Retreat! (RP)

While the others take polite sips, Emma finishes her entire glass before William has the chance to sit back down from this toast. The alcohol burns through her chest, chasing away some of the dryness in her throat. "Thanks" she smiles at him, her voice is lower now, and a little breathier than before.

She waits for the entrees to arrive before she sips from her refilled glass. The wine makes everything better. Helps her forget, and soon her laughter comes more easily, and she opens up to William, talking about his work, asking him personal questions on his relationship woes. She doesn’t acknowledge Persephone, even though she can feel her presence. ‘Henry's accompaniment for the evening’ holds no interest to her.

But Henry... She can’t help herself but look across the table every so often. Who is he talking to? Does he look like he’s having a good time? Does he even look at her, or does he have eyes only for Persophene?

Every time she catches herself, she looks away, irritated and angry at herself for caring about him at all. She stabs a piece of food with her fork, but she has no interest in tasting anything. It’s a lovely meal. Exquisite, really, but she barely notices, eating only so she wouldn’t have to drink on an empty stomach; she doesn’t want to feel lightheaded for whatever Sin has planned for later this evening.

Persephone sighs at Percy’s ignorance across so many domains. She doesn’t push; she sees him as a victim here.

She can sense Emma’s discomfort just by being near her; it is so noticeable to her that Persephone begins to worry about her friend. Why is all this upsetting her so much? How could she want Henry when she has David??? Henry is a scum bag, obviously. Persephone shrugs and chooses to return Emma’s coldness with her own.

Instead, she engages everyone else in her region of the table, chatting about the cuisine, her time in London, her work in Silicon Valley and with venture capitalists, and more. Though of course she doesn’t divulge anything about her current employer or line of work. In short, she plays along with gusto and attempts to be one of the bright lights of the dinner party.

When it is time for games, she is intrigued to find herself paired with Henry and one of the party organizers. What could be the meaning of this arrangement, she wonders?

The wine has worked its magic by the time dessert arrives. Her cheeks slightly flushed, and laughter more frequent, she opens up and immerses herself in the dinner conversation. She isn't Persephone. She doesn't know anything about venture capital, or tech, running a business, current affairs, or anything meaningful, really. But the room IS full of men, and if there is one thing Emma does know, is how to get their attention. She nods as they babble about their work, listening intently to every word they are saying. She smiles, hold eye contact, and gives everyone in her vicinity the impression that they are the most important people in the world.

The pairing of Henry and Persephone was meant to be, it seems. Both their names are randomly drawn from the hat, and they are placed on the same team, but Emma doesn't really care anymore. Maybe they do deserve each other. They have so much more in common - both extremely rich, successful, beautiful, and intelligent. And rotten to the core...

But at least she was paired with William, and after a spoonful of chocolate cake (she won't allow herself more than that), she joins the others in the ballroom, one flirty hand over his arm. "Oh, this is so cool!!" she says as she sees the layout of the puzzles, and the stations they've set up in the massive hall. She tugs him by the hand, pulling him into one of the corners, already eager to get started on the game.

Emma glances over at Persephone as Reginald and Charlotte explain the rules. She’s so beautiful, and polished, and composed. Emma always admired her, never felt jealous of her—until she saw her hanging on Henry’s arm this evening.

She knew Henry didn’t bring her along because he was impressed with all her accomplishments. It’s all about looks for him, and what she is willing to do for him in bed. But that didn’t make her feel any better. It didn’t make her feel any...less.

Because the truth was that Persephone was a better date for him tonight. More poised, more articulate, more impressive in front of all these men. A better conversationalist. A better everything, really.

So when she threw herself into the game, it is not out of playfulness, but with a kind of desperate obsession. She wanted them to see her. Not her smile, or her body, but her mind too. She wanted them, him, to be impressed by her. Winning a puzzle game wasn’t as impressive as running your own tech company in Silicon Valley. But in her slightly fogged mind from all the champagne, it made sense. Adrenaline running through her body and pushing some of the buzz away, she started working with a single-minded purpose, Percy, and even William, there only to assist the way she directed them.

Persephone arched an eyebrow at this 'game'. The way she figured, if she was going to get to the bottom of this and find out what demonic force is truly running things here, she needed to stand out. And what better way to do that than to win?

She walked over to Henry and leaned in closely. She stood so closely their bodies were touching. She whispered in his ear, saying, "Hi. So, this game is a bit odd for a fancy dinner party, don't you think? Who are these people, anyway? What's this club all about? Games? And here I was thinking we'd get to retire after dinner... Well, I guess we'd better win then, yes? Henry, you win this, you win me."

Then she headed to their assigned area and got to work.

She had been staring at the cipher far too long. At first, she thought it was a simple substitution, something she could crack with a bit of effort. Turns out it was much more complicated, and she didn't have the patience nor the wits to solve it, in her current buzzed state. Her jaw tightened with annoyance, but only for a moment, as she lifted her eyes from the piece of paper to look at Henry across the room.

He probably already solved it

She remembered how easily he cracked the last one, when she took him on an escape room adventure only a couple of nights ago. It was worth finding out if he’d done it again tonight. And maybe she could feed him a false lead while she's at it, as payback for inviting another woman to dinner.

'All is fair in love and war', or something like that. Besides, if he was stupid enough to trade away his clue, and even more stupid to fall for her false one, then he never deserved to win in the first place.

She crossed the room with quiet confidence, smoothing her dress, and her expression, smiling slyly when she reached him, as if nothing had passed between them tonight. "Care to exchange notes?" the smile became ever more suggestive "I’ll show you mine if you show me yours."

Persephone glanced over as she reviewed the clues and watched Emma approach Henry. Shaking her head, she thought, Wow, she's going all in on this. She must know something about what's at stake here that I don't. God knows she wouldn't whore herself out like that just for Henry. She hates him! ... Oh. Oh! It dawned on Persephone at that moment that, possibly, this has nothing to do with what's at stake and everything to do with Emma's self-esteem issues and the trauma that Henry inflicted upon her. Oh the poor girl... she still wants him after what he did to her. Gross. Whelp, I guess I have to go save her from herself and take one for the team, so to speak... Which, of course, meant Henry.

She approached the two and spoke, her face registering disdain for Emma's behavior. She did not speak to Emma, for two reasons--one, to drive home her disapproval of Emma's behavior, and two, to keep Henry from realizing just yet that the two know each other. That coming out could be bad for both of them here.

Instead, she put a hand on Henry's arm and whispered in his ear, saying, "What would Reginald and Charlotte think if you shared clues with another team? You'll ruin your chances with them. You'll lose access to the wealth and power they promise. Don't."