Greetings, my fellow Artemis Fowl fans! I'd just like to say-I love this chapter! Haha! It was fun to write! But I've been writing in the middle of the night so it may not be as good...or could it be? :O
I (unfortunatly) still do not own Artemis Fowl because, trust me, if I did, Butler would be out cold for weeks if you know what I mean...*wink wink*
"Alright, Mud Boy. We're here. But please resist the urge to break things!" Holly teased as she fiddled with her keys and the lock. She was used to automatic doors and digital ID cards...not these old things!
"Holly," Artemis shook his head with annoyance and exhaustion. "Does that sound like me to go around breaking things?" All he got for a reply was a small snort from the female elf. The door clicked and swung open.
Holly descended in and sighed as she did. "Sometimes I cannot wait to be above ground flying like a bird! But then after dragging a human around while doing it is a real pain in the ass." The Captain descended through the hallway into a living room. Artemis chuckled to himself and entered, having to duck to get through the doorway. He could stand in the hall, but only just. The walls were a light yellow (Well…this color won't look good next to my skin tone…) and a few pictures hung on the walls.
Artemis saw one and stopped to look at it. It was of Holly as a teenager. Probably around his age…in human years. She didn't have any of her scars yet and her features seemed a tad less sharp. She seemed to be at a dance-she was wearing a short, green dress, her hair was pulled up in a loose bun, she had friends all around her, and she laughing.
The Irish boy couldn't help but smile genuinely. She looked so happy…lively. Her eyes seemed young, almost…child like.
This thought made him turn away. Had he caused more of her happiness to be lost? He couldn't bear the thought, so he moved on.
He entered the living room. It wasn't huge, but it was big enough for how many people were in the apartment then. On the wall next to him was a small, lime-green couch that matched the walls, (Oh great! More bright colors!). In the wall in front of it was a 40 inch TV. Also on that wall, directly in front of Artemis, was a hallway that led to the bedrooms. On the same wall the left of the hallway continued on was a fireplace. On the wall across from that were two more seats and a side table. Pictures hung in here as well. But what caught Artemis' eye was that above the fireplace, written in Gnomish, was a quote:
'Love between two-no matter what species they are-lasts a lifetime and on,
-Trixie Romar.'
Artemis held back a blush. Could she have put it up there because…
"ARTEMIS! ARE YOU LISTENING?" Holly shouted.
"I'm sorry…say again?" Artemis stammered.
"ARRGH!" The elf groaned. "Listen will you? I said how would you feel about pizza for dinner? There's a Pizzeria just down the road…"
"Pizza?" Artemis repeated. "I've never had pizza. Of course I've heard of it but I've never eaten it before. Besides, I've already had dinner. This would be...breakfast."
Holly rolled her eyes. "Alright, breakfast. And come on, you have to have this pizza! It's really good! Besides, I really have nothing to cook. Please, Artemis! There's a chance for everything!"
The teenager was about to argue, but then he remembered the picture in the hallway. Could he have…?
He sighed, once again being beaten by the same female elf for the fifth time in five years…probably. "Fine…I'll TRY it! If I don't care for it, I will just eat something else."
The young woman grinned to her ears and clapped her hands. "Finally! Alright, let me go change into regular clothes and we can leave." She turned around and almost skipped through the room to the hallway.
Artemis sighed and sat on the small couch. He had to slide down a little so his knees weren't angled up so high. He ran a hand through his hair and yawned. It was so early…for him at least. But he was hoping to make Holly at least a little happy while he stayed. Just a little…
Artemis and Holly walked to the Pizzeria, seeing as how Artemis was too big for Holly's elf scooter.
"Now…exactly what will be on the pizza we order?" Artemis asked, trying to fill the emptiness between the two.
"Well I suppose to suit your taste I'll get a cheese pizza and get black olives, banana peppers, onions, tomatoes, mushrooms, and green peppers. Sound good enough?" The elf answered. She looked up at the boy waiting for him to nod or possibly make a face.
He only 'Hmmed,' and nodded. "I suppose that will work. But they don't have anything like caviar?"
Holly raised any eyebrow and frowned. "Yes, Artemis. They have caviar that costs more than I could afford at a Pizza place with five dollar pizzas."
The Mud Boy raised his hands in defense. "Only a question!"
She sighed and looked forward. "They do have anchovies…nasty little creatures…bleh!"
Artemis chuckled and said, "If you hate them that much I think I will pass. That original plan sounds good enough for me. I just…don't like the thought of eating something so greasy with my fingers…"
"Come on, Arty!" Holly punched him playfully on the arm. "Man up!"
"Arty…?" He softly repeated. "Arty…"
They got there in only about three minutes after that.
"Artemis, you go get a table while I order. It will only take about five minutes for them to prepare it," Holly instructed when they walked in.
"Got it," he replied. Artemis looked around for a two-person table. He found a small booth that could hold about four people. He sat down and tried to find the most comfortable position to sit in the small fairy booth. It was like an eleven year-old trying to fit into a toddler's play booth.
