One more mistake may mean the end of Garrett's life. She couldn't allow that to happen. She swiped the thoughts of what happened to her aside. As long as she could protect her family. Her emotions played across her face, too tired to keep up the facade. Fear, anger, determination, and a ruthless viciousness in her convictions.

 

[Araellion]

Hera nodded as Persia spoke. A change of clothes sounded entirely reasonable and like a good idea. She looked like a mess, and something more comfortable would probably lift the girl's spirits. That meant that either they had to go shopping or that Persia would have to wear some of Hera's clothes, all of which were probably too big.

She was still thinking about a solution when she registered the second thing the woman had said. Her mouth dropped open in surprise, before snapping shut one moment later. That...was less good. Hera might be a thief, but she was also a good person who hated violence.

"Right, for the clothes we might have to go shopping. I have some theatre makeup, though the shades might be all off." Hera spoke distractedly, tackling the problem she knew how to solve first. She had makeup left over from her theatre days, mostly because she hated using it and tried to do so as little as possible. The makeup was made specifically to cover all of your skin, making you look like someone, or something, else. It would definitely cover the bruises, but they would have to do all of Persia's skin, otherwise it would look odd. Probably not the best solution.

"Stupid question, since you seem so determined, but is there any reason not to get the police involved?" Now Hera just sounded tired. She had a feeling she knew exactly what answer she would get, but she had to ask regardless. "Because murder just strikes me as a tad excessive." Hera winced slightly at her own words, recognising that that could have been phrased better.

 

[PauciloquentPumpkin]

Persia scoffed at the idea of going out to shop for clothes, let alone putting on make up. Before she could give her reply, Hera brought up her slipped comment, which caused Persia to make a 'tch' sound, displeased at the question. I can't involve the police, Persia thought to herself, because he has "my brother." Persia's exhaustion from lack of sleep compounded with her physical and mental stress, causing her mind to be hazy, which allowed yet another slip. She made a face, displeased at herself once more.

Persia tried to ignore her own comment, returning to the question of clothes. She looked Hera in the eyes, trying to returning to her old self. Forgoing manners she said, "I'll just borrow some of your clothes. No make up necessary." She thought to leave so she could begin planning out what she needed to, to save her brother. While she tried to return to her old self, the exhaustion was evident, already begging to take it's toll.

 

[Araellion]

Hera tried to figure out what Persia meant by 'my brother', but ended up just filing the thought away for later. She was too tired to try and work it out. God, it was still morning, how was she so tired? All that worrying had probably sapped all of her energy. Worst part was that she couldn't even be mad about it. It wasn't like she had had anything else planned today.

"I disagree, the makeup is absolutely necessary." Hera said firmly, already working on figuring out an outfit for the woman. One of her black hoodies would probably do the trick. "I hate to say it darling, but you look like a mess. And I don't think you would like some concerned stranger calling the police about someone covered in bruises." She once again looked the woman up and down, this time trying to figure out how to hide the injuries. "Hmmm, the hoodie is large. Maybe sunglasses and a bandana? Yes, that could work." Hera was mumbling to herself. She had always found it easier to think out loud.

She looked back at Persia, noticing now how tired she looked. When was the last time this woman had slept? "But before any of that, I'll show you my bedroom and you can get some sleep." Her voice was soft with an undercurrent of steel. She didn't want to hear any arguments.

 

[PauciloquentPumpkin]

Persia gave Hera a fierce look, her displeasure showing on her face and in her voice as she replied, "I will not be wearing makeup, and I will not be sleeping here. A hoodie and pants are fine." No matter how she felt, she felt determined on moving forward. Stopping, relaxing, resting, felt like it would be too much for her to take. She didn't want her mind to wander. Her current mindset was a great numbing agent for her pain. It focused her, made her feel like she had purpose again. She held her gaze with Hera, unwilling to budge on the matter.

Persia's body did not move as she spoke. She would not realize just how exhausted she was until she began moving, and did not realize her body's subconscious way of conserving energy. For the moment though, that didn't matter. She felt lucid and capable, and that was enough for her at the time.

 

[Araellion]

"Fine, the makeup is a bit of a nuisance to apply anyways." Hera agreed easily, completely disregarding the other part of the woman's sentence. She held Persia's gaze, refusing to be the one to back down from this situation. Nothing good would come out of the other thief pushing herself past her limits.

