Paying the Price (RP)

Circe's face lit up at Emma's request to see her work. She pulled out her phone and immediately began to show her photos. Two particular ones stood out to Emma.

Persephone looked at the two women and felt a deep pang of sympathy. She had not realized it until that moment; she was property. She was an object belonging to a demon, just as these women were objects belonging to a pimp and a "manager". These three women were all, effectively, enslaved.

Persephone could not free herself, but dammit, she would pay whatever the cost to free the other two. She had only ever experienced suffering, self-loathing, and disgust in her time after signing that contract. Well, tonight, that changes. Tonight, she was going to help herself to the power afforded her by her damnation.

She excused herself for a moment and went to the bathroom once more. She looked in the mirror and she reached out. She intended to let out her power in order to summon her dark patron’s attention directly to her location, to these two women, and ask that she be granted this boon. She bit her lip hard enough to taste blood and, with blood in her mouth, she whispered, "Help me free these women from their slavery, my patron, and I will owe you an even greater debt. I will do things even more debased. I will not resist. Give me power and have my willing cooperation. Please. I need this." These last few words were tinged with desperation as tears welled in her eyes.

"Wow, this really is impressive" Emma was genuinely taken aback by the boldness of it "I bet you can do this professionally. Do you mind sending me these pictures, so I can show some people?" Emma had all sorts of connections, and has reviewed a couple of avant-garde art galleries for her column. Maybe one of the gallery owners would like to showcase one of Circe's pieces? It couldn't harm asking. She was about to suggest just that, when Kat sat down on the couch next to her and said something that made her choke on her wine.

Pers? Really? That was what this was all about?

Emma’s mind raced, a sinking feeling spreading through her chest. She had suspected Kat might be an escort, but she never imagined Pers was involved in something like that too. Was that why she’d been so secretive about her work? And why had she been so fixated on Kat tonight? Trying to "headhunt" her for a different agency? It was almost too much to process.

Pers? How had her friend gotten involved in something like this? When did it start? Why?

The shock was still settling in as more questions kept piling up. Emma wasn’t against sex work - as long as no one was getting exploited! but she wasn’t sure this was what was going on with Pers. Kat had mentioned a "pimp," but the details of the conversation weren’t clear. Neither she nor Pers seemed particularly happy with their current arrangement.

What was she supposed to do now? What was she supposed to say?

She glanced over at Circe, giving her a blank stare, wondering how much of the conversation she had overheard. She had to say something, but before she could gather her thoughts, Persephone had already excused herself to the bathroom, for the second time that evening. Maybe there’s something else going on. A more uncomfortable suspicion crept in. Could Pers have a drug habit too?

Still in turmoil over the revelation, she got up, walked toward the bathroom, and knocked gently on the door:
"Pers? Are you alright in there?"

After she uttered her words and spat blood into the sink -- an offering? -- Persephone looked back up at the mirror. Behind her, suddenly, a shadowy figure appeared and time slowed to a stop. The faucet's drip of water paused midair. Space warped around them. And red eyes -- burning, piercing eyes -- peered out from the shadowy humanoid form into Persephone's. She got the distinct impression that her patron intentionally hid its true form from her for some reason, concealed in this caul of shadow, caught in a moment of time.

Darkness crowded in around her, blotting out the bathroom and everything else. Only she and those red eyes remained until she looked back at the mirror and, peering out of her own face, were those inhuman red eyes. A voice rumbled inside her head, like thunder from a faraway storm, echoing across the distance. Persephone did not hear words but somehow she knew things now that she did not before. And then, just as it arrived, her patron receded, pulling out of her mind with a feeling like being turned inside out, as if she were vomiting her feet up and out of her mouth. But as it left her, she felt it take something with it -- some small piece of her gone forever. Was it a memory? Some of her ability to feel empathy? She could not be sure. She knew with a chilling realization that she would not miss it, whatever it had been. Whatever she had been.

My god, what have I become?

Then reality came crashing back at her. The light, the sound of the faucet drip hitting the sink, the ambient noise of the ventilation, were all deafening. She fell to her knees and cried out. The smell was unbearable; brimstone, decay, rotting flesh, bad eggs... the light, the noise.... it was too much. She regurgitated her wine into the toilet nearby and slumped to the floor.

So that... that's HER. The demon who owns me. My god. She was not sure if the patron was a her, but the way it occupied her body felt familiar in a way that made her prefer 'her' over 'him', or even 'they' or 'it.' She went with it.
"Um, just a second!" Persephone shouted back, feebly. She scrambled to her feet, wiped the sick from her chin, and went to the door, trying her best to compose herself. It was only after she opened the door that she glanced back and saw her blood in the sink.

