Persephone, the Destroyer (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
pummelgranite) wrote2019-09-03 02:08 am
pummelgranite) wrote2019-09-03 02:08 am
Entry tags:
[MoM][IC Contact]
"Persephone. Speak."
[She takes a deep breath, just letting herself enjoy the contact.]
I'm... sorry, I shouldn't be...
[Shouldn't be what? Unloading her problems like this onto Laura? Allowing herself this kind of openness? Talking about Steph at all, after what happened? Focusing on the Steph problem when it was honestly among the least of what she'd suffered recently, at home? She doesn't know.]
I'm... sorry, I shouldn't be...
[Shouldn't be what? Unloading her problems like this onto Laura? Allowing herself this kind of openness? Talking about Steph at all, after what happened? Focusing on the Steph problem when it was honestly among the least of what she'd suffered recently, at home? She doesn't know.]
Yeah, you should.
[ Her voice is quiet- almost a whisper, but there's a strange depth to it. It sounds like there's an understanding of her pain, far beyond what they've discussed in words. It sounds like she already knew. ]
What was she like?
[ Her voice is quiet- almost a whisper, but there's a strange depth to it. It sounds like there's an understanding of her pain, far beyond what they've discussed in words. It sounds like she already knew. ]
What was she like?
Edited 2018-03-12 17:28 (UTC)
[She senses what Laura is doing, it pings her mind's defenses--a gift from the Porter, this time, instead of a trick-- but... she trusts that whatever she's doing is meant to help. She lets the whisper of godsong through, turning her face away from Laura's shoulder but not moving her head.
Cass has a feeling Laura has some more insight than she does into the sort of loss this was, but she doesn't know why. It's not like she's been looking at her for most of this conversation. The godsong definitely furthers that impression, but...even without that. Something about the way she's talking in general...]
She was... a scrapper. Um... brave, determined--kind. And...funny. We used to... play tag on the roofs, during patrol.
Cass has a feeling Laura has some more insight than she does into the sort of loss this was, but she doesn't know why. It's not like she's been looking at her for most of this conversation. The godsong definitely furthers that impression, but...even without that. Something about the way she's talking in general...]
She was... a scrapper. Um... brave, determined--kind. And...funny. We used to... play tag on the roofs, during patrol.
[his lower lip wobbles suspiciously, riptide looks away and lays on his side again.]
Dunno. I want-- to get one back at him. I have an advantage with him not knowing it's worn off, but... [he sighs.] I don't know. Getaway's so viciously clever and I'm just--
[ANOTHER SIGH]
...Stupid.
Dunno. I want-- to get one back at him. I have an advantage with him not knowing it's worn off, but... [he sighs.] I don't know. Getaway's so viciously clever and I'm just--
[ANOTHER SIGH]
...Stupid.
[ big robo pal :(
She sits and leans her back against his]
You say that a lot.
She sits and leans her back against his]
You say that a lot.
[ Jaime doesn't speak for a moment, just thrusts one hand up into the air and gives her a thumbs-up. Once he catches his breath again, he reluctantly rises to his feet and hops up onto the platform she created, brushing himself off a little as the spikes on his body flex and settle, flattening back into his suit as if they were never there to begin with, turning back to the toothless, friendly figure most of the public knows him as.
He sags against her side, because if you can't indulge in a little contact with someone who'll let you get your rage on in the middle of the desert, there's nobody you can indulge with. ]
Thanks for that. Seriously. I needed that. [ He stretches his arms out in front of him, muscles satisfyingly sore. ] You've got some moves.
He sags against her side, because if you can't indulge in a little contact with someone who'll let you get your rage on in the middle of the desert, there's nobody you can indulge with. ]
Thanks for that. Seriously. I needed that. [ He stretches his arms out in front of him, muscles satisfyingly sore. ] You've got some moves.
When Primus was handing out brains, Riptide, I think you were at the back of the line. Actually, you probably joined the wrong line by mistake.
[he remembers what first aid had said. he loves the guy and doesn't hate him for telling him he's stupid, but... it's still not nice hearing it. he shrugs.]
[he remembers what first aid had said. he loves the guy and doesn't hate him for telling him he's stupid, but... it's still not nice hearing it. he shrugs.]