Hera leaned back in her chair with a shrug, acting like she had given up the fight. "If you insist on staying up, well, I suppose that's your prerogative." Another shrug before Hera stood up. "Come on then, let's go find something in my closet that might fit you."

Standing up quickly, Hera stretched out as she waited for Persia to follow. Skimbles had apparently forgiven her and was cautiously regarding them. Hmm, odd. He was usually the first to go up and greet people. Probably still in a bad mood.

 

[PauciloquentPumpkin]

"I'll wait here, just pick something out for me." Persia's voice still not losing it's edge.

Whether Hera was tired of playing tug-of-war with Persia, or for some other reason, she agreed and left towards her room. Persia didn't want to move, she felt like she couldn't make a lot of movement without being in pain. She figured it was best to do as little as possible, changing when Hera brought the clothes to her. Her plan had utterly failed, as mere moments later her head had started to dip.

The cautious cat seemed ready to inspect his new guest. He jumped up on the couch and started poking around Persia. "Go away," came the weak voice of Persia, wholly unable to protest. Before she could offer any more resistance, her head slumped low as her eyes closed as she welcomed the warmth of the feline. Her slow, heavy breathing matched the rhythmic rise and fall of her shoulders. She managed to stay in her sitting position. The tension released from her face, the muscles finally relaxing from a constant, ever so slight contortion of pain from her sore body as she finally relaxed in her slumber.

 

[Araellion]

With a hopefully hidden roll of the eyes, Hera decided to pick her battles. And this probably wasn't one she would win anyways. So she went to her closet, sorting through until she found something that might be alright. Namely; a black hoodie that was too big even for Hera, some pants with drawstrings that would probably need to have the bottom hems folded up, and some other things. Wearing sunglasses this close to winter would probably attract some attention, but they didn't have another choice. At least the colorful scarf wouldn't draw much attention.

With that done, Hera brought all of the clothes back out to the living room, only to see Persia fast asleep. Hopefully sleeping anyway. She stepped closer, just to make sure the other woman was still alive. It was stupid, but double checking made her feel better. Good grief, how long would she be so paranoid for? Hopefully it would go over soon.

"Your neck is going to hurt so much when you wake up..." Hera muttered to herself, hoping she wouldn't wake Persia up. But is seemed like the other woman was well and truly out for the count. Hera found herself wondering once again when the last time she had slept was. Shaking her head, Hera took the bright orange throw blanket from the armchair and draped it over the girl. Persia would probably have cat-hair everywhere when waking up.

Alright there. That was more than enough fussing. Hera forced herself to ignore her guest and went about her day. She spent her time reading, doodling, and trying to find another place to rob. None of these things held her attention for long though. Her gaze always ended up wandering to Persia's sleeping form. How annoying. She tried going to her room to get some work done, but her worrying drew her back out to the living room. Just in case anything happened.

At some point Hera considered calling Jamie, if only to get some advice. Maybe she could even help without getting the police officially involved. But Persia's earlier words echoed in her mind. Well, the words themselves didn't make much sense, but it was clear she didn't want the police involved. Hera didn't know enough about the situation to risk it.

Hera fell asleep in the evening with Skimbles curled up in her lap. All the worrying she had done was exhausting and even if she tried to stay up, there was no helping it.

 

[PauciloquentPumpkin]

The morning light that seeped in through the windows licked at Persia's eyes, gently stirring her from her dreamworld. As her eyes flicked open, she became confused, not sure where she was. A few moments later and her memories returned, allowing her to relax.

She noticed the cat, snuggled firmly against her own curled up body. She thought to shoo it away, but quickly decided against it. Instead, she reached out, allowing her fingers to comb through the cat's hair. She couldn't remember it's name, or even it's gender, but the warmth under her hand felt pleasant and comforting.

She shook herself from her stupor. She still had a mission, and she felt infinitely better today than she did yesterday. Or was it earlier today? A quick glance at the phone she fished from her pocket left her bewildered at the staggering amount of time she slept for. Not wanting to waste anymore time she sat herself up, much to the dismay of the cat.

"Oh, piss off," She said, though not in an unfriendly tone. For Persia.

Something seemed off. Scanning her environment, she realized Hera wasn't around. Would she really trust Persia alone? It gave her pause, though she decided to experiment with standing. There was some pain, but it was far from anything that could be considered unbearable. She rolled her shoulders and neck, and shook her legs, working the soreness from her body.

Persia thought about poking around Hera's place, but decided against it. She had a mission, and was never one to let curiosity get one over on her, so she headed for Hera's bedroom to look for a change of clothes.

