Retreat! (RP)

However the fallout of the little scene she put on at the cafe plays out, Persephone and Circe enjoyed the rest of their shopping day together. When Persephone learns that Circe has more than enough to keep her occupied over the weekend, she simply tells her sister that she will be away of the weekend with Emma, but still available by phone. Not a lie, but not a complete disclosure either.

At the hotel, Persephone absolutely allows the staff to treat her as she believes she should always be treated, deep down. She does spring for an upgrade from a Deluxe Room to a Junior Suite, for a mere 500 pounds. She drops her bags off in the suite, takes a moment to enjoy the lovely view of Belgravia, and heads down to the spa to meet up with Emma.

Emma was just finishing tying the sash of her robe when Persephone walked into the changing room. She glanced up at her, a quick smile crossing her face: "You have no idea how glad I am to see you here"

She didn't mean just the spa, but the whole weekend. There were so many people she didn't know and couldn't trust around; it was good to have someone she could count on. She didn't ask her what, exactly, she was doing here. She assumed she had her own reasons, probably tied to whatever deal she made. "I booked us a couple’s massage" she continued, and picked up her towel "Figured we could use some rest and relaxation, before whatever they have planned for the evening"

Persephone entered, looking tired and ready for the spa. She smiled at Emma and said, "Oh, that sounds lovely! Thank you! And it will give us a chance to catch up. Well, about some things at least." She quickly undressed, though she turned away when she removed her top, trying not to show the bite wound on her shoulder. She touches it gingerly and sighs.

Once robed and ready, she turned back to Emma and said, "OK, let's go! And you need to tell me everything about the people hosting this event, who will be in attendance, and so on. Oh! And how are you and David?"

"David’s fine" she said as she walked alongside her through the softly lit hallway "They got him running around the city in the rain all week. He's exhausted." unfortunately, there is little she could tell her about any of the people hosting the event. The only person she knew by name was 'Sinclair'. And while he did invite her, and she therefore assumed he was one of the higher-ups, she didn't know if he was the one actually calling the shots "I barely know anyone here, to be honest. The only reason I got invited is because of Henry"

Once in the massage room, she waited for the masseuses to step out, then calmly shrugged off her robe without hesitation. She wasn't bothered by Persephone's presence, and made no effort to cover herself up, as she folded her robe neatly and placed it over the bench before climbing up onto the table and lying face down. She tugged the sheet up just enough to cover her backside, then rested her head on her arms

"Sinclair put me in the same room as Henry, in fact" she mentioned "Not exactly ideal. But," she paused for a moment "it does have its benefits."

Persephone nodded in understanding when Emma disclosed that she knew little of the hosts. Her head tilted slightly at Henry’s name, however, followed by her eyes going wide.

"Henry? Like, Henry Henry? Your ex? Wait, what? He’s in London? You’re talking to him again? And wait, what do you mean benefits??!! Like friends with?!?! Girl! Spill it!"

"Well, I mean… he’s obscenely wealthy. And handsome" she glanced over at Pers, a teasing smile on her lips "I may have let him take me to dinner. And a little shopping. And now a weekend retreat." She rolled onto her side and propped her head up with one arm to look at her "But no, I’m not sleeping with him." she paused for a moment "Well, technically, I am sleeping with him tonight. You know what I mean..."

She settled back down onto her stomach and closed her eyes "What's with that Zhiyu guy?" she changed the subject "What did he want with you?"

Persephone did not let this go so easily. Her eyebrows arched and her mouth opened in mock pearl-clutching shock. She smiled and said, "Oh my god Em! You have a sugar daddy? Two if you count David! Wow. You always could pull..."

Then a look of confusion and concern crossed her face. She asked, "So wait, does David even know about Henry? What did you tell him you were doing this weekend? And does Henry know he's a strictly Platonic sugar daddy? Because in my experience they all think that their sugar will translate to sex eventually. And they're usually right."

