Regroup (RP)

Emma never liked sitting still. As soon as she had finished writing the email, she stepped into the kitchen and started with the dishes. The laundry basket came next; doing some domestic chores was oddly comforting after the surreal weekend. But her mind started drifting even as she was folding one of David’s shirts. Something about the rain still drumming against her windows got her thinking that someone needed to something about it, and maybe that someone was her.

She fought the urge to call a certain Shelyna Artmitage about it, and she even managed to suppress it, until her phone buzzed on the table beside her. The caller ID said 'Circe', but she still suspected it might be Pers. She figured the reason she wrote her an email, rather than calling her, was because she had misplaced her phone.

"Good Evening" she picked up and answered in a composed, calm tone of voice.

"Oh thank god! Emma, are you OK? How did you get out of there? I... I ... you won't believe what happened to me, Emma..." Persephone looked up and realized that Circe was standing right there looking at her, hearing all this.

She smiled apologetically at Circe, put her hand over the phone, and whispered to Circe, saying, "It's a sensitive topic... remember, I told you?" Then she turned her back on Circe and walked over to a quieter corner of the condo and continued speaking with Emma.

Tears began to well in her eyes and she stammered, "Emma.... Chaudry...he... he killed me. I died, Emma. I met my patron, who sent me back. I was dead!" Then, composing herself, she suddenly realized that Emma disappeared on her shortly before she ran into Chaudry. She asked, trying not to sound accusatory, "Where did you go?? What happened to you? Did Benji get out?"

Emma stared at her half-folded laundry as she listened to Pers. She really did like her. She has always been a good friend, someone she genuinely enjoyed spending time with. But when she learned Pers was missing, probably dead, she felt then exactly what she felt now.

Nothing.

It unsettled her. Maybe she was too traumatized by what happened down in the tunnels. Maybe her mind shut down, suppressing everything to keep her functioning. Or maybe it was just that a few days had already passed, and she had made peace that she was gone for good. Either way, the warmth in her voice was more of a reflex, then any genuine feeling

"Pers… that’s awful. I’m so sorry…." her own voice was calm and steady "Chaudry tried to murder me too, so I ran as fast as I could. There was some kind of portal....when I woke up, I was outside. I don’t know what happened to Benji. I thought Chaudry got both of you, and I couldn’t tell anyone, or go to the police. It’s been… a mess."

She lifted her eyes from David's shirt and sighed softly

"Can you come over? Now that you’re back, maybe we can figure out what happened to Benji. If he's still alive, we got to find a way to help him"

Persephone was relieved to hear Emma and grateful that she was OK. "Oh thank god, Emma! I was sure you were dead... OK are you at your place? I'm at my condo, but I'll head there now. See you soon."

Persephone disconnects and says to Circe, "OK, Emma is OK but wants to talk, so I am gonna go over to her place. I don't know if David's there or what's up with that... but maybe she wants to talk about that situation, you know? OK, you kids have fun but behave, mmkay? Also, hun--you can have parties and folks over whenever you like, but just let me know in advance, so I don't walk out naked again, ok?"

"I’m glad you’re safe too. Really" her voice softened some more "-see you soon"

She stood still for a second after she ended the call, listening to the rain tapping against the windows, before sighing to herself and walking back to the kitchen. Pers was only a short walking distance away, but she was sure she would appreciate a hot cup of tea after making that distance in the rain. She filled the kettle and set it on boil, then went back to her laundry. She found the need to constantly do something else she would go crazy - if she hadn't already.

Persephone believes that she dropped her phone and purse when she transformed, as the change shreds her clothes. Plus, she recalls, she took flight and rushed to help Emma, so she assuredly dropped her stuff.

Realizing she has been asking a lot of Circe with all this, she stops and turns to face her before leaving. She smiles and gives her a hug. Persephone is surprised to find herself hugging Circe hard; she needed to be touched, held, since her… her death.

She pulls away, tearful, and says, "It’s been a rough few weeks. I’ll explain later. But just know that I’m doing better, and have hope again. Ok? Love you."

And then she slides her feet into her fashionable wellies and heads out, umbrella in hand, to Emma’s.

Emma froze as she stared at the extra bedsheets. Then panic came. There was no reason to wash that many bedsheets. It has only been two, three days. She dropped onto the couch, her hand over her chest. Did Sarah and David...? She wouldn't put it past her, a stripper/prostitute in desperate need of a roof over her head. But David? He would never...? Would he?

Her heart started to pound as her head turned toward the bedroom.

There has to be another explanation for this. She couldn't jump to conclusions. Maybe he spilled some soup while eating in bed? Over his Pajamas as well? Twice? Growing more and more agitated, she started looking around the living room for something, anything that would make that feeling in her gut go away. Used condoms? A smudge of lipstick on his pajamas? If there was any evidence it must be in the bedroom, where David was sleeping. Would she disrupt his sleep over this? Over nothing but a few extra bedsheets in the laundry?

I'm going crazy

But I've seen them together. She's been to my bed!

She felt nauseous, all the familiar memories returning, as if the pain never went away. All the other girls he has seen. Looking outside her window, waiting for him to come pick her up, hours after he was supposed to. Being dismissed, being disposable...

*knock* *knock*

She paused, heart still racing. When she opened the door, she looked and sounded very different than on the phone just minutes ago. Pale like she's seen a ghost, her hand twitched nervously over the door handle.
"Hi..hi Pers. Thanks for coming"