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Ah, the collar.
You know. Because you're thick.
"How exactly do you manage to keep your job?" Kamen asked.
"Making the right people happy, and pissing off their enemies." Rei smirked, "Plus I think that this was a rather clever idea, thought of by yours truly."
Artemis bit the inside of her mouth and began to nervously play with the soft armor shirt that had been stretched across Kamen's chest, "I don’t think we were completely unnoticed, Faegles looks shifty."
Rei shifted his weight onto his other leg and crossed his arms over his chest, "Well excuse me. I can't exactly hand-pick everyone that ends up in Q'ael Dan'il."
"Really?" Kamen asked with a wry smile.
Rei gave Kamen a dirty look, "Hush you." He gave his attention back to Artemis, "My Orla, if I go shake his hand would you feel better?"
Artemis got to her feet and nodded with a smile before adjusting her own gloves, "What if he isn't trustworthy?"
Rei shrugged, "I'll kill him."
Kamen shook his head, "Is that the only threat around here? And they wonder why no one's afraid of dying anymore."
Rei eyed Kamen for a few seconds before giving his collar a single pull and straightening out his entire jacket. He turned on his heel and called back to them as he shut the door behind him, "Behave, you two."
Kamen clasped his hands in front of him, letting his elbows rest on his knees and watched Artemis for a few seconds before opening his mouth, "I think you've lost it."
Artemis shook her head, "What does it matter, I'm as good as dead in five days."
"Likewise."
There was a strange comfort in the single word that Kamen had given in response and Artemis smiled before sitting down into a chair that seemed all but comfortable and stable. "I didn’t know where you were being held and I wouldn’t have been able to get here on my own. I have Rei to thank for this, I didn’t think he would ever come up with something this sneaky."
“I can see that he helped you with your disguise.”
Artemis grabbed onto both sides of her seat and held her legs out in front of her, a warm smile caught on her face all the while. "We're actually about the same size, my legs are a little longer, but you can't really tell with the boots." She set her feet back down, pinning the knees together while her feet hit the ground quite a ways apart, "Of course I'm quickly learning how un-graceful pants are."
Kamen laughed, "What do you mean?"
She pursed her lips, "Well, I thought that I had grown out of my whole klutzy phase, but as it turns out I've just gotten incredibly good at hiding it." She looked down and brought both hands to her collar, "Then there's this."
"Ah, the collar."
"Why is there that clasp all the way at the top?" She stood from her seat and took a few steps in no particular direction, all the while fiddling with the small object of her frustration. "That's a little more than ridiculous. I feel like I'm being choked." She shook her head in disapproval, "I can't imagine what it must be like for you."
Kamen squinted at her, "What?"
Artemis looked back at him quickly, her hands still occupied by the tiny metal hooks she couldn't seem to grasp. "You know. Because you're thick."
Kamen looked as if he had just been hit over the head with a very heavy, blunt object, "Thick?"
Artemis blinked once, trying her best to swallow her embarrassment. Somehow it seemed that she couldn't stop herself from making strange observations about him that never came out the right way. She turned away from him quickly, scanning the room for something to divert the conversation from what she had just said. "Have you found the passage in this room yet?"
He groaned, "If I had I wouldn't be here. I'd be in Jannah."
She let out a small half-laugh, "Jannah?"
"I told him." Kamen swallowed and lay back on the bed, holding the back of his head in his hands casually, "I told him that I was going to throw you over my shoulder and take you out of here."
"If you like." Her voice was weak, but Kamen heard it nonetheless and he immediately sat up. "He told me once that Celeste was the only one that he wouldn't cross. I believe it. I think that if he was ever given reason to, he would throw my Nonna into hell himself."
Kamen shook his head; while he wouldn't put such things past Van Dean, he didn't think that Van Dean would ever go as far as killing Nora Sybil. The Queen seemed to have an unfounded trust in him that Kamen couldn't pinpoint. "You still trust me?" Artemis looked back at him quickly, "I wasn't lying. I wasn't tricked into saying those things. All of it was true."
Artemis looked down at her hands, one picking at the glove of the other. She gave him a sideways glance, "You'd make a terrible villain." She forced a small laugh, "You've got this ridiculously noble demeanor."
Kamen shook his head again, "You aren't serious about the Haven."
"I wish I was." She looked back down to her gloves, still playing with one of the tips, "I'm not brave enough to run away. I don't think I could do that in good conscience; there are too many people depending on me."
"You mean you're not cowardly enough."
"No." She let her hands fall to her sides and gave him her full attention, "I do everything I can to defy him--to make him angry--but running away would be the one thing that would really burn him up. I'm not brave enough to do it."
Kamen let out a huff through his nose, "E byri oys."
"Mu jy E."
The two seemed to jump the instant the door made a small click and began to open. The simultaneous sigh of relief that came from the pair was enough to make Rei tilt his head to the side curiously, "Paranoid bunch ya'll are."
