Realistic or Modern The Conman and the Sneak Thief

[Araellion]

Hera let out a sigh at the response, not entirely sure what to think about it. All she wanted was for Persia to take this seriously. Though, she supposed that was hard to do over phone. She told herself to take this up again when she could see the other woman’s face. Though, that could backfire and make Persia clam up even more.

"I'm trusting you. And we will talk later." Her tone made it clear that she wasn't accepting any arguments on that. She let out another sigh, this one sounding more tired than annoyed. "Where are we meeting? I'm with a friend at the moment, but I can go home."

That was met with an elbow to her side from Jamie and a glare. Hera gave her an apologetic look, but at least Jamie didn't truly look annoyed. More amused, which was less comforting than her annoyance.

 

[PauciloquentPumpkin]

Relief flooded over Persia. She was certain she could make things better once they had their prize in hand. Persia blushed, hard. She could feel the heat in her cheeks, thankful they were speaking over the phone. It seemed cheesy, but Persia thought a grand gesture was the right move. "We can meet at your place," came Persia's grateful voice."

 

[Araellion]

"Very well then," Hera said before hanging up the phone. Throwing the phone on the soft carpet, Hera fell backwards with a dramatic sigh. She couldn't ignore Jamie's curious gaze forever, but that didn't stop her from trying. Hera had no idea what Jamie expected Hera to tell her. The blonde had just as much information as Hera had.

When Hera felt like most of her exhaustion had left her, she peeked open an eye, only to come face to face with Jamie. "What." Her voice was completely flat, which was rare and reserved for when Jamie was being particularly infuriating.

"Planning to tell me what that was about?"

"You already know as much as I do, love."

Jamie let out a laugh and laid down next to Hera. They stayed like that for a while, just looking up at the ceiling. Hera didn't know why she was hesitating so much. And more so, why she was so exhausted.

Usually going to meet Persia would fill her with energy, and it still did even now, but a part of her just wanted to stay here and sink into Jamie's fluffy carpet until she disappeared from this world. Hera frowned at her thoughts. Alright, definitely time to get out of her own head.

Hera stood up and stretched out her aching muscles. God, she should really start doing yoga or something. She filed away the thought for later deliberation. Jamie stayed on the carpet while Hera slung on her coat, a beige one this time. She felt like doing a more traditional style since she was doing more traditional work. Her clothes underneath were black and white. And no, that had nothing to do with her state of mind, thank you very much Jamie.

Breathing in the fresh air of the outside world, Hera hoped she wasn't making a mistake in trusting the girl one more time.

 

[PauciloquentPumpkin]

Persia had been sitting in front of Hera's home for what felt like ages. She didn't mind the chilly air, it helped keep her head clear. Though, after so many minutes, a little B&E seemed like a good idea. A few moments of messing with the simple door locks later and she was in.

She didn't bother snooping, but thought about it. That's for another time. For now, she just found a clear spot on the floor to set up. She threw her black overcoat on the floor haphazardly, revealing her clothes. She normally doesn't put much thought into what she wears. She has her 'work' outfit, which takes no thought, and otherwise just throws on what's closest. This time however, she wanted to look pretty for Hera, not that she thinks she'd notice anyways. She wore a low cut maroon blouse, long sleeved with frills on the cuffs and bottom. She paired it with black bell bottomed pants. She looked like she might be going to a fancy, high end restaurant.

She had blueprints sprawled about the floor detailing the two storied museum. She needed to get to the second floor where they keep their circuit room. Hera's job was distraction at two different times. She needed to delay a single guard, giving Persia extra time later, as well as getting another guard out of their booth later so Persia could sneak in, disable alarms, and set off fire alarms. Then Hera would be responsible for the actual snatching of the heart. Something Persia felt was fitting, seeing as how she was smitten with Hera, but she simply laughed at the idea of them being together. Persia constantly questioned what she was doing and if it was worth it because of that laugh, but she tries to keep Garrett's word at the forefront of her mind. She stood up quickly when she heard door handle, waiting for Hera to walk through.

 

[Araellion]

Thankfully Hera's apartment was within walking distance. She didn't feel like taking a taxi. It was still not a short walk, but it gave Hera some time to think. But God, she was so tired of thinking. Tired of thinking about Persia at least. She had done too much thinking about her lately and doing any more of it would be useless.

