Realistic or Modern The Conman and the Sneak Thief

[PauciloquentPumpkin]

Persia kept her eyes focused straight ahead, not bothering to look at Hera, or anything in particular, until she was gone. It was her way of protecting herself from breaking down during emotional times. She wasn't sure how she would handle it. She felt overwhelmed, so she did the only thing she knew to do during hard times. Once Hera was out of view, she turned the car around and headed towards Lucas' Bar.

She arrived, leaving her backpack, with the Heart inside, in her car. She no longer cared for it. Even half-wished it would get taken, being left in such an open, vulnerable spot. She entered the bar and sat at her usual spot at the end of the bar. As per their routine, Lucas poured her a drink.

"You look nice today, Persia. What's the special occasion?" Came Lucas' smooth voice.

Persia replied, bitterness in her voice, "Am I unattractive?"

Lucas looked around the room and seemingly unsurprised at the answer, replied, "I'd say you're about the most attractive person in this bar."

Persia brushed the compliment aside, "Am I undesirable?"

Lucas was starting to pick up on what was going wrong. "Did someone reject you?"

Persia sighed, "No, not really, maybe..." She caught herself. Realizing she was talking too much, she grew quiet. Instead, she listened to Lucas carry on a one sided conversation about nothing in particular. Part of their regular routine. As Persia began to get drunk, likely to end the night in a bar fight.

 

[Araellion]

Walking to Jamie's place felt like it had taken forever and like no time had passed at the same time. It was getting darker out, which only added to Hera's bad mood. And usually she liked the night too, so that was saying something. Her thoughts had of course kept gnawing at her the entire way, leading her to wonder what she had done wrong, and upon getting an answer to that, figuring out a way to fix it. She was trembling slightly from the exhaustion, but thankfully it was cold enough out to mask that.

She wasted no time in knocking on Jamie's door, not quite desperate enough to pray that she was home, but getting closer by the second. Hera did have a key to the apartment in her wallet, but she really didn't want to use it. It always felt like an invasion of privacy and the last thing she needed right now was more things to feel guilty about.

Thankfully Hera could hear Jamie's approaching footsteps through the door, and she let out a sigh of relief. Good. Jamie would keep her from spinning out of control completely.

Jamie opened the door with a frown, quickly taking in Hera's appearance. The fact that Hera hadn't changed out of her suit yet and looked as exhausted as she felt was probably worrying. Jamie knew that Hera liked to get changed out of formal clothes as fast as possible once the day was over.

Frown deepening, Jamie gestured for Hera to get inside. With a timid nod Hera complied, more than happy to just go along with whatever her best friend told her to do at the moment. She could hear the lock clicking shut behind her, the sound oddly soothing.

Jamie walked back in front of Hera, arms crossed. That was as much as Hera could see, since she was looking at the ground. The hardwood floor with its lack of colors and things to look at somehow made her feel slightly better. Less overwhelmed at least.

"Are you alright?" Jamie asked gently, a hint of worry in her tone that did nothing to assuage Hera's guilt.

Hera didn't answer. Couldn't answer. What was she supposed to say to that? Clearly she wasn't doing well, the rational part of her said. Too bad that part of her mind was firmly buried under a pile of guilt. Why couldn't she answer? It was such a simple question. She opened her mouth to give some sort of response, but the words got stuck in her throat. God, she couldn't even do that right.

Sensing just how terribly Hera was doing, Jamie quickly backtracked. "Never mind, stupid question, don't answer that." Hera nodded, happy that that was something she could actually manage to do right.

Jamie carefully tilted Hera's head up, looking for something in her eyes. She cursed under her breath a moment later, making Hera stiffen. It wasn't rare to hear Jamie curse, but that usually wasn't directed at her. She wanted to drop her gaze again and sink into the ground, but Jamie clearly didn't want her to do that, which was the only thing stopping her.

After what felt like an eternity later, Jamie stepped back with a determined nod. Hera was both relieved and disappointed at the absence of touch. She felt chilled to the bone, even if she knew that Jamie hated the cold and kept her place heated.

"You have some clothes in the bottom drawer in my room. Get changed and we'll watch a movie on the couch. I'll put on some tea." Jamie waited for Hera's nod before disappearing into the kitchen.

Hera let out a sigh of relief, happy now that she had something concrete to occupy her mind with. She wasn't so far gone that she couldn't follow simple directions.