[ It's a subtle effect, most wouldn't consciously notice at all. Just a thread of comfort, belonging. Like some authority of sorrow gives its blessing to her tears. Like mourning Steph is exactly what she should be doing right now. It doesn't take away the pain, but does grant stability against it. ]
Kind. 's hard to come by, sometimes.
Kind. 's hard to come by, sometimes.
I thought--that knowing she was alive was... a good thing. That it'd hurt less. But...
[She doesn't know how to put this into words. The fact she still feels like part of her was ripped out by her loss, even knowing she's alive. even after the city she had been sent to protect had been destroyed, and her new friends there had all died. Even after the impact of dying herself, then killing her mother, however temporary that was--
It still feels wrong. Broken. Selfish. But not nearly to the level it had before. There's clarity to it now, a sense of... if not rightness, then of it being acceptable. A sense that the loss had gone from bad to worse, and without the first, she might have avoided the rest or weathered them better. So of course she has to come to peace with the fucked up Steph situation first, she thinks, gently guided by the hint of cthonic song.]
Maybe... The rest of it. Would be, um--easier, with her. [Meant as a way of trying to voice that thought.]
[She doesn't know how to put this into words. The fact she still feels like part of her was ripped out by her loss, even knowing she's alive. even after the city she had been sent to protect had been destroyed, and her new friends there had all died. Even after the impact of dying herself, then killing her mother, however temporary that was--
It still feels wrong. Broken. Selfish. But not nearly to the level it had before. There's clarity to it now, a sense of... if not rightness, then of it being acceptable. A sense that the loss had gone from bad to worse, and without the first, she might have avoided the rest or weathered them better. So of course she has to come to peace with the fucked up Steph situation first, she thinks, gently guided by the hint of cthonic song.]
Maybe... The rest of it. Would be, um--easier, with her. [Meant as a way of trying to voice that thought.]
I've got moves? Shite.
[ Yes that is fine, it's time to do a FRIENDSHIP LEAN. ]
Can't believe how literally you take "blowing off steam."
[ Yes that is fine, it's time to do a FRIENDSHIP LEAN. ]
Can't believe how literally you take "blowing off steam."
Probably.
[ It's a reasonable diagnosis. Finally having a friend was one of the only reasons she had survived Luci's death at all. She can hear in her voice how much Steph had meant to Cassandra- it was a bond perhaps even deeper than she and Inanna had made in those few months. ]
Probably . . .
[ It's a reasonable diagnosis. Finally having a friend was one of the only reasons she had survived Luci's death at all. She can hear in her voice how much Steph had meant to Cassandra- it was a bond perhaps even deeper than she and Inanna had made in those few months. ]
Probably . . .
... Thanks, Laura.
[It comes out softly, as she slowly opens her eyes again.]
Can you, um--keep doing... whatever this is? [She gestures, sort of.generally. in a swirling motion. She's trying to describe the gentle ripple from the twinge of performance Laura was giving.]
It's...helping, I think. But, um-- [And that takeout is still there and smelling fucking amazing and she knows it's good--she glances longingly to the chicken tikka. one hand goes to her comm, and she goes through her history on the network, before a post from about two years ago, while she was still gone, comes up. only found it by digging after Bruce told her what happened, half-remembrances of a world that would apparently be undone. she reaches out to the coffee table, propping up her comm against one of the unopened takeout cartons.
a video post and its replies start to play.]
Here.
[It comes out softly, as she slowly opens her eyes again.]
Can you, um--keep doing... whatever this is? [She gestures, sort of.generally. in a swirling motion. She's trying to describe the gentle ripple from the twinge of performance Laura was giving.]
It's...helping, I think. But, um-- [And that takeout is still there and smelling fucking amazing and she knows it's good--she glances longingly to the chicken tikka. one hand goes to her comm, and she goes through her history on the network, before a post from about two years ago, while she was still gone, comes up. only found it by digging after Bruce told her what happened, half-remembrances of a world that would apparently be undone. she reaches out to the coffee table, propping up her comm against one of the unopened takeout cartons.
a video post and its replies start to play.]
Here.
[ Jaime laughs, a little hoarsely. ] I don't usually start steaming unless someone gives me a work-out.