She was surprised, yet amused, to find Hera sleeping in her bed. Persia quietly snuck up to her, inspecting her. Did she really trust Persia so much that she would go to sleep? She reached out, bringing her hand inches from her face. She could do easily strangle her right there, and Hera would no longer be an issue.

Persia withdrew her hand. That wasn't who she was. Only one person needed to die. Brutus. She was about to begin her search for clothes when something caught her eye. A ring. The ring. The very one Hera stole from her, the little pickpocket! She quietly opened the box and picked up the ring. It would be a simple task to steal it right back. Though that wasn't her goal. She simple wanted to feel it's weight one more. Deciding against putting it back in it's place, she left it on the nightstand, next to the box. She smiled at herself for her little joke.

Persia started to rummage around Hera's clothes. She searched through her dresser, making a mess of the contents. This woman was so bright and bubbly it made her sick. Though in reality it wasn't really that bad, she was just in the habit now if finding things with Hera to be upset about.

 

[Araellion]

Hera's sleep was pleasant and deep, for once dreamless. Not that her dreams were unpleasant. Not at all. True, she couldn't make any sense of them when she woke up, but in the moment they felt perfectly normal and real. But this night she had been too exhausted for her mind to conjure up anything. It felt like she had just blinked and it was morning.

It wasn't her internal clock or even the literal alarm on her phone that had woken her up. Usually if neither of those things woke her, then Skimbles begging for food did. But today she was awoken by strange sounds. Her first instinct was to stiffen in preparation for a fight, but that was absurd. Nobody would break into her cheap apartment, and even if someone did they wouldn't find much.

Of course, opening her eyes would probably reveal the source of all the noise, but her eyelids were still heavy from sleep and her mind felt pleasantly heavy as well. Three days in a row Hera had been woken up by things out of the ordinary. Was sleeping until the afternoon such a crime now? It sure felt like it.

At last Hera's curiosity won out over her still tired body, and she opened her eyes to see Persia going through her closet for some reason. "I put out some clothes for you yesterday. Can't remember where I put them though," Hera croaked, her voice cracking from having just woken up.

With a sigh, Hera blinked herself awake and inspected the damage. She looked at the disarray her clothes had become with a disapproving frown. It looked like a rainbow had exploded in there. "It's going to take ages to get this sorted," She muttered to herself. While Hera didn't care if her apartment was messy, it was in her own best interest to keep her clothes tidy. Otherwise she would never be able to find anything.

She couldn't keep a frown on her face for long though. Especially as her gaze landed on the now empty ring-box on her bedside table. Smiling now, she easily slotted the ring back in place and closed the box.

After all of that was over and done with, Hera looked at Persia. The woman looked far better than she had yesterday, which was a relief. Her smile widened into one of relief and tentative joy. "I'm glad you're feeling better." She couldn't even be mad about the mess.

 

[PauciloquentPumpkin]

Hera woke up, though it did nothing to change how Persia behaved. She didn't act like she was caught doing something she wasn't supposed to be doing, she acted like she belonged there. Hera's comment on her wellbeing hit her hard, though she didn't know why. Maybe it was the stress of recent events? Maybe it was someone showing care for her? She wasn't sure. She turned to face Hera, wanting to say something, but unsure what. After a few moments of simply staring at Hera, she left to go find the clothes.

Persia made her way to the living room where she slept her worries away. She scanned the room, but failed to find the clothes set out for her. A second glance revealed why. The cat had decided to make the clothes its new bed. Persia walked over, determined to take the clothes from the cat. She stopped though, not wanting to disturb it. She noticed the collar, taking the heart shaped pendant in her hand, the cat nuzzling against her hand at the same time. 'Skimbleshank' What a strange name, Persia thought. She turned the tag over, which revealed some information on Hera. She smiled at seeing her full name. Hera Bellmonte. She also noticed the phone number, which, on a whim, she decided to save in her phone.

"Ok Skim, move."

The cat had refused the simple command, so Persia decided to tug at the clothes. The Skimbles reluctantly got to its feet, deciding it would rather not tumble across the table. Persia was not one to be shy about her body, so rather than heading to the bathroom, she decided to strip right there so she could begin changing, impatient to get started on preparing for her plan.

 

[Araellion]

Hera looked at Persia as the woman looked at her in return. She waited with a patient smile, curious as to whether or not Persia would say anything. The answer to that ended up being a no, and Hera found herself disappointed for some reason. Not that she had really needed a reply to that, but it was so difficult to get anything out of the girl, so was it so bad to hope?