So instead Hera turned her attention outwards. It was getting closer to Christmas, and the weather reflected that. While it was cold, the skies were mostly clear and it was a nice day. Hera found it a tad amusing how nice the weather was. Usually when something was going wrong in a play or a movie it was raining or storming. Maybe it was a good omen then, that the sun was out.

It certainly did wonders for her mood, if nothing else. She was smiling when she got to her apartment, easily opening up the door. Which was odd. She could see Persia inside, so something was definitely up. Hera swung the door back and forwards a bit, as if that would reveal what was wrong.

Sticking her head inside, she asked Persia with a furrowed brow, "please tell me that you broke in and I didn't forget to lock the door." It wouldn't be the first time, but she usually remembered to close the door. Especially since Skimbles liked to play escape artists sometimes and knew how to open doors.

In any case, she went inside and made sure to lock the door behind her.

 

[PauciloquentPumpkin]

Persia greeted Hera with, "You should upgrade your locks." The reply was automatic, though it lacked her usual cold tone. She stood there, fidgeting, looking out of place in clothes that both didn't seem like her style, and for the place she was at.

"I already have everything planned out for the hit in two days." She motioned towards the papers strewn about the floor. Her cold demeanor gone, replaced with an almost childlike nervousness. She felt awkward and wasn't sure how to proceed. Should she wait for Hera to get settled in? Or jump right into it? She ended up just standing there, fiddling with her fingers, looking at the ground.

 

[Araellion]

"Oh thank goodness," Hera sighed in relief as she hung up her coat. At least that's one less thing to worry about. The lock still worked, so there was really no reason to get a new one. Wasn't like she had anything worth stealing. Maybe except for the ring.

With her outer layers shed, Hera stepped into the livingroom and surveyed the mess. "Two seconds." She went through some of the rooms looking for Skimbles, finding him curled up and asleep on her bed. Wonderful, he has food in there and some toys, so she locked the door.

"Sorry about that, you really don't want him messing up your plans," Hera said with a laugh. All her earlier annoyance was forgotten now that she was actually in the same room as Persia. Well, most of the annoyance. Sobering, Hera sat down on her couch and patted the spot next to her.

"Before anything, we're going to talk, alright?" Even though she phrased it as a question, she wouldn't be taking no for an answer. She wasn't completely frowning, but her smile was a lot dimmer now than when she had walked in.

 

[PauciloquentPumpkin]

Persia tried to return a chuckle about the cat, but she felt it came out awkwardly. She silently cursed herself, wondering what she was doing. When Hera mentioned they were going to talk Persia froze, a panicked look on her face.

Her voice was cautious, "About wh-what?" She shifted in place, feeling about as uncomfortable as she has ever felt in her life. A single bead of sweat formed on her forehead as she waited, terrified of where this was headed.

 

[Araellion]

Hera was about to go on and explain, but tilted her head in question instead. It was odd to see Persia so unnerved. One of those things Hera never thought she would see, which was stupid. Persia was human like her after all. She wanted to ask if the girl was alright, but had a feeling that wouldn't lead anywhere. Probably best with more direct questions.

"Look, if something I do upsets you, I need to know about it," Hera said, uncharacteristically serious. "It's fine to be angry, but I don't appreciate tantrums. Especially if I don't get any sort of explanation after." Hera wanted to wince at her choice of words, but held her ground. She hadn't exactly planned out what to say, but that hadn't come out with quite the neutral language she had wanted to use.

"Please, I just want to know what I did so I can apologise. The last thing I want is to hurt you."

 

[PauciloquentPumpkin]

Persia's cold demeanor partially returned, an anger started to crinkle her features. How could she tell her that the idea of them being together wasn't so ridiculous, that it wasn't something to laugh at? Why couldn't Hera mention her clothes, how nice she looked, since she dressed up for her. Why can't Hera see how she feels?

Persia had all of these unrealistic expectations, but was hypocritically unable to see these things in others. She could see only one way to make things clear. Her features returned to her usual cold, though her anger didn't subside, "After the job. It'll all become clear, I promise." Persia added in, almost as an afterthought, "Please." The last word came out softer. She still hasn't moved from her awkward spot, standing across from Hera as she waited with baited breathe for her response. She didn't know how she would handle being pressed any further.

 

[Araellion]

"Darling, that's not really how communication works," Hera said with a sigh. She felt like she was doing that a lot lately. Trying to actually talk with Persia was beyond frustrating, but she tried not to let that show. "I'm good with people, but I'm not a bloody mind reader." And good thing too. The world would be a very boring place if she was.