[ In this moment, a part of Jaime thinks that Persephone may know him the best out of anyone here. There are people that he loves and adores, but Persephone's the one who gets what it's like to go through some majorly life-changing stuff, the one who accompanied him through that nightmare, and the only one he'd thought to call to blow off steam, a task he doesn't tend to want anyone to see. He doesn't like it when people look at him like he's a monster, but there hadn't been any danger of this here. Which means... ]
Hey, you know what's stupid? You still don't even know what my real name is.
[ What's he afraid of, exactly? This is dumb. ]
[ In this moment, a part of Jaime thinks that Persephone may know him the best out of anyone here. There are people that he loves and adores, but Persephone's the one who gets what it's like to go through some majorly life-changing stuff, the one who accompanied him through that nightmare, and the only one he'd thought to call to blow off steam, a task he doesn't tend to want anyone to see. He doesn't like it when people look at him like he's a monster, but there hadn't been any danger of this here. Which means... ]
Hey, you know what's stupid? You still don't even know what my real name is.
[ What's he afraid of, exactly? This is dumb. ]
[ She glances back at him when he says it. She's never really gotten the whole Secret Identity thing. Laura Wilson was a secret that wasn't kept for any real need. She'd just wanted to be Persephone more.
Intellectually, of course she knew there was someone inside the suit. But to her, the blue chitin was as real a face as any, and Blue Beetle was plenty of name. There was no desire at all to push, even if Bruce hadn't taken the time to impress upon her the importance of secrecy for costumed heroes.
But it's not like she wasn't curious. ]
Dunno, isn't that safer? I'm pretty nefarious.
Intellectually, of course she knew there was someone inside the suit. But to her, the blue chitin was as real a face as any, and Blue Beetle was plenty of name. There was no desire at all to push, even if Bruce hadn't taken the time to impress upon her the importance of secrecy for costumed heroes.
But it's not like she wasn't curious. ]
Dunno, isn't that safer? I'm pretty nefarious.
You got a point there. You might tattle on me to all the scary supervillains out there.
[ She won't. She'll keep his secret. Which is why, feeling oddly comfortable with the whole thing, he allows the armour on his face to melt back into his skin (which makes him start to faintly steam again, but the whole process is honestly pretty janky), shakes his hair out, then offers her a hapless grin. ]
So... hi, I'm Jaime? [ His voice is a little different when it's not filtered through his suit, though it's certainly nothing Persephone probably didn't already expect. It's a little hoarser and quieter, impossible to mistake for anything other than gentle without the force of technology behind it. ] This is pretty anticlimactic when people got no clue who you are. At least I don't think we've ever spoken when I wasn't suited up. Kinda lost track.
[ He's no Bruce Wayne. There's no big reputation following him around, no notoriety in any of their communities - or at least he doesn't think so. He's just some kid. A little dull, a little sweet, but mostly just there. He's okay with it, but that usually makes unmasking a bit of a tricky affair. That's okay. He doesn't need Persephone to know who Jaime is. It'd just be nice to be able to hang out without him having to go around punching people first. ]
[ She won't. She'll keep his secret. Which is why, feeling oddly comfortable with the whole thing, he allows the armour on his face to melt back into his skin (which makes him start to faintly steam again, but the whole process is honestly pretty janky), shakes his hair out, then offers her a hapless grin. ]
So... hi, I'm Jaime? [ His voice is a little different when it's not filtered through his suit, though it's certainly nothing Persephone probably didn't already expect. It's a little hoarser and quieter, impossible to mistake for anything other than gentle without the force of technology behind it. ] This is pretty anticlimactic when people got no clue who you are. At least I don't think we've ever spoken when I wasn't suited up. Kinda lost track.
[ He's no Bruce Wayne. There's no big reputation following him around, no notoriety in any of their communities - or at least he doesn't think so. He's just some kid. A little dull, a little sweet, but mostly just there. He's okay with it, but that usually makes unmasking a bit of a tricky affair. That's okay. He doesn't need Persephone to know who Jaime is. It'd just be nice to be able to hang out without him having to go around punching people first. ]
Hi Jaime. I think I talked shit about your art once?
[ Wow, she'd kind of expected him to be hotter under there? Though this does seem about right. He's got a kind looking face, and a voice much more suited to his earnest demeanor.
There's a bit of a pause, and she tips her head back towards him. ]
I'm Laura.
