Chapter 24: Territorial Waters

Emma and Artz were sitting at one of the tables outside of Granny's Diner discussing just about everything under the sun while waiting for Henry to get out of school...not to mention grabbing a bite to eat.

She wondered if the redhead even ate anything unless someone forced her too. The moment she had mentioned lunch, Artz had declined...her stomach growling loudly in protest almost directly after. Then she offered to buy her lunch, her treat and the crimson haired woman had relented.

Emma had been meaning to do this for a while...interacting with the mysterious blue eyed woman that everyone in town either hated or flat out ignored. She wanted to understand why she was treated so harshly and by so many. Thus the reason for her constantly bombarding the woman with random questions. Anything to solve the puzzle that was Artz Lanaria.

"Okay...what would you look for in a guy?" The blonde asked making the ginger roll her eyes fondly.

The question was harmless enough but the answer would tell her a great deal about the kind of person the red head was. Why because certain attributes being desired in one's significant other often reflected either a kindred spirit or to rectify a deficiency.

"As in friendship, lovers, or a glorified babysitting job...sorry i meant to say marriage." The red head sassed smirking, her tone completely casual and most definitely unrepentant.

Emma laughed...god, she loved it when the ginger went into full on sass mode...the looks on people's faces when she verbally slapped them in the face with a healthy dose of satire and wit...ah, priceless.

"I would say overall but...describe your ideal man." She rephrased.

The reason for narrowing it down was more due to a certain habit that the ginger portrayed somewhat rarely, depending on the company, and that habit is word vomiting. Once she got started...a run away train with no brakes and all anyone could do was just nod when she paused for breath or when drinking something...and then boom...off again.

She leaned a little closer so she could give the ginger her undivided attention. She needed to catch every detail, no matter how vague...only to be completely taken off guard by her response...a common occurrence.

"Tall, dark, ruggedly gorgeous, a voice as sexy as sin, an accent that turns most of the female species into puddles of goo, charm, sass, sarcasm, and most definitely swagger. Confident, knows what he wants, intelligence is a must though he needs to be resourceful and adjust quickly to changing circumstances.

Quite frankly, I want all that on top of him being a badass yet a gentleman, has a code of honor but is not afraid to get his hands dirty. He must be a man of his word and willing to do what ever it takes just to find me, let alone keep me.

Physical attributes: dark hair, I'm thinking brunet. Eyes ranging from steel blue to mirrored obsidian. Basically black, blue, and silver. He has to have style too but he also needs to be flawed." She rattled off surprising the blonde with how specific she was being.

"Picky much and why flawed? Most women want perfection." Emma retorted taking a bite of her sandwich.

The blonde was genuinely curious about the whole being flawed thing. Most women wanted someone to fit their ideal picture of what love was supposed to be like, but she had a feeling that the ginger was about as far away from normal as one could get without being clinically insane.

"Not picky, just specific and I am not like most women, Swan Lake." The ginger replied.

"Amen to that." The blonde said absentmindedly.

The blonde woman loved it when Artz called her by that nickname. It had been the first thing that the red head had said to her…'Swan Lake meet Storybrooke. Storybrooke meet Swan Lake...and fight!'

Emma had to stop herself from audibly laughing, not wanting to miss the ginger's explanation...but it didn't make it any less funny and had definitely left an impression on her.

"As for being flawed...no one is perfect and will undoubtedly make mistakes, but he needs to recognize that so that he can come to love my flaws just as I would love his." Artz explained bringing the blonde back into their current conversation.

Wow...just wow...this woman was just not normal. To be willing to admit that you are flawed is already hard enough to do for yourself but to admit that to someone else and hope that they wont reject you for it...just whoa.

"You are a bona fide romantic. Anything else, Lady Doctor?" The blonde commented trying to keep it light.

The last thing she needed was to put Artz on the defensive by probing too deeply. The redhead was a lot more sensitive than everyone realized and had a hair trigger defense mechanism that shut out her deeper emotions while cranking up the sass as a cover.