"Um... I'm fine! Sorry. I guess the wine didn't agree with me. I... um, sorry, my word that is a bad smell. I am so sorry, Emma! Can I ... um... open a window or something? Ugh, this is embarrassing."

Emma pinched her nose with her fingers as the foul odor wafted through the bathroom door. The smell was downright vile. She didn’t think it had anything to do with the food she’d served; Persephone hadn’t eaten a thing, and even if she had, food poisoning didn’t develop that quickly, as far as she recalled.

Though she could barely stand the stench, she lingered by the door, her concern for her friend stronger than any physical discomfort.

"Don’t worry about it!" she was relieved once the door finally opened. She didn't believe whatever was happening inside was just about the wine, but she wasn't going to argue. Pers obviously needed her support right now.

After quickly rinsing the specs of blood in the sink, spraying an entire bottle of air freshener inside, and activating the bathroom ventilator, she closed the door behind her and looked at Pers with concern: "Can I get you a glass of water? Maybe some tea?"

When they returned back to the living room, she forced a bright smile to her lips, pretending that the last few minutes never occurred. She did exchange a quick glance with her husband, however, wondering just how much of the conversation he caught wind of. Not only had Emma invited a couple of escorts into their home, but it turned out that Sarah, who had been living with them, was apparently one as well.

She didn’t want to think about what was running through David’s mind right now. Trying to shake off the discomfort, she cleared her throat: "What do you say about playing a few games? Might be fun to switch gears a bit" she suggested, desperate to move away from the tension and shift the focus elsewhere.

Persephone looked at Emma, ashamed, and nodded. "Yes, please. Some tea would be nice. Thank you."

As they were walking down the hall and back to the party, Persephone asked quietly, "Could we talk, maybe? Like just us two. Sometime soon?"

When they arrived back with the others and Emma proposed a game, Persephone smiled. Escape into fun, pleasure, or just about anything was a welcome diversion right now. She went over and gave Circe an unusually emotional hug and nodded to Kat and Sarah, as if to say, I meant what I said about freeing you.

"Sure; we can catch up tomorrow if you want" she felt torn between wanting to be there for her, and the growing sense of unease over what Pers had gotten herself involved in. This was all so unlike her; Pers was always the one with everything figured out. She was smart, and ambitious; Emma was sure she was going to make it big one day. How did she ever end up as an escort??

She excused herself to the kitchen, her mind still reeling as she sat the kettle to boil. Once she returned with the tea and handed the cup to Pers with a soft nod, she sat down on the floor next to the coffee table, making herself comfortable as the others continued chatting. The kickboxing lessons sounded like lots of fun, and she didn't want to miss an opportunity to support Pers. Of course, she would join.

Then, she quickly transitioned into explaining the game. She picked one specifically that didn't require any knowledge of English, one Kat might even be familiar with. 'Verish Ne Verish' was the Russian variant of 'Cheat', a shedding-type of card game that required lots of deception, lies, and a little bit of strategy. She shuffled the decks quickly as she explained the rules, dealing all the cards between them - David included.

"Empty your cups before we start the first round" she led by example, gulping the reminder of the wine in her own cup "-these games are much more fun if you don't take yourself too seriously"

Persephone nodded a meek affirmation when Emma offered to meet tomorrow. "Thanks" was all she could muster. She returned to the party to discover Circe inviting the whole party to Persephone's kickboxing class. She felt her shoulders and neck tense up; a migraine was coming on. She squeezed the bridge of her nose and felt the hint of tears threatening to burst forth. She inhaled and exhaled tightly, trying and failing to relax. She cracked her neck and muttered to herself, It's fine. it's fine! I can find a new class. They can have that one. I .. ... yeah. This is just my life now.

She slumped, feeling absolutely defeated. She joined the others, prepared to try to participate in the game, but her heart wasn't in it. She wasn't really present at all. She felt like an empty husk.

The evening was supposed to be a light, fun gathering with friends, but it turned different than she expected. Per's mood hung over the room like a dark cloud, and she found herself glancing at her friend from time to time, wondering what happened to the confident, successful woman she had once admired.

Maybe she should have never invited her over tonight. She did want to help her, but now was not the time for a heart-to-heart talk. It was selfish of her, but was asking for one pleasant evening without drama too much to ask for?

At least Kat was having fun. She was happily engaged, despite the language barrier, and her carefree nature was like a breath of fresh air. She felt a little lighter when she was around her, not bogged down by secrets or inner turmoil. She needed more people like that in her social circle, she decided. People without emotional baggage, who knew how to live in the moment, and enjoy the small things in life.

Not wanting to force people to participate if they didn't want to, she allowed Sarah, and whomever else, to opt out of the next rounds if they felt like it.