As Persia went out to the living room, Hera stayed behind. She was so tempted to stay in bed for a few more minutes, but she knew that if she did she would probably fall back asleep. With a sigh, Hera stood up to get the day started properly.

Deciding to give the other thief some time, Hera got started on sorting through her clothes. Truthfully her closet had been kinda messy anyways, but it was easier to blame the entire mess on Persia. Her thoughts made her feel mostly guilty though. It was her own fault she couldn't keep anything organised for long to save her life.

Once she ran out of patience with trying to put things back in their proper spaces, Hera went out to the livingroom. Persia was already dressed, apparently having found the clothes Hera had prepared. She looked the girl up and down, assessing the outfit. "There isn't a whole lot I can do if the clothes don't fit, but tell me if they're too large or something? I'm sure we can find something else if necessary."

Hera let out a soft hum, trying to remember yesterday's conversation. "What did you want to do today? Is there anything I can help with?" Her smile was hopeful, truly wanting to help any way she could.

 

[PauciloquentPumpkin]

Persia fidgeted with her clothes. They were oversized, almost making her look like a child. When Hera mentioned the clothes, Persia replied, saying that they would work fine. When Hera asked what she wanted to do today, Persia thought to herself, 'Kill a man,' though she didn't say anything.

Persia made her way towards the door. She turned back to face Hera when she got close. A hint of a smile almost crept across her face as she thought of calling to Hera by her last name. It lasted for only a fraction of time, easily missable.

She hated Hera. How Hera cared for her, despite knowing next to nothing, was maddening. Instead, she just ended up staring at Hera, wanting to say something, but not sure what to say. Her eyes reflected this sentiment, her mouth even opened and closed, slightly, a few times, though no words flowed.

Finally, she settled on, "Just don't steal anything from me, Pickpocket." The last word was said with a slight hint of affection. She was using the term as a nickname. She let a flash of a smile out as she turned to reach for the door, ready to start on her new mission.

 

[Araellion]

Hera was slightly concerned when her second question received no answer. Not knowing gave her mind the freedom to imagine different scenarios, each one worse than the last. Her thoughts started out fairly benign; a trip to Persia's own home to get changed, going to a café perhaps, taking a walk to clear her mind. And then worse options; getting lost somewhere, getting hurt again, hurting someone else... Hera cut off her own train of thought with a shiver. No, best not to think about it.

So Hera just watched as Persia made her way towards the door, wanting to follow her yet being rooted in place. Of course Hera could follow from a distance, making sure everything ended up being alright from the shadows. But that was too much, even for her. She would stop worrying once the woman was out of her home. Out of sight, out of mind. But Persia was still here and God it was tempting to go with her.

She smiled as the girl turned to leave, amusement and worry clouding her eyes. Hera let out an offended huff, crossing her arms. "Me a thief? How dare you." Her smile widened, unable to act truly offended. "Just remember to return the clothes at some point." She honestly didn't care all that much, but Hera found herself looking for things to say. Just to make this last a bit longer. But there was nothing more she could do to draw this out.

 

[PauciloquentPumpkin]

Persia left, not even bothering to reply about returning Hera's clothes. It wasn't a top priority of hers. Whether they got returned or not was a toss up. For now, she made her way home. A long walk in the chill of the morning air, though preferable to options like a bus or Uber. She still hasn't looked in a mirror, but knew that if she were around people, she would likely get questioning stares.

It took a while to get back home. More than once she though about stealing a car, though the cold air felt incredible against her sore skin. It helped to numb the pain, allowing her to think more clearly. She had her goal, now she just had to figure out her plan.

Persia made her way home without incident. She showered and took care of her hygiene, then she finally inspected herself in the mirror. She fought feelings of depression as she looked, twisting her body this way and that, taking in the various bruises. Though she festered her anger willingly. It was her motivating factor. Though her brother was never far from her mind either. Killing Brutus would.

With a few days of rest and planning, Persia was ready. Her plan was simple. Using her contact at city hall, she did as she usually does and looked up the blueprints for her mark. Brutus had an expensive central heating unit, with large vents traveling through his house. She would travel inside from the vents connected to the outside, make her way to Brutus' room. She would wait until he fell asleep, then ambush him from there. She would find the phone used to call the goons at the hospital so no one would call ahead and prematurely give the order to kill Garrett. Then she would take a car she stole earlier and pick up her brother. The plan was simple. She just needed to execute it.

