Sorry for the long wait, decided to attend RTX last minute (it was epic). More details at the bottom. In my defense, this chapter is extra long! And two teams will be introduced... sort of.
Artemis didn't know what time it was, but it was apparently too early because it was still dark outside and her newfound teammates were still asleep. Being used to sleeping very few hours, the feline decided to get up and get started on her day.
Grabbing the only possession that she needed, her scroll, she got changed and headed for the door. She slipped out quietly out the door and closed it behind her. Taking a quick glance at her scroll she found that it was just past four, pretty much her usual wake up hours. Yet, the whole dorm seemed to be fast asleep.
Shrugging off people's odd waking schedules, she started walking down the hall but soon had to quickly dive out of the way lest she bump into the incoming student. Seems she was wrong about everyone being asleep.
"I'm so sorry! I'm still half asleep and didn't see you!" A high-pitched voice with an accent spluttered.
Artemis turned around and came face to face with a pair of bunny ears. Shifting her gaze down she finally focused on Velvet's face. There were very subtle dark circles under her eyes, enough to go unnoticed if you weren't looking for them. The faunus girl looked tired enough to the point that Artemis thought she might knock out right there and then. Shifting her gaze lower she saw that her run-in was holding a mug that, as far as she could smell, was warm milk.
If she were to guess, the rabbit faunus was having trouble sleeping and must have gotten up to make herself something to help her slumber.
The cheetah faunus shook her head slightly, responding to the shorter girl that it was alright, but hesitated before leaving. The poor girl looked pretty worn out, and school hasn't even started yet. She wondered what warranted her sleep deprivation.
Her shake of the head seemed to relieve the girl because her face soon relaxed the slightest bit, "Thanks, I'm a nervous wreck and now I can't sleep the slightest. I should probably – whoa!"
The brown-haired girl was cut off by Artemis' pulling of her hand, nearly dragging the zombified girl to the community kitchen that was available at all hours in every floor.
"Ummm…" the tired girl was at a loss of words of what to do, so she just let herself be dragged to avoid spilling her drink.
As soon as they arrived in the kitchen, Artemis turned around and placed her hands on the shorter girl's shoulders, pushing her down to sit on a chair that was behind her. She then took her mug and walked over to the sink where she threw it out.
"Hey! What are you –
Before she could finish her response, her mug was placed in front of her on the island that divided the kitchen, filled with hot steamy water. Artemis dipped a tea bag and dragged the ceramic cup closer to the sleepy faunus.
Said faunus looked up at her with a question in her eyes, not knowing how to get the taller girl to communicate with her.
Seeing her questioning look, Artemis grabbed the box she got the tea bag from and passed it to Velvet.
Chamomile Tea, it read. Caffeine free - bedtime tea.
"Oh… I uhh, thank you."
Artemis simply nodded. She herself had scavenged the kitchen to see its contents, she was near desperate at good, real food after having been a few months away at a Grimm hunting job. As she turned around to leave the kitchen she was stopped at hearing the timid girl speak again, "You dragged me here for the tea, but what about you?" She asked. "Why are you up so early, its four in the morning…"
The girl in question stopped at the doorway and cocked her head to the side, trying to figure out why being up at this hour was so odd, this was normal for her. So, she lifted her right hand and moved her index and middle finger in a walking motion.
"For a walk?" She asked with a surprised look on her face.
Artemis nodded and didn't bother to see her response. She left the kitchen and headed downstairs, where she would take a ship into the city. Hoping there was service at this hour.
Turns out there was service.
Artemis looked out the window and enjoyed the view for once without a bunch of huddling students pressing up against her. It was quite beautiful. The Emerald Forest to one side and Forever Fall on the other, with its red leaves floating in the air around in loops. It was a shame that the nearer she got to the city, the less nature she saw. Buildings replaced trees, streets replaced green grounds that had flowers in bloom, and smoke from passing cars replaced the delightful smell of wildlife.
