Who: Deirdre of the Sorrows and Perseus What: 'Halp my evil ex is back' When: A little afterthis Where: Perseus' workplace
After the confrontation with Conchobar, Deirdre wasn't too sure what to do with herself. She was shaking, from fear or anger or just sorrow she couldn't say, and she couldn't get the feeling of 'trapped' out of her head. So she did one of the few things that made sense in her rather panic stricken head. She went to where Perseus worked and asked to see him. The poor people had to probably think odd things about her, some young woman who was half shaking and almost in tears, but right now all that didn't matter to her. She knew that she was bringing more problems to Perseus then he really deserved but she didn't know what else to do.
She knew it wasn't right, to run off to hide behind him while there were other options. But she wasn't connecting those yet. This is what she'd done before and myth had made her this way. She knew, logically, he couldn't make her marry him, or make her do anything. But panic never listened to reason.
As she waited she leaned agaisnt the wall and set her hands in front of her face, biting back the sob she felt leaving her. She hated this. Hated how she kept crying over all this when it was all in the past. But all the sorrow and sadness was just catching up, and despite it not being all too right to make Perseus deal with this too, she couldn't help but brush back the tears that were escaping her.
Perseus had been reclining on one of the beds used by the firefighters as they worked their long hours. "Peter!" one of his co-workers called. "Peter, there's a woman here for you. She looks upset."
Perseus jumped off of the bed and he took the stairs two at a time. He spotted Deirdre instantly and he moved over to her, his heart in his chest. "Deirdre?" he asked gently. "Deirdre, what's wrong?" He held his arms out to her but was careful to let her decide whether or not she wanted to be in them.
When she heard Perseus voice she looked up and without hesitating stepped into his open arms. The tears still came as she curled her hands into his chest, and vaguely she knew she had to explain. She took a few hiccuping breaths and closed her eyes. There was safety here, "I'm sorry. I'm so terribly sorry."
It was only after a moment or two she realized she was still talking in her native language and that few would get what she was on about. And she was conscious of the few odd looks. The sorrow would eat her alive, too, if she let it so she made herself push it back before she spend days crying without explanation. She'd talk to Briseis too, to not let her feel too bad for herself.
"I'm sorry," she said now in English, and pushed back enough to smile at him through her tears and brushed them away. "I do this a lot." She still felt so incredibly sad. She never did liek feeling that way. "Conchobar, it's him." She flattened her hands on his chest so she wasn't clinging anymore and sighed. "The man who keeps following me. It's him. I have proof now." She shook her head, "Ass still says we're married. Like any of that still holds."
Perseus let out a breath as she mentioned that terrible man's name. He shook his head, trying to show he didn't mind if she cried on him. Of course he didn't mind. She was his damsel in distress and his job was to rescue her. She could cry on him forever if she wanted.
"You aren't married," Perseus said in a low voice, trying to keep his coworkers from hearing. "None of that holds. You get to decide what it is you do now. I'm so sorry he's here," Perseus said, kissing Deirdre's hair. "What can I do?"
She realized the presence of the mortals and brushed the tears aside, but kept close. He'd keep her safe, and this time it wouldn't be like last time. He'd taken on something so much worse then a simple man. She gave him a shaky smile and nodded, "I know that. You know that. He still thinks it."
Humor and anger were better then the constant sorrow that hung over her like a cloud, so she chose that. "I'm terribly tempted to run off with you, but that's my myth talking. Running away is what I do, but then he wins again." She sighed, "I'm also terribly tempted to find out if you still have Medusa's head and can just turn him to stone and hit him with several clubs until I feel better." She shook her head and set her fingers on his cheek, "you're here for me. You're listening to me. You're doing far more then anyone's ever done for me and I appreciate it. I'm just angry and sad and unsure which is winning."
Perseus chuckled and he placed his hand over hers. "I don't still have poor Medusa's head." That topic made him slightly uncomfortable considering what he had done under the influence of Eris' apple, so he changed the subject.
"Just give me a few moments and I can get out of here. They won't mind. It's been a quiet night and they won't miss me. Then we can go where ever it is you want to go as long as it's not running?"
