Hello
This is my first attempt at a Dark Artifices fic but I got this idea this afternoon and it wouldn't go away. It mostly involves Emma and Julian together but I wanted to write their relationship slightly differently than the conventional "secret crush on best friend" route so there is a little foreshadowing on the romance department. This is written before the events of the Dark Artifices so it doesn't contain any plot developments however it does include a little bit of what I think might've happened in COHF. It's my interpretation so it might not even happen but I can't get the nagging feeling out of my head. The characters might be a little OTT (although I have no idea if they are) but I'm working with what I've got.
Please review and tell me what you think and I'm curious to know what people thought of the City of Bones movie as well if you've seen it. I personally think it was awesome but I've been reading reviews from other people and they're not so convinced. I am British so sorry if any of the American terms I've used aren't quite right. Loking forward to hearing from you. :)
Enjoy!
The Dark Artifices
Paintings
Thunk! Thunk! Thunk!
Julian looked up over the top of his canvas, lying against his lap and watched Emma huff as she reloaded her crossbow before aiming once more at her target. She raised the old weapon and shot another bolt at the target, the point embedding deep in the wood. Emma let out a noise that sounded something between a yowl and a loud exhaling breath. Julian shook his head and chuckled.
Emma looked up and rounded on her parabatai with a glare, a few strands of her long blonde hair falling out of her plait. "What is it Jules? Care to elaborate on what I'm doing wrong..?"
Julian put his canvas to the side and made his way over to the target, assessing it closely before pulling the bolt out. He turned to Emma and held his hand out with a tip of his head. Pursing her lips she handed over the crossbow and he peered down the sight. "Uh-huh. Thought so..."
"Spit it out Julian, what's wrong with it?" Emma huffed tucking her hair behind her ear. Julian handed back the crossbow with a half-smile.
"The sight is broken. Ari was playing with it earlier." He shook his head with a laugh as he headed over to the weapons wall and lifted another larger crossbow, tossing it towards Emma who caught it in mid-air.
"You let a five-year-old girl play with a crossbow?" Emma raised her eyebrow. Julian scoffed at her.
"I didn't let her play with it, Silla did." Julian rolled his eyes as he leaned back against the wall, beside a large broadsword. He nodded to the crossbow in her hand. "Try with that one."
Emma gave him a shrewd look before she shot a bolt at the target. It embedded itself just left of the bulls-eye. "See? What's wrong with this one? No, don't tell me, Tavvy was using it as a soccer ball." She said sarcastically, glaring down at the sight in frustration.
"Emma," Julian said calmly pushing away from the wall and held her still. "Remember what Dad said. A quiet mind equals a sure victory." Emma rolled her eyes and gave him a look. "Go on."
"Fine," she muttered and closed her eyes, taking in a deep breath.
"That's it, now shoot."
Emma slid in a bolt, raised her arm and pulled the trigger, her eyes solely fixed on Julian in front of her. She watched as Jules glanced at the target and smiled. She followed his gaze to see the bolt dead centre in the target. "Huh."
Julian's arm wrapped around her shoulders and she was pulled into his side in a hug. "There you go. Ten more like that and you'll be back to your usual cocky self."
Emma dug her elbow into his ribs. "I'm not cocky."
"You are a little bit." Julian chuckled, rubbing his side as he sat back down and pulled his canvas back onto his lap.
Emma looked curiously at her parabatai and the canvas in his lap as he went back to what he was doing. She watched as he picked up his paintbrush, dipped it in paint and stroked it against the white, not even noticing the paint soaking his shirt a mixture of blue, gold and grey. "What are you painting?"
He glanced up with a grunt as if he had only just noticed her. "Sorry? Oh, uh..."
Emma raised her eyebrow before returning the crossbow on the wall and sat down beside him, peering over his shoulder at his work. Amongst the blurred outlines of the watercolours, she could just make out an image of a girl with blue eyes. "Jules, is that..?"
"Hold still for a second. I can never get your eyes right." She froze as he touched her cheek, frowning in thought as he peered into her eyes, glancing between his painting and her eyes. A moment later he let out a breath, biting his thumbnail in frustration. "I need a darker blue. Em, pass me the paints over there will you?"
