Man, this took me forever to write. But hey, better late than never! And thank you to the people who commented their ideas on my AN (which I will be deleting and replacing with this chapter)!
One could tell a great deal about a person by the way they acted and reacted towards others, and the young ambassador's actions, as they reached out hesitantly to shake his hand, spoke volumes.
Surprised, Artemis noted. Though it seems they can't decide whether to be pleasantly or unpleasantly so.
Which, honestly, was a relief. Considering Alphys's reaction to him appearing before her, he wasn't sure he could handle yet another individual fawning over him and everything he did that wasn't his mother or his brothers.
On the other hand, Alphys had never looked so cautious as to be just shy of suspicious.
Which means they do not trust me.
He had anticipated such a reaction, especially after hearing what one of Butler's contacts in the police had passed along. Undyne was a former Royal Guard, a policewoman, and above all, a known acquaintance of Frisk's, a friend as well as an ally. She would not have held back such crucial information as the Fowls are suspected criminals and left them in the dark and possibly in danger.
Admirable, but this will complicate matters somewhat.
He had come to this occasion only because the Ambassador was here. No matter how uncomfortable such events might make him, he was not passing up the opportunity to establish the beginning of proper rapport with them, and thus plant the seeds for further communication and information exchange.
Well, that still shouldn't be too difficult.
"H-hello, Mr. Fowl," Frisk said, stuttering for a moment before forcing their voice to steady again. "You're doing well?"
"I am." Artemis inclined his head. "And you are as well? I can only assume that the interviews and other such preparations for the fostering program are quite tiring."
They nodded, and Artemis pulled his hand back and turned to the monster standing just behind the child, bowing his head respectfully.
"And I trust you are well, Your Majesty? I understand that many of Mother's guests have been asking you rather uncomfortable questions."
"Nothing I cannot handle," Toriel said firmly.
"Good." Artemis let his lips twitch upwards at the edges, just a hint of his trademark smirk. "If they should give you further problems, however, please, feel free to come to me for aid. I know a great many of the guests here, and they know me by reputation – I'm certain I could persuade them into silence if need be."
The monster's eyes narrowed a fraction, and Artemis turned back to Frisk, who was watching him with the intense concentration of a hawk – a concentration they immediately hid behind one of the most impressive poker faces Artemis had ever borne witness to. "The same applies to you as well, Ambassador. If someone such as Mr. Yew should bother you as well, feel free to ask for my assistance. After all, people of our ilk should stick together, yes?"
Frisk blinked, some of the suspicion quickly being replaced by confusion. "'Our ilk?'"
His smirk grew a little wider. "Of course. I hardly think you are a normal child in terms of intellect. How many other children can have claimed to have organized worldwide protests and become an acclaimed politician in the short span of a few months, let alone hold onto said position as a politician and soundly counteract the arguments of numerous more experienced men and woman in several different countries? I know of nobody else who could do such things save us two, and perhaps a contact of mine in France."
For a long few moments, the ambassador's confusion remained unchanged. He could all but see the metaphorical gears turning, as they processed his words and the implications within.
Then something clicked, and the child's eyes widened in shock.
"What? You –" They shook their head frantically. "I'm not a genius, not like you! I just – I just did a lot of research! And improvised a lot! That's it!"
"Even genii have need for research on occasion," he pointed out wryly. "And obviously, what research you have done has been done expertly. The field of politics is a difficult one to get steady footing in, and yet I'd almost say you were a professional after a mere two years. You pick up on nuances that many others in your field do not, think everything through quickly and efficiently, and rarely hesitate. That is more than I can say of someone like Mr. Yew."
Frisk reeled back as if struck, eyes widening.
"In addition to that, you discovered and freed an entire sentient species that nobody else on the planet even knew existed. You earned the trust of the entirety of said species in a mere month, including the details of much of their technology. You convinced them to give humanity another chance when heavens know many of us do not deserve it." He shrugged, and continued a tad reluctantly, "That alone puts you head and shoulders above me."
He paused, allowing the child a moment to regain their bearings.
"So, taking all that into consideration, I'd daresay that you are, if not already there, well on your way to becoming my intellectual equal."
Frisk gaped openly at him, mouth opening and closing as they struggled to come up with some response to his argument.
Despite their skills, they are far from confident. Which is understandable, seeing what their upbringing was like.
Giving the child another smirk, he fished around in one suit pocket for a moment, then pulled out the business card he had brought with him – one printed just this morning, in preparation for the gala.
"Really, Ambassador, you should be more confident in your abilities. There is an advantage in someone else underestimating you, but to underestimate yourself is hardly advantageous." He held out the card, and the child took it numbly, still visibly in shock. "I meant what I said. You and I are very much alike. It would be a shame not to keep in contact. Should you need my assistance, and I am available, I will do what I can to help."
Frisk nodded, and Artemis turned briefly to Toriel once again, giving the monster queen a bow and a polite farewell, before turning to leave.
He paused again, calculating his next words carefully. Should I?
Yes, I do believe I should.
"Oh, yes. Ambassador, do be careful. There have been some worrying circumstances surrounding several incidents here, particularly in the Dublin area. I would hate to lose such a valuable ally as yourself. Farewell."
