[Said innocently, complete with a flutter of eyelashes before she turns her gaze back down, sipping her tea. That flutter in Ema's heartrate is impossible to miss and it only sets into stone that even if this isn't the woman that Eustace has feelings for, she certainly has ones for him. Which is, honestly, just a wonderful a development.
She blows across the top of her tea, making the water ripple gently.]
I just think it's sweet that Eustace has someone he cares for enough to share a home with. Here I assumed it was just he and his canine companions, all by their lonesome!
[ Ema is determined to enjoy her cup of tea despite the unexpected visitor, so while Aphrodite is chattering, Ema takes a peaceful sip of her barely-cool-enough-for-human-consumption tea... just in time for Aphrodite to drop her question. Ema narrowly avoids dropping her cup wholesale as she spits/sputters/coughs her tea out in a fine mist. She wipes her mouth on her sleeve before turning to glower at Aphrodite.
Her heart is jackhammering now... illogically, since she and Eustace make no habit of sleeping together in any sense besides the platonic, and it doesn't matter what Aphrodite makes of their relationship, really. There's just something so lurid about that word, lovers, that doth make Ema protest. ]
[She should have visited Eustace and this Ema sooner, if she'd known it was going to be so fun. The only way it could be more delicious is if Eustace walked in on them and she could hear both of their heartrates going a mile per minute. Adorable.
Blinking, she puts on an innocent expression that is altogether unconvincing by the grin across her face.]
Is it a strange question? You asked me the same just a moment before, hm?
[Although she's fairly certain she knows the answer now.]
[ Her eyes narrow at the blatant amusement in Aphrodite's grin. What is she, a dancing monkey?? The only thing keeping her from crossing her arms is her tea, which she nurses closely in palm and hand. ]
I asked because I wanted to stay out of your business. Not because I wanted to trade notes.
[ Ema does not want notes, not a single one. ]
But before you go skipping up to him with any weird comments, he and I are not [god] lovers.
[Oh no. If she wants this conversation to continue and not be tossed out, she should probably tread more carefully. But it's hard to keep from smiling so instead she hides it by sipping at her own tea.]
And I asked because I don't see any reason to be precious about it. We aren't nearly so prudish about sex in the world that I come from.
[She schools her expression further, dropping her eyes to pretend to take a special interest in the rippling water in her cup. Sighing dramatically,]
That is a shame though. [Hm.] I had hoped to finally find the one who stole Eustace's heart.
[ It's not the sex that has Ema all staticky, it's the romantic implication. And she continues to be staticky, because Aphrodite is clearly fishing for a reaction. Everything about this woman feels as deliberate as it does whimsical, a concerto of feminine wile.
Well, Ema sees what she's doing. This isn't the first time she's been wheedled by nosy outside parties. She owes no explanation and doesn't particularly care if her relationship with Eustace is misconstrued, because what difference does it make anyway? No, Ema is a hardened detective, and she isn't going to spill the beans (if there were beans) to just any Johnny-how-do-you-do that comes waltzing into the house.
But goddammit, she's so curious. ]
The who did what now?
[ She's asking because Aphrodite made a ridiculous statement, not because she has a personal investment in who this hypothetical person is. Yes. Ignore the slight uptick in her heartrate. ]
Aphrodite makes an exaggerated sigh and swoons a little bit, recalling the memory like it definitely wasn't what she'd planned on bringing up since the moment she got here.]
Oh, when Eustace learned that I bore the power to make people fall in love, he was so concerned that I had meddled in his life. As if that was the only reason he could develop feeling for someone.
[ That overshadows the rest of what Aphrodite says... ah. A few drops of tea splash out of Ema's cup with her startled jolt. She quickly guzzles the contents of her little cup of tea (goodbye, peaceful teatime) before turning back to Aphrodite. Call Ema silly, but... ]
You wouldn't happen to be... the Aphrodite, would you? Greek and all that?
Evidence? [Aphrodite titters, the smile never fading from her face as she looks between the (irritable) drum of Ema's fingers, to the (even more irritable) glare in her eyes.]
What sort of proof would you like? Shall I tell you about how your heart has been drumming oh so rapidly ever since we brought sweet Eustace up? Or I could flood the room with aphrodesiacs, although I'm not certain you would appreciate that.
