Winter our discontent (RP)

They step out of the cab in front of Persephone's building. The structure was built around 1900 and once housed the headquarters of Rolls Royce, apparently, though now it is luxury condos. The façade features stonework in an Art Nouveau style, with a brass and glass double door entry covered with an awning. No doorman here, however; only a keyfob entryway and two high end surveillance cameras can be seen. Persephone waves a fob at the door, but it seems to be opening before she even does so.

The lobby inside is similarly high-end, featuring marble floors, brass and stone stylized wall detailing, and several massive Art Nouveau paintings depicting mythological scenes. Stainless steel elevators occupy the far wall, with no buttons -- only the keyfob pad and more cameras. Again, the elevator doors seem to open before she has even arrived at the elevators.

In addition to another keyfob sensor, only three buttons greet the passenger, marked Emergency, Lobby, and Rooftop Terrace. Once they have entered, the elevator launches upwards, smooth and silent, without Persephone doing a thing. With a quiet tone, it opens, revealing a minimalist hallway with sound dampening carpet, high ceilings, and indirect lighting.

Persephone walks to the furthest of the three doors in this hallway and waves her fob at the pad on the door, which clicks open. She turns and says, "Welcome. Um, I apologize in advance, but it's a mess. Oh... and Benji, do I have to... invite you in? Is that really a thing? Well... um... I guess..." She glances nervously at Emma, and finishes her sentence, saying, "I guess you are welcome to come in."

She opens the door and heads inside.

Persephone walks into her condo, mostly looking back at Emma, Benji, and Bev. She was preoccupied with the implications of having invited a vampire into her home, after all.

By the time she reaches the living room, she turns to see… "Circe!!! Oh, sorry I should have called to let you know I was bringing… wait, what happened to your eye?‽ Are you o…"

She trails off as her brain finally groks who else is here. What… the hell… is HE doing here?!?! How is he still alive?!?! Ohmigod ohmigod ohmigod…

Persephone feels as if a panic attack is coming on. What will her patron do to her? To her loved ones? Oh no…

She strides quickly toward Circe, keeping her face turned away from … him as she does so. Hopefully, he won’t recognize her all disheveled and in Chablis’ bargain rack clothes. She grabs Circe by the arm and pulls/drags/pushes her back into a bedroom and closes the door, leaving … him behind with the others.

In a whisper-yell, panicking, she says, "What is going on?!?! What happened to you? And what is that man doing here??"


Meanwhile, the others find themselves in Persephone’s condo. The condo is laid out in an open floor plan with minimalist decor. Two large wall sized windows at the corner of the building dominate the scene, with the rain running down the glass and vistas of central and North London visible through beyond. In the center of the space are some low, minimalist couches and tables. To the left, a dining room sits near an island and a modern kitchen with high end appliances, all appearing unused. To the right are three doors, two of them open. One goes into a spacious bathroom for guests and the other into Persephone's bedroom suite. Guests can glimpse into the bedroom and see another set of windows, a king size bed, an office space with computer and ergo chair, and a master bath.

Hearing Circe’s words, her panic attack subsides. "Ooh!!! Kickboxing, right. Are you ok? Does it hurt? Do you need ibuprofen? Or an ice pack? Wait, did they check you for a concussion? Here let me see your pupils…"

After a few minutes of acting like a mom and fussing over her little sis, Persephone turns to the ‘elephant’ in her living room. She says, acting sheepish, "So…. Howard. I met him at a club the other night. He seemed nice, though he did not seem to be having much fun. To be honest, it was a bit awkward, so I left, but I lost my purse along the way. I guess it’s nice of him to return it, but… kind of weird? He, uh, made a move and I shut him down, so he might be resentful about ii guess… oh hell I guess I gotta deal with this. Why don’t you, uh, get dressed and I’ll take care of him? I mean… like… I’ll send him away. Nicely."

She turns to head out and face the music. Ohmigod… this is not good…

"Here, have a look at the menu" Emma handed Bev her phone, rather than reading out to her the name of every dish "I recommend the special 'Laksa', but if you don't want anything too spicy you can go for 'Tarka Dahl Curry'" Emma was famished, having skipped breakfast and donating like a pint of blood. She didn't want to waste any time waiting for their food to arrive, so she thought they could get a jump on their order.

But before Bev can respond, Persephone opened the door to her apartment and they found themselves staring at Circe, with nothing but a bathroom wrapped around her. She was about to say something, and then she spotted the man sitting casually on the couch. Circe's boyfriend? She could only assume he was. What woman would go have a shower and leave someone in her living room, while they were alone in her house, if they didn't have some sort of an intimate relationship?

"Oh, sorry, didn’t realize you were… in the middle of something" she shot a glance at Pers, who quickly steps in to usher Circe away to the bedroom.

"Well, anyway…" she managed to smile at the man, feeling the urge to poke fun at him "Are you staying for lunch with us, or… have you already eaten?"

Emma couldn’t see why Circe would choose hookup with a man more than twice her age, but it wasn’t her place to judge. That was Circe’s decision to make. She shot another quick look at Zhiyu (who she vaguely recognized as a greengrocer at Covent Garden) but since he seemed more interested in talking to Benji, she shrugged and turned to Bev: "Come, let’s set the table while Pers and Circe sort things out. I’m starving!"

"Well, if you are staying, do you mind giving us a hand?" she grabbed a couple of trash bags and handed them over to Zhiyu, before he has the chance to object. "Put the empty bottles and takeout boxes in here. Everything needs to go. I’ll get started on the dishes. Bev, you set the table, alright?" maybe she couldn't save Pers' soul just yet, but at least she could help her out by dealing with a little bit of chaos in her life.

After Persephone calms down and regains her composure, she hugs Circe and says, "I'm sorry. I came in and saw you hurt and naked and assumed the worst. Here, let me get you something to wear and then we can... uh, go out."

And face Howard...[/I], she thinks.

Persephone goes to her closet and switches her top for something of her own--a comfy cashmere turtleneck sweater, one that would completely conceal the bite mark on her shoulder. She takes care to change out of sight of her sister and then returns to her. Then she picks out a few things for Circe to throw on. A pair of loose-fitting yoga pants and an oversized Stanford sweatshirt (she has several, of course). She hands them to Circe to put on.

Once she's dressed, she heads to the door. She takes a deep breath, puts on a smile, opens the door, and steps out.

Once again she is met with a sight she did not expect--Howard is helping her friends clean her apartment?! [i]What the? Ugh, I guess I better get used to being disoriented. I haven't felt like this since... Ohmigod it's like being a freshman in college again. great.

She walks over to them and speaks to them all, her voice controlled, apologetic, sing-songy.

"Hi, everyone! Sorry about that. When we came in and I saw my baby sis with a black eye and, well, undressed, well, I guess my maternal instinct kicked in! Well, I'm relieved to say she's OK... She enrolled in my kickboxing school this morning and just got back from class. Well, apparently...ha... she's really diving in, going straight to full-contact, an had a little accident! Haha, best be careful, Circe! Ha. Well. Anyway. So, um, Circe, these are some friends of Emma's I've just met--that's Bev and that's Benji. An you know Emma, of course. This is my sister, Circe."

She turns to face Howard. "And this... is ... um, Howard. We met, very briefly, at a club the other night. Um... Howard? Ha. What are you doing in my apartment?" Her voice is strained now, a pleading look in her eyes.

Emma was elbow deep in sudsy water scrubbing the plates when Pers walked back into the living room. She turned her head slightly, nodding, then smiling, when she heard that Circe was ok "Who did they have you sparing with?" she turns to look back at the dishes as she waited for an answer, scrubbing another plate, before stopping abruptly. Wait. Howard??

She thought she had it all figured out. She saw Circe strolling into the living room earlier with nothing but a short towel wrapped around her midsection, while Zhiyu was sitting right there on the couch. She was certain the two of them hooked up. What other explanation could there be? Circe didn't know they would walk in on them at that very moment, and she was busy prancing around half naked into the living room without any concern for her modesty when they opened the door. But now it appeared that Pers knew 'Howard' too.

She paused, hands still in the water, as she glanced back at Zhiyu: "Wait. Is it Howard, or Zhiyu?"

Persephone’s face goes pale and her stomach flip-flops. She takes one step toward the man, almost as if she wants to reach out to him, but she stops herself. She lowers her hand and holds it in her other hand, clasped in front of her body.

"Zhiyu. I am sorry about your brother. I had the chance to meet him just before he… he passed. He seemed like a genuinely decent person who had found himself in an impossible situation…"

Persephone glances at Emma.

"I guess I could relate to that. I think… I think we authentically connected. But.. he had so much cocaine in a baggie, and he … well.. he started taking it. It was very upsetting, so I left. And… apparently, left behind my purse."

She makes eye contact with Zhiyu for the first time. She is frightened, panicked, but trying her best to keep her cool and sell her half-truth.

