Realistic or Modern The Conman and the Sneak Thief

[Araellion]

Above all else, Hera was grateful that Persia was alive. That's the most important thing right now, another thing for Hera to cling to to keep her calm. Not that she was doing a good job of that. The internal panic was written out all over her face, she was sure of it. She desperately reached for some of her usual calm optimism, but found only a stoic mask. It was her last defence.

She didn't mind the blood staining her outfit. Barely even noticed it. The blood was so low on her list of priorities right now that it was practically nonexistent. One problem at a time. If Persia was bleeding then that at least meant she was still alive.

In response to Persia's joke, Hera only gave a tight smile. She couldn't think of anything to say, which was very much out of character for her. Her mind was too busy chasing itself in circles, coming up with plans and lists that quickly fell apart. This wasn't the time to joke around, and Hera wanted to laugh at the absurd irony of that. She who could turn anything and everything into a lighthearted joke.

Slowly they got into the taxi, and Hera gave the man her address. To her surprise, and gratitude, the driver didn't question them. In his position Hera would be dying of curiosity. But she didn't think of that much. She kept an eye on Persia the entire way home, monitoring her injuries with grim determination. Her usual smile was nowhere to be seen.

When they got there after what felt like an eternity, Hera led them to her apartment, telling the girl to stay in the entrance. It was one of the few places of her apartment that didn't have wooden floors. She quickly dragged an opaque soft-plastic sheet from a closet with cleaning supplies and threw it over the couch. Of course she was still worried, but blood was a nightmare to wash out.

Motioning for Persia to sit, Hera pulled out her now properly stocked first-aid kit. She still hadn't bought any pain relief pills though. It would have to do. Preparing and sterilising a needle, Hera shot Persia a look. "This is going to hurt. I hope you're not afraid of needles." The words could have been jokes meant to soothe, if it wasn't for the serious look on her face.

"After that you're going to tell me what happened." Her voice brooked no argument.

 

[PauciloquentPumpkin]

Persia showed no resistance as Hera guided her towards her house and to her couch. After a few short moments, she has come to miss the cold sting of the air outside, pecking at her skin. Persia, true to her usual cold demeanor, doesn't even flinch as Hera pierces her skin with the needle. Thread weaved its way back and forth, creating a simple pattern that closed the hole peaking through her shoulder.

Persia wondered if she would comply with Hera's request or not. At the moment she felt like she would. Though her eyes began feeling heavy. Her eyelids flickered as she started to struggle to stay awake. She'll be damned if she passes out twice in Hera's home, being tended to like a child.

Persia moved to say as such to Hera. Even as her eyelids started to close, she said, "I won't pass..." before losing consciousness. Unlike last time when she fell asleep sitting up, she was already leaning this time. Her body began to fall, plummeting, on a collision course with the soft cushions of the couch.

Her skin had grown cold to the touch. Her life wasn't in danger, though the blood from Brutus, splattered across her face and clothes, and smothering her hands, as well as the river of blood that cascaded down her arm and body made it appear worse than it was.

 

[Araellion]

Hera lost herself to the simplicity of sewing, letting the calming motions soothe her. The repetitiveness of the task was a welcome change from the uncertainty and stress of this day. Thankfully it wasn't the first time Hera had to sew someone up, and the task wasn't that different from fixing up clothes either. Finally it felt like she could relax, and a smile once again crept upon her face without her noticing.

The work was quickly done and Hera bandaged the wound with little fanfare. She allowed herself a huff of laughter as Persia passed out, checking the girl's pulse at her wrist just in case. But no, she would live. The wound had been thoroughly disinfected so there was next to no chance of an infection.

Looking at Persia now, she almost looked peaceful. Covered in blood though, which wasn't good. Hera frowned at the mess, now glad that she had had enough presence of mind to put down a sheet. That could be cleaned, the sofa and floor not so much.

She went to the same closet and pulled out a bucket and a rag. Filling the bucket up with lukewarm water, Hera sat down on the floor next to Persia. She carefully wrung out water from the rag and cleaned the most accessible places that were covered with blood. It wasn't much, but it made her feel better and made Persia look better.

Since there was absolutely no way she was going to fall asleep right now, Hera curled up in her armchair and vigilantly watched Persia sleep.

 

[PauciloquentPumpkin]

Persia woke with a start, calling out Garrett's name. She didn't even notice Hera, sitting there, watching her, as she scrambled for her phone. Her hurt, a reminder of what happened. The frantically pulled up her brother's contact and called him. Her hand shook as she waited for an answer.