[ Ema is squinting so hard that her eyes have closed entirely, a drawstring scrunch to the middle of her brow. She is feeling incredible danger at this moment. There is a chance that Aphrodite could be bluffing in the manner of your average fortune teller, but there's enough confidence in her demeanor that Ema's survival instinct is telling her not to push any further. ]
I'll have to decline on both counts.
[ Still, this is a unique opportunity, if true. It isn't every day that you get a chance to talk to an actual goddess... ]
If you can make people fall in love... then can you make them fall out of love too?
[So much for proof! Aphrodite sets down her tea cup, letting it rest on one of the end tables while she takes a more relaxed, lounging posture. what is this sitting with two feet on the floor business?]
I can. But that isn't nearly so much fun to talk about.
[She doesn't want to be the bad guy unless she really wants to.]
Before you ask, I have not meddled among any of the people on the nameless island. I am just as much a captive as the rest of you.
[ But it actually is good to know that Aphrodite isn't meddling... any more than she currently is. She doesn't strike Ema as the type to lie. To omit, maybe, but not to lie.
Ema watches as Aphrodite makes herself at home in the deepest sense of the word, looking like manservants are liable to start appearing with wine and grapes. Ema just sets her cup down and crosses her legs at the knee. ]
[It would be nice if robot butlers and pool boys would appear out of nowhere, but alas.]
Is that so? [She seems surprised by the assessment and tilts her head, twisting a long strand of hair around a finger.] I suppose mankind are made in our image. Or are you referring to my temperament?
[One of her favorite games to play with Caleb is to pretend that she is a normal, mortal girl, so perhaps some of that is rubbing off on her. It’s been a long time since she’s been so entirely surrounded by mortals with none of her godly kin to influence her.]
The latter. I would expect you to be more... "make way, bow down," you know? Shiny and obnoxious.
[ Aphrodite is still a little bit of those things, but Ema has co-workers with a bigger god complex than this actual goddess seems to have. She sighs at leans her arm on the couch. ]
Frankly, I'm surprised you'd take an interest in the potential dabblings of schmucks like us. I'm sure you've seen it all before.
Bored of love, dear? What a terrible thought. It would be like asking if Poseidon grew sick of the ocean.
[She sighs wistfully, her reactions played up as usual, but it's a genuine sentiment, her eyes bright and enthusiastic. She wouldn't make a good goddess of love if she got tired of it.]
Mortals are so passionate about everything! Peasants and kings and warriors all bound together by the desire that fuels them. Love of self. Love of brotherhood. [There might as well be stars in her eyes as she continues.] Isn't it incredible that the same feeling that beats in your heart when you think of Eustace is what the great Achilles felt when he made a deal with Lord Hades to save his lover's soul?
[ There's something very relatable about the sparkle in Aphrodite's eyes as she gushes about love... hm. Ema is actually listening with some curiosity, interested in hearing a purported goddess talking about her realm of influence with so much joy, but her expression tanks instantly when Eustace's name comes up again. Aphrodite really isn't going to let this go...
If Aphrodite really can hear people's hearts beating, then there's not much use in trying to deny whatever traitorous flip-flops Ema's heart will feel like doing over the course of this conversation. A small part of her gives up because fuck it, and also because it isn't in her nature to be dishonest about herself, even to other people. ]
What is it going to take for you to stop bringing him up?
[Oops, she took it one step too far. Some of the star-studded wonder fades from her eyes and she regards Ema more seriously. A hand curls under her own chin. At least it feels like she’s getting somewhere with this one. Reasons to like Ema already.
On the level.] You seem like a reasonable, thoughtful woman. Surely you can imagine the curiosity it would spark to be accused of meddling in a love life you know nothing of. If he would have just told me who he held a flame for, I could stop thinking about it.
[That is about as simple as it gets. She’s nosy for the sake of being nosy, and nothing more.]
Hah. That's a pretty way of admitting you're just nosy.
[ But Ema respects it, in a way. She'd much rather deal with a nuisance in front of her than one behind her back. ]
Unfortunately, how I feel about him has no bearing on how he feels about me. As I said, I started living here for my own purposes — not because of any fledgling attraction between us. You'll have to tighten your case a bit more before you can come to any conclusions about who his mystery flame might be.
[Her eyes are sparkling. The mystery of Eustace continues but she feels like she's likely close to finishing that puzzle. The goddess of love didn't spring from the foaming sea just yesterday.]