Emma let out a soft snort "What Henry assumes is his problem," she propped herself back on one arm, breast slipping slightly into view "If he chooses to believe there’s more going on, that’s on him." she didn't feel even a little bit guilty over stringing him along "Besides, he owes me for all the shit he put me through back then. The mind games. The lies. The other girls. The way he left. So if he wants to spend a fortune trying to impress me, I say let him. It's the least he can do." she didn't answer any of her questions about David, however. Maybe because there was a little bit of guilt about hiding it from him, though knowing Emma, she probably has a way to justify that too

Persephone’s eyebrows raised and she shut her mouth. She nodded and said, "Hmm! Ok then! Well, I know I live in a glass house, so I won’t be judging your choices." She was definitely judging Emma’s choices.

She nodded in agreement with one element and said, "Yeah, to hell with Henry. He deserves it. But… then she glanced at Emma and, in a softer voice, she asked, "Does David?"

"Oh, get real" a bit miffed, she sat upright on the massage table, rather than continuing the conversation lying down. The sheet shifted with her, now only draped loosely across her hips. She knew Persephone was bi, and exactly what kind of effect her nudity could have. But she didn't like what Pers was implying here, and she wasn't above using every advantage to make her stop "If I told David about every man who tried to get into my pants, that would be all we would ever talk about. Should I keep a running list for him? The guys at the gym who offer to ‘spot’ me in the locker room? My publisher, who thinks a book deal comes with dinner and a hotel key? Every random creep in the office, or the men at the nightclubs who buy me a drink?"

She locks her eyes with hers "David knows I'm always been approached. This isn’t some new thing. And I haven't done anything wrong"

She cooled off a bit, as she tried to explain herself "You know I didn’t have anything growing up. I thought you, of all people, would get that. Maybe even support me." Her voice dipped a bit "If you insist on being like that, maybe I shouldn't bother telling you anything next time."

Persephone was taken aback at Emma's response. I touched a nerve apparently. Duly noted. Ah well, it's too bad. David seemed nice. As Persephone reflected for a moment, she realized she may have been 'judging,' but she also recognized she might do the same thing, to be honest. Not out of any kind of upbringing of scarcity, but simply due to her newfound sexual aggressiveness.

Persephone sat up and laughed. She turned to Emma and looked down appreciatively at her form and said, "My dear! I would likely do the same. Ha! In fact I DO do the same. Just yesterday, in fact, I flirted very aggressively with a woman I knew was a closeted lesbian, just so I could get an inside track on my next work project. And guess what? I think it worked. We're meeting for coffee on Monday. And as far as she knows, it's just personal, not business. But honey, it's always business."

Persephone looked down once more at Emma's body and then laid back down so that the masseuse could continue her work. Once more she found herself surprised at her fittingness for her new 'line of work.' She frowned slightly and thought, Am I... Am I a bad person? Maybe I was tainted even before that demon came around... Maybe that's why I was chosen. Ugh... Irritated with her conscience, she set such thoughts aside and and relaxed into the massage.

That was the second time in thirty minutes she snapped at someone. It wasn’t like her, which only proved to show how off-balance she was over this entire setup. Pers didn’t deserve it. Neither did Henry, for that matter. You would have better luck squeezing water from a rock than extracting an apology from Emma, but inwardly, she was chastising herself for letting her emotions get the better of her.

Her posture eased when Pers started to relate her own story. She listened without a trace of judgment in her face, though inwardly, she thought their situations were hardly the same. Henry was filthy rich. Showering her with gifts wasn’t going to make a dent in his lifestyle. That poor woman Pers was seducing though; she was going to convince her to sign her soul away. Condemn her to hell. But just like being stuck in the same room with her ex for the weekend, this, too, was something beyond her powers to fix. She wasn’t going to start a fight with Pers over it.

Lying back on her stomach, and resting her cheek against the cradle of her arms, she closed her eyes and teased her, just a little, to signal the truce "Is she hot, at least?"

She didn’t say another word once the masseuses returned. She allowed herself to settle and enjoy herself as they started working on her shoulders. The tension was melting away, and soon, she had trouble remembering what she was so angry about.