When Garrett picked up, Persia's voice took on an uncharacteristically warm and gentle tone.

"Hey Gar.

...

Yeah, yeah, that's my friend, Hera. I couldn't pick you up yesterday. Sorry I didn't have time to talk with you about it.

...

Yeah, of course everything's alright. I just wanted to check in on you. I was busy with work last night, but I really wanted to see you.

...

Yeah, of course we can play some games later. I should be free in a few days.

...

Yes, I promise.

...

OK, have fun. I'll talk to you again soon. Bye bye."

Persia's eyes moved up, finally realizing Hera was there. She felt embarrassed now that Hera overheard her call. Though she wasn't sure why. Perhaps because Persia let her stoic outer shell drop for a moment. She wondered if she should open with a joke. A lighthearted response to brush off any worries. Or maybe she should just get herself ready and leave. She didn't owe Hera anything. Hera stole the ring from her. But eventually Persia's features softened as she settled on a simple, "Thank you."

 

[Araellion]

Hera passed the time by retreating into her own head, letting her mind sort itself out. There was a lot to process and the time slipped by her without her even noticing. She alternated between watching Persia and having her eyes closed, taking what little rest she could get. Not that she ever fell asleep. No, she was far too on edge for that. Damn this girl for causing her so much stress.

She watched Persia talk to her brother—Hera assumed it was him anyways. It was good to see her awake and relatively alright. She sat there watching the scene with a soft smile, glad that the other woman had someone to talk to.

"Of course." Hera still had that smile on her face as she tilted her head in thought. What now? Surely they couldn't keep going like this. Not without Hera getting some answers at last. "Now. What is going on? What—are you alright? No, stupid question. Just tell me what happened." Her smile gradually faded to be replaced by grim determination. She wasn't sure she wanted to know the details, but Hera knew her curiosity wouldn't be sated otherwise.

 

[PauciloquentPumpkin]

Persia's first instinct to being questioned was to deflect and leave, and she very nearly did. Her muscles tensed, her mind already figuring out what to say with practiced ease. But when she tensed, the muscles in her shoulder tightened, causing pain that made Persia look down, reaching for the repair.

Hera has done a lot for her. But why? Persia could forgive past mistakes and rocky starts though, thinking of the ring. The leader of her previous group was an assassin that nearly killed her, so a stolen ring wasn't much of a comparison.

Persia looked Hera up and down. She could always just kill Hera if she broke her trust. She certainly couldn't beat her in a fight. Persia accidentally let out a huff of laughter, thr joke remaining hidden. Persia took a deep breathe, her usual cold, calm demeanor returned.

"I used to work with a group." Persia began, "My talents had become known. To a man."

Persia gave the slightest of pause, letting the poisonous hate seethe through her teeth, "Brutus."

"He found out I have a sickly brother, and began using that as leverage. He forced me to leave my crew, and I began acquiring the items he wished of me."

Persia paused again. She wasn't one for embelishing details, so she thought carefully of the shortest ways to answer, her eyes wandering in thought. "Then along came Pickpocket, who took a ring." Though this may have sounded harsh, Persia meant it affrctionately. She used the nickname Pickpocket as a term of endearment. People she disliked received less than savory nicknames.

"Then I was... punished. Then I got distracted and failed my next job. And I was," Persia didn't think the event would have such a strong hold on her. But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't bring herself to say the word. A few tears started to flow as the memory came rushing back, surprising Persia.

She stood up forcefully, fury now entwined in her voice and facial features. "I wouldn't let him kill Garrett. So I killed him. His lifeless body is probably still lying in his bed."

Persia's body was shaking at this point. She couldn't stop the tears. She raised her uninjured arm to cover her face as she began sobbing softly, fueled by memories of her past traumatic event and relief that Garrett was finally free from danger.

 

[Araellion]

Hera calmly watched Persia, her expectations for a response diminishing every second. They could both be plenty stubborn, so it was really a question of who would give in first. And honestly? Most of the time it would probably be Hera. She was conflict averse and arguing just wasn't worth it most of the time. But now she was determined to get some information.

That didn't stop her surprise when Persia actually started talking though. The only thing Hera could do was to sit and listen, trying to remember every little detail she was told. Not that that was difficult. This conversation would probably be burned into her brain. Hell, the entire day would be for that matter.

