Chapter Text
Athens, Greece
490 BCE
As soon as she had turned from the most recent remarkably forgettable man who was trying to capture her attention, Daphne rolled her eyes. Across the room, Nurya sent a commiserating smile her way, even as she forced herself to smile sweetly at Olympiodorus; agony shone in her dark eyes as she did so, as Sarra was fawning over the man, and Nurya was deeply in love with Sarra.
Daphne forced herself to hurry over to her sisters (even if they were not of blood, she and Nurya were sometimes closer than she and Sarra and she had begun considering Nurya her sister seasons ago), a coy smile playing on her painted lips. “Ah, Olympiodorus,” she purred. The young man looked up at her with an arrogant smile.
“Gorgeous Daphne!” he exclaimed. Daphne’s smile grew as she dropped herself into a curtsy. “I have not seen you in quite some time, how is my favorite Hetaerae?”
Daphne could feel Sarra’s bitter eyes boring into her as she giggled. “Oh, Ollie,” she said, batting her hands at him. “You flatter me! Though, all the girls here know your real favorite is Euphrosyne.” Olympiodorus’s right hand flew up to cover his broad chest, which looked quite foolish when combined with the way he was draped over his sofa.
“Dear Daphne, how you wound me. Euphrosyne is quite lovely, yes, but you are my darling,” he said.
Daphne smirked down at him. “That is very kind of you, Ollie,” she said. “I am sure Euphrosyne would not be pleased to know that, though. She may begin to bestow her favor upon Tobit or even young Bartholomaios!”
Olympiodorus’s smile morphed into a scowl. “Do not tease me, Daphne,” he warned.
Missouri, United States of America
2015 ADE
Laurel stood in line in a cafe - some place named Jitters - her eyes unfocused as she stared off into the distance.
“Ma’am? It's your turn,” a familiar voice said. Laurel looked up to see Chay-Ara standing in front of her, er, well, the reincarnation of Chay-Ara. Looked like her name was Kendra in this life.
“Oh!” Laurel exclaimed. She ran a cursory glance over the menu. “I’d like a palazzo, please.”
Kendra’s eyes widened. “Hmm,” she said as she wrote down her order. “People rarely ask for those here. It’s not that popular of a drink in Missouri.”
Laurel smirked. “Well,” she said. “I did just leave SoCal.”
Kendra laughed. “Oh, I'm jealous,” she said. “The last place I was in was Wisconsin!”
“That is too bad. I hope you have the luck of leaving here the next time you desire,” Laurel said. She tucked a fallen strand of hair behind her ear and beamed at the face from several of her pasts, a fondness rising in her, just as it always had.
Kendra grinned at her. “Thank you!” she said. “And what’s your name?”
Laurel almost laughed at that. Sometimes she wondered the same thing. After so many lifetimes, it wasn’t uncommon for her to forget which pseudonym she had chosen for these few decades before she moved on and replaced her identity with a new one. Daphne, Adélaïde, Diana, so many more. “Laurel,” she said. “Laurel Lance.”
“You can go sit down, I’ll call your name when your order is ready.”
490 BCE
Nurya and Sarra were wrapped around each other on the bed and Daphne sat at the vanity, her green eyes fixed on the mirror. On her heavy makeup and the blonde curls that flowed down to rest on her shoulders and brush against her breasts. “You two should not be so obvious,” she said. “And you, dearest sister, need to stop flirting with Olympiodorus when Nurya is next to you. It is needlessly cruel. Leave that particular hell to me and Euphrosyne.”
Sarra rolled her eyes. “And allow you and Euphrosyne to collect all of his gold? I think not. None of the other suitors pay as nearly as well as Ollie.”
Daphne closed her eyes. “You are being paranoid, sister. Besides, half of my gold goes to you anyway.”
Sarra shrugged and brushed her lips along the curve of Nurya’s neck, causing the Hebrew girl’s eyes to flutter. “That is true,” she said as she set her hand on Nurya’s stomach. “Now why are you still here, Daphne? Aren’t you and Euphrosyne supposed to meet?”
Daphne frowned at her. “I should be meeting with her in an hour - do not attempt to distract me and get me to leave just so you can seduce Nurya.”
Sarra stuck her tongue out at her. “Rude, Daph.”
“Immature, Sarr,” Daphne shot back, arching an eyebrow. “Now, I will be leaving but not so the two of you can fuck, but because I promised Chay-Ara that I’d meet her as well.” She stood up and ran her hands down her dress, flattening it.
“Have fun with your girls!” Sarra called out as Daphne swept out of the room. Nurya sent a blinding smile her way and Daphne sent a more subdued one back.
Gods above, why did she always feel this fear? For herself and for her family.