And we are back in business!
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Disclaimer: GODS OF DISCLAIMER: You do not own Artemis Fowl!
ME:Well, who told you otherwise?
Artemis started off down the hall, running from Holly's room. He was struggling to keep himself from letting his temper take over. He seriously wanted to go back too her room and continue smacking some sense into her, but refrained.
He stormed back into the light coloured kitchen and threw himself into one of the high stools, crossing his arms across his chest.
Butler looked up from the vegetables he was roasting on the stove as his charge entered the room. He only had to give Artemis brief once over to be able to tell that their short conversation had not gone well.
The bodyguard sighed and left the stove, occupying a chair next to the boy. He leaned back in the chair, watching Artemis closely. "What happened?"
Artemis closed his eyes and rubbed his temples, his jaw clenched tightly. "Nothing."
"It sure looks like something."
"I don't want to talk about it."
"Artemis..."
The boy got up, pushing his chair in with a little more force than necessary, and pointed to the plate that he had made up for Holly. "Take that to the hostage and tell her that if she doesn't eat it, I'm going to move her back down to the basement and force a drip feed in her arm. Clear?"
Startled, the man nodded and Artemis stormed back out of the room. Butler heard the sound of a door slamming somewhere above, and sighed softly.
'What did you say to him, Holly?' he wondered. Then he shook his head, picked up the plate of food, and silently left the room. He walked up the light staircase and through the halls wondering about this.
The first thing Butler noticed about Holly when he entered the room was the big, angry red handprint on her cheek, and the small bit of dried blood on the corner of her mouth.
For a moment he was so shocked he couldn't move. Then the anger kicked in.
He set the food down on the stand by her bed, then set down on the edge beside her and started examining her face. He grabbed her chin suddenly, and she jumped, her eyes shooting open.
"Relax, Holly. "It's just me." He said, not too gently.
"Oh." She kept her eyes on him, unsure of his tone of voice.
Butler tilted her head to the side for a better look, starting to rub the blood off. "What happened?"
"Artemis slapped me."
"I know that much. Now, anyhow. Why did he slap you?" He took his hand from her chin.
Holly shrugged. "I guess he didn't like what I had to say."
"What did you say?"
"That's between Artemis and me, Butler," she said, leveling him with one of her stares that clearly said that she was't telling him anything.
"Holly. I'm not joking. What. Did. You. Say?"
"I'm not joking either. I'm not telling you."
"Artemis didn't want to talk about it either," Butler murmured thoughtfully.
The comment was more to himself than anyhing, not really meant for Holly to hear, but it reached her ears anyway.
The elf laughed bitterly. "That's probably the only thing we agree on, that this is between us."
Butler didn't say anything. That statement had triggered something in his mind.
'...and I swear to not intentionally harm myself again..'
Of course. She wouldn't need to if she got Artemis to do it for her by goading him. Could she possibly purposely instagating Artemis? the man wondered. Would she go that far? He peeked at her from the corner of his eye. She was looking at her binds, struggling against them again, just softly this time. But she was smirking a bit, enough for him to notice.
'Considering what just happened, you would think that she'd look a little less happy...' he thought.
Time for a test...
"By the way," Butler said carefully, watching her reaction to each word, "I'm supposed to tell you that if you refuse to eat, Artemis is going to lock you in the basement again and put you on a drip."
"Let him," Holly said, shrugging. "I don't feel at all threatened by him anymore. What's he going to do, torture me again? Kill me? It wouldn't be satisfying for him if I don't react the way he wants me to."
"Are you saying that you'd welcome the torture if it ended in death?" Butler questioned.
"Yes," she said simply, almost smiling darkly at the thought.
Then she realized what she did, and that "almost smile" dropped. "I-I mean, no..."
Butler raised his eyebrows, and Holly looked dumbfounded. "Fine. whatever. Yes, I would." She frowned at him, giving him a look and shaking her head in disbelief. "You tricked me. That was mean."
"I shouldn't have been able to trick you. there shouldn't hve been anything to trick out of you," Butler answered. "You provoked him, didn't you?" His voice sounded disgusted.
"Yes," she sighed. "I provoked him."
"How?" She just shook her head and looked at her lap. He sighed. "You're not going to tell me, are you?"
She shook her head again mutely, her arms still twisting gently in her bonds.
He frowned. Standing up, he sighed again and ruffled her hair lightly, trying to lighten the mood. "Okay. Tell you what. I'm going to go reem Artemis for smacking you, and then whatever the outcome is of that, either he or I will be up again in the next ten to twenty minutes to feed you. Okay?"
Holly smiled slightly and nodded. "Okay. Bye Butler."
"Bye Holly." the manservant said then he walked out of the room. Closing the dark brown door behind him.
Soooo...it will be...410? Try and get it even again...y'all can do it!