Hera was good at masking her emotions when she had to, but she really didn't want to bother right now. The pure shock of it all was plainly written on her face for anyone to see, but the expression morphed to disdain and then sadness when Persia started crying.

The murder was not OK. At all. Hera would always say that there were different paths and options if you only searched long enough. But she wasn't thinking about that right now. She silently mourned the loss of life, but didn't say anything about it.

Instead Hera stood up and silently went to get some tissues from the bedroom. Going back to where Persia was standing, Hera carefully touched Persia's raised arm, uncertain whether or not her touch would be welcome. She held out the tissue for Persia to take.

"It's alright." Hera soothed. "Your brother is safe and your enemy is dead. It's alright." She successfully kept the disdain out of her voice. That was a conversation for another time. A time when Persia was less vulnerable and more likely to flipp her off than to kill her.

 

[PauciloquentPumpkin]

Frozen, to the spot, in time, Persia did not know how to react. Her sobs overtook her. Her legs refused to buckle, keeping her standing awkwardly. Her body trembled. She felt like she was suffocating.

All of that changed in an instant when she felt a gentle touch against her arm. Persia opened her eyes. There Hera was, holding out a tissue. Her caring eyes almost caused her legs to give. Persia wanted to fall into her gaze. To feel the comfort and warmth. And for a moment, the longing was plastered across her face.

Persia's stubborn stoicism return though. She willed the tears to stop as she turned her head away. She should just grab the tissue, but was frozen in place. This was an unfamiliar situation and she didn't know how to act. No, that was a lie. She's reminded of the kindness of her mother when she was younger.

Persia would never admit it, but she felt awkward, stupid and embarrassed. She wanted to walk away, yanking her arm from Hera so she could continue her tough-girl persona. But she found her body wouldn't move. So she simply stood there as she yearned for one thing, wanted to do another, and unable to decide what to do as her eyes avoided Hera's.

 

[Araellion]

Hera let out a silent sigh as she observed Persia, her face now stuck somewhere between pity and resignation. Not for the obvious reasons though. No, the pity was entirely because of how obvious the woman's yearning was, and how she apparently couldn't do anything about it. Hera absentmindedly wondered whether it was still pride or something else holding her back.

Letting out a less silent sigh this time, Hera stepped closer and carefully and slowly used the tissue to dab away at some of the tears herself. Her movements were cautious, as if she was getting close to a wounded wild animal. The last thing Hera wanted was to spook her away.

"It's alright," she said again, not even knowing what she was saying anymore. Hera just wanted to fill in the silence with something comforting. "It's alright."

Gods, she didn't know what to say or do. It wasn't often that she ended up in this situation. Having to comfort someone. She knew how to, kind of, but it still ended up more as trial and error.

"What do you want to do now?" It was probably a too big question, but Hera was running out of options. Maybe getting Persia to think would help her. Hopefully. She could only hope.

 

[PauciloquentPumpkin]

Persia offered no resistance to Hera as she tended to the tears rolling down Persia's face, cleaning up the last remnants of moisutre. It was calm, a warm moment Persia was glad to share, but as per usual, would never admit. Persia eas pulled from her stupor by Hera's question.

Persia turned, her eyes meeting Hera's. Her cold demeanor had fully returned, though her body still didn't pull away from Hera. What would Persia do now? Her old crew was scattered to the winds. She wasn't sure. Neither was she sure how to respond, so she reverted to muscle memory, goving a cold response, "None of your business."

She immediately winced at her own reply, wishing she could take it back. She made no attempt to do so though, mostly because she didn't know how, partly due to pride. She still made no move to pull away from Hera, nor did she offer up anything futher. She simply kept her eyes locked on Hera's, wondering how things would move from there. Persia had a passing thought, wondering if she was acting like this because she was vulnerable, but dismissed it as silly. She always thought herself strong.

 

[Araellion]

Hera smiled warmly at the reply, glad that Persia was somewhat back to her old self. For better or worse. "Fair enough. I don't suppose it concerns me," her voice was just as warm as her smile, and none of that was an act. Had it been any other situation Hera would probably be cross at the reply, but not now.

Her smile slid slightly off her face as she considered her own thoughts. "No, you don't have to tell me anything. I'm just worried about you." And she really was, still. Hera had hoped to put that behind her when Persia left, but she recognised that that had been unlikely even then. She already considered Persia a tentative friend, and would do a lot to keep that friendship going.