Artemis swallowed hard, "Faegles?"
"He knows you're female, that's about it, but it's not like a female is a new sight around here." Rei shrugged, "I told him you were a psychiatrist."
Kamen's jaw dropped, "WHAT?"
Rei casually raised an eyebrow, "You don't think this is therapeutic?"
"So the soldiers already know that I'm having to meet with Van Dean to sort out a misunderstanding, but now they think I'm clinically insane?" He let out an aggravated sigh, "Great. Just prime."
Artemis directed her question to Rei, "Van Dean's been visiting?"
Rei nodded, "He wants to give the idea that we’re coming to an agreement, but no actual progress is being made. He also really doesn't like that I sit in on these meetings, but then again I don't trust him to not try something." He glanced at Kamen, "Or Kamen to not make an ass comment."
"Would I do that?" Kamen said with an evident trace of anger in his voice.
"So he's dragging things out then?" Artemis asked, paying no attention to Kamen's comment.
"He wants to keep all of what's been going on away from the rest of Q'ael Dan'il, but your little stunt in the gardens the other day is making it damn near impossible." Rei leaned back against the wall, "None of the other soldiers know about your relationship. I would like to keep it that way.”
"Don't be so sure." Artemis said slowly, "I know that Fosh knows. Avery seemed to know as well. I have no idea how many people know and just haven't said anything."
Kamen stood and meandered over to the table to pour a glass of water, moving his jacket to the back of the chair that Artemis had previously occupied, "I bet you anything Van Dean knows." He took a gulp, "I wouldn't doubt that he's spent a whole day just shuffling through every mind he came into contact with to find out just who knew about it."
Artemis picked up her hat from the bed and made an attempt to tuck her hair up into it, "Wouldn't this raise more suspicion? For the High General to be away from his post?"
Rei nodded, "It does." He made a small gesture with his head to the door, "It’s a good thing Faegles bought the psychiatrist bit. He knew it was you." Rei swallowed hard, "Your eyes give you away, and all the disguises in the world couldn’t stifle that aura."
"You shouldn't have come." Kamen said weakly, "If he finds out who knows what he'll do."
“Oh, please, Kamen.” Rei said flatly, “You and I both know the man is completely crazy about her.”
“That’s what I’m afraid of.” Kamen set his glass onto the table.
Artemis shook her head, "Don't. Please don't be jealous, Kamen. It'll tear you apart."
"It's too late."
"How exactly do you manage to keep your job?" Kamen asked.
"Making the right people happy, and pissing off their enemies." Rei smirked, "Plus I think that this was a rather clever idea, thought of by yours truly."
Artemis bit the inside of her mouth and began to nervously play with the soft armor shirt that had been stretched across Kamen's chest, "I don’t think we were completely unnoticed, Faegles looks shifty."
Rei shifted his weight onto his other leg and crossed his arms over his chest, "Well excuse me. I can't exactly hand-pick everyone that ends up in Q'ael Dan'il."
"Really?" Kamen asked with a wry smile.
Rei gave Kamen a dirty look, "Hush you." He gave his attention back to Artemis, "My Orla, if I go shake his hand would you feel better?"
Artemis got to her feet and nodded with a smile before adjusting her own gloves, "What if he isn't trustworthy?"
Rei shrugged, "I'll kill him."
Kamen shook his head, "Is that the only threat around here? And they wonder why no one's afraid of dying anymore."
Rei eyed Kamen for a few seconds before giving his collar a single pull and straightening out his entire jacket. He turned on his heel and called back to them as he shut the door behind him, "Behave, you two."
Kamen clasped his hands in front of him, letting his elbows rest on his knees and watched Artemis for a few seconds before opening his mouth, "I think you've lost it."
Artemis shook her head, "What does it matter, I'm as good as dead in five days."
"Likewise."
There was a strange comfort in the single word that Kamen had given in response and Artemis smiled before sitting down into a chair that seemed all but comfortable and stable. "I didn’t know where you were being held and I wouldn’t have been able to get here on my own. I have Rei to thank for this, I didn’t think he would ever come up with something this sneaky."
“I can see that he helped you with your disguise.”
Artemis grabbed onto both sides of her seat and held her legs out in front of her, a warm smile caught on her face all the while. "We're actually about the same size, my legs are a little longer, but you can't really tell with the boots." She set her feet back down, pinning the knees together while her feet hit the ground quite a ways apart, "Of course I'm quickly learning how un-graceful pants are."
Kamen laughed, "What do you mean?"
She pursed her lips, "Well, I thought that I had grown out of my whole klutzy phase, but as it turns out I've just gotten incredibly good at hiding it." She looked down and brought both hands to her collar, "Then there's this."
"Ah, the collar."