[ If Aphrodite really can hear heartbeats, then there's no hiding the spike in Ema's at the accusation, the same as if she were being accused of murder. ]
I'd like you to quantify that. Scientifically, if you could.
[ Evidence! She needs it. Maybe she's being stubborn, but maybe she needs a little help too, trying to interpret the notes of an abnormal relationship in an abnormal situation. ]
[Said bluntly, but she continues, knitting her fingers together,]
There are many kinds of love. Just because you haven't yet asked him to sweep you off of your feet doesn't mean that there is not love. Mortals just enjoy making things more complicated than needed.
[ That people make things too complicated. Even Ema often feels that way about her fellow humanoids... especially when they're murdering each other in comically labyrinthine fashions. ]
In defense of all us overly complicated mortals, we can't all have hearts as big as a Greek goddess's. I'm sure you've seen how easily people's hearts can break.
On the contrary, I think that some mortals feel love even more keenly than myself. It makes me jealous, if I am to be honest. Wars are waged for love, even driving some to walk right into the underworld for the sake of something greater than themselves.
[She might be romanticizing it a little. But what kind of goddess of love would she be if she wasn't entirely enamored with the concept of love.]
The fact that your hearts break only proves the power of the love while it was there.
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[Said innocently, complete with a flutter of eyelashes before she turns her gaze back down, sipping her tea. That flutter in Ema's heartrate is impossible to miss and it only sets into stone that even if this isn't the woman that Eustace has feelings for, she certainly has ones for him. Which is, honestly, just a wonderful a development.
She blows across the top of her tea, making the water ripple gently.]
I just think it's sweet that Eustace has someone he cares for enough to share a home with. Here I assumed it was just he and his canine companions, all by their lonesome!
[A beat,] Are you lovers?
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Her heart is jackhammering now... illogically, since she and Eustace make no habit of sleeping together in any sense besides the platonic, and it doesn't matter what Aphrodite makes of their relationship, really. There's just something so lurid about that word, lovers, that doth make Ema protest. ]
What are you, some kind of love connector?
[ Not a term, but close enough. ]
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Blinking, she puts on an innocent expression that is altogether unconvincing by the grin across her face.]
Is it a strange question? You asked me the same just a moment before, hm?
[Although she's fairly certain she knows the answer now.]
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I asked because I wanted to stay out of your business. Not because I wanted to trade notes.
[ Ema does not want notes, not a single one. ]
But before you go skipping up to him with any weird comments, he and I are not [god] lovers.
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And I asked because I don't see any reason to be precious about it. We aren't nearly so prudish about sex in the world that I come from.
[She schools her expression further, dropping her eyes to pretend to take a special interest in the rippling water in her cup. Sighing dramatically,]
That is a shame though. [Hm.] I had hoped to finally find the one who stole Eustace's heart.
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Well, Ema sees what she's doing. This isn't the first time she's been wheedled by nosy outside parties. She owes no explanation and doesn't particularly care if her relationship with Eustace is misconstrued, because what difference does it make anyway? No, Ema is a hardened detective, and she isn't going to spill the beans (if there were beans) to just any Johnny-how-do-you-do that comes waltzing into the house.
But goddammit, she's so curious. ]
The who did what now?
[ She's asking because Aphrodite made a ridiculous statement, not because she has a personal investment in who this hypothetical person is. Yes. Ignore the slight uptick in her heartrate. ]
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Aphrodite makes an exaggerated sigh and swoons a little bit, recalling the memory like it definitely wasn't what she'd planned on bringing up since the moment she got here.]
Oh, when Eustace learned that I bore the power to make people fall in love, he was so concerned that I had meddled in his life. As if that was the only reason he could develop feeling for someone.
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[ That overshadows the rest of what Aphrodite says... ah. A few drops of tea splash out of Ema's cup with her startled jolt. She quickly guzzles the contents of her little cup of tea (goodbye, peaceful teatime) before turning back to Aphrodite. Call Ema silly, but... ]
You wouldn't happen to be... the Aphrodite, would you? Greek and all that?
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[She sips at her full cup, enjoying this interaction quite immensely.]
The goddess of love and beauty. I assume that you've heard of me.
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[ What stage would this be... Either way, Ema drums her fingers against her tea cup once, her eyes boring into Aphrodite furiously. ]
Evidence, please. If you're really a goddess, you must have some way of proving it.
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What sort of proof would you like? Shall I tell you about how your heart has been drumming oh so rapidly ever since we brought sweet Eustace up? Or I could flood the room with aphrodesiacs, although I'm not certain you would appreciate that.