Calling her 'Lady Doctor' was something that occurred when Artz had told her that Artz was German for Doctor and her pen name for her fan fiction was Lady Artimes Blaine...so Lady Doctor...and it kind of acted like a mild trigger for the ginger, letting her know that the blonde was just teasing rather than blatantly pumping her for information.

"Yeah, a few things. I want him to know both darkness and light. Why so that he can find a balance within himself and maybe help me find my own.

I want him to choose me...over everything else. To know that hate is always foolish and love is always wise. To at least try to be nice but never fail at being kind. To understand both cowardice and cruelty and to look beyond that to see a greater meaning.

I want him to never give up on me, no matter how hard I try to push him away. I want him to fight for me, that I am worth staying for. I want him to understand that dying is easy and that living is hard...so that he will do all he can...to live...for me.

I want him to be my shield but only when I am in over my head. I want him to stop me from going too far to try to help someone. He must not be afraid to get rough with me...especially in bed, but also allow me to explore...to sate my curiosity, that lust for knowledge, to know the unknown.

So basically Colin O'Donahue as a pirate, preferably a captain. Why so I call him My Captain." She elaborated smirking.

"Does that mean you're his wench?" Emma teased smiling at how ludicrous the red head was being about her ideal man.

"He may be a pirate but even pirates use the stars to find their way home. That's what I want to be...His guiding star...that will always lead him back to me." She replied sincerity ringing in every word.

Shit...this woman was insanely specific. There was no way in hell that she would find anyone to fit that criteria!

"Yep...definitely a romantic...but i doubt you'll find anyone like that here. Reality is a fucking bitch." The blonde countered noting the knowing look in her companions sapphire eyes.

There were times when Emma really hated that look...those times usually resulting in another fight with the redhead, but this time was different. She seemed to be saddened by the truth yet still had hope.

"Not in this realm, no...but perhaps in another...a mystical land of adventure and magic. Perhaps that is where I will find my captain...but rest assured, Swan Lake, i will find him and when i do, I am never letting him go...because he is mine...plot be damned." The ginger stated her tone becoming rather possessive at the end.

"Do you view everything as a story?" Emma asked genuinely curious.

Now this was something that always bothered the blonde haired woman. Artz always compared everything to some kind of story or book or game or TV show or movie...heck even music. She was worried that the redhead didn't actually view reality as….well reality.

"What is life, Emma? Life is a story, and as each person is unique so too is their story. Don't try to force out a chapter...it never works. Instead...simply follow your heart, do what you believe is right especially when it is not easy. Always be kind especially when you're hated for it.

Be bluntly honest because if you're gonna be damned...at least be damned for who you are.

Simply live each day like it is its own adventure, unravel the mysteries around you, go on fanciful quests to find hidden treasures, make friends along the way so that their stories can crossover with yours to create an even more thrilling tale.

Each word is a day, each line a week, each page a month, each chapter a year, every decade a novel. A series depicting our lives and how our stories effect others...so just live, Emma Swan. Share your story with as many as you can...why so you can learn more about yourself and to inspire others to write their own stories, both literary and in life." Artz answered revealing a kind of wisdom that only she seemed to have.

Damn it...how does she do that? It sounded perfectly normal and acceptable and still came out like she held the wisdom of the ages.

Emma didn't know why the woman's words touched her so much. The way she saw the world was remarkable and yet so incredibly simple. How, just how? Geez… this woman doesnt make any sense!

"I actually feel sorry for you." The blonde stated surprising the red head, "You have the imagination of God himself and all you have to work with is all these lame characters roaming about. How do you not get bored?"

The crimson haired woman giggled, her eyes looking much older than her age and lonely too. God, she hated it when her eyes looked like that...it made her heart ache so much, because she knew...knew what it meant to be alone.

"I do a lot of reading." Artz answered softly, the double meaning not lost on the blonde.