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Post by Romulus Lupin on Oct 25, 2007 19:38:01 GMT -5
Romulus.Lupin
The flame never dies
It was near midnight when the man appeared on the street near number 13 Sherridan Road. The dim light from the lamps illuminated his haggard features briefly as he passed underneath them. His skin carried a grey tint to it, as if he'd been struck with some illness. A long scar crossed his right eye and continued down his cheek bone, giving him a rougish appearance. From whence this scar came, few knew. And no one dared ask.
He knocked twice upon the heavy wooden door and was granted entrance immediatly. The house elf who let him in took his soaking cloak, squeaking about the horrid weather outside. Romulus answered briefly before allowing his bags to be taken and crossing the kitched to the den. A fire cackled merrily in the hearth, giving the room a warmth Rom himself did not feel. He held his hands over the flames, gratified to feel the circulation returning to them.
His robes hung loosely over his too thin frame. He looked rather like his brother had after every full moon, but for very different reasons. Dark activitey had picked up once more, much to everyone's disdain. It started with a murder in Hogsmeade Village and he, being one of the few Aurors still around, had been deployed immediatly to the scene. He'd spent the past week chasing false leads, traveling around the country on tips, and spending many sleepless nights researching fervishly in the Ministry's library. To no avail.
He waved his wand lazily and a bunch of letters appeared out of thin air. They had the same handwriting on them, spelling out his name in graceful curves and each decorated with an assortment of hearts. They were from her. His stomach leapt and twisted as he opened the oldest one and began to read, letting them take him back. |
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Post by Artemis-Mai Alcippe on Oct 26, 2007 9:17:09 GMT -5
Artemis rolled over under the heavy sheets of the bed sighing to herself. Apollo had seemed to be sleeping soundlessly like there was nothing else to do and that should have been a good omen. Since she'd been sacked from working at the ministry she'd come over to Sherridan to get away from her working life at Charnwood. Her pale hands fumble about pulling the cover off her and letting her slip out of the bed and lift her want. It bent slightly easing her flick as the tip glowed a soft green. She had no use for candels or lamps no her wand was the perfect light. She lifted a black satin gown and threw it onto herself with not much glee about the idea. If she was still employed she'd be on night duty right now guarding something, trying to still find out the old stories of missing cats. She missed the action but still she refused the "big" stories, the ones where you met red snaps and dragons prtecting houses in which where murdered beyond the eye's range. The ones where you actually did have to search for dark wizards... Nothing had really been the same for 8 years.
Her hands lifted to draw back the heavy curtains and stared outside. The park just over the road was deserted, there was the faint howling of a siren outside but nothing else. Yet Arti's eyes where held on the silhoetted form, she had no clue who it was but they seemed able to see the house perectly. Perhaps it was Aariane she knew how to open the door the others just took the fire, travelling by floo powder. She wrapped her gown up and tied it with the small belt before wandering into the corridor, well there was someone down there because one of the house elves was babbling away to himself but it wasn't Aariane he made beautiful covisations with her of which they could have talked for hours even if one of them hated the subject. She stood at the top of the stairs listening for a simple reply from the stranger and raised her eyebrows as the saw a wet cloak hung on the hangers. Walking gently, without a sound, down the stairs she lifted it off and placed it in the cupboard.
A yawn fell from her natural lips and she cursed herself for being tired when there was action, what was the use of it all? The irony. Her long brown hair was left to naturall curl at the bottom and bounce along her back as she walked into the kitchen purposfully keeping a hand on her wand. Yet her blue eyes caught sight of the stranger and her hand lost grip letting her wand fall to the ground with a loud clatter on the tiled. Tober gasped lightly and looked up at her face with worry but she simply turned and fell into the first door she came to. Thankfully it was dark, the curtains where drawn and like almost every room the decor was black or brown with the chairs being worn yellow. She walked straight past the chairs and sank into the corner of the room a single tear rolling down her cheek perhaps from shock perhaps from hate. He'd broken her heart twice and still she'd continued to love him for all those years not even knowig if her was alive, well she'd concluded he wasn't since there was no letter from either year, not even a simple sign that he was alive!