She loved the wildlife, she pretty much lived in it for most of her life. In a way, it was a part of her.
As she neared the edge of the city, the view reminded her of the day she first arrived in Vale alongside her brother. Tired, dirty, eyes calculating and ready for anything. They stood out like a sore thumb, and their arguing just made matters worse.
The twins walked along the path that the patrol guards from the border told them to take. They were still quite away from the city, so all they have been passing by were small houses that looked like they had been build a long time ago.
Upon finally arriving at the edge of where the city truly began, Apolleon noticed that they were getting odd looks here and there. He shrugged off the cause for being dirty, due to their life outside the kingdom's defenses, or them being faunus. As he turned to face his sister he spoke up, "we're gonna have to figure out a way to get some money and find a place to –"
A pause.
"Artemis. Where did you get that?" He asked in a warning tone.
Artemis was currently munching on a tuna sandwich that seemed to appear out of thin air. Their food reservations had been used up since last night, meaning that sandwich shouldn't be in her hands.
"I phund'it just lyin ther," she spoke with a mouth full of tuna.
"… meaning it wasn't yours. Did you seriously just steal food in the first 20 minutes we've been here?!" He chastised her.
Leon was a very righteous person, he'd help those that needed it and didn't ask for much in return. Much to his twin's frustration. Artemis wasn't the patient one; if she was hungry she'd get food one way or another. If they needed money for weapon upgrades she'd steal it with ease while her brother went on hunting jobs and earned it, thinking Artemis would be doing the same. When he found out of her little side endeavors, she got quite an earful.
Since then, he did what was possible to not let her out of his sight, but her being a cheetah faunus made her fast traits difficult to catch up with.
Swallowing the mouthful after a few seconds to stall and think of an excuse, she found nothing.
"I was hungry," she defended, "plus, it's going to be hours maybe a day until we actually finish a job."
Leon snached the half of the sandwich that was left from her hands. "It's only been a few hours, we've gone longer without food," he reprimanded.
Artemis looked betrayed when the snack was out of her hands.
"Give it back!"
"No, it wasn't yours to begin with. We've talked about this Artemis, you need to stop stealing."
"It's not like they need it, they can get more from their damn fridge."
"That's not the point!"
They were at a shouting match at this point. Luckily it was 5am in the morning so not many people were out at this hour to witness this. But those that were, simply scurried off.
Leon was staring at her with furrowed brows and in disappointment, "do you really want to end up being like mom and dad?" He asked her.
Artemis flinched. He NEVER talks about them, and now that he does he's comparing me with them? She thought.
Leon noticed her change in demeanor and lowered his voice, but his expression remained unchanged. "If you don't want to end up like them, stop acting like them."
"Stop talking about them like that," Artemis finally spoke up. Her bangs covered her eyes but Leon could see her mouth pressed in a firm line.
"It's the truth. They were thieves and mur –
"STOP IT!"
Artemis finally looked up at her brother's taller form. Her golden eyes were glossy, but her expression was still a defiant one. Leon hated seeing her like this, but she needed to accept reality. He's avoided talking about them for years, trying to keep his sister's image of them intact. But that can only last so long.
"It's just a stupid sandwich anyway…" She started walking again shoving her way past her brother.
"C'mon, you can't really be this upset over food. Well, you can actually… but it's only been a few hours Artemis. It's not a priority right now." He exclaimed, following her.
"I haven't eaten since the berries," she responded without stopping.
"What? What about the fish I bought from the last village, I gave you a portion."
"We were attacked, remember? The Grimm destroyed out hideout, along with my pack of food before I was able to eat it."
Leon stopped in his tracks, "Why didn't you tell me!? I could've –
" – could've what? You had already eaten your portion, and we haven't been this far West. We don't know what we can eat out there and what we can't. It could be poisoned for all we know." She huffed, still not stopping but not knowing where she was headed.
Leon sighed. It's been almost 28 hours since then, it's a wonder she's still standing, let alone have the energy to engage in a screaming match. His anger soon changed to concern, but his frustration remained. She needs to stop keeping to herself, he thought.