"Sure," she mumbled turning her back to him quickly and snatched up the paints. When she sat back against the wall beside Jules, she pulled her knees up to her chest and watched quietly whilst he adjusted the colours on his pallet. "Y'know Jules, that painting is really good. Should I be flattered that you picked me as the subject?"
He shrugged and scratched the side of his chin, smearing a large smudge of blue all the way up his jaw. "About as flattered as the rest of my family. Oh, and Cristina."
"You've painted Cristina?" Emma frowned, tugging her plait around her shoulder. He grunted with a nod. Emma pointedly stared down at the end of her plait, pulling out her hair band before re-plaiting her hair. "Can I see it?"
"Why? It's just a painting." He rinsed his paintbrush in a cup of water and looked up at Emma. He noticed her playing with her hair with a frown. "You alright Em?"
She nodded. "So are you going to train with me or what?" She stood up and lifted a pair of short swords from the wall. Her parabatai blinked in surprise before he joined her and sparred.
Two hours later and a few bruises, several iratzes and gasping in exhaustion, Julian and Emma finished their training. Julian wiped his forehead with the back of his hand. "I'm gonna have a quick shower. I'll be out in a sec."
Emma watched him go out the door from the crash mat, breathing in deeply before slowly sitting up, pushing her hair out of her face. She heard the quiet rumbling of water hitting the shower curtain before she made her way over to Julian's painting. She picked up the canvas and stared at it, noticing all the different shades of gold and blue was used to capture her hair and her eyes. She had always loved Julian's paintings, being completely fascinated with the way he looked at things. Although the painting wasn't finished, she could already see the fierceness in her eyes and the way he painted her looking almost regal. "Huh, nice work Jules..." she muttered before she set it aside and began tidying up his paints.
When Julian came back into the room, towel-drying his hair and throwing his soiled shirt over his shoulder he stopped in the doorway in surprise as he saw Emma tidying up his mess. He watched her bend over to reach for a paintbrush that rolled onto the floor. A smile crept on his face before he realised Emma was already getting up. He shook himself out of his thoughts as he made his way across the room. "I think Helen is supposed to be popping over with Aline later. She wanted to talk about their trip to the African Institute but I might give it a miss."
"Oh that's good. Cristina and her mom invited me over for tea though so I'll probably be back late." Emma replied with a glance at his painting, swapping the paints in her hands for his shirt and towel. She let out a laugh. "By the angel, you're still covered in paint. How do you manage to get paint absolutely everywhere on you?"
Julian glanced down at himself but he couldn't see anything. "What paint?"
"There on your earlobe." Emma gestured with a nod of her head. "Honestly, do you bathe in paint or something?"
"Very funny Em," He gave her a shove as he reached over and picked his painting up. As he did, he noticed Emma glancing at his painting again. "It's still not finished you know, but...I don't know, if you want it you can have it once it's done."
"Oh, um no thanks. Not really into art." She mumbled in reply to which Julian shrugged. "Thanks for the offer though."
"No, it's cool."
They fell silent as they walked down the corridor. It was unusual that they would have nothing to say. Emma couldn't get rid of the nagging uncomfortable feeling in the back of her mind. She made a note to talk to Cristina about it later. When they reached Julian's room, Emma pushed open the door and let Julian through holding it open as he dumped his paints on his desk by the window. Emma fell back on Julian's bed and threw his shirt in the wash-basket in the corner of the room and closed her eyes.
Shortly after she heard a flint striking the air and she opened her eyes to find Julian lighting a cigarette by the window. She let out a groan and leaned up on her elbows. "I wish you wouldn't smoke Jules. You know it's not good for you."
Julian blew out a puff of smoke and looked back at Emma. "I'll quit tomorrow okay Emma. I'll even have an apple later if that'll appease you." He rolled his eyes, flicking the ash out of his open window.
"How has your family not found out yet?"
