Revenge? (RP)

Persephone feels the tension in the air as she trauma dumps a bit onto Circe; she sees her little sister squirm uncomfortably. Though the two sisters have always been on good terms, they haven't ever really been confidantes, sharing their personal struggles and traumas. It took Pers years before she told Circe about her assault, for example. Their parents had instilled just too much shame around being anything less than perfect, and mental health was never discussed, so the two girls never learned to communicate that way with each other.

So Persephone lightens the mood. She laughs and eggs Circe on, saying, "Bring him back? Back and what, Circ? Back to smash?" As Circe throws her hands over her face and bursts out laughing, Persephone doubles down. "Or maybe it'll just be a sloppy toppy?"

The two sisters laugh, the tension broken, and Persephone answers more seriously, saying, "if any of that is gonna happen, we'll go to his place, ok? But honestly, after last night, and this morning, and now this afternoon... I'm sore."

Circe protests, "TMI TMI!" but they both laugh anyway. Persephone smiles, secretly thinking, Honey, if you knew the half of it...

She sends another text to Henry, asking if they are still on for tonight at 7, and where they'd like to meet.

Persephone frowns at her phone and then regards Circe in thought. She sighs deeply and her shoulders slump.

"I...Damn. I can explain it all, but it's a lot, and some of it is really weird and hard to believe, and well, it's a big hot mess. If you wanna hear it, I can lay it aaaallll out for you. Henry wants to come over here, actually, and he and I are gonna talk about IT. Like, the stuff that's going on with me, and my weird work situation. He and I are dating, but we may also work together to get me out of my bad work commitment. You know?"

She steps forward and puts her hand on Circe's shoulder. She looks at her earnestly and says, "You're my sister and I love you. And all I've done is been a nightmare sister since you got here. And, this weekend, I... something bad happened to me and I... I don't know if I can keep this all up any more, without talking about it... But I don't wanna trauma dump and, well, you know how it is..."

Circe most certainly would know that Persephone's last sentence, about knowing how it is, refers to how difficult it has always been for their family to talk honestly about painful feelings, or failure, or trauma. After all, Circe was there when Persephone tried to tell their mother about her sexual assault, and her mother steadfastly refused to believe "that such a nice boy could do such a thing." She said awful things about Persephone that night, and Circe never forgot it, but Persephone and Circe have never really discussed the fallout.

Persephone looks at Circe with pain on her face, both at the thought of what she might share, and at the awkwardness of talking about such things with family. She doesn't want to burden little Circ after all, but it may be time to tear down a few of the walls her parents built to keep her safe--walls that also keep her isolated.

Persephone sighs heavily. She takes Circe's hands and walks her over to the sofa and says, "You know how bad things got for me when my company collapsed after grad school, right? When I was so desperate to save what little chance of success I had left with the app launch? I went to every venture capitalist I knew, and they all passed. No one wanted to invest it, not after it had collapsed when my ex ran off with my funds. Well... I was approached by one investor who made me an offer I thought I had to take. So I did, but it was a terrible, terrible mistake. I sold my soul to him for the money to bail me out and restore my parents' retirement fund they'd loaned me. And now he owns my soul and I am damned."

Persephone holds up a hand to quiet Circe before she can respond. She continues, saying, "I know what you're thinking--Pers, you're being overly dramatic again! I wish, but not this time, sis. He... he was actually a demon, Circe. Like a biblical, supernatural, from Hell kind of demon who buys and sells souls via infernal contracts. And now I work for him. And I am going to prove it to you. But, to do that, I have to do something that absolutely will freak you out. But listen to me, Circe: I am still your sister, OK? And I will never hurt you, ever. But this is what I am now, and I am trying to figure out how to deal with it. OK, are you ready? I promise you're safe. Here, let me step back..."

Circe begins to stammer in confusion, saying, "What...? What are you ? Are you being serious right now? Ohmygod Persephone are you on drugs?? Or is this, like, a psychotic break?? Oh my god..."

But before Circe can spin up a full blown panic attack, Persephone stands, spreads her arms, and transforms.

Persephone stands, confused, her mind racing. What the... Are you offing kidding me? Why... OH. Oh no. He... he took it away...