"Why not just tell me now and then we can focus on work?" Even as she said that, her will to argue was running out. The only reason she had pushed the issue so far was because it's important. She wished she had something to fiddle with right about now, just to dispel some of her nervous energy. Since she didn't, Hera sat perfectly still, frozen like a statue. She felt like if she moved at all, the other girl would flee.

 

[PauciloquentPumpkin]

Persia made her way towards Hera. She was trying to formulate how to answer her. There were so many things she could say, but with each step her anger grew. All she could picture was Hera laughing, dismissing the possibility of them being together.

Persia wasn't even sure why she was upset. Did she even want a relationship? Or was it because Hera dismissed it that she wanted it? All she knew was that the very memory angered her.

By the time she made her way to Hera she was fuming. Her fists balled, her body tensed. She opened her mouth to speak, but ended up yelling instead. "What's so bad about me? Why did you have to laugh? Why can't you see?"

She was shaking with anger now, her cool composure completely lost. Aggressively, violently, she grabbed two fistfulls of the collar of Hera's shirt, giving her slight shakes as she gave an angry grunt, which ended up turning into a frustrated, exasperated sigh, as she tugged hard on Hera, bringing Hera closer in as Persia leaned down for an aggressive, violent, angry, deep and passionate kiss.

Persia was terrified at her own actions. She didn't expect this to happen. She thought she was going to punch Hera. But something about looking into her eyes as she reacted to her anger and fury emboldened her, her anger fueling her, pushing her forward. She didn't know how to express herself with words, and this is the result of her trying. She was freightened by how Hera could possibly react. Scenarios played in her head. She would likely pull away in disgust, and Persia would probably end up punching her and walking out, all of her plans for an apology gift for Hera wasted. She didn't back down though, as she waited to see how Hera would reply.

 

[Araellion]

Hera flinched back at Persia's shouting, not having expected that. Though, in hindsight, she probably should have. It wasn't exactly a secret that Persia wasn't the most emotionally stable person in the world. And Hera had enough experience with that to know that by now. She hadn't even processed her words before being grabbed.

Her eyes reflected the naked shock at the events, but there was no fear. She was definitely unnerved, but it was hard to fear Persia when Hera had seen her in such vulnerable positions. Though this served as a good reminder that even tame and wounded lions had claws and teeth. And Persia was far from tame.

All thoughts left her Persia kissed her. Her mind was completely blank. But while that was usually a rare and blissful feeling, this was far from comforting. Hera was completely frozen, the only thing she could do was feel and let things happen to her. If Persia was the lion, then Hera felt like the mouse. The helpful little mouse who helped the lion despite her fear, and now found herself in the lion's maw.

When she was finally let go an eternity later, Hera slumped back on the couch, staring blankly out into the air. Her mind had restarted and was now working overtime trying to make sense of what the hell had just happened.

It all clicked into place. Persia's bizarre actions and reactions. God, no wonder Hera had had such trouble reading her. Jamie was right, Hera was utterly oblivious to some things.

"Oh my god..." Hera snapped out of her mind, curling in on herself. She put her legs on the couch and wrapped her arms around her knees in an attempt at making herself feel better. "Oh my god." She was whispering the phrase to herself over and over, another unconscious attempt at calming down her brain.

A mental image of a young boy pulling on a girl's pigtails popped into her mind, and with that Persia's hot and cold behavior started making a little more sense. The image also startled a choked off laugh out of her. "Oh god, you have the emotional maturity of a 12-year-old."

Hera was coming back to herself, slowly uncurling from her position. A fullbody shudder went through her, and she wiped her mouth with her sleeve. "Please don't..." Hera looked up at Persia with a pleading gaze, not knowing what else to do. She desperately needed some time to straighten out her thoughts.

 

[PauciloquentPumpkin]

"Oh god." Was all Hera managed to say. Hera's shocked exclamations just made Persia even more angry. She nearly punched Hera. Then her comment about her emotional maturity set her off. She would have punched Hera, if she weren't so small and fragile looking, curled up on the couch. Her eyes said as much, filled with anger and pain. Her body was tense, her short nails drawing blood as they dug into her palms. The muscles of her jaw bulged and her breathing was heavy and fast.