"Why is there that clasp all the way at the top?" She stood from her seat and took a few steps in no particular direction, all the while fiddling with the small object of her frustration. "That's a little more than ridiculous. I feel like I'm being choked." She shook her head in disapproval, "I can't imagine what it must be like for you."
Kamen squinted at her, "What?"
Artemis looked back at him quickly, her hands still occupied by the tiny metal hooks she couldn't seem to grasp. "You know. Because you're thick."
Kamen looked as if he had just been hit over the head with a very heavy, blunt object, "Thick?"
Artemis blinked once, trying her best to swallow her embarrassment. Somehow it seemed that she couldn't stop herself from making strange observations about him that never came out the right way. She turned away from him quickly, scanning the room for something to divert the conversation from what she had just said. "Have you found the passage in this room yet?"
He groaned, "If I had I wouldn't be here. I'd be in Jannah."
She let out a small half-laugh, "Jannah?"
"I told him." Kamen swallowed and lay back on the bed, holding the back of his head in his hands casually, "I told him that I was going to throw you over my shoulder and take you out of here."
"If you like." Her voice was weak, but Kamen heard it nonetheless and he immediately sat up. "He told me once that Celeste was the only one that he wouldn't cross. I believe it. I think that if he was ever given reason to, he would throw my Nonna into hell himself."
Kamen shook his head; while he wouldn't put such things past Van Dean, he didn't think that Van Dean would ever go as far as killing Nora Sybil. The Queen seemed to have an unfounded trust in him that Kamen couldn't pinpoint. "You still trust me?" Artemis looked back at him quickly, "I wasn't lying. I wasn't tricked into saying those things. All of it was true."
Artemis looked down at her hands, one picking at the glove of the other. She gave him a sideways glance, "You'd make a terrible villain." She forced a small laugh, "You've got this ridiculously noble demeanor."
Kamen shook his head again, "You aren't serious about the Haven."
"I wish I was." She looked back down to her gloves, still playing with one of the tips, "I'm not brave enough to run away. I don't think I could do that in good conscience; there are too many people depending on me."
"You mean you're not cowardly enough."
"No." She let her hands fall to her sides and gave him her full attention, "I do everything I can to defy him--to make him angry--but running away would be the one thing that would really burn him up. I'm not brave enough to do it."
Kamen let out a huff through his nose, "E byri oys."
"Mu jy E."
The two seemed to jump the instant the door made a small click and began to open. The simultaneous sigh of relief that came from the pair was enough to make Rei tilt his head to the side curiously, "Paranoid bunch ya'll are."
Artemis swallowed hard, "Faegles?"
"He knows you're female, that's about it, but it's not like a female is a new sight around here." Rei shrugged, "I told him you were a psychiatrist."
Kamen's jaw dropped, "WHAT?"
Rei casually raised an eyebrow, "You don't think this is therapeutic?"
"So the soldiers already know that I'm having to meet with Van Dean to sort out a misunderstanding, but now they think I'm clinically insane?" He let out an aggravated sigh, "Great. Just prime."
Artemis directed her question to Rei, "Van Dean's been visiting?"
Rei nodded, "He wants to give the idea that we’re coming to an agreement, but no actual progress is being made. He also really doesn't like that I sit in on these meetings, but then again I don't trust him to not try something." He glanced at Kamen, "Or Kamen to not make an ass comment."
"Would I do that?" Kamen said with an evident trace of anger in his voice.
"So he's dragging things out then?" Artemis asked, paying no attention to Kamen's comment.
"He wants to keep all of what's been going on away from the rest of Q'ael Dan'il, but your little stunt in the gardens the other day is making it damn near impossible." Rei leaned back against the wall, "None of the other soldiers know about your relationship. I would like to keep it that way.”
"Don't be so sure." Artemis said slowly, "I know that Fosh knows. Avery seemed to know as well. I have no idea how many people know and just haven't said anything."
Kamen stood and meandered over to the table to pour a glass of water, moving his jacket to the back of the chair that Artemis had previously occupied, "I bet you anything Van Dean knows." He took a gulp, "I wouldn't doubt that he's spent a whole day just shuffling through every mind he came into contact with to find out just who knew about it."
Artemis picked up her hat from the bed and made an attempt to tuck her hair up into it, "Wouldn't this raise more suspicion? For the High General to be away from his post?"
Rei nodded, "It does." He made a small gesture with his head to the door, "It’s a good thing Faegles bought the psychiatrist bit. He knew it was you." Rei swallowed hard, "Your eyes give you away, and all the disguises in the world couldn’t stifle that aura."
"You shouldn't have come." Kamen said weakly, "If he finds out who knows what he'll do."
“Oh, please, Kamen.” Rei said flatly, “You and I both know the man is completely crazy about her.”
“That’s what I’m afraid of.” Kamen set his glass onto the table.
Artemis shook her head, "Don't. Please don't be jealous, Kamen. It'll tear you apart."
"It's too late."
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