Jogging to try and catch up to her, he grabbed her by the elbow and stopped her.
"You're going the wrong way."
"… I knew that…" she replied stubbornly.
"here," he said, handing her the sandwich.
Artemis raised an eyebrow but didn't hesitate in snatching it back. Lest he change his mind.
Leon chuckled, "well, it's not like anyone is going to eat a half-finished sandwich." He put his arm around her shoulders and steered her the right way, looking for that guild that the patrol had told him about. A place where faunus are welcomed and provide food, shelter, and a list of jobs like hunting or labor to pay them off.
Artemis gladly inhaled the rest of the food and was disappointed when her glorious moments had ended.
"Don't look so glum. You seem to show more feeling to your foxdsod than your own brother." Then wistfully he added: "If only a beautiful girl were to look at me the way you look at- OoWww –
Artemis chuckled at the memories as she stood outside Tukson's Book Trades. She cherished those memories, the good and the bad. But her thought on her brother were soon washed away as she knocked on the store's door.
It was still quite early, so no stores were open yet. But she knew that her friend always got here early, and a quick opening of the blinds proved her right. A few seconds later she heard a variety of locks click and unlock, moments after that the door opened.
The last time Artemis saw Tukson was about a year ago when she stayed with him for a few months working at his shop, probably her favorite place too. She met him about a few months after the Kynigos twins arrived at Vale, at a White Fang rally gone wrong about four years ago.
Gosh, Leon always hated seeing me in those, she thought. He hated seeing his sister get mixed up with the White Fang, said that they were starting to use more violent ways to have their opinions be heard. Artemis should have listened to him and not gone that day.
Tukson was also one of the people who saved her life in that horrible incident at the rally, the explosion that day was what damaged her throat. That was the same incident that she now learned was also the cause of her team leader's parent's deaths. The bookstore owner was probably the closest thing she would ever have to a father.
Tukson's face broke into as much of a smile as he could give with his near permanent scowl on his face.
"Artemisia," he voiced, "what made you come by? The book shipment lure or the fact that I knew where you were?"
Artemis simply stared back with an expectant expression.
"Huh, so both. Come in."
She strode forward and took in the boxes laid out around the counter. The new shipment of books. Gosh it's so tempting.
A low chuckle manifested behind her.
"So, all I had to do was say I had new books and you'd have come by to say hello?"
The young faunus sighed, starting to feel guilty for not bothering to communicate with the guy. She did only purchase a scroll not too long ago for school, but passing by couldn't have hurt her.
Who told you, she signed. Him knowing that she was attending the academy worried her, she was normally good at not being found when she wanted.
Tukson regarded her for a moment before speaking. "I'm close friends with the owner of the guild you often visit. Said he saw you take a Beacon Academy poster instead of a hunting job." He proceeded to unbox more books to start placing them on shelves. "… And, I had a friend of mine who works in the school give me a look out, and take some stuff I thought you'd need."
Artemis warmed at that, she forgot what it was like to be looked after by someone. She secretly liked it but always put off a defensive stance. She crossed her arms and huffed.
"Could you blame me if I was slightly concerned when I heard you took months to finish your last job?"
She blew out a breath. She was never one for communications, even her brother tried to get her out of that habit to no avail. Uncrossing her arms, she responded,
Sorry, I had a lot on my mind.
"It's fine. I know you don't necessarily like getting looked after all the time. But who knows, maybe that school and team will teach you that working together also means looking after each other."
Yeah yeah yeah, she waved dismissively.
"So…" he added almost hesitantly, "thinking of passing by his place?"
Artemis didn't respond. Instead she just neared the new shipment and picked up a book from inside a box, pretending to read the book jacket.
"He asked about you, you know"
She picked up another book with her other hand and did the same, deciding on which one to borrow. Meanwhile, Tukson was calmly facing her, waiting for a reaction.
