“Of course you do,” she nodded, the words barely a breath of sound. Because she felt like she couldn't get enough air in her lungs right now to speak properly. “Of course you love him.” That absolutely made sense. Mercury was an amazing god, with so many skills and a quick mind that made conversing with him a pleasure. If it was just about what happened in bed, she wouldn't be in this predicament. Neither would Peitho.
Did they even matter to him? If he could them them fall in love with him, did he even love them back? Was it just a game to see how well he could conquer a challenge? That was what truly hurt; not that he slept with Peitho, not that he slept with anyone else, really. She had other bed mates too. But the fact that Peitho love him made Rosmerta wonder if he loved her back. And if he loved the Roman goddess did that mean he loved her less? Or at all? Was she just a fun distraction when he was away from Peitho?
Rosmerta looked at the lovely goddess walking beside her and wondered if the same doubts were running through her head. On the surface, the two of them seemed very different. But they must have something in common for Mercury to want them both. Right? Or did he have a collection of women that just amused him in some fashion? Where did she fall on that scale?
“I don't know about you,” she muttered, “but I'm really not that hungry anymore. Wine, I could use, though. A lot of wine.”
She turned toward the appropriate stall before Peitho responded, assuming the other goddess would want something to numb the pain too. “I've got to be honest. I'm not sure what to do about this. I don't really have a claim on him, that's not our arrangement. But this... this is... it's awful. You can't be any happier than I am about it. I'm mad, and I want to take it out on you, but that wouldn't be fair. The anger isn't for you, it's for Mercury. The jealousy, well that's all yours, but not the anger.”
She stopped talking to Peitho then, in order to speak to the wine seller. And thou she'd only meant to ask for two cups of wine, somehow what came out of her mouth was a request for two bottles. Each. Finishing the transaction, she turned and pressed two of the bottles into the Roman's hands. “Here.” Then she grabbed the slender necks of the two that remained and asked, “Would you like to get out of here? I'm not feeling very social anymore.”