"Please don't..." don't what? Don't like her? Don't want to be with her? Persia thought Hera must really despise the thought. It seemed obvious to Persia that Hera was straight and thought she was disgusting for doing such a thing. All Persia could manage was an angry, "Fuck you!" She turned to hide the fresh tears that welled up in her eyes, threatening to roll over and fall off the edge, feeling crushed. She headed for the door, not even bothering to gather her things.

 

[Araellion]

Hera flinched again when Persia swore at her, though a part of her mind told her that she had deserved that. Neither of them were dealing with the situation well. At least now Hera could actually understand why Persia was angry. God, things made so much more sense now.

"Wait!" Hera lept to her feet, tempted to follow the girl, but stayed rooted in place. "Please don't go." Her voice held a note of pleading in it. The only thing she could think about was how difficult it would be to ever get to see the girl again if she walked out now. Despite everything, that was the last thing Hera wanted. It was still stupid of her though. Both of them needed time and she knew that.

"I just need time to think. Please don't go," she said again. As if saying it multiple times would make Persia obey. "I'll make some tea?" She very much doubted that was tempting to Persia, but Hera needed something warm to both hold and drink. Something to chase away the coldness that had gripped her insides.

 

[PauciloquentPumpkin]

Persia stopped when Hera called. Though she didn't turn around. She didn't want Hera to see her crying. She fought hard to keep from making a sound, though she wanted to sniffle as her nose began to run a little.

Persia didn't say a word. Didn't move a muscle. When she heard Hera go to make tea she quickly went to wipe her eyes, but found she couldn't turn off the waterworks. She accidentally sniffed. Then it flowed harder. Why couldn't she just have asked Hera if she were into men or women? Or ask Hera why she laughed? Or if Hera liked her? Hell, she didn't even know her own feelings. Her body just reacted most of the time, leaving her to feel awkward and embarrassed afterwards. Though this wasn't unique to Hera.

Persia had always been a rollercoaster. It's why her brother says her relationships fail. Maybe she should have an ear piece and Garrett could guide her through conversations? The thought made her sad. She crouched down as she continued to dry her eyes, the sleeves of her nice blouse increasingly soaked. Her body began to shake slightly with her soft sobs as she questioned her life, the many things she could have done differently. It was easy to plan, though not as easy to execute. Not when it came to people.

 

[Araellion]

When Persia didn't immediately leave, Hera thought it safe for her to go to her kitchen and put on a kettle. While that was boiling, she picked out a teabag—chamomile, they could use something soothing. The mechanical motions of preparing tea helped calm her racing heart, but it didn't provide a solution to this predicament.

What were they supposed to do? No, this was on Hera. What was she supposed to? She felt like she was standing at the edge of a cliff, where one misstep would mean death. And fine, that was probably a tad too dramatic even for her, but that's what it felt like.

She didn't even know if there was a solution here. But she was damned well going to try to preserve their tentative friendship. What other option was there? She wasn't willing to give that up without a fight.

With the water boiled, she poured two cups and went to the livingroom to put them on opposite sides of the table. They needed some distance, so Hera decided to take Skimbles' chair and let Persia have the couch.

That done, she went back into the kitchen to get the box of tissues from one of the cupboards that had child-safety locks. They were meant to keep Skimbles out, but sometimes Hera thought she had more difficulties with the damned things than her cat. Thankfully it worked out this time.

She carefully approached Persia with the box in hand, trying not to startle her. Despite everything, Hera was still more afraid for her than of her. Taking a chance, she reached out to lightly touch Persia's shoulder. "Come, won't you sit down?" Her voice was as soft and soothing as she could possibly make it, but with a hard edge underneath. She didn't want to physically drag Persia around, but she would if she had to.

 

[PauciloquentPumpkin]

Persia felt stupid, having Hera see her like this. She wasn't sure what she should do. She flinched when Hera touched her shoulder. She hated that she did that, though she hasn't been right since Brutus.

Persia wasn't sure how to respond. She thought of her brother. What would he say? What did Hera even want at this point? Why not just ask her? That's what Garrett would say to do. Without looking up, without reaching for the tissues, through her sleeves, she asked, "What do you want?" Wait, that came out wrong. Her voice sounded like it had venom in it, though she was just angry at herself. It seemed trying to emulate her brother wasn't going to work.

She thought she must look pathetic in front of Hera. It seemed no wonder she wasn't into her. She hated the situation all the more. She nearly stood up and left right there, she closedher eyes, trying to think her way through this. At least her sobbing stopped, though tears still occasionally trickled down her cheeks.