"He still doesn't remember, but he does feel a connection with you. Asked me to look after you."
Artemis looked up at that. She started at Tukson's eyes that seemed to be sincere. Besides, he wouldn't just lie to get her to go visit him.
"He's your brother Artemis. Even if he doesn't remember you."
(FLASHBACK)
When she came back to consciousness at the Vale Medical Center, she could immediately tell that her doctor didn't want to be treating her by the way he looked at the left side of her face. Where her faunus trait was visible. She didn't let it get to her this time however, because she also realized where she was.
Apolleon. Where is he? He was there too. She thought desperately.
Artemis frantically tried to communicate with these people but nothing more than a hoarse croak tumbled out her lips, followed by a flash of paint at the base of her throat.
Raising her hand up, she felt that her neck was heavily bandaged.
She was confused at first, but then images came back to her.
The White Fang rally. The explosion. The fire. The smoke. Screams soon filled her mind and she started to cough lightly at the fresh memory.
She was arguing with her brother before it happened, he was trying to drag her ass out of that White Fang protest before it got bad, like it had started to get nowadays.
Her throat was a horrendous mess. It still hurt, and when she tried to talk only a gurgle would come out, and the pain only worsened. She would try to ask the doctor or nurses what her diagnosis was, but they either didn't understand what she was trying to say or they just didn't care to tell a faunus.
She thought about waiting and eavesdropping to what they were saying. But they didn't come back.
She didn't last another minute waiting. She changed into some clothes that probably belonged to the patient next to her. The T-Shirt went down to her knees. The slacks seemed to fit snugly around the waist, but dragged for another half foot on the floor. She rolled them up and looked for something to tie her hair back. She didn't find anything so she just grabbed two pencils that were laying around and created a makeshift bun with her long black hair that went past her waist, pinning it with the objects.
Finishing that, she set out to look for her brother. After many failed attempts at asking around, she finally had the mentality to write down what she wanted to communicate, she found out her brother was also in the hospital. As she entered the room he was staying in she saw he faired a lot better than she had.
Artemis had a bunch of bruised bones and a broken rib that punctured her lungs, causing internal bleeding. Her throat was heavily bandaged due to an apparent improvisation of the people who found her, who saved her life. And the right side of her face was covered in one deep cut.
Her brother seemed okay aside from a few bruises and a bandage around his forehead. She stayed by his side for hours until he began to stir. She stood up and watched as he opened his eyes that wandered and fell on her.
She smiled in relief, "h..ey." She managed to croak out with pained effort.
"Uh, hi. Do I know you?"
Artemis was devastated, while the doctors didn't give a crap. Even as Leon panicked because he couldn't remember his own name.
Artemis brought it upon herself to convince him to leave the medical ward, that all they are doing is just wasting their time and money they don't have. He only agreed when she told him that she knew who he was.
That day, the cheetah faunus had to make a choice. To follow the instruction that the doctor begrudgingly gave her: that is, to let his memories come back on their own, or tell him everything and risk mental trauma. Artemis opted for the first, she didn't know how bad things would get if she told him everything and something were to go wrong. So, she just told him his name and that they were friends since childhood.
Artemis left out their blood relationship, and their origin. All he knows now is that they were orphans and when they found each other they spent their lives traveling around the world, settling in Vale for being their favorite.
Throughout the next two years she helped him build a life. He got a job at a metalsmith's workshop and eventually owned his own place to live, where he let Artemis stay for a while. She waited for him. Helped him out, and tried really hard to not succumb to the pain and loneliness she felt.
She always hoped that he'd remember something, anything, any small thing. But he never did.
She left, about two years after the incident. He had a steady job, looked happy, made friends. Artemis communicated very little, her throat injury ended being long term since she decided not to attend a clinic. She could speak but in broken sentences and with too much effort, and even then, sometimes it was difficult to understand her. This made it difficult to make friends, friends she did not have aside from Tukson and Gajeel, an old acquaintance who decided to stay in the White Fang.