[ Wow, she'd kind of expected him to be hotter under there? Though this does seem about right. He's got a kind looking face, and a voice much more suited to his earnest demeanor.
There's a bit of a pause, and she tips her head back towards him. ]
I'm Laura.
Mm.
[ She watches Cassandra search, then begins watching. All the while, she keeps performing, as much as she can from this position. She holds her own heartbreak out of her mind, and lets Cassandra's flow through her. She lets herself pretend to believe that there's real comfort in the stroking of her fingers, and that Cassandra and everything she loves is safer for Persephone's presence. "No one gets a happy ending, but you can still help," she repeats like a mantra in her head. ]
You didn't mention how cute she is.
[ She watches Cassandra search, then begins watching. All the while, she keeps performing, as much as she can from this position. She holds her own heartbreak out of her mind, and lets Cassandra's flow through her. She lets herself pretend to believe that there's real comfort in the stroking of her fingers, and that Cassandra and everything she loves is safer for Persephone's presence. "No one gets a happy ending, but you can still help," she repeats like a mantra in her head. ]
You didn't mention how cute she is.
Maybe they just get tired of you because you're all 69 billion years old.
[Cassandra can see, feel that Laura is putting herself on hold a bit to help ease her back out of the spiral she had started to fall into, and she can't tell if that was genuinely beneficial to her or not. this is what she does--the gods are here to inspire, after all--but even if it was Persephone's power, she wasn't engaging with her as a god and a follower might. so much about this was coming from a place of more human connection, so she can't help a spark of guilt, like she's taking advantage in a way.
but maybe more importantly, when Laura says that, Cassandra's eyes widen slightly. she had, of course, realized that Laura liked girls just from how Laura tended to look at her half the time, but--no, no, that wasn't the issue.
something about the implication behind the statement, the way it's directed, gives her pause. as if it was addressing Cass's perceptions of Steph. she feels it it hitting at something she had thought in the back of her mind before, but never tried to process or find words for. sorry, Psephs, don't mind THE BATMAN just having a slight baby gay crisis in her own head for a second, looking... alternately alarmed and contemplative?]
I, um--yeah. I guess she... is. [Cass allows that, brows knitting somewhat, even as her mind is racing again. not in a pained or upset direction, necessarily, at least not more than she was before Laura said that.]
but maybe more importantly, when Laura says that, Cassandra's eyes widen slightly. she had, of course, realized that Laura liked girls just from how Laura tended to look at her half the time, but--no, no, that wasn't the issue.
something about the implication behind the statement, the way it's directed, gives her pause. as if it was addressing Cass's perceptions of Steph. she feels it it hitting at something she had thought in the back of her mind before, but never tried to process or find words for. sorry, Psephs, don't mind THE BATMAN just having a slight baby gay crisis in her own head for a second, looking... alternately alarmed and contemplative?]
I, um--yeah. I guess she... is. [Cass allows that, brows knitting somewhat, even as her mind is racing again. not in a pained or upset direction, necessarily, at least not more than she was before Laura said that.]
Edited 2018-03-15 11:29 (UTC)
That sounds like you. Hi, Laura.
[ The moment only lasts so long before he drops his chin to his chest, shaking his head and snickering. ]
Man, you know things are weird when sharing our actual names feels stranger than - all of that, [ he says, gesturing towards where there are small circles of heat-fused glass, the wreckage of a fight with no victor and no loser. ]
[ The moment only lasts so long before he drops his chin to his chest, shaking his head and snickering. ]
Man, you know things are weird when sharing our actual names feels stranger than - all of that, [ he says, gesturing towards where there are small circles of heat-fused glass, the wreckage of a fight with no victor and no loser. ]
Speak for yourself. I mean, it's not like the Pantheon's human names are a huge secret, mostly. I was just, you know . . .
[ She trails off vaguely, as if there's any possibility Jaime would have any fucking idea what she's trying to say. ]
[ She trails off vaguely, as if there's any possibility Jaime would have any fucking idea what she's trying to say. ]
[ Oh, she's seen enough Baby Gays in her time here to take a good guess at what's up, which mostly only serves to make the whole situation that much more heartbreaking. ]
I think it's the hair.
[ She stroookes her hair. ]
Fucked up that you missed each other.
I think it's the hair.
[ She stroookes her hair. ]
Fucked up that you missed each other.
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