Folding the tissue, Hera tilted her head in thought. There really wasn't much she could do or offer. But maybe there was something she could try. Perking up, Hera's smile turned mischievous. "If you have nothing else to do, you can work with me?" She hadn't meant for it to come out as a question, but it did. And the more she thought about it the more the idea appealed to her.

 

[PauciloquentPumpkin]

"Tch." Came the sound from Persia's mouth. The idea of working together didn't displease her, but she couldn't stop herself from having her knee-jerk reaction. "I won't work with you." Came the cold reply.

Persia thought about making her exit here, but, as before, her body was frozen in place. Her interests and wants conflicted. Though her face showed her usual cold features. She let her eyes wander from Hera's as her words didn't match her feelings. A moment longer of awkward silence and she feels like she might storm out of the door. She desperately wishes she was better with people as she waits for Hera to say or do the right thing, whatever that was.

 

[Araellion]

"As you wish, my dear." Hera shrugged, still with that same smile on her face. She had expected the outright dismissal and knew from experience that Persia was a very proud person. That was the only reason the rejection didn't sting. If anything Hera was starting to find the entire situation amusing in an absurd way.

Hera shifted her weight from foot to foot, but didn't move other than that. She was casually observing the woman, letting the silence stretch on. Hera had never minded the silence, finding it either comforting or useful, in this case both. Once again her curiosity was surfacing. What would Persia do if Hera didn't say or do anything? Probably just leave, but she would cross that bridge when she got there.

 

[PauciloquentPumpkin]

Persia hated Hera. Her stupid smile. Her stupid acceptance. Her stupid kindness and caring. It wasn't true, but Hera's silence pissed Persia off. It wasn't what Hera was supposed to be doing. She was supposed to say something. Do something.

Persia's features quickly grew frustrated, then upset, then angry. She threw her hands in the air, giving a half-grunt half-yell of anger, combined with the pain of her shoulder, directed towards Hera. It was unwarranted, but Persia still justified it in her mind before turning and heading for the door, ready to leave the uncomfortable situation behind.

 

[Araellion]

Hera was immensely satisfied when Persia threw her little tantrum, a dark and mostly repressed part of her revelling in getting a reaction. She felt guilty almost immediately after. The relief of seeing Persia's personality return drove her to push her luck. God, an ugly part of her wanted to piss off the girl and it was really hard to resist that.

She didn't react when Persia headed for the door, her mind buzzing in it's silent war. Hera didn't like seeing people in pain. She didn't like causing others to be sad. These were the things she clung to so she didn't make everything worse.

"One moment." Good grief, what was she doing? "Aren't you forgetting something?" She didn't even turn to face Persia as she spoke the words, too ashamed of herself. God, she was better than this. Hera had thought she had grown out of manipulating people like this years ago. She desperately hoped Persia would just ignore her. It would be the best outcome.

 

[PauciloquentPumpkin]

Persia turned around at the question. Without feeling, she knew she had her phone in her pocket. She went through mental checklist in her head, unable to think of anything she could have forgotten, utterly missing the point of the question.

"No." Was the simple answer Persia gave. She didn't notice the sheepish attitude Hera had taken on. Her own cold demeanor overtaking her earlier angry scowl. She felt like she was waiting forever, again finding herself wanting Hera to say or do the right thing, and once again not sure what the right thing is. She would soon give up in frustration and continue her exit if nothing changed, her eyes not leaving Hera's, who didn't return her gaze.

 

[Araellion]

Relief spread within her at Persia's answer, chasing away the remainder of the darkness that had welled up. It felt like she was even breathing easier now, like a weight had been lifted. Another warm smile spread across Hera's face as she turned to face Persia.

"Good. I'm glad." The palpable relief in her tone was probably odd, but she couldn't bring herself to care. She really wanted to ask the woman to stay longer, but that would serve no purpose. Hera was sure they would bump into each other again soon, so it was fine.

"Do tell me if you change your mind about working with me." Hera had been half-serious about that.

 

[PauciloquentPumpkin]

Persia lowered her eyelids. Her expression conveyed her feelings of pointlessness over the exchange. The lack of amusement in Persia's features was astonishing. She turned and left without another word, though she silently berated herself. She would later wonder why she would berate herself in the first place.