So she went into Jamie's room and got undressed, carefully folding her suit. Not because Hera cared much about keeping it wrinkle free right now. She knew Jamie hated it when Hera was careless with her formal outfits though, and she definitely wouldn't be able to handle Jamie scolding her right now.

Hera picked out a grey onesie with white stars and hearts and god knows what else, and a pair of fluffy black socks from the drawer and put it on. The soft material brought a bit of warmth back to her, and Hera almost felt human again. Still exhausted, but the feeling was less sharp now. It was more of a gentle drowsiness.

When she got back out Jamie was sitting on the couch with two steaming mugs in front of her on the table and surrounded by blankets that were usually hidden away in a closet until winter. Jamie spotted Hera lingering in the doorway and waved her over.

"Come here, I made some chamomile tea," Jamie said gently, but firmly. It wasn't Hera's favourite kind of tea, but she knew it would help. Hera padded over to the couch, sitting down and immediately drawing one of the blankets around her before leaning on Jamie. She would be so warm in a minute, but with how chilled she felt at the moment she found that she didn't care.

Jamie easily wrapped an arm around Hera and drew her closer, fiddling with the remote with her free hand. Hera believed Jamie had put on a Christmas movie judging by the amount of snow, but wasn't sure. And wasn't really paying attention either. All that mattered was that she was warm, and safe, and Jamie was softly petting her hair. It was all too easy to let sleep claim her.

 

[PauciloquentPumpkin]

Persia had spent the coming days in and out of a drunken stupor. She felt lost. Brutus no longer controlled her life, but she also no longer had her old crew. They gave her purpose. This kept her mind returning to Hera.

There were many times when Persia picked up the phone to call Hera, before backing down at the last minute. Eventually, weeks later, in a drunken state, Persia called Hera. She had gone over what she was going to say. Studied the words. Planned her speech.

Persia heard Hera's voice from her voice mail. The tone chimed, indicating it was time for Persia to speak. "I...," she wasn't sure what to say. She didn't plan on voice mail. Several moments of silence pass by, Persia frozen in place, before she sighs and finally hangs up, realizing she should have deleted the message before doing so. Maybe she would try again later. For now, Lucas had another drink with her name on it.

 

[Araellion]

Hera didn't know whether the distance she got from Persia the following weeks was a blessing or a curse. And as she often did when she felt uncertain about something, she ended up asking Jamie. Not that that helped. Her best friend seemed to be pretty skeptical about the other thief, and Hera couldn't blame her. Not after the state Hera appeared in after their last meeting.

So Hera refrained from mentioning Persia to Jamie and focused instead on work. Their cover stories for the job were as good as they'd ever get, and the job itself went far smoother than expected. Again, Hera was both relieved and very much the opposite. It was always nice to help the police close a case, but now she had nothing to distract herself with without feeling guilty about it.

It was a good thing then that Jamie was determined to keep Hera out of her own head. And Hera couldn't even feel guilty about spending so little time at home—and letting Jamie convince her to leave her phone at home too—because an old friend was in town to study and needed help moving in to her new apartment.

When Hera got home to her own apartment later that day, she was pleasantly buzzed on nothing else than the day's good company. Hanging out with her friends really was a miracle cure for pretty much anything.

Of course, her good mood lasted all of ten minutes before the universe had to go and ruin it. No, that wasn't fair. Getting a voicemail from Persia shouldn't have felt like the end of the world to begin with. And Hera knew it was from Persia, because she had finally saved her contact info under the name 'soft lion'. Not one of her more creative names, but it fit.

She didn't do anything about it though. Hera just listened to it once and deleted it like a normal person. There wasn't a lot of substance to the message, so what was she supposed to do? She was itching to reach out as well, but a fairly large part of her was screaming that that wasn't a good idea. And after how she got burned the last time, Hera wasn't tempted to go against her instincts.

 

[PauciloquentPumpkin]

"How do I make it up to her? I think she's mad at me," Persia asked her brother, Garrett.

It was a relatively warm winter day. Persia was at her brother's house. He was looking sickly, but better every day. Persia didn't know how to confront Hera, she wanted to repair their relationship. So she did what she always does when people vex her, ask her brother.

"Is she mad at you? Or does she think you're mad at her?" Garrett knew Persia very well.

Persia gave a pout, always more expressive with Garrett that with anyone else, "She may think I'm mad at her."

"Sounds like you already know how to fix it."

"She hasn't returned my call. I left a message."

"What did the message say?"

Persia gave an exasperated sigh, defeated, "Fine. I'll go talk to her."