Her first letter had been sent to his home as possibly the longest letter ever written by her. Artemis never wrote long letters they where usless and inaoropriate but she'd waffled on about the auror course she was taking after her NEWT results came back to confirm the marks. Sad upon the return of no reply she herself packed away her writing equipment and didn't write for well over 10 months then on the spur of the moment she found an old album of pictures dated from the begining of her life. The pictures had delighted her, right up until her and Aariane's first day at hogwarts. They where both smiling just outside of platform nine and three quaters, perhaps that was how she wished to be again. Then each summer a single, double and family portraits. At the end of her 7th year slot there was only one picture she'd known to be there, it had long since been taken out and right now was in the auror office on her wall. Everything linked like her was her soumate but if so why did he leave?
Her body rocked forward and hugged her knees where the dressing gown had fallen to the ground showing the grey cotton pj bottoms that she had been wearing to sleep in, they fell to her knees and then left her bare calves and feet hidden in the shadows. The room, which was usually not that bright anyway, was almost pitch black and she could barely see anything infront of her. Thankfully the door had closed behind her escape and left her able to sit in quiet. This house was much more elaborate than her own house, 6 charnwood, the stone walls where beautifully dusted each day by the two house elves which staye din this house. Both were generally young and one was the son of Tober and his mother although Tober had never actually liked his son's mother.
- sorry about the randomness I was a little bored and arti was really easy to talk about -
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Post by Romulus Lupin on Oct 26, 2007 14:38:52 GMT -5
Romulus. Lupin
A single tear traced down his weathered cheek as he read the longest letter she'd ever written him. It was the one given to him by his brother. Artemis had sent it to his house, hoping for an answer. In hiding the way he was, Rom couldn't have answered. But how he'd wanted to. He clutched the letter to his heart as if it was she that was held there in his arms.
A clatter shocked him back into the present and he vanished the letters swiftly. His head turned to the doorway just in time to see a familiar sheet of brown hair dissappear. His heart leapt uncomfortably. So she was here. Rom had longed to see her for years, nearly driven himself mad with the craving to hold her,to taste her. But it could not be so. He was not surprised to have learned that she thought him dead, how could she not? It had been so long since she'd heard from him. The secrets of his past had taken their toll on him, leaving him ragged and thin.
He reached into the pocket of his robes and drew out a well worn picture. It was of the two of them in his last year at Hogwarts. They were by the lake under a beautiful willow tree. Romulus had his arms around her and she was holding them and looking up at him. The creases in the picture told of how often he'd gazed at it over the years. Even the actual photograph itself was a bit faded in spots, caused by splashes from the tears he'd shed.
He debated for a moment whether to go after her or not. Could she possibly still love him after all this time, after what he'd been forced to do? Romulus moved foward before he could change his mind, stepping on her wand in the process. Picking it up, he drew his own for light. Where could she have gone? Gazing down at his wand, he whispered a simple spell.
"Point me!"
It spun and faced into the first room. Romulus opened the door slowly and it gave out a loud creak. It was pitch black in there, but he could make out her silhouette. One of the advantages of a werewolf attack was apparantly very good night vision. His eyes closed for a moment as he tried to control his own storm of emotions. He walked into the room, his long blue robes dragged ever so slightly along the ground. Reaching the corner where she sat, he sat opposite her, not too near. Wordlessly, for fear of breaking down, he held out her wand, just barely touching her knee so that she could know what he held. |
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Post by Artemis-Mai Alcippe on Oct 26, 2007 14:59:08 GMT -5
Her fingers closed around the loose cotton crushing it in her hands. For one reason or another her heart was beating like it would never beat again and she couldn't help but shake. Lifting her hands to her hair she pushed through it and the left the strands how they fell before looking up at the creak of the door. She turned her head away as if she was five and in one of her famous 'huffs'. Yet her lip wasn't pouted and her face wasn't red from screaming, it was drained of colour like she was ill and the dark circles around her eyes fixed with worry. Artemis folded her arms slipping once or twice in the action because of the satin arms and sighed turning her eyes ack onto the rough outlining of the figure. She reached out for her wand accidentaly toughing his hand and flinching away before taking the maple wood in her hands and dropping it to the left of her, hearing it roll across the floorboards and stopping as it either hit the wall or caught something.
She wanted to say something but nothing would come to her and for Artemis not to be able to speak it was a first. Although she wasn't outgoing she always said something, a small made up word or a long rant anything but silence. Suprisingly it didn't feel uncomfortable, or strange as she thought it might. Actually she'd braced herself for never seeing him again and told everyone she'd moved on yet a pathetic lie that was. Another tear fell down her face landing on her chest staining the fabric with more than words could say. She wanted to just touch him, see if this was real and not just another dream where she'd thought of their encounters. Where she'd wrote a new letter and another one came as soon as she'd signed her name and sealed the note, one from him yet not in his words. She'd had dreams of the past when Hogwarts was their home and she'd blately refused to go home unless it was needed.