Persia was exceptionally calm. Her mind already steeled against her task of murder. She may not have ever killed anyone before, but she also had never wanted to. She was certain the task at hand would be easy, and she would not falter. With a new black outfit, whoch replaced her old one, destroyed by unspeakable events, and her usual black backpack, she left her house, not just ready, but excited and determined.

 

[PauciloquentPumpkin]

Persia had gone out to steal a car. Much like her time stealing the goblet, she takes careful consideration to make sure the car wouldn't be suspicious in the neighborhood. She made her way to Brutus. The night had already progressed significantly. The piercing wind was a vivid reminder of that as she made her way up, making sure not to alert any of the lackeys.

She made her way past the manicured lawn to the a/c unit. Using a few tools she quickly made her way past the unit and into the vents. With not a soul aware of what she was doing, she skillfully, silently, made her way to an opening into Brutus' bedroom, where she waited patiently for her prey, like an alligator, ready to strike when they were within range.

It took longer than Persia hoped for. It seemed Brutus went to bed late. Brutus stripped and made his way to the connected bathroom for a shower. Persia never took her eyes off her prey. The giant of a man was covered in gnarly scars. He had clearly survived man an ordeal. All the more reason Persia makes sure he doesn't survive another.

The man took a short shower, much to Persia's relief. He came out, ready dressed in his drab night clothes, and promptly tucked himself into bed with the gentleness of a bear having a seizure.

Persia drew a large boonie knife. She made sure it was untraceable, and wore gloves to mask her fingerprints. The vent opening was directly above the bed where the sleeping brute lied. Persia's muscles tensed, ready for her moment, when she was sure Brutus had fallen asleep.

Time felt like molasses. It flowed painfully slow, but finally, eventually, the man had fallen into a slumber, his snoring a clear indicator. The next few moments happened in a blur. Persia kicked hard into the vent covering, bursting forth from the ceiling. The vent cover, followed by Persia, crashed into the bed. The vent cover smacking into Brutus' legs startled him awake, causing him to shoot up.

The startled look, followed by the shortest look of familiarity was unendingly satisfying to Persia right before she plunged the dagger into his throat. An explosion of blood, caused by severed arteries started as a couple of goons burst forth from the outside hall. Though Persia was already making her way towards the window.

She dove towards the glass as the lackeys began firing. Bullets were flying by as she broke through the pane, emerging from the other side like an action movie star. She began dashing for her car, which she parked a couple of blocks away to avoid detection.

She only made it a block before she was forced to stop. She fell to her knees, suddenly losing the energy to continue. As her confusion curbed her adrenaline, she realized she felt something wet. She looked up, confused for a moment. It wasn't raining, and there were no sprinklers. She looked down where the moist sensation was coming from when it set in.

A vivid red river flowed from her shoulder, soaked through her clothes like it was laughing at the obstacle, and continued tickling down, pulled by the forces of gravity. Persia still couldn't quite feel the pain, so the sight surprised her. She was speckled in the blood of her late boss, but this was her own. Her mind began racing. She needed to get her brother before Brutus' lackeys had a chance to call in a hit in retaliation. Though Brutus had many enemies, so it was likely they didn't suspect her.

Persia tried to rise, though he legs felt wobbly, and she couldn't lift one of her arms. She felt despair before a split second later remembering something. She used her working right arm to fish her phone from her pocket, smearing small streaks of blood across the screen as she dialed Hera's number.

A voice emerged from the other end. Persia didn't waste any time with pleasantries. Her voice was haggard, filled with an intense urgency, "Hera," Persia used her name for the first time. She didn't even bother introducing herself, "I need you to go to the hospital and pick up my brother, then drop him off somewhere." Persia gave the addresses of the hospital and drop-off point, which was where Garret lived. Along with details and instructions, which included Garrett's name and relationship with Persia, and instructions on how to request his leave.

Persia continued from there, her breathe coming through with more difficulty, "Then I need you to pick me up." She gave the cross streets and directions to her location. "Did you get all of that?" Persia could feel herself slipping, but it was important that Hera understood and had the right information. The urgency in her voice relayed that importance.

 

[Araellion]

The days that followed their little encounter started out bad before getting better.

Hera spent the first day in a tizzy; wandering around the flat driving herself insane with imagining endless terrible possibilities, and driving Skimbles insane with her pacing. She gave him some extra treats as an apology. Needless to say, she got very little done that day. Even the thought of finding a distraction was painful. The worrying was a sweet torture that her mind refused to let go of.