A few weeks passed by. Persia found that Hera was a frequent topic among her thoughts. She often felt frustrated by this, the stupid pickpocket should have no place among her thoughts. Though that thought couldn't stop her fingers from moving to call her.

Persia had recovered well. Not a scar was left on her face, and only a minor scar remained of the bullet wound. Unfortunately that would never recover. She oftened had nightmares as well. As strong as she thought she was, it was difficult to process the recent events. The murder, as well as the rape. A word Persia still couldn't bring herself to say.

She often woke in the middle of the night, drenched in sweat. She called out in her sleep, though she wasn't aware. To whom she would call would often change. Usually her brother, but Hera's name popped up as well. She found her thoughts were distracted. She often fantasized being some sort of superhero to pass the time and calm her down, but she's found Hera popping up in those thoughts recently.

A voice on the other end of the phone almost caused Persia to choke up, unable to speak. Fortunately she managed to get out what she needed to say without hesitation.

"I need your help for a job, Pickpocket." This was a lie. The job was simple. Steal a piece of memorabilia from ancient Egypt. It was old, broken and decayed. A small statue of a sphinx. Worth next to nothing. Her brother was into stuff like that, and was going to buy it right before she called Hera. For some reason though, she came up with a plan to steal it instead, and entirely pointless act.

Without waiting for a response Persia gave the address and short description of the job, asking if she could come right now. The task was simple. Persia would say she needed the keycard off the manager. They could use that later, after hours, to casually walk in and take the statue. The lock was so simple Persia didn't even need tools. She could pry the card reader open and rewire it by hand if she wanted to, amd the store's cameras didn't store footage, they were only used for when they were open.

Persia found herself holding her breathe as she waited for Hera's reply. Her palms began to sweat as a light sheen began to form across her forehead. She felt stupid for calling, almost hanging up during what felt like an eternity before Hera's reply.

 

[Araellion]

The next few weeks were oddly peaceful. Hera had become so accustomed to all the drama that it had been hard to relax at first. She kept the phone close and with the volume on, which was unusual for her. Just in case, she kept the first aid kit stocked. These small things gave her some peace of mind the first few days. When nothing happened for a while Hera began to gradually relax.

Today she had returned to work. Well, her honest work. Jamie had dragged her to the police station to assist on a case, but so far she had just been stuck in a pointless meeting. Stupid red tape formalities. Hera had stopped paying attention a while ago and was now both praying for the torture to end and remembering why she chose a life of crime to begin with.

Her phone buzzed as one of the higher-ups began on another monologue, and the only thing she could feel was relief at the interruption. Hera quietly excused herself and went outside to the back of the precinct to take the call. Thankfully no one was outside right now. Probably all stuck in that damned meeting.

"Hello, who is it?" God, Hera should really start checking the numbers before answering.

She gave a start when hearing Persia's voice, her mind instantly scanning to make sure the other woman wasn't hurt. But it didn't sound like that at least, and Hera gradually relaxed as she listened.

"I'm pretty sure you can manage this on your own," Hera said reasonably. It didn't exactly sound like a complicated job. How very odd. Hera got the feeling that even if the woman had truly needed help, her pride would stop her. To ask for help for something like this was more than odd, but pleasing.

"But I could do with an excuse to get away from the police precinct, so I'm more than glad to help." Hera's voice was chirpy, nearly gleeful. This was truly perfect timing.

"Also, how did you get my number in the first place?" Hera added as an afterthought. It was true that phone books were still a thing, and Hera didn't go by a fake name, but she somehow doubted that Persia would go that far to get her number.

 

[PauciloquentPumpkin]

Persia moved quickly to defend herself. Of course she could do it herself, but she wasn't about to admit it. "The only way in is through the front door. I need the keycard. I'm not a skilled pickpocket, Pickpocket." There was a playful tone in her voice that she tried to hide.

Persia smiled at Hera's confusion. She began mindlessly poking at buttons inside her newly acquired car, still parked outside the pawn shop. "I hacked it using your geolocation. Using your longitude and latitude I hacked into a satellite to hack into your phone." It was all a lie, but she managed to stomp out the playful tone from earlier. She was having fun, and wasn't about to give up her secret.

Persia would normally have grown angry by this point, upset they didn't immediately agree. She had a little more patience when it came to Hera though. She wanted to add more. To keep the conversation going, but she couldn't think of what to say, so resorted to simply waiting for Hera to continue.