"I don't let them in my room." he smirked at Emma as she huffed and threw herself up, looking around his bedroom. It was a fairly decent sized room despite the amount of clutter and art equipment spread about ready to trip anyone up. There were dozens of canvasses, sketchbooks, rough scraps of paper that occupied even the oddest of spaces. Most of the pictures were of Julian's family, Cristina and her family and of herself but there were some of different places that they'd been, like Zuma Beach and Idris. The only place he hadn't painted was the New York Institute that they had visited when they were twelve, although Emma hadn't expected him to. It wasn't exactly a happy time for them.
"These really are good Jules. Have you thought of selling them?" she said peering closely at a self portrait. She smiled at the sight of paint being in his hair even in the painting. She heard Julian scoff behind her.
"Who would buy them Em?" He took a drag of smoke and blew it slowly out of the window. "Besides, they're not quite finished yet."
"You're joking right?" She sent him a disbelieving look over her shoulder. He didn't reply and puffed out another billow of smoke. She shook her head and thought of sitting on his bed again when she caught sight of a picture out of the corner of her eye, lying crumpled under Julian's pillow. She frowned and picked it up looking at it closely.
"Put it down." Julian suddenly spoke and she looked up to see her parabatai watching the paper in her hands. Emma looked back at the picture again and felt her mouth form a tight line.
"Is it your Mom?" she asked quietly holding out the paper. It was a simple, faded sketching of a woman with dark hair like her son's. Julian stared out the window and Emma knew his answer without him even saying anything. "Of course it's your Mom. What am I thinking?"
Julian flicked the rest of his cigarette out of the window and rooted in the pocket of his trousers for another, struggling slightly to strike the lighter. Emma sighed and took the lighter from him, striking it aglow and lighting the cigarette resting between his lips. She sat across from him on his window sill patiently waiting for him to speak. A moment later, he turned his gaze on her and held the cigarette in his fingers, watching the tendrils of smoke float up to the ceiling. "I dreamt about her the other night so I decided to try and draw her as I remembered her but I couldn't get it right."
"I know how you feel." She spoke quietly. She had dreams of her parents nearly every night. She would usually wake up in cold sweats in the middle of the night and she'd force herself to go through some drills in the training room.
"I'm alright. I mean it was a long time ago, I'm over it." He shrugged leaning back against the wall and looking out the window. Emma took this moment to study her parabatai quietly. He was not that bad-looking as guys went, and she knew a lot about attractive guys, with dark brown hair which was usually splattered in paint, bright green eyes and a mischievous glint that was accompanied by a quick sense of humour. She let her eyes roam as she took in his lanky form, from his skinny but lean torso, and his long violinists' fingers (if only he played a violin). Yes, Emma thought to herself, he is quite attractive, in his own way...
Julian caught her staring and smiled at her. "Are you enjoying yourself there?"
"Yes, very much indeed." She spoke before she even thought of what she was saying. Julian gave her a bemused look.
"You're such an oddball, you know that right?" he chuckled, giving up on his cigarette and throwing it out of his window.
"Speak for yourself." She replied to which he shrugged with a grin. There was a sudden knock as Julian's door opened to reveal Tiberius poking his head through.
"Jules, Helen's here. Are you coming down?"
"Yeah, give us a minute." Tiberius disappeared from the room and the door followed behind him. Julian hopped up from his perch and made his way over to his wardrobe, shoving paint pots and brushes out of the way. Emma chuckled as he went.
"Honestly, it won't kill you to tidy up in here once in a while." She shook her head as she heard him curse under his breath as he stubbed his toe against one of his many easels.
"You're really starting up that argument again? Shall I mention the state of your room?" He gave her a look from around his wardrobe door.
"Alright, alright. But seriously, I don't think "death by clutter" counts as a legitimate cause for protection from me."
"What time was Cristina expecting you over?" Julian asked lightly as he pulled out a shirt and put it on, tugging the long sleeves past his hands. Emma cursed and leapt up from her perch, weaving her way towards the door. "Have fun!"
He passed by his desk and his eyes caught sight of his most recent painting. He smiled to himself as he bit his fingernails in thought. There was just something missing from it being completely perfect. He thought he almost had the answer but it slipped through his fingers at the last second. "I'll finish it later." He sighed before heading out of the room and shutting the door.