She didn't want to leave. But she was being nothing more that a burden, even if Leon wouldn't say it. She got small jobs here and there to help out but they were never permanent, and she didn't know what else to do. Usually, Leon would be the one who would keep his head on straight and have something in mind.
Artemis? Artemis was at a loss.
She eventually decided to take a break and take a longer job than what she usually got. She went back to the guild that they had originally stayed when first arriving in Vale and searched the bulletin for jobs. After searching through many choices, she came across a call for help at a nearby village that had a Grimm problem. It was about a few days away, so it might help get her clear her head with the prolonged time alone.
The hunt took longer than expected. About two months. But she made it back with just a few scratches. She, however, didn't want to go back to her brother's place. She couldn't face him again and act like everything was okay. She couldn't keep the brave face on anymore. She wanted to cry, she wanted him to tell her that everything would be alright. But it wasn't. Her parents were gone, her home was gone, and now the brother she knew was gone.
She needed to keep her mind off things. Maybe another two months, she thought solemnly.
As she was looking for a new job offer on the bulletin, she noticed another one of those flyers to attend that prestigious hunter's school. Beacon Academy. Apolleon always pestered us to go, she recalled. After a few moments of indecision, she took the paper and headed out the door.
(FLASHBACK ENDS)
Tukson was still waiting for a response. He saw that her face started to get this far off look. She usually got that look whenever she thought back to that day of the incident, where he saw her underneath all that rubble.
He was one of the people that helped dig her out of the debris. He had never seen such a young frail body go through so much, and still manage to survive with but a few scratches and scars. Had he not known that someone was underneath all that rubble, she wouldn't have made it. He remembered a kid that was insisting about someone trapped under there, that he could see them. Tukson, figuring he was messing around, would have walked away had it not been for the faint pained moans and coughing he heard. He figured the kid's semblance helped him 'see' somehow, but he never saw the kid again. Last he heard, he ended up becoming an orphan, his parents seemed to have been killed in that attack.
I will, Artemis finally responded. But not today.
The older faunus regarded her with a stern expression. He wanted to tell her that she should stop being so distant, but he was in no position to tell her what is right or wrong.
He sighed, "fine, fine. Just make sure you don't wait another year," he added gruffly.
Artemis' mouth pressed into a firm line, but nodded and looked back at the two books she had previously picked up. Her obvious longing did not go unnoticed.
"Take'em, consider them part of your last paycheck that you never came back for," Tukson reasoned.
The cheetah faunus hesitated for a moment, but eventually gave in and took them.
Thank you, I promise to come by more often. She replied.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah" he repeated, mimicking the girl's earlier response, "just be on the lookout, the White Fang has had their sights on… traitors recently." He added in a low voice.
Artemis stilled at that, but nodded at the warning, before heading out towards the door.
Arriving back at the academy, Artemis saw that she still had time left to catch up with her new team for breakfast. She took her time appreciating the scenery; the beautiful fountains, the small patches of greenery that resembled small gardens, the monumental statues of heroes and Grimm. Along the way were also a few stands selling snacks for some type of fund raiser. Seeing her favorite brand of chips, she quickly got in line to purchase them.
As she was on her way to the dining hall again, rounding the corner, she was surprised to run into Velvet again. Surveying her face, it seemed that the rabbit faunus was able to get at least a good 2 hours' sleep. Her eyes seemed alert and she saw no dark circles under her eyes. However, under closer inspection Artemis notices that the shy girl was currently cornered. Her ears were drooping slightly and her back was against the outside wall of Artemis' destination.
" – an't believe they're admitting animals now. Although I kinda get it, fighting animals with animals… yeah, makes sense," a male voice uttered.
Velvet seemed to shrink into herself, her ears slightly dropping, but not completely. She seemed so defenseless in Artemis' eyes that she was flabbergasted. She knows how to fight, she reminded herself. So why doesn't she defend herself? She looks like a victim.