This Pizza Place didn't really have a theme. The floors were carpeted grey and the walls were white.
Where Artemis sat, he could see Holly's back as she ordered. She had changed into a pair of jeans and lavender shirt that fit her figure almost perfectly. He couldn't help but notice how she didn't have any sharp angles on her anywhere.
As he sat there admiring her, he only just noticed her turn around and walk up to him.
"Here you go," she said, putting a plastic cup in his hands. "I don't think you'll have any trouble figuring out what it's used for."
"Of course not!" He protested. "I know a cup when I see one."
"Alright, Mud Boy," she almost laughed. She turned and went over to the fountain station. Artemis followed and looked at all the names he'd never seen before.
"You know," she whispered, "there's water right there." She pointed to a label that said Water in Gnomish. He nodded and got some. He went and sat back down. Holly followed and sat down in front of him.
"Three minutes," she said.
"Pardon?"
"The pizza, it'll be out in three minutes. What is going on with you, Mud Boy?" She asked, twisting a small bottle of hot sauce in her fingers.
"Nothing…tired. What's that for? Your pizza?" Artemis asked.
"Yup. I like a little bite to my pizza. What about you? I never really thought you'd be someone to like things spicy."
"S-stuff?" The boy's face pinkened a shade, thinking about what other things could neccessarily be spicy.
"Food! Gods, Artemis. If I hadn't known you for over five years, I'd easily disagree with you being a genius!"
"Oh…um…no. Not really. I don't really care for…err…spice to my foods."
Holly nodded. "Ah." She picked up a straw and ripped the paper off. She then slipped it into her drink and sipped on it.
Artemis tried his best to lean back. He watched Holly sip on her drink. He found a way to entertain himself by watching her throat whenever she swallowed the water. Then, she looked up at him. The sight of the blue and then the hazel…almost made Artemis puke with nerves.
Maybe I should ask her about the picture…if I upset her… he wondered. Yes...it's now or never!
"Uh…Holly?" He had to almost choke the words out. She stopped drinking and leaned back.
"Hmm?" She said, having still her mouth full of water. She swallowed. "Yeah , Arty? Is…something wrong?"
'Arty'…oh gods…I feel sick…
"Erm…no, nothing's wrong. I actually wanted to ask you something. I was wondering…if you e-"
"Number 8, number 8! Pizza number 8 is ready!" A voice said over by the cash register.
"Hold that thought," Holly told Artemis. She slid out of the booth and walked over to get their pizza.
The Irish teenager groaned and leaned his head way back. I don't think I can do it…
"Here we go…" The elf said as she set the pizza down. It was only four pieces, but the pieces were a little large. She sat back down and put two plates down on the table. She handed one to Artemis and picked up a piece.
"Ok. So, what did you want to ask?" Holly wondered.
"I was wondering…if…um…" He stammered. "Never mind. Let's just eat." He pushed his sleeves up, set a napkin in his lap, ("Really Artemis?") and picked up a slice.
He winced, feeling the grease seep through and onto his nicely manicured fingers. He looked up at Holly who was already a third of the way through.
Artemis looked down again at the food and brought it to his lips. He opened his mouth and bit into the juicy cheese and soft dough. He tore the piece off and watched a strand of cheese that held onto both the slice and the boy's tidbit of food. He pulled the rest of the slice farther back and the cheese snapped off. It fell onto the plate and inches from his clean pants.
From across the table, he heard giggles. He looked up and saw Holly, trying to resist the urge to burst out with laughter.
He chewed quickly and swallowed. Quickly for what reason? We'll never really know.
"So…?" Holly asked after swallowing her bite of pizza.
Artemis screwed up his face as he thought. "You know…it's not half bad. But I can assure you pizza will never be on my favorite foods list."
The elf rolled her eyes and took a bite out of the crust. The Mud Boy took a bigger bite out of his pizza, being sure to get ALL of the cheese bitten off.
They sat in silence really for the rest of the time eating. The pizza was almost all gone, their drinks were, and both were feeling a little full-Artemis even more as he had already eaten dinner.
Holly took another bite out of her pizza and set it down. "Ok…that's enough…I suppose it's time to pay…"
"No Holly, allow me…" Artemis said.
"Artemis…you have human money. They don't accept that. Here," she handed him a few gold coins. "Just go up and tell them it's for the number 8. Can you handle that?"
"Yes, I believe I can," the human huffed. He stood and walked over to the cash register.
Now it was Holly's turn to admire her different-species friend. She observed how he walked-it wasn't sloppy (like a certain dwarf she knew), but it wasn't gay…it was a good posture but not feminine.
She soon found herself lost in thoughts when Artemis turned around to come back. She looked forward and took a sip from her drink.
Artemis stood next to the table. "Ready to go?"
"Yeah…" She stood and left with the Mud Boy hurrying behind her.
At the same time, they both thought the same thing: This is going to be one hard week…
Yes, yes it will be! Aha!
Please review. Do it or I will mesmerize you to do it!