Thankfully it got easier after that.

The next day she was mostly back to normal, and the day after that Hera didn't even think about Persia at all. It was like she had thought, out of sight out of mind. She even found the energy to look through some suggestions for work that Jamie had sent her. Even so, it was too soon to actually plan anything. But it felt good to get back into the swing of things.

She did of course use some of her time to overthink her own thoughts. Late at night when sleep was eluding her, Hera lined up all of her thoughts and behaviours and ruthlessly dissected them all. Not that she got anything concrete out of it, but it made her feel slightly better.

Because why did she care? This girl that she had only met a handful of times. What was it about her? Hera honestly didn't know. The same way she still didn't know why she had latched onto Jamie when they had first met. First impressions, she supposed. Hera had always considered herself to be an excellent judge of character, and so far her judgement had held true.

There was no reason to torture herself like this. The knowledge would come eventually. And if it didn't, then that was fine too. Hera gazed at her bedside table, eyes straying not to the ring on top, for once, but to the drawers. Barely daring to breathe, she pulled open the bottom one, looking warily at the only object inside.

A silver cross necklace, meant to be worn so that the cross hung upside down. A gift from an old friend; he had gotten it as a joke, said it reminded him of her. She had found it equally funny back then, but could barely look at it anymore. A symbol of humility and rebellion in equal measure. It was laughable. With a shudder Hera shut the drawer and turned away. Best not to let her thoughts drift in that direction. Not if she wanted any sleep tonight.

At some point in the next few days her phone rung, which was unusual. It wasn't Jamie like she had expected. Hell, not even her mom, who called every once in a while. It was an unknown number, but there was nothing suspicious about it. Her first thought was that it was some sort of scam artist, but the number looked innocent enough. With a shrug she answered the phone...

...And almost immediately berated herself for not answering quicker. In stunned silence Hera listened to Persia, focusing on remembering as much as possible. She pushed down the instinctive panic that clawed at her chest. There was time for that later. After this was done. Then she could panic, but not now.

"Yupp, got it!" The cheerfulness of her tone was utterly inappropriate for the situation, but it was the only thing holding the dread at bay. For now Hera would cling to the forced optimism. It was all she had, which she found to be kind of sad.

After that she sprung into action. God, if Persia wasn't dead by the end of this then Hera would wring the girl's neck herself for all the stress she had caused. She immediately felt a twinge of guilt at the thought. Hera's stress was not nearly as bad as whatever Persia was going through, she was sure. It was unfair to get angry about it.

She took a taxi to the hospital, trying to keep her nervous fidgeting to a minimum. Thankfully the driver hadn't questioned her about it. Because it made sense. Why wouldn't she be nervous? Anyone would be when going to a hospital.

Following Persia's instructions, Hera got Persia's brother out of the hospital. She assured him that she was a friend of his sister, not entirely sure who she was trying to reassure with that. Now some of Persia's earlier ramblings were starting to make sense, and Hera didn't like that one bit.

She called another taxi to pick them up and left the brother—whose name she had forgotten in all the chaos—at the specified location. Next another taxi, this time to the address Persia had said she was at. God, her wallet would take a hit today, but she couldn't bring herself to care. Hera had more money than she could spend in a lifetime anyway.

When they arrived at the address, Hera told the driver to stay while she went out to get a friend. She desperately hoped she hadn't been too late.

 

[PauciloquentPumpkin]

Persia noticed Hera searching for her. She had tucked herself away next to a bush. She didn't want some random passerby to see her and call the cops. Persia moved around a bit, which rustled the leaves of the bush, causing Hera to spot her.

Hera rushed over once she saw Persia, panic in her eyes. Hera began to ask questions, but stopped when Persia interrupted her. Tears started streaming down her face as she asked about Garrett and if he was safe. Upon confirmation Persia allowed herself to relax a little. At least as much as she could at the moment. Her usually dark skin had lost much of its color, and also its usual luster.

Persia thought Hera seemed out of it. She's usually so talkative. It gets on her nerves. Though now that Hera's quiet, Persia sort of misses it. With few words exchanged, Hera quickly took action, surprising Persia. On their way to the taxi, Persia leaning heavily on Hera, making their walk a slow, staggered one, Persia said, "Better not steal anything from me, Pickpocket." A weak smile spread across Persia's face. An attempt at appearing strong to help calm down Hera. Though she would never admit it.