Artemis was honestly just going to circle them and keep on walking. I mean, the girl was accepted to this school for a reason. If push comes to shove the archer was sure she could defend herself.
She can defend herself, she's fine. Don't turn around, don't turn around. She chanted, last thing she wanted to do was grab attention.
The next words, that were nearly spit from the first speaker's words, pulled her to a stop as she neared the wooden door that led to the dining hall.
"However, you should've been smart enough to leave after our first meeting. Looks like were gonna have to show you the only thing your kind is good fo –
At this point, Artemis realized the reason the faunus girl seemed so worn and tired. These people have been pestering her since yesterday.
Honestly, what do they get out of this? Do they truly bully-ieve that faunus are lesser beings?
Artemis chuckled at her own pun, her hand still on the door but not entering. Her sudden vocal interruption caught the attention of the group of four.
"What you laughing at? The cracks on the door?" Bully number two snickered.
The archer turned around to fully face the group, showcasing her left side where her faunus trait was visible. Bully number one's eyes quickly narrowed at the sight, and at Artemis' lingering half smile.
"Ya got somethin' to say?" He asked brusquely.
The cheetah faunus simply smiled a little more and softly chuckled, just enough that her throat wouldn't instinctively get her to cough.
This seemed to bother the guy even more, seeing as his frown was marred deeper on his face. His buddies behind him honestly didn't seem too involved in bully one's antics towards Velvet, but apparently, she seemed to catch their attention now too.
Great, just great. She thought.
Looking back over to the rabbit faunus, she made eye contact and then moved her gaze over to the windows of the Dining Hall, glancing over to the rest of her team that were currently chatting up at a table. Velvet, understanding what she was trying to communicate, quickly scurried off the opposite direction to another set of doors that led to the building.
At her departure, the group of bullies seemed to have advanced towards Artemis, completely ignoring the rabbit's parting. Focusing on them again, the long-haired archer stood still, wondering where her meddling will lead her to this time. For the most part, she usually strayed away from these types of situations and would not interfere for someone else. Hell, she rarely got into fights anymore, with her brother not there to keep her in line, where was the fun in that?
"Why don't you share your joke with us? If its moderately funny, I'll think about you not taking that rabbit's place…" The same guy voiced with a smug look on his face. "So, tell us, what's so funny?"
All Artemis did was stare back innocently, cocking her head to the side and smiling. You, she wanted to say. Taking a good look, bully number one's hair was curly, it reminded her of a clown's wig.
Hmmmm, should he open the door for me would be a nice… jester. Laughing again she wondered if being around Ulrich had already rubbed off on her within a matter of a day.
The feline girl's odd reaction seemed to further annoy the bully, given that she still hadn't uttered a word. She could almost swear that bully one's eye twitched ever so slightly.
There must not be a cell of self-restraint in his body because Artemis soon found herself slammed against the door so hard that the wood cracked near her upper back. Both his hands gripped her collar as his face showed nothing but annoyance.
"… No one has ever pissed me off this quickly after meeting them, congratulations." He grunted, getting up close into her personal space. "I'm gonna enjoy wiping that smirk off your face…"
His left hand tightened its grip on the collar of her outfit, but he released his right. For a moment, she thought that was it, that this whole ordeal will just blow off. That's what usually happened, they'd feel like they made their point and just leave. Not this time, because the right hand that had released her soon closed into a fist and was pulled back, readying for the strike.
As the fist grew closer, Artemis did nothing. She found herself tired. Tired of fighting for the same thing over and over. Tired of defending herself for such trivial things like marks on her skin. A few years back she would have easily tried to gain the upper hand and probably beat the guy to a pulp. She was never that great with anger management. But eventually she stopped caring.
She stopped caring the day the brother she knew was gone. The day her hopes were shattered. The day she lost the only thing that grounded her to this cruel world. Her only family.
The day Apolleon was no longer a part of her life, all the fight left her body, she was left tired and broken. Her brother was everything to her, and he was ripped away.