Garrett always had the answers, but they were never the ones Persia wanted to hear. She wondered why he couldn't have just said to wait until she reached out? Persia shared conversations with her brother for another couple of hours. As the Sun began to set, she gathered her things and made her way to Hera's house.

Of course, she showed up in a different car from before. It was a common theme with her. She sat in her car for what felt like an eternity before finally gathering the courage to approach Hera's door. Once more she stood in front of the door for what felt like an eternity before finally knocking. The cold prompting her more than anything else.

 

[Araellion]

Skimbles was having an absolute field day with all of these boxes. He didn't even care that they were all taped closed, just pushing them around and jumping on top of them seemed to keep him occupied all day. Hera was just glad he hadn't tried to sharpen his claws on one of the flimsier ones.

All of the boxes contained christmas decorations. Some newer ones she had bought or gotten as gifts in recent years, and some that she had taken with her when she moved out of her parent's house. She wasn't ashamed to say that some of the newer ones had a definite cat theme going on. Hera was very much not a crazy cat lady, thanks for asking. And she cared even less that it was probably too early to bring out the decorations.

Just finding the boxes and lugging them around had taken the better part of the day, and Hera was exhausted. She was sitting on the couch with a cup of hot cocoa, considering whether or not she should take an early night for once. Not that she needed to catch up on sleep at all. Hera hadn't been that busy these last days.

Well, except for the days where Mina dragged her to various dance classes with her. How the woman had time for anything other than her studies was completely beyond Hera, but she was glad the other woman was settling in to the city.

Her musings were interrupted by a knock on the door, which was peculiar. None of her friends were exactly morning people, but they should both be busy doing something or preparing for bed. With a tilted head Hera looked at the door for a few moments, before realising that she should probably open it.

With a sigh, Hera set the cup down on the table and wrapped her long fluffy bathrobe tighter around herself, tying the strips of fabric into a secure knot. She had come out of the shower a little while ago, but her long hair took ages to dry and she wasn't in the mood to get her normal clothes wet. And she hated using the blow dryer unless she didn't have time, so there went that option.

She didn't register anything other than the biting cold when she first opened the door. It felt like icy needles being thrust into her scalp. Hera winced from the pain and first then registered that someone was at the door.

"Come in, come in, it's freezing!" She quickly ushered Persia inside, still too shocked from the cold to question her presence. "Sorry about the boxes, I've been busy today. Would you like some hot cocoa?" Hera had made a bit too much, and despite loving the drink, even she couldn't finish up all of it alone.

 

[PauciloquentPumpkin]

Persia was dumbstruck at how casual Hera was acting. Like nothing had gone wrong before. She was entirely unsure of how to respond. Yelling, anger, throwing things, that is something she could understand and respond to. What was she supposed to do with this.

She followed Hera into her house. It felt like she was walking in for the first time. There were Christmas decorations and boxes everywhere. The festivity made her sick, but she also felt like crying at the same time. It has been what felt like an eternity since she's celebrated Christmas, or any holiday for that matter.

Persia gave a reflexive nod to Hera's question, despite not being able to see it. She would have answered yes to any question Hera would have asked, though the pleasant aroma of hot chocolate was tempting after standing out in the cold. Not knowing what to do, she simply stood there among the boxes, looking dumbfounded and lost for words.

 

[Araellion]

With a smile, Hera disappeared into the kitchen to prepare the drink. It was now hitting her how odd it was to have Persia back here. They hadn't parted on the best of terms, but for Hera time had glossed over the event to the point where she could look back on it without feeling any of the same feelings she did back then. It was a relief really. At least now she could be objective about it.

Hera snapped herself out of her thoughts, noticing that she had been staring into space without doing anything. How stupid. Shaking her head at herself, she got out everything she needed and went back out with a cup of cocoa. The fact that Persia was just standing around shouldn't be a surprise by now, but it still struck her as odd. Most people would have at least taken a seat on the sofa by now.

She went over to the girl, slowly handing over the cup. "Careful, it's hot." Her mugs were of good quality, but that didn't mean that sometimes the beverages weren't colder than the cup. Usually when she put them in the microwave.

"We didn't part on the best terms, hey? Are you alright?" Hera asked with a smile that was equal parts kind and concerned. She figured it was best to get that sorted out straight away, instead of letting it fester and blow up in her face later. Precautionary measures was apparently the name of the game when it came to Persia.

 

[PauciloquentPumpkin]

Silence was Persia's preferred response to Hera, but her brother's voice kept echoing in her head, forcing her mouth to move and sound to emenate from her throat.