Her body shifted lightly the sound of her moving cloths competing with her breathing. She could hear every draw of air sinking into her lungs, every beat of her heart like it was a drum twice the size of the world yet the room was in utter silence broen only by the soft rub of material. Her left hand fell to the floor and her palm rested on her wand silently saying "lumos duo". The soft green/yellow glow from the wooden stick cast a dark shaddow at one side of his face but illuminated his right side so she could see him. Her trembling still hadn't stopped perhaps out of sheer shock that this wasn't a dream. Well if it was things sure did seem real and generally you didn't feel the wood on your feet, the cold stone walls and hear sounds others couldn't imagine how you heard them so loud. The siren in the distance had dissapeared and right now all she stared at was his face, one she hadn't seen since she was 18.
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Post by Romulus Lupin on Oct 26, 2007 15:08:13 GMT -5
The silence was eating up his nerves. His own breaths came raggedly, as if he had just finished running a race. He trembled as she touched him and jerked away, dropping her wand in her haste. She felt just as he remembered. The fact that she didn't say anything at all surprised him more than anything. She wasn't the girl he remembered.
Light entered the room from her wand and lit up so swiftly that his right eye was temporarily blinded. He blinked, seeing little blue spots where Arti's face should've been. When he could see once more, he was strangely moved to see she was staring at him like he was a ghost. He reached out his trembling right hand and cupped her cheek gently, stroking the porcielen skin with his rough thumb.
"Forgive me."
Romulus whispered brokenly. If only she had any idea how hard it had been to conceal himself from her for so long. It had nearly destroyed him. Tears began to trickle down his scarred cheek, but he didn't turn away from her. Not when she was so close, here before him at last. His heart thudded beneath its confines, threatening to burst forth and expose everything about him.
He reached for his wand and said the spell automatically. Anything to prove that he had enver stopped thinking about her for all these years.
expecto patronum!
A silver pheonix burst forth from the end of the 11 inch holly and unicorn hair wand. It soard around the room, illuminating Artemis's worn face in eerie silver light. She was still beautiful.
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Post by Artemis-Mai Alcippe on Oct 26, 2007 15:36:07 GMT -5
Her eyes faultered her gaz for a moment or two as his hand touched her face, it felt perfect just like it had before and she almost brought her hand to hold it there forever but she refused to give in so easily. His words fell through her like no words could describe it was like her drug, just a good one. One she hadn't taken for a while and she'd been unable to live without it, the words didn't matter it was the sound, the way he said it his feelings in the lyrical expression. It prickled her eyes with the most worthy tears, falling over her cheeks and tracing his fingers his own captured like a song only heard once which means so much to you and then you never find it again. If it was all so true, that he hand't ran away from her and didn't even wish to tell her why he'd left then why couldn't she smile, why coulnd't she just move to hold him and never let go why couldn't she feel his lips against her like those years back.
It was so ironic, the way Artemis sat simply watching his face thinking all the thoughts in the world that she could. It was like she was a human encased in stone and could see and want to move but the stone was holding her back afraid to let her go again and just be heartbroken. Heart break. One thing she'd always feared yet it seemed to just fall upon her like bad luck. Everything was bad luck at the moment and wasn't it true it came in three's? Her uncle was murdered by perhaps Voldemort perhaps a copier of his ways, she was "suspended" from her post at the ministry untilt hey decided if what she had done was enough to get rid of her forever and judging by the hate the minister and Artemis had for eachother it looked down hill. What else could happen? Romulus could be a death eater, he could dissapear again after tonight and never come back until someone found his body on a stormy night... She coudln't bare to think these thoughts.
Her arm moved lightly, slowley to his hand and pulled it from her face her eyes unlocked from his face and fell to the floor, she was still again for what seemed an eternity followed by the stone breaking and her entire body falling forward weakly grasping his body. They fit so easily, so perfectly together her chin perfectly balanced on his shoulder the tears falling heavier than she could remember even at things that caused her to shed tears for days on end.
"I can't ever not forgive you!"
Her trembled whisper was stuttered quickly yet didn't ruin the moment at all it simply fell into place with the whole situation. Actually right now her wand had stopped glowing and yet she hadn't realized which for someone like Arti was not somehting that happened quickly. Those games where things where on a plate and then one or two were taken away Arti could do them instantly even if the things where muddled about. Yet when blinded by love there was nothign you could do.