Now, she had nothing.
She no longer found meaning in life. She didn't even know why she applied for Beacon, one day she just saw the flier of the Academy and it reminded her of her brother's enthusiasm in getting both to attend.
I guess being here keeps him alive in a way, a way to keep him close to my heart, she thought. He probably would have made it into the academy too, but Artemis was never interested. And going their separate ways was never an option, so Leon never brought it up again.
Whenever she was cornered by racist people, she no longer had fight in her to care. She just listened to what they had to say, and hoped they'd just leave. If they got too handsy she'd just push them off and try to walk away. But she never fought back, she no longer had a reason to unless it was against Grimm to defend herself.
What's the point of standing up for something you were once determined for, if there was no one to share those accomplishments with. Is there even a point if fighting back? Will it make a difference? Everyone has their own opinions; can you truly change the way someone thinks?
Maybe that's why I'm here, she thought, to find a reason to fight back in this world filled with so much hate, she wondered. As all this was going through her mind, the closed fist was getting closer to her face, Artemis didn't move. She'd take it.
I deserve it, what little I ended up fighting for ended in disaster, and hurt a lot of people.
Her eyes never closed she watched and waited for the hit until… it stopped midair.
Another hand appeared from her right, stopping the approaching fist. Artemis felt the force of what the hit would have been by the breeze that shifted her hair. Eyeing the new hand, she recognized the gauntlet. And sure enough, after trailing her eyes up the arm to the face, there stood Mauve. A quick glance behind him showed the approach of Ulrich and Vinn as well.
What are they doing? she thought incredulously. Why are they getting involved in a fight that has nothing to do with them?
Mauve didn't speak, he simply took one look at Artemisia's puzzled face and turned his head to look at bully number one.
Ulrich was the first one to speak up.
"You know, Ash" he said, revealing bully number one's name, "I'd normally say something along the lines of 'didn't your mom ever tell you never to hit a girl' but considering we're at a hunter's school and Artemis maimed a Nevermore by herself, it just doesn't seem fitting." His attempt at easing the tension humored Artemis the slightest bit.
"I'm confused by your comment, you're talking about a girl, but all I see is an animal," he responded in a non-caring way, speaking as if he just stated that a wall was made of stone. This didn't anger Artemis though, she simply blew out a tired breath.
I've heard that one before, can't they at least get a little more creative? she thought.
Her new teams' reactions however were the complete opposite. Mauve's features hardened a bit. Ulrich's brows furrowed, his once freelance expression now marred by the frown. Vinn simply raised an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed.
Artemis saw the muscles in Mauvin's biceps move, looking straight ahead she confirmed that his grip on Ash's closed fist was tightening slightly, said person's face tightening a bit, clearly trying not to show the obvious discomfort he was in.
Finally letting go of him Mauve simply stated, "You better realize that if you have problems with one of us, your gonna have problems with all of us. So, I'd better think twice in starting something with me or one of my teammates again, because I assure you that we would be better off as acquaintances rather than enemies."
Artemisia's teammates soon had a 5 second stare off with team AASH (finally remembering them from the ceremony thanks to Ulrich's unveiling of the leader's name), she silently surveyed the exchange for a bit with amusement, having never been defended before, she wanted to see it play out. However, the intensity of the moment seemed to have dispersed by Artemisia's opening of the chips she grabbed earlier, taking more than one into her mouth and chewing. Crunching noises filling the silence.
The tension of the confrontation diffused, Mauve's lips twitched slightly at the faunus' antics. Ulrich's face suddenly brightened and stepped in next to her trying to reach for a chip but getting denied by Artemis' defiant stare and keeping the bag from his grip, Vinn raised an eyebrow at the exchange.
Team Ash's distasteful stare stayed static when he faces Mauvin again, "You speak a tall order, better have some talent to back up your words," and with that they turned and left, but not without giving Artemis a nasty stare, to which she responded with another crunch of a chip.