"Are you..." A moment of pause, what would she say? Ask if Hera was angry? Probably a good idea, but she ended up changing tracks, "How can I make it up to you?" She shifted uncomfortably as she waited for Hera's reply, not bothering to indicate what it was she wanted to make up to Hera, though she meant for breaking the glass gift she had broken, in an admittedly rude manner.

 

[Araellion]

Hera blinked slowly, not entirely sure what the girl meant. Of course, she had a few guesses, but Persia continued to be an enigma all the same. "You don't need to make it up to me. You haven't done anything wrong." Well, nothing Hera considered to be wrong. Sure the girl had some anger issues, but just the fact that she had come here and is now trying to make amends speaks volumes.

She didn't know what else to say, so Hera smiled her kind smile and hoped it would be enough. This wasn't how she imagined she would spend the evening, but that was fine.

 

[PauciloquentPumpkin]

"I..." Persia began to protest, though she wasn't sure what to say. She felt awkward standing there, the receiver of such a kind gift as Hera's warm smile. She decided to take her reward and go, unsure of how to act in this situation. With a simple, "OK," in response, she turned to leave.

 

[Araellion]

"Well hold on just a second!" Hera reached out to touch the girl's shoulder, but drew her hand back at the last second. Surely her outburst should be enough to get Persia's attention, no need for unnecessary touching. No matter how much Hera wished to, she couldn't help but remember all the times the girl had flinched away. That was the last thing Hera wanted right now.

"We haven't seen each other in ages, why don't you stay a while?"

 

[PauciloquentPumpkin]

"Well hold on just a second!" Persia was frozen in place by Hera's words, stuck in that moment until something else broke her out of it, "We haven't seen each other in ages, why don't you stay a while?" Persia replied with the same answer, "OK," unable to muster up anything else.

Persia never really knew how to act around Hera. She was smitten, but at the same time perplexed and frustrated by the woman. She turned to face Hera. Unsure of what else to do, she simply stared and awaited further instruction.

 

[Araellion]

Hera stood there and just looked at Persia for a bit, unsure what to do. God, she hated this feeling of absolute helplessness. "OK," she echoed eloquently. It was a start at least.

With a deep breath to collect her thoughts, Hera grasped at the first thread of conversation that popped into her mind. "So, what have you been doing since we last saw each other?" Hopefully that would be a safe subject to stick to for now.

 

[PauciloquentPumpkin]

"I...," started Persia. What had she done? Why was her memory failing her now? Was what she was doing so insignificant as to be forgotten at the slightest provocation? Or was she really sp flustered that she couldn't think straight? She continued onwards, feeling the tension their strained conversation was creating, encroaching upon her like the walls in a small room might encroach upon those with claustrophobia.

"Not much. Though my funds are running low, and I have bills to pay, so I need to find another job soon." She's not sure why she offered that last bit. What use was there in informing Hera of her financial situation? Could she no longer think before she speaks? Though, as her brother would point out, not particularly one of her strong points. Persia fidgeted, still unmoved from her spot, hoping Hera didn't take what she said as an attempt to ask for money. Her eyes lowered, worried at the thought.

 

[Araellion]

Hera patiently waited for the girl to collect her thoughts, letting the silence settle around her. She had never minded the silence, even awkward silences had a sort of soothing stillness to them. It felt nice after all the noise and action she had had the last couple of weeks.

"Hmmm, I see," Hera said thoughtfully. She was half tempted to offer help with her financial situation, but had a feeling that wouldn't be welcome. Persia was too independent to appreciate such a gesture, which was one of the things Hera liked about her.

"What about the heart? Did you sell it?"

 

[PauciloquentPumpkin]

Persia turned at the mention of the Heart, her expression soured, if such a thing were possible. She spoke, timidly, "I, I have a buyer set up, b-but I can't move it for a couple of weeks, m-maybe months."

Was she stuttering, she thought? She thought she was acting ridiculous, pathetic. She straightened up to counter this feeling, bringing her eyes to meet Hera's as if she had to stand her ground, stand equal, no, superior, to Hera. Though she was still at a loss for words, so the action may not have had the desired effect. She stood there helplessly, frustrated at her usual lack of words.

 

[Araellion]

Hera let out a hum, just to show that she had heard since she didn't know what to say. God, when did she run out words? She knew how the market was for these things, but she didn't want to talk about work. No, it was much more interesting how Persia was acting. Hera didn't think she'd ever seen the girl so unsure.