 

[Araellion]

Hera withdrew her hand when Persia flinched, terrified of hurting the girl even more than she already had. She ignored the venom in her words, looking past that for now. Baby steps. At least Persia was making an effort to communicate, and Hera appreciated that a lot.

"I want you to sit down on the couch and have some tea." Hera knew that wasn't really what Persia was asking about, but she didn't have any answers. It would take a while to figure out her own feelings on the matter, so this would have to do for now.

She wanted so badly to wipe away Persia's tears herself, but feared that it wouldn't be welcomed. Geez, Hera wasn't surprised at all that Persia didn't want to be touched right now. That wouldn't stop Hera from offering comfort though.

 

[PauciloquentPumpkin]

Persia stood up, dabbing the last of the tears. She looked down at the plans laid about the floor. Why was she chasing Hera anyways? What was so special about her? Hera had the audacity to... "Why did you laugh? Is it such a ridiculous thought,us being together? Are you that disgusted by it?"

There it was. The question Persia had wanted answered the whole time. Her voice was full of pain, though she otherwise held her usual cold demeanor. She kept her eyes fixated on the plans. The plans she had put together as an apology to Hera. She questioned why she would even do such a thing. Was Hera even worth it?

 

[Araellion]

"Oh, sweetheart no..." Persia's words nearly broke her heart. At least now she had an explanation for what had happened back then. No wonder Persia had been upset. "That's not-" What was she even supposed to say to something like that?

"It's not about disgust," she said firmly. It was the only thing about this whole mess she was certain about, so she was going to cling to it. Would treat it as her one loose thread that she could use to untangle this mess.

"I laughed because... Well, I-" God that wasn't going to be an easy one to explain. She wasn't exactly certain herself. All she knew was that she had found the situation entertaining. Was that such a crime? It wasn't intended to be hurtful, but if it came across that way then Hera would have to fix it. "I'm sorry, it wasn't meant to be hurtful," She settled on.

 

[PauciloquentPumpkin]

Persia didn't know how to respond. Why would Hera take care of her if she didn't like her? Persia wondered if this was just some game to Hera. Was Hera manipulating her?

Persia's default cold demeanor returned. She finally turned and faced Hera, looking into her eyes. She could see what seemed to be worry. Was she just that good?

Persia wanted to hurt Hera. And not just by punching her. Though she was certain that would feel good as well. No, she wanted to make her feel bad. The problem was, she didn't know how. So she ended up just staring at Hera with her expressionless face while she pondered what to do next.

 

[Araellion]

Hera looked at Persia, looking for something, anything, that would make this easier. But she could tell the girl was starting to build up her walls. That was nearly as bad as her leaving. For what could she say that would make it through to her then?

"Please talk to me, I don't know what I'm doing." And God, wasn't that the truth. While Hera had plenty of experience with people in general, relationships were far from her area of expertise. She had a feeling that was the only thing they had in common at the moment.

"What do you want from me?" Even as she asked that, Hera slightly regretted her words. For what if Persia asked her for something she couldn't give? She would give the girl anything she had, but that was all she could do.

 

[PauciloquentPumpkin]

Persia's features softened when asked what she wanted from Hera. "Isn't that obvious? I kissed you." Persia's anger had subsided. Even if she could think of a way to hurt Hera, she's not sure that's what she wanted any more. Even if Hera was manipulating her, she didn't mind at this point. She felt good around her comforting presence. Though she was unsure where they would go from here.

Persia shifted uncomfortably, unsure of what else to say. She was never good with words, that's why she usually just threw herself at who she wanted, and that was usually enough. Pending that, she didn't know what to do. She felt like a child, which brought back the memory of Hera's comment on her emotional maturity, causing a slight sting. Maybe she had a point. She imagines Garrett would agree.

 

[Araellion]

Hera winced at Persia's words. She had feared that answer, but now that the words were spoken Hera had to come up with some sort of reply. But to do that she needed time to figure things out. With a sigh, she sat down in her chair, taking a sip from her tea. The one good part of this whole situation was that the tea had cooled to a pleasant temperature.

Looking over at Persia, Hera spoke with an overly polite air about her. "Wouldn't you like some tea?" She was stalling, and she knew it. God, was she any better than Persia then? Probably not, in some ways. But what was she supposed to say to that?