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Post by Romulus Lupin on Oct 26, 2007 19:28:26 GMT -5
Romulus watched her, both of their faces seemingly frozen in unsmiling masks. What was wrong wtih them? Had the years of seperation been too much. The darkness that was renewed by Arti's wand going out, but he could see her clearly. Rom felt the tears wet his fingers, they nestled in the curves like lovers. He bowed his head, not wishing her to see what was revealed in his eyes.
She needs to know.
But she would be safer not knowing, never understanding!
But it wouldn't be fair and you know it. You've hurt her enough.
He argued with himself for the few mintues they sat in stoney silence, contemplating each other with a longing that both of them felt in the air. Then they moved simultaneously. She fell foward as the exact moment he opened his arms to her. Wrapping them firmly around her, Rom pulled Artemis onto his lap and held her, crying into her sweet smelling hair and stroking her back.
"Lucky me."
He whispered. There was no sarcasm in that statement, it was absolute truth. He was a lucky man that she chose to forgive him for what he'd done, even if he'd done it to save her. Romulus kissed the top of her head, then slipped his arms underneath her more firmly.
"Artemis...I have to tell you something."
Romulus spoke into her ear, his voice slightly muffled from the sheet of her hair. He grasped his wand and conjured a very comfortable couch. Lifting her up with him as he stood, he settled comfortably on the couch with his long legs stretched across it. Arti he kept nestled against him, unwilling to let her go.
"You need to know the truth of why I left."
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Post by Artemis-Mai Alcippe on Oct 27, 2007 7:53:00 GMT -5
A small tweak of her mouth, even if it wasn't a full smile lifted her soggy appearance from it's gloom to a slightly more glowing of relief. She still couldn't believe what was happening it was like a dream, it still felt like one but it wasn't. She felt like she was floating on air although for floating on air she did sure feel heavy, her head was compressed with all the things that where happening.
"Lucky to have me?"
Her question seemed a little quiet and rhetorical yet she didn't really mind if he answered. Her hair was clasped in place by his steady hand and she could feel his sweet breath behind her, comforting and steady like a protector behind her shielding from all the fears. Arti's hands locked together behind him and she wasn't going to let go, if she didn't have to move she'd stay there forever just for that moment to last. To feel how she did at that moment was like dieing and going to heaven yet still living.
"Is this the part where you tell me you have five children, two wives and are moving to some place no one has ever heard of?"
A playful joke dancing in the air trying to lift both their moods, it all sounded too serious and right now she wanted to just sit there in the dark and listen to his heart and his murmering words forever, not really taking any of it in but right now she had to listen. It was like she hadn't noticed they had moved, finding herself against Romulus at a different angle. Her fingers caught his hair and let it wind around in her fingers. It seemed like she was still crying but maybe her tears where just falling along her cheeks slowley afraid to part from the meaning of them. Her eyes glistened, a little puffed up and red from crying so rapidly yet still glistening with the pleasure that she wans't alone anymore. It seemed nearly everyone over a certain age was married or in a relationship at the moment and sometimes Artemis just felt like it was wrong to go searching again so she was stuck in the house doing reports and after that was done she scrawled down lyrics.
"Ha well I don't get to go away anymore the bloody Minister decided he'd put me on a suspension for rebelling against him..."
-sorry it's short -
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Post by Romulus Lupin on Oct 27, 2007 13:33:33 GMT -5
"So very lucky to have you."
Romulus rested his hand gently on the sides of her face and kissed her very tenderly. She tasted as sweet as she had years ago, before all the terrible things happened. The agony from those days melted away as he absorbed the fact that this was all real, that he was sitting on a couch holding Artemis and kissing her. He pulled back and smoothed her hair. Flicking his wand, he lit a fire to bring some warmth to the room. The light illuminated her face and he could see her swollen eyes. His thumb slid gently underneath them, wiping away the moisture.
"Well, it's only two kids and the wife is missing."
The joke danced on the chilly air but did nothing to lighten his mood. He settled his arms around Artemis's waist and leaned into the couch, his eyes never leaving her face. His greatest fear was that he would have to go away again and leave her all alone. Romulus closed his eyes as if hiding from some distant pain. Maybe he was.