Smiling she nodded, rising up long enough to steal a soft kiss. He was doing more then he may know, even if he was indulging her in her myth and her emotions. She knew she carried a lot with her. "I'd like that." She was being terribly selfish, because she knew others might need him too, but for the moment she let herself be.
Smiling she released him, "I'll wait. You do look nice by the way." Because shifting her mind to how he looked in this outfit was easy and distracted her. And distractions were good, before she lived up to her name. She took a deep breath and put her hair in a ponytail, leaving him to get changed and allow her own emotions to still.
Perseus wiggled her eyebrows at her when she said he looked nice. Then he darted away to change and sign out. He returned a few minutes later wearing his street clothes, jeans and a maroon FDNY t-shirt under a leather jacket.
"I'm all yours, madam," he said with a grin. "Though I do request your plans involve some kind of sustenance. I'm ravenous."
"I am all too happy to oblige there," she had no interest to go home just yet. Briseis had troubles of her own, and didn't need her dumping more in her lap. Dinner would put her mind right and allow her to focus more on the anger rather then sorrow.
"I can cook or find something around the city. It's your choice, and seeing you're helping me with this this will be my thing." She smirked at him. "And I'm very sorry about pulling you out of work, so this is my making up for that."
Perseus grinned and he took Deirdre's hand in his own. "You never have to apologise. I'm here for you. Are you in the mood for cooking, or eating something someone else makes? I don't mind." And he certainly didn't want to demand a meal after she revealed she was upset.
It was a small comfort to feel his hand around hers and so she smiled. "Honestly I can do either, but I do want to thank you so I don't mind cooking. Home cooked meals are the best." It was a bit harder then she'd wanted it to be, to focus on being happy, but she was glad enough she was managing. "Besides it'll take my mind of things and show my appreciation."
"Let's do that then." Perseus said, heading for his own apartment which was near his stationhouse anyway. "So how are you feeling? Has he threatened you at all?"
Smiling she followed him. It was easier and better anyway, and she wouldn't have to deal with people giving her weird looks if she should burst into tears again. "A mixture of sad, angry, and paranoid. I keep thinking he'll drag me off again, which I know he can't do." She made a face, "curses are lovely things." She sighed, "not in so many words, no. He's slimy and tricky. Cunning in his own way. All smiles until the last. He's no longer a king so he can't call on people as easily anymore, but he does have power. Knowing him he'll just keep hounding me, doesn't really get the 'not interested' part." She frowned, "most of my worry is that now he's a judge he'll fabricate some marriage license or something, or give you trouble." She sighed again and shook her head, "all that because I was supposed to grow up pretty. I suppose he didn't pay much attention to the 'will cause ruin' clause of that."
"Well he can't do me too much harm. My brother Hermes is pretty good at getting us out of trouble if we need it." Perseus' mind was going at a thousand miles per hour and most of his thoughts were of just how much he wanted to punch the man who was bothering Deirdre. He hadn't wanted to hurt someone so badly in a long time. Perhaps there was something to that...
"He's an ass," Perseus summed up. "And if he hurts you he'll regret it."
The name didn't ring any bells, andher frown showed. "Hermes is who again?" She trusted him though, and knew he would look after her and keep Conchobar off her back. At his comment she laughed. "Well yeah, he is. And thank you" smiling she let her fingers intertwine with his. This was nice, really. It was easy to get used to this. "But enough about me. I wanted to ask what art you like best. I wanted to get some books for you, but I wasn't sure which ones would be best."
"Hermes is the god of trickery among other things," Perseus explained. "He's very good at taking care of us as a pantheon.
As she changed the topic to art, Perseus smiled. "I like the classic painters the most. I just love the style and the colour."
She nodded, keeping it in mind. "Your pantheon sounds busy at times." She felt a bit silly for having to ask, but she'd only studied the classics in Latin. Most she knew by Roman names, not the Greek ones.
"Any favorites?" she liked looking at art, but knew very little about it. If anything this was as good of a reason to learn as anything else. Smiling she gave him a gentle nudge, "perhaps another time you can take me to the museum, show the best ones?"
Perseus chuckled. His pantheon was busy at times. "I think that's an understatement," he said. "As far as favourites go, probably Caravaggio. And I would like to take you to the museum!"