InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "Afterall, I am the leading man"

Chloe Rose Montgomery // Demeter (_demeter) wrote in greek_swim,
@ 2008-12-11 10:06:00

Entry tags:

demeter, hera

Demeter/Chloe & Hera/Elena: Muzak and a Sisterly Reunion
Who: Demeter/Chloe and Hera/Elena
What: Waiting for the elevator
Where: King George II Palace
When: Tuesday, Dec 9th around lunch
Rating: Gish
Status: Complete

She hated business meetings. Even before certain revelations had been made, Chloe found them boring. Now, as Demeter, she despised them. True, the stuffy goats who were making her money - or trying to - were needed to keep her in the comfortable surroundings but the talk of mergers and net loss increase thingamabobs made her head hurt. And nearly bored her to tears. So, instead of listening to them yammer on, the blonde woman took to nodding occasionally, offering up non-committal noises and responses all the while sending amusingly inappropriate text messages back and forth with her Phoebus.

The mind numbing insanity had ended for the morning and lunch was being served. However, needing the break more than the food, Demeter - in full Chloe mode - had excused herself with smiles and friendly gestures for the men then fled to the elevators, leaving them and her assistant behind. Nimble fingers continued dance over the keys of her blackberry, pausing only to hit the UP button on the lift before going back to typing as she waited.

Ads by Project Wonderful! Your ad here, right now: $0

(Post a new comment)

__hera
2008-12-11 12:06 pm UTC (link)

Somebody should strike up theme music for these kinds of entrances. The softspoken, instrumental croon that wept from the lobby's speakers really wasn't up to being Elena's backdrop. Even the city of Athens got outshined by her. She had a bigger than life, regal bitch persona that had taken her decades to perfect. And she wasn't giving it up without a fight.

Pencil skirted and perilously heeled, the arrogance was as thick and tangible as the cloud of Chanel number 5 that clung to her skin. Balancing a pair of shopping bags in the crook of an arm, and sucking down an Italian clove, Elena had to tip her chin down in order to gain a glance at the elevator panel from over the dark line of her Valentino shades.

" Ma'am, ma'am.. I'm sorry, you can't smoke in here. " A flustered man in a tie treaded with caution as he gestured to the smokestack on Elena's mouth.

It was with some distraction that Elena punched her thumb against the already-glowing, northern pointing arrow for the elevator. Stitching a mockingly apologetic smile onto her unlacquered mouth, she stamped the sleek, black clove down into the dirt of an ornamental potted plant beside the elevator doors. " Mi dispiace, signore.. " Fragrant Italian purred with haute dismissal before the elevator offered up a proud DING in announcement and the shiny, metallic cage opened for her.

She'd barely paid the woman beside her any attention, her interest had been unfaithfully captured for the moment by the worker bee in the lobby. But she focused on her now, as they were apparently to share an elevator. Her new smile was much more friendly than the one she'd given the man earlier. Amused, but not quite as condescending. Nimble fingers pushed the sunglasses off of her face and up into her hair. The elevator doors hadn't even shut completely before Elena was pulling out a new smoke and sticking it on her mouth. An engaging roll of her eyes toward the vanishing lobby while she searched out a lighter. " Some people, eh? "

(Reply to this) (Thread)

_demeter
2008-12-11 02:13 pm UTC (link)

Looking up from her blackberry - really, such an ingenious little invention, how could she ever have hated it before? - Demeter's golden brow furrowed slightly at the question, unsure if it was directed at her or if the other woman was simply thinking out loud. She did frown over the brunette's decision to ignore the worker's instructions and was about to say something when their eyes met for the first time.

The result was like being punched in the stomach. Or more specific, like being run through the stomach with a sword as her sister laughed maniacally as she extracted her revenge. Demeter pressed herself against the wall of the elevator, bidding the memories to fade. They were strikingly different; always had been. In personality. In coloring. She'd known it would only be time until she came face to face with one of her siblings but Demeter never expected the result to be this power... nor for said sibling to be staying in the same hotel.

Swallowing back the discomfort, the petite blonde clutched her blackberry tighter, tempted to shoot off a quick message to Kore and Phoebus alerting them to this newest development but her fingers simply refused to respond. "I... uh.. I'm sorry. I'm don't do well in small spaces. What did you ask me?" she finally managed to stammer then mentally kicked herself for falling so off kilter after a single look at the other woman.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

__hera
2008-12-11 03:41 pm UTC (link)

The lighter had to be somewhere on her, Elena was sure of it. Manicured fingers scoped out the interiors of jacket pockets and turned up nothing. Frustrated, her mouth was turned down in an elegant frown. The clove cigarette drooped, useless and unfullfilled. " .. merda. " Irritation clawed up her throat with that frostbitten curse. Resigned to being smoke free until back in her hotel room, Elena drew the unlit cigarette between slim boned fingers and glanced back to her blonde companion.