Persephone's face twists in rage. She picks up a tasteful (and undoubtedly expensive) vase on the side table and throws it across the condo into the kitchen, where it shatters all over the marble countertop and spotless sink. She yells a guttural string of curse words, turns and grabs her purse angrily, and storms out, leaving her poor little sister to cry alone.

She calls the car service and heads straight to Wentworth's office. When she arrives, she barges past the receptionist, ignoring her protests, and throwing open his door. As it swings open, she screams, "Give me my goddamned contract you scumbag! Now!"

At the sight of Wentworth, his smug face, and his words, Persephone's rage builds and builds and breaks, like a wave upon the rocks. She squeezes he hands into fists and then screams a curse at the top of her lungs before storming over to the sofa, into which she collapses and begins to sulk.

After a moment, she releases a long sigh--a sigh of defeat. She leans forward, takes the drink, and downs it in one go. She looks at him and says, "I'm gonna need a few more of those. And I'm tired of being in the dark and doing all this half-assed. I need my contract, but also some goddam training or something. How do I get this girl to willingly sign away her soul? I literally have no idea how to even broach that topic. What do I do, secretly take compromising photos and then threaten to go public unless she signs? Oh. Oh no, not that. There's gotta be a better way, yeah? Wouldn't that bring way too much attention to her? To us?"

Persephone takes the drink, downs half of it, and leans back, a smug smile on her face. "Yes there have been compromising situations Repeatedly. She is scared of nothing more than having the world--and her employer--know she's gay, so blackmail could work. What's more, I haven't just taken her body; she's falling for me." She downs the other half and waves the glass in the air to her side, awaiting the refill. She does not tell Wentworth that she has grown fond of Viv, however; she has locked that part of herself away for the moment. This is the time for hard nosed negotiation.

She leans forward and points a finger at Wentworth with the hand holding the glass. She says, "Listen up, Little Lord Fauntleroy. I can get you her. I can get you whoever you need. But I need a little quid pro quo, you hear me?"

Persephone sips her drink, smiles, and throws it in his face. "No. I bring you something and you get me my contract."

She stands, having to briefly steady herself, and heads to the door. She has to meet Henry soon... Oh! They were going to meet at her condo... Ugh, Circe is still there...

She shrugs, having no idea how to handle that, and intends to head back to her condo.

Persephone stops at the door, turns to face Wentworth, and says, "Can you at least get me a contract I can have Viviana sign too? Or am I supposed to write one up on the back of a frakking cocktail napkin after shagging her again?"

Persephone just stood there, looking at Wentworth, feeling utterly defeated. Even though she wanted to kill him where he stood, she knew there was nothing she could do to this man. Especially without the favor of her patron. She hated to admit it, but, at least for now, she needed it. She just shook her head and said, "Fine."

She turned and left, the buzz she had started to develop quickly fading as her anger transformed back into self-loathing.

Persephone stops short in the doorway, holding her purse and soaking wet, as she had stormed out without her coat. She steps inside the door and closes it with a little too much force, causing it to slam loudly. In a tone that ie one part confusion, one part accusation, she says, "Ummm?? I see you two have met?"

Persephone sighs heavily when she realizes what is happening. She was terrible to Circe, Henry shows up to find a crying girl, and he does the good thing and comforts her. The only villain in this scenario, Persephone knows, is her.

She walks in and says, "It’s my fault. I tried to explain to her about the demonic contract, but she didn’t believe me. So I was going to show her my demon form, but my patron is angry at me right now and has revoked it. So I just stood there like an idiot. I stormed out, just… SO angry at it all. I didn’t even get to the part about telling her what happened this weekend!!"

She looks at Circe and says, "I’m sorry I upset you. But I’m not lying. Henry saw it. But… let’s just forget about it right now; I just don’t want you to be upset, ok?"

Persephone begins to protest, saying, "It's not a delusion, it's..." But she trails off as Henry proceeds to henry all over things. First, he says some weird things about Persephone "putting out" that make her uncomfortable; he sounds like a high school boy caught making out behind the bleachers, not an older, mature man. Second, he refuses to affirm Persephone's claim. It is the second issue that ruins things for her.

Persephone looks at him with disdain and shakes her head, hurt and annoyed. She replies, "You still won't support me in this? If you can't believe me after what you've seen and heard, then maybe you should leave. I don't want your pity; I don't want you to tolerate my crazy claims. I want you to believe me. And I certainly won't be 'putting out' for someone who thinks I've lost my mind. So what will it be, Henry?"