"That was very kind of you to return it. You must have a million more important things to do. May I offer you something to drink?"

Then, turning to the others, she extends the same offer, saying, "So! Sorry about that. Would anyone like anything?

"Bev’s a nurse, you know, if you want her to take a look at that black eye" she said as she handed another plate to Benji. She then raised an eyebrow at Circe, giving her a half accusing, half amused glance. "Hey! Didn’t we say we’d go to the kickboxing class together? I was actually looking forward to checking it out!" [ref] She wasn’t angry, just a bit disappointed. The idea of the two of them hitting the gym together, checking out kickboxing for the first time, was still very much on her mind. But with a whole other scene unfolding in front of her, that idea quickly slipped away, at least for now.

"Oh no!" she quickly wiped her hands on a dish towel so she could give Zhiyu her full attention. She was no longer playful, her face softening instantly: "I'm so sorry for your loss" she grew more and more concerned as she pieced together how he died. At least, she thought she did. "That's horrible" she murmured "he died there, in the club?" she lowered her voice, as if speaking louder would make it somehow more painful for Zaiyu

Persephone visibly relaxes when she realizes that Zhiyu is not here to blame her, or accuse her, or worse. It suddenly occurs to her that she did in fact provide some comfort and human connection to the poor man before his end. Still, she feels deeply guilty.

She turns to Zhiyu, tears welling in her eyes. "I'm so sorry. I wish... I wish I could have helped him. I should have done more. Of course, I'd be happy to help. We can set up a time to talk. Anything I can do."

She turns to Circe when she speaks up and shrugs. She says, "You'd just arrived. I ... I didn't want to dump that on you. And then stuff came up and I never found a time to tell you about it."

She turns to Emma an adds, "That was the man I met who I told you about? That I was upset about? Remember?"

Pers seemed like she was a step away from confessing to murder. She was giving out WAY too much details, though she probably had no choice but to say something after mistaking Zhiyu for Howard. What a mess...

She would have much rather stay out of the conversation entirely, and was more than annoyed when Pers asked her if she remembered her story. She tried her best to forget what her friend did that night, and now not only did she remind her, but she put her on Zhiyu's radar too, which was something she preferred to avoid.

She sighed internally. She had to say something now, or risk looking guilty. So she nodded silently in response, still looking at Zhiyu with as much sympathy as she could muster. Why WAS he at Pers apartment, anyways? Why didn't he just drop off a purse and leave? No, Zhiyu was sticking around for answers. And the longer he stayed, the more likely it was that Persephone would slip up and say something she shouldn’t.

Persephone nods sympathetically to Zhiyu and then looks to the others. Realizing the awkwardness of the situation, she turns to Zhiyu and says, "If you don't mind, I'd like us to have our discussion in private. When would be a good time for you? I can meet you wherever and whenever you like. I am free later this afternoon, for instance, or tomorrow."

She pulls out her phone and opens her calendar, finger poised to create an event. She looks at him expectantly.

Persephone thanks Zhiyu once more for bringing her purse and promises to see him over coffee near his grocery later that day. As Circe closes the door, she turns to Emma, Benji, and Bev, her face tight with anxiety.

"OK, so. Does everyone have a drink? Or whatever food they want ordered? Sorry I don't have more to offer--I haven't had a chance to get to the store."

She moves toward them in the kitchen area and takes a deep breath. "So, um. In the past day, I have learned that vampires exist. I, uh, happen to have known about one other...supernatural being that also exists. Um, demons." She looks at Bev with deadly seriousness in her eyes. She adds, now including Benji, "I know, Bev, I know. It's unbelievable. I assume you knew about them already?"

Once Bev is at least momentarily on board, she continues. "So, I also happen to know that that guy whose brother died? The brother had apparently made a contract with a demon and it was up that night--as in, he had a limited time to enjoy what he had bargained away his soul for, and the clock was up and he had to die. So rather than have some awful demonic thug kill him, he... OD'ed on cocaine."

Persephone looks at Emma with these words, her eyes full of self-loathing and pain.

She looks to Benji and asks, "Do you know anything about this sort of thing? Demons and their contracts? Can they be broken? Like, was there anything I could have done for Howard? Or, uh, Wuhao. And while we're on the topic, are there any other supernatural creatures I should be aware of? Werewolves? Ghosts? Frankensteins? Mummies? Bigfoot? Aliens?‽ "

Once again, Persephone gapes in disbelief. They ALL already know about demons? I am so naïve...

She throws up her hands and says, "Ok, well, fine! Since being a supernatural creature seems to be as common as being left-handed around here, I'll admit it. I foolishly made a pact with a demon, and I am currently at some stage of becoming one. Or something. They really kept me in the dark about the way these things work. And they never told me about, like, anything! I missed the supernatural orientation, apparently. So anyway. Hi. Demon girl here. But I promise I'm a nice demon. Mostly." She shakes her head and slumps onto the couch, feeling defeated.

Then it suddenly hits her. She looks up at them, full of sadness, and says, "Ohmigod... I'm just like Chablis! I'm new and totally in the dark. Oh god I'm gonna throw up... I... I don't want this. But if I have to be this monster, I wanna try to use it for good. Is that even possible?"

"There are also wizards and witches. And Faeries, though those haven't been seen in a long time" She picked up a few tidbits at Arundel and was happy to share them so casually "Anyways, there aren't that many 'supernatural's around. It’s actually pretty rare" She didn’t need to mention how she knew that, but the Administrator's contact list didn't have thousands and thousands of names on it.

"Look" she tried to comfort Pers when she saw how much it was weighing on her "We’re going to find a way out of this. I’m sure of it. There has to be a loophole somewhere." Emma always had an unshakable optimism about her, likely because she always managed to wiggle out of trouble in her own way, so she was confident that Persephone would too.

Persephone listens to them quietly and nods. Somehow, taking to them, and hearing them normalize all this, helps her to accept it too. She begins to calm, and for the first time since everything fell apart, she can feel a glimmer of hope—maybe her life isn’t over, and she isn’t doomed. Not entirely, not yet. Maybe. And that is enough.

She raises her eyes to them and smiles. "I have a lot to learn. But I would trust you with my life, Emma, and you seem like a good and genuine person, Benji, as do you, Bev. So maybe I can figure out a way to live with all this, until I can find a way to be free of it."

She stands, walks over to Emma, and embraces her in a hug. "Thank you," she whispers to her. She withdraws and speaks more loudly, saying, "Thank you, all of you. Now I think I need to go speak to my demonic superior and get clarity on some things. Oh, and please don’t tell Circe. I’m not ready for that yet."

Emma would never call Benji a monster, but it would be foolish to forget how dangerous he could be. He himself mentioned that he had to feed every day to avoid 'accidents'. She has seen Chablis losing control and ready to do anything to sate her own hunger. They might try to be nice and genuine and kind, but they were always only a few missed meals away from a murder spree.

Then again, the same could be said about everyday humans too. She was pretty sure civilization would collapse if food became so scarce that people couldn't eat for a week. She wasn't sure that she herself wouldn't be driven to do awful things out of necessity in such a case either.

Pushing these thoughts out of her mind, she squeezed Pers in a reassuring hug, tapping her lightly on the shoulder as she pulled away. "I’ll do whatever I can to help you"

But when Pers mentioned Circe, she turned her head toward the door, wondering what was taking her so long "You should probably check on her before she leaves with Zhiyu"

Persephone nods to Emma and hurries toward the door. As she nears the front door, she shouts back, "Help yourself to whatever you want in the kitchen! I’ll be right back, hopefully with Circe."

Emma fights the urge to open the purse sitting on the counter. Maybe if Bev and Benji weren’t around, she might have risked a quick peek. Maybe.

"Hold on. You’re from North Africa?!"

Turns out she didn’t know as much about Bev as she thought. She never would have guessed it from her name. She leaned in toward her, her interest piqued "Where exactly are you from?"

She always dreamed of traveling the world. Africa, Asia. Anywhere exotic where she could get a taste of something completely different. But she could never afford it, so all her adventures had to be contained to London. Living vicariously through Bev was the next best thing. "How long have you been in England?" she pressed her, questioning her the way she would any supernatural creature she had been chasing down lately "What’s it like back home?"

"I've got it where it counts" she says with a wink when Bev calls her out for being 'skinny'. She takes a bite out of her own meal - chicken satay with peanut sauce with just a hint of heat. "Sierra Leone....I wish I could travel there, but it doesn't look like it is in the cards right now" or anytime soon, considering hers and David financial situation "You have to teach me how to make something sometime. We should cook together, like a little cooking class. I’d love to try some authentic food." she paused, and added "Just go easy on me. I'm not sure I can handle that level of spicy!"

Was Bev...blushing? She quickly dismissed the idea. She hadn't said anything out of the ordinary, so it was probably just the spicy food. She let it go, and turned her attention to Benji when he asked if she could sign a copy of her book for his friend.