"Do you remember those murders that happened eight years ago? All those really powerful witches and wizards within the ministry? The reason I left is because their killer tried to get me too. You see, he was a Dark Wizard working for whoever is going to rise as the new Dark Master and he was trying to recruit those with special powers or high clearance within the ministry. I refused to join him, like the rest, and he tried to kill me. When he failed, he told me he was going to find the one I loved and use her to convince me that my only option was to join him. I couldn't let him get to you like that."
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Post by Artemis-Mai Alcippe on Oct 27, 2007 14:07:19 GMT -5
His lips against her own were warm against the chill of her skin. It was held for what seemed a lifetime yet not long enough as he broke away, her eyes flutteres and faultered her gaze. She didn't want the sterness or anything else which could ruin the moment yet it seemed that she'd have to listen anyway. The dry joke slipped away as she let her head fall against his body her curls across her face obscuring her vision but whatever he had to say she was in such an emotional state she'd end up bawling her eyes out again. Her lips parted slightly and her hand fell onto his chest eyes drifting slightly upward to his face. She could feel the vibration of air in his chest more than hearing the words anyway, it seemed to shock her so much that she hadn't realized she'd sat up so abruptly. Those murderings had taken the lives of her friends and some relatives of the aurors in the ministry yet she had no idea that Romulus had been threatened.
"You should have said something gave hints or something. Do you know how sick I made myself worrying over you eventually I dropped important cases and stayed doing report writings because I could do anything with the thought that you would have been there to help."
Surprisingly no tears drifted down her rosey cheeks the fire left an orange glow around the pathetic room. Yes it was grand but it wasn't normal. There where too many chairs it was more like a hotel than a house living room. Well with the amount of people who lived in the house it had to be like this but there were rooms like this on every floor. Identical. Every room was identical, no character at all yet many people loved it purley because of it's size and clealiness. Charnwood wasn't the most beautiful house but a few years back it was the only house they had for the GNA it was suprizing that Romulus knew about this house at all...
-bah-
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Post by Romulus Lupin on Oct 27, 2007 14:15:44 GMT -5
She pulled away from him and that was the equivalant of sticking a knife directly into his heart. He kept his arms firmly around her, refusing to let her go completely. Romulus knew she was going to react like that, she'd always been easy to read. His gaze settled on her eyes and didn't waver.
"Yes I know. I nearly drove myself insane watching you. I came to see you the night I left. YOu were sleeping so I kissed you and put an enchantment around you that would let me see you if I asked it. I watched you all those years and it nearly destroyed me, especially when you thought I was dead. I couldn't say anything Arti. If they had any hint that it had been you, you would've been dead within a day. I would rather die than let that happen. The only reason I came to see you that night was because I managed to stun the man they set to tail me. They were the same people that helped murder my brother."
His voice choked up and he fell silent, controlling himself. ROmulus knew he had doomed her to heartbreak by leaving, but what was he supposed to have done? He would rather watch her grieve than attend her funeral and know it was his fault. Rom sighed and leaned his head against the back of the couch, gazing up at the darkened ceiling. He'd always known he would have to tell her someday.
"It's still not over, Arti. I've been back for near a month but I asked that you didn't know. I wanted to tell you. I was going to come two weeks ago but then the murder in Hogsmeade happened. The minister sent me to work the case because I'd spent eight years tracking these fools down. Except it wasn't them. It was someone else, I can just feel it. Someone more powerful than they were. And that man found me again. Of course, he won't be delivering any more threats for sometime. He's in St. Mungo's recovering from his injuries as we speak."
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Post by Artemis-Mai Alcippe on Oct 27, 2007 14:52:58 GMT -5
She sighed lightly and closed her eyes leaning against the other side of the couch. She'd told herself not to listen, it would drive her to be mad again but of course she'd listened and listened dreadfully too much. Why not go for someone else, leave her life alone? It wasn't as if she'd done anything to anyone although she couldn't help having the connection with every dark wizards nightmare in those days. Her uncle Albus Percival Wolfric Brian Dumbledore was murdered by a member of the order of the pheonix before she was born yet she felt a stronger connection with him than anyone else in her family because they had similar trates. Then of course the fact that Her uncle and Romulus' brother had known each other. It fit the reasons why they where hit more than most families, maybe someone knew about the GNA but that was the main reason. Their families.
"You didn't think to wake me or were you too afraid I would beg you not to go and rather die than be parted from you? I walked into work, well my apprenticeship, that morning a little confused knowing something was up but I ignored it and like usual I walked to your office a little suprised you weren't there. No one told me anything different, just said you hadn't come in. I was heartbroken and begged for the day off I got home and spent a whole day writing that letter but I didn't cry because I thought you'd come back that night but you didn't... I slept near the door for days waiting just for you to come back!"
