Eirene

With Clark bouncing between the Luthor estate and Metropolis, Eirene volunteers to take Rachel for safekeeping over to Queen Towers. Oliver Queen isn't someone she's met before, but Clark has assured her that two ladies making themselves comfortable in his penthouse isn't something the billionaire will mind. One of these days, she'd like to actually meet him.

Rachel is pacing back and forth across the room. "Eirene, I'm sorry for what you saw in Clark's loft." She actually looks embarrassed about it, which endears her a little further to the goddess. But still, "Rehearsing lines?" Eirene shakes her head and smiles, accepting the apology and the young woman in the same breath. Everyone wants to be loved.

"It's in his eyes. You're the center of Clark's universe. I've only seen love like that once in my life." The wistful tone has Eirene glances up again. "What happened?" Rachel makes a face, "The director yelled 'cut.'"

That's possibly the saddest thing she's heard all day, and is about to expound on that, thinking maybe she can give the actress an ego boost about her own self worth when the doorbell rings. Knowing that only key personnel have been told where they are, Eirene lets the production assistant in once he's verified he's got call sheets for the next day.

Which is when things go a little awry. Ben, the guy, tasers Rachel right in front of her, but instead of running, which would be the human reaction, Eirene kneels down to make sure she's alright, obviously confusing their assailant.

"Sorry, Eirene. But there's a hero living among us, and there's only one way he'll accept his calling. You need to die." He tugs her away from the prone figure, electricity dancing along the wires of his device, and begins tying her hands together.

[Post Masquerade Ball]


The festivities were, in a word, divine. Martha and Pepper completely outdid themselves to make sure everyone had a good time. Eirene met more of the people who made an impact on Clark's life and enjoyed herself immensely, but one can only wear shoes so many hours before one's feet really begin to protest. So she bids goodbye to her hosts, hands over a sizable check (but not sizable enough that she'd get anyone in trouble for it) and persuades a relieved boyfriend home.

With a three second hour drive between Smallville and Metropolis, most people have opted to stay in the city. Which means the farmhouse is empty when they arrive, Eirene bounding barefoot into the kitchen and setting her slippers on the floor in case Shelby would like to chew them up for her.

"That was fantastic! I love Kansas."

It's sometime mid-morning when Eirene regains consciousness, staring blearily up at the ceiling and idly wondering what the heavy thing on top of her is for the three or four seconds until her brain starts clearing away the cobwebs and reveals that the object is, in fact, boyfriend-shaped. Which leads to lots and lots of blushing, and a soft, happy sigh at what they did the night before.

Hopefully not loud enough to wake him, seeing as how Clark appears to be still asleep.

[Kent Farm; Smallville, Kansas]

Eirene stands in the Kent driveway next to Clark, eying the yellow farmhouse not all that far from them. She's reminding herself that this was her idea, and it's a good idea, therefore she has no reason to be nervous. Not that the butterflies in her stomach are actually listening.

"You'll catch me if I faint, right?"

[following this]

Eirene leads the way into her room, shutting the door behind Clark once he's in as well, setting the basket on her desk, and the movies on top of the television. One of the few things she's never bothered with is a table, but eating on the bed would only get crumbs all over, and the desk isn't set up for two people.

Meaning she'll ask for a low table (to be added to her tab) and beams when one appears. The dinner soon finds its way to the tabletop.

"Why don't you unpack the food and I'll figure out which movie to put on?"

The Door opens onto the terrain at the base of Olympus, as always, but this second visit is slightly different than the first. They won't be hiking up the sacred mountain, not unless Clark wants to see it again, and the landscape is ordinary. Aside from being gorgeous and Mediterranean, anyway.

"Come on, my house isn't too far from here."

Eirene's smile isn't quite as blissful now, and the totally euphoric feeling has -- actually not disappeared, just lessened slightly.

Atlantean is good. Very good. So good that Eirene has already had two glasses, and then forget where she set down her third. It's not on the stairs (or under them), behind the counter (the rats shooed her away when she looked), near the fireplace, or the Observation window, not on the couch, nor any of the tables.

Since the search has made her slightly dizzy, the goddess eventually finds a booth to settle in. Or, rather, on the table of, gypsy-skirt-clad legs settled over the side, bare toes wiggling just because.

She might even be humming, though the bar isn't quite as crowded at four o'clock in the morning.

Eirene kicks at a rock, her face set in a thoughtful scowl, and watches it bounce across the dirt lane only to vanish into grazing land beyond a dilapidated fence. The last week seems to have taken its toll on Clark and she's not even sure that her reason for talking him into taking her to Smallville is valid anymore. Chloe doesn't even remember her, not as the friend Eirene had hoped she'd turned into. So many deaths in so little time, it isn't a wonder that Clark opted to hide in the loft, and she can't blame him for the desire to set things aside for a little while and just exist.

She's beginning to wonder if he even heard her come in and let him know she was going for a walk. Probably did, with that super-hearing, but he didn't seem like he was paying attention, another thing she can't fault him for.

Well, that's what this little stroll down a country lane is for: thinking. For tonight she's borrowing the guest room at the house, and tomorrow Clark will probably suggest she return to Milliways. It's not something Eirene wants to do; abandon him when he needs someone just to be around, but she's also never overstayed her welcome.

She's also not paying attention to the road behind her, so when the old Caddy veers and hits her, all Eirene feels is a sudden burst of pain across her back, and something break inside when she lands just past the base of the ancient oak a few feet away. The car, and it's elderly driver, end up ramming right into the tree trunk, its horn blaring uselessly.

Thump-thump-thump-thump, thump thump thump thump...

"Come on! Hurry, we can get out of here in five minutes."

Eirene sidles through the door AC is holding open for her, slightly unbalanced under the suitcase, duffel and tote she's carrying, and steps out of the bar into the Talon. The quiet, deserted, after-hours Talon.

"You told him I was coming back, right?"

It's been four months. Four very long, very tiring months on her end, but the blond demi-god in front of her swore up and down that it has only been two in their world. She missed Clark desperately, but with the wars breaking out in several parts of Africa that didn't need another round of violence, she couldn't leave.

"Yeah, he'll meet us outside. Now come on, cousin."

The goddess is nothing if not occasionally obediant, and hurries across the darknened interior without tripping over anything, and wrestles her bags out onto the sidewalk, before looking around for Clark's truck.

There is a particular tree near the edge of the forest that Eirene has adopted in the few weeks since her transformation. It has low enough branches that she can reach and climb easily, and the foliage is close enough together to form a protective barrier when she wants to just watch life go by.

Her door has not returned yet but she had a wonderful few days in Smallville, so it seems to be a matter of balancing the good with the bad. This evening, she can be found in her tree watching the sun set and trying not to wish like hell that she had someone to hold her.