"I’d be happy to!" It was near impossible to her to deny anyone who expressed interest in her work "Do you have a copy with you? If not, we can swing by my apartment later. I keep plenty of extras"

Not to be outdone by the vampire, she decided to show some courage and try the food Bev had offered, picking up a tiny morsel. Almost immediately, her face flushed from the intense heat, and she reached for her water "Okay. Wow" She coughed "That’s... definitely spicy" She took a quick sip, but it didn't do much for the burn in her mouth "I think it’ll take some getting used to..."

"Jacob" Emma repeated the name, unable to hide the distaste from her voice.

"You know, the Administrator blames both you and Jacob for what happened in Arundel" she paused as she studied his reaction "Turns out, Lady Halifax threw both of you under the bus. She claimed she was kidnapped and forced to join you when you entered the chapel. And, of course, the Administrator believed her" she shook her head and sighed "He’s been kind of... extorting me into working for him, and that’s after he concluded my part in it was smaller than yours. Since he sees you as the main culprit behind what went down, I’m sure he’s got something nasty planned for you too." She let that hang for a moment, wanting to make sure Benji was paying attention "Watch your back, alright?"

Her eyes widened as he dropped the fork. She hadn’t expected the spice to hit him that hard, but then again, his senses were hyper-sensitive, way more than a human’s. Or maybe there was garlic in the sauce? Who knows?

"You’ve never tried spicy food before? In all those centuries?"

"I don't get why she would lie about it either, except to protect herself" That whole situation unsettled her, and she wouldn't have brought it up if she hadn't been so concerned about Benji. She had to tell him. "I told the Administrator she was lying, but he still believed her over me. He insisted that you were the one who led Jacob into Arundel in the first place. He also thinks you’re involved in Eliot’s disappearance" she knew how absurd that sounded, and she did try to convince the Administrator it was patently ridiculous, but he didn't see things the way she did

"So, yes, he came after my husband. Almost had him fired. He only backed down when I promised to report anything of interest happening in the city"

Hearing what Circe shares, Persephone perks up and replies, "He can get us Cai Tuan Zi?? Is from Shenyang too?? Wow, I haven't had those since I was a kid, at nǎi nai’s house..."
She looks more closely at Circe and asks, "Why do you look disappointed?"

"I should've left the party as soon as I noticed Eliot wasn't there to greet me" she attempted to take some of the blame on herself "You know; he offered me a ride to Arundel. Can you imagine what could've happened if I had gone with him?"

"Anyway," she continued "maybe you should call him before he moves against you. You might get off easy that way"

Persephone smirks and and replies, "Are you annoyed that he was entirely uninterested? He’s a bit old for you, isn’t he?" Her tone and smile suggest she’s making some good-natured fun and not serious.

Then she adds, "Besides, he seems like an odd duck, doesn’t he? It was nice of him to return my purse, but, well, I was hoping to put that night at the club behind me, you know? It was not a good experience."

"You're my friend" She paused for a moment, her fork pushing a piece of chicken around her plate absentmindedly "The guy's a big bully. But honestly, the ones I really blame for all of this are Hali... and Jacob."

Persephone frowns, confused about Circe's reaction. She shakes her head and turns after Circe. "Circe, hun, wait! I didn't mean it like that. I was trying to tease and I made an ass of myself. Again. Hey...Look. I have been a bad sister. You came all this way, and well, you caught me on a really bad night, and I am only now feeling like myself again. So let's try again, ok? First of all, I will go with you to Kickboxing tomorrow. But first, I am going to take you shopping like you have never shopped before! Two words: Company. Card. What do you say?"

"The Administrator DID also blame you for ‘usurping Eliot’s favorite pet’" she recalled "but I don’t think I am important enough for any of them to bother with me. And if I am" she shrugged, and smiled impishly at him "I’ll just tell them to go sort it out with you"

Her smile faded when she heard Circe yelling from the hallway. She didn’t know what the argument was about, but she decided it was best to stay out of it "So what do you make of the weather? Are we going to do anything about it?"

Persephone makes a sad face at Circe, which they used to do to each other when they were young, attempting to persuade her to soften and forgive her.

"I know, right?" her voice was tinged with frustration, though for an entirely different reason then Bev's "The folks in Arundel said it's supernatural in origin. It is exactly what I need for my next book. The plot that will tie everything together"

Sure, she did miss the sunlight, and she figured the rain was causing all sort of issues around the city. But having a few disjointed chapters (as good as they were) was ten times more aggravating.

"Do you know anyone, Benji? Someone who’s already digging into this? I need to get in on it"

Persephone laughs and says, "Yeah, that punching bag really did a number on you! Once you've recovered, you and I--and Emma!--can go back, and you can have a rematch!"

She puts a hand on Circe's arm and looks at her earnestly and says, "But tomorrow? It'll be just you and me, just like old times. But this time, we have the company credit card and London as our playground! Sound good?"

Emma frowns at the mention of Elliot "I tried looking for him, you know. Even called in a favor, but no one could tell me exactly where he disappeared" she stops when she realized something "Do you think Teddy might? Eliot's car had a tracker, and he should be one of the few people who can tell us where and when it went offline" she obviously (and probably foolishly) wasn't as concerned about being kidnapped herself "Else, I could probably call Shelyna Artmitage. I think I should have her number somewhere..."

Persephone smirks at Circe’s giggle but otherwise says nothing. To her question about ingredients, she says, "Sure! It would be fun to cook together. We haven’t done that in years. And we won’t have mom getting angry we aren’t doing it right!" she laughs, but something in her laugh betrays the difficult relationship she has with her mother. It is a feeling Circe shares; they both grew up under the tyranny of a perfect mother, after all, one who made Tiger Moms seem tame.

Persephone makes a note to look into Asian grocers as they arrive at her apartment. "Sorry about that! Circe and I were disagreeing about how best to care for that shiner of hers. Apparently she didn’t like my suggestion of a raw steak. But that’s what they do in the movies, right?!?" she says, attempting to smooth over the sounds of arguing from earlier.

"Yes, please. I'm sure his number will come in handy" If what Benji had said was true, then Teddy had even more reason to track down Eliot. She was sure she could convince him to share whatever he knew, and that it wouldn't take much effort on her part.

She smiled when Pers and Circe walked back into the apartment. She didn't buy the story about their disagreement, but she would never call them out on it "Sit down, then!" she patted the chair next to her "Food’s getting cold"

Emma swipes through her contact list while Pers and Circe settle into their meal. There are dozens of names in there, but one in particular catches her eyes. She heard of The Devil’s Bargain before, a rare bookshop specializing in old books and antiques. She never actually stepped foot inside, but she did glance in a few times from the outside. If both the shop and its proprietor are on the Administrator’s contact list, then there is no doubt they are connected to the supernatural world. And the name of the shop itself... wasn't it a good place to start asking questions about demons?

"Yasmine Deneuve" she lifts her gaze from the screen to look at Benji "Ever heard of her? She owns The Devil’s Bargain, a rare bookstore over on Bookseller’s Row."

She pauses for a moment, then glances at Pers, but then she quickly changes course once she remembers they still need to keep things secret from Circe.

"I was thinking of stopping by... for research. For my next book" she closes her phone and offers a tight-lipped smile "Would either of you want to join me?"

Persephone has lived in London before and she'd read about the extensive rain as she prepped for her trip, so she was prepared. She wears a thigh-length blue and white waterproof jacket, black rubber rain boots, and she carries a sturdy, wind-proof black umbrella. She walks carefully on the wet cobbles, stepping over puddles, and pushes open the door. A tarnished brass bell on the inside rings quietly as she does so.

Within, the dim light is punctuated by dismal gray sunlight trickling through the clouds and rain, not to mention the dusty panes. Where the light beams are, motes dance and swirl. To the left is a desk with an antiquated cash register on it, as well as a paper ledger and pencil. A few old, comfy leather chairs with side tables provide reading space in the front of the store, but the rest of the space is stuffed with crowded cases, floor to ten-foot ceiling, some with books two layers deep and stacked all higgledy-piggledy. The air has that distinctive smell of dusty old books. An aging gray and white cat lounges atop a pile of old atlases; she turns to regard the group disinterestedly. The owner is not yet in sight.

Emma exhales a breath of relief once they finally make it inside the cozy store. She didn't have the luxury of a rain jacket, or boots, so she was forced to step carefully along the narrow band of cobblestones that ran between the row of shops, trying to avoid the rushing rivers of water best she could. She was damp and chilly by the time they made it to the bookstore, and she didn't waste any time closing her umbrella, shaking it quickly, before stepping inside.

She took a quick look around the store. Grimy windows. Dusty panes. An old cash register, that looked like it belonged in the previous century. It felt...old. And somber. Just like the books on the bookshelves. She wondered what kind of tomes Yasmine kept in her bookstore. Whatever it was, she was sure she won't be able to find a copy of any of these books on Amazon.