Her heated features harshly where thrown toward him and then away from him completley. Her eyes watched the shadow made by her wand on the ground and bit her inner lip harshly to stop herself from crying again. She refused to cry again over the same thing.
"Wouldn't you think making my own sister, my best friend and everyone else decieve me is the best way to make me feel better... Oh and you're going to leave again!? I thought this was a dream come true, now it's just a nightmare..."
Artemis shrugged again and brung one of her knees upto her chest her feet were still like ice even though the room was heating up quite nicely, actually all of her was cold as if the heat was unable to penitrate her.
- haha she loves to attack-
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Post by Romulus Lupin on Oct 28, 2007 8:46:49 GMT -5
Romulus stood abruptly and stalked over to glare at the flames that cackled so merrily within their confines, oblivious to the tension in the room. He'd forgotten how heated their arguments could be, this one was no exception.
"I didn't wake you because then I wouldn't have been able to leave. And then you would've been dead. And no one was going to decieve you because no one knew. Only Remus. He brought me that letter that you sent to my house and it killed me not to reply."
It really had. He'd refused food for two weeks, losing about 30 poundsd from the illnesses that plauged him. Not even Remus had been able to help. Romulus slammed his fist into the brick hearth and cursed as pain shot through it. Shoving his other and into his pocket, he fondled a tiny box that he'd kept for nearly eight years.
"That's not fair, Artemis. DId you hear me say I was leaving again?"
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Post by Artemis-Mai Alcippe on Oct 28, 2007 12:25:30 GMT -5
Without the knowledge he was beside her she felt vunerable once more as if she'd just let him go when he was in her grasp. For a second she actually thought he would walk out again but there was no door opening and so her head turned gently to see where he had gone. Leaning her head on her knees, which at the time where hugged to her chest, she listened with curiosity yet still with a swif anger in her. One day Aariane had come home and said that she'd found a song which described Artemis perectly. The song had been fun but right now the lyrics resound in her head as if they where telling her to diobey her personality. I don't hold my breath and I don't hold my tongue, and I know that you know that I won't back down to no one. Her eyes opened from to see the room the same, to see the anger that could have been prevented it she had just kept her mouth closed.
"And your brother was keeping the secrets too? He couldn't have told me or gotten someone else to tell me?"
Her whispers where weak, it was as if she were crying again or the tears had drained her energy but she wasn't going to let them come back, they where useless and solved nothing generally leaving her to feel like she was an idiot. Yes the emotion was pure but it was no need to let the salty water drentch you skin and make you feel awful and generally look it too. Artemis jumped, letting her leggs fall back to the ground, as he pounded his fist against the hearth and she stood quietly.
"Well it's not over and since you've done that for eight years to get away from it I thought you were hinting..."
Her shaking hand pulled the gown onto her shoulders where it had slipped off showing her vest top slightly and left a chill on the exposed skin. For one reason or another she silently gave a huff of laughter to herself, suprisingly the arguing had been quite the same all those years back but it had only made them stronger.
"I'm and idiot, sorry..."
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Post by Romulus Lupin on Oct 28, 2007 12:35:08 GMT -5
Romulus leaned his forehead against the wall, his fists resting upon it as if it were holding him up. It was, in a way. He was tired of it all...the anger, the grief, the sadness, the fear. How he longed to just snap his fingers and go back in time when it was just him and Artemis and all was right in the world. But he couldn't.
"It's NOT over. It's found its way here. That murder that happened just last week? That was part ofwhat that fool tried to recruit me for. It's coming back.
He turned to see her standing and the raw pain that lay bare upon his face dictated his next actions. He strode over to her, his robes swishing around him, and slid his hands into her hair. Clenching them into fists, he rested his forehead against hers and looked herin the eye as well as he could with being so close.
"I can't leave you again. Don't you see that? You're where I want to be."
His whisper was hoarse, the emotions coursing through him were to great to be described with just one tone. The tension in his muscles melted away and he closed his eyes, keeping the distance betweent hem short. Romulus knew that if she told him to leave now, he would have to. But he didn't want to go again. It would kill him for sure.
"You're not the idiot, it's me. I'm sorry for everything Arti. I couldn't let you know because I was afraid you'd do something rash-like find the person who threatened me or came after me yourself."
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