"Are you alright? You look tense." And sound tense, though that was implied. "You know you can tell me anything, I won't judge," she added when she assumed that her first question wouldn't get an honest answer.

 

[PauciloquentPumpkin]

"I...," came the single, unsure word from Persia's lips, falling into silence like a rock being thrown into a bottomless well. Seconds of silence passed. Long seconds. Seconds that felt like minutes, like hours. She wondered why Hera had to be so perceptive. Or perhaps, she thought, not perceptive enough. She wondered why Hera couldn't just see how she affects Persia, how she cared for Hera, pined for her.

"I liked working with you," came the eventual reply. A reply in her usual fashion, managing to say very little, but hoping, foolishly, that what she wanted to say was heard. What she had wanted to say was that she liked Hera, and missed working with her, and wanted to continue their relationship, strained as it was.

Persia fidgeted in place. She wasn't prone to fidgeting. It was something she did when she felt uncomfortable. She was usually quite still. Eerily so. It was something she took pride in, as most people tend to fidget, even if it's just a little, no matter what they're doing. And so, she waited for Hera's reply. Something she felt like she's been doing a lot of lately.

 

[Araellion]

Hera wasn't surprised that Persia liked working with her. Despite their different methods, they worked well together. No, what surprised her was that the girl had admitted it. Perhaps she had done a bit of soul-searching these last few weeks. In any case, Hera lit up at the words.

"I enjoyed working with you as well." With a more genuine smile in place now, Hera gestured for Persia to finally sit down on her damned couch. Too excited now to help herself, Hera continued. "In fact, I do have a potential job. I couldn't do it alone you see, too suspicious. But if we work together..." Hera let the sentence trail off, mostly to be dramatic.

 

[PauciloquentPumpkin]

Persia's defenses dropped, for the briefest of moments, as Hera's face lit up. For that briefest of moment, Persia's face matched Hera's. Her face went aglow in joy, relief flooded her as she realized Hera didn't hate her.

The moment had passed, Persia regained her composure, her stoic aura returned. She still couldn't stop her first step towards the couch from being an uncharacteristically bouncy, jolly step before, like brief moment earlier, she returned to normal.

She looked expectantly towards Hera, letting her quizzical look ask the question she didn't voice. Her eyes inquired as to the details of the job. This encounter had gone better than Persia could have ever hoped for. She reminded herself to take her brother's advice more often.

 

[Araellion]

Feeling lighter than she had in quite a while, Hera sat down in her chair and picked up her cup of cocoa from the table. It was a bit cold now, but that didn't matter. It was still good.

"You see, our job would be to steal a necklace from a rather wealthy lady. Security is tight around her mansion, so I didn't want to risk sneaking in," Hera began, trying to remember the details of the job. She had originally taken one look at the files and brushed them away, but now there might be a chance.

"There will be a galla held soon however, and I just so happen to be invited." She had wanted to throw away the invite since she never went to these events, but since it had been a while since she had gone to one of these events, she figured it might be good if she at least showed her face there for a few hours. It would be polite.

"The invite says I'm allowed to take a plus one. Of course that means that I have to bring someone or face an endless barrage of questions all night. I would normally take Jamie with me, but she isn't terribly fond of these events and I don't have any leverage or blackmail on her at the moment. That's where you come in. We get in, take what we need, and get out as soon as is polite. Questions?"

 

[PauciloquentPumpkin]

Still elated, Persia replied, "A galla?" Her face contorted slightly, "I, don't do well with people. I'm more of a sneak in and take things when no one's around type of person." Despite not being thrilled at the idea, Persia would still follow Hera into the field of battle.

She didn't voice her thoughts, but Persia wondered how she would even begin to blend in in a place that would hold a galla. Her fears and worries were miniscule. She didn't care, since it was Hera that was asking. Persia looked expectantly towards Hera, wondering what her plans were.

 

[Araellion]

Hera nodded at Persia and gave the girl a reassuring smile. "Yes, I know that much by now. Luckily you won't be expected to speak much. Just your name and maybe your work when asked. And that's only the first part of the evening. Somewhere in the middle of the event you can sneak away without anyone being suspicious."

With that all said and done, Hera's smile widened. This plan was coming together much better than expected. She didn't have any floor plans of the mansion or anything, but that was fine for now.

"And don't worry about your outfit. I do have a surprise for you later. I know you like planning for things, but trust me on this." Maybe the dress she had ordered would see some use after all. Things were looking up for her indeed.