When their eyes connected, Elena saw mystified horror splash across the stranger's face. But even more than that, Elena was overcome with a vague sense of deja vu. Perplexed, she watched as the strange blonde seemed to recover from her momentary episode. It didn't go unnoticed how the woman had recoiled against the side of the elevator, clutching that cell phone. Marveled, Elena cleared her throat cautiously.

" You are.. alright? " Her voice struggled with reason and barely slaughtered English.

Wide brown eyes were classically drawn out with sweeps of dark liner and mascara'd lashes, they watched the other woman in a suspicious squint. Convinced that they must have crossed paths in the hotel before now.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

_demeter
2008-12-11 06:46 pm UTC (link)

"Claustrophobia," the smaller woman replied with a weak smile. It was true enough. She never thrived in the dark. Never could. It wasn't in her nature to bloom in places that were damp and cold, away from the glorious rays of light that bathed her fields in tender warmth. Not in places like this; this hole. This pit. She didn't belong there. None of them did.

Demeter blinked harder though managed to keep from tossing her head about to clear the images and steady her breathing. She was fine. It was just an elevator. Just a short ride. With a woman who tried to shishkabob her in a previous life.

Soft, hazel eyes peered up at the brunette from under golden lashes and for an instant, the bountiful goddess of the grain could see her sister, her Queen, beneath the makeup, beneath the Italian exterior and finery. The fiery temper was so recognizable the smaller woman could almost touch it.

"I'm fine. Thank you, though," the Texan said when she'd pulled herself together with another cleansing breath then dropped her eyes back to the blackberry, willing it to buzz and give her some kind of distraction.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

__hera
2008-12-11 07:02 pm UTC (link)

The smile came easier then, but only because it was completely fraudulent. Pretending to be happy had always been closer at hand than actually being so. Dropping the unlit cigarette into the recesses of one shopping bag, Elena tossed the bubonic black hair from her face. Claustrophobic, really? She wondered what kind of masochist would take an elevator if so inflicted.

" I see.. " There was delicate cant of the head before Elena moved forward without warning. Hypodermic heels silent against the soft carpeting of the elevator. So much closer to the stranger now, but only so that she could press the number six on the panel. This conversation was stimulating and everything, but it was really time to get moving.

" I have seen you around here before, yes? " Speaking just as she turned those warm, whiskey eyes onto the skittish woman. Normally, Elena wouldn't care to ask. But, for some reason, she felt compelled to engage at this moment.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

_demeter
2008-12-11 07:18 pm UTC (link)

Demeter's eyes went wide as the sultry brunette selected the floor she too had been assigned a suite on. Wonderful. Now she'd be up all night fearing the vengeful woman would come into her previous mind and hunt the little blonde down. Jesus, (Demeter no long had any fear of taking his name in vain) what a mess. Maybe Phoebus would come and... no. NO. That would not be good on any level. And she couldn't put Kore in that position either, nor would she impose on either of them. She could handle this alone. She had before... kind of.

"Around here?" the diminutive woman repeated, taking a step back as the woman drew closer. "I don't think so. I've only just checked in to this hotel this morning," Demeter explained, fiddling with her phone absently again, if only to have something to do with her hands. "But if you've spent any time in Los Angeles, we might have had a run in somewhere." The woman was certainly the type who appeared to dine at only the best restaurants and relax at the most high end spas; both of which Chloe-now-Demeter had prided herself on herself on owning though the blonde was fully aware that the 'somewhere' they'd known each other from was no where in this time or space.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

__hera
2008-12-11 08:09 pm UTC (link)

" Los Angeles? Mm, perhaps. " The way she rolled that word across the blade of her tongue said that such a concept wasn't likely. Elena had been to Los Angeles only once, and that had been in the late nineties. Although the deja vu irked her, it was easy for Elena to chalk it up as nothing. When the conversation lapsed into silence, our Italian queen examined her nails briefly.

There was a patient moment where she waited for the other woman to select her floor's button as well. That never happened.