She then turns to Circe and says, "And Emma? Yes. Well, No. I mean, Yes, she knows. But, No, her first book was all made up. Then she got a chance to do some 'real' research and discovered that the supernatural is real. So now she is mixed up with very bad people and is acting self-destructively again. So we're taking a break."

She turns back to Henry and crosses her arms, awaiting his response.

Persephone realizes at that moment that Henry will be neither the stalwart supporter nor fellow conspirator she was hoping for; indeed, he's being particularly oafish tonight, and betraying his significantly higher interest in Emma's well-being over hers. Again. And now Persephone has alienated Circe and made her conclude that her older sister has had some kind of psychotic break, may be a drug addict, or possibly a sex worker. Or maybe just a slut. And Emma? Well, Emma's not an option right now.

Persephone feels very alone and very defeated. She looks up at Henry and Circe. She sees their mouths moving, but can't hear them. The walls of her condo feel like they are closing in on her. She feels like someone is sitting on her chest and her breathing becomes rapid and shallow. She begins to shake, her hands visibly quavering and her teeth starting to chatter. She feels her shoulder and neck tense up tightly. She can't see, really--or she can't seem to focus on anything, at least. She has to get out of there!

In the grips of a full-blown PTSD -fueled panic attack, Persephone looks up at Henry and Circe, her eyes wide and desperate, filling with tears that splash down her cheeks, her lips quivering, her voice stammering. "I... I have to... I have to go..."

And she turns and runs! Adrenaline and cortisol pump through her body and she feels like she could smash right through the door. Instead, though, she slams it open with a bang and bolts down the hall to the elevator. She pushes the button 20, maybe 30 times, but it won't come! It's taking forever!!!

She breaks. She collapses, dropping to her knees, wrapping her arms around herself, as her body is wracked with sobs. Deep, visceral sobs punctuated with a guttural moaning cry, as if her very soul was howling in pain.

Just then, the elevator dings, about to open. Circe runs out the door and sees her sister lying on the ground shuddering. Circe runs to her, calling her name, but Persephone is unresponsive. She seems to be replaying something, seeing some trauma, rather than the present. Circe shakes her, but Persephone only sobs, cries out in pain, and shudders, her body literally wracked with muscle spasms, as if she were being struck -- or stabbed. Circe is terrified. Henry stands behind Circe, absolutely uselessly looking on, uncertain of what to do.

Circe and Henry look at each other, uncertain of what to do. Henry ineffectually tries to pat Persephone on the arm, saying, "Um, there there, it'll be ok...?" Meanwhile, Circe runs back to the condo and returns with her phone, angrily yelling, "What the hell, Henry! You guys don't have 911 here?!" Henry educates her and they call 999 for emergency services. Throughout, Persephone rocks on the ground, knees to chest, sobbing and shaking. A neighbor or two look out to see what's going on, and Henry lets them know that emergency services have been called, someone is having a nervous breakdown. Some neighbors grant them their privacy; others simply stare.

By the time the emergency services arrive, Persephone seems to have exhausted herself, and she is groggy and somewhat unresponsive. They load her on a gurney and wheel her away. Circe demands to come with them, but the medics direct her to wait at the hospital. Henry does the chivalrous thing and accompanies her.

Persephone finally comes to in a hospital bed. Her whole body hurts, like she's been in a car crash. She is exhausted, feeling hollowed out. And her nerves are frayed; a nurse enters and Persephone yelps and jumps in surprise. She shivers with the chills for a short time afterwards, as her nerves slowly calm themselves. The nurse injects something into an IV and Persephone lapses into sleep.

Her drug-addled dreams are filled with Choudry's rising and falling hand holding the dagger, the demon she met in the tunnels, her patron, Viv, Chablis, Emma... a collage of all that has happened, filled with blood and fire, smoke and pain. But something else is there... a warm light...

She awakens, finally. Daylight streams in. Circe is asleep in a chair across the small room. Henry is not here, having had to leave for work. It is late morning the next day -- she had been asleep for 16 hours. Persephone pulls herself up to sitting and tries to rub her eyes, only to discover her wrists are strapped down to the sides of the bed.

What the...what is going on?