[She has restraint!]
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I'll have to decline on both counts.
[ Still, this is a unique opportunity, if true. It isn't every day that you get a chance to talk to an actual goddess... ]
If you can make people fall in love... then can you make them fall out of love too?
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I can. But that isn't nearly so much fun to talk about.
[She doesn't want to be the bad guy unless she really wants to.]
Before you ask, I have not meddled among any of the people on the nameless island. I am just as much a captive as the rest of you.
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[ But it actually is good to know that Aphrodite isn't meddling... any more than she currently is. She doesn't strike Ema as the type to lie. To omit, maybe, but not to lie.
Ema watches as Aphrodite makes herself at home in the deepest sense of the word, looking like manservants are liable to start appearing with wine and grapes. Ema just sets her cup down and crosses her legs at the knee. ]
For a goddess, you seem... surprisingly normal.
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Is that so? [She seems surprised by the assessment and tilts her head, twisting a long strand of hair around a finger.] I suppose mankind are made in our image. Or are you referring to my temperament?
[One of her favorite games to play with Caleb is to pretend that she is a normal, mortal girl, so perhaps some of that is rubbing off on her. It’s been a long time since she’s been so entirely surrounded by mortals with none of her godly kin to influence her.]
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[ Aphrodite is still a little bit of those things, but Ema has co-workers with a bigger god complex than this actual goddess seems to have. She sighs at leans her arm on the couch. ]
Frankly, I'm surprised you'd take an interest in the potential dabblings of schmucks like us. I'm sure you've seen it all before.
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[She sighs wistfully, her reactions played up as usual, but it's a genuine sentiment, her eyes bright and enthusiastic. She wouldn't make a good goddess of love if she got tired of it.]
Mortals are so passionate about everything! Peasants and kings and warriors all bound together by the desire that fuels them. Love of self. Love of brotherhood. [There might as well be stars in her eyes as she continues.] Isn't it incredible that the same feeling that beats in your heart when you think of Eustace is what the great Achilles felt when he made a deal with Lord Hades to save his lover's soul?
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If Aphrodite really can hear people's hearts beating, then there's not much use in trying to deny whatever traitorous flip-flops Ema's heart will feel like doing over the course of this conversation. A small part of her gives up because fuck it, and also because it isn't in her nature to be dishonest about herself, even to other people. ]
What is it going to take for you to stop bringing him up?
[ She just wants... peace...... ]
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On the level.] You seem like a reasonable, thoughtful woman. Surely you can imagine the curiosity it would spark to be accused of meddling in a love life you know nothing of. If he would have just told me who he held a flame for, I could stop thinking about it.
[That is about as simple as it gets. She’s nosy for the sake of being nosy, and nothing more.]
Consider it a professional interest.
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[ But Ema respects it, in a way. She'd much rather deal with a nuisance in front of her than one behind her back. ]
Unfortunately, how I feel about him has no bearing on how he feels about me. As I said, I started living here for my own purposes — not because of any fledgling attraction between us. You'll have to tighten your case a bit more before you can come to any conclusions about who his mystery flame might be.
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[Her eyes are sparkling. The mystery of Eustace continues but she feels like she's likely close to finishing that puzzle. The goddess of love didn't spring from the foaming sea just yesterday.]
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[ If Aphrodite really can hear heartbeats, then there's no hiding the spike in Ema's at the accusation, the same as if she were being accused of murder. ]
I'd like you to quantify that. Scientifically, if you could.
[ Evidence! She needs it. Maybe she's being stubborn, but maybe she needs a little help too, trying to interpret the notes of an abnormal relationship in an abnormal situation. ]
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[Said bluntly, but she continues, knitting her fingers together,]
There are many kinds of love. Just because you haven't yet asked him to sweep you off of your feet doesn't mean that there is not love. Mortals just enjoy making things more complicated than needed.
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[ That people make things too complicated. Even Ema often feels that way about her fellow humanoids... especially when they're murdering each other in comically labyrinthine fashions. ]
In defense of all us overly complicated mortals, we can't all have hearts as big as a Greek goddess's. I'm sure you've seen how easily people's hearts can break.
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[She might be romanticizing it a little. But what kind of goddess of love would she be if she wasn't entirely enamored with the concept of love.]
The fact that your hearts break only proves the power of the love while it was there.
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