Paying the Price (RP)

Persephone feels the weight of eternal damnation hanging heavily in the room -- both her own, and Chablis', and Benji's, and who knows? Maybe Bev's or Emma's too. It is a lot to process.

She nods to Bev and says, "Thanks. I've been... feeling OK I guess. I'll let you know if I feel like I need to come in, ok?"

I can't have her examine me, or my blood. Who knows what they'd find. I don't know what the rules are just yet, but I get the impression my patron doesn't want my donating my demon-tainted blood to science to something...

She turns then to Benji and smiles apologetically, looking around at all of them. She says, "I'm sorry. I've been rude. To all of you. I got bit by a vampire and, well, then I discovered vampires are real, and, well, I freaked out a bit. I focused entirely on my own fear and overlooked the fact that the rest of you might be freaking out a little bit too. So, um, sorry about that. So, hey, if there's something I can do to help here, let me know, ok? I have access to my company's resources, which are sizable."

That having been said, Persephone then walks over to Emma and puts her hand on her arm. She looks at her and says, quietly, "Hey. I'm sorry. I know I dumped some heavy stuff on you this morning, and you rolled with it. I should try to do the same here, right?"

Then she smiles and adds, "And honestly, girl? You're amazing. How do you just... handle all this? I don't know how you do it."

"Get on a dating app. I’m sure there are plenty of guys who will show up in your apartment in a heartbeat. Just... be careful not to take too much from any of them" it was as much help she was willing to offer Chablis after hearing what Benji just shared. She felt sorry for her, but at the same time, she didn't want to be the one contributing to the creation of even more vampires.

After grabbing her purse and jacket from the bedroom (and pausing to check her reflection in the mirror to make sure she was presentable), she returned to the kitchenette to say goodbye to everyone: "I have to go" . She didn't respond to Bev's question, which she felt was too personal, but instead she gently squeezed her hand and tried to reassure her "I’ll call you if I notice any symptoms. But I’m hoping, after donating blood the way we did, that we won’t have anything to worry about"

Her demeanor softened a little as she reached to the door, smiling thinly at Persephone: "Hey; I’m not dealing with even a fraction of what you’re going through. You don’t have to apologize for anything" That last part has always been her mantra "Do you want to go look for someone who could help you now?"

Persephone follows Emma toward the door and smiles back. She replies, "Thanks... It's nice to be able to tell someone about it... And yeah, I'd like to look--I mean, if you're free! I know you are busy, with author duties, and David, and stuff! And I don't know, maybe you need a nap after, er, donating blood? But when you feel ready, yeah, it's kind of my number one priority. Well, after going to my place to change. And shower. You can come with, if you like. I can order lunch or something."

She turns to Benji, who has followed Emma as well, and adds, "You can come too; I would like to ask you about the, um, 'scene' in London for folks like you, and well, other types of beings. You know?" She gives him a meaningful look, suggesting she has more to say, but not here.

She looks at Kenedi and smiles, but definitely does not invite the police officer to her place. She smiles at Bev as well, trying to decide if she she join them.

Persephone leans into Emma and whispers, "Should it just be us? Or should I invite Bev too? She seems... eager to tag along. Oh, um, not Kenedi tho."

"Thanks, Kenedi. I really appreciate you coming today" she offered Kenedi a sincere smile when she was about to leave. She felt a sense of relief when Persephone offered to drop by her apartment first. As much as she was eager to start the quest to save her soul, the idea of resting after donating so much blood and grabbing a bite to eat felt far more appealing than scouring the city for answers.

"I guess we should get going then" she said nodded at Persephone, and Benji. And what about Bev? Bev was acting a little strange today. She was eager to come here. Almost too eager. It made her wonder if it had something to do with her recent breakup. Maybe she didn't want to be alone right now? She seemed to expect to be invited along, and after Emma had called her out of the blue asking to donate some of her own blood, she figured she owed that much to her.

"You should come with us" she finally said "You could use some rest too. And food. Plus, you should see Persephone’s apartment. It really is something else!"

She opened the door as she spoke, waiting for the others to walk out ahead of her.

"See you, Chablis" she glanced back at her before she left: "I’ll reach out to Sarah and fill her in on everything. Maybe, if you can get things under control, she’ll be willing to come back"