Final words delivered, the Irishman departed, disappearing into the crowd and leaving the Ambassador behind.
I would hate to lose such a valuable ally as yourself.
Still shell-shocked, clutching the man's business card like a lifeline, Frisk stared at where Artemis Fowl had vanished from sight.
There was… there was no way. It had to be a coincidence. After all, everybody knew about Humanity's Resurgence by now – how could they not? It was all over the news after the attack on the mayor. It was only sensible to want to warn someone, especially when they were a viable target of said group. And as a pro-monster politician, and a representative of Ireland, it would be sensible to want the Monster Ambassador as an ally.
But the way he'd said it. The wording. That was familiar.
That was almost exactly what Anonymous said, the last time they contacted me.
No, it couldn't be them. What were the odds of Anonymous being Artemis Fowl II?
*Maybe not all that low…
What?
*Well, think about it. He talks the way Anonymous types, doesn't he? All proper and stuff. And he's a suspected former criminal. Anonymous isn't exactly moral.
That doesn't mean that it was him! And why would he…
They didn't need Chara to intervene on their thoughts. They cut themselves off as another occurred to them.
He's pro-monster. Very pro-monster – he funded that mural, attended sit-in protests, everything. And he was one of the people to recommend the fostering program in the first place, Undyne said so.
Whether or not he had moral reasons to help the monsters, he could possibly have the motivation – and the skills, thanks to his upbringing – to hack into classified documents in order to free them.
And if he did do something like that, he probably would want to be anonymous, wouldn't he? It's not good to advertise that sort of thing.
Chara was right. It wasn't as far-fetched of an idea as they thought.
Just very, very unlikely.
"Frisk?"
Frisk started, then looked up at Toriel. "Sorry, Mom." They grinned, a little sheepishly. "It's just… well, it's not every day that someone says your a genius, right?"
The Queen chuckled and ruffled their hair affectionately. "No, it is not. Though I must say, he is correct, my child. What you've done is very impressive for your age."
Even though they were grinning, internally, they were wincing.
We're only as good as we are because of the Resets. Because we've lived through this before, and if we don't get things right, we know we might end up killed.
Time loops or not, dying, and the mistakes that lead up to dying, was very memorable.
I'm no genius. I've just lived for a lot longer than people think.
The rest of the gala passed without incident.
Most of the guests gradually left, trickling away to board their carts and carriages and trot away into the distance. Some lingered, but that number grew fewer and fewer, until finally, only a few dozen people remained, most of them monsters. Food was packed up and loaded into pantries or carts, tables were carefully rearranged along the walls, and quiet, brief conversations were had.
Then it was time to leave. As one group, the monsters that had come started getting up into the carts, rearranging clothes and shuffling to make sure everybody who'd come, plus the monsters who had arrived earlier to provide food and drink, would have room to sit.
Just as everybody else had gotten seated, and Frisk was about to climb up into the cart themselves, they heard a shout.
"Hey! Frisk, wait!"
They blinked, then turned around to find Myles and Beckett racing up to a stop behind them. Myles was red in the face and very out of breath, while his brother looked fit as a fiddle, and kept bouncing on his feet when he stopped.
"Sorry, we just wanted to make sure we could say goodbye before you left," Beckett said. "And, uh… maybe also invite you back in, I don't know, a month?"
Frisk blinked again. "What?"
"We wish to invite you to our birthday celebration, one month from now." Myles clarified.
"Why?"
"Er, well..."
"We like you," Beckett said bluntly, with a casual shrug. "You're nice, and you're really smart."
"You do make for refreshing company," Myles agreed reluctantly. "And even if we didn't invite you, our mother likely would, considering how much of a fuss she's been making over us 'finally having a normal friend.'"
Frisk couldn't help but snicker at that. Normal? They were so far from normal it sometimes hurt to think about it!
Beckett grinned at them a little sheepishly, and Myles smirked – no doubt understanding somewhat why Frisk was snickering.
"Sooo… would you like to come?" The blonde twin asked hopefully. "You don't have to buy a gift or anything…"
They hesitated, but only for a moment.
I'd be able to SAVE again. And, realistically, it can't hurt to be friends with them, if that's what they really want. I definitely wouldn't have to worry about the Fowls anymore, and if something did happen…
And they did kind of like the twins. Myles may have terrified them with his super-sized brain and borderline psychic intuition, but he was at least polite, and Beckett was a huge sweetheart.
Yeah. Yeah, this could turn out okay.
"Sure." They said. "I'd like to… and I wouldn't mind being friends with you guys, either."
Beckett beamed. Myles visibly sagged in relief.
"See you in a month, then! Or maybe sooner! Oh, and you can bring any of your monster friends you want, too!"
"Except Undyne," Myles muttered. "I don't think I could handle her and Juliet in the same room ever again..."
Frisk giggled in spite of themselves, and, with a wave and a goodbye, got up into the cart.
When they glanced back at the manor, just before the cart trundled around the corner and out of sight, the entire Fowl family was standing there, watching them leave – the twins waving, the parents smiling…
And Artemis Fowl II, upon catching their eye, gave them a nod and a tiny, almost conspiratorial smirk.
Things are gonna start picking up, now that the gala's over, so hold onto your seats! ;P