Her gaze next drifted to the gray and white cat, and she couldn't help but smile softly at it. She absolutely adored cats, though she and David had never been able to adopt one. There wasn't any space for a litter box in their tiny one bedroom apartment, and more; their financial situation would never allow for pet food, or vet visits. She liked the idea of adopting one day, but for now, the cat, curled up and indifferent to her presence, will do.

Stepping closer, she reaches slowly and allowed the cat to sniff the back of her hand, waiting and giving it the choice if to acknowledge her, and perhaps, even allow her to pet it.

The cat was in no mood to engage, and Emma respected that. She stepped back without a second though, instead turning her attention to the shelves. The titles were too obscure for her to recognize, and some were written in a language she couldn't place. Too curious to pass on the opportunity, she pulled one of the books out and scanned the first few pages.

Persephone frowned as the cat expressed its displeasure with her. It was a reaction she was beginning to expect; dog walkers regularly have their pets behave in 'inexplicable' ways as she passed. Honestly, she doesn't blame them.

She moves to the far aisle of the bookstore from the cat, respecting its space, and begins to wander toward the back of the store, glancing at book spines along the way. She sneezes; apparently the demon taint didn't do away with her allergies.

Persephone regards the cat from a distance, keeping on the far side of the store. Not out of any fear or discomfort she has, but out of a desire not to upset the kitty with her demonic stink. She sighs; she misses petting cats! Oh well... the cost of doing business I guess...

She turns and heads to the back and joins Benji. She nods to the woman and waits for a pause in conversation to introduce herself.

Emma flipped through the pages, finding out much to her annoyance, that the text was written entirely in Latin, and that she could barely make a word of it. But there were illustrations. Pentagrams. Sigils, other cryptic symbols, sprawled across the pages.

"That's so cool!" she murmured, tracing her finger over the pentagram "Do you think these rituals actually work? Can I summon a real demon with this?"

It was an absurd thought, and a dangerous one. Still, the idea was undeniably tempting.

Looking up, she noticed Persephone walking toward the back of the shop, and with a sigh, she shut the book, clutching it tightly against her chest as she followed her to meet the proprietor of the store.

Neat trick... Persephone thinks.

Persephone nods and smiles and says, "Hello, I'm Persephone. This is a wonderful store you have and an elegant cat guardian, as well."

She pauses awkwardly for a moment and then shrugs, takes a deep breath, and speaks to Emma and Benji, asking permission before launching into it. "So, if I might?" Once they give the go-ahead, Persephone does so, her voice strained as the stress and urgency of her emotions press in on her while she tries to remain calm and controlled.

"So. Ah, I hear that you are something of an expert on... matters infernal. Like, demons. I'm looking for some information pertaining to, um, demonic contracts? How they work, what kinds there are... how someone could escape one... Ahah, asking for a friend, of course. And you know, hypothetically."

"What exactly are demons?" Emma felt like she was missing a crucial piece of information here. Several of them, in fact "I know hell exists. But are demons like... primordial evil, like the Bible says? Are they just forces of pure malevolence, or is there more to them? Where they fallen angels? What do they actually want?"

She pauses, not to wait for an answer, but to breathe so she can ask some more: "And does Heaven exist, too? I mean, if Heaven’s real, do you think someone like Persephone's friend could, I don’t know, earn her way into it? Could she somehow get out of the deal that way and not end up in hell?

"Well, I didn't want to assume you didn't know anything" Emma said with the characteristic buoyance in her voice when Yasmine grew impatient with her for merely asking a question. "What about summoning demons? Do the rituals in these books actually work?" she taps on the book she picked up from the shelf "I heard some people made pacts with demons without offering them their souls" she is referring to Yasmine herself, of course. If the Administrator notes were accurate* (and she had no reason to believe they weren't), then Yasmine was more than a simple scholar. She got her hands dirty, and acquired all sort of strange abilities in return.

Emma never said she wanted to make a deal with a demon, but maybe her questions had given her away. Or maybe Yasmine was just good at reading between the lines.

"I was just being curious" she said cautiously "But I do want to see a summoning. A real one. Just to know if it actually works. That kind of thing doesn't just show up on YouTube."

Emma wasn’t that arrogant to think she could pull off anything close to Solomon’s feats. But if the legends were true, and if someone had actually left behind one of those 'containers' he used, some vessel or artifact still out there in the world, maybe she didn’t need to match his wisdom. Maybe she could find a shortcut. She wouldn't ask for a lot. And after all these millennia spent imprisoned, the demons he bound were sure to be more open toward fulfilling her wishes...

"…Sorry. I’m getting carried away" she gathered herself, glancing at Persephone "It’s just...this stuff is fascinating. Like, really fascinating."

Persephone shifts from one leg to another, clearly uncomfortable. As Emma continues to quiz Yasmine about how to find a genie's lamp, of all things, she becomes annoyed. And when Emma finally admits that she's getting carried away, well, Persephone just sighs and mutters, "Um, you think?"

She shakes her head and her shoulders drop in an expression of defeat. She looks to Yasmine and pleads, "Please. I'm here asking for help. I'm bound to a demon by a contract and I want to know how to get out of it. Or, like, what my options are. I don't want to lose my humanity. I don't want to become..." She shudders.

When Yasmine asks about the contract, Persephone frowns and looks away. She sighs. "...No. I... I wasn't in the best place, mentally, when I signed the contract. But now the demon is... demanding I do things... Awful things I don't want to do, and I honestly don't know what happens if I don't do them, or what other options I have. I plan to speak to my...handler today, try to coax some answers out of him. But I'll tell you one thing; my contract may not yet be due, but I'm no longer entirely human. I can...do things, become things, that aren't...that aren't human."

She shakes her head and looks away for a moment, he expression inscrutable. Then she turns back to Yasmine and leans forward, putting a hand on the desk. She speaks with more intensity now, saying, "I'll tell you what. I will find out what I can from my demonic supervisor and then I'd like to return here for your help. What could I offer you in exchange?"

"Do people still end up in Hell for doing bad things?" she wondered aloud, though she expected the usual 'I’m not a priest' reply from Yasmine "Because you might be earning yourself a place just by holding up your end of that contract. Maybe the only way out is to refuse to play their game, even if it kills you, and face whatever judgment comes from the guy upstairs. A moment of weakness might be forgiven. But sending others to Hell by choice? That might be the one sin you don’t get to walk away from"

Persephone listens attentively, nodding in understanding. When Yasmine has finished, Persephone straightens, crosses her arms, and a reflective look spread across her face. "I sense that I won't get out of the contract by winning a theological argument with my patron about the nature of the soul or anything like that. I dunno; my gut tells me that's just sophistry. There was something visceral about agreeing, about willingly signing this contract that made it binding. It felt more like... well, like I imagine magic would feel, or ... maybe... like a force of nature. It's just... gravity. I dunno; I've never tried to resist or defy because it all felt so inevitable... Thank you, Yasmine, for speaking to me about this. If it is OK, I may return in the future to discuss this again. But I'd be willing to compensate you somehow for your time in the future."

She turns to Emma and Benji and says, "So next I'm gonna go talk to my demonic supervisor ...ugh... is 'supervisor' even the right word? That feels so... corporate. Huh, actually, this whole demonic organization feels a lot when I was an intern at the law firm of Wolfram & Hart as an undergrad."

She shrugs and smiles, indicating she feels satisfied with things at the moment.

"Gravity pulls everything down, but people still figured out how to fly"
Emma's stubbornness and willfulness, with the usual hint of arrogance, was also optimistic in a way.

With the conversation wrapping up, she (somewhat reluctantly) let go of the old book she'd been hugging and set it back on Yasmine’s desk.
"Thanks for seeing us" she smiled lightly at her "Your shop, and collection, are really cool. I’ll definitely be dropping by again."

As they stepped out into the street and Persephone mentioned heading off to deal with her demonic supervisor, she gave her a short nod:

"Yes; checking your contract does seem like the right play now."
She paused, looking away from the two of them "I think I’m gonna talk to Kat. Her sugar daddy invited me to some kind of convention."
She didn’t elaborate. She figured 'Sin' believed she and Kat were in the same line of work. Henry was fond of escorts, and she knew from that dinner party she wasn't the first woman to be seen in his company. Or maybe 'Sin' invited her for a different reason altogether? She would have liked to think so, but she didn't exactly leave an impression that she was anything other than an empty airhead [ref] the last time they met.

"You said she was involved in some demon cult, right?" she turned to look back at Pers "I want to see what’s really going on there"

Persephone heads back out and opens up her umbrella, scowling at the rain. She turns to Emma and replies, "Yeah, I guess I’ll go see him now. Maybe get some answers."