 

[Araellion]

Hera let out a hum as she listened to Persia's explanations, a pleased smile on her face. Her pickpocket skills did often come in handy, and she was particularly proud of how she had gotten the ring from the other thief. Besides, praise, even backhanded praise, was always nice.

It also made it easy to dismiss her doubts. Hera was sure Persia could do this on her own, but if the other thief wanted her help then who was she to argue?

"Pretty sure opening a phone book would have been easier," Hera pointed out with a choked off laugh. She wasn't sure if she believed Persia, but what did she know? Hera didn't even know where her laptop was since she always just used her phone. Maybe what Persia was saying was totally plausible. Still seemed overly complicated though.

Getting her giggles under control, Hera tried getting the conversation back on track. "I'll be there soon. Just gotta give my boss an excuse to skip the rest of the meetings." That was something she wasn't particularly looking forward to.

Despite not having more to say, Hera didn't want to be the first one to hang up. It reminded her of cheesy romcoms, and while a part of her hated that comparison, terrible romcoms were a guilty pleasure for her. Only in small doses though.

 

[PauciloquentPumpkin]

Persia gave an exasperated eye roll at Hera's incessant giggling that she felt Hera could feel, even through the phone. Like Hera, Persia did not know what else to say, but didn't want to hang up either. An uncomfortable amount of time went by for her, causing her to grow angry.

Persia let out an angry sigh, almost a growl. She basically yelled into the phone in a similar manner to their last parting, "Fine! Just be here. You're so frustrating!" Persia didn't give Hera a chance to answer as she quickly hung up the phone. She would spend a large portion of her time after simply fuming, not even sure what she was mad about.

 

[Araellion]

Hera looked at the phone for a few seconds after the line cut off, simply processing with a blank look on her face. Then she burst into laughter, leaning against the wall to keep her upright as the peals of laughter shook her frame. God, this girl was so amusing.

With a shake of the head and the occasional little giggle slipping out, Hera made her excuses and hired a taxi to take her to the given location. Jamie would probably be pissed off at her later for skipping out on actual work, but Hera would deal with that later.

The car ride was long and boring, more so because of Hera's impatience to see Persia than anything else. It occurred to her that she should be slightly ashamed of herself for running when Persia called, but her glee drowned that sentiment out. If being with Persia made her happy, then what reason did she have to deny herself? None at all.

Hera exited the car a few streets away, just in case. Never hurt to be cautious. She wandered around looking for the girl, looking completely at ease and like she belonged there.

 

[PauciloquentPumpkin]

Persia perked up when she saw Hera approach. She hopped out of the car, lacking her normal backpack and black attire that she uses for her work, as this was a spontaneous job, which was very unlike her. Instead, she sported some of her normal clothes. Blue jeans and a light brown sweater that accentuated her chocolate brown skin, which was nearly fully healed, except a few dull scars.

Persia made her way towards Hera as she ignored any greeting Hera had to give. Persia greeted Hera with her usual cold demeanor, "You're late." She wasn't. "I need a keycard for that door over there. I'm not a pickpocket, so that's where you come in. What's the plan?" Another lie. Persia's voice may not waiver, but her eyes shift, giving her away. Dealing with people was never Persia's strong suit.

 

[Araellion]

Hera lit up as she spotted Persia walking towards her, changing course towards the thief. It was nice to see the girl in more informal clothing. That begged the question though; why? Hera had only ever seen Persia in dark clothing, so why dress up like this for a job? This outing just got more and more curious.

I'm contrast, Hera wore her usual style. That is to say, a bright pink overcoat that reached her knees and covered the red jumper she was wearing underneath. It also partially covered the leopard print pants she was wearing. All in all, she stood out quite a bit. As per usual.

She went to greet Persia, and pursed her lips when her greeting was cut off. Rude. She tilted her head with a blank look, trying to formulate some sort of response to what Persia had told her.

"I'm not late." Right, great. That was a perfect response. Shaking her head at her own awkwardness, Hera literally waved that sentence away with one hand.

"I don't make plans." Her hand now went to the back of her neck, her smile turning sheepish. Did the other thief make plans? It probably made sense that she did. Why didn't Persia make a plan then? Hera didn't exactly know all that much about the situation.

"And, it's, uh, nice to see you?" It wasn't supposed to turn into a question, but Hera didn't know what she was doing. Usually she had no problem talking to people, but she was never good at reading Persia. No, reading her was getting easier. Understanding her motivations on the other hand...