" Same floor for you? " Arms crossed with the question. Although her tone was light, the gesture looked severe.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

_demeter
2008-12-11 08:39 pm UTC (link)

"Well, I don't think you were running around the farms in Anderson," she muttered softly, looking at the woman's death-defying heels. Demeter was good at navigating shoes like that but the brunette seemed to be a master. "I mean, you're Italian, yes? I haven't been out of the States much so I don't know where else it could have been."

The question, as simple as it was, caught her off guard for a moment. "Oh. Yes, sorry. Sixth floor." She had the sudden fear that she'd left her key with Charlie but a quick pat to her pocket settled the knot in her stomach some. "I'm still getting confused with the last hotel I was at."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

__hera
2008-12-12 12:55 pm UTC (link)

It was the mention of her being Italian that had a smokey and cruel sensation curling up in the pit of Elena's stomach. And what the hell is that supposed to mean? Her muddy eyes flashed like daggers, but it was brief. She could tell by the woman's incessant rambling that she hadn't meant anything by the comment. And while Elena hadn't taken offense, there was some seeded part of her that knew she could pretend she had. She could play the victim like no other. Her expressive, but sad eyes were made for pouring in some guilt. It would serve her right.

Unsure of where that thought had stemmed from, Elena forced another smile. She'd missed almost everything that blondie had said, but nodded dumbly.

" Ah, si. " In some far fetched attempt to recover herself, she slinked forward again. Extending a cool hand with french tipped nails.

" I'm Elena. "

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

_demeter
2008-12-12 01:38 pm UTC (link)

Forcing herself not to flinch as Elena drew closer and offered a hand, the smaller woman carefully took it in her own for a quick but firm handshake. Even with so fleeting of contact did her fingers tingle, recognizing Flesh beyond the mortal skin. "Chloe," Demeter said with her own cheerful but fake smile, careful not to let her true name slip. "Pleasure to meet you." It wasn't really. No, it was downright terrifying, actually. Being trapped in a metal box with a woman who she had no desire to see again; not after their last meeting.

"Sister, it was you who let his side this time, not the other way about. You no longer have claim on him and who he takes to his bed is none of your concern when you fight on the side of those who would destroy him." The wind continued to whip about, furious as the gods it swirled around, carrying sounds of battle and pain. "Stop this madness, put aside your wrath and take your place by the side of Zeus where you should have been since this horror began!"

"Are you in Athens for business or fun?" she asked as the memory passed, leaving her voice a bit higher and legs less steady. As soon as she closed the door on her suite, Chloe was going to find a smoke of her own. It had been days since she last indulged in the mellowing herb but sweet Jesus did she need a hit now.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

__hera
2008-12-12 03:53 pm UTC (link)

"It's a pleasure, Chloe. "

Pulling away from the introductory shake, Elena rubbed the heel of her hand against her skirt. When she'd brushed fingers with Chloe, it had sent a shock that felt deep as bone. Chalking it up to static, she ground her palm into the cotton poly blend of her tailored ensemble. Eager to alleviate the lingering sensation, but not wanting to look overly rude.

" I'm here for vacation, actually. " Dark eyes cut to one side as the elevator doors peeled open with their short arrival to the sixth floor. Jostling the shopping bag steadily into the crook of her arm, she moved for the exit. The lavish elevator was suddenly feeling cramped, the air thick.

" And you? "

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

_demeter
2008-12-12 04:00 pm UTC (link)

Freedom! The little blonde followed after her hurriedly to escape the confines of the elevator whose walls had begun to feel as if they were closing in on her. Once in the hallway, Demeter drew in a deep breath to calm and center herself once more.

"Not so lucky, I'm afraid. Business." Well, business mostly. Since finding Kore and Phoebus, she hadn't been spending much time or consideration on her business. "I'm looking to invest in a few hotels, spas and restaurants here," Demeter explained, brushing back a golden curl, again looking to do something with her still trembling hands. This was torture. Nearly as bad as the sword through her gut the way her stomach was clenched now.

Her room was only a short way off and she could see it, like a finish line at the end of a long, hard race. "It was nice meeting you, Elena," she lied, "but I'm afraid I'm going to have to run. I have a few messages to return before I have to go back my meetings."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

__hera
2008-12-13 08:06 pm UTC (link)

" It was nice meeting you, as well. " The words were a garbled attempt at composure, strained through a thickening accent. Elena started off in the opposite direction, but had the vaguest sensation that she wasn't completely comfortable turning her back on Chloe.

Formal goodbyes were beyond her, Elena was already going for her door without another word. Seeking that sanctuary where she could suck down some nicotine, chase it with half a bottle of wine, and be at peace.

(Reply to this) (Parent)