When Emma mentions a Kat, Persephone clarifies, saying, "What I said was that Kat had the smell of demonic contracts on her, but she herself was not contractually bound. I think her captivity is of a more mundane sort, you know? Like she has a rich guy who pays her to be his arm candy. And I think HE is the one working with demons."

She sighs and says, "Well I best get to it. Benji, it was a pleasure to meet you. I hope to see you again soon. Emma, I’ll text you after I talk to the guy. Take care, hun." She gives Emma a hug and a kiss on the cheek. She steps back, waves to the others, and heads off to visit Wentworth.

Even with an umbrella and a raincoat, the short walk left Emma both chilled and damp. She was relieved to be back in her apartment, and grateful that it was already warm and cozy when she arrived (though she dreaded to think what her electric bill would look like this month!). She expected to find Sarah on the couch, but the living room was empty. She called out her name, but when there was no answer, she moved down the hallway, glancing into the bedroom before spotting her in the bathroom.

"Happy to see you’re already up" she said as she leaned against the doorframe. Sarah stood at the sink, wrapped in one of Emma’s bathrobes, slowly brushing her hair. It was late afternoon, but Sarah had slept through the morning, as usual, and was just beginning her routine. With everything that had happened today, it was already getting late, and she knew she only had a short time to talk before David got home from work. She didn’t want to waste any time. "I saw Chablis earlier today" she paused, and checked her reaction.

Persephone smiles at Yasmine, a sincere and appreciative smile. After all, this was a woman with obvious power and knowledge, open to the possibility of helping her, but she also seemed genuinely interested, and interesting, if Persephone was being honest.

She takes her leave of Emma and Benji, glad for old friends and new. She gets in a car service and directs the driver to take her to Wentworth's office address. As she rides, she sends a text to Zhiyu, proposing a meetup in a few hours.

It’s hard to catch Emma lost for words. This was one of these rare cases.
She had lots she planned to say. About how she knew Sarah was a sex worker. About how she figured out that she and Chablis weren’t just roommates. They shared a bed. They were lovers. She was going to say that she knew Sarah must have suspected what Chablis was all along, else why would she have screened all her calls?

None of it seemed to matter now.

Sarah just stood there, so cool and casual, like none of it ever touched her. Indifferent. Almost heartless.

How ironic that Chablis, the supposed monster, had shown more compassion than the girl in front of her. Chablis was worried sick about Sarah. Haunted by guilt. Barely holding on, while Sarah looked more concerned about her charger than her former girlfriend.

"She’s a vampire" she finally said "But you already knew that, didn’t you?"
It wasn’t a question.
"I think it’s safe for you now. As long as you keep your distance from her"

She didn’t say the rest, but she hoped Sarah would get the hint; that it was time for her to move on and find her own place.

On the entire drive to Wentworth's office, Persephone had been steeling her will for the confrontation with him. She played out in her mind's eye scenes of her barging in, catching him off guard, perhaps interrupting an important meeting, and demanding answers. When she arrived, however, she found her plans entirely disarmed. She could only stammer and accept his welcome.

"Uh, um, sure. Yes, thanks. Wait, how did you...?" Then anger began to arise in her. "How did you know I was coming here? I am tired of this nonsense. I want answers. About how you knew, about other supernatural beings, about my contract, about everything!"

She stepped toward him, adopting her most effective power pose, when she glanced down and saw the beverage. "Oh! Is that... Is that a cup of the Kenyan Washed Kiambu Coffee from Yara Estate? That's... that's $400 a cup! It won bean of the year last year! How..."

All of her fire was gone. She sat down, took the cup into her hands and brought it to her face, bathing in the aroma, sipping it, rolling it around in her mouth, and finally swallowing.

"Ahhh.... Oh... Oh that is a damn fine cup of coffee..." She looked at Wentworth and spoke, this time with only mild vexation in her voice. "I do want answers, you know."

Emma was still convinced Sarah had known Chablis was a vampire all along. Her insistence that she hadn’t only served to irritate her. But there was no point pushing it. Sarah wouldn’t admit to it, and she didn't care enough to drag it out.

"Yes. It was," she confirmed, again "And since she’s not a danger to you, as long as you keep your distance, I think it’s time you found a place of your own."

She made sure there was no room for misunderstanding this time. She’d taken Sarah in temporarily, not as a permanent arrangement. The apartment was small. Too small, really, barely fit her and David, and having another woman around didn’t give them enough feedom to be intimate with each other, physically or emotionally. She didn’t want to live like that anymore.

"Maybe with a different roommate this time" she tried to lighten the mood. She had no intention to throw her out to the streets that very moment. She knew finding a new place could take some time, and she didn't want Sarah to think she was unwelcome in her home, or that she didn't care about her and her predicament.

"Start looking for a new place, alright? I can help if you want. It doesn't have to be today, or next week, but start making plans.

Persephone savors the coffee for a while, until the name of Howard Winters reaches her. Her mood suddenly darkens and the coffee tastes like ash in her mouth.

She sets the cup down and turns to him, a serious and intense gaze on her face. She says, "First, I want a copy of my contract. I want all the details about our...arrangement. Second, I want a primer on the supernatural; I need to know about vampires, ghosts, werewolves, wizards, the fae, all of it. And what is our patron's views on these beings? Are there factions in London I should know about? How am I expected to behave when I meet these creatures? And what about the agents of other demons?"

She crosses her arms, suggesting she will not be satisfied until she gets what she wants.

"You can do what you were doing before" she said plainly "or something else. Whatever you want"
Emma didn’t associate any stigma with Sarah’s line of work. It WAS work. Sarah couldn’t expect to lie on the couch all day, play with her phone, and expect someone else to pay for her food and her rent.
"There are plenty of jobs out there. Maybe not as high paying, but enough to get by, especially if you find another roommate" she tries to encourage her "you’re young, and capable. I’m sure you’ll find something"

Persephone stares daggers at Wentworth when he condescends to her about not getting a copy of her contract. And she grits her teeth and bites her tongue when he intimates that he knows she has not met all of those creatures. She will worry later about how he might now that. For now, she replies, "Well, one of my contacts informed me of their existence, and I have reason to believe them. So." She feels her blood pressure rising as he continues to insult her obliquely.

But when he mentions a hot line, she stops short. What hotline? she wonders to herself. Oh, I see what he's doing...

She sits back in her chair, crosses her arms, and smiles. She feels her anxiety and anger subside and she says, "Ah yes, of course. The hotline. How could I forget? So silly of me. Care to share the number?"

She looks at him for a moment, feeling somewhat smug that she had seen through his little game of manipulation designed to make her feel inferior. She allows the feeling to pass and then she adds, "Well, right now, I have a question about someone I met who carries the taint of a different demon. Or, rather, I met one of their ...possessions? A kept woman, I believe. I can only assume another demon would be a competitor of our Patron's, so I may disrupt their operation, or at least diminish it. Think of it as a gift to our Patron."

Persephone's stomach flipflops as she recalls the words of the venture capitalist who had recruited her, who had wooed her, and eventually brought her to sign the contract. He spoke in similar ways, offering gifts that were in fact traps, like baited hooks, meant to benefit no one but him and his masters.

Emma knew one thing for sure. Going back to Velvet Sin would be a mistake. Maybe Sarah could get her old back job, but there was a risk she would run into Chablis. As much as Chablis cared about Sarah, she was still getting the hang of being a vampire, and was potentially dangerous.

She sighed inwardly to herself

"You can find another club. The Velvet Sin wasn't even that good. Or find a job waiting tables somewhere"

Tiredness started to descend upon her. She needed some rest herself, after everything that happened today, and all the blood she donated. And she still needed to talk with David. And maybe Teddy...

"You don’t have to figure it out tonight. Just… start looking tomorrow. Job first. Then when you know what you’re making, you can start looking for an apartment in the right range."

"You could always wash dishes. Or stock shelves."
It was about time Sarah started taking responsibility for her life. Emma wasn’t going to solve every problem she had, even if she could. Sarah’s anxiety wasn’t something a little pep talk could fix. That kind of thing needed therapy. And time.

"I’m not saying it’ll be easy," she added, a bit softer this time "But you’re not going to get better just lying here either."

Sarah was curled up on the couch, face turned away, crying quietly on the couch. Emma didn't look. She hasn't looked in her direction for the last fifteen minutes. The apartment was too small to offer any real privacy to any of them, so the least she could do was give her some space. She didn’t feel good about how their conversation ended either. She had no intention of taking care of Sarah for the rest of her life, but forcing her to take steps to move out did sour her mood, especially after she'd seen how she took it.

She kept herself busy. A load of laundry already done, dinner nearly finished. When David finally walked through the door, she swiveled to look at him, brushed a strand of hair behind her ear, and offered him a tight-lipped smile, then turned her attention back toward the cutting board.

"Hey," she said, and gestured at the table, averting her eyes from the couch, and her husband "Dinner’s ready. How was your day?"

