Revenge? (RP)

When Circe and Benji enter the condo, Circe is met with a transformed scene. Apparently I the intervening time since Persephone arrived and now, she managed to clean the place properly, brew coffee, and put out snacks, as if she were preparing to entertain guests. She welcomes the new arrivals and says, "Benji! It is good that you survived our ordeal. We have much to discuss." Then she turns to her sister and, in a businesslike and controlled tone, she says, "But first, Circe, I need to speak with you. Please sit and listen."

She gestures to the sofa after which she takes a seat in the chair opposite. Once Circe is seated, Persephone proceeds to recount the facts of what occurred thus far. All along, her voice is dispassionate, almost cold, but always polite, pleasant. She tells them of how her ex had stolen all of her funding, including her parents' retirement funds. She shares the account of how a mysterious investor sent agents to offer a solution, one that seemed perfect to address her issues, and all she had to do was come work for Them. She shares how, at the signing ceremony, she realized the true nature and gravity of her choice, yet, as she considered the neatness of the solution and the appeal of the life she would live in Their employment, she had a moment of weakness and chose to agree. Persephone then summarizes the unpleasant jobs she'd been tasked with thus far, surely filling in a few gaps for Circe to explain Persephone's weird behavior lately. Finally, she recounted what happened in the tunnels, how she died and met an avatar of her Patron, and how she was returned, and then rescued from the hospital. She does not, however, mention. anything about Wentworth or those moments of lost time during which she spoke to him.

Finally, she concludes, "I had been emotionally distraught by the situation--having one's immortal soul condemned to hell is indeed a serious matter, after all. And the experience of being murdered is not one mortals handle well. So the trauma and emotional clutter was picking up. Fortunately, one of my Patron's agents gave me this, which seems to help quite a bit." She turns subtly, revealing the red marking upon her back.

She nods in conclusion and looks at Circe. "So that's my tale. Any questions?"

Persephone sits next to Circe on the sofa and places a sympathetic hand on her shoulder. She is expressing authentic love and support, but it is weirdly distant, as if she were a therapist or counselor acting in a professional capacity rather than a sibling.

She answers Circe's questions one at a time, presenting the facts as benignly as she can, saying, "The contract is in perpetuity, honey. That means forever, even after the death of my body. As I mentioned, I was murdered but my Patron decided that my work was not finished, so they fixed me up and sent me back. I assume that, eventually, they'll find something for me to do... down there. Unless I can get out of it, of course! I've requested a copy of my contract so I might review it, and I'm looking into my options. For now, though, I do have to do the jobs they assign me, which currently means recruiting. I am supposed to try to get other people to join our organization. It's not as if they are demanding I kill people, or something. I would rather not lure anyone else into this difficult situation, though, which is why I'm looking into getting out."

She smiles and squeezes Circe's hand and assures her, saying, "I'm OK, and I'm gonna be OK. It just might take a while, and I might have to do some unpleasant work until I do get free. Honestly, it feels a lot like working for an evil corporation until I can strike out on my own, you know? So, if it helps, just think of it as me working for, like, British Petroleum or something. I don't like it, but it's the job I have until I can find something else, you know? At least it pays really well..."

She shrugs, as if the whole moral dimension of her demonic contract was a minor thing.

Persephone chuckles and says, "Well, I don't like it either, sis! But they made the offer when I was in a real bind -- you remember what my ex did to me -- so now I have to deal with the consequences of that choice. And that's why I'm trying to get out of it!"

When Circe asks about her red mark, Pers reaches toward it and feels a twinge of pain as she touches it. She replies, "Oh this? Well, think of it as a supernatural SSRI, like Prozac. I just got it. It's helping me cope with the trauma of having been murdered, of serving demons, and so on. Hon, you saw what I was like without out! Remember me out by the elevator, having a full-blown PTSD episode? We don't want that again, now do we?" She smiles benignly, though she herself wonders, is... is that thing removable? And she realizes that the Persephone that lacks the red sigil would not want the sigil, even though now that she has it she finds it comforting. This tension concerns her, and she plans to return to it later, but she sets it aside for the moment.