She shakes her head and it all gradually comes back to her. She looks to Circe as her eyes well up with tears. "Circe? Circ? I'm scared..."

Trigger warning: SA and self-harm

With a frightened look on her face, Persephone asks, "Circ! What is happening? Why am I...this?" She tugs at her wrist cuffs and also discovers she is wearing ankle cuffs as well.

Circe looks exhausted, both physically and emotionally. She stands, slowly, and makes her way to Persephone's side, taking one of her restrained hands. With a deep sadness, she says, "Pers, I told them you were suffering from, like, major delusions. And when they examined you, they..." She choked back tears and struggles to continue. She closes her eyes and breathes, composing herself enough to continue. She says, "They saw the scars. They're...all over your body. I ... I didn't know!"

Circe looks down at Persephone's body. Her eyes trace the nearly invisible lines that criss-cross Persephone's whole body -- lines that Persephone herself had not yet noticed. She'd had literally zero time alone with herself since 'coming back,' and had focused on the wound she remembered -- the knife. Apparently, the hell hound had torn her body apart afterwards, so now she has a fine web of scarring across her entire body. A medical professional could easily interpret them as years of careful razor cuts, long healed.

Circe shakes her head in disbelief and then back at Persephone's face. Deeply hurt, she says, "The doctor said based on how well they'd healed, that you have a long history of cutting, going back years. And because you have that kind of history, and you've had a break from reality with major delusions, they said you are a danger to yourself. So..." She trails off, clearly at a loss. She is devastated that her older sister might have had such a long history of self-harm. She knew Persephone had some mental health struggles in the past, but Circe never had any clue of anything of this degree of seriousness.

Circe gets a very serious look on her face and looks Persephone in the eyes. She says, "After they sedated you, you ...said things. You said you were a demon again, that you had already died. You said you were afraid you'd hurt that girl you're dating, Viv. Persephone, I'm... I'm worried and I don't know what to do. I haven't call mom and dad yet, because you know how well they'd handle this, but... I don't know what else to do..."

Still recovering from the sedative they administered, Persephone tries to understand everything that is happening and formulate a reply to her little sister, but the words don't come. Her eyes begins to well with tears again, and they sting when they do so--she'd already cried too much today. Or was it tomorrow? She wasn't even sure. She looks away from Circe in abject shame.

Persephone looks away, eyes closed, and weeps quietly.

Circe had cried until crying ran out already, so she just turns and walks back to her chair and collapses into it. She shakes her head and sighs and picks up her phone. An idea occurs to her and she opens it and looks at her sent messages and outbound calls from the past few days. She realizes that she had let Persephone use her phone when she first saw her--when Pers claimed that she had lost hers. There are several calls and messages to Emma, as well as to another number she doesn't recognize.

"I don't care if they are 'taking a break.' This is too important," Circe mutters to herself, and sends a text to Emma.

Emma, this is Circe, Persephone's sister. Persephone is in the hospital after a mental breakdown. She has been self-harming, for years apparently. She is delusional. They had to restrain her. Emma, she needs help. I need help. Please, I don't know who else to turn to.

She wants to throw the phone, but she sighs and looks at the other number. Almost angrily, she sends a message to it as well, saying, Who is this, and how do you know Persephone? She's in the hospital.

Circe sits in a small upholstered chair across the room from Persephone's bed, drinking a styrofoam cup of disgusting hospital coffee, hoping to stave off the exhaustion the weighs on her. She looks across the room at her sister strapped down to the bed and now asleep again, having been drugged yet again. She flew into a fit when she awoke and Circe wouldn't free her, and it got bad enough that the nurses came in and administered a sedative. Apparently they have to wait until the hospital psychiatric nurse can come by on her rounds later that night before possibly getting Persephone committed to ...

Circe doesn't even want to finish the thought. How did it come to this? Oh Persephone...

Her phone buzzing interrupts her pitiful reverie. She picks it up and sees that an unknown number is calling, but it is one she recognizes, because she called it earlier today. She doesn't know who it is, but it is someone that Persephone called several times when she borrowed Circe's phone.

She answers and, in a voice that sounds equal parts exhausted and panicked, she says, "Hello? Who is this?" Even through the emotions dn fatigue, however, the voice is clear that of an American young woman, and Benji might even detect a similar intonation and accent to Persephone's.