Well, she thought, seems like things might turn out interesting. Maybe coming here wasn't such a bad idea.
Artemis didn't mind being defended, but she certainly wasn't used to it anymore. It felt different coming from someone other than her brother, coming from humans she barley knows. But… she didn't not like it.
"I know you can move almost instantly out of harm's way like you did the Nevermore, but it almost seemed like you wanted him to hit you," Mauve commented, still staring at team AASH's retreating figures.
Deciding not to answer, Artemis simply turned on her heels and headed after Vinn who started to walk into the building. What was she going to respond? "Oh, I don't mind getting beat up, im used to it." Or, "I deserve to get a beating, my mistakes might have had something to do in getting your parent killed."
Yeeeah, no.
As she was walking she saw that Vinn was nearing a table, about to sit down. She noticed that three plates were abandoned and, under further inspection, team CFVY were idly standing, heads turning towards her team at their approach. Both teams were sitting together apparently.
"So? Please tell me you taught them a lesson," Coco nearly demanded. Velvet was currently underneath her left arm, embarrassed at the sudden protectiveness from her leader.
She must have told them what happened, Artemis realized. So that's why they showed up out of nowhere. Rolling her neck a bit to aid the soreness from her upper back, that and they probably heard that slam, he wasn't holding back.
"I don't think starting a fight before school officially starts is a good way to make an impression," Mauvin commented with an amused smile, stopping next to the cheetah faunus. "Your back okay?" He asked.
Without glancing over at him, Artemis touched her chest with her thumb, her hand in a 'high five' gesture.
"She says she's fine," Ulrich spoke up, reading her sign language.
Mauve observed her for a few more seconds before letting it go, turning his attention back to Coco.
"I think that a fantastic way to start a first impression… sure, we might get into trouble a bit too soon… but it would totally be worth it." Turning towards Artemis, Coco added, "Velvet told me what you did for her earlier today, and given what happened just now, I think our two teams will get along just fine. Don't you think Mauve?"
Mauve eventually took a seat and glanced at the cheetah faunus questionably, wondering what she did earlier that day but proceeded to respond with "totally, fighting a pack of Grimm together, nearly beating up bullies for each other, and eating together? We're practically best friends already."
Through the rest of the day, both teams chatted each other up. With the exception from Velvet and Artemis. Both girls didn't partake in the conversation unless they were directly spoken to, even then it was mainly one liners that killed the conversation quickly. Both faunus however hit it up a bit, with Velvet knowing some Sign Language they were able to talk about small things. They didn't get too into the conversation however.
Ulrich certainly had a thing for the fashionista if his flirting wasn't obvious enough. Coco didn't seem to mind, simply took in all his advanced and threw them back. Vinn and Yatsuhashi also seemed to hit it off, talking about their oversized weapons. Mauve keept a conversation going with Fox and Coco, he strikes as an easygoing person, quickly making friends and a friendly conversation.
Artemis took this all in, slowly coming to the realization that this will probably be a regular occurrence. No more sleeping short minutes in the wild to avoid getting scouted by Grimm. No more scavenging for food. No more sleeping up on the trees.
She doubts she'll completely learn to trust them to watch her back, right out of the bat. But, seeing them stand up for her against Ash, she just might learn to make friends for once.
Ulrich held up a slice of pizza but paused before taking a bite. "You know the difference between this pizza and my jokes?... My jokes can't be topped…"
Well, this is going to be an interesting school year. Artemis thought, silently wondering if it was too late to be chosen with another member whose name started with a U…
RTX was amazing and I also ended up cosplaying as Blake. Which, if you don't know, is my favorite character (hand in hand with Yang*heh, hand. get it?*) I also have a visual of my team! I did the art myself (I will warn you now I don't do digital) and I also included concept art of Artemis. If you'd like to see it check out my deviant art page is under the same pen name. Link here (new to this too).
This was a long chapter so if you see any mistakes I missed please let me know.
More details on Mauve's parents and Artemis' "mistake" coming soon.