Emma kissed David back, letting her hand rest at his side just for a moment before stepping back to turn the electric stove off. She wanted to enjoy the evening, to sit down and eat together like a normal couple in a normal apartment, but Sarah's quiet sobs from the couch were suffocating. She couldn't sit down and enjoy her meal while she was crying her heart out.

"I’m glad" she rubbed his arm when he told her about the vetting process "I hope it will all get sorted out quickly. You deserve that promotion"

She turned to the table, dinner plated and ready, but didn’t sit. Instead she glanced toward the couch, and sighed to herself:

"Sarah. Would you like to eat something? Come join us at the table?"

Persephone looked through her contacts and, sure enough, there it was. Hotline. She sighed and muttered, "Ah yes. Of course."

She shook her head in frustration, looked at Wentworth, and said, "What orientation? There was no orientation. That's a shite attempt at humor, Wentworth." Persephone had lived in London briefly before, in college, and had picked up a few Britishisms, like shite, loo, and so on, which were starting to return, though she did not always employ them perfectly.

When the conversation turned to Kat, Persephone eyed Wentworth, wondering if she was about to make a mistake. She shrugged internally and said Kat's full name, as well as what she knew of Kat's 'owner.' "Ring any bells?" she asked.

Persephone pays close attention to Wentworth, commenting along the way. "Oh, yes, Eliot," she says, when he mentions a missing vampire lord. She does this, of course, to throw him off; he would not expect her to know the vamp's name. But Emma and Benji discussed Eliot's disappearance and Persephone made the guess that they must be the same person. "And the demon who owns a bookshop on Bookseller's Row?" Again, Persephone only overheard Emma and Benji, but she is authentically curious if Benji's demon friend is an ally or enemy of her patron. Finally she nods in acceptance of his suggestion that she might look into this weekend affair.

When he turns to the matter of her job, her heart sinks--she'd somehow have to juggle this with her sister's day out. She did not expect this to end well, but she'd pulled off such antics before, she realized, as she recalls the time she brokered a funding deal for her startup at a cocktail party while also taking her one of her finals online on her phone.

Her target is Viviana Norwood, an Italian-British woman, about 30, who works in banking tech at HSBC. Her specialty is managing the tech systems that deliver trade information for stock brokers and investment bankers in real time, globally. She is queer, but keeps it secret, because her banking superiors are very conservative. She is single and lives in the City.

This will be Persephone's first recruitment from the get-go. She'd been a liaison and handler for those already in process. Harold Winters was her first "close."

Persephone will try to make first contact with Viviana while out shopping with Circe. She hopes that Circe's cluelessness will reinforce the "accidental" nature of the encounter. Which means, YES, Persephone will be involving her sister, if only as cover. She will not inform Circe of any of this, of course.

What Emma really wanted was a quiet moment alone with her husband. She kept the conversation light, asked about his day, and passed around the pasta she’d made, all the while staying gentle and polite with Sarah. All she was hoping for now was to get through dinner without another emotional breakdown, so they could retire to their bedroom as quickly as possible.

Persephone glances at her phone and sees that she must leave if she's to make it to meet Zhiyu on time. The guilt she still feels for assisting his brother's death, plus her general annoyance with Wentworth, are more than enough to overcome her curiosity about what else she might be able to pry out of the man.

She stands and says only, "Understood." She turns to walk out, wishing that her lack of courtesies when leaving would sting, but she doesn't think he is capable of feeling anymore.

Once out of there, she is able to breathe more freely. She checks the address and finds her way to meet Zhiyu.

"Do you think I’m being too hard on her?" Emma asked as she closed the bedroom door behind her. She felt like a prisoner in her own home. No real privacy. No cuddling with David in front of the TV. Just walking on eggshells around a girl who barely spoke. At least they had the bedroom. She would have gone crazy if she didn't have any place to retreat to.

She pulled her hair up, but decided to wait until she had her shower before slipping into something more comfortable

"I told her it’s time she started looking for a place of her own. I even offered to help, but…" she glanced at David, to study his reaction "She didn’t take it well. I just… I don’t think I can keep doing this. She sleeps all day, on her phone all night. If she can’t even manage to look for a job, how is she supposed to hold one?"

She was trying to be calm, but the frustration was slipping through
"I’m not her mother"

Persephone dutifully gets in the line to see him, but uses it as a change to listen in and observe. What sort of interactions is he conducting here?

Emma just needed to vent. She didn’t need David to fix anything, offer his perspective, or, god forbid, question her decision. She just needed him to support her, even if he didn’t fully understand the situation. It didn’t solve anything, but it left her feeling a little more settled.
With the faintest lift of energy, she moved to something else entirely.

"I’ve been invited to another high-society function over this weekend. They’re holding it at The Lanesborough," she got up from the bed and undid the band in her hair, letting the blonde strands fall loose over her shoulders, then slipped off her shoes. She was already thinking about her shower – it’s just what she needed to ease all the tension from today.

"I’m thinking of going" she continued "There’ll be members of the House of Lords, billionaires, High Court judges... it’s like a secret society of the most powerful people in Britain"

She glanced over at him, to see how he would react

"They’d make excellent villains for my next book. Don’t you think?"

Persephone listens and watches Zhiyu and the stream of community members he helps. As she sees more, she gradually develops an admiration for this man, seemingly a simple grocer who is also a community leader. Her guilt for her involvement in his brother's death only grows. She feels bad interrupting this beautiful demonstration of community with their heavy topic.

She glances again at the white woman, wondering what she might want form Zhiyu. Is she a grocery shopper with a special order? Or something else?

"Yes, can you believe it?" She didn't miss the hint of jealousy in her husband's voice, but didn’t let it slow her down. It wouldn’t hurt him to miss her a little now and then. "I don’t even know what they’ll be doing, and I don’t care. I just want to be in the room, you know?"

She didn’t bother hiding her excitement. In fact, she let it rise deliberately, knowing exactly how hard it would be for him to say no when she looked this eager. Still, she tried to assuage some of his concerns:

"And it’s in London. If anything comes up, I can be back in twenty minutes"

The club dresses Emma owned were one wardrobe malfunction away from a scandal. Silhouettes, plunging necklines, and hemlines so short she had to be careful whenever she took a seat, were hardly appropriate for high-society events. She would have to get something new. Something classy. Sophisticated. More... boring.

Maybe Henry can be persuaded to cover it. He probably spends more on wine than she does on rent, so he wouldn't even blink at the cost. She made a mental note to give him a call tomorrow. Sweet talk him a little and make it sound essential. Because it was!

To David, however, she just gave a small shrug "I’ll see if I can get them to cover a clothing expense" her lips then curled into a teasing smile "Did you like the last one?"

Persephone smiles, nods, and waves back politely, and then turns back to face forward. She had to admit she was curious, but couldn't think of a pretense to strike up a conversation. Besides, she'd have to step out of line and she was near the front.

She was still uncertain of what she would say to Zhiyu.

"Your mother liked that dress too!" She protested, a hint of a smile on her lips "She was genuinely worried I might catch a chill in this weather, that’s all" she obviously knew better, but didn’t want waste time talking about it. She did welcome the shift in the conversation, though his invitation didn’t stir her the way she needed it to.

She didn’t want to be asked. She wanted to be taken. Pressed against the wall like he was starving. Pushed down. Hair yanked. She wanted him to lose control a little. To need her that badly. Not invite her into bed like he was offering her tea and blanket.

Still, she stepped closer, resting her hand on his chest. Her voice dropped into a soft, almost teasing hum, the ‘t’ mispronounced slightly, almost like a different letter of the alphabet. "Are you going to tuck me in, then?"

She didn’t care about the bruises. She had a plausible story about them (all absolutely true, from her point of view). Besides, she was sure David wouldn’t give them a second thought once the clothes came off...

Persephone continues to people watch, and her curiosity about Zhiyu grows. She watches him serve as a translator for an old woman dealing with government paperwork. She hears him speak in English, Cantonese, Mandarin, and even French at one point. When she gets near the front, she even eavesdrops on two men having a surprisingly complex debate about import laws, jurisdiction, and international investment, which he seems to settle to both men's satisfaction.

When she arrives at the front of the line, She smiles and says, "Hello! This is the right time, yes? You seem so busy! We can reschedule if that's more convenient for you..." She gestures at the line of people behind her, but adds, "I'd like to talk, but I don't want to be a burden."

Emma’s gaze softened when she looked into his eyes. She stepped in, closer, close enough that he could feel her soft breaths. She was always the one to add the spice to their bedroom. The mischief to their routines. Her husband was tired. Defeated, maybe, after the kind of week he had. Maybe he, too, needed to feel desired. And she knew exactly how to stoke that fire.

L’appétit vient en mangeant.
Desire grows with action.

The hand resting on his chest began to slide lower...

*****

Emma lay still for a moment, her hand resting on her husband's chest, rising and falling in time with his breath. She smiled faintly and pressed a kiss to his shoulder, then slipped out from under the warm sheets with a satisfied grace, her fingers drifting through her tousled hair as she padded toward the bathroom.

She closed the door behind her and paused in front of the mirror, gazing at her reflection with a pleased, private, curved smile.

She liked what she saw.

She turned slightly, admiring the lines of her curves. She didn't consider herself to be vain. She did win the genetic lottery, but that wasn't enough. She worked for that body. Maintained it. Watched what she ate. Skincare. Workouts. Posture. Keeping hydrated. It required discipline, more than some would realize.

Why shouldn’t she be proud?

With a little grin, she reached for her phone on the counter, and snapped a couple of photos of herself. Nothing she would ever post, of course. But maybe something to send David one morning when he was stuck at the office. A reminder of what waited for him at home.

Just as she was about to set the phone down, a stray thought surfaced, completely absurd in contrast.

"Oh, shit" she quickly thumbed through her contact list

"Thanks for covering the takeout tonight" she quickly typed to Bev
"You really shouldn’t have. How much do I owe you?"

Emma hummed to herself as she finished tidying up. She sent David off to work with a kiss, and the lunch she packed for him - leftovers from dinner from the night before, with a sizable portion of vegies. It was healthier than anything he could get from the cafeteria at his office, and more importantly, cheaper.

He seemed lighter when he left, and she liked to think she had something to do with that. She was in better spirits as well, and with the last of the dishes done, she hung the towel over the handle of the over and turned toward the hallway.

It was time to start her day in earnest. She walked back to her bedroom, still in her nightrobe, and closed the door behind her. Sarah was still asleep, but she locked the door anyway. She didn’t want any interruptions this morning.

Easing herself on the bed, leaning backward against the pillows, she reached for her phone, already knowing who she was going to call first. She was going to ask Henry for some details about the weekend, but it was only as a pretext. What she really wanted was to soften him up, before nudging the conversation toward getting him to pay for her new outfits...

Persephone betrays a moment of hesitation and discomfort at the prospect of talking in this public place. but she replies, "I won't ask you to send all these people away, not for my account. I'll leave that decision to you; we may discuss some very personal matters of your brother, however."

She sits in the chair at the side of his table, a look of empathy on her face. She feels deep guilt about her oblique role in Howard's death, combined with a surprising affection for this strange, kind man. She leans forward, speaking in a low voice, so that only Zhiyu can hear her. Persephone says, "I want to be here for whatever you need from me about your brother. I can tell you about his last hours if that is what you would like, but I should also tell you, he was involved in some matters that were dangerous and, frankly, difficult to believe."

Persephone had suspected that Zhiyu might know more than he was letting on about Wuhao's demonic contract and she is actually relieved to hear that suspicion confirmed. She had dreaded trying to explain to Zhiyu what had really been going on with Wuhao, so this simplifies things considerably. She had already planned to come clean with him, to some extent, about her involvement, so she does not try to her hide her response. Instead, she simply meets his eyes and nods when he makes reference to selling his soul.

Persephone looks down at the ground and sighs deeply. So many feelings fight for attention within her; a survival instinct telling her not to admit wrongdoing or even involvement; an empathy for Zhiyu's loss; guilt for not doing more to prevent Wuhao's death; and a curiosity about what else Zhiyu might know. She opts for honesty; she had been living nothing but lies until very recently, and found such a life excessively isolating.

She raises her eyes to meet his and says, "I don't know Wuhao, not really. But I am like he was. I am someone who made a foolish deal with a demon and now must life with the consequences. My 'contract holder' sent me to the club that night to find Wuhao, to make sure he upholds his end of the bargain, which included doing what he eventually did. When I arrived, he was trying to enjoy himself, with drugs and women in a private room. But he was miserable. I sat with him and listened, tried to be a friend to him when he so desperately needed one."

She looks away now, wincing in pain and tears threatening to flow. She shakes her head in disgust at herself and continues. "I... I wasn't a good friend to him. Not at all. I listened, yes, and tried to help him. But ultimately, when he talked about upholding the bargain and ending it all, I didn't argue with him. I didn't try to stop him. So I ... I have to apologize to you, Zhiyu, for my weakness. I was--and am--scared of what happens if I don't uphold my contract. And mine demanded I be there that night, to make sure he did it. I don't ask for your understanding, sympathy, or forgiveness; I don't deserve any of that. I came here today to tell you the truth, no matter how ugly. Because you deserve it. And of no other reason than that."

She should have done this in person. It would’ve been so much easier if he could see her. She would smile a little. Wear something suggestive.. It would have been easier to get him into an agreeable state if he was looking at her, rather than just hearing her. But she also knew how busy he was, and she didn’t want to wait until later in the afternoon, or the evening, to get her answers.

"Hey" she said one the call connected "How’s it going?"

Her free hand drifted lazily along the silk trim of her robe as she spoke. "I won’t take up too much of your time, she added with just the right amount of deference in her voice, which, knowing Henry wasn't just appreciated - but expected.

"But, do you know what’s planned for the gathering this weekend? And...why I was invited?"

They both knew she didn’t belong in that crowd. She wasn’t rich. Or powerful. Or influential. She wasn’t a member of the gentlemen's club, and no one was inviting her for her dazzling intellect. He must have wondered about it too. Maybe even enough to ask Sin about it?

Zhiyu's kindness shocks Persephone to her core. She had been so certain she had brought nothing but pain to Wuhao and now to Zhiyu, but he thanks her. He is a truly good man, she marvels to herself.

She looks at him with deep empathy and admiration. When he wonders if he could have done something, she shakes her head No and says, "Take my word for it. Selling your soul to a demon leaves a stain so deep that no amount of reason can bring you to seek help from others, even people who want to help. They endow you with a feeling of hopelessness so overpowering that you feel you must accept your fate. After all, you signed the document, didn't you? Yeah, it is never the easy. So please, whatever you do, don't blame yourself. Don't beat yourself up. You couldn't have known, nor done anything if you had."

She feels deep indebted to this man for his kindness and understanding, allowing her not to hate herself quite so much. Finally, she says. "I am happy to answer any questions you have. And Zhiyu, thank you. I owe you a great debt that I can never repay."

So Henry didn’t know what the weekend was about either. He was probably so keen on joining their little club, that he didn’t insist on getting clear answers. If he only knew what these people were really about. He is out of his depth, and he doesn’t even know it.

"I’ve been thinking I should pick something new for the weekend" she parted the silk of her robe just a little wider. He couldn’t see her, but she didn’t need him to. It helped her get into the right headspace. Teasing and tempting him came easier that way. More natural. "I was hoping to blend in a little. Try to fit in, you know? " she paused, then added with a sight edge of disappointed in her voice, knowing he would pick up on the hint "Only problem is, I really can’t wait for things to be on sale…"

This was the opening she’d been waiting for. It didn’t look like Henry had given much thought to what he should be wearing either. He couldn’t just show up dressed like an aristocrat. He was new money, and trying to pass himself as something he wasn’t could easily end up a faux-pas.

"Dressing well for this is important" She needed him to understand the weight of it "You can’t just show up in one of your tailored business suits. You want to make the right impression. Look like you belong, but also stand out from the crowd in the best sort of way"

Her voice dropped to a more intimate note "You know I’ve been writing about fashion for The Independent, right? It’s really my thing. I’m sure I could help you pick out a few things that show them exactly who you are, without looking like you’re trying. Besides, you could use a few more options for other events, too"

She paused before tempting him some more "And while we’re at it… maybe we could pick out a few things for me, too. You do want me to look my best over the weekend, don’t you?"

"Two o’clock, at Harrods then" she eagerly agreed, picking the most extravagant department store that popped into her mind. "We’ll need some time to try things on. Maybe make a quick stop at the tailor"

Of course, she was already planning to arrive a couple of hours ahead to pick out everything for him in advance. Once he showed up, all he would have to do was try them on and choose what he liked best. And more importantly, pay for the clothes she planned to pick out for herself.

"You’ve already got the looks" she ended the call with a flirty tone "I’ll find you the clothes to match"

Satisfied with how things had gone, she smiled to herself as she stretched on the bed. A few moments later, she was on her phone again, swiping through her text messages. After checking if there was any word from Bev, she tapped on Teddi’s contact that Benji provided her with, and started typing:

"Hey, Teddi. It’s Emma; Eliot’s friend. I was wondering if you have time to meet right now?"

Emma didn’t make a fuss about Bev paying for the takeout (When did she ever complain when people bought her things?) But it did strike her as a little odd that Bev wouldn’t even take credit for it. It was strange, but she decided not to dwell on it. Bev probably had her reasons.

Guess there IS such a thing as a free lunch...

She didn’t miss Bev’s not-so-subtle attempt to be included in her plans for the day. But she knew it was better to keep things private. Henry wouldn't appreciate a third wheel tagging along on their shopping trip. Even if he would have been fine with it, Emma still wouldn't have extended the offer. She wanted Henry’s full attention. If Bev was around, it would be harder to get what she wanted of him.

"I’m getting ready for a weekend event I was invited to" she typed quickly, then added before Bev could ask if she could tag along "But we should definitely catch up when I get back! Let me know when you're free."

She hit ‘send,’, then frowned when she noticed Teddi left her on read. That simply wouldn’t do!

She tapped his contact and called him directly. It’s not like she could force him to answer his phone, but maybe it would be enough to let him know the matter was important, and that she wouldn’t take ‘no’ for an answer.

When he asks her if she is hopeless, Persephone thinks for a moment and replies, "Not any more. I had felt that way, though, after I made the mistake of signing. But after I finally took the chance to open up and tell my friend, I've felt hope again."

When he asks why she feels indebted to him, she shrugs and says, "I had felt culpable for his death. I could have tried to stop him. I could have offered him more support. I was mostly thinking about myself the whole time. And here you are, having suffered a terrible loss, and you are spending your time helping me to feel better. I feel indebted to you because of your kindness, your selflessness, and youthful wisdom. Thank you."

Glancing over her shoulder, she stands and says, "And I have taken up enough of your time. You have many others waiting to see you. And me, I have to meet my friends. They are going to help me try to get out of this demonic contract. They have some experience with supernatural matters. And Zhiyu, again, thank you. If you ever need anything, please don't hesitate to contact me."

Once they have concluded their conversation, she takes her leave, reflecting on what they discussed.

Emma only had the briefest interaction with Teddy. She didn’t really know what he was like as a person. She wasn’t even sure if he WAS a person, or a vampire like Eliot. At any rate, he sounded a bit off to her, but she couldn’t be sure if it was because he was agitated over his employer’s disappearance, because he didn’t want to talk with her right now, or that he generally had an abrasive personality.

She decided to be cautious

"It’s Emma. Eliot’s friend?"

She paused for a moment, to see if he would say something to indicate he recognized her. Maybe he couldn’t recall her by name, but surely by her appearance?

"We met at Eliot’s penthouse. A few weeks ago, remember? I was the blonde interviewing Eliot for my book"

She then shifted, trying to determine his state of mind "How are you doing?"

What did they mean by "in recovery"? She didn’t like the sound of it, but it was too late to backtrack now. Better to press, gather what she could while giving away as little as possible.

"Well, I was trying to reach Teddy because I haven’t been able to get in touch with Eliot. I thought maybe he might know where he is."

She paused for a moment before asking her own question:

"Sorry; What’s your relation to Teddy, exactly?"

So much for the tracker. She hoped Teddy might actually help her find where Eliot’s car was last seen, but now he was "in recovery" and conveniently out of reach. It wouldn’t surprise her if he was in the hands of someone who didn’t want Eliot found…

"That sounds serious. I hope he gets well soon." She said politely, already deciding there was nothing she could gain from this conversation, save trouble "He can call me when he’s feeling better. I’d appreciate that." she breathed, then ended the call: "Thanks, Lucy. Goodbye."

Persephone looks downward and nods, accepting Zhiyu's words. Given the situation she was in--indebted for her soul to a demon who demanded she do it, all alone for the moment in her secret-- Persephone acknowledges that, No, there wasn't really much she could have done that night to prevent something bad happening to Wuhao.

She looks up and smiles when he accepts her offer of both debt and friendship. She nods and says, "Yes, absolutely. Please call on me whenever you think I could be of help. And I'll let you know if I am in dire need as well. Thank you. I don't have many friends in London yet, but I count you among them now."

She stands and nods again, saying, "I'll go and let you get back to them." Then, glancing down the row, she adds, "You draw an interesting crowd, Zhiyu. There is a lot more to you than meets the eye. I'm honored to know you. Be well!"

With one more smile, she turns to leave.

Emma could never afford to set foot in Harrods.

She walked past the windows more than a few times, just to peer through the glass, but she knew better than to go inside. Browsing without any intention to buy something would have made her uncomfortable. Harrods wasn’t for people like her. This was where millionaires went to shop. She wasn’t a millionaire, but today, she was in the company of one.

So when she arrived a full two hours early, it wasn’t (solely) to save Henry’s precious time (though that made for a convenient excuse, and she knew he would appreciate it). It was so she could indulge herself.

She was overwhelmed the moment she stepped through the gilded revolving doors. The store seemed to stretch endlessly in every direction—rooms opening into more rooms. Marble floors. Soft gold lighting above. The faint scent of perfume in the air...

It was so opulent. So pretentious. So... shamelessly decadent. How could she not like it?

Of course, the clothes were for people with more money than sense. She almost had a heart attack when she checked some of these price tags. It didn’t actually take a million dollars to look like a million dollars. She’d proven that herself more than once. Her current outfit; a stylish ivory blouse (a couple of buttons of which she left loose) and dark, high-waisted trousers, weren’t branded clothing. She got them on a clearance sale two seasons ago, and she still looked fantastic in it. Chic, a bit provocative, and more importantly, easy to slip in and out of—something she intended to do lots of today.She would never have spent any of her own money here. But she WAS enjoying herself, and knowing Henry could easily afford it, she didn’t feel guilty over getting a couple of luxury garments for herself, to impress the people back at the Lanesborough, if nothing else.

The staff welcomed her from the moment she stepped inside, and once she confidently started asking for items to be retrieved and set aside "for someone else," the assistants paid her even more attention. They could tell she wasn’t just window shopping. Everyone was smiling at her. She didn’t need to touch a hanger; everything was handed to her, then placed back in perfect order if she didn’t approve.

It was just perfect.

By 2 p.m., she made her way toward the grand entrance. She had a little mental list prepared of what to show Henry first, before she’d ask for his opinion on a couple of outfits for herself. She barely noticed when he failed to arrive on time. It would have irritated her any other day, but today, she was having so much fun, she just couldn’t care less.

Totally giddy when he finally arrived, her eyes lit up when she saw him step onto the floor.
"Hi!" she leaned in to kiss his cheek. "How have you been? I can’t wait to show you a few things." She didn’t give him time to answer, and reaching for his hand, she laced her fingers through his and gave him a gentle tug, pulling him with her "Come on! Men’s is this way! I’ve already got a few racks waiting for you!"

Persephone smiles warmly at Zhiyu and takes her leave. She finds her way back to her flat and tosses her soaking wet umbrella and coat aside as she enters the front door, kicks off her wet shoes, and collapses onto the sofa unceremoniously.

After resting there for a while, she starts doom scrolling her phone, eventually finding her way back that Hotline contact. She sighs and dials, intending to ask for a copy of her contract and a formal orientation.

Persephone looks over the package. Unsure of what to do with it at the moment, she sets it aside. Fortunately, she has the condo to herself for the moment.

She calls the Hotline and is surprised to hear no corporate greeting or recorded message, but an uncertain young man on the other end of the line. His accent is... Minnesota, maybe? Or is that one of the Dakotas? She can't quite tell, but she'd guess he is no older than 20.

"Um, hello? This is... Well, I was told by my... um, by my employer to call this line for information? I am operating under a particular sort of contract, and I have some questions about the...um... about the specific terms." She emphasizes the word contract.

The items she picked for Henry were waiting for them on the reserved corner of the floor. She offered a faintest smile when one of the assistants began to step forward, casually dismissing her without room for argument. She knew just as much about fashion and style as any of them, if not more, but more importantly, she didn’t want anyone else in the way.

"I didn’t want to waste your time, so I already have a few choices for you laid out. All you have to do is try them on and tell me which ones you like best."

She sent him off to the changing room with the first outfit; a light collared shirt, soft grey blazer, and tailored sand-coloured trousers. Elegant, sporty, and young. She took the time to check her reflection in the mirror while he was away to prepare for the next part of her act. She wanted to keep him in the right mood for the rest of the afternoon, and ensuring that her blouse sat just right couldn’t hurt.

The appreciative smile that curled on her lips was genuine when she finally saw him emerging from the changing room. It was a good look for him, and she didn’t shy away from letting her eyes linger for a moment.

"I knew it would be perfect for you!" she stepped toward him and reached out to straighten the lapel of his blazer; a pretext to brush her finger over his chest. "It’s a good fit. Accentuates your physique" She wasn’t just saying it to flatter him, and perhaps she was talking more to herself than to him.

Next, she crouched right in front of him to (also) check the length of his trousers and adjust the length at the ankle just above the shoe, though her real intention was to offer him a fleeting glimpse down her blouse - which is why she took more time then was necessary to mark where they would need to do some light hemming.

When she finally stood up again, she had him turn toward the full-length mirror, standing right by his side "So.." she said softly as